Super Rickie grabs Thunderbowl Express and scores!

On the only 2000 visit to friendly Thunderbowl Speedway in Tulare, California, Rickie Gaunt will get the bragging rights for his 30 lap SCRA victory that was hard earned. Check the pit walk pics from Mrs Wags here Qualifying on a very tacky track left 29 cars looking for victory lane with great anticipation. Super Rickie was very aggressive in his heat, the dash and in the feature as he sliced thru the pack each time the blue and white Sled hit the track and was heading to the front. It was Rickie's 3rd win this season and 5th lifetime with SCRA as he continues to shine in the Sled Chassis Gardner Motorsports entry. He was clearly faster than everyone and couldn't be caught and passed this week. Is this payback for the Wichita win in the bag, that got out?

It was a night of firsts for many competitors. J Hicks won his first Passing Masters Dash with some great driving while holding off a persistent John Scott most of the 6 lap event. Hicks remarked with a smile in victory circle that it was a very long race! He finished 8th in the main, but was hard to pass as he continues to improve in only his second year with the big boys. Greg DeCaries got his first ever fast time with SCRA. His running without the wing is beginning to show great results. He finished 7th in the feature and with more seat time, he is going to be another diver that can win in SCRA. Tom Stansberry won his first heat race with SCRA and then finished 11th in the main event. He also grabbed the Wagtimes Shiny Tire Award later for the sparkle in the line-up. It wasn't an easy decision and many were blazing away during the line-up for the fans.

Rip Williams had his elbows up again this week and had Rickie in his sights the last ten laps of the race. Rip made lap after lap an exciting one as he pressured the leader hard and had his mount running right next to the wall after exiting turn four each lap. It looked like he was using every inch of the track in an effort to catch the fast Sled driver, but settled for second after the crowd pleasing effort. On more than one occasion, he looked like the wall was going to get him, but the veteran driver kept reeling both his car and the leader in.

The Red Line Oil Hard Charger award this week goes to Steve Ostling as he blew from the 17th starting spot up to fifth at the end. He was battling for every position all night. He and DeCaries put on a scintillating battle in their heat. Then, in the semi, Steve pulled off an awesome pass on Greg to take the win. In the feature he started slow then began to really pour it on late and moved up to fifth. He finished right behind Mike Kirby, who didn't start quite as far back, but put on a passing clinic of his own to get in the battle for the lead. Mike Looked sharp and only needed more laps to do better.

Richard Griffin, still the SCRA point leader by a ton, had an interesting night. It was almost as if I had scripted the racing so we could see the Gasman coming thru the pack like I love. In his heat, he started out with a spin that had him stopped on the track facing the oncoming traffic. Hmmm, no help? He restarted and moved back up to get the last transfer spot. In the main event, if he "banged" wheels with other cars once, he had a half dozen glancing blows, all innocent racing deals? Twice he had to slow and recover the "little red sucker" before continuing on. On one of those excursions, he was shuffled as far back as 10th, but recovered to hustle back to hassle Rip near the end. He made "recovery and charge" a fun spectator event to watch. Third place for him was a great finish, with all the extracurricular activity he endured, and he was a show of his own, more than usual.

Tony Jones had a night in Cory Kruseman's racer and even though his night ended early when another car spun in front of him where he damaged some suspension parts, it was a positive outing. He started 19th, after an early slushy qualifying effort, and was cruising up in 10th when the incident occurred. Hopefully he and the Harlan Willis crew can make it happen at Ventura this coming week, while regular driver Cory Kruseman, is moonlighting in Indiana. Cory left his calling card in the cockpit of the # 45 car. Taped on the dash was a note for Tony that warned Tony to not get too comfortable in his seat!

It was Stinger Chassis night at Thunderbowl as Richard & Bettye Harvey Sr hosted their customers in a tri-tip barbecue early in the afternoon at the track. Then, 5 of the Stinger Chassis competitors finished in the top ten on the night, with Rip doing the best at 2nd and Kirby 4th. One Stinger needs a lot of work after being jousted into the wall in his heat. Mark Nation was in the wrong place and ended up with a badly battered car and later received $115 worth of Wagsbucks collected on the night. Philosophical was Mark when we handed him the small bit of cash to fix his big priced owie. He vowed to get it fixed and be back within a few weeks. He is a low buck racer so will be watching at Ventura next week. Hats off to Rich Zimmerman who sought me out to add to the Wagsbucks effort, specifically for Mark.

Gary W Howard had a good night for a change, after so many bad or even just incomplete ones. Not only did he have his son, Corey, in the pits with him for the first time, but the car ran better than ever. He and the crew have been struggling with a fuel stuttering problem since this old '89 Gambler returned to the track after maybe 10 years in his garage. He finished 10th and noted it was the first feature for the car since the Ascot days. Gabby, as he is known affectionately by many, has his heart in this car and just wants to be able to compete and show his talent. Corey was in 7th heaven, as well any young boy might be.

The "other" Sled car came home 6th on this night as Troy Rutherford made it two great efforts in a row In his Gardner entry. Not that he has nothing but bad luck, but things just didn't go well on the tour and he is happy to be in the hunt to win for a change. Look for him to do well at Ventura this week. It is his home track and he runs that place very special. Keith Williamson finally got a main event finish after suffering from overheating problems most of the season. Running a Ford with little help from anywhere but his brother Gary, and a very small crew, is difficult at best. The unique motor requires a lot of attention, and he isn't willing to give up on becoming a winner in this Ford racer. He finished 12th and had a smile after the races. He comes from a go cart world that he was the dominating figure. His years in sprinters haven't given him the success he desires, but without the sponsors and other much needed technical help, his going it alone signals his need for speed and a big win!

The building crowd was good and the racing was better! These fans will be back when we get to go back, I am sure of it. I even saw a few of my Northern California friends who normally follow the NARC in the grandstands. Jennifer Perry, and her friend Rebecca, made the short drive up from Bakersfield without her familiar father, Stan, nor her brothers "Lightning" and Jeff, all of whom use to be staples at SCRA events. The busy family promises to come, when they find time form their other "fun stuff". Tulare is a good place to race, and we need to add Bakersfield and Hanford to this Central Valley area where we run. We have the fans up there, we just need to go more often and advertise our schedule!

Check wagtimes.com for the latest SCRA schedule and get on the road, as we build the Wagsdash purse for the 10th annual Wagsdash, at Ventura on Oct 21st. Look for more than chili and racing this year, I promise. Make plans to be a part of this monster event starting Friday night at the local Cronies. It is your race, you sponsor it with your donations, so get involved today. Should we have a queen contest? Should there be more autograph sessions, and more importantly, should we have the pie in the face event return? The auction items are starting to come in, and all will be posted on Wags Web as it appears.

Be there for Ventura this weekend!!!! See ya at Perris on August 5th.

Remember, when it's RACETIME..........................It's WAGTIME!!!!!!