Mike Kirby, HammerDown!, CRA Champion, sprint car driver

DRIVERS

Mike Kirby

Mike Kirby wins 2006 Sokola Classic - HD Staff - Perris, CA. 05/13/06 - Mike Kirby won the 40-lap Sokola Classic Saturday night at Perris Auto Speedway. The USAC-CRA sanctioned race had a top-five of Kirby, Rickie Gaunt, Tony Jones, Danny Sheridan, and David Cardey. (Summary)

The 100 winningest drivers MY EYES have seen - By Bobby Gerould - Last updated October 3, 2005. Rocklin, CA. …Here is a fun project that anyone can do. Try to re-trace all the races that you have been to in your lifetime, and list the winners of each feature your eyes have seen. It takes time; I've been working on my list literally for about six years. About once a month I take a few hours and dig through old programs, do Google searches, read journals, and use Kevin Eckert's website to try to find the race winners I saw. For the sake of clarity - I am including any race where I was on the grounds - even the ones I may have slept through as a three year old. My Dad was an announcer of super-modified, and sprint car events on the West Coast. From birth I went to West Capital Raceway (W. Sacramento, CA.) on Saturdays. Later, as Dad did more writing, and announcing we included Friday nights at Chico CA. and special events at Dixon CA. into the mix. As a teenager and college student I worked for NARC and hit all the major Northern California dirt tracks. Adult work for USAC, the World of Outlaws, and others has blessed us with the opportunity to see many tracks across the USA, and into Canada. The results of all this logging and work will be a historical log that I can always go back to for reflection. Over the course of the next 100 weeks, HammerDownUSA.com will list a driver in a countdown of the driver who MY EYES have seen win the most feature races. My list will obviously reflect my environment. It will not be a list of who I consider to be the greatest drivers ever. That would be subjective, and impossible. But I can scientifically list the best drivers I have seen. This list is a fun project for me and I hope you will enjoy the journey to naming number one. ...#100 Perry James Jr. - Elverta, CA. - 2 wins. #99 Mitch Sue - Live Oak, CA. - 2 wins. #98 - Peter Murphy - Sydney, New South Wales, Australia / Oakhurst, CA. 2 wins. #97 Johnny Tiner - Rio Linda, California. 2 wins. # 96 Ed Organ, Napa CA. - 2 wins. #95 Lee Brewer Jr. - Memphis, TN. - 2 wins. #94 Johnny Pearson, Stockton, CA. two wins. #93 Dave Bradway SR - Fair Oaks, CA. - Two wins.

#92 Mike Kirby. Torrance, CA. - two wins.

In 1999 Mike Kirby raced on the Non Wing World Championship tour. (Scanned from 2000 NWWC Tour Book)

...1993 CRA driving champion Mike Kirby is still active and winning non-wing sprint car races on the USAC/CRA tour. In his career he owns 60 sprint car feature event victories. We first learned of Kirby's talent from Dean Mills who used to shoot video of the CRA series. Dean has seen a zillion races, and I remember Dean telling me, that at the time, he thought Kirby was the most naturally talented racer in the bunch. Kirby earned Most Improved Driver twice in the CRA ranks in 1988, and 1992. Doing voice-over work for Dean's CRA/SCRA year-in-review videos - I saw Kirby slicing and dicing, and winning his fair share against tough Southern California competition. The two wins I witnessed live and in-color for Kirby both came last year (2004) in USAC/CRA and USAC National Sprint Car action. He won the first ever USAC/CRA main event at Perris on March 6, 2004. We then saw him beat the National cats at Perris during a prelim to the Oval Nationals. In both cases he was in the Glen Crossno #38. Because we are located in Northern California, and because Southern California is a seven-hour drive away, we are certainly not experts on Kirby. In the experiences I've had with him which amounts to a few interviews, and pit chats, I've found him to be humble, professional, and brutally honest. I recall one night when he told us, straight up, his car was junk. I like that kind of forthright attitude as opposed to the racers who recite the company line no matter what the situation. …In 1998 Kirby won eleven SCRA feature events en route to a runner-up finish in SCRA points. He is presently 41 years-old in his 18th year of driving sprint cars. He won the 2005 Gary Sokola Classic at Manzanita Speedway which was a points earning event in the Racer's Racing Series. Kirby started out as a stock car driver, winning three titles in the wild world of figure eight racing. Kirby lists Bubby Jones as his driving hero.

Mike Kirby recently parted company with Alexander Racing. (Photo by John Mierhofer)

Kirby wins Santa Maria - By Ken Wagner - 08/27/05 - Santa Maria, CA. - By Ken Wagner ...Mike Kirby used something he rarely has at Santa Maria Speedway, a little luck, and won his second Valvoline USAC/CRA event of the year. After a spinning car took out leaders, Mike Spencer and local favorite Danny Sheridan, Kirby took over and led the final 11 laps of the 30 lap Main Event, with Damion Gardner as his shadow, for his second win of the year and 10th lifetime with the club. (More)

RRS wins to Kirby, and Jennings - By Bobby Gerould - 03/20/05 - Rocklin, CA. ...Mike Kirby won $5,000 and 70 points in the Racer's Racing Series for his win the USAC/CRA Sokola Classic at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, AZ. Saturday night. Meanwhile, in Texas, Danny Jennings captured the 32nd annual Devils Bowl Speedway Spring Nationals sanctioned by the ASCS. Jennings too earned 70 points for his win. In 2005, the RRS is a 60-race series, 30 winged, 30 non-winged. The top five in points will earn cash donated by fans and businesses. You can be involved! Send any donation payable to "HammerDown! Promotions", 5016 Knights Way, Rocklin, CA. 95765. ASCS Summary and story. / USAC-CRA Summary

Hot Kirby has something to say about USAC/CRA title chase - By Ken Wagner - 09/25/04 - Phoenix, AZ. …For the third time on four weeks, Mike Kirby won a Valvoline USAC/CRA Sprint Car race. Kirby said on Friday before the trip, "I am going to win Saturday night, guaranteed!" After the win, he said "watch out for us at Perris in two weeks, I'll do it again!" It was Kirby's sixth win this season with the club and 9th overall in the Glenn and Carol Crossno TCR running with two other associations. With 34 cars signed in, it was a fast paced night on a racy track. (More)

Kirby moves into second in USAC / CRA points with big Perris victory - By Ken Wagner - 09/11/04 - Perris, CA…Mike Kirby beat point leader, Rip Williams, for the second week in a row as he won his fifth Valvoline USAC/CRA race of 18 events this season. Kirby led all 30 laps at Perris Auto Speedway and afterwards in the winners circle said about the Ripper "He raced me clean all night and if I don't win the championship, I hope he does." Kirby now is in second place in the championship race, less than 100 points behind Ripper. The top three in points all won their heats this week and set the stage for another shootout in the main event, but one of them didn't finish the main. (Read it all)

Mike Kirby gets his swerve on at Perris. Kirby became the first two-time winner of 2004 Saturday in the USAC/CRA series.

KIRBY LEADS USAC/CRA TO "SOKOLA CLASSIC" AT MANZY Mike Kirby of Torrance, Calif. will try to protect his slim lead in the Valvoline USAC/CRA Sprint Car standings when the series visits the 1/2-mile dirt Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, Ariz. this weekend for the "Sokola Classic." (more)

Kirby From 13th, Wins Perris - 03/02/02 - HD Staff - Perris, CA. - Mike Kirby drove from his inside 7th-row starting position to win the 30 lap SCRA feature at Perris Auto Speedway, Saturday night. 2001 champ, Cory Kruseman was runner-up, over Troy Rutherford, Richard Griffin, and 20th starting, Jeremy Sherman. (see results)

HammerDown! Home