MOTOR RACING / BRIAN MURPHY : Krieger Puts Spangler Back on Fast Track

It figured, one way or another, that Larry Krieger of Reseda would have a say in the Sportsman Division points standings at Saugus Speedway this year.

Krieger’s chances of making some noise from behind the wheel were seemingly diminished by a serious accident in late March that sidelined him from racing for more than a month.

But when he heard that fellow Valley resident and good friend Keith Spangler of Northridge was in need of a car, Krieger came running to the rescue. Or driving, whichever you prefer.

Krieger offered Spangler his No. 18 Sportsman car for racing tonight at Saugus and Spangler gladly accepted. Spangler, 21, was without a ride when his business relationship with car owner Joe Heath was terminated after the two tangled in a Sportsman main event June 1.

Krieger, still aching financially after his crash, happily tossed his keys to Spangler, enabling the Sportsman Division’s third-place driver to continue his quest for the points championship.

“I’m offering it to my best racing friend,” Krieger said. “He’s helped me in the past. Last year, when we were racing for position, he lent me an engine. That’s sportsmanship. It goes to show you something about Keith and his family.”

The two contractually agreed that the loan would be for one week, to give Spangler time to find a permanent ride. Spangler hinted that if the search is not successful, he would call it a season in mid-June.

“I’m going to go out and have some fun (with Krieger’s car),” Spangler said. “That’ll probably be it if we don’t find anything. But we’ll wait and see what happens.”

Krieger, of course, hopes that Spangler doesn’t have too much fun.

“Hey, if he wrecks it, he wrecks it,” Krieger said. “I wouldn’t have anybody else do it but him.”

Clearly, chivalry is not completely dead on the race track.

Said Krieger: “If we could be a part of him winning a championship, I’d feel so good about that. Hey, I’d do it again for him 100 times.”

Add Krieger: The 25-year-old has given up designs on a Sportsman championship at Saugus this year and is instead focusing on the year-end, four-track open race series for Sportsman cars in October and November.

“We’re going to take the year and travel around to other tracks and get really serious for the big money races,” he said. “We’re going to win that four-track series.”

Collecting dust: Heath, owner of the No. 37 car formerly driven by Spangler, said that he currently has no plans for the car but might bring it out of the mothballs for the Winston 100, a double-point extravaganza for Saugus Speedway’s Sportsman cars Aug. 10.

Heath said that he would like nothing more than to see an old Saugus great--either Jimmy Insolo, Oren Prosser or Dan Press--get behind the wheel for a spin.

There is another possibility, he added.

“Who knows? Keith Spangler and I might work things out,” Heath said. “I’m not ruling anything out.”

Big time: Saugus Speedway fans will get a treat tonight before the Winston 200. A competition will be held to determine the fastest pit crew on the track.

The crews of the top five qualifying Winston West cars will vie for a $1,000 prize.

In the winner-take-all contest, the pit crews will be asked to change two tires and give a mock demonstration of filling a gas tank before sending the car on its way.

Were you watching?: Alert fans at Saugus Speedway might have noticed something strange last week when Brian Kelley of Arleta accepted trophy-dash awards in both the Street Stock oval and figure-eight races. Usually, it is impossible to win both trophy dashes at Saugus because cars are not allowed to change their setup between dashes.

Correction: They used to not be allowed to change their setup.

Before the implementation of a new rule last Saturday, cars that raced in the Street Stock oval trophy dash were set up to turn only left, thus rendering them fairly useless for the figure-eight dash in which turning in both directions are equally important.

But Saugus Speedway race director Monte Monteleone said the old rule made for “boring” trophy dashes when the same car qualified for both.

Crews now are allowed two minutes between the oval trophy dash and the figure-eight trophy dash to prepare a car for its new race.

Voila ! Kelley won twice.