|
CALL OF THE WILD SPORT TRUCK PREVIEW
April 26, 2008
Burns blazing trail to another title?
Maybe Jake Burns' return to the Call of the Wild Sport Truck
division this season symbolizes the tough economy.
Burns explained after storming to the
2007 title that sponsorship dollars weren't quite enough to help him
put together a Championship Series ride. And who knows? Possibly
these tight times are the reason Burns' pickup rivals couldn't pool
together enough pennies to build a Late Model, Strictly Stock or
Mini Stock for him.
Whatever the case, Burns is back and
bidding to become the first driver to repeat or win multiple
championships at all since the division debuted as part of the
Acceleration Series in 2001.
Let's be honest: There's no way that
announcement can be viewed as anything but bad news for the
competition. Burns won six of his first eight starts and seven
overall in '07, ensuring that his class would enjoy nothing
resembling the Outlaw and Rebels' virtual match race for the title
on championship night.
If the field was looking for good
news on spring practice day, there was none in the unseasonably warm
air. Burns backed the same, old, red-and-silver truck from his
hauler and was far-and-away the fastest driver on the stopwatch. Oh,
and two of the other drivers in last year's final top five either
have advanced or retired.
That said, Burns isn't a lock for his
second straight title. As he demonstrated last summer, when you're
the point leader and mired at the rear of the field every week,
you're vulnerable to just about every accident that happens in front
of you. Burns became involved in a couple and spun to avoid a
handful more. Now, add that to the target that almost certainly will
be etched upon his driver's suit, and you have a recipe for
excitement any Wednesday night.
The driver most likely to stay in
Burns' tire tracks and wrestle the crown away is somebody who's work
it before. Marvin Hamilton won twice last summer, and as points
runner-up and 2002 champion, Hamilton has shown that he knows what
it takes to complete the long haul.
Two relative newcomers should spice
up the Truck roster this season. After winning twice a year ago,
Doug Degroat has elected to concentrate on his Rebel and Outlaw
rides, dealing the truck that Ed Prevost and T.J. Watson once guided
to division championships to Tom Libby. Libby endured a tough rookie
campaign, but his improvement was notable on practice day, and it
will be a surprise if Libby doesn't challenge for top-five finishes
and perhaps a victory or two.
Lee Spurling is expected to step away
from the #17 this spring, but the controls to that truck will stay
right in the family, with son Ross mounting a Rookie of the Year
challenge. The younger Spurling looked promising in a limited
August/September schedule in 2007.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Truck
season without the Farrar family. The youngest and most accomplished
member of that gang is Ryan, who lived up to the adage that a
racer's second win always arrives much more quickly than his first.
After snagging that elusive first checkered flag by the length of a
fender on August 1, Farrar repeated that feat in the season-ending
Little Guy event. Contending for the title is a logical next step
for Flyin' Ryan.
Corey Williams is back after a
fifth-place finish in points, and his ever-changing list of
teammates might have a tad more stability this season. Charlie Hall
reports that an "offer (he) couldn't refuse" will put him
in one of the trucks for that Sumner-based squad.
Perennial most popular and most
exciting driver Yogi Hiscock could be ready to take that final step
and win the championship. Yogi and "Sandman" Rick Hebert
struggled on Wednesdays but dueled for the Agren Appliance Grand
Slam weekend crown last year, with Hebert winning by a narrow
margin. It will be interesting to watch how those two attack the
split schedule and how the points fall.
Kevin Oliver continues to balance his
real-life education with his short track education. Whenever work
and school allow, you can bet Oliver will be here at OPS and dueling
for space at the front.
One truck wasn't enough for the
father-son team of Roger and Opie Allard, who have expressed
interest in running against each other over a full summer. They'll
need to recruit a few cousins to keep up with the Hartford-Sumner
gang, though. Jason and Dennis Brine are on board for 2008, sharing
the stalls at the south end of the pit with Ryan, Herb and Joe
Farrar, Doug Stevens, and perhaps the occasional appearance by Geoff
Griffiths, Brent Westberry or Richard Farrar.
Veterans Mike Blue, Dana Stevens and
Rene Foster all are expected back in full-time competition, joining
returning standouts John Lizotte, Scott Marston, Devon Smith and Tim
Huggins.
All signs point to growth in the
depth of the Truck lineup this season. Whether or not that strength
in numbers is enough to derail a confident champion remains to be
seen.
|
