Moore Ran Third but It Was the Pits

If Dan Moore’s performance in the Ultra Wheels SuperTruck season opener at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield on March 17 was any indication, his competitors might be in for a long year.

Moore, 40, of Burbank, set a fast time before sideswiping the wall during practice while trying to avoid two spinning vehicles.

The volunteer pit crew of Steve Rogers, Dave Tressler and Paul Ferreria replaced the right front suspension and remounted the truck’s rear end, which had moved sideways approximately one inch.

Moore drove to a third-place finish despite a broken scapula and three cracked ribs.

“We didn’t have all the setup equipment with us,� Moore said. “With what we had to work with, [the pit crew] were the ones who earned that third place. They gave me a truck to drive.�

When the team returned from Bakersfield, they took the vehicle apart and reassembled it in preparation for Saturday’s 50-lap race at Irwindale Speedway.

Moore, a graduate of South Pasadena High, began his racing career on the dirt at Ascot Speedway in Gardena, driving midgets and sprint cars.

When Ascot closed, Moore stopped racing, got married and started a construction company that specializes in drilling to sink hillside foundations and retaining walls.

He returned to racing in 1998, and his old dirt track crew of Rogers, Ferreria and Tressler returned with him.

“When we decided to go racing again, it was kind of a package,� Moore said. “Those guys are my road dogs.�

Moore’s wife, Denise, gave her blessing provided Moore raced non-open wheel cars on asphalt, so he and Ferreria put together a Grand American modified car to race eight times at Mesa Marin.

Moore saw the SuperTrucks when they shared the program with modifieds, and was hooked.

“We saw the car count and the competition, and figured if we were going to get back into racing it would be nice to be in a series where they put everybody on the same page, on an equal playing ground,� Moore said.

Solomon Chen of La Canada, owner of Superior Communications in Covina, agreed to sponsor Moore after hearing about the racing efforts from one of the company’s vice-presidents, Mike Fosselman of Glendora--who is Moore’s brother-in-law.

Moore needed time to adjust to racing on pavement.

“When we ran Grand American at Mesa, I never really got rid of the dirt instincts,� Moore said. ‘You drive down the straightaway and you set up totally different to go into the corner.

“It took a half-season of [SpeedTrucks] to adjust. It’s like riding a bike, one day it just clicks. I would set up and almost pitch it in the corner then try to get into the gas quick. In a pavement car, you have to wait to get into the gas until you are almost out of the apex [of the corner].�

Once Moore got the hang of pavement racing, he began to perform well, especially at Irwindale. He qualified on the pole for a race at Irwindale in October of 1999. He won a 50-lap main event and the trophy dash on the same night a month later.

Moore finished 11th in points in 1999 and improved to ninth last year despite having a Murphy’s Law-type season.

He continued to perform well at Irwindale, however, with three top-10 finishes in five races, including a second-place finish in April.

Brothers Jim and Rob Utz of San Fernando, whose company sells backhoes and excavators for drilling rigs to Moore’s construction company, offered additional sponsorship for this season through their company.

Moore is looking to move up to a super late model car at Irwindale next year, provided he has a productive season in SuperTrucks. His eventual goal is to compete in the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour, with no preference about driving his own car or one owned by someone else.

“We had some bad luck [last year] and didn’t accomplish what we needed to in the trucks to move up, so we’re back this year,� Moore said. “If we had the sponsors, we’d be in the position to do a partial season in the tour next year.�

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M.K. Kanke, former Granada Hills resident, moved into first place in the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour points standings Saturday by winning the Coors Light 125-lap race at Cajon Speedway in El Cajon. Kanke took the lead from pole-sitter Jim Pettit II of Prunedale on the 60th lap of the three-eighths-mile oval. Kanke, who leads Augie Vidovich Jr. of Lakeside, 350-303, after two races, averaged 55.877 mph. Frank Maronski Jr. of Quartz Hill was fifth, and Greg Pursley of Newhall was 11th. . . .

Jay Drake, former Val Verde resident, qualified ninth and finished 15th in a United States Auto Club Silver Bullet series 100-lap race at Irwindale Speedway. Kevin Kierce of Reseda finished 23rd, three laps behind the leaders. . . .

Alex Harris of Simi Valley trails Matt Streeter in points, 79-66, in the USAC Western Midget series heading into Sunday’s race at Stockton 99 Speedway. . . .

Ron Hornaday Jr., former Palmdale resident, finished 21st in the Food City 500 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. . . .

CART driver Alex Tagliani, NASCAR Craftsman Truck series driver Joe Ruttman and Funny Car driver Tony Pedregon of Camarillo will be guests on the radio show “SpeedFreaks� on Sunday, hosted by Kenny Sargent of Van Nuys at 7 p.m. on KLSX-FM (97.1).