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Dwarfing the competition Local leader Fitzsimmons gets big test in Western Nationals By DON HUNT Gary Fitzsimmons is on vacation this week, and yet he's never been so busy. The Medford resident is spending 10 to 12 hours a day in his shop on Maple Creek Drive, feverishly working on race cars leading up to this weekend's West Coast Dwarf Car Nationals at the Southern Oregon Speedway. The two-day event featuring the small, speedy cars with antique body styles kicks off tonight at 6 at the White City track with a full night of qualifying. As many as 100 racers from several Western states are expected to compete. The 50-lap main event is scheduled for Saturday. Fitzsimmons is the local dwarf car points leader this season and is hoping for a high finish Saturday while driving a new car he put together himself, a 1934 Ford Delivery Sedan. "If I can get to the A main and keep my car in one piece, that will be half the battle," Fitzsimmons, 52, says. Fitzsimmons will also be rooting for several other local drivers, some of whom wheeled their cars into his 1,200-square-foot shop this week for a little TLC. Fitzsimmons, a welder for Tucker Sno-Cat, knows the ins and outs of dwarf cars. He builds and installs everything from suspension components to control arms, shortens and lengthens axles, balances the cars - you name it. "When a big race like this comes along, I spend a lot of time in the shop," he says. "But that's OK. It's a labor of love and I'm not a guy who likes to sit around the house." Although Fitzsimmons has only one victory to his credit this summer, he's finished second three times and third twice to take over the points lead. And all that's been accomplished in his old car, a 1934 Chevrolet Coupe that Fitzsimmons has been running since he took up dwarf-car racing two years ago. Fitzsimmons has brought his new car out three separate times this summer, but the electronic fuel injection system malfunctioned each time, forcing him back to his old car. He recently removed the fuel-injection system in favor of a carburetor. "I'm losing about 15 horsepower, but I'm gaining dependability," he says. "And I'm still going to be faster than the old car. I think I'll be capable of competing with the front-runners." Fitzsimmons held his own during last year's national event at the Southern Oregon Speedway. He started in the E main but methodically advanced to the D, C and B mains and was in the process of transferring to the A main when a wreck knocked him from the action. Fitzsimmons is an aggressive but calculating driver who normally avoids mishaps. "You're not going to run up near the front if you're not aggressive," he says, "but you've got to pick your spots. And one thing I always do is keep an eye on Turn 3 as I'm coming down the backstretch. That's where a lot of accidents happen, and if don't watch it, you'll be part of the pile." Another local driver to watch is Jon DeBenedetti. The Rogue River racer founded the dwarf-car class at the speedway in 1998, won the points title the first three years of its existence and added a national points title in 1999. DeBenedetti has barely raced this season but finished second at a big event in Banks on July 15. "He's someone you can never count out," Fitzsimmons says. "He's a good driver and he's got good equipment." With his new car, Fitzsimmons has those same attributes. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.