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65 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, September 12, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 6, 2004 Van Acker on a hot streak as nationals near By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Gary Van Acker hopes to become the first local driver in five years to win a West Coast Dwarf Car Nationals race when the miniature race cars hit the Southern Oregon Speedway this weekend. The two-day show, which features a $10,000 purse, kicks off today at the White City track and concludes Saturday with a 50-lap main event. Van Acker never made it to the checkered flag at the first two national events this summer. He broke an axle at Pahrump, Nevada on April 17 and got into a nasty wreck at Chowchilla, Calif., on June 26 when a blackout caused by heavy dust blinded him and several other drivers. But Van Acker, the defending dwarf car points champion at the Southern Oregon Speedway and its current points leader, has never been more optimistic. He has finally gotten comfortable in his new M&M chassis that is powered by a 1,000 cubic centimeter GSXR Suzuki engine, and he has the home track advantage. "My main goal is to get in the top five," says Van Acker, 43, who resides in Umpqua, a small town 20 miles northwest of Roseburg. "With a new car and a new engine, I don’t see any reason why I can’t do that. And if I have some luck on my side, who knows?" Advertisement Van Acker completed a clean sweep at Yreka two weeks ago, winning his heat race, the trophy dash and the main event. He followed up last Saturday with another heat race victory, a second in the dash and a feature win at the Southern Oregon Speedway. Van Acker’s recent success contrasts his early-season struggles. His worst day came at Chowchilla, a track just south of the Bay Area. In a qualifying race of the national event, several cars crashed in front of Van Acker, creating a black cloud of dust. "They didn’t water the track hardly at all — it was super dusty," Van Acker says. Van Acker slammed into one of the wrecked cars and suffered a severe wrist sprain that kept him from racing in the main event the following day. "I didn’t have enough strength in my hand to open the door of my pickup truck," says Van Acker, who now wraps his wrist on race day. Van Acker’s chassis, a replica of a 1932 Ford pickup, is painted green and purple and is further distinguished by an "Incredible Hulk" drawing that is etched on the side. Van Acker, nicknamed Dan the Hulk, is a mellow man — until another driver smashes into him. "When someone hits me, I turn into a different guy," Van Acker says. "All of a sudden it’s not so hard to keep the throttle down." Between 60 and 70 racers from throughout the Pacific Northwest, California and Canada are expected to compete in this weekend’s national event, the third in a four-race series. The final race will be Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at Marysville, Calif. J.J. JOHNSON INJURED HIS NECK and back when a drunk driver slammed into the back of his pickup as he was making a left-hand turn on Table Rock Road on June 13. Johnson, a modified driver and the chief mechanic for Dan and Justin Estremado, was ordered by his doctor to stay off the race track until last Saturday. In a cruel twist of fate, Johnson hit a rut coming out of turn two on the 16th lap of Saturday’s modified feature race and slammed into the back straightaway wall. Rescue workers, using the Jaws of Life, needed nearly 30 minutes to extricate Johnson from his 1997 Dirt Works chassis, which climbed the wall and struck one of the track’s retaining poles before coming to a rest. "It hasn’t been a good summer," Johnson said in what might rate as the year’s biggest understatement at the speedway. Nonetheless, Johnson was back in the shop this week repairing his car and will race again as soon as his doctor gives him another green light. YREKA’S TRAVIS PEERY became the ninth modified main event winner in 10 races at the Southern Oregon Speedway last Saturday. Never mind that Perry’s victory came with an asterisk. He was declared the winner with only 16 laps in the books because of the time needed to remove Johnson from his car. "I’ll take a win at the Medford track any way I can get one," said Peery, a 23-year-old ranch hand who works for sprint car driver Dan Menne and his brother, Tom, in Fort Jones, Calif. "The competition there is really tough. It almost feels like winning the lottery." Peery credits Tom Menne with helping him to properly set up his car for Saturday’s track conditions. "He gave me some good information," Peery said. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities