Simi Valley Driver Wins an Award, Sets His Sights on Winning a Race

Glen Steurer hasn’t won a NASCAR Winston West stock car race all season, but he still came out on top.

After finishing third in the Timec 200 at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield last Saturday, Steurer was named the circuit’s rookie-of-the-year, finishing two points ahead of Blair Aiken of Lakeport. Steurer is currently fourth in the overall points standings behind leader Jim Robinson of Reseda.

“I’m glad to get it over with,” Steurer said Thursday. “Now I can go to Riverside and really race. I want to try and run up front.”

Steurer, of Simi Valley, was speaking of the final race of the season: the Winston Western 500 on Nov. 17 at Riverside International Raceway. After shooting for consistency all season, Steurer plans to go all out against the likes of Bill Elliot and the rest of NASCAR’s Southern stock car sultans.

“Our strategy this season was just to finish every race,” Steurer said. “If we weren’t in the top couple of cars we at least tried to pace ourselves with them. If you try and lead every race, you’re going to dent some fenders, blow some motors, spin out or something.

“We’re going to go down there (Riverside) and see what happens. To win it is kind of dreaming. It’s possible, but it’s probably not going to happen.”

Steurer has a motor waiting to help make that dream a reality.

“They (Fisher Engineering) told me that’s my Riverside motor there,” Steurer said with a laugh.

At Mesa Marin, a half-mile, banked oval, Steurer was running half a lap behind Aiken for most of the race.

Said Steurer: “I had already pitted twice for tires and gas. I knew he had to pit sooner or later. He went 170 laps (without pitting) and on the next lap he ran out of gas.”

As Aiken coasted into the pit, Steurer passed him for the rookie-of-the-year title. Aiken finished fourth, behind winner Ruben Garcia of South El Monte.

The title, which will be officially announced at a NASCAR banquet in December, brings Steurer extra money and notoriety. He’s hoping to capitalize on the latter by gaining a major sponsor.

His Steurer Bros. Racing Team, which Steurer runs with his brother Mike, has so far spent more money than it earned this season. Major sponsorship will be a must for Steurer to race next year’s circuit. As it is, NASCAR will pay Steurer $100 dollars just to show up for races next season because of his rookie-of-the-year standing, but that’s not incentive enough.

“That (rookie-of-the-year) looks real nice on a resume,” Steurer said. “If we get the dollars, it’s going to be good next year. If we don’t, it’s not going to be good.

“One way or another we’re going to make it, but for the top-dollar machinery it’s going to take a sponsor.”

Assuming Steurer does get sponsorship, he plans to race the entire Winston West circuit and travel back east for a few races to take on the Winston Cup drivers, such as Elliot, Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip.

If a battle for the Winston West Championship doesn’t get in the way first.

NASCAR Winston West point leaders: 1. Jim Robinson (Reseda) 535; 2. Hershel McGriff (Bridal Veil, Ore.) 522; 3. Ruben Garcia (South El Monte) 513; 4. Glen Steurer (Simi Valley) 495; 5. Blair Aiken (Lakeport) 476; 6. Jim Bown (Portland, Ore.) 465; 7. Bill Osborne (Rialto) 462; 8. Derrike Cope (Puyallup, Wash.) 447; 9. Bill Schmitt (Redding) 447; 10. John Soares (Castro Valley) 429.

Others include: 13. Bob Kennedy (Thousand Oaks) 238; 14. Pat Mintey (Saugus) 189; 26. M.K. Kanke (Granada Hills) 109; 27. Bill Sedgwick (Van Nuys) 99.

Super vee racer Mike Groff of Northridge will make a last-ditch bid for a Sports Car Club of America national championship Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway. It is the final event of the 12-race season and a prelude to the Dana 150 CART-PPG Indy car race.

Groff started the season strong, finishing fourth at the Long Beach Grand Prix and second at Indianapolis. Finishes then became inconsistent, culminating with a 31st place at Cleveland.

After some changes in the Northridge Equipment Rental Team’s crew, the finishes improved. Groff placed third at Watkins Glen and won the next two races at Mid-Ohio and Sanair Super Speedway in St. Pie, Quebec.

At Monterey’s Laguna Seca, however, Groff had problems with his seat belt. He finished sixth, starting from his fifth qualifying spot, and dropped from third to fourth in the standings. He needs a win Sunday--coupled with some bad luck for other drivers--to take the championship.

Mike Hooper of Woodland Hills, who won at Indianapolis earlier this year, and Dave Kudrave of La Canada are also expected to race.