TERRE HAUTE — Chasing points can draw out the best and worst of times in racing. Love them or hate them remain as much as an intergal part of racing these days as the green and checkered flag.
With the season rapidly drawing to a close the chase for points can be as heated as a late summer sun.
While the bulk of the attention surrounding points battle focus on the sports biggest series Formula One, NASCAR Nextel Cup and Indy car, many of the weekly short tracks that dot the American racing scene also have their own heated point battles.
No where are the battles tighter than at nearby Lincoln Park Speedway where all four of the track divisions titles are still up for grabs.
Much like a year ago, Terre Haute drivers have made their presence felt in a big way at the dirt oval.
Especially in the sprint division, where three local drivers still have the opportunity to win the crown. Adding to the suspense of the chase is that the trio contains a rare father-son duel.
The Carmichaels – Kenny and Kenny Jr. – have battled fellow Terre Haute racer Shawn Krockenberger throughout the summer for the sprint title.
At one point, the trio were separated by a scant two points. Although the senior Carmichael has opened up a slim 23-point advantage, the veteran racer says the race is far from over.
All three combatants, all of whom at one time have led the points, know full well how the complexion of the chase can change on any given night.
“There’s nothing guaranteed. All it takes is one bad night and you can lose any advantage you might have,” warns Carmichael, a seven-time track champion..
Like Carmichael, Krockenberger is a past champion, Krockenbeger in go-karts, Carmicheal in sprints and stocks. Experience from past championship runs can prove a valuable tool when the points battle get tight.
“There’s nothing like experience. It’s not something that just comes your way, it’s something you have to earn,” voiced Carmichael, the current and defending LPS sprint points champion.
Krockenberger has been involved in his share of point races en route to 13 karting championship runs. He says experience helps, but the simple philosophy of racing to win takes care of the points.
“If you worry about the points, you’ll never win races. You focus on winning and the points will come. My goal is to win races. What will happen will happen,” voiced Krockenberger, who has one feature win and two others escape him on the last lap at LPS this summer.
The younger Carmichael knows that all too well. His attempts at running for points in the past have not produced the results he was looking for.
“Every time I’ve chased the points, whether at Lincoln Park or in the Midwest Sprint Car Series, has not worked out well for me. I tended to overdrive my race car when I was under pressure,” confessed the 21-year-old Ivy Tech student.
If the title comes to a showdown between himself and his son, Carmichael wouldn’t be at all disappointed if he finished second.
“Yeah I’d like to see him win but more so I’d want him to earn it.It will make him a better race driver down the road,” voiced the Terre Haute businessman who also leads the points in stocks at LPS.
It helps to have friends among the competition when the championship is on the line. Bomber points leader Ritchie Hawkins found that out over the weekend when he lost a transmission and had to borrow a ride in order to maintain his points advantage.
“I’d like to have the points championship, but I race to win. Win the races and points come with them,” voiced the five-time winner at the track this season.
His nearest rival, Lloyd Walls, who is also from Terre Haute, knows he faces an uphill battle if he hopes to catch overall leader Hawkins for what would be his third straight bomber title.
“If we could win that third straight, it would be quite an accomplishment. Ritchie would have to have a couple bad nights for that to happen. We race hard every Saturday. We race to win,” said the four-time LPS 06 feature winner.
Some say the weekly track titles are overrated, but you would be hard-pressed to find any past champion who feels that way.
Bill Pollitt of Riley won track titles at Paragon and Lincoln Park back in the early ’80s. He treasures those championships still today.
“I remember how proud I was to share the same stage at an awards banquet with Sheldon Kinser and Ken Schrader, who won USAC sprint car championship those same years,” recalled the proud Pollitt.
“It any guy tells you they don’t mean anything, it’s probably because they never won one,” smiled the former stock car racer.
It’s been a eventful summer for local sprint car racer Dusty Wright. First of all, he got married earlier this summer and this past weekend he was a feature winner at Paragon Pretty, reasons for a lot of smiles around the Wright household these days.
Joe Buckles can be reached at jbuckles@gte.net.
Trackside
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