Friday, April 10, 1998 | 11:34 a.m.
BRIAN HILDERBRAND is a Las Vegas SUN sportswriter. His motor sports column appears Fridays. He can be reached on the Internet at [email protected]. For the latest in the world of auto racing, check out the SUN Racing web site at http://www. lasvegassun.com/sports/racing/
After making its mark in the dirt with its off-road trucks, Las Vegas-based White Lightning Racing appears well on its way to duplicating its success on pavement.
White Lightning Racing debuted its Westward Ho Casino-sponsored Chevy Camaro in the 1998 SCCA NTB Trans-Am Series opener last weekend at Long Beach and Southern California driver Stu Hayner steered it to a second-place finish.
It was Hayner's career best in nine Trans-Am starts. The Yorba Linda, Calif., driver followed Paul Gentilozzi to the checkered flag in the 52-lap race held prior to Sunday's CART FedEx Championship Series Long Beach Grand Prix. Gentilozzi led wire-to-wire for his fourth career Trans-Am victory.
Although Hayner has driven sporadically on the Trans-Am circuit, he said that could change this year as a result of his association with White Lightning and team owners Dale White and Mike Petersen.
"I got a call two weeks ago when they (White and Petersen) asked me if I wanted to do this," Hayner said. "They gave me pretty much carte blanche on who I wanted on my crew, things like that.
"Mike Petersen and Dale White have told other people they would like to do five or six more (Trans-Am) races and then the whole '99 season with new cars. I hope they do continue. I love Trans-Am racing but I've done this very few times. I enjoy doing it."
Hayner had to battle with Brian Simo for second place for much of the race until Simo hit a tire barrier on the backstretch 37 laps into the race. Hayner then had to hold off John Miller IV for second.
"Brian and I had great racing," Hayner said. "I was having so much fun. We had a good car where we could run with anybody besides Paul. Overall, I just had a wonderful time."
The Trans-Am Series is just the start of a venture into pavement racing for White and Petersen. In addition to entries in the SCORE desert, Protruck stadium and Professional SportsCar series, White has plans to grow his racing shop to include NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Winston Cup entries as well.
* NASCAR: Jack Roush, who already owns the largest team on the Winston Cup circuit with five cars, will add a sixth driver, Matt Kenseth, for a one-off deal in the April 26 race at Talladega. Roush still is looking for a sponsor for the car. ... Texas Motor Speedway general manager Eddie Gossage met with a group of engineers Thursday to formulate a game plan to revamp the troubled speedway's racing configuration. Gossage has put a $1- to $2-million price tag on the project, but the Metro-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex went through a similar reconfiguration of its track last year -- at a cost of $8 million. ... Richard Childress, owner of Dale Earnhardt's GM Goodwrench Service Plus Chevrolet, on the problems facing Texas Motor Speedway: "They should have consulted the people who built the tracks in Las Vegas and (Fontana) California -- they did it right."
* CART: One more reason why the networks should leave televising races to ESPN: The cable network broadcasted the final 10 minutes of Sunday's Long Beach Grand Prix without commercial interruption, allowing viewers to see -- live -- race winner's Alex Zanardi's pass of Bryan Herta on the second-to-last lap. Event sponsor Toyota made the uninterrupted finish possible by agreeing to forego its advertising as the race concluded. Fan response to the telecast was so overwhelmingly positive that CART CEO Andrew Craig said the series will explore the possibility of presenting future race finishes uninterrupted.
* IRL: Defending Indianapolis 500 champion Arie Luyendyk and fellow IRL driver Affonso Giaffone were involved in separate crashes during testing last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Neither driver was seriously injured, although Giaffone was taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation. The 82nd Indianapolis 500 will be run May 24.
* BACKMARKERS: Las Vegas stock car driver Kurt Busch climbed into second place in the 1998 Featherlite Southwest Series points standings following his victory last weekend in the Star Nursery 100 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 19-year-old Busch, driving the Chevrolet Monte Carlo formerly driven by the late Chris Trickle, held off Steve Portenga of Sparks in a wire-to-wire victory at the 3/8-mile paved oval. M.K. Kanke leads the 1998 Featherlite Southwest Series, NASCAR Touring standings with 490 points. Busch, who has finished in the top 10 in each of his events this year, has 445 points. Portenga is third with 437 points, while John Metcalf is fourth with 434 and Kenny Shepherd fifth with 409. ... The third NHRA points event of the year is scheduled for Saturday at the quarter-mile drag strip of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Included will be Pro ET, Sportsman Eliminator, Motorcycle Eliminator and Trophy Eliminator divisions. More than 100 cars are expected. Gates open at 3 p.m., with eliminations set for 8 p.m. The event is open for any legal safety-inspected vehicle, with handicapped computer head starts being given to the slower cars in each race. The overall LVMS points champion will represent Las Vegas in the Division 7 Championships next Fall. ...
More than 500 riders will compete April 15-19 when the National Motocross Association World Mini motocross races are staged at Las Vegas Motocross Park at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Riders ages five through 20 will converge on the facility, situated near Nellis Air Force Base. Gates will open at 6 a.m. each day, with qualifiers to begin at 7 each morning. A full day of racing is scheduled Thursday through Sunday. Main events are Saturday and Sunday in each class. Last year's event drew 572 riders in 54 classes. The top local entries include Kyle Partridge in 80cc and Jason Partridge in 250 Pro. ... The Protruck Stadium Series event in Albuquerque, scheduled for Saturday night, has been canceled due to scheduling conflicts with Fox Sports Net. Last month's race at the Los Angeles Coliseum, which was postponed due to rain, has been rescheduled for June 13.
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