Mike Griffith" 'Wonder Wagon' might be perfect for TV
| Wednesday, Sep 09 2009 10:35 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Sep 09 2009 11:36 PM
PINKS All Out
WHERE: Auto Club Famoso Raceway
WHEN: Today and Saturday
SCHEDULE: Today--noon-7 p.m. (testing); Saturday--time trials 9 a.m., 1 p.,m.; All Out 32 4:45 p.m.; Exhibition runs 5 p.m.; All Out final 16 begins 7 p.m.
TICKETS: Available at the track. General admission Friday and Saturday $30; general admission Friday and reserved Saturday $35; general admission Saturday only $20; reserved Saturday only $25.
Images
Krista Suydam, driving her 1971 Chevrolet Vega "Wonder Wagon"
The first goal is to get into the show. The second, to get on television. Do the first, and the second is a given.
Krista Suydam has little control over either of those outcomes, but one can bet she'll be going all out Friday and Saturday at AutoClub Famoso Raceway.
Suydam is one of nearly two dozen Bakersfield drivers among nearly 475 who are vying for air time and a shot at $18,000 as the popular SPEED TV racing show PINKS All Out rolls into the historic drag strip north of Bakersfield.
Drivers will make practice runs on Friday with timed runs, the selection process to see who makes the field of 32 and elimination rounds for the television show all taking place on very busy Saturday.
A fan of the popular television show, Suydam, 19, was quick to send in her entry when the event announced last October.
"I thought it would be pretty cool (to participate)," she said. "Hopefully I can get into the show and maybe get on TV. You never know."
While the focus of the PINKS All Out show is on those involved in the elimination process to determine the winner, there is room for other snippets.
And Suydam's car -- a 1971 Chevy Vega panel wagon -- just might be interesting enough to draw the cameras.
It's not especially quick, low 12s, but it does have a special look: It's painted in the same style as the 1973 Wonder Wagon (Wonder Bread) Funny Car.
"My stepdad (Jeff Crider) did it," Suydam said of the graphics. "It gets a lot of attention."
Saturday's event is the last of 10 shows filed for this season and will air on Nov. 27. In addition to the 60-minute PINKS All Out show, there will also be the usual 30-minute PINKS All Out Takes show, featuring the Quick 8 field from Famoso and numerous snippets.
The event also offers the track an opportunity to highlight its mainstay: nostalgia racing. There's is about two hours of down time after a selected field of 32 cars is paired to 16 as those final 16cars are equipped with camera and microphones.
Two front-motored Top Fuel dragsters will make eighth-mile runs during that time, three vintage Funny Cars will make full passes and there will also be some AA/Fuel Altereds, a jet dragster and a wheelstanding stagecoach.
It will be the first time nostalgia cars have been seen on a PINKS show.
"We are going to focus a little more on the nostalgia cars that run at Famoso; we love that," said David Harris, manager of media relations at SPEED. "This track is very historic and we want to incorporate some of that history into the show itself."
Quick shifts
Dallas Montes of Bakersfield raced to his third straight victory in Legends competition Saturday night at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. Points leader Ryan Reed of Bakersfield was third.
Bakersfield's Buddy Shepherd set a track record in qualifying and then won the feature Saturday night in Junior Sprint competition at Plaza Raceway Park in Visalia. Garrett Fine of Bakersfield was second. Shepherd finished second on Sunday night, with Fine third.
