In the Groove
Monday, August 29, 2005
by Stacy Ervin - As the final sprint-car race of the 2005 racing season at the Knoxville Raceway looms in front of us, I can’t help but reflect on the stellar season we’ve seen. And for me, this 30th year of making the trip to the hallowed half-mile has been nothing short of amazing.
Not only does 2005 mark my 30th straight trip to Knoxville and the Nationals, but it marks my fifth year of working with the crew high atop the speedway in the pressbox. From the very beginning, it was evident to me that this was the place I belonged. And with the way this season has gone, I truly know that I was right.
First of all, some of the best friends I’ve made in racing share that booth with me each race night. It’s a joy to watch the races with them, and this year, it was a real joy to beat all of them at our little "office" pool game. No money goes down on this, mind you. We simply play for the sheer love of competition.
This being the second season we have kept up weekly point standings, there has been a lot on the line and sometimes we are just as competitive as those drivers on the track. Well, heading into the last points race, I’m happy to report that I have an insurmountable lead.
Yes, I had a very good year. I won at least five times that I can recall and managed to pick the winners of all of the "big" races this year, such as the Summer Classic, 360 Nationals, Brodix Tournament of Champions and the really big one, the Knoxville Nationals.
Though I will be wearing that gold medal around my next come Saturday night, there is a hefty battle brewing for the other two "podium" spots. And there are a couple of track announcers who will have their game faces on when it comes time to pick this week.
Speaking of track announcers, I’m sure those of you who were at the speedway this past Saturday can probably guess that I’m still on cloud nine. Thanks to my buddies Tony Bokhoven and Justin Zoch, I finally got the courage to make my track announcing debut at Knoxville on Saturday night. Justin handed over his microphone and let me call some of the time trials. Tony was a good sport too, walking me through the jitters and even letting me publicly warn him that I may be after his job.
In all seriousness, though, track announcing has always been something I’ve wanted to do. Growing up in the 1970s at the track, it was much harder for most little girls to dream of driving than it is for girls today. So many of us looked toward the other positions at the track. And I found my hero in former track announcer Tim Trier. I guess since I’ve turned out to be a reporter as an adult, it only seems natural that as a kid I wanted to soak
up every piece of knowledge I could about the racing and the people of racing at Knoxville. That’s why I hung on every word Tim said on the microphone. When he called out, "It’s Showtime!" I got goosebumps every time as the aluminum grandstands rumbled in anticipation.
As an adult, and through my pressbox gig, I came to know Tim as a friend because for a couple of years, he ran the scoreboard. It was an honor to sit by my first racing hero and you can’t imagine the thrill I got this past Saturday night when Tim came by the booth to tell me I had done a good job with my announcing debut. It meant the world to me.
Announcing is hard work, but I knew that going in. I see it every week, how much Tony, Justin and Mike Roberts put into creating a show for the fans. Since I have grown up and Tim Trier has retired from announcing, Tony has become my new announcer hero. The hardest part of my debut on Saturday night was trying not to sound just like him. It’s odd when you really start thinking of doing something like that. I started thinking about what I would say when I got my big chance and all my deliveries sounded just like Tony. I guess it’s all in what you’re used to hearing.
Anyway, while I hope Tony and Justin continue to be part of my pressbox family at Knoxville for a long time, I have to admit, I sure wouldn’t mind taking over the job from one of them. I think I’m hooked and I’m doing my best to convince Arleta and Cappy that a female voice is needed on the PA at the greatest dirt track in the world.
So aside from my big night, the real reason we all gathered at the hallowed half-mile on Saturday night was for the penultimate event in the sprint-car season. And it was a wild one.
The night started off with a rough flip by Alan Zoutte in the first 360 heat race after Josh Higday made contact with him in turn four. Bad mechanical luck plagued a couple of the 410 drivers in their heat races. Colin Northway was leading his and coming to the white flag when he lost oil pressure and his machine sputtered to a stop. A different heat race saw the return of a fan favorite. Travis Cram, who retired at the end of last season at a remarkably young age, came out to pilot Lenard McCarl’s 7X for the night. But a smoking motor on the white-flag lap of his heat race kept him from making a charge to the A-Main. And then in the B-Main, the motor was cooked and he was forced to pull in.
The A-Main in the 360 division saw last year’s track champion Jake Peters seemingly clinch his second straight title with a convincing win. Polesitter Frankie Heimbaugh took the early lead, but Peters got by him in turn three on the first lap and never looked back. With two laps down, the first yellow flag of the event came out for Mitchell Alexander, who spun in turn two.
Peters began to hit lapped traffic on the eighth circuit with a straightaway lead on his nearest competitor, Heimbaugh. But a lap later, the yellow returned for a slowing Jarod Smith. On the restart, Heimbaugh astonished the crowd when his sprinter went straight into the turn-two fence. Once the race restarted again, Peters was able to cruise to an easy victory.
The A-Main in the 410 division was a crazy affair from start to finish. Flagman Doug Clark wasn¹t pleased with the original run of front-row starters Brian Brown and Clint Garner, so he threw the yellow flag. And that caused Wayne Johnson and Garner to get together, sending Garner flipping on the backstretch. Jon Agan sailed his car over in the melee as well.
With Garner unable to return to action, Billy Alley joined Brown on the front row and the two waged a torrid battle for the win. Brown got the lead and ended up leading all 20 laps, but it wasn¹t without charges from Alley.
With two laps down, the yellow flag came out for Johnson, who had looped his machine in turn four. After that, Alley chased Brown closely as the pair hit lapped traffic on the sixth circuit. But on lap seven, the red flag returned when Johnson tried to put a slide job on Matt Moro in turn four. The two made contact and Johnson went flipping. Jerry Richert Jr. had nowhere to go but into the side of Johnson. That was the first scare for Brown and Alley, as the accident happened right in front of them.
On the restart, Skip Jackson jumped the cushion in turn two, got sideways and flipped. Chris Walraven was collected and flipped too. Mike Reinke was also a victim of that accident.
The next breathtaking moment for the leaders came on the white-flag lap when Chad Meyer spun right in front of them. He kept moving, though, and no caution flag was displayed. But as they came to the checkered flag, Richert stopped in turn four. Brown squeaked by the checkered flag just as the yellow was being added to the mix. The checkered-yellow situation proved to be a good one for Alley, who appeared to be suffering mechanical troubles on his sprinter within the final 10 laps. On the cool-down lap, his sprinter coasted to a stop on the backstretch, but he was able to head home with the second-place finish. Meanwhile, Brown celebrated in victory lane with a wing
dance.
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