Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

No question , Steve Kinser running down Sammy Swindell when the WOO ran at the Indiana StateFairgrounds. Stevie chased him the whole race being about a 1/2 lap down and not being able to gain a car length the entire race but passed him going into 3 with 1 lap to go. Sammy went low trying to lap another car and Stevie went high in 3 ,which you don't do and made the pass. The entire grandstand was in awe and gave Stevie a standing o at the checkered flap

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

1984 Avilla Fall Classic
Hewitt & Haud photo finish

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

For me it was the AVSS race in Sept '01 @ Salem 4 cars fighting for the lead all 30 laps won by Canadas Mike Ling. A few others are a winged race @ Brownstown won By Danny Smith but chased the whole race by Gary Hayhurst Jr. Last years USAC finale @ Tri-State Speedway was what dirt track racing is all about tho. Levi & BC 1 & 2 for the Sprintweek title. WOW is all I gotta say about that one!!!

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

:6::6:1978 usac sprints at orrville ohio 1978 hulman classic terre haute!:22::22::22:

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

Watching Randy Kinser and Kevin Briscoe wage war on each other at Paragon in the summer of 1992. Everytime those guys went into one it was a contest to see who would lift first. Briscoe running clear out on the push off lane down the backstretch and nearly launching the car airborne back out onto the track in three. Drag race to the checkers. It was wings but man it was great.

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

Surprised that no one brought up the race @ Osky where Travis Rilet passed 3 cars in the last few laps to shock everyone.(who the hell is he???)

and I think Speedweek @ Bloomington (2008) where Coons flipped in his heat and came back and won by a nose on the last lap.Great race

Wing race @ Williams Grove (WOO's) Donnie Kreitz passing down low several cars in the last 2 laps including the King. The place went wild:8:

Later, JERSEY

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

Mopar Million was the coolest event I've been to. 1986 Kings Royal (my first trip to Eldora) and Donnie Kreitz Jr. shocked the world beating Haud, Blaney, Wolfgang, Swindell and the King. At the time I had never even heard of Donnie Kreitz. And any feature at the Real Kokomo Speedway before it was destroyed.

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

New Bremen (dirt) August 19, 1979. Carter banging into the wall, Bubby Jones in the middle of the track and Gary B running through the infield and they would come up three abreast at the finish line darn near every lap. Bubby wound up winning it, Pancho 2nd and Gary B 3rd. Crowd was on it's feet the whole featch. Do any of you other oldtimers remember this one?????

I agree that the MOPAR Million was one of, if not, the best weekend of racing I've ever seen.

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

I would also say that a very close 2nd to this would be Dave Steele coming from the tail to win both 25lappers at ORP a few years ago:8:.

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

I've mentioned this one before. Don't remember the year but Kinser came into Eldora took off the wing against USAC and CRA and blew 'em away. He was completely sideways halfway down the back stretch as he was diving into 3. I can still see it in my mind.

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

I can't say for sure it was the best, as after seeing hundreds of them since 1955. They all run sort of together. But one I can recall recently is: Toledo 2004(?), Bobby East starts near the front in the feature. He has a tangle with a few others right at the start. Pushed off again and re-starts 19th I think. Wins the race in spectacular fashion. In my mind, the main thing he did that was questionable was root Eric Gordon up out of the groove when he passed for the lead down the backstretch. Other than that it was a spectacular performance.

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

Mine would be Bent Kaeding and Ronnie Day at Calistoga 7/1/94 for winged sprints. It was race 6 of a speedweeks show (probably called King of California) at the time. There was a $100k bonus if anyone could win all 6 nights I think (or 5 of 6, my memory fades). Kaeding had only to win that Saturday night to get the bonus. Day banged wheels with him, and they both overcooked it into 3 and had a drag race down the front straight to the checkers with Day just edging him. Day said in the post race interview that there was no way he was going to let anyone get that $100k even if he had to take him out! That was only the second best race of the night. Tony Stewart came out from Indiana that night. Had to race the B main in midgets since he missed the first night. He set a lap record in qualifying by almost 9/10 of a second, and came from the B to the back of the main. Made a last lap, last corner inside pass with a drag down the main to edge Cofer I think. He was absolutely possessed that night and made me a fan from that night on!

For non wing it might be the Oval Nationals this last November, on the second night. Wild main event eventually won by Levi Jones after a wild battle with Jon Stanbrough and Mike Spencer. Great race all the way through including the finish. I have seen a ton of great finishes so just appreciate the talent and daring of these guys.:32:

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

Not sure of the date, but i know it was in 2003. josh wise won what was i believe his first sprint car race at perris. that was the night that damion wrecked coming off of four to complete the first lap and took out a good portion of the field. none the less, the racing was incredible that night.

here's the video of that wreck...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrDv5M0J5Xo

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

Jerry I agree with you on both of those races both of them were win it are wear it races they still bring a smile to my face when think about them :8:

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

I guess I've got 2 that continue to stick in my mind.

An Open Comp $2500 to win race in the Fall of 1975 at Granite City. The pits were loaded with Panco, Amati, Ferkel, Saldana, Bubby and I believe Opperman, among many others. The first time I had the pleasure of watching him in a Sprint Car, our neighbor Larry "Captain Crunch" Kirkpatrick spanked the field in the Bobby Sparks 63. (Appropriate due to Larry's RR sending sparks flying off the turn 4 Armco lap after lap)

My second biggie would have to be the '98 Indiana Sprintweek finale at Putucky. Sitting on the front row of the backstretch grandstand with my 9year old son Drew, we witnessed Tony Elliott (Walker 39) and Dave Darland (Hoffman 69) battle back and forth the whole 30 laps for the win and the Sprintweek title. Dave the Rave won the race and the title by only a handfull over TE.

I'm sure I've see other "great" races, but I've also had a few cold ones while watching as well.....;):2:

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

It was a race at Kokomo, Hunter Schurenburg was in the Jam It In car and crashed at the start. There were a lot of cars involved and Hunter went to the pits so when he came out had to go to the rear. Well he was flat flying when the green dropped. I bekieve he lapped every body up to 7th place. He went between a car and the wall and I didn't believe there was enough room, but he made it.

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

Alan Ballard and the Demon going at it for about 10 laps a few years ago at Ventura (the commotion on the ocean) for Ballards 1st and only CRA win:8::8::8:

ROB

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

Right Dud. Orville. The nite you tried to kill Bigelow. Most vicious slide job ever. And thank God Toby didn't break a lap before.

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

STEVE KINSER at the Big E CRA race, I think the Johnny Vance car, not sure. Sat with him the next nite at P-ville CRA race. Of all things Dana was mad because he was smoking cigs:3:;)

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

i was at that race also. the track was hard on cars that night. a lot dropped out.

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

I was thinking of that one, too. Someone else here should remember it, because I was standing inside the backstretch when SuperDuke went by me 10-15 feet in the air spinning side over side. It was one of the meanest-looking tumbles I'd ever seen at that time.

I recall both Jones & Carter slapping the wall with their right rears almost every lap. Every time they came out of four, you heard SLAP SLAP in quick succession.

One other entertaining item of that day. It had rained the previous night and there were puddles in the pits. Carter came in after hot laps way too fast, ran through a puddle, and splashed everyone in someone else's (Jones?) pit. The next time Carter came in, one of those guys tossed a bucket of dirty water right in his face. :-)

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

Glad I'm not the only "old guy" on here that remembered that race!!!:3:

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

The night (1995 ish) at Portsmouth, Ohio when Jack Hewwit thought he was running the cushion as Mark Cassella ran him down and passed him about 10 ft higher IN the cushion. Cassella rode outside Jacks rt. rear for so long that his complete car was covered in mud, there was absolutely no way to tell what color, number, ect was on the car. Mark was completely covered in mud, he used his last tear off just prior to the finish. When he pulled into victory lane he looked like "mud-man" with two wide open eyes.

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

come on teach "YOU ARE".:3:

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

smith19, you have NO respect for the elderly!! :3:

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

my 2 cents... the first 4 crowns Steve Kinser started dead last in the sprint and champ car race and won them both in Vance's cars... hundreds of great sprint shows witnessed. last year the last race at gas city stands out for me. couldn't get to the burg in time for usac so we stopped at gas city. wow, close racing all night about 300 people in the stands, cold, 25% of the field got upside down and a 4 car battle to the end of the feature. Steve Ott won it.:22:

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

Great Memories. I won on the last lap. Split Troy Link and Kevin Thomas I thought. I was in the Booe Bro. #7
JM :6:

Re: Best sprint race you've ever seen?
 

night two 2009 perris oval nationals one of the greatest races ever run.