TOYOTA SPEEDWAY - IRWINDALE, CA 11/24/11
This will be one Thanksgiving Feast Geoff Ensign will never forget.
Seeing nothing but carnage in front of him at the beginning of the Turkey Night Sprint Car Main Event at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, CA, Geoff Ensign had to earn his money, and did it the only way he knows how. Gassing it up and narrowly missing a spinning car, Ensign avoided being collected in a huge mishap at the start of the race, and then took advantage and drove the Ted Finkenbinder owned, Western Industrial X-Ray, Les Schwab Tires, Bailey Bros. Engines Eagle #3f to an 8th place finish, and, in his rookie year with USAC, feasted on the overall title in the USAC Western Classic Racing Series. The series differs from other series in that racing is contested on both dirt and pavement tracks. Ensign won 6 of the 8 main events on dirt, but struggled on pavement, although finishing on the podium once at Madera. Through it all, Ensign persevered and ended up on top of the USAC Western Classic mountain at the end of it all.
Ensign qualified 14th of the 26 cars in the pits, and, without the benefit of a heat race to get a setup under the car, had to start 17th after the lineup was made. On the original green flag, the mayhem ensued, two cars flipping down the front stretch of the Irwindale half-mile, and another sitting crippled in the middle of it. After the smoke and shrapnel was cleared, Ensign had moved up 6 spots to 11th on the grid, then, in a green to checkered main event, Ensign maneuvered up into 8th spot at the checkers, just three spots behind Tony Hunt, his closest competitor in the Western Classic Racing Series. The final margin in Western Classic Racing Series points was 9 points in the end.
Ensign was obviously elated, stumbling for words in victory lane: “Everybody who helped throughout the year…it’s awesome…The Ramos family, the Helberg’s tonight…Ted Finkenbinder for the car…This is awesome.”
Next up for The Human Highlight Reel: Ensign is presently looking for a ride for the upcoming Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, OK.
You can contact Geoff Ensign on Twitter @Ensign3f, Facebook at Geoff Ensign Motorsports, and www.ensignmotorsports.com.
- Ron Lingron on Nov 25, 2011
- Article Date: 11/25/2011