Kanke Is Head and Shoulders Above the Southwest Field

M.K. Kanke finally is the big man on the NASCAR Southwest Tour.

Forget that Kanke, who stands 6 feet 6, is the tallest driver in the history of the 13-year, short-track circuit for late-model stock cars.

Kanke, 36, who began racing as a teen growing up in Granada Hills, is speeding toward his first tour championship with two victories and an impressive points lead.

A veteran of the tour since its inception, Kanke missed winning a record-tying third consecutive main event when he finished sixth at Colorado National Speedway on June 7.

It was Kanke’s worst finish in seven starts.

After driving to a fourth-place finish June 14 at Altamont Speedway, Kanke takes to the track today for a 200-kilometer race at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma, north of San Francisco. The race will be televised live on ESPN.

Kanke has driven well at Sears Point, a road course with 10 turns and plenty of banking, but has never won. Today’s race marks the tour’s annual visit to a road course.

Last season, Kanke set a track record as top qualifier on the road course at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“My goal now is to win on a road course because I never have,” Kanke said. “I’ve led a lot of laps and set a lot of fast times, but I’ve never won.”

Kanke had victories at Madera Speedway and Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield.

The dash to the front of the pack appears to have come easily for Kanke. More difficult, one would assume, must be for him to climb through the tiny windows of his race car.

Actually, the opposite is true for both.

“A lot of people think [getting in and out of the car] is difficult for me, but it’s not,” Kanke said. “I’m a tall, lanky dude.”

Ascending the racing ranks has been tougher.

Kanke has finished third in points three times--most recently in 1995--the only years he has run the entire season. Last season, Kanke missed four races and finished 10th. He also won four races.

“It’s always been hard because I could win and lead a lot of laps but I could never afford to run the whole season,” Kanke said.

The Southwest Tour, NASCAR’s second most-lucrative West Coast series, has evolved over the years. What began with many drivers working out of their home garages and taking wrenches to their race cars between heats has evolved into corporate racing.

Virtually all of the tour’s top drivers are employed by racing teams. Kanke’s break came this season when he signed with team owner Mike Bonicelli of Colorado Springs.

Bonicelli, a former tour competitor, witnessed first-hand Kanke’s ability. And Kanke over the years developed a reputation as an overachiever.

“He came highly recommended,” Bonicelli said. “Plus, I had driven against him and always known he was a good driver. He runs up front and he doesn’t beat down the equipment. I just always felt that if he were given the opportunity to run the whole year, he could win it.”

Kanke leads drivers in earnings this season with $22,972. With 1,160 points, he leads second-place Steve Portenga of Sparks, Nev., by 115 points.

While Kanke gears up for Sears Point, Bonicelli, hospitalized in Colorado because of a virus, will miss his first race since Kanke came aboard.

“I hate to miss it,” Bonicelli said.

Kanke is grateful to finally be given a chance. Suddenly, a tour championship doesn’t seem like such a tall order.

“I’m really happy with the team,” Kanke said. “I think it’s the right group and I have the experience. If we keep hammering away, we can win the whole thing.”

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Cory Kruseman of Ventura, fifth in points in the Sprint Car Racing Assn. West Coast series, enters today’s race at Perris Auto Speedway as the last winner at Perris. Kruseman, SCRA rookie of the year in 1994, has won two main events this season and is the only driver in the series’ six-year history to win five main events in a season.

Kruseman finished seventh last weekend at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix.

Richard Griffin of Silver City, N.M., leads the points race.

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Ventura Raceway has added USAC three-quarter midgets to its program tonight. Also scheduled are IMCA sprint cars, modifieds, street stocks, and pony stocks.

Ventura has races scheduled next Friday and Saturday nights, including a July 4 fireworks show.

Track points leaders include Randy McGraw of Ventura (modifieds), Kevin Kierce of Reseda (sprints), George Kreider of Thousand Oaks and Stephen Mitchell of Topanga (pony stock).