MOTOR RACING : Fisher Lands Ride for Saugus Event

Hey, Terry Fisher. Do you know the way to Saugus Speedway?

That’s a question worth asking the 27-year-old driver from Sandy, Ore. The surprise points leader on the Winston West tour, Fisher had only planned, because of financial constraints, to enter three races this year on the tour--in Bakersfield, Sonoma and Oregon. But then Fisher found himself in the series points lead after a strong showing in last week’s Banquet Frozen Foods 300 in Sonoma.

All of a sudden, a trip to Saugus--site of the NASCAR Winston West 200 tonight at 8--appeared to be worth his while.

That is, if he could find a way to get there.

And if he could find a car.

Having agreed to use race car owner Dick Midgley’s vehicle for just those three races, Fisher went home with his father to ponder the possibilities--and look for a ride.

He arranged to drive a Chevrolet previously driven by Southern California veteran Rick McCray, brushed up on his directions to Saugus and, as a surprise entry, will be racing tonight with 19 other drivers.

“I’ve never seen the track but I know it’s pretty flat,” Fisher said of the one-third-mile paved oval. “My home track, Portland Speedway, doesn’t have much banking either, so we hope to do well. Rick will assist in setting up the car. So will my regular car owner, Dick Midgley.”

Fisher’s lead is 14 points over Bill Sedgwick of Van Nuys. If Fisher keeps driving well, it appears that he will see a lot more of the West Coast than he had bargained for. It’s a bargain that he no doubt will accept.

Life’s the pits: In addition to the feature race tonight, a pit-stop contest will give Saugus fans a chance to see how pit crews on the Winston West tour operate.

The four fastest qualifying drivers--plus last year’s series tour champion Bill Schmitt--will participate in the contest, set to begin before the 200-lap race. Each crew will change two tires and simulate filling a tank of gas.

The times, according to Winston West spokesman Owen Kearns Jr., should be about 13 seconds. The winning team will split $500.

Motorcycle racing: Despite suffering a knee injury in a crash, Rick Miller of Reseda qualified fourth at Long Beach on June 2 in the North American Final Qualifier for the World Speedway Championships and will advance to the next round of eliminations. The championships will be on June 24 in Coventry, England.

Miller ran into Greg Hancock of Huntington Beach in the third turn of the third lap as four riders raced to determine the night’s overall champion. Hancock suffered a broken arm and likely will have to pass up the Overseas Final while he recuperates. He will be replaced by Ronnie Corey of Fullerton.

Rising star: Corey Kruseman, 19, of Ventura might be just a year out of Buena High, but he is proving that young guys can race well.

Kruseman, in his second year on the circuit, is the points leader on the USAC Western States three-quarter midget series, which will run at Ventura Raceway next Saturday at 7 p.m. Kruseman currently holds an 18-point lead over his nearest competitor.

Kruseman is in second place in the Mini Stock figure-eight competition and is ninth in the Mini Stock oval race standings at Ventura Raceway.

Kruseman, who drives a Pinto 2000, has an impressive resume this season at Ventura: two fast times, two wins in trophy dashes, one oval main-event win and four figure-eight main-event wins.

Local leaders: The NASCAR Southwest tour standings read like a roll call of Valley-area drivers. Heading the list is Palmdale’s Ron Hornaday Jr., who has 892 points and four top-five finishes in six starts.

M. K. Kanke of Granada Hills is third with 864 points. Two other Palmdale drivers--Ray Hooper Jr. and Dennis Dyer--and Newhall’s Bob Lyon occupy fifth, sixth and seventh.

The next opportunity to catch these next-door-neighbor drivers is next Saturday at the Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino for the 100-lap, 25-mile Budweiser 100. The Southwest tour will stop again at Saugus on Sept. 8.