Persistence pays off as Hood re-fires labor of love
| Wednesday, May 27 2009 11:32 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, May 27 2009 11:47 PM
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Darrell Hood had stayed away from the racetrack for a decade when he decided to take in a race at Bakersfield Speedway.
One taste and he was hooked again.
Hood competed the the Speedway in 1978 and 1979 on an an aging quarter-mile asphalt surface then vanished for 10 years.
"I quit (racing) to get our business going and focused on that," he said. "I stayed away from it and then came back and watched. You know how (fans) are in the stands, they all think I can do that. I just missed it."
Hood returned to racing in 1990 and has been pretty much a regular since.
Much had changed when Hood returned in 1990, such as the track surface being clay instead of pavement.
"I started out in Hobby Stocks and it took a while (to get used to dirt-track racing)," he said. "I just had to be persistent."
That persistence continues in 2009 as Hood, who has raced just about every type of stock car, competes in the Street Stock division, which is also know as Super Streets.
"I enjoy racing the the people," said Hood, who will be competing in an East vs. West Series race on Saturday night. "It's kind of a relief from work."
It's a bit of a family affair for Hood as his wife, Lisa, does the chassis set-up on the car and his son, Larry, competes in the IMCA Modified division.
Hood, 50, has been competing in the Street Stock division since 1999 and is one of four different winners in races at Bakersfield Speedway this season.
"They're not Street Stocks no more," Hood said of the division. "They're like our old Late Models. We have better stuff in this car than we had in our Late Model in 1991 and 1992."
Certainly the Street Stocks, Super Streets, Limited Late Models or whatever one chooses to call them, are fast. But they don't come cheap.
"To jump into one of these you're talking 30 grand," said Hood. "We're lucky that we (race) every year and just progress a little bit every year. The motor by far is the biggest thing. Anybody running up front now had a good engine."
Passing, depending on track conditions, can often be difficult and when Hood won a May 2 race he led from start to finish.
"That's a key," Hood said of starting on the front row or not too far back in the pack. "You have to have luck as well as good equipment. There are a lot of good drivers, a lot of them."
Among those are Tim Randolph of Santa Maria who won the series title last year, has a win at Bakersfield this season, is coming off a win at Santa Maria Speedway last Saturday and is the current series points leader.
Other top drivers include Nick Sylvester of Bakersfield who won the April 11 race at Bakersfield, Lonnie Welch of Bakersfield, who won at Bakersfield on May 9, and Toby Randolph and Kyle Heckman.
Also in action at the Speedway on Saturday night will be Hobby Stocks, where six different drivers have won six races, American Stocks and Dwarf Cars. Racing starts at 6.
Quick shifts
* M.K. Kanke of Frazier Park had his SRL Southwest Tour wins streak snapped at two as he finished second to Auggie Vidovich Saturday night in a 110-lap race at Madera Speedway. Vidovich took the lead on the eighth lap with Kanke moving into second on lap 46. Kanke tried to get past Vidovich several times but never found the room on the tight third-mile oval. Jim Pettit II finished third. Bakersfield drivers Brennan Newberry and Kevin Callahan finished ninth and 14th, respectively.
* Brad Pounds finished second to Mike Johnson in a Late Model race Sunday at Victorville. David Mayhew won the IMCA Modified race with Larry Hood second. Kevin Johnson won the Hobby Stock race.
* An auto swap meet takes place Sunday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kern County Fairgrounds. Admission is free.
* Auto Club Famoso Raceway is holding a test and tune session on Friday night where any type of vehicle (standard safety rules apply) can race down the quarter-mile. Gates open at 7 p.m.
