Rutherford Goes Long Way in Short Races

With the Sprint Car Racing Assn. making its second of four appearances at Ventura Raceway on Saturday, it is not hard to realize just how far Troy Rutherford of Ojai has come in such a short time.

Rutherford, 27, started his career late in the 1995 season driving the 360 ci International Motor Contest Assn. sprint cars at Perris Auto Speedway and Ventura. In 1996, he won nine main events, seven at Ventura, and finished third in the points standings at Ventura.

The strong showing, which saw him named IMCA West Coast rookie of the year, was enough to convince Rutherford and the Jordan Brothers racing team to move up to the more powerful 410 ci SCRA cars for the 1997 season.

Rutherford met the challenge head-on, and was named SCRA rookie of the year.

Rutherford’s first two SCRA victories came in 1999, and he finished the season 10th in the points standings. He is 10th this season with 841 points, 508 behind leader and defending champion Richard Griffin of Silver City, N.M.

Before taking up sprint cars, Rutherford raced go-karts on asphalt under the sanction of the International Karting Federation. He was second in the nation in 1989, and fifth in the nation in 1990.

Rutherford stopped racing while he attended Ventura College from 1992 to 1993, choosing to play on the school’s golf team.

In 1995, which was the first season of IMCA sprint car competition on the West Coast, Rutherford attended a race at Ventura Raceway with his father, and they wound up purchasing a car from Darryl Rogers of Palmdale.

Rutherford entered his first race in September 1995 at Perris Auto Speedway and finished second. He won the next race he entered, also at Perris, later that same month.

The Jordan Brothers team hired Rutherford for the 1996 season. He drove in three World of Outlaws races for the team in 1997, but the relationship ended early in the 1998 season.

Rutherford drove races for Harlan Willis, Jack and Kathy Gardner, and Bill and Lita Lloyd that year before signing with Andy Morales to drive the legendary “Tamale Wagon” entry for 1999. Morales did not plan to race a full schedule, however, and Rutherford talked the Gardners into letting him drive one of their entries for a race at Ventura.

The one-race deal turned into a full-time ride after Rutherford finished second in the Ventura race.

“They thought we had a future after that, and obviously, we did,” Rutherford said.

Jack and Kathy Gardner are the third generation of their family to be involved in sprint-car racing. The Gardner team designs and builds its own chassis, called “the Sled.”

Sprint-car veteran Ricky Gaunt is Rutherford’s full-time teammate, and sometimes the Gardners field a third car driven by veteran Brad Noffsinger.

“Sometimes it’s mayhem around here,” Rutherford said, “Especially when we are all in the same heat. To have teammates like that, and we all get along real good, it helps boost my morale.”

Rutherford is grateful for the opportunity he has with the Gardners.

“For a team to run three cars, that’s a lot of money coming out of somebody’s pocket,” Rutherford said. “For the effort that’s going out there, I can’t appreciate it enough.”

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Another SCRA regular who started at Ventura is Cory Kruseman of Ventura, but he will not be competing Saturday at the one-quarter mile clay oval.

For the second consecutive year, Kruseman has traveled to Indiana to compete in Penzoil Indiana Sprint Week, which is its own series and part of the United States Auto Club Stoops Freightliner Sprint Car Series.

Kruseman, who finished second in sprint week last year, is ninth in the points standings with 129 points after four races.

Jay Drake, formerly of Val Verde, has two victories and one second-place finish. He leads the sprint-week series with 241 points and is second in the USAC Stoops Freightliner Sprint Car standings.

Kruseman finished 19th in the first two sprint week races, Thursday at Twin Cities Raceway Park in North Vernon, Ind., and Friday at Bloomington Speedway. He finished 15th Saturday at Lawrenceburg Speedway, before getting on track Sunday with a second-place finish behind Drake at Kokomo Speedway.

Sprint week concludes with races Friday at Terre Haute Action Track, Saturday at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Ind., and Sunday at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind.

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Ron Hornaday Jr., formerly of Palmdale, finished ninth, one lap behind winner and NASCAR Busch Grand National Division Series points leader Jeff Green, in the NAPA Auto Parts 250 at Pikes Peak International Raceway at Pikes Peak, Colo.

Hornaday, who won his first Busch series race one week ago at Nazareth, Pa., is fifth in the standings with 2512 points, 650 behind Green and 20 behind Kevin Harvick of Bakersfield.