Santa Maria Sun - 8.12.10

AT T H E M O V I E S

This Week Good neighbor ordinance hits Santa Maria

[8]

There’s a new brewery in town

[9]

Go, baby, go!

[20]

Songs for a generic world

[24]

Get ready to rock at the Newties

[26]

Alta Maria scores top marks

[33]

The cool Kids [28] The Santa Maria Valley’s Weekly Newspaper • August 12 - August 19, 2010 • Vol. 11 No. 22 • FREE • w w w.santamariasun.com

The Sun sees the Santa Maria Speedway through a racer’s eyes [10]

BY STEVE E. MILLER

Buckle

up

Loading in: Mini stock car No. 17K, driven by Kurt Larsen Jr. and supported by his father Kurt Sr., entered the Santa Maria Speedway track in the early afternoon.

Pre-race discussions: Kurt Jr. and Kurt Sr. chatted about the upcoming race.

Line ’em up! Tina Miller lined up the mini stock racers to take practice spins around the track, which helped flatten down the dirt/mud/clay mixture.

Drift, baby, drift! One of the track firemen looked on as No. 9 and No. 17k took practice laps around the track. “Always keep your face to the cars” was one of the commandments the track marshalls told me.

Shutter speed A new Santa Maria Speedway spectator spends a night at the races

PHOTOGRAPHS AND STORY BY STEVE E. MILLER

I’

ve driven past the Santa Maria Speedway countless times since I moved to San Luis Obispo County back in 1989. I’ve heard the noise of the cars at my girlfriend’s house (six or so miles away from the track) on Saturday nights in Santa Maria. I’ve had a few invites to go to the races, but never went. In fact, I’ve never been to any type of car race—unless you include racing go-karts at miniature golf course tracks.

When I initially proposed doing a photo essay on the Speedway to my editors, I was totally in the dark about what happened there. I had no idea what I might be able to capture and then craft into a viable photo essay.

On July 24, the day of the visit, I was immediately overwhelmed by the visual possibilities, yet I had only a limited time span—2 p.m. to 11 p.m.—to

capture something I would be proud to showcase within the pages of the newspaper. A whopping 1,800 images and almost two weeks later, I now reflect back on that night and mentally high-five my good luck in documenting one young man’s day at the track (along with his father, girlfriend, and support crew).

At the beginning of the day, I spent some time with Kurt Larsen Jr., a Nipomo high school student and racecar driver who doesn’t even have a California driver’s license. Nonetheless, he ended up winning the night’s mini stock car race.

Out of all of the images, I chose the Larsens’ story because it was a complete documentation of a day at the races. It was definitely a bit of luck combined with preparedness that I actually had a full set of

images to tell their story.

A congratulations goes out to Kurt Jr., but also a big slap on the back for the crew workers who make the race come to life: the men who work throughout the week to make the dirt track driveable for a variety of vehicles; the score keepers; the track referees; the mechanics; the concession stand employees; the announcer; and, of course, the huge amount of support staff behind all the racers. Everything ran so smoothly and was so fun to watch, I kick myself that I’d never bothered taking the time to visit the Speedway before. But now I know what a spectacle it is! m Contact Sun and New Times photographer Steve E. Miller at semiller@newtimesslo.com.

Wrong way! The track was definitely slippery, especially after accumulating a good amount of mud in the tire treads. But Kurt Jr. just zipped on by, even with a competitor’s car going in the wrong direction.

Minor adjustments: Kurt Larsen Sr. worked on his son’s Mustang after the practice laps.

Kurt Sr. mentioned that parts are beginning to be difficult to find for the car because it’s so old.

Half zoom-zoom: Vintage sprint cars drove half speed around the track as the sun went down and the race finally began. The late start time ensured the sun wouldn’t unevenly heat up the track and cause different conditions on one side compared to the other.

No more pictures! Kurt Jr. tried to relax on his car in the infield, but an annoying photographer kept snapping pictures of him and his friends.

Bit of a wait: The night I was shooting, there were mini stocks, vintage sprints, dwarf cars, and USAC sprint cars racing, so there was a bit of downtime for the racers. Kurt Sr. relaxed in the infield as his son hid from my camera.

So smooth: I’m a racecar virgin, but there was just something absolutely special about how Kurt Jr. elegantly drifted his Mustang through the corners. Without offense to the other drivers, he was definitely the best.

SPEEDWAY

continued page 13

SPEEDWAY

from page 11

In the lead: The evening flew by quickly as Kurt Jr. led the mini stock racers to victory.

Imminent victory: Kurt Sr. surveyed the pack of cars as his son screamed by in first place on the final lap.

Reverse direction: Kurt Jr. took a victory lap after winning the night’s mini stock race.

The racer is 17 years old and has never driven on the streets, but has two dirt track victories to his name.

Ecstatic response: Jim Pluhar, 15-year veteran of track announcing at the Speedway, interviewed Kurt Jr. after his victory.

Cha-ching! Kurt Jr. won just enough money to cover the costs of the equipment and gas.

He stood with his girlfriend, the trophy girl, father, and other friends in the winners’ circle.

Wrapping it up: After all the races ended, the mini stocks were the last to leave because they’re on the infield of the track. A very proud Kurt Sr. tied equipment down to end the night around 11 p.m.