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By Glenn Hopper
ghopper61@yahoo.com

Press Release: California Asphalt Sprintcar Association

By Glenn Hopper  

Eight Straight For Rescino

By Glenn Hopper

7-31-04 – Tracy, CA.  Nick Rescino Jr’s. California Asphalt Sprintcar Association winning streak is as yet, unbroken. On the big half-mile at Altamont Motorsports Park, Rescino outran a somewhat depleted ten-car CASA field, posting fast time at 17.390, 103.508 MPH. He then won heat number one, the Mike Coy Concrete Construction trophy dash, and the non-stop 30-lap feature.

CASA and NCMA members were presented with upsetting news regarding CASA co-founder and fellow competitor Mike McCreary. Both of McCreary’s Oval Chassis Research cars stayed at the OCR shop in Placerville as Mike spent most of last week in the hospital and has been diagnosed with a serious illness. However, Mike and Carla expect to field their two black “beauties” by next race.  Additionally, Joe Hauck’s red #85 was also missing from action as Joe suffered a broken wrist Friday afternoon and was unable to make tonight’s race.

Rescino won the evenings first heat race over Glenn Hopper, Jared Consani, and Scott Clough. CASA visitor, Tim Barber won heat number two over Craig Smith, Ryan Baumgartner, and Marvin Mitchell.

“Cowboy” Craig Smith paced the feature event field to green, however, outside starting Hopper managed a slight advantage entering turn one and held the lead for two laps before Rescino thundered past to take the point. As Rescino distanced himself from the field, rookie of the year candidate Jared Consani relentlessly pressured Hopper over the next 15 laps eventually gaining the spot and setting sail for Rescino. As the lead group of Rescino, Consani, Hopper, and Smith encountered lapped traffic, Rescino continued to press his advantage over Consani and the field, while Smith locked up with Hopper in a great battle for third. With just a few laps remaining, Smith squeezed past Hopper and at the finish, Rescino upped his CASA win streak to eight straight over Consani, Smith, Hopper, late arrival Alan Kaiser, Clough, Baumgartner, and Mitchell.

Kenny Rines debuted his beautiful #15 but had a vibration problem his crew could not positively identify and they elected to trailer his mount rather than risk extensive damage. Barber’s car owner declared this evening a test session to correct two consecutive blown engines, and they loaded up and left after their heat race. 

The next CASA race is scheduled at Altamont Motorsports Park on August 14th.

7-31-04 CASA Results

QUALIFYING

1. Nick Rescino, Jr.            17.390

2. Tim Barber               17.427

3. Jared Consani            18.301

4. Craig Smith              18.325

5. Glenn Hopper            18.574

6. Ryan Baumgartner            18.883

7. Scott Clough            19.955

8. Marvin Mitchell            NT

9. Alan Kaiser              NT

10. Kenny Rines    NT

COY CONCRETE TROPHY DASH

1. Nick Rescino, Jr.

2. Jared Consani 

3. Craig Smith

4. Glenn Hopper

30 LAP MAIN EVENT

1. Nick Rescino, Jr.

2. Jared Consani

3. Craig Smith

4. Glenn Hopper

5. Alan Kaiser

6. Scott Clough

7. Ryan Baumgartner

8. Marvin Mitchell

POINT STANDINGS 7/31/04

The CASA Chronicles (No. 10)

Keeping up with the California Asphalt Sprintcar Association

By Glenn Hopper

July 12, 2004

San Jose, CA.   As the California Asphalt Sprintcar Association looks to expand and promote pavement sprint car racing in the Northern California region over the coming years, it is apparent that CASA will now have to entertain some of the many track promoters who have contacted CASA about booking future dates.

When CASA was founded not quite two years ago, it was necessary to establish CASA as a new racing organization by building car counts and relationships with Altamont Motorsports Park. Without Altamont’s help, efforts and willingness to take a chance, CASA would likely have never hit the track. Together we scheduled a reasonable number of events and presented a fair number of cars to support them. Soon after our first race, other track promoters began calling with inquiries about booking CASA events. Through our website and office phone, fans asked when we might visit either their favorite or local track. CASA’s response was always the same; “We have to walk before we can run, BUT we will certainly look into expanding when the time is right.”

The 2004 season schedule was expanded to 13 races at ARP with four more scheduled in Carson City, NV and one in Anderson, CA. Maintaining reasonable travel distance, time, and expenses has always been a major concern for CASA management and membership. Approximately ninety percent of CASA members live within 100 miles or about 2 hours travel time to Altamont’s centralized location. Carson City is about a five-hour tow for some of our Bay Area members and about the same two hours as a trip to Altamont for our Sacramento/Foothill teams, while Shasta Speedway in Anderson is considerably farther for most all CASA teams. CASA’s travel goal has always been that members can sleep in their own beds on race nights without too much undo stress. For our racers who might be just out range to accomplish that goal, CASA has worked with track promoters to secure free lodging as needed. So while a CASA race may take up our members Saturday and some of their Sunday, at this time CASA does not intend to schedule races, which require Friday travel and Monday return trips. With those travel goals in mind, there are approximately ten paved tracks in CASA’s travel range, including Ukiah Speedway in the beautiful Medicino County wine country.

CASA car owner, Mike Consani, working with Ukiah’s track promoter Blair Akins arranged a CASA test session during Saturday, June 10th’s regularly scheduled Late Model race. Three CASA cars, Jared Consani from nearby Santa Rosa, a one-hour tow, Ryan Baumgartner from Citrus Heights, about two hours towing time, and Glenn Hopper who made the three and one-half hour trip from San Jose, took to the high-banked quarter-mile speedway for a couple hot-lap sessions. Having just competed at Champion Speedway in Carson City, all three teams left nearly identical setups on their cars. They ran the same tires and stagger combinations and gearing. Consani tried a slightly lower gear for the second session but all felt that the track bore great similarity to Champion Speedway. “Carson’s probably my favorite track in my modified and this is a real close second” said Baumgartner. Lap times proved similar to Champion with all three cars running in the low 12-second bracket; 12.00’s to 12.20’s on well used tires. “With fresh tires we could be in the 11’s” noted Consani.

In the second session, the three ran in a close pack to verify if close racing and passing could be accomplished on the bullring-like track. While the groove proved somewhat narrow, Hopper felt comfortable running the high side above Consani who noted that while having to hold the bottom exiting the corners required some throttle control, passing could be accomplished. Hopper felt that passing would require some patience as cars really needed to establish track space before completing a pass. Baumgartner tucked in tight behind the side-by-side duo and said that the cars looked pretty stable yet racy.

Preliminary discussions with Akins revealed the intention to pave the remainder of the pit area before this season’s end – there are level cement pit pads in place now, and set a schedule for a four to six race series. “I’d love to have you guys come up and run once a month or so.” Many pit personnel felt that that the majority of the large crowd came to see the sprint car test as the Fairgrounds marquee had advertised Sprint Cars for the last week. One track official said, “If you guys bring a bunch of these fast-@$$ cars, this place will be standing room only!”

As previously mentioned, the expansion of CASA will be careful and deliberate. Membership will be presented with options, provide input, and decisions on schedule, travel and tracks will be made in the best interest of all parties involved. But one thing is certain; CASA races are likely to be in high demand as we move forward. 

Rescino Storms to CASA Five-Spot

Rescino Takes Over CASA Points Lead With Sixth Straight Win

By Glenn Hopper  

7-3-04 – Carson City, NV. Nick Rescino Jr. powered his Bayshore Racing Engines Special to yet another California Asphalt Sprintcar Association victory, his sixth in a row, at Champion Motor Speedway in Carson City, Nevada. Rescino, as in the exciting and action packed 100-lap feature, also took a commanding lead in the Nevada State Sprint Car Championship Series posting back to back wins in the second of the four race Nevada series. Rescino’s winning streak, along with some misfortune suffered by point leader Matt DeMartini, has propelled him into the CASA championship point lead as well.

Santa Rosa’s Brian McClish started the warm, comfortable Carson Valley evening off blasting to fast time at 12.250 seconds, just a few ticks off his current track record. McClish out timed a 17-car field as 12 CASA regulars made the trek over the Sierras to be joined by 5 Nevada competitors. Qualifying determined participants for each of two trophy dashes, the “B” dash, won by Jared Consani and the Coy Concrete Trophy Dash won by Rescino. The lineup for each dash was determined by having each driver draw from a deck of cards.

The feature lineup/inversion was also to be determined by having fast-timer McClish draw from the deck as well. As McClish said the last time CASA raced at Champion, “Hey, the fans want to see a show – it’s a hundred lapper – let’s give ‘em a show. Invert the whole field.” “Done.” Said CASA and track management and McClish tagged the back of the field this night as well.

Veteran driver Marvin Mitchell paced the field to green with local star Mike Ogden along side. Ogden grabbed the upper hand early but was quickly under siege as Consani and Bryan Bullard pressed their way forward. A lap seven spin gathered the field again for the restart and shortly thereafter DeMartini suffered a front-end problem that caused his early retirement. Rescino rocketed his way to the point after DeMartini’s exit but had Bullard, McClish, and 2002 track champion Glenn Hopper hot on his heals. On the 40th circuit, local drivers Tom Haxall and Bob Beck were involved in a crash just off turn four which temporarily blocked the front straightaway. Both cars suffered night ending damage and the race was red-flagged to clear the track and maximize green flag racing. As the field accelerated in turn four on the restart, third running McClish’s engine hesitated badly and he and Hopper were quickly shuffled back in the pack.

An infield spin by local USAC driver Amy Barnes put her to the back of the field and at risk of losing a lap to the omnipotent Rescino. And several laps later, Mark Beck and rookie driver Ryan Baumgartner tangled while racing in the now customary close quarters provided by the tight high-banks of Champion Speedway, with Baumgartners’s #24 stalling backwards and trapping Hopper behind him. Both cars rejoined the pack and the rest of the race went green. Or more appropriately, dark blue as Rescino’s dark blue #11 continued to pass and lap cars at any and every passing opportunity. Rescino held the point over Bullard who closed in when Rescino encountered heavy traffic but couldn’t mount a sustained attack with so many drivers battling each other on every inch of the track. Tony Iacobitti, steadily working his way to the front substituting for the vacationing Joe Hauck who wanted to make sure his #85 car supported the CASA car count, held third over McClish who was able to overcome his earlier restart problem and hustle his candy purple #O4 back into the top four. Amy Barnes and Mike McCreary held positions five and six respectively buy could not protect themselves from losing a lap to the fleet Rescino.

At the checkers, Rescino completed his double hat trick over Bullard, Iacobitti, and McClish. Barnes and McCreary completed 99 laps for fifth and sixth over M. Beck, Ogden, Hopper and Baumgartner. Dan Gonderman and Marvin Mitchell made it an even dozen to take the flag and close round two of the highly entertaining Nevada State Sprint Car Championship Series as well as the first half of the CASA season.

At the halfway mark of the 2004 CASA season, Rescino has a big lead in the Mike Coy Concrete Construction Trophy Dash Challenge having won 5 of 7 trophy dashes to date. McClish ranks second with 5 appearances and 1 win and DeMartini has qualified for 5 dashes to hold third. One thousand dollars awaits the winner of the season-long challenge and five hundred will go to the runner-up.

CASA car owner, Mike Consani is arranging a CASA Sprint Car demonstration/test session at Ukiah Speedway on Saturday, July 10th, during Ukiah’s regularly scheduled race program, to showcase CASA and test the feasibility of scheduling CASA events at the beautiful Northern California speedway in the near future. Those wanting more information should contact Consani directly.

The CASA cars and stars then return to Altamont Motorsports Park to begin the second half of the 2004 campaign with a 30-lap feature event on July 17th.

7-3-04 CASA Results

QUALIFYING

1. Brian McClish            12.25

2. Nick Rescino, Jr.            12.33

3. Matt DeMartini            12.34

4. Amy Barnes            12.35

5. Mike McCreary            12.52

6. Bryan Bullard 12.74

7. Tony Iacobitti            12.77

8. Glenn Hopper              12.77

9. Mark Beck               12.91

10. Ryan Baumgartner 13.01

11. Dan Gonderman            13.07

12. Tom Haxall             13.10

13. Earle Stanton 13.16

14. Bob Beck               13.23

15. Jared Consani            13.33

16. Mike Ogden  13.54

17. Marvin Mitchell            14.16

COY CONCRETE TROPHY DASH

1. Nick Rescino, Jr.

2. Bryan Bullard 

3. Mike McCreary

4. Tony Iacobitti

5. Amy Barnes

6. Brian McClish

B-Dash

1. Jared Consani

2. Bob Beck

3. Tom Haxall 

4. Dan Gonderman

5. Marvin Mitchell

6. Mike Ogden

30 LAP MAIN EVENT

1. Nick Rescino, Jr.

2. Bryan Bullard

3. Tony Iacobitti

4. Brian McClish

5. Amy Barnes

6. Mike McCreary 

7. Mark Beck

8. Mike Ogden

9. Glenn Hopper  

10. Ryan Baumgartner

11. Dan Gonderman

12. Marvin Mitchell

13. Jared Consani

14. Earle Stanton

15. Bob Beck

16. Tom Haxall

17. Matt DeMartini

POINT STANDINGS 7/3/04

By Glenn Hopper

6-19-04 – Tracy, CA. Nick Rescino Jr. laid a 5-spot on the California Asphalt Sprintcar Association field, recording his fifth consecutive feature win in his now familiar, overpowering style. Rescino made quick work of the traffic starting ahead of him and distanced himself from the 13-car field in the 30-lap CASA feature event at the Altamont Motorsports Park half-mile.

Rescino only made incremental gains in the point standings however, as point leader Matt DeMartini held firm to his CASA Championship points lead with a solid second place finish. Throughout Rescino’s winning streak, he has had difficulty catching DeMartini in the points chase as DeMartini keeps consistently finishing near the top of the field, and he also keeps adding to his point total with top five qualifying efforts. Rescino did gain five qualifying points himself, posting a 17.313, 104.015 MPH lap to earn yet another CASA Fast Time Award.

Rookie-of the-Year contender, and third quick qualifier, Jared Consani won heat number one in convincing fashion over “Cowboy” Craig Smith making his first pavement start aboard Joe Kuderca’s black #32. Consani’s #4j, damaged in a heat race crash last week, was still under repair come race day so his grandfather, Bob Consani loaned young Jared an equally potent car from his stable. Heat two was won by USAC star Shauna Hogg, making her first start with CASA. DeMartini finished second over reigning CASA Champion Tony Iacobitti, who returned from a long absence to sub for vacationing Bryan Bullard in the OCR #71.

Rescino won the Coy Concrete Trophy Dash with a daring pass on lap one, but the real entertainment was watching the three-way battle for second. Hogg finished inches ahead of Consani to her inside and DeMartini to her outside as the trio ran “under a blanket” the whole race and sped out of turn four to the stripe three abreast.

Iacobitti and Glenn Hopper lead the front row to the green flag with Hopper gaining a slight advantage in turn one to lead the first two laps before Consani powered past to lead the next several laps. DeMartini and Rescino appeared glued together as they made their way forward through the field from their third row starting spots. Rescino and DeMartini erased Consani’s lead as the pair pressed their way to the front. The caution waved just past the halfway point on lap 16, as Scott Clough suffered a steering problem and ground to a halt against the turn one concrete with substantial damage to his bright red #5.

On the restart, DeMartini tried everything to catch the fleet Rescino as Consani held third position over Iacobitti, Hogg, Hopper, Smith and Mitchell. Smith retired a few laps later with overheating problems and Rescino continued on to victory with the running order behind him unchanged.

In CASA health watch news, Allen Harney, who suffered double knee injuries in last weeks crash, is resting comfortably at home, and Larry Texeria, a victim in the same crash, visited the CASA pits briefly, hobbling on his still swollen and sore legs. Both expressed sincere thanks to the track medical staff, their hospital care providers and CASA members and fans, who expressed so much heartfelt concern for them. Additionally, CASA co-founder, Mike McCreary was hospitalized Friday with abdominal pains and was undergoing tests at U.C. Davis Medical Center. He was still involved however, as the Oval Chassis Research crew had his room number on cell phone speed-dial.

Next up, the CASA cars and stars make their second trip to Carson City, Nevada for a 100-lap event in the four-race Nevada State Sprint Car Championship Series, Saturday, July 3rd.

6-19-04 CASA Results

QUALIFYING

1. Nick Rescino, Jr.            17.313

2. Matt DeMartini            17.650

3. Jared Consani            17.652

4. Shauna Hogg    18.198

5. Glenn Hopper            18.234

6. Tony Iacobitti            18.415

7. Craig Smith              18.678

8. Scott Clough            19.462

9. Joe Hauck                19.977

10. Justin Botsford            NT

11. Marvin Mitchell            NT

12. Ryan Baumgartner NT

13. Dan Gonderman            NT

COY CONCRETE TROPHY DASH

1. Nick Rescino, Jr.

2. Shauna Hogg  

3. Jared Consani

4. Matt DeMartini

HEAT 1

1. Jared Consani

2. Craig Smith

3. Glenn Hopper

4. Joe Hauck

5. Justin Botsford

HEAT 2

1. Shauna Hogg

2. Matt DeMartini

3. Tony Iacobitti 

4. Scott Clough

5. Marvin Mitchell

30 LAP MAIN EVENT

1. Nick Rescino, Jr.

2. Matt DeMartini

3. Jared Consani

4. Tony Iacobitti

5. Shauna Hogg

6. Glenn Hopper 

7. Marvin Mitchell

8. Joe Hauck

9. Craig Smith

10. Scott Clough

11. Ryan Baumgartner

12. Jason Botsford (DNS)

13. Dan Gonderman (DNS)

POINT STANDINGS 6/12/04