[Thank you to Off-Road.com for use of the picture above]

August 2002

TONOPAH 300
by Nancy Spirkoff

# # #

June 2002

So, do you wonder what we do when were not beating the Baja, or pounding across Nevada? Well, the Big Spirit, Steve Spirkoff is very much into classics, street rods, and hot rods.

Steve, a member of Classic Chevys of San Diego, recently participated in a car run to Barrett Junction in San Diego's back country for a fish fry, Steve's '55 Chevy was among over 20 classic vehicles on display at the event.

Steve's '55 Chevy on display at Barrett Junction.

Projects currently on the front burner at the Spirit Ranch include:

1. A '55 Chevy Cameo pickup truck conversion to an extended cab on a 3/4 ton Suburban chassis.

2. A '71 Chevy pickup complete restoration.

3. A '57 Chevy 2 door hardtop brake system conversion to disc brake system.

4. A '56 Chevy 210-2 door hardtop complete maintenance package. Vehicle has been mothballed for 12 years.

5. A '64 Dodge Polara upgrade including air conditioning, power windows, and cruise control.

No job is too big or too small for the Spirit team. If you're working on a project, and need advice or just an ear to chew on, give Steve a call at (619) 561-2913.

Las Vegas 200 - Race Notes
On December 1, 2001, Race For The Children took the green flag at the Las Vegas 200, with three 71 mile laps to go to the finish.  It was a race that none would soon forget.  This was the amazing story of winning the championship as it unfolded before our eyes.

At the crack of dawn the team drives from Las Vegas to the start/finish area just outside Jean, Nevada, where they find a massive traffic jam due to the BLM’s failure to cooperate with Best In The Desert officials, as they had promised to do.  Finally the team reaches the staging area where they are greeted by frigid 22 degree weather.  Jeremy climbs in to unload the race truck off the trailer, but the truck won’t start.  A frantic Nancy runs down pit row yelling, “Does anyone have starter fluid!”  Lightforce Racing gladly loans Nancy the starter fluid, and she runs back to the truck.  As she approaches she hears the truck start up.  Quickly driver and co-driver are bundled up and buckled into the vehicle.  They take off for the start line, where they find, much to their dismay, that the delays have made them late, and their class has already begun racing.  They take the green flag and the flogging begins.

Jeremy drives as if possessed. He should have been second off the line in his class with arch rival Fouts drawing the short straw and a ninth place start, but now he is over 2 minutes behind Fouts and all the rest of the class.  He knows that he must finish in front of Fouts to take the championship. Now the miracles of racing begin to happen.

As they come through Pit A/Lap 1 Jeremy has already closed the gap on Fouts to 40 seconds, and by race mile 61 Jeremy has taken the lead in the class.  Lap 1 flies by.

When they hit Pit A/Lap2 Jeremy is leading.  He is 30 seconds up on defending champion Chad Hall in the Hummer, who started first in the class.  Then, Fouts pulls in to the pits, his hood goes up, and the Race For The Children team holds its breath.  How long will he be in the pits?  Seven minutes, YES, Race For The Children has a seven minute lead over Fouts. Lap 2 flies by.

Race For The Children stops for a quick 10 gallon splash of gas at Main Pit, but maintains a 4 minute 10 second lead over Fouts as they clear Pit A for the final time.

Then race mile 142 brings another shift in the pattern as Race For The Children has a flat tire, and gets passed by Hall.  They are now only 3 ˝ minutes ahead of Fouts.  Jeremy knows he cannot lose his lead.  He must finish at least 3 ˝ minutes ahead of Fouts for the Championship.  He again picks up the pace, but how long can the race truck handle this abuse?  All of the drivers in the class are driving on the edge, caution cast to the freezing wind.  There are only 30 miles to go to the finish.

Suddenly just five miles from the finish line the Race For The Children vehicle begins to sputter.  Jeremy has driven the truck harder than anyone thought possible and it has used more fuel than ever before.  The truck dies and Race For The Children is stuck in a silt bed of epic proportions.  Co-driver Ken Reynolds jumps out and begins pushing, by the grace of God the truck fires and Kenny yells, “Go for it Jeremy.”  Jeremy can’t hear Kenny but he knows he can’t stop, if he does the truck will be mired and if it dies, it may never start again.  So he blasts away down the course leaving Kenny standing in the middle of nowhere.  Fouts has yet to be seen.

Jeremy comes freighting across the finish line, 1 minute 45 seconds behind Hall, taking second place  in  the class, 14th overall in the race, another unheard of accomplishment for a stock-full truck, and clenching the Best In The Desert Class 8100 championship.  Kenny walks across the finish line and finds himself a winner.  Fouts, who suffered a broken I-Beam bracket and a hole in his oil pan, finishes 34th, over 1 hour and 19 minutes behind Race For The Children.

This might have been where the race report ended but I now have the pleasure of sharing with you what our competitors, the Hummer team, had to say about race day:

“Good Morning All:

“As you know, one of my duties at Team HUMMER is to keep our friends, our sponsors and the press up to date on how we are doing. I do that by sending out press releases and race reports but occasionally, if I can capture the moment, that's when my job is the most satisfying.

“ What follows is the text of a message I wrote to a member of Dave Westham's Class 8000 Chevrolet race team in response to his question, posed at the top of the text. As background let me state the following:

“Jeremy Spirkoff is the son of Steve Spirkoff who owns Spirit Racing, a race shop which has built off‑road race vehicles for Ford since the 70's.

“Jeremy is close to 30 and will soon take over the family business for his father, who's about to retire. His truck is a mid 80's 3/4 ton Ford which features all the strongest components Ford has ever made in one very fast vehicle.

“It is the end result of two years of Jeremy's dedication highlighted by a 460 Ford Big Block that produces about 700+ horsepower. The Spirkoff name is a legend in off‑road racing! Jeremy comes into this final race of the season deadlocked for the points championship with Ford's Greg Fouts, who drives a late model 3/4 ton V‑10 powered Pick‑up. Between the two, whoever gets the higher finish will be the Class 8100 BITD series points champion.

“ Having said that, here's my commentary….

Question:  “ ‘ I know a HUMMER beat Spirkoff to the finish line, but who got the win in Stock Full?  It appeared close.’

Answer:    “We beat Jeremy after a 200 mile drag race that was one of the most exciting heads  up races I can ever remember. He didn't seem concerned about the points championship nearly as much as he was locked in a duel with Chad to win the race.

“All day they swapped the lead which varied between four minutes to a few seconds either way, but they never lost sight of each other. I realized shortly after the first 100 miles that both drivers had committed to break or win and when Jeremy finally passed him about mid way through the final lap, it was clear that he was more transfixed on winning this race than he was with the points championship which was also at stake if he could merely beat Fouts. Chad passed him again, on the final lap, just before Pit B and was leading by 13 seconds which actually made him second, on time, since Jeremy started 30 seconds back.

Briefly, Jeremy got stuck and his co-driver got out and quickly got him going yelling to go without him since the race was too tight. “So Jeremy left him there, standing in the desert and resumed the chase alone but never could quite reel Chad in. Chad finished less than two minutes in front of Jeremy, and I greeted them both at the finish line. They were totally race-faced with eyes sunken back into their heads and literally all the emotion drained out of them like a sponge. They both came in to the finish barely under control, sending finish line officials scurrying for safety and they both had nothing left at the finish.

“It was the sort of race that makes me love this sport. No quarter was given and none was asked. Both cars were performing at their peak and both drivers were in some mystic zone that only total commitment can take you to.

“ In the end the record will show that Chad won the race but both men were winners on this day and both winners were men, no longer living in the shadows of their legendary fathers but Champions on their own terms and worthy of every right of passage!

“ It was the sort of race you don't forget!”

George R. Thompson
Team HUMMER

Jeff Cummins of BFGoodrich with Jeremy Spirkoff at the BITD Championship Awards		Ellen Utschig, aka BFG Relay 12 ½, and Race For The Children's Ann Thomas & Nancy Shearer.
Race For The Children's Erin Flaherty, Ken Reynolds & Jeremy Spirkoff

And now you know the rest of the story.  The Best In The Desert 2001 circuit has been incredible year of racing that no one in class 8100 will ever forget.  Race For The Children/Spirit Racing salutes all of its competitors, and thanks them for making 2001 a year to remember.

Vegas To Reno - Race Notes
Race For The Children takes great pleasure in announcing its first place victory in Best In The Desert's "Vegas to Reno" race, the longest off-road race to be held in the United States this year. Not only did we take first place in our class, we finished in just over 12 hours, and 14th overall, unheard of accomplishments for a stock-full race truck. Race For The Children is now tied for first place for the Best In The Desert Class Championship, with one race left this season, the "Las Vegas 200," to be held on December 1-2.


Race For The Children thunders toward victory at "Vegas to Reno"

There is just no way that words can adequately express our gratitude for your support of Race For The Children. With your help, Race For The Children is once again in the winner's circle, and contributions to the A.B. & Jessie Polinsky Children's Center this year will exceed $10,000, including $2,377.50 in winnings from "Vegas to Reno."

Chewing through the rocks Race For The Children leads the race.

Helping the children of San Diego is what our racing program is all about. With the turmoil in the United States at this time, fund raising is very difficult, so your help in supporting Race For The Children and the Polinsky Children's Center is more important than ever before. The children are our future, and we are making a difference.

Vegas to Reno photographs compliments of C & C Race Photos, Santee, CA

Race For The Children looks forward to working with you in the future, and again, many thanks for your awesome support!

Jeremy Spirkoff, Driver of Record
Nancy Shearer, Team Manager

Race For The Children looking good in Tonopah.

Thursday, June 21, 2001, found Spirit Racing’s Race For The Children team on their way to Tonopah, Nevada for the second race in the Best In The Desert series, the Tonopah 300. The almost 500 mile trip to Tonopah proved to be relatively uneventful, but Nevada’s high desert had plenty of excitement in store for them.

On Friday, the team made a quick trip through registration, contingency and technical inspection, where they were informed that there was an underpass on the race coarse that measured 6’ 9”tall. Vehicles unable to fit through the underpass could take an alternate route, but it would cost them time as the alternate route added some mileage to the course. This caused much team
debate, and a lot of measuring, but it was finally concluded that the Race For The Children truck would fit through the underpass, with the only potential damage being loss of the radio antenna. So, a mag-mount antenna was stored in the race truck, just in case communications were lost, and the truck was race ready.

Friday afternoon left the team with time for a quick dip in the pool, providing relief from the oppressive desert heat. Then it was time for pit exchange, and a final opportunity for crew- members to check their respective loads of spare parts, tires, tools, and fuel, in preparation for
the race. At 7:P.M., driver of record, “Little Spirit” Jeremy Spirkoff, and co-driver Ken Reynolds attended the drivers meeting, and while the team waited for them to return and finalize logistical plans for the race, it began to rain. The storm was brief, the lightning beautiful, and to the team’s favor, a much desired drop in temperature was achieved making for a fine race day.

Poolside with the some of the team, Mike Messner,
Jeremy Spirkoff, Erin Flaherty, Curtis Garcia, Jim Whitley,
Dee Holmes and Mike Jarvis.

Saturday morning at 7:30 A.M. the team assembled and headed out for their respective pit locations. The Race For the Children truck went off the start line at 9:21 A.M., eighth of nine in its class.

By the time it reached Pit 1 it was in third place, then just past the pit the first of four flat tires hit. Jeremy and Ken made a speedy tire change and were back on course. They waived at crew members as they flew through Pit 2, then not 2 miles out of the pit they had their second flat, which came with a bent I –Beam.

Race For The Children flies through the Nevada desert in Tonopah.

Now the truck had no spare tires on the rack and more than 40 miles to go to Pit 3, but Jeremy massaged the course and made it to Pit 3 where the crew fueled the truck, replaced the flats on the rack and sent the boys on their way.

More smooth racing transpired, and Pit 4 found Race For The Children in second place by over 6 minutes. Then the trouble really began. A few miles before Pit 5 the drive plate bolts on the passenger side rear axle sheared, and unknown to the driver and co-driver, the axle was spit out into the desert. It wasn’t long before they discovered the problem though and when they stopped to change their third flat they replaced the axle as well, dropping back to third place.

At Pit 5 the crew replaced the flat on the rack, and then, on the way to Pit 6, the drive plate bolts sheared again. This time, Ken saw the axle hanging out of the rear end, and they stopped to retrieve the axle, but now had to limp on to Pit 6 with only one rear wheel spinning.

Site of the missing axles as viewed at the finish line.

At Pit 6 the decision was made to continue on one legged rather than to waste the downtime trying to repair the rear end, and word from Pit 5 was that no other truck in the class had been through the location since the Race For The Children truck over 45 minutes before. So Jeremy and Ken drove on, experiencing their final flat tire on the way to the finish line.

Race For The Children crosses
the finish line in Tonopah.

While a third place finish is always something of a let down, finishing behind competitors Fouts and Hogan still leaves Race For The Children in second place for the class championship, and so we live to race another day!

Race For The Children on the platform at the Tonopah 300 finish line.

Race For The Children will be sending the Polinsky Children's Center their winnings of $245.00, to help San Diego County's abused and abandoned children.

Race For The Children will be racing the Best In The Desert Vegas To Reno Race – September 27-30.

At 10:17 AM on Saturday, April 7, Race For The Children hit the dirt with driver of record, Little Spirit (aka Jeremy Spirkoff) behind the wheel, and team member Ken Reynolds riding shotgun. They hadn't been racing for more than 20 minutes when the call for help came through to Chase 1, Jeremy couldn't feel his hands, the rain and wind chill were already taking a toll. Pit 1 found the team ready with a third set of gloves, this time leather, for Jeremy to try.

On the way to Pit 2 the power steering system seemed to be acting up, and Ken called in for Chase 2 to check the fluid level at the next pit. When the truck came in Baja Bill Holmes added a quart of power steering fluid, and sent the truck on its way.

Things were now looking good, Jeremy's hands were thawing out, and he had moved up through the pack from a rear start to first place by Pit 3. All the team had to do was wave, as he passed through Pits 3 and 4.

Then, as Race For The Children approached Pit 5, things took a turn for the worse, a broken axle. Thank goodness all three chase crews were in position at Pit 5 to fuel the truck. The team fueled the truck and made an amazing 15 minute axle change, but while the truck was in the pit, Manny Esquera slipped by to take over the lead, Race For The Children was now in second place.

And, second place is where Race For The Children found themselves at the end of the race. Although Jeremy made a valiant effort to catch Manny, and actually made up 4 minutes on him between Pits 5 and 6, the power steering was failing, and the truck was becoming difficult to handle at best. With no power steering for the last 15 miles, and a left front flat for the last 2 mile of the race, Race For The Children crossed the finish line in second place after a hard day of racing in the elements, with Manny Esquera taking first.

"No hard feelings though," said Jeremy, "When you take second place to a legend like Manny Esquera by only a few minutes, with the kind of problems we were having, you're actually having a really good day!"

Race For The Children will be sending the Polinsky Children's Center their winnings of $547.50, to help San Diego County's abused and abandoned children.

Race For The Children & Polinsky Children's Center Reminds Youngsters 
That Properly Fitted Seats Aren't Just "Baby Stuff"


You're never too old to get some help from dad. 
Local Baja Champion Jeremy Spirkoff gets a little help 
with seatbelt adjusting from his father, Steve, just before 
winning his class in the legendary Baja 2000 Race. 

SAN DIEGO - 2/14/01 - - As part of National Child Passenger Safety Week (Feb. 11-17), Spirit Racing's Race For The Children (RFTC) along with San Diego's A.B. & Jessie Polinsky Children's Center (PCC) would like to remind younger travelers and their parents that the importance of proper automotive seating and seatbelt fitting doesn't stop when kids outgrow the infant/toddler safety seats designed for children up to 40 pounds.

According to Ford Motor Company's Boost America! (www.boostamerica.org), while crash-related deaths have steadily declined over the last five years for infants and younger children, likely because of increased safety seat usage and fewer children seated in the front seat of the vehicle, there has been no similar reduction in fatalities among children ages four to eight. Many experts feel that this is because most of these children continue to ride either unbuckled or use adult belts that do not fit them properly.

Government statistics show that few children over the age of three ride with the protection of a booster seat and safety belt. This contributes to the fact that more than 500 children ages 4 to 8 are killed in car crashes every year. Children who have outgrown traditional child safety seats designed for infants and toddlers need to use a booster seat until they are big enough physically to transition to the adult lap and shoulder belts. Booster seats are easy to use and, as the name suggests, raise the child up in the seat so adult safety belts fit them better and more comfortably-low across the hips and pelvis, and with the shoulder belt across the chest.

Jeremy Spirkoff, local Baja Champion and lead driver for RFTC, relies on a custom-fitted seat and properly adjusted seatbelts for his safety and comfort while charging to the finish line during grueling off-road races in Mexico and Nevada. While the RFTC Team plans on having a rough ride when traveling through the open desert, Spirkoff reminds the future-racers and parents out there that "even a minor traffic accident can result in much more force on a passenger's body than what we see during a bad day in Baja."

Any local group wishing to set up a child seating clinic can draw on several available resources, including those from The Automobile Club of Southern California, The California Department of Health Services' Vehicle Occupant Safety Program, and Race For The Children. Pending availability, RFTC will bring out its championship-winning race truck to help publicize the event and also demonstrate the importance of proper seat/seatbelt fitting.

For More Information, Contact:
Race For The Children/Polinsky Children's Center
Nancy Shearer - (619) 561-2913

Automobile Club of Southern California
Contact Your Nearest Office or www.aaa-calif.com

Boost America!
(866) BOOST-KID (toll-free)

CA Vehicle Occupant Safety Program
(916) 323-3487 or www.dhs.ca.gov/epic

Photo Available: seatbelts.jpg 

CAPTION: You're never too old to get some help from dad. Local Baja Champion 
Jeremy Spirkoff gets help with seatbelt adjusting from his father, Steve, just before 
winning his class in the legendary Baja 2000 Race. 

* * * * *




Spirit/Race For The Children 2000 Season
Notable Quotes

Dusty Times (Terribles Town 250) June, 2000
"New car blues is not in the vocabulary of two-in-a-row winner Jeremy Spirkoff. The winner of San Felipe started seventh out of 10 entries and was physically in the lead by Pit 4, RM 107."

Dusty Times (Tonopah 300) August, 2000
"He (Chad Hall) thought the course was fast. He also said he liked it better when Spirkoff was "just building cars, not drivin' ‘em."

Dune Buggies and Hot VWs (Baja 500) October, 2000
"In Class Stock Full the Ford of Jeremy Spirkoff was the only one to survive the distance."

Dusty Times (PRIMM 300) October, 2000
"The Stock Full class, which did only three laps, was firmly in the hands of Jeremy Spirkoff and his Ford right from the start. He got a little quicker each lap, recording the class fast time on Lap 3, at 1:42:38, and had no problems, to take the win in 5:11:58."

www.Off-Road.com (PRIMM 300) October, 2000
"The words "Jeremy Spirkoff" and "Winning" have popped up in the same sentence quite a few times this year. See? They did it again! That said, after his win at Primm, there's little doubt in our minds that that "rookie" namer won't last much longer. Likely the last time you'll hear it is after accepting the "Rookie of the Year" award from SCORE. Can you think of anyone more deserving?"

www.SCORE-International.com (Baja 2000) November, 2000
"As 9:00 AM hit, the 7s and Stock Full classes already had their leaders. In 7s, the Lucas Oil Ford ranger and in Stock Full, ORC's (Off-Road.com) favorite "Rookie" Jeremy Spirkoff had hit the half way mark."

www.SCORE-International.com (Baja 2000) November, 2000
"Jeremy Spirkoff cruised into Cabo with his wife (actually fiancee) as the co-rider, right on Scott's (Steinberger) tail. Not another Stock Full competitor was in site. Jeremy dominated his class beating the Protrucks and all but one Class 8 on his trip down the penensula."

San Diego Union Tribune December 7, 2000
"Name to watch. La Mesa's Jeremy Spirkoff is one of the hottest young drivers in off-road racing. Spirkoff was named SCORE's Rookie of the Year for the 2000 season. In addition to winning the Stock Full season title, he finished 16th overall in the Baja 2000 in what was considered one of the biggest achievements in the race. Last week Spirkoff was 11th overall and the top San Diego County finisher in the Best in the Desert's Las Vegas 200."

Dune Buggies and Hot VWs (PRIMM 300) January, 2001
"In Class Stock Full it was Jeremy Spirkoff again, charging hard in his new Ford truck."

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