Haywood Has an Enduring Love for Sports Cars

Hurley Haywood is 55, has won 10 international endurance races -- five 24 Hours of Daytona, three 24 Hours of LeMans, two 12 Hours of Sebring -- is a successful businessman in Jacksonville, Fla., and has been out of serious racing for almost 10 years.

So why is he back, driving a Porsche Fabcar with J. C. France in the Rolex Grand American sports car series?

“I think the Grand Am folks have put together a good set of rules and when they asked me if I would spearhead a car in the new Daytona prototype class, I decided to do it,” Haywood said as he prepared to leave his Florida home for Fontana, where he will begin practice today for Sunday’s Grand American 400 at California Speedway.

“Remember back in the ‘70s and ‘80s when sports cars were as big as anything in racing? Then the big manufacturers came in and spent millions of dollars and ran all the independents out of the sport and everybody lost interest. With the new Daytona prototype regulations, it gives the independents a chance to race again.”

Daytona prototypes are purebred, closed-top “affordable” race cars, the premier class for the Rolex series.

It’s all, however, a matter of perception. It will still cost around $400,000 to field one of the prototypes. Only four of them -- two Porsche Fabcars, a Chevrolet Doran and a BMW Picchio DP2 -- are entered in Sunday’s 89-lap race around California Speedway’s 21-turn, 2.8-mile infield road course.

“It takes a while for a new program like this to kick in, but I think in a year or two it will be attracting a lot of cars and drivers who love sports cars,” Haywood said. “One important factor is, that after you get the car, the expense of racing is quite economical. This year’s car should be able to race competitively for several years.”

Haywood has been out of professional racing since 1994 but has shown no effects of the layoff. He won races at Miami and Phoenix and finished second at Daytona and Birmingham, Ala. He and France, in their No. 59 Brumos Racing Porsche, hold a 14-point lead over BMW driver Darren Law.

France, son of Jim France, NASCAR’s executive vice president, is in his first major sports car series as a protege of Haywood.

“Jamie is an up-and-coming driver and with the last name of France, you would expect him in a stock car, but he said he wanted to go sports car racing and learn from me,” Haywood said. “He has learned a lot in a short period of time. He listens and then does exactly what you say. Because of that, he is becoming a very proficient race car driver.”

Sunday’s race will feature more than just the four prototypes. Also in the 400-kilometer sprint will be GT series leaders Cort Wagner of Los Angeles and Brent Martini of Laguna Beach in a Scuderia Ferrari 360, and Hugh Plumb and Brian Cunningham in the Marcus Motorsports BMW that won the last race at the new Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham.

“I remember coming out to Riverside when the crowds were huge for our races,” recalled Haywood, who won the last IMSA Camel GT race there with John Morton in a Group 44 Jaguar. “When guys like Danny Ongais and the Whittington brothers and John Fitzgerald and Al Holbert were racing at Riverside, they packed every square inch of the place.

“Someday, I hope it gets back like that again at Fontana. It won’t be this week, but if people can see what we’re doing and we can start building some momentum, I think it can be done. Our cars are fantastic, like they were in the old days, and our races are good. It’s just going to take time to reeducate our fans.”

From the time Riverside held its last IMSA race in 1987 until California Speedway held its first Grand American race last year, there was no professional sports car racing in the Los Angeles area.

Haywood links the eras and is made aware of it when he races against David Donohue, driver of a second Brumos Porsche with Mark Borkowski.

“I remember racing against David’s father, Mark, in a Can-Am race at Riverside in 1973,” said Haywood, who finished second in that race to Donohue, who had won the Indianapolis 500 the year before.

Southland Scene

After six weeks off, NACAR’s Featherlite Southwest Series returns Saturday night at Irwindale Speedway with 40 cars entered in the King Taco 150. Augie Vidovich Jr. of Lakeside, Calif., has a 74-point lead in a Chevrolet over Jim Pettit of Prunedale, Calif., in a Ford, after five of 14 races. Other favorites include Craig Raudman of Bakersfield, Ryan Arciero of Foothill Ranch, David Gilliland of Riverside and Bob Lyon of Aqua Duce.

U.S. Auto Club western midgets and California Ford Focus series share top billing Saturday at Bakersfield Speedway in Oildale. Points leader Steve Paden of Downey will be challenged by defending midget champion Robby Flock of Temecula in a 30-lap feature. Todd Hunsaker of Chino Hills leads Ford Focus standings.

Damion Gardner will be out to win his second consecutive Sprint Car Racing Assn. main event Saturday night at Perris Auto Speedway after a whirlwind tour of Midwest races. After defeating Richard Griffin in a tense race at Perris two weeks ago, Gardner took a red-eye flight to Ohio for a USAC sprint car race at Eldora Speedway on Sunday. Last weekend, he drove a midget at Knoxville, Iowa, on Saturday and a sprint car at Lawrenceburg, Ind., on Sunday.

Leffler at Last

Sooner of later, it had to happen.

Jason Leffler finished second six times and sat on the pole for NASCAR Craftsman Truck races nine times before he won his first race, two weeks ago at the Monster Mile at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The Long Beach native, who drives a Dodge truck for Jim Smith’s Ultra Motorsports team, said it felt as good to win that race as any other race he had won, including the Hoosier Hundred last year.

“I have won a lot of USAC races [a Silver Crown and three midget championships] but to win a NASCAR Touring Series race is really incredible. I can’t wait to get to Texas.”

Leffler and the NASCAR truckers race tonight on the ultra-fast 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway.

Last Laps

SCRA President Ron Shuman was one of 13 inductees into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Saturday in Knoxville, Iowa.... Troy Herbst of Las Vegas and Larry Roeseler of Hesperia teamed to repeat as four-wheel vehicle champions in the 35th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 desert race last week, driving a Ford-powered Smithbuilt desert racer.

Mario Andretti and car owner Pat Patrick revealed Thursday that both would resign from the CART board of directors at its next meeting.... The fourth annual Boat Racers Reunion will be held this weekend at the L.A. County Fairplex in conjunction with the Southern California Marine Assn. Boat Show. Details: (714) 963-2409.

Passings

Dick Vinyard, a former California Racing Assn. sprint car driver from Bellflower, died of circulatory problems last Friday at Downey Regional Medical Center. Vinyard, 79, who raced against drivers such as Manny Ayulo, Jack McGrath and Troy Ruttman, gained renown for driving a roadster powered by a six-cylinder GMC truck engine with a chain-drive rear end. He won two Purple Hearts as a Marine in World War II. Survivors include son Gary and stepdaughter Shirley.

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This Week’s Races

*--* SPORTS CARS Grand American 400

*--*

* When: Saturday, qualifying, 11:20 a.m.; Sunday, race (Speed Channel), 1 p.m.

* Where: California Speedway, Fontana (2.8-mile road course with 21 turns).

* Race distance: 400 kilometers, 89 laps.

* 2002 winner: Didier Theys-Fredy Lienhard Jr.

* Next race: Watkins Glen International, June 22, Watkins Glen, N.Y.

*--* WINSTON CUP Pocono 500

*--*

* When: Today, qualifying (Speed Channel, noon); Sunday, race (Channel 11, 9:30 a.m.).

* Where: Pocono International Raceway (triangular oval, 2.5 miles, 14 degrees banking in Turn 1, 8 degrees in Turn 2, 6 degrees in Turn 3); Long Pond, Pa.

* Race distance: 500 miles, 200 laps.

* 2002 winner: Dale Jarrett.

* Next race: Sirius Satellite Radio 400, June 15, Brooklyn, Mich.

*--* BUSCH SERIES Trace Adkins Chrome 300

*--*

* When: Today, qualifying (Speed Channel, 3 p.m.); Saturday, race (FX, 4:30 p.m.).

* Where: Nashville Superspeedway (tri-oval, 1.333 miles, 14 degrees banking in turns).

* Race distance: 300 miles, 225 laps.

* 2002 winner: Jack Sprague.

* Next race: Meijer 300, June 14, Sparta, Ky.

*--* CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS O’Reilly 400K

*--*

* When: Today, race (Speed Channel, 6 p.m.).

* Where: Texas Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.5 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns), Fort Worth.

* Race distance: 250.50 miles, 167 laps.

* 2002 winner: Brendan Gaughan.

* Next race: O’Reilly 200, June 21, Memphis, Tenn.

*--* IRL Bombardier 500

*--*

* When: Saturday, race (ESPN, 5 p.m.).

* Where: Texas Motor Speedway.

* Race distance: 300 miles, 200 laps.

* 2002 winner: Jeff Ward.

* Next race: Radisson Indy 225, June 15, Fountain, Colo.