The
INNER
Issue 1/June 2015
GROOVE At Tucson Speedway
Gragson
Gets First K&N Victory
Ron Norman
It’s Just a Matter of Time
Robinson Wins!
It’s Official, There’s a New Girl in Town!
CONTENTS
GRAGSON WINS!
K&N West Series rookie Noah Gragson wins his first K&N West Series Race.
BY A NOSE
A look back at the MinuteMan 98 and the close finish by Vanessa Robinson.
THERE’S A NEW GIRL IN TOWN
We sat down with Super Late Model Driver Vanessa Robinson to discuss her career, successes and big win at the MinuteMan 98 at Tucson Speedway.
IT”S A MATTER OF TIME
K&N West Series driver Ron Norman is a Tucson Speedway Legend. He’s driving full time in the K&N West Series and it only a matter of time before he wins a race.
TECH TALK
We asked several drivers about the switch from Hoosier to Towel City for the Late Models, Pro Stocks and Modifieds.
TUCSON SPEEDWAY EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
Editor Brian Losey brianl@tucsonspeedway.com Creative Input Tim Rominger John Lashley Bambi Losey Morgan Losey Editorial Input Kristi O'Brien (Tucson Speedway News) Brian Losey Photo Contribution Tiffany O’neall (iwillshootyourcar Photography) J. Scott Read Brian Losey
To advertise, ask a question or comment please call 520-484-3466 or email brianl@tucsonspeedway.com This magazine is a product of and for Tucson Speedway.
Get to know one of your Tucson Speedway employee’s in this months employee spotlight.
PIT PASS
Take a candid look at the action in the pits at Tucson Speedway.
RESULTS AND STANDINGS
Current points standings by class.
CHILLY WILLY’S FUN ZONE
A place for kids and the young at heart to have some fun with Chilly Willy.
On the Cover Vanessa Robinson Celebrates after winning the Minuteman 98 on May 16th, 2015 (Photo By J. Scott Read)
EDITOR’S NOTE We are well into our 2015 season at Tucson Speedway. We have grown leaps and bounds in the last three years, and all of that growth is because of fans and racers like you, who support this great track week in and week out. As we advance forward, we continually look for ways to enhance the experience at Tucson Speedway. We have decided to create this magazine, a forum to deliver information, current news, and all the happenings at Tucson Speedway. “The Inner Groove at Tucson Speedway” will be a monthly magazine that will be viewable online. Look for the link on our website and Facebook. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please contact me. I hope you enjoy our first issue, and stay tuned for more next month. See you out at the track! -Brian
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Chilly Willy Tucson
Photo by Getty Images for NASCAR
NOAH GRAGSON
ROOKIE GETS FIRST K&N VICTORY AT TUCSON SPEEDWAY
S
ituated amongst the native saguaros in the heart of the desert lies Tucson Speedway. After a long 14 year wait, NASCARS K&N Pro West Series returned with excited competitors, officials and of course the fans that came and packed the grandstands. To say it was an exciting night is and understatement. Las Vegas native, Noah Gragson was on his game, winning his first series win after a relentless door-to-door battle with teammate Gracin Raz in a green-white-checkered finish.
This is not Noah Gragson’s first experience at Tucson Speedway. Gragson finished third behind Taylor Riddle and Jason Jefferson in another exciting finish at Tucson Speedway’s 2nd Annual Chilly Willy 100 in February. Gragson has also wheeled his number 8 Legend around Tucson Speedway, picking up several victories. Hopefully Gragson will be back for the third annual Chilly Willy in February 2016….I suspect he might do better than third if he keeps going at this pace.
BY A NOSE! By Kristi O’Brien Tucson Speedway News TUCSON– The 98-lap Super Late Model feature at Tucson Speedway left Spectators in awe Saturday as the 15-car field put on a show that fans will not soon forget. Super Late Models The field came around to the green flag with Cassie Gannis of Phoenix and Mariah McGriff of Tucson in an all-female front row. Gannis had the early lead with Chuck Wares of Tucson at the bottom of the track and McGriff on the high side trying to steal her thunder. Wares moved to the inside to pass Gannis on lap 11 but could not make it stick. From his 10th-place starting position, Joe Paladenic of Hereford had been making his way through traffic and was sitting in third. On lap 22, Paladenic to over the lead passing Gannis and Wares on the low side. Wares followed him in second. At lap 30, it was Paladenic, Wares and Vanessa Robinson of Las Cruces, N.M. in the top three. With a commanding lead, Paladenic led the race until lap 47 when Wares was able to close up the gap and take the top spot. Paladenic reclaimed the lead on lap 51, but could not shake Wares. The two raced side by side with Robinson and Dylan Jones of Tucson in their rearview mirrors. Jones had the better of the battle and stuck his nose between Paladenic and Wares making it a three-way fight for the lead on lap 64.
Wares took the top spot with no change in running order until lap 71 when Paladenic was passed by Robinson and Jones. Robinson made her move on lap 75 taking the lead away from Wares. Coming out of turn two on lap 77, Robinson spun, bringing out the caution. On the restart it was Wares, Jones, Paladenic, Paul Banghart of Tucson and McGriff in the top five. Robinson restarted at the back of the pack. By lap 79, Robinson was back in the top five with her sights set on reclaiming her lead. With 10 to go, Wares had the lead with Jones, Robinson and Banghart fighting for second. On lap 95, Banghart and Wares raced door to door for the lead. Robinson made a three-wide battle. Wares had to lift to avoid traffic leaving Banghart and Robinson passing beneath the checkered flag in a photo finish with Robinson heading to the winner’s circle.
Vanessa Robinson beats Paul Banghart at the line to win the Minuteman 98 (Photo By J. Scott Read)
VANESSA ROBINSON I
WITH A BIG WIN, THIS GIRL IS HERE TO DOMINATE! f you haven’t noticed yet, there’s a new girl in town, and she’s here to win. 25 year old Las Cruces NM native Vanessa Robinson may be new to Tucson Speedway, but she is definitely not new to racing. We had the chance to sit down with Vanessa and ask her a few questions. IG-How did you get started racing, how old were you and what type of car was it? VR-My family, my dad and mom use to race, I started racing Street Stock when I was 13. IG-What classes of cars do you have experience in? VR-Dirt-Street Stocks, Late Models and Mods. AsphaltMods and Super Late Models. IG-You have had much success on dirt, even being the youngest person to win a track championship at Southern New Mexico Speedway. What drew you to asphalt racing?
VR-I was racing a big 3 day show at SNMS, one of my competitors, Kevin Chavez noticed how smooth I was on their track and came up to me and my parents and said they should put me on asphalt., and they did. IG-Speaking of being the youngest person to win at SNMS,
how old where you? VR-I was 18. IG-Tell us how you got the nick name “Rockstar”? VR-My friend Bryan Hulbert was the announcer at the time, I asked him why he named me Rockstar, he said that everyone loved me and would cheer for me. IG-What’s your favorite track to
race at, dirt and asphalt? VR-My favorite dirt track is SNMS, and asphalt I actually have two favorites, Tucson Speedway and Ukiah Speedway. IG-You were the first female to get the pole in a Lucas Oil Modified, what track, did you go on to win the race? VR-It was at Blythe. I qualified 3rd, and a pill draw put me on the pole. We ended up finishing 9th that night because of one of my tires being mounted wrong. IG-Tell us a little more about your experience in the LOM Series. VR-It’s a tough class. I had to adapt to other tracks that I had never raced on before. I learned a lot and made some great friends. IG-So you’ve raced at Tucson Speedway three times now, what do you think is the best strategy to winning on an abrasive track like TS? How much does tire
management come into play during a 100 lap race? VR-Tire management is a must on tracks like Tucson. I have learned and have seen racer’s just burn up their tires right away. IG-What’s it like racing with the likes of Paul Banghart, Chuck Wares and the Jone’s brothers? They don’t have a habit of giving any space to competitors in the rear view? VR-It was exciting, I had to do everything to get around them. IG-So let’s get to the Minute man 98 race that you recently won. It took you 30 laps to get to the top 3, then another 45 to get the lead. What was your strategy at lap 30 to finally get the lead? VR-Trying to pass in the middle of the race was scary, I had to back off a couple of times because I didn’t want to damage my car or theirs, so I just waited for the right time to make my move. IG-After taking the lead at lap 75, you spun out two laps later. What was going through your head when you car was
spinning? VR-I was frustrated at myself, I was thinking did I really just do that and I was hoping that everyone else would avoid hitting me. IG-So starting at the tail of the lead lap on the restart, how did you manage to get to the front again? VR-To be honest, I have no idea how I made it back up there, I guess I just took my time. IG-When you crossed the line door-to-door with Paul Banghart, did you know you won the race? How did it feel to work so hard to get to the front, spin out and get sent to the back, only to battle and get to the finish line first? VR-When we crossed the line I had no idea who won. I looked at the scoreboard and they had me 2nd so I didn't think I won till my spotter got on the radio saying I won. I was excited that I won and most proud of myself for not giving up. IG-Is your plan to run the full schedule at Tucson
Speedway and compete for a track championship here? VR-Yes, I'm planning on racing the whole season at Tucson Speedway. As For the championship, I'm just taking it one race at a time. IG-Thanks for your time Vanessa, is there anyone you would like to thank, sponsors, family, etc. VR-I would like to thank all my sponsors, Rays De Luz, Robinson Race Cars, of course Approved Memory and Fluidyne. Also, I want to thank my dad, mom, my crew chief Steve Graham, my spotter Eric Graham, pit crew Rick Rosales and also Shane and Ida.
RON NORMAN WINS FIRST K&N POLE AT TUCSON IT’S JUST A MATTER OF TIME TILL HE PICKS UP A K&N WEST WIN!
A
ny Saturday night at Tucson Speedway when the Super Late Model Division is racing, you can almost bet that Tucson native, Ron Norman, is going to be amongst the
dominant competitors. You see, Norman just wrapped up last season with his ninth track championship at Tucson Speedway, add to that an Arizona State Championship as well. But things have changed, Norman has recently moved up to the K&N West Series where he continues to shine, improving as the season goes along, as he says, “it’s not just a matter of if, but when”! Of course what he is talking about is when he’s going to win his first K&N west race. The K&N West Series stopped by Tucson in May, it was no surprise to anyone when Norman won the pole. Norman started on the pole then proceeded to take the lead on lap 10, but lost it on lap 33 and never regained it. He admitted to burning his tires up early, but who could blame him, he was racing at his
home track with everyone in the stands cheering him on, and they got one hell of a show while it lasted. Norman continued to fall back after that, but stayed on the lead lap and finished 12th. That’s not bad, considering just two races prior at Kern County, Norman started 21st and finished 26th due to engine issues. Things got better at Irwindale when Norman started 8th and finished a season best 8th. Norman is not your typical driver in the K&N Series. He is also the head mechanic as well. Norman and his teammate Matt Levin keep the #30 car maintained, along with Matt Levin's #14. The NormanLevin race team is definitely running on a shoestring budget, but that will just make winning that much sweeter!
LAYING SOME NEW RUBBER DOWN This month on TechTalk, we talked to several drivers about the switch from Hoosier tires to Towel City tires in the Pro Stock, Late Model and Modified Classes. We asked how they liked them so far, if they seemed to run better or last longer. We where also curious if the new tire caused a change to tire management strategy. Jason Davis, driver of the #8 Pro Stock said, “I like the fact they do last longer. They are a harder tire and we found that you have to have your setup more fine tuned to make them work. Times from the 970’s to the Towel City's are about a half second slow due to less grip. It's nice not having to buy a new tire every week to keep being competitive. Our biggest issue is trying to get our stagger due to the recap.” Keith Lopez, driver of the #29C Modified answered, “I do like the towel city tires. We were asked and participate in the towel city tire test last November. After testing the tire in the King of the Hill race and the open modified race early this year, we found that the TC's were much more consistent in lap times from lap one to the final lap. Also our team found that the tires did not blow up in size after a few heat cycles. We have had to change the way we manage and run our tire setup. However these tires are easier in our opinion to keep up. They defiantly last longer. We put 350 laps on the original set we tested in November and threw out the winter. And after reviewing our notes only lost a second. Also we actually ran the 350 lap right rear tire last race for stagger purposes and finished 3rd. So with the longevity, consistency and price I think it was a great move by our track officials. They really had the race teams in mind. And for this move has accomplished more teams building, converting, or buying cars to compete here at Tucson Speedway. The modified class is the quickest growing division
the track has, and I believe we will have close to 30 cars before the year is up. Whether it’s the new tires, great track promoting, a 1st class facility and fair officiating......its a win-win for everyone involved., and we are proud to be a part of this place.” Don Zoll Jr, driver of the #22 Late Model responded, “I think it makes it more even through the field of cars. More equal competition. It is cheaper which I think brings in more cars for the races. I think they do last a lot longer.” Rod Hiestand, driver of the #21X Modified commented, “I personally like the new tires, my teammate doesn't. I feel like I can run harder on these tires. The only changes, we had to up the spring rate, lower the ride height and take camber out. Overall I like the tires, like the price.” Continued on next page.
Laying Some New Rubber Down Continued. Bob Cramb, driver of the #27X Modified said, “My thoughts on the new tires are mixed. On the surface they seem like a good idea. Anything to save the racer money is a positive. The one issue I see is inconsistencies with the manufacturing process. There is no way to tell what kind of condition the "donor" tire was in. The one thing I have noticed is older tires don't fall off as much. This is a benefit since you can only buy one tire per race. It definitely makes you think more about tire management and strategy. ______________________________________ Tucson Speedway Employee Spotlight You’ve probably seen this guy up in the flag stand a few times. His name is Ryan Barnett. He’s our Flagman here at Tucson Speedway. Ryan has been flagging since he was 4 years old, he used to flag with his mini flag set on Stomper Hill. His goal is to flag for a NASCAR touring series. Ryan is a recent graduate of The University of Arizona Engineering Program and will start his new career with Raytheon this month. He will be marrying his fiancé Carolyn this month as well.
Pit
Pass
HORNETS
Total Points
BOMBERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Total Points 12 - James West 15 - Cole Krages ** 56G - Tom Grassi 82X - Richard Perkins ** 11 - Brad Kleifgen I-81 - Nicole Grassi ** 67 - Gene Preston
62 58 56 50 46 42 41
1
21 - Michael Egurola Jr. **
227
2
88 - Nathan Burke
214
3
18 - Brandon Olds
172
4
23 - Jacob Hogan
163
5
27 - Ryan Pagano
160
6
.9A - Andrea McGuinness
159
7
88A - Austin Ward
133
8
80 - Tony Helm
127
9
98S - RJ Bishop **
107
10
22 - Kaitlyn Crawford
102
11 12
69 - Toby Olds 3 - Bradley Bechtel **
101 84
13
24E - Eddie Benson
79
14 - TIE
21L - Phillip Lopez **
78
14 - TIE
21x - Tish Hiestand
78
16
5R - Mike Funkhauser
54
17
77 - Clayton Wise
48
LEGENDS
18
33 - Paul Hart
39
1
11X - Robert Scott
157
19
69R - Kent Rios
38
20
13 - Steven Bickford
24
2
14 - Devyn Stocker
112
21
4 - Bill Bradbury
19
3
21 - Carlton Peterson
101
21
114 - Tyler Heckman **
14
4
14 - Troy Stocker
65
5
54 - Mike Peeler
51
6
14 - Tripp Gaylord
50
7
7 - Brad Peterson
47
8
11 - Romano Cionni III
42
9
21 - Dezel West **
9
BANDOLEROS
Total Points
1
12 - Austin Snyder
169
2
8 - Colin Stocker
165
23 - Adam Farr 22 - Brandon Zoll ** 6 - Brock Rogers 20 - Isabel Gonzales 20 - Tanner Stocker 12X - Kyle Keller
154 96 62 58 58 56
3 4 5 6 - TIE 6 - TIE 8
TRUCKS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
54 - Travis Van Strander ** 55 - Joey McCullough ** 12 - John Lashley 6 - Gary Cheek 17 - Allen Dowty 28 - Jim Bates 66 - Albert Flores Jr. **
Total Points 116 112 107 101 88 58 53
Total Points
SUPER LATES
Total Points
1
22 - Paul Banghart
173
2
07 - Chuck Wares
149
3
14 - Vanessa Robinson **
137
4
63 - Joe Paladenic
121
5
01 - Ron Searle Jr.
118
6
26 - Dylan Jones
111
7
20 - Brandon Schilling
98
8
47 - Cassie Gannis
96
9
8 - Mariah McGriff
89
10
16 - Dustin Jones
80
11
.05 - John Lashley
62
12 - TIE
53 - Mike Foster
46
12 - TIE
27X - Bob Cramb **
46
14
3 - Tim Blodgett
39
15
23 - Curtis Lansing
38
16
80 - Victor Pfluger
29
17
61 - Don Zoll Jr.
28
18
00 - Jeff Spencer
22
19
007 - Keith Lopez **
20
MODIFIEDS
PRO STOCKS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 - TIE 11 - TIE 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 - TIE 19 - TIE 21
63 - Saundra Lynn Kirby 6C - Kalvin Catlin 3 - Ken Hunt 8 - Jason Davis 29 - Ray Mros 93 - Matt Rice 41B - David Bosley ** 50 - John Nahoopii 19 - Michael Vaughan 5AZ - Alex Flores 41 - Brian O'Brien 20 - Alex Levin ** 09 - Larry Leetch 89 - Gene Preston 93 - Jackie Frye 7 - Bill Welch 26 - Kelly Jones 26 - Derek Jones 88x - Jerry Lockrey 6 - Brad Kleifgen 45A - Adam Soukup
Total Points 156 141 140 137 134 125 116 113 106 98 90 90 72 64 34 31 27 24 19 19 17
Total Points
1
69 - Bill Engle
54
2
18 - Will Hunholz
51
3
27X - Bob Cramb
50
1
11 - Michael Egurola **
69
4
29C - Keith Lopez
46
2
44 - David Levitt **
68
5
20S - Scott Walker
43
3
21 - Ronny Wear
60
6
96 - Loren Sheffield
39
7 - TIE
99 - Bobby Erdman
33
4 - TIE
.05 - Christy Barnett
54
7 - TIE
21X - Rod Hiestand
33
4 - TIE
22 - Don Zoll Jr.
54
9
28 - Carlos Giordinelli **
28
6
7 - Don Dority
52
10
88 - Glenn Littrell
26
7
61 - Brandon Schilling
50
11
97 - Denny Arcas **
21
8
12 - Josh Strango **
38
12
22 - Dwayne Hogan
20
9
50 - John Nahoopii **
36
13
1 - Jeff Bennett
14
10
00 - Mike Levin
27
14
98 - Don Zoll Jr.
11
15
96 - Joshua Davis
10
16
67 - Matt Vincent
9
LATE MODELS
Total Points
CHILLY WILLY’S FUN ZONE