Scott Aumen of Duncan has a simple theory about racing. When he gets behind the wheel of his sprint car, it is pedal-to-the-metal all the time.
"I run as hard as I can for every lap,'' said Aumen. "I don't sit around and wait as you'll run out of laps.''
The 43-year-old Aumen has been very successful with that strategy, winning four of the last five Daffodil Cups at Western Speedway.
Aumen will be gunning for another Cup this weekend against a fast field from Utah, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and B.C.
This year's Cup is a twoday affair, tonight and Saturday. The qualifying times both nights are 5: 30 with racing to follow at 6: 30 p.m. The driver that accumulates the most points during the two-day show will be crowned the Daffodil Cup champion. Aumen posted a narrow victory over Jeff Montgomery in last year's Daffodil Cup. Also on the cards are the sprint cars lites (wingless) and the old timers.
"We haven't had a lot of laps this year,'' said Aumen. "We have run at four shows this year and that is not near enough time in the car. You can only get better with more practice.''
Some of the other drivers to watch are Jeff Montgomery, Matt Mansell, Darren Yates, Guy Barrett, Jeff Bird and Sierra Jackson from Boise, Idaho. Bird will have a busy weekend as he will also be driving a lite car. Darrell Midgley, the operator of the Speedway, expects to have at least 18 cars for the Daffodil Cup.
"We think we are ready to go for the Daffodil Cup,'' said Aumen. "The car seems to be running good and it will be fun trying to go fast. To win the Cup, you need a fast car and some breaks.''
Aumen started racing in 1991 with a stock car on the dirt track at Cassidy Speedway, near Nanaimo. He started sprint car racing in 1993 and most of his races were on dirt tracks in the United States.
Racing runs in the Aumen family as 18-yearold brother Cody is a stock car driver and 16-year-old son Bradley drives hornets.
"Even if I don't run the sprint car, I have enough on my plate with Bradley and Cody. I go to most of their races and they are on the pit crew for the sprint car.
They both assure me that they can drive the sprint car faster than me and eventually, they will have that opportunity. But right now, I'm not losing any desire to race.
"The first time I drove a sprint car, I was very nervous because I didn't know how it would react. The more you drive it, the more comfortable you are with it.''
