June 2001 - Inside Line Column - by Floyd Busby

Five BCRA midget races have been staged since the last Inside Line column, and all have been fine exhibits of midget auto racing. At the Stockton "99" Speedway on May 5th, the midget feature was last on the schedule, following more than 100 laps of stock car main events. This produced a slippery surface on Stockton's paved oval which provided for some interesting racing. The front-runners would continually exit the turns in almost a dirt track semi-slide, but without the smoking tires that such antics will usually portray on pavement. The leaders were racing at times with wheels inside the wheels of their competitors and sliding close to the walls - at times leaving a black imprint on the white concrete. Pete Davis won that event with Nick Geranio and defending champ Glenn Carson following closely, Davis was fortunate that a second yellow flag came out during the 30-lapper. Upon the green flag following the first yellow, Davis jumped the gun while running second behind Geranio. At the second yellow referee Rick Eisenbeis moved Davis back to second. Had it not been for that second caution, Davis would have been moved back after the race. 

BCRA's new Division-2 is getting a very slow start. We have had three D-2 cars at each race; Bill Lindsey, Joe Lindsey, and Jim Fowler. The original four cars that were expected at the time that the division was organized failed to appear, and instead their owners have put them up for sale because of Division-1 commitments. 

Following Stockton the midgets made their first appearance at the Watsonville Speedway in a number of years. The Friday night show attracted 21 cars and the racing was excellent. Promoter Rick Farren was stoked enough to indicate that he will probably want two shows in 2002. I like Ron Rodda's comments in his recent column where he wrote that he would like to see the midgets at Watsonville once a month - I'll buy that! 

Thomas Meseraull took the Watsonville cash over Scott Hatton and Scott Clark. An interesting pairing was Hatton and Greg Nelson. Nelson won the BADGER championship in 1983 and has run with BCRA for a number of years. Hatton is the defending BADGER champion and came west to compete at Watsonville and Hanford in one of the Jack Walker machines. Hatton won the trophy dash. For some fine photos taken at Watsonville by Dennis Mattish, see the photo section under "Midgets" on the BCRA website (BCRAracing.com). Also at Watsonville was Dallen McKenney. Dallen has switched from the midget lites to a full midget and looked good, finishing the feature in fourth. Perhaps the biggest asset that evening was the appearance of Bobby Hogge IV, making his midget debut. The multi-time NASCAR champion stock car and Grand American Sportsman ace drove a car that his sponsor, Bob Dalton, purchased for him. We hope to see Bobby several times this season when his schedule allows. He placed a creditable ninth in the feature. 

The following evening BCRA co-sanctioned with USAC at the Kings Speedway in Hanford - a great track! Robby Flock won that one after a torrid duel with Wally Pankratz who settled for second over Josh Wise, '99 BCRA champ Matt Streeter and Nelson. Meseraull led part of the race and was still a contender when he ran out of fuel on the backstretch. Pankratz really did a job after falling into the back of the pack after replacing a right front shock during a yellow flag period. 

To some, running at the Redwood Acres Raceway in Eureka is a really long haul. It really isn't as bad as it seems, only four hours from the Bay Area - and well worth the trip. Fourteen cars was all that was on hand, but the contingent put on an exciting race. The two heats were won with lead changes on the final turn of the final lap. "Emancipated" 15-year old Shain Matthews scored his second career win (the other last season at Placerville). Jim Silva, who hounded Matthews waiting for the youngster's mistake (which never came) placed second over Floyd Alvis and Rory Price. Promoters Linda and Rich Olson were enthused. Rich appeared at each pit following the main event and thanked the competitors for coming to his track, a very nice gesture. He was also interested in bringing the midgets back as part of a big annual two-day show in late September, but that date is already booked at Stockton. A

s far as a long haul is concerned, no BCRA member comes any further than Rory Price. The talented driver resides in Edmonds, Washington, near Seattle. He is currently third in driver points and second in the car owner standings! 

One week after Eureka BCRA again joined with USAC for the 100-lapper at the Carson Tahoe Champion Speedway in Carson City. John Starks, as with Price, is an excellent pavement driver and over the years has taken much of the California money home to Puyallup, Washington. He did just that at Carson city, establishing a new one-lap track record and then coming from eighth to win the century race. Yellow flag laps count in long races, and 42 of them were spaced out on the feature. In reality, the race went 106-laps. At the 95-lap mark scoring ceased so that the race would end with a minimum of five racing laps (a good move!). At the 95-lap mark the yellow was still out and the green came out after another unscored six laps were run. The yellows probably were a tire wear factor. Some teams worried about tire wear over the 100-laps, but wear was to a minimum and not a single car retires due to tire wear. 

Carson City promoter Les Kynett, who could be called the "P.T. Barnum" of west coast racing because of his promotional skills, had the cream-of-the-crop of politicians in attendance. Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn was the ceremonial starter for a stock car race made up of republican and democrat state legislators. Nevada's third ranking politician, Secretary of State Dean Heller, is a weekly competitor at the track in the late model stock car division. 

Perhaps a "first of its kind" parade lap was held prior to the start of the feature. As the 23 midget starters droned around the track in double file, the nine BCRA vintage midgets in attendance were pushed off and joined the regulars on the outside in triple file. After the vintage cars pulled into the pits, the midgets went four-abreast to the crowd's spirited delight.

Putting the April 21st rainout at the Placerville Speedway behind them, the midget lites shot off into a fine season with high car-counts. Don VanDyke took the win at Antioch over Greg Dennett and Tyler Franklin. The next race at the Twin Cities Speedway in Marysville saw Greg Dennett take his first feature win over Chad Compton and Doug Hunting. Next, it was back to Antioch for the Miller Lite Series and a win by Jeff Kyle over Don VanDyle and Steven Williams. At Placerville it was Dennett again over Williams and Franklin. The Miller Lite Series was up again at Antioch and Dennett took his third feature of the young season over Doug Hunting and Jared Adams. 

Thus far this has been a good season for Franklin, who over the past couple of seasons had far more than his share of ill fortune. 

Greg Dennett, last season's "Rookie of the Year" is setting himself up as the man to beat. Greg's brother, Todd, is a rookie this season and drives one of the two beautiful team lites that looks identical to his brothers', except for the number. 

The rookie crop is impressive. In addition to the rookie Dennett, we have BCRA midget lite's first female driver Shannon Adams, Jeff Green, Drew Barney, Sam Corso, and Jacob Gregg. The car championship-winning #41 Chris DeRuyter machine rotates three different drivers. Chris himself, his sister Andrea, and rookie Corso. 

The BCRA vintage division is doing well and having fun as they did in Carson City. 

Ken Clapp of Stockton "99" Speedway has posted special awards of $1,850.00 for the remaining four races at the speedway. In an effort to improve car count, the awards will be distributed to the 16th through 20th car owners in points accumulated over the four races. To be eligible, there must be a minimum of 17 cars at each race and the car owner must take the green flag in time trials at each event. Distribution at the annual awards banquet will be $750 for 16th, $500 for 17th, $300 for 18th, $200 for 19th, and $100 for 20th - thanks Ken. 

One of the true pioneers of west coast racing recently left us at age 85. 

Margo Burke was best known as the other half of the very successful Bob Barkhimer Associates promotional team that was instituted in the late 1940s. Previously, she was the BCRA Office Manager. She had been a friend to Barkhimer since the 30s, and with her organizational abilities, was a natural to become one of the coast's most important and influential motor sport personalities. 

Prior to her position with BBA, Margo was married to Marvin Burke, 1949 BCRA Midget Driving Champion and Hall of Fame member. 

With BBA, Margo and "Barky" oversaw 22 race tracks that ran under their CAL Stock banner in the early 50s. In 1954 BBA reduced the number of tracks to include only the best ten and then pioneered the entrance of NASCAR into the west coast. 

Margo and Barky promoted the famed indoor midget races at the Oakland Exposition Building, beginning in 1949. 

Later, when BBA was purchased by Ken Clapp, Margo remained on the Board of Directors for the organization that later became CARS, retiring in 1981, but continuing as a consultant. 

An interesting sidebar to Margo's extraordinary life took place on December 6, 1941. Then married to a Chief Petty Officer, Margo attended a party aboard the USS Arizona, only hours before that ship was destroyed during the invasion of Pearl Harbor! 

Margo was a member of three different Hall of Fames; BCRA, San Jose Speedway, and Motor Sports Press Association. 

One of motor sports true pioneers - Margo Burke - June 12, 1915-April 23, 2001. 

And finally, a bit of editorializing that is not necessarily the opinion of any publication or website in which this column may appear. 

The 2001 Indianapolis 500, in my opinion, was one of the most blasphemous events in motor sports for allowing such an unworthy rendition of our National Anthem to be presented as it was by a member of the musical group Aerosmith. Call me corney for being patriotic, but I am ashamed that our sport would desecrate the Memorial Day holiday with such destruction of our country's spirit and patriotism. If that is what it takes to attract the younger generation, then to hell with them - Tony George, you should be ashamed of yourself!