Driving in King Cab, Sedgwick on Track for His First Crown

Bill Sedgwick can’t see any other choice but to keep on truckin’ in the NASCAR SuperTrucks series.

The Acton resident is the only tour driver to have competed in all 30 SuperTruck races without a victory but it hasn’t slowed his enthusiasm for the second-year series.

“I’m competing at some of the top tracks in the country and meeting new people all the time,” Sedgwick said.

In spite of his inability to visit the winner’s circle, people have noticed the former Saugus Speedway champion behind the wheel.

Sedgwick finished seventh in the SuperTruck points standings last year but was on the verge of not having a ride for the 1996 season.

Then NASCAR Winston Cup driver Darrell Waltrip called, inquiring about Sedgwick’s availability.

Because his former sponsor was indecisive about the upcoming season, Sedgwick jumped at the opportunity to be teamed with Waltrip.

“Our team has a lot of Winston Cup Series experience,” Sedgwick said. “The knowledge these guys have is great.”

Sedgwick took second place in the Milwaukee Mile earlier this month, his best finish this season.

More importantly, it helped him break a two-race skid in which he finished 28th both times.

“We had a little bad luck the last two races,” Sedgwick said. “We were out on the first lap at Nazareth and got caught up in an accident at Bristol.”

Surprisingly, Sedgwick, who is 11th in the point standings this season, has no desire to compete in the Winston Cup Series.

He is content battling with Ernie Irvan, Rusty Wallace and other good ol’ boys when they make special appearances on the truck tour.

“I’m right where I want to be,” Sedgwick said. “The truck series is doing quite well and guys from the Winston Cup Series and others are driving with us.”

Sedgwick is accustomed to success at every level on which he has raced the past 17 years.

He was a two-time Winston West Series champion and the most-popular driver at Saugus several times.

Sedgwick has finished in the top 10 five times this season and it shouldn’t be long until he notches his first victory.

*

Sprint Car driver Corey Kruseman is on the last leg of what could be considered the most-grueling part of his racing season.

And it has become one of the most-enjoyable runs the 25 year-old Ventura native has experienced.

Within a three-day period, Kruseman won consecutive Sprint Car events at Bakersfield and Perris and also competed in a Silver Crown Race in Terre Haute, Ind., where he finished fifth among 58 drivers.

“It’s one of the hardest stretches we’ll do,” Kruseman said. “We go out of town after a race and run the next day but we don’t ever come back for that third day.”

Tonight Kruseman hopes to add another notch to his belt when he competes in a Sprint Car race at Perris Speedway.

In Kruseman’s last race at Bakersfield he swept the card--winning the main heat race, the trophy dash and the main event.

He earned a bonus of $1,700 for his performance and is one of only two drivers to sweep all three events this season.

*

Racing resumes at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield after a two-week break with several drivers from the area in the running for season titles.

Sean Woodside of Saugus is leading the Late Model Division at Mesa Marin and is also the top driver in the NASCAR Pacific Coast Region with a performance rating of .778.

Woodside won the last Late Model feature on June 22 and has finished in the top five 10 times.

In Super Street Stocks, Jeff Drummen of Northridge tries to hold off T.K. Karvasek of Reseda.

Drummen, who has 268 points, has won every feature except one, which was taken by Karvasek, who is at 261.

The Grand American Modified Division has Dave Blankenship of Reseda atop the leader board with 364 points, with Thad Friday of Northridge second at 352.

*

Eddie Castro of Ojai took first place in the Handicap Main Event in motorcycle racing at Victorville Speedway on July 4 after starting at the 90-yard marker.