Race of the Night: Orange Crush vs. Reckoning
The last month of the 2011 season was filled with a lot of uncertainty and skepticism. Not only were there numerous discussions about what the tiebreaker was and whether it had changed since 2010—it hadn’t—and the method that the night’s race schedule would be determined, but there were also discussions about Reckoning’s potential to be a paper champion since they hadn’t yet beaten the 2010 champions, Orange Crush, this year.
As a quick refresher: Prior to Fifth Night, Reckoning was leading Orange Crush by six points in the standings, meaning that if Orange Crush won the night, Reckoning lost in the first round and Orange Crush won one of their races in faster than 2:19, Orange Crush would be the 2011 National Champions. Reckoning and Orange Crush had raced twice this year and Reckoning lost both times; neither race being especially close either.
I spoke to Orange Crush’s Johnny and Pete Ryan early on Saturday afternoon and both of them mentioned that they were hoping to pull Reckoning in the first round so that they could be in control of their own destiny. When it was announced at the driver’s meeting that Teams 6 and 7 would face each other in the first round, the members of Orange Crush let out a war whoop and string of excited expletives that would have made Chris Rock blush. Orange Crush had gotten their wish.
An hour later, all of uncertainty and skepticism of the last month and year had been washed away in a Reckoning victory against Orange Crush that was so clear cut and one-sided that no car on Orange even managed to complete a single lap. Reckoning clinched their 2011 championship by beating their biggest rivals in decisive fashion.
To suggest that Reckoning had an Orange monkey on their back before the last race is something of an understatement. At that time, the two teams had faced off against one another seven times in the last two years and Orange Crush was an outstanding 6-1 against Reckoning. Making this record even more impressive, that lone Reckoning win came in Second Night of 2010, in a countdown when Johnny Ryan cut the Turn 1 tire for two laps. Had he gone around the tire, Orange Crush would have been a mind-boggling 7-0 against Reckoning.
Having heard the talk of paper champions and the like repeatedly over the course of September, Reckoning’s drivers were eager to do what they could to put those thoughts to rest. Pushing aside any nervousness they may have had, Reckoning pulled out onto the track in their customary outside position and patiently waited for the green flag to drop. Fifteen seconds after it did, they had Orange Crush on the ropes; Reckoning’s Steve Gursky Jr. spun Orange Crush’s runner extraordinaire, Ryan Bleuer, allowing Reckoning’s “Speedy” Steve Vollbrecht to come in and hit Bleuer in the back wheel, taking off his tire and breaking his rear axle in the collision (more on this in a minute).
Thirty seconds later, Reckoning’s Chris McGuire blasted Orange Crush’s other runner, Elmer Fandrey, against the wall in the front straightaway, giving two dozen very lucky fans an extremely up close and personal view of a major hit (more on this in a minute too).
From there it was simply a matter of Reckoning completing the necessary five laps to win. Orange Crush’s Pete Ryan did what he could to slow this down, but with Bleuer, Fandrey and Johnny Ryan all experiencing early car problems thanks to hits with Reckoning, it didn’t take very long for Gursky Jr. to cross the finish line, solidifying Reckoning’s well-earned place atop the standings and removing the orange monkey on their backs in the process.
Upset of the Night: Orange Crush Lost the Beauty Contest
I was standing in the Orange Crush pits talking to Pete Ryan when their team owner, Kenny Kasper, pulled the Orange Crush beauty car into the track. Their fearsome limousine was now outfitted with a life-sized bear with a Green Bay Packer doll in its mouth. Ryan and I both starred at the car as it continued forward and I finally said, “So, you guys are winning the beauty contest, huh?” Ryan laughed and said, “Yup!”
On a day when the Bears were playing their hated rivals, the Packers, Orange Crush truly took their beauty car to the next level… and lost.
Even with two women’s teams taking the track to fight breast cancer, Bears/Packers on Orange Crush’s limousine should have trumped all.
Most Outstanding Driver: Reckoning’s Steve Gursky Jr.
Reckoning’s Steve Gursky Jr. is officially retired right now. Done. He is currently sitting in his rocking chair, sipping lemonade, selling all of his equipment, cars and engines while reflecting on his team’s National Championship and his glorious final night of racing.
In the first round of Fifth Night, Gursky Jr. not only grabbed the checkered flag in what could have been the most important race of the season, but also managed to position himself in such a fashion that, while running laps, he was able to absorb a number of solid hits from both Johnny and Pete Ryan without them ever noticeably effecting his car.
Gursky Jr. got his second win of the night in the finals against Full Throttle, bringing his final night’s scorecard to this: 3 races, 3 team wins, 2 individual wins, 1 National Championship. Now that’s how you go out on top!
Team on the Rise: Full Throttle
In addition to getting 2 points because of a Fourth Night scorer’s error, Full Throttle earns this designation because they finally capitalized on their First Night finals appearance.
Full Throttle has had an unparalleled streak of bad luck this year,* however they’ve seemingly gotten through it thanks to their veteran experience. Ron Johnston, Pete Millette Jr., Levi Turnbaugh and Jay VanAllen have years upon years of experience in the TDA and it always seems to show on the track. They build well, they race hard, they race smart, and they never seem to make very many mistakes. Most importantly, Full Throttle seems to hang their hat on teamwork. It’s easy to suggest that as go Ryan Bleuer and Steve Gursky Jr., so go Orange Crush and Reckoning respectively. It doesn’t seem as though Full Throttle’s success is hinged on any one of its drivers.
It’s for this reason that they are one of my favorite teams to watch race. Every team member is just as important as every other team member. For the most selfish reasons possible, I’m hoping they return in 2012 and begin to work on topping their outstanding year in the league.
* I would argue that Bad Company has also had a run of bad luck, though it is not anywhere close to the degree of bad luck that has beset Full Throttle.
Team on the Fall: Stranglehold
When I designate my Team on the Fall, sometimes the teams are really falling—Mean Green Machine Second Night when they trotted out 3 cars, for example—and sometimes the teams are only sliding downwards a hair. The latter is the case here with Stranglehold.
After a wondrous Third Night where they upset Orange Crush to get to the finals, Stranglehold had a good race in a losing cause against Bad Company Fourth Night and looked primed to add to their point total Fifth Night when they pulled Damage, Inc., the closest thing the TDA has to a minor league team, in the first round. Somehow, they lost.
On paper, I think the core of Stranglehold, Mel Noble Jr., Michael Noble, Nick and Wally Hartung and Bill Mcmahen is fairly solid—Mcmahen has been a great find for them this year—but it would seem as though something has to change to make the team challenge for one of the top three positions in the standings. Losing to Damage, Inc. is not the way to make this happen.
MVP (Most Violent Player): Orange Crush’s Pete Ryan
I often compare Bad Company’s Kyle Shearer to Chicago Bear Brian Urlacher (Mean Green Machine’s Ryan Decker also falls into this category). Both men love to hit and, after they deliver their biggest hits, they come up smiling, seemingly happy and delighted at the mayhem they’re causing.
I mention this here because I don’t get anywhere near the same sense about Orange Crush’s Pete Ryan. On the track, Ryan seems more like Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne character. Cold, calm, collected and deadly. It’s Ryan’s job to knock out other drivers on the field and he is going to do just that in as methodical and successful a way as possible.
Fifth Night, Ryan managed the rare feat of racing against Reckoning… Twice. In the first round for Orange Crush and in the second round as part of Damage, Inc. Ryan builds his cars to hold up and time and again throughout the year, he has continued to deliver crushing blows during the waning moments of his races. Ryan was truly a thorn in the side of Reckoning Fifth Night. While his driving unfortunately didn’t lead to any victories for his teams, his perseverance, tenacity and ruthless efficiency were truly entertaining to watch.
Hit of the Night: Three-Way Tie
Throughout the season, I’ve mentioned little things here and there about what earns people awards in my eyes. While trying to figure out what hit should have earned Hit of the Night, I thought back to some of the things I’ve written and realized that there was no way there could just be one Hit of the Month. If I awarded just one, it would mean I’d go back on something else I’d written. So here we are with the Three Hits of the Month:
1) Mean Green Machine’s Ryan Decker on Full Throttle’s Ron Johnston
This is the sexy hit of the month. Mean Green Machine’s Decker trunked Full Throttle’s Ron Johnston onto the wall in turn 2. Decker pushed Johnston with such force and power that all four of Johnston’s wheels were off the ground. As Johnston tried to rock his car back and forth in an attempt to dislodge it from the wall, his rear tires spun helplessly in the air, his back bumper being the only part of his car still touching the ground. And that’s sexy.
2) Reckoning’s Chris McGuire on Orange Crush’s Elmer Fandrey
This is the big hit of the month. As Orange Crush’s Elmer Fandrey rounded the Turn 4 tire, Reckoning’s Chris McGuire saw him coming, accelerated and absolutely blasted Fandrey against the front straightaway wall. Fandrey’s car was tipping sideways at a 45-degree angle with the ground, while McGuire’s car narrowly missed both getting stuck on the wall itself. And that’s a big hit.
3) Reckoning’s “Speedy” Steve Vollbrecht on Orange Crush’s Ryan Bleuer
This is the meaningful hit of the month. As Orange Crush’s Ryan Bleuer came around Turn 1 of his first lap, Reckoning’s Steve Gursky Jr. spun him out. Reckoning’s “Speedy” Steve Vollbrecht then came up from the starting line and hit Bleuer in the rear wheel, ripping off Bleuer’s tire and breaking his axle with the hit. Vollbrecht’s hit wasn’t anything that would even make a highlight reel—it wasn’t particularly violent nor was it especially fast—but it took out Orange Crush’s runner supreme, Bleuer, in the first ten seconds of the race. And that’s meaningful.
The “Wow, That Was Quick” Award: Bad Company’s “Big” Joe Snow
For a second month in a row, this award goes to Bad Company’s “Big” Joe Snow.
Snow started out in the first position for Bad Company in a white, bubble car. By the time he’d gotten to turn 2, he was slammed against the wall by one of Full Throttle’s crushers, effectively taking him out of the race. It took Snow a while to get his car moving again and, when he did finally start moving, he changed roles and began crushing. In a bubble car. Leaving Bad Company with zero lap runners.
The Late Hit Award: Double D Destroyers’ Branka Stephens
The consensus about the women’s race was that it was actually a race, not a TDA style demo. There were a few bumps here and there—most notably in the staging line before the race started—but one woman stood out on the track as being incredibly interested in hitting: #92, Branka Stephens.
Stephens didn’t connect much, but got some good speed on her car and seemed incredibly interested in hitting people on the track; a welcome sight to those watching the race. She got her chance after Megan Decker grabbed the checkered flag for High Risk. As Decker continued driving straight, Stephens floored the accelerator in her car and hit two of the High Risk cars that were coasting to a stop.
It was by far the latest hit of the evening and, if not for Kyle Shearer’s pasting of Gerritt “Big Kahuna” Vanderbilt Fourth Night, would have been the latest of the year. Regardless, it was good to see Stephens on the track, racing hard and finally and solidly connecting with someone.