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Sprint car driver Chad Bauer of Brookings tears around the dirt track during hot-lapping at Jackson County Sports Park Monday night. Racing flows like oil in Bauer's veins Brookings youngster has sprint car touchBy RANDY HAMMERICKSEN It's a no-frills, family affair for the Three Amigos of sprint car-racing fame in Brookings. But it's also a blast in the dirt (tracks). "I do it for the thrill and exhilaration of it all," says Chad Bauer, rookie driver on the Northern Sprint Tour, who brought his driving skills and car to Southern Oregon Speedway Monday night for the first of five races this week during Northwest Speedweek on the Northern Sprint Tour.The Bauers -- and their sprint car -- are revered as celebrities in their coastal hometown. Chad Bauer, 21, the man behind the wheel, drives the finished product - a 1997 Gambler chassis and a 360-cubic centimeter Arneson engine -- says his job is merely to drive the finished product. "I couldn't do it without the rest of the Three Amigos," says Bauer. "That's my dad (Reese Bauer ) and Chuck Arneson (the racing team's mechanic), and provider of the engine that has turned the Bauer car into a speed machine with almost all used equipment parts. But thus far, it's held its own against the big boys and their cars -- with virtually all new parts and equipment -- this season."They keep the car in great shape," says Chuck Bauer. "I tell them what I want and they set it up." A pair of mishaps delayed the main event at Southern Oregon Speedway until midnight Bauer, 21, a rookie on the tour, went into the opening race of a five-race series ranked ninth overall for the year with 392 points. The evening was marred by a crash on turn No. 1 in the final heat of the Sprint Car competition. Jay Smith's 3D car tumbled off track, struck a wire fence and plunged into a grassy area where spectators were sitting. Smith walked away and there were no serious injuries to spectators.A young girl, identified as Leslie Pratt by track officials, suffered a foot injury caused by flying debris, officials said. Reese Bauer, a former stock car driver in Washington, bought Chad a go-kart seven years ago and followed up with a new sprint car three years ago. "Dad asked me after I graduated (from Bookings Harbor High in 1996) whether I wanted to go to college, or get a race car," says Bauer. "That wasn't much of a choice. Racing is tradition in our family." Bauer's older brother, Brett, and his mother, Karla, also are involved in the family's racing team. Brett is a pit crew member and Karla an accountant, who keeps the books for the business. "Part of the fun is keeping it in the family," says Chad. "We have a good time on the road, and we celebrate together after a good race. We're a great team, and we have fun. That's what it's all about." Chad Bauer says he's qualified for the A Main final event in all all eight races he had entered prior this year prior to Monday night's inaugural race in the Northern Sprint Tour at Southern Oregon Speedway. "I like to go fast, but I drive smart," says Bauer, who is a body and paint specialist for Nicks and Dents of Brookings. "We're a shoe-string operation. If the car breaks down, we may not have a car for next week." "We don't have the big sponsors like some of these drivers out here," said Reese Bauer. "If the car breaks down, we may not run next week. So, we have to be careful." Chad estimates it costs at least $150 to run the car in a race. "That includes gas to get to the race from Brookings, pit fees, motel and food," he says. "Hopefully, we'll keep making money at these races to offset at least some of the costs." During Monday night's race, Bauer had a contingent of nearly 50 friends and family members cheering him on. "They've been very supportive of us," says Chad. "They've have helped us out in a lot of ways. It's a community thing." Reese Bauer says he turned the driving over to his son after sustaining several serious injuries while driving stock cars nearly 20 years ago in Washington. "Chad was too young to see me drive, but he wanted to get involved in racing because of our family history," says Reese Bauer, who owns West Coast Auto Sales of Brookings. "He's got talent and patience. He's smart enough to avoid trouble. He knows we only have one car, and everything we have in it is on the track." |
