Sprint Car Champ Retires

Richard Griffin, sprint car racing’s “Gas Man” from Silver City, N.M., has retired after winning his fifth Sprint Car Racing Assn. championship in the last six years.

“It’s been a great career,” Griffin said in revealing his decision during the SCRA awards banquet Saturday night in Las Vegas.

“It all started about 25 years ago as a hobby. Nobody thought it was going anywhere when I first started, it was just something to keep me out of trouble. It’s taken a lot of time, but I wouldn’t have traded it for anything in the world. I just feel that it’s time to do something else.”

Griffin, 40, won 49 main events, including five last season, and never finished worse than second in points during his eight-year SCRA career.

“I know how hard it is to win championships with SCRA and I definitely cherish each one of them. I was just lucky enough to get hooked up with good people and that’s what enabled me to get where I am today. I hope I’ve represented SCRA in a good way.”

Ron Shuman, SCRA president, said it was no surprise that Griffin had decided to retire.

“It’s been a rumor the last two or three years Richard was getting weary of all that travel,” said Shuman, a former champion. “It was tough getting to every race from Silver City. He had to either fly his own plane or drive a long way to catch a commercial flight.”

Griffin and his car owner, Ron Chaffin of Madera, Calif., collected $20,000 in point fund money. It was Chaffin’s eighth owners’ title in nine years. Crew chief Bruce Bromme Jr. was named SCRA mechanic of the year for the eighth time.

Chaffin and Bromme are expected to name a new driver this week, with plans to compete in both the SCRA and the newly formed USAC/CRA series that will make Perris Auto Speedway its primary track.

Damion Gardner, of Concord, Calif., who won a series-leading seven main events, received the first Dean Thompson Achievement Award.