The Race Blogger's World

SOPA and PIPA...acronyms of destruction

2012-01-18T14:21:00.000-06:00

This is a RARE non-racing post on my part, but this topic is one that has wide ranging and serious consequences not only myself but EVERYONE who uses the internet. The 2 acts currently threatening the internet as we know it are the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA). These 2 acts are threats to freedom of speech and expression for sites a s large as Facebook, Twitter, etc. It would also affect small groups/individuals including bloggers like myself. The simple act of posting a link to this blog could very well be a CRIME if this passes. A simple link to information, that in no way steals anything from anyone, could result in fines, jail time, and possible ban from the internet. Is THAT what we need? I say, emphatically, HECK NO!! There are already laws in place that work to protect copyrighted materials. If you have been on YouTube any at all, you can see this by seeing that certain videos have been removed because of copyright violations. This bill will open the door to censorship, and I DO NOT SUPPORT THAT. Everyone deserves to have their own voice and opinion, even if it isn't one that I agree with. I encourage you all to contact your lawmakers, sign petitions available at places like Google, and do your part to protect our freedom. To quote the wise Benjamin Franklin, T"hose who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

2011: A year to remember and forget

2011-12-06T00:59:00.000-06:00

This year has been one that has had the highest of highs. This includes Trevor Bayne's incredible Daytona 500 win that no one seen coming, Dan Wheldon's improbable 1 off ride to win the Indianapolis 500 in the most unimaginable, dramatic way possible, Tony Stewart's incredible run in the Chase to win the Sprint Cup title by winning the final race and beating out Edwards, Sebastian Vettel's utter domination of F1 that rivals that of his idol Michael Schumacher. On the local level, several drivers around me either scored their first wins at tracks, won their first ever races, or won their first championships. However, the sport experienced the lowest of lows this year as well. I think it's safe to say the death of the Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon tops this list just for the absolute irony of it all. Other huge lows include the death of MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli, freestyle motocross rider Jim McNeil, the loss of THE voice of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Tom Carnige are just a few of the lows the sport have seen this year. This sport is very bi-polar in nature, and event's can change one's thoughts and moods on an instant. It truly offers a roller coaster experience rivaled by nothing else I can think of on this planet. The highs are what we love to see and experience, but the lows, however grim and dismal they may be, bring us all together and make us truly appreciate the highs that much more. This year was one I hope we don't have to experience for a LONG time, as the lows were especially painful. What happened afterwards was inspirational and moving, but the pain is still ever present and ever real. Only time will heal those wounds, and 2012 is the best thing to help that. Congratulations to those who experience success during this last season. To everyone in the community, PLEASE stay safe this offseason. Hope the trade shows are successful. The same sentiment to those hosting race parties. Until 2012, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!!

Tragedy shows true reason to love racing...unity. R.I.P. Dan Wheldon

2011-10-16T18:55:00.001-05:00

At only age 33, 2 time Indy 500 Champion (2005, 2011) and 2005 Indy Car Series Champion Dan Wheldon, passed away in a violent, fiery crash on lap 12 of the IZOD Indy Car World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Dan was much more than that though. He was a loving father, husband, and son. It only seems like yesterday that Dan was streaking by the wounded car of JR Hildebrand to win this year's Indianapolis 500, and celebrating with his trademark smile in victory lane. Today is a bitter, somber reminder to all of us that enjoy motorsports that it is a dangerous, and it can become dangerous, even fatal, in the blink of an eye. Moments like this show how fragile human life truly is, and goes to show you just never know when you will meet your maker, and how. However, after the wreck, other things emerged as well. It showed one thing that I have known about this sport, and is the reason I love it so much. During this trying time, EVERYONE CAME TOGETHER. This tragic event brought the drivers and fans alike into unity for a singular cause, celebrating the life and memories of Dan Wheldon. The sport doesn't always bring us together under such tragic circumstances, but this example proves yet again that, despite who you root for, how you may feel about someone at a point in time, you are ALL part of one big family. We all enjoy close, fast racing that excites us all, but we also enjoy the company and friendship of each other as well. The outpouring from the motorsports world has truly illustrated this point. Drivers and fans from all forms of motorsports have offered their condolences to Dan, his family, and friends. I also extend my deepest thoughts and prayers to the Wheldon family as well to his friends, fans, and fellow competitors. I would also like to say THANK YOU to EACH and EVERY driver who straps into a race car, risks their life, and races for the entertainment of us, the fans. We all meet our maker at some point in time, and in various ways. Dan met his doing something he absolutely loved doing, driving an Indy Car. It is somewhat fitting, even though all of us didn't want to see him go. Thanks for the memories Dan!! Until next time...have fun up there at all of the different tracks up above!!

The Knoxville Late Model Nationals 66 Car Cap Controversy: My Thoughts

2011-09-28T18:08:00.002-05:00

Well, we have quite a situation. Multiple drivers with good resumes (4 UMP Summernationals Championships, 3 UMP National Championships, 3 Northern Allstars Late Model Series Championships, and 2 East Bay Winternationals Points Championships just to name a few ). being denied admittance to this event because of a preexisting cap on entries. However, earlier this year at IMIS, it was told that there was NO CAP. It is understandable why these drivers might not send in blanks then figuring there isn't one. There are also drivers pre-entered that will not show. One driver even tried to give his spot to one of the drivers being left out, but was told they can't do that. The explanation I received from Knoxville Raceway was this:
" Hi Patrick, There has been a 66 car cap on this event since it started in 2002. This number allows all the drivers to compete every night in a full show and for a chance to win more money. If we allowed more entries in, then we would have to split up the qualifying into two nights with each driver only competing one of those nights. Ultimately this is better for the drivers who get their entries in on time. I hope this helps answer your question."

I do understand their explanation, but I also feel with this set of circumstances, it is time to evaluate where the event stands now, and look at growing the event and possibly going to more nights like the Sprint Car Nationals does. For those who have been turned away, LET THEM RACE. It's pretty shitty that when a driver who can't come offers his spot to someone who can and they won't let that happen. That just makes absolutely no sense to me. It doesn't make sense from a PR and economic point of view. There have been other issues, like sight lines for fans and officials. This is where a promoter has to stand tall and be firm, and put the haulers OUTSIDE the infield and put all the necessary parts and so forth, in the infield. This was attempted but the drivers drug their feet on it. With a new person taking the reigns next year, they can possibly do this and kind of start anew in some senses. It is a shame that a controversy like this has came about at an event that has quickly become one of the most prestigious in all of Dirt Late Model Racing. I truly hope this is a one time event and that Knoxville Raceway can remedy this issue in the future and the event becomes even bigger in the years to come.

2011 UMP Summernationals in review/Thank you to everyone for their concern with Grandpa

2011-07-26T12:27:00.000-05:00

This tour, when looked back upon, will be remembered for 3 things. One is weather. This had to be one of the rainiest Summernationals in recent memory. Also, early on, the temps were cooler than usual. This was a pleasant surprise. The second thing that will be Shannon Babb's absolute dominance to close out. I have, in all my years of seeing series racing, NEVER seen a driver close out with 6 in a row to win a points championship. He had been consistent to that point and not had as much bad luck as his competition, and when he hit his stride, the tour became his personal playground. The tour overall had a lot of average to poor racing, which was disappointing to see. The field looked to be as competitive as ever, even with naysayers saying it was just a glorified local show. The talent around here has shown it can compete past the local level. The third thing will be the Belle-Clair tire cheating incident involving apparent race winner Michael Kloos. He was eventually stripped of this and the win was awarded to 2nd place Ryan Unzicker. The best race I seen that was a part of the tour I would say was at Fayette County Speedway in Brownstown, Illinois, a track I had never been to until this year. This weekend there were 2 make up dates, and they were 2 great shows. One was the 31st Herald and Review 100, where Babb proceeded to win his 7th in a row, but it didn't count towards the points since they ended at Oakshade. The 2nd was the Lynn Chevy Summernationals event at Fairbury. This was one of the best races I have EVER seen in my 17 years of attending races. The finish was so close, but looking back, I'd say they actually got it wrong. I did that night as well, and it has cost Feger $5,000 as a result. Not knocking the track or Rodney Melvin. I didn't have an interest in who won in terms of which driver. I just wanted the person who actually crossed the finish line FIRST to be crowned the winner. It looks, after reviewing ALL of the evidence currently available, that didn't happen. I am still completely puzzled as to why the transponders that the series utilized during the entire tour, weren't used for the make up dates. This was a time where they really could have been a useful tool. I understand hindsight is 20/20, but this is a case that this SHOULD have been in use, PERIOD. This also makes me think that tracks should have a super slo-mo camera or a start finish line camera in the case there is ever a question to a result. In the end, it's awesome to have a problem like that after 50 laps of hard racing on a well prepared track that withstood the hot, muggy, brutal conditions mother nature threw at us. It is a testament to those who prepared the track. Also, a big shout out of thanks to the Fairbury group for moving the Late Model feature to 2nd in the running order. Great decision, and I know I'm not alone in this sentiment. It sucks that you know some of the people involved on a personal level, but sometimes it happens. I try to never let emotion get in the way of calling something as I see it. That night, I called Melvin the winner and didn't have much doubt. Now, there is a lot more after seeing all of the proof. Other than that, it was all ANY race fan could possibly ever ask for in a feature event. They just don't get much better. My overall grade for this Summernationals has to be a C. The tour early seemed to have the potential to be a free for all that could produce multiple winners, which it did. It also had the potential to have a 6 car or more race for the points. However, this just never happened. Luck had a big role in this, but this sport is notorious for that sometimes. I would say the Summernationals needs to seriously look at format and series changes to revamp things. Travel is definitely one of those things. I'd say a shake up could really strengthen the series. I will leave this with a link of photos of the races I went to over the course of the Summernationals tour. In total, I hit 8 shows including the 2 make up events. Here is a link to the photos from those events, http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150252641534248.344519.503429247&l=095f2f77d6&type=1 A bit of the sights of the Summernationals you could say. Before I end this, I also have to send out a huge thank you to fans, drivers, crew members, and others for their concern, thoughts, and prayers for my grandfather. It really means a lot coming from you all. You all have reminded me yet again why I love this sport so much. In a way, we all become one big family at the track. He ended up missing this weekend of racing, but with the heat, it may very well be for the best. He is feeling a lot better right now. Again, to all of those in the racing community who have sent many kind well wishes, THANK YOU!! Hope you all enjoyed this recap of the Hell Tour.

A New Deal at Dream XVII/Catchup

2011-07-13T20:24:00.000-05:00

I know this is a LOT later than I would like, but here is a summary of my Dream XVII weekend, and a general catch-up post all in one. It all started when I rolled out Wednesday with my mom, who had never been to Eldora Speedway before, to go see the 7th Annual Prelude to the Dream. I ended up going to this event thanks to the fine folks at Eldora Speedway having a trivia contest about previous NASCAR champions who have competed in the event. Without that, I most certainly would have just stayed home and purchased the Pay-Per-View broadcast.

The racing itself was not too bad, but I had still seen better racing at the track. However, it was a fun time, even though, sadly, some fans had to be a bit ignorant. You could really pick out the dirt track and overall race fans from the straight NASCAR fans who had no clue what a Late Model even was.
The race would end up being dominated by Clint Bowyer

After this, it was back home thanks to the fact I had to interview for internships for school. I had packed everything I possibly could have in the motorhome before then so come Friday I could just get changed and then Grandpa and I could hit the road and get to our campsite at the track. We hit a few snags, including overheating over the Indiana border, and we arrived just as it began raining harder and round 2 qualifying ended up being restarted. I had missed Jimmy Owens breaking the track record with the first ever 14 second lap for a dirt late model around the high banks. Fortunately, I got to see Jared Landers go out and set the mark that is now the new track record at 14.922, which is an average speed of 120.630 MPH. Landers was flat out around Eldora, which was incredible. With only 91 cars there, that meant no non-qualifier races. I had predicted 93 cars for the event, while some had thought that there could be 130 or 140, but most fans and insiders believed it would be down, and we all were right.
Saturday early in the morning there was more weather coming. It hit hard, with heavy rain and strong winds. I had seen lightning out of the window up top where I was sleeping, and we were able to shut the windows in time. For some of my friends and fellow fans, it put a large damper on their weekend. Saturday was the first time I go to grill out at the track. The wind sucked horribly, but I was able to grill out some delicious brats, but they didn't quite cook fully.
The heats were event filled, but not terribly racy, and the feature was the same way. Moyer lead most of it with Steve Francis in pursuit most of the way. Don O'Neal, who to this point had NEVER won a "crown jewel" event. However, late in the race, O'Neal, who made contact with Moyer, was able to get by Moyer for what was a popular win. Overall, I'd say the race SUCKED. The track was one groove around the top and fast. O'Neal was able to move to the middle and make it work, but he was alone in that. I had a good time as always, but the racing was by far the worst I had seen in all of my trips to Eldora so far, but considering that was the worst, I won't be too harsh. Every track can have a show that sucks every once in a while. I will admit, I was happy to see O'Neal FINALLY get a long overdue big race win, as he has been so close before. No longer will he be dogged by that. Below are victory lane shots I got of the 2011 Dirt Late Model Dream champion, and the trophy that his name will go on now as well as the field from the race. There are a lot of victory ceremony photos below. Congratulations to "The Real Deal" on the big win. It really was a "New Deal" for someone who has been bitten with bad luck late in big races.

Memorial Day Marathon of Racing 2011

2011-06-02T22:25:00.000-05:00

It has come and gone again. Memorial Day is in the books again. First and foremost, Memorial Day weekend is a time for us to pay homage and give thanks to those fighting men and women who protect our freedom and give us as citizens of the United States of America the chance to go and do what we want to do. This Memorial Day Marathon of Racing 2011 wouldn't have ever been possible without what you all do.

Friday got the weekend started for me with the Northern Allstars Late Model Series at Lincoln Speedway.

The track was in great shape. It was plenty wet and smooth considering the amount of rain the track had received all week long. The track was fast all night long. During the heats, the racing was fast and fierce. In Late Model Heat race 3, Dillan White attempted to pull a slidejob on Eric Smith, and the results were catastrophic. The images here show the damage suffered by White in the wreck.

Heats were won by Roger Brickler (who dive bombed Michael Kloos in Turn 1 on the last lap to win), Brandon Sheppard (in dominant fashion), Steve Sheppard Jr. (also in dominant fashion) and Ryan Unzicker.

The feature was paced by polesitter Steve Sheppard Jr. and Brandon Sheppard. When the feature went green, son Brandon checked out on father Steve Jr, who was quickly passed by Ryan Unzicker. While those 2 dueled and the field kept racing one another, Brandon paced the field and went on to score a convincing victory. With his feature win, night 1 of 4 of my Memorial Day Marathon of Racing was in the books.

Saturday I ventured off to Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis for the Night Before the 500 featuring the USAC Midgets.

I ended up going here thanks to a great offer made by Lucas Oil Raceway. When we reordered our tickets for the Thursday night portion of Kroger Speedfest featuring the USAC Silver Crown and Midgets, and now this year the ARCA Re/Max Series, we recieved passes good for free admission to either the Night Before the 500 or one of their Thursday Night Thunder USAC Sprint Car Series.

The weather at home was nasty, with lots of severe weather, and all of my local tracks were rained out, so it in the long run worked out. It seemed like watching the weather we'd dodge the rains. It was a wonderful day at the track with some cloud cover. It started getting cloudy right after qualifying, and the map showed rain moving in. We got qualifying in for the USAC Midgets, the Star Mazda Series, and the USF2000 series. After that, the Midget heats rolled out, and were completed successfully with some fast and furious racing. By the 3rd heat, rain could be felt hitting us, but it was nothing more than drops at that point. The track continued keeping the show ahead of schedule as much as possible. The heats were completed successfully, and the Midget last chance race was rolled out almost immediately. This would be the last race ran before the rains hit. At that point, the tracked had hustled and the show was an hour ahead of the schedule they handed out as we came in the gates. The rain started falling, but that wasn't my biggest concern. When I seen the first flash of lightning, I let people around me know it and I headed down under the stands, and many others heeded my warning. When the next flash lit the sky up, and the large boom of thunder that followed, the stands proceeded to clear out rather quickly.

The downpour lasted about 15 minutes, but it rained long and hard enough to require a 2.5 hour period to dry the track. They even had their jet dryer out for about an hour to get it dry. When it was all ready to go, the show was about 2 hours behind, but considering it was 9 PM eastern when we got things going, it wasn't too bad. The first race was a 75 lap (with a 30 minute time limit) USF2000 event. There was one wreck that took a good 5 minutes to clean up. In the end, the race ran 69 laps and was won by Petri Suvanto of Nurvo, Finland won the race. The next race was a 100 lap (with a 45 minute time limit) Star Mazda Series event. This race went green almost throughout with one caution when the leader at the time hit a lapped car and wrecked in turn 3. The Star Mazda race went 85 laps and was won by Connor De Phillippi of San Clemente, California. After this was the 50 lap USAC Midget event. Brian Clauson made an early move in turn 1 to lead the race early, but it was apparent that he would have company from Darren Hagen. At 10 laps in, the race between the top 4 was so close you could literally throw a blanket over them. They were slicing and dicing and moving all over the 6/10 mile pavement track. On lap 15, Hagen tried to look inside of Clauson in turn 1 but then he got a great run into turn 3 on the low side and passed leader Clauson. Hagen took the lead, but for a while he was far from comfortable as he couldn't build much of a lead as the top 4 remained all right together. The first yellow of the feature would fly on lap 30 for a slowing Brian Clauson. Hagen then proceeded to get a huge jump on the restart, but it was too large as the start was waved off. "The Hawk" as Hagen is known, got another great start and then proceeded to pull out to a small lead. Tanner Swanson and Tracy Hines were running together, and picking a lot of cars off. Swanson was in the top 10 from 22nd, Hines from 12th. The second yellow flew when Mario Clauser stopped on the track on lap 35. The next restart would be waved off for debris. The final 15 laps went green, and Hagen would eventually cruise to The Night Before the 500 feature win.

Sunday I headed to Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Illinois for the Budweiser 50 UMP Late Model Special.

With this event falling right after the Show-Me 100 at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri, there was good reason to expect some good cars and a good car count, and it didn't disappoint. 46 UMP Late Models were in attendance as well as 57 UMP Modifieds. This was the hottest race I have been to this year weather wise, with temperatures during the daytime being up as high as 94. There was a stiff wind blowing towards the frontstretch, which I knew was a bad sign knowing how things are there usually. The track started off brutally rough. The crew at the track worked to cut it up and smooth it out, but didn't really water it down like I had hoped. The track did smooth out, but the heats were far from exciting, which was very disappointing to see. The program had originally called for a Late Model Dash, but the drivers approached promoters Kevin and Tammy Gundaker to fix the track and start straight up in lieu of running the dash. This decision would be great when the features rolled around. The Late Model Feature was supposed to be 2nd behind the Crate Late Model Feature, but the order of events was changed and the Budweiser 50 would be the first feature ran. This was a decision that I was glad to see as the track was coming around. The feature went green with Brian Shirley getting the early jump, leaning on 6 time World 100 winner Billy Moyer in the process. The car that was on the move early, however, was the 25 car of Jason Feger. Feger, who started 9th in the feature, and was up to 4th in 3 laps on the high side, living up to his nickname of "The Highside Hustler". The first yellow fell on lap 4 for Chad Zobrist. Feger was doing something that he has been criticized for not doing so far, running more than just the top side of the race track. Scott James a few laps after the restart would make a move on the 3s of Squirrel, as Shirley is also known. He took the lead and Feger was side by side with Moyer for 3rd at the same time. One of the big moves was in turn 2, when Feger made a ballsy move through the middle between Shirley and Moyer to take the lead, which got the capacity crowd going. The track was really racy and was making up for being so terrible earlier in the evening. Feger proceeded to open a large lead, but as he got into traffic, "The Silver Shark" Scott James was reeling the tumbling dice 25 of Feger in as well. Moyer also proceeded to reel in James, and took multiple looks at him, but he wasn't able to get around the 81 of James. At halfway, Feger had his hands full with James, and James gave him multiple challenges. Feger fended him off, then proceeded to open a bit of a lead on the field. With 5 to go, James was all in, and was spinning the tires, even lighting them up off of the corners. With 2 to go, James bounced off of the lapped car of Brian Divley. At the white, the leader Feger and James were about nose to tail, and in turn 1 James went for a banzai move in turn 1, making contact with Feger, but both soldiered on, and Feger would end up winning the thrilling Late Model Feature. It was a fun car ride home as I had gotten a ride from Jason's mom Tracy. The UMP Pro Late Model (Crate) feature was won by Dustin Griffin. The UMP Modified Feature was fun watching Ken Schrader battle some of the toughest modified competition in the country. Michael Long slipped past Schrader but then stuck it in the wall, and Schrader went on uncontested for the win. After it was over, I went out to the pits and celebrated a bit with Feger and Schrader proceeds to roll up. In typical Schrader fashion, Schrader yells"Hey Feger!! When I grow up I want to be just like you!!" That was pretty funny yet an awesome compliment from a veteran racer. Also in the pits was Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame driver Roger Long, who was smiling ear to ear with the success Feger was having. Definitely a cool night, but it was definitely dirty. Below are some victory lane photos and what I looked like when we stopped for something to drink (and I wiped my face off once during the night.

Here is the link to the Late Model Feature video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH1exb0h7kg

I got home, showered, and to bed from Tri-City at 5:15 that morning, and was up at 10 to do it again. Monday night I was off to Macon Speedway for NASCAR Night I featuring Ken Schrader, Kenny Wallace, and Justin Allgaier. Racing were the Northern Allstars Late Models, UMP Modifieds, and Street Stocks.

Here are some of my thoughts regarding NASCAR nights. Honestly, I'm not the world's biggest fan of them as they are now. Jacking up ticket prices even more just to see people come in isn't my thing. As for them racing, that's fine, as it can be interesting. A show that should have been $15 and usually would be was $20 because of the NASCAR people. The crowd was thinner too, which showed that the novelty of the NASCAR nights have worn off.

Moving on to the show itself, the track started out okay but started getting unusually terrible track conditions. The track, usually wet most of the night then slicking off for the features, was hard by the time heats were to run. Overall, the heat races were a huge disappointment. For those who might have been there for the first time and are reading this, that isn't what Macon typically looks like.

For the features, the Street Stocks and Modifieds were both stuck around the bottom, and I had a bad feeling that the late model feature would be as well. Schrader won his 2nd Modified feature in as many nights. I was wrong fortunately, and the track was racy for considering the shape the track was in. It was EXTREMELY dryslick, especially for Macon standards. Brandon Sheppard was the first to go up top, and it looked like it could cost him, but he was able to run it. Sheppard was able to slice and dice through traffic and keep Mark Voigt at bay the entire feature. However, coming off of 4 on the final lap, Voigt made a move, and almost stole one. Sheppard won his 2nd Northern Allstars Late Model Feature in a row by a nose. In the end, it wasn't a bad race.

The final checkered flag of my Memorial Day Marathon of Racing fell at a little after 9:30. There was some good racing and not so good racing. However, I most enjoyed spending my weekend doing what I love to to with people who are great friends and family who I love. Thanks Grandpa and Tracy for being a part of it!! I was worn out after it all, but if I had the chance to do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing.

Graduation...Checkered flag to an undergraduate career.

2011-05-16T20:29:00.001-05:00

Well, it is finally in the books. With the completion of my last final exam, it was the proverbial white flag. Graduation this last Saturday from the University of Illinois Springfield was the checkered flag to my years of studying. Racing, among other things, are partly responsible for my success. I have met many wonderful people who I have formed great friendships with that I still have to this day. I want to take this moment and thank everyone who has had a positive influence and helped guide me and help me become the person I am today. I am eternally thankful. I shared some parallels in my journey to a degree that racers do to win. I faced adversity, overcame at times situations that were far from favorable, put in long hours and sleepless nights to get to where I wanted to be. Now, the preparation for the next stage in my life and/or education begins. What track my life ends up at next is one I don't know yet, but hopefully it's one that is racy and one I can thrive at.

Early Cancellations

2011-04-26T15:15:00.001-05:00

As you all well know, the weather the last 2 weeks all across the Midwest, Ohio Valley, and all points in between, has flat out sucked unless you are a duck or fish. Many places have seen well over 4 inches of rain in a single week, and it still falls. Some promoters are coming under fire for their cancellation processes, and quite frankly it puzzles me. A promoter, at the end of the day, has the job of trying to make money. This means not only getting cars in the pits, but fans in the stands as well. Every time they open the gates, a lot goes into even a weekly show. They foot the power bill for EVERYTHING for the night, pay the concession and track workers, pay to have an ambulance on the grounds, and so on. Needless to say, without a healthy car count or crowd count, a promoter is bound to take a bath. The economy right now is tough for EVERYONE. I for one appreciate a promoter cancelling early enough because it gives me the chance, as a fan, to find somewhere else to possibly go or to make alternate arrangements for the day/evening. It saves a lot of money for fans and drivers alike who could drive a long ways to a track only to cancel right before starting. Situations like that are a no win as fans and drivers alike end up pissed off and have a negative thought about the track in the back of their mind, something that could keep that driver down the road from coming back. So promoters, please, keep up the good work. If you know you can't get things ready or it looks highly unlikely, cancel early enough so drivers and fans can make alternate arrangements. However, if you believe you can get the show in and think the people and drivers will be willing to make the gamble, I say look at whether you can afford to do so or not. If you can, go for it. I'm much more forgiving as a fan if the genuine effort is put in to get a show in even when it looks questionable at best. Sometimes luck is on your side and the show gets ran to completion, while others it comes up short. It's not an easy job being a promoter, and few will ever see what goes into getting things ready for a show. It's almost a thankless job. Keyword there is ALMOST. I say, to those who work hard to have a well prepped track, efficient show that is fair to fans and driver alike, THANK YOU!!

Welcome back friend: Farmer City Raceway is alive and well to start 2011

2011-04-10T22:16:00.003-05:00

As most of the Midwest and some fans, drivers, and others in the dirt track racing community knew, Farmer City Raceway was in serious jeopardy of closing the doors, possibly for good. In under a month, JK Promotions, made up of Central Illinois Late Model Driver Kyle Logue, as well as local businessman Jeff Hammer, along with many volunteers and others, whipped the quarter mile oval quickly into shape. As a fan, I was eagerly excited to see the changes in person, even though thanks to social media, I had seen some pictures and videos of the track and the facilities.

Opening night was slated for Friday, April 8, 2011, and the forecast coming in was supposed to be fantastic. The entire week leading up to the event, I went about promoting the event on various pages on Facebook, including those of local television stations, radio stations, and newspapers. Thursday night I seen rain was coming through, and I was quite nervous, although nowhere as nervous as those involved with the track were. When Friday rolled around, it was nice out, but not as nice as it was supposed to be. I, along with my grandpa, left for Farmer City around 12. After having a good meal at Imo's Cafe, we headed to the track to see how things looked. Needless to say, it was an absolutely amazing sight. There were many new boards on seats, the wall was painted and looked quite good, the ratty billboards were down, the concession stands had been revamped, the restrooms were as clean as I could EVER remember them being, and lots of things were painted. The improvements were much needed, and it was definitely something that put a smile to my face. Seeing the pits, it was a bit concerning. It was evident they had a hefty overnight rainfall. I knew they would bust their asses to get the pits worked in so there could be racing. They had the track looking good already. The banking in 1 and 2 had been built up some, but there's still more to go to get it to where it was pre Don Hammer.

After toiling endlessly, they got the pits worked down, and cars started arriving around 3. When it was all said and done, the 2 big classes, UMP Late Models and UMP Modifieds, had 33 and 25 cars respectively. The other classes, all but one of which will be running weekly, had turnouts of less than 15 each, which was disappointing to see. When late model hot laps rolled out, I had a chill run up my spine. It was a feeling of joy and relief. Racing was back at Farmer City Raceway. The track was very smooth, tacky, and fast. Early, it was nerve racking looking around and not seeing many people in the stands. The weather there at the track was cloudy and cooler than forecasted, and outside of there, it was sunny and warmer. I knew fans like myself and other "diehards" would be there, even if it were in the 30's. I was hoping others who aren't as crazy as us diehards would come out. As the night went along, the crowd kept growing. Eventually, the stands all around had few seats open, which was absolutely awesome. The show was ran in a timely manner, even with timing light issues. They kept the show rolling along and were well organized, which was quite impressive.

The racing itself, was old school Farmer City. The cars were fast in their heats, and the track widened out as the night went along. One race that was absolutely amazing, and in my eyes the race of the night, was the 2nd Late Model semi. Jason Feger and Brandon Thirlby ran well over half the race side by side with almost no room whatsoever between them and never touched. The crowd was cheering loudly, some for or against the drivers. I was just cheering because the track was delivering the kind of racing that has made it a popular track among fans, and why it's one of the best in Illinois. The Street Stocks set the bar early with a great feature featuring side by side racing between Lance Johnson and Brian Cassell, with Johnson prevailing. The UMP Modifieds were next, and they were married to the top side. There was some passing deeper in the field, but overall not as much as I would have hoped for. Justin McCoy took a horrible ride as he hit a disabled McKay Wenger who wasn't able to get off the track. Thankfully, both drivers were okay. In the end, Jay Ledford scored the UMP Modified feature win.

The Late Model feature was a good one, and it was somewhat a blast from the past. The names and faces may have changed some, but the racing was similar. Every groove was being utilized on the track, and drivers in the field kept moving around to see what worked for them. After a near disaster, Brian Shirley held on over a fast charging Frank Heckenast Jr. to win the $1,500 feature.

The Sportsman were next, and it was a 3 car race between Dave Crawley Jr., Nick Macklin, and Allen Crowder. After 15 laps of intense racing, Crawley Jr. prevailed. The minisprint feature was a runaway, with Ryan Guyett scoring the dominating win. The final feature, the Hornet feature, featured the finish of the night. Fast Joe Reed led all of the feature, but the K-2 of Casey Gernantz reeled Joe in and passed him off of Turn 4 on the final lap, and won by little over a nose. It was a thrilling finish to a great evening of racing. After going around and talking with many friends (drivers, fans, etc.), it was time to head home. It was a much more successful opening night than I could have ever envisioned for the track. It is great to say that Farmer City Raceway is BACK in 2011!!

Macon Speedway Opening Night #66

2011-04-05T13:58:00.001-05:00

Well, the first Saturday has come and gone. The first Saturday means one thing to me, Macon Speedway opening night. However, 2 of the last 3 years it has been the same night as opening night of the Illini 100 at Farmer City. When LaSalle ended up getting called off, many fans were still stir crazy and looking for a place to take in some racing action. It hit me right away that Macon's opening night was the same weekend. I knew of a group of at least 8 who were looking for a place to go. They call themselves the United Midwest Drinkers, or UMD for short. I also ran into some others who came long in far that I knew all to see some racing action at the 1/5 mile high banks of Macon, 1 of which brought his simulator (as he was heading to LaSalle for the Illini as well). It also was his first trip, and I had a nice long discussion with him about the track and his dad and racing in general.

I realized how powerful a tool Facebook was, and created an event and spread the word around to ALL of my fellow racing friends and other places where fans could find out. I knew that there weren't many tracks racing that weekend, so I would give people the information about one of the venues that would be running.

For the large group of a dozen or so UMD members, many were there for the very first time, which was exciting to me as Macon was the place where it all got started for me. I knew if the racing was like I know it could be, they would instantly fall in love with the track.

There was a good field of cars, including 20 Late Models, and a total of 140 cars. The track was a bit slimy to start, but was wet and heavy, and gave us some great heats in all classes. I made it over to see what they thought of the place after the heats. They were absolutely hooked, and were in love with the place. You couldn't have given a much better first impression about a track than that.

The feature of the night for me was the Late Model feature, not taking away from the others. They just were able to get into lapped traffic longer and slice and dice. Ryan Unzicker put on a show working through lapped traffic, keeping Cory Daugherty at bay to win his 2nd straight feature at Macon, winning the Lite Beer Twin 50 makeup feature at the end of last year to close out the season. Other winners were Jeremy Nichols in the Modifieds, holding off stiff competition from Dave Crawley Jr. and former NASCAR Winston Racing Series and UMP Modified National Champion Jeff Leka. Nick Macklin won in the Sportsman class, while Larry Russell Jr. took home the Street Stock feature, Adam Webb the Pro Hornet feature, and Kyle Maxwell won the Amateur Hornet feature.

After the show I seen a couple of them walking back out to their campers. I asked them if they enjoyed it and if they would be back. They said they loved it and would definitely be back this year, which was great to hear. It wasn't how we all planned to start our season, but we all had a great time watching some great racing, and in the end that's all that matters.

Losing a friend: RIP National Speed Sport News

2011-03-23T09:41:00.000-05:00

It came to me with great sadness to find out yesterday that today's issue of National Speed Sport News will be the final one ever printed. The "racing bible" as it has been called, has always been chocked full of racing information. The internet is the key reason for it's demise. We are so spoiled now with being able to put out news as soon as it happens and being able to see it as quickly.

National Speed Sport News has been a staple in our family for over 40 years. I can remember as a kid always wanting to check the mail to see if there was a new Speed Sport, as I called it then. I would get it and just lay down on the floor, open it up, and read what all that issue had to offer. It has been, you could say, a good friend that you get to see every week and spend quality time with. Now, however, this friend is coming to visit, but they will not be coming back again. This has put a tear or 2 in my eyes while I have written this, thinking back about all of the good times. So long good friend!! Thank you for the memories!!

35th Spring 50, a great start to my 2011 racing season

2011-03-22T18:21:00.002-05:00

After much consideration, my season got started Saturday, March 19th, 2011 at Florence Speedway. The event was the season opening Spring 50, which pays $5,000 to win for Super Late Models and $1,000 to win for Modifieds. The area, close to Cincinnati, Ohio, had seen a lot of rain leading up to the race, leaving some, myself included, as to whether it would even happen. In the time leading up, I did research on possible drivers who would go to try and know what to expect car count wise. As I found out, sketchy conditions can throw a curveball at things. I had a list of about 25, with the expectation of 30-35 late models showing, and about 40 modifieds. They ended up with 25 late models, with a LOT of the people I had listed not showing up for whatever reasons. While disappointed in the number of cars there, I did see a lot of quality cars which helped make up for that fact. How much it would, I wouldn't realize until the feature.

I have been to Florence twice before, both in August for the North/South 100. I have seen the track in it's well known "black ice" form, but this would be the first time I have ever seen the track hooked up, tacky, and wicked fast. I was absolutely ecstatic for hot laps to start, not only because it was the first time I seen Florence real tacky and fast, but because it would be the first time I have seen race cars on the track at speed since last October. To say it was a long winter was an understatement. The racing bug had bit me hard, and I was ready to get my fix of racing, from the sweet smell of fuel and dirt in the air, to the sounds of race motors at full song, to the various sights that racing has to offer.

My first impression of it was "HOLY SHIT THEY ARE FAST!!" It was absolutely awesome to see cars going that fast and still be in control at those speeds. When the cars were turning laps in the high 15 second range around the high banked half mile, it's eye opening. There were some signs as well that it was early. The hole that was digging out in turn 4 was one of great concern to myself, as I was worried it would just keep digging out and really put a damper on the racing action.

The modified heats started the racing action off. The first heat race featured some torn up sheet metal, and even a car flipping over in turn 4. This craziness had me thinking it could be a long night. There would be more insanity to be had. Multiple restarts in the following heats would be called back, but with no apparent reasoning to those of us in the stands. The late model heats would be where this really reared it's ugly head. Heat 1 went without incident in this area, but had a couple of mishaps. Heat 2 was where the shit hit the fan, so to speak. Jeep Van Wormer and Don O'Neal had the front row. Jeep fired in 4 and the first start he was leaning on O'Neal. It got called back, which wasn't too bad. The next start, there was a spin, so no shock. The third start was good, and got waved off for no apparent reason. Then Jeep, the polesitter, got put back a row, which made no sense to us. The decision was greeted with a chorus of boos from the crowd, myself included. Jeep's night got even worse as he would then blow a motor, and he decided his night was over.

The first feature would be the 35th Spring 50 for the Late Models. Up until that point, there had been some fantastic racing action, including a furious battle in the first Late Model heat between Scott James and Eddie Carrier Jr (who was fast qualifier but came up just short to Scott James in heat 1). The groundwork was put in place for a great race. The first start, also good looking to the eyes, was also called back, which again wasn't popular. On the next start, James got a jump, but it stuck and the race was on. It was evident that this one was going to be highly contested. Carrier Jr. showed early that he was going to be tough, as he rapidly went from 4th to 2nd, and was challenging for the lead when the first caution came out on lap 5. There was plenty of close slide jobs and some dooring from some drivers, but all in all early it was a relatively clean race. On the next start, it looked like Eric Wells jumped but Rod Conley hit the cone and was sent to the back. Some drivers had sneaked up through the field. There wasn't bad attrition based on track conditions really. Carrier Jr. before had company in the yellow 71 of Don O'Neal. He got out in front before halfway and started checking out from the rest of the field. It really looked like it might be his race to lose. The big mover was Scott James, who spun early by himself while running 4th with 36 to go. He would then proceed to rally through the field to the delight of the crowd. It was awesome watching him carefully yet swiftly move through traffic and march forward. O'Neal made what would be a fatal blunder on a lap 27 (after a couple of attempts, one ending with Eric Wells trying to go under O'Neal and O'Neal shutting the door and Wells hitting the turn 4 berm.). O'Neal was penalized a spot, giving the lead back to Carrier Jr. O'Neal drove like a madman to try and get back by, but Carrier Jr. withstood his barrage. The excitement with less than 10 to go was for 2nd as Scott James, quite possibly the fastest car on the track, had rallied to 2nd, and the crowd was going nuts. Carrier Jr. won, James rallied for 2nd, O'Neal was 3rd, with Rod Conley and Wisconsin driver Chad Simpson rounding out the top 5. The win was Carrier Jr's. first win at the Kentucky oval, much to his delight. Daryl Herbert would go on and win an absolutely thrilling Modified feature filled with 3 wide racing and a wild finish. It was a great show. The restart rule, I learned later, was that there are cones in turns 3 and 4. When the drivers reach the 1st cone, they can start. Jeep started before the first cone each time, hence his penalty. It is something the fans should be a little more well informed on. Overall, it was a great show and I was definitely glad I went. I would like to thank the King family for racing on a night where others would have called off. It was worth the drive. I will leave you with pictures from victory lane. Hallelujah, racing season is back again!!

Not the typical Spring Break

2011-03-15T22:19:00.001-05:00

It is that time of year for most college kids, myself included. It is Spring Break. Most think of Florida, Cancun, Panama, and other warm places. Well, call me an oddball, or call me a diehard race fan. While most were planning out these trips, I was scouring my calendar for races the weekend of my Spring Break. The one that I eyed, as I did a year ago, is the Spring 50 at Florence Speedway. I wanted to a year ago, but was dog sick. I even had a ride lined up. This year, as long as mother nature plays nice, I will kick my season off here. Do I enjoy warm places similar to where me counterparts are? Sure. It's been all winter though, and I am ready to smell the sweet smell of race fuel in the air, see dirt flying and cars running side by side, and the sweet sounds of powerful racing motors at full song. I would much rather spend my break supporting the sport I love more than just about anything else. That time is almost here for myself and many others. The ice has thawed, the weather is warming up, the drivers are itching to go as well. I am ready for the green flag to drop on my 2011 season!!

2011: It's finally here

2011-03-06T22:52:00.001-06:00

Well, after a long winter, lots of snow shoveling (at least for some), and other bizarre weather, we can finally see the ground. Georgia-Florida Speedweeks for Late Models, Big Block Modifieds, UMP Modifieds, and WoO Sprint Cars are all now a not quite so distant memory. NASCAR is 3 races in now. In a sense for us as race fans, March Madness is upon us as well. Tracks have practice days and schedules set mostly, and the local drivers are toiling endlessly to have their cars ready for the car shows and open practices before the season goes green for them for the first time. Some tracks are starting earlier than others. Mother Nature and fuel may play a role in how much fans and drivers alike are willing to travel. I myself may travel almost 5 hours and 300 miles to Florence Speedway in Florence, Kentucky for the 35th Spring 50, as it falls during my Spring Break. While others are wanting to travel to warm, tropical locations, I much rather would be at a dirt track watching late models, modifieds, sprint cars, midgets, or anything else sling dirt, see side by side racing, and take in all the sights and smells the sport has to offer to a junkie like myself. I am smitten by the bug, and I need a dose. It's time. The 2011 season is FINALLY here!!

A Decade without Dale: Rembering the Intimidator

2011-02-18T22:59:00.001-06:00

It was 10 years ago on this fateful day. Sunday, February 18, 2001 was the date. I was sitting in the living room of my grandparents house watching the broadcast with my Grandpa on the big screen TV. There was excitement abound for NASCAR fans. It was time for NASCAR's Super Bowl, the 43rd Annual Daytona 500. This was the first broadcast on FOX Sports. Bill Elliott won the pole for this race driving for Ray Evernham. The talk coming in was about Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, and most notably their new driver Michael Waltrip. Michael had NEVER won a race to this point, 462 straight races without a win. People were wondering why, of all the drivers to hire, why Dale hired Michael. It was because Dale had faith in Michael. The race started, and with the package, made for a lot of dicy racing. This same package was in place when Dale went from 17th to win in 4 laps the previous fall at Talladega. The race had the BIG ONE, piling up 20 cars, including Tony Stewart who flipped wildly in the air. Passing by all the carnage was the black GM Goodwrench #3 of Earnhardt stealthily. When the race resumed, he continued driving like I and no one else had seen him do. He was driving extremely defensively, protecting the #15 NAPA Chevy of Waltrip and the #8 Budweiser Chevy of his son, Dale Jr. He kept fending the pack off. When the white flag waved, no one knew what was going to happen next. The drama was building as the race was winding down was incredible. It was literally shaping up to be a storybook ending. Waltrip wins his first race, his teammate 2nd, and his teammate's father and car owner 3rd. Going into turn 3 Waltrip and Dale Jr. had a small gap between themselves and Dale Sr. Dale was battling for 3rd while holding the field back from his cars, like a parent protecting their children. Dale dipped low to block Sterling Marlin, and the accident happened. At the time, I didn't think it was THAT bad. I mean, Dale had been in much worse looking accidents than that. I realized the seriousness when one of my favorite drivers, Ken Schrader, went over to look into the car to check on Dale. When he began frantically motioning for the emergency crews, I just got an empty feeling. I was only 12 then, but realized that it was life-threatening. Seeing Schrader tell Michael in victory lane was absolutely sad. I, and I know everyone else, felt bad for him. This was supposed to be his crowning achievement, and Dale was supposed to be there celebrating with him. It was Dale who took the chance on Michael to begin with. Schrader's interview pretty much drove it home to me. Dale was dead. I was just numb. When they came on with the press conference, and Mike Helton uttered the words the NASCAR community dreaded to hear. "After the accident in turn 4 at the end of the Daytona 500, we have lost Dale Earnhardt." Those words still elicit a deep emotional response from me. This is like saying that Superman has died. It just wasn't supposed to happen. Not like that. As soon as those words were said, I broke down and cried. I wasn't a huge Dale Earnhardt fan, but I had respect for the man, and knew what he meant for our sport. Little did I know then just HOW MUCH he meant to the sport. The next day, I can remember someone saying something to me that just angered and frustrated me. "Why are you so upset? It was just some race car driver who was killed in a wreck. Get over it." I just responded to that by saying something simple and to the point. "You have no idea, so just shut up and leave me be." Their ignorance was frustrating to me. Now as I reflect, I have shed a few tears writing this looking back. Many memories flash back, about the man known as the Intimidator, what he did in the car, and back to that Black Sunday in which NASCAR was altered forever, and how odd it was the rest of that season and into the next as to how odd it was not seeing the black GM Goodwrench #3 on the track, and how Kevin Harvick, a young and fairly unknown driver to most of us helped speed up the healing by helping Dale's team go back to where he would want them to be, victory lane. He is gone, but never forgotten. RIP Dale Earnhardt!!

My 2010 season thoughts

2010-12-31T16:37:00.000-06:00

It's amazing how time flies. We are already to the end of 2010, and a lot has occurred in racing over the last 12 months. It seems like every year the time flies during the season, then drags along during the winter months. I am going through that feeling now as a fan. Thank goodness for racing DVD's haha. I will give my thoughts about what I saw in the world of racing.

National Late Model Scene: Billy Moyer. Hands down, he was the best driver in dirt late model racing this year and THE force to be reckoned with in 2010. Moyer scored 24 feature wins overall, but it was the races he won and how he won them that made this season so spectacular. Moyer scored 9 feature wins that were worth over $10,000 to win. That is impressive, but what's more impressive is his sweeps at Eldora and Knoxville. Moyer had struggled over a decade to win at the Eldora Speedway highbanks. This year, he did something no one else had done except himself once before. He won BOTH the Dirt Late Model Dream and the World 100. His win in the Dream was textbook Moyer. He took care of his car on a dry track and kept the tires under him and didn't bounce off the walls. The World was a clinic as he knifed his way stealthily through the field from his 21st starting spot to hold off a late charging Scott Bloomquist and win his record 6th globe trophy. In Knoxville, Moyer went out and did something that had NEVER been done before. He swept the entire weekend of the Knoxville Late Model Nationals. He won all 3 nights in convincing fashion, much to the delight of his hometown fans (For those who didn't know, Billy is originally from Des Moines, Iowa).

NASCAR: I appreciate history, and what Jimmie Johnson did is difficult. However, I do believe he did it a LOT easier thanks to the current Chase format, which I absolutely hate. It doesn't reward someone for a whole season's body of work. The lack of consistency in fines by NASCAR was something that really, quite frankly pissed me off. It's garbage like this and the fact that the racing isn't as good as it has been in past years that has led to the decline. There have been a couple bright spots. Kyle Busch is one. Love him or hate him, he gets your attention. He has immense talent behind the wheel. His win record proves it. He too did something that no one in NASCAR history has done. He swept a weekend in the Cup, Nationwide, and Truck series. He did it at Bristol, and I have to admit it was cool to watch. It's so hard to get things to go right to do that, and few drivers will even attempt it to start with. His attitude isn't always great, but at least he isn't a corporate sock puppet like most drivers have become anymore in this day and age of political correctness. NASCAR's "Have at it boys" was another good idea. Let the drivers take care of things. Physical altercations may happen. Taking swings at one another is much better than using cars to vent one's frustrations. In the case of that, just keep an eye on it so it doesn't get out of hand and step in if you see it is. Otherwise, let them settle it man to man, possibly punch to punch. I'd much rather see that than the same 2 drivers wreck each other weekly and possibly take others out not involved. I don't mind seeing drivers rub and bump some, as racing IS a contact sport. The COT is still hideous, but they have made it somewhat better, although the cars still don't even closely resemble the cars on the showroom floors. It'd be nice to see the cars be different enough you could identify them without the company stickers on them.

Local Racing Scene: Economy. This word has had a big impact on the local racing scene. High fuel prices have wreaked havoc on the industry, as it has made it harder for drivers to travel, fans to travel, and promoters to do the day to day things necessary for a track/series. It has forced all in the business to be smarter, and it has weeded out some who weren't cut out for it. Unfortunately, it has hit those who are good at what they do but just couldn't keep up. This is true of drivers and track promoters/track owners. While this was the case, some places did well due to promoters who had good resources, good business sense, and good common sense.

My Race of the Year: North/South 100, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. This 100 lap race featured the most side by side racing throughout the field I have seen in a long time. The finish to this one was very similar to the previous year's race where Jimmy Mars beat Don O'Neal going into 3 on the last lap. Jimmy Owens found something up top with about 20 to go to take the lead, but then Earl Pearson Jr. came on strong to take it away from Owens, only to have Owens reel him in as the laps wound down and he got bogged down in lapped traffic. At the white flag this year Jimmy Owens and Earl Pearson Jr. were dead even at the start finish line. Going into 3 it was still either driver's race. Owens got a good run off of turn 4 and won the race, and the crowd went nuts knowing they had seen a good one. This one was my choice of my Race of the Year because of the overall quality of racing. My other pick would have been the 2010 World 100 as there were a couple of drivers who came deep in the field to post solid finishes.

Well, that is a wrap on the 2010 racing season. I know I enjoyed it. I am looking forward to see what 2011 has in store. I know I am not alone. Happy New Year's everyone!! Celebrate safely!!

Winter 2010

2010-12-10T23:31:00.000-06:00

Winter is a dirty word to some of us. There is no racing for a majority of us. The racers do need a break though. However, few actually get it. Some have race parties to raise money for their programs and celebrate good seasons with fans. There is also the trade show circuit. IMIS in Indianapolis wrapped up last week and currently PRI is going on in Orlando. There is a Crate Race running at East Bay Raceway Park in conjunction with PRI. All of this means little free time for racers. Some are getting their cars ready as they may race as early as January in the Ice Bowl in Alabama, or out in Arizona during the Wild West Shootout. Others race overseas in sprint cars and midgets. In some cases, off season means just hustling to get things ready to go. There really is no rest and relaxation. Racers are a special breed, and some of us will never understand the hell they go through to do what they do. Local racers do get more of a break during the winter time wise. Rather you like or hate a driver, they ALL put a lot of work into what they do, and you should at least respect them for it. I always try to let my favorite drivers know I appreciate what they do. You should as well.

News and Rumors 2010-2011 Part 2

2010-11-22T02:49:00.000-06:00

Here is some news and rumors I have picked up upon.

1. Tyler Reddick is the newest member of Team Zero. This comes as no surprise to me. I had heard from a very reliable source that they were considering them. I think it will be a good fit for Tyler.

2. The 2011 Show-Me 100 will be televised on CBS. It will be tape delayed. This was the biggest announcement to come out of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series banquet by far. To say I was shocked was an understatement.

3. Jimmy Owens will represent the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series in the Chili Bowl. Bloomquist had won the opportunity by winning the series championship.

4.The hideous new age Silver Crown Cars now have their own Series. It is called the Gold Crown Series. They will run on Large Ovals and Road Courses. Details at http://www.goldcrownchampionship.com/

5. Chevy and Lotus return to Indy in 2012. Both legendary manufacturers have been absent for a while. Chevy was around until bowing out at the end of 2005. Lotus last tasted success at Indy in 1965 when Jim Clark won the Indianapolis 500. It will be interesting to see how this improves competition.

6. 2 powerful names may be working together in Indy. Ganassi is close to signing Rahal. Bobby's son Graham has had success in CART and the IRL, but hasn't had a ride for the last year. I hope this happens as I know Rahal will be a good fit for Chip Ganassi Racing and can be a championship contender, and have a very good chance as joining his father as a winner of the Indianapolis 500.

I know it isn't much at this point, but I will try and do one of these every so often. Rumors and news will pick up as the trade shows happen.

2010 Lowes Food World Finals Broadcast on SPEED

2010-11-11T18:32:00.002-06:00

As the title of this entry says, it is all about the SPEED Channel broadcast of the World of Outlaws World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This year's event was sponsored by Lowes Food and Bimbo Bakeries. This event for the last 3 years has been the final event for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. This year's event was no different in that aspect. This year's race, however, had a new division join them, the Super DIRTCar Series Big Block Modifieds.

This was something I had hoped to see, and I was quite happy when it was announced. It would be a great chance for them to get some national media coverage along with the sprints and late models.

Now, on to my actual thoughts of the racing.

The racing during the on-air portion of the program was pretty good. It wasn't AS good as years past, but considering they ran a full show in the morning, turned the track over and reworked it and had 3 hours in between before starting again, they did an absolutely fantastic job. It was exciting even on television. I thought there was a much better balance between the divisions racing this year compared to the last 2 years. Sprints still had the most coverage, as they do bring in the most sponsorship money. I understand some fans frustration with the coverage, but it definitely beats no coverage at all, that is for sure. Exposure is a good thing for the sport. We need to figure out how to draw new fans. If we make a new fan because of that, that is most certainly a good thing. If it gets them to a local track and gets them hooked, even better.

Broadcast coverage was good. Good camera work. Only thing I couldn't stand was Shane Andrews. Listening to him butcher the name Marlar all night was horrible. I just can't stand listening to him. That was the weakest part. Everyone else did a great job. My final grade for it was a B. It still beats the hell out of Pinks, Wrecked, or other non racing programming that is on a channel that's supposed to be all about racing.

Congratulations to Tim McCreadie on winning the Super DIRTCar Series feature, Jason Meyers the World of Outlaws Sprint Car feature, and Jimmy Owens on winning the World of Outlaws Late Model feature. It was a heck of a season. The late model championship was decided on the last night. Both Darrell Lanigan and Josh Richards had fought hard all year long for it. In the end, Richards did what he had to do and won it. Congratulations to Josh Richards on winning the 2010 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Championship, Jason Meyers the 2010 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Championship, and to Matt Sheppard on winning the Super DIRTCar Series Championship.

2010 Rumor Mill ETC.1

2010-10-26T14:17:00.000-05:00

Well, it's that time of the year. There are a lot of half truths and whole lies start flowing. Here are some of the better ones I have either heard or seen.

1. The World of Outlaws Late Model Dirt Series and it's parent company, DIRT Motorsports Inc., will fold, leaving only the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. This one to me seems to be the most far fetched. WoO had a strong year this year, and I think come next year, the schedules, with some small changes here and there, will look similar. It's gone around more than once in the past.

2. Some notable drivers may jump series. This isn't too surprising. Some may be looking for a fresh start or want to go to certain tracks more and stay away from others. 2 drivers who's names came up about possibly jumping to the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series are Tim McCreadie and Steve Francis. I could see those, but only time will tell if that one is true. Also rumors of Matt Miller and Scott James joining the tour again. If those 2 can secure solid funding, it wouldn't be a big surprise. Zach Dohm, Brady Smith, Frank Heckenast Jr., and Dillan White all rumored to be running for the ROTY. Heckenast Jr has it on his site, so he is the only one as of now that has said so and put it out there. How Brady Smith can is beyond me as he has won the Knoxville Late Model Nationals. Might be a very interesting rookie class next year.

3. Jimmy Owens: There have been so many rumors about the Newport Nightmare. Some say he will stay in a Bloomquist Team Zero Chassis. Others say he is going to switch to a Victory Circle M1 by Moyer. I've heard others as well, but those 2 seem like the most plausible choices. I honestly expect to see Owens in a Bloomquist car come February. Also rumors as to what he will do. Seen one where he won't run the LOLMDS. I really expect Jimmy to be a championship contender for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series crown, as he was a thorn in the side of Bloomer this year.

4. Farmer City Raceway will have a new promoter. That much is fact. After that, the names have flown around. I've not really heard names, but there is one that a couple of Southern gentlemen will come in and run it. The Fair Board meets here at the beginning of next month, so time will tell. All I can say is I hope someone who has deep financial resources as well as a passion for the sport ends up getting it, as it needs someone with deep pockets to fix certain things, as well as someone who cares and knows the sport that can prep the track (or have someone else who knows how), and can draw cars and fans back to one of the best tracks in the state of Illinois.

5. Peoria Speedway will be UMP Sanctioned next year. This one has floated around in the past, but anymore, nothing is too much of a shock to me. If it happens or doesn't, the result won't catch me off guard by any means.

6. The Illini 100 will be at LaSalle Speedway in 2011. It seems to be gathering a lot of steam, and it's not far fetched since the Izzo's have rented out the track before. The track, when prepped right, would be a good track for it racing wise.

These are some of the ones making a lot of noise, and it's not even November yet. I expect to hear a lot more good rumors about various tracks, events, drivers, and promoters. Should be another entertaining winter.

2010 Season Recap

2010-10-13T01:31:00.003-05:00

Well, it is the time of year I always dread, the end of my racing season. As of now, I am done. It has been another good season overall despite the economic hardships drivers, tracks, and fans are all facing. My first race was way back in March at Brownstown Speedway for the Indiana Icebreaker, and my final race was the UMP Fall Nationals at Eldora Speedway. Between those 2 were at least 60 other races of all disciplines. Many were at my local tracks (Macon, Farmer City, Lincoln, Fairbury). As I usually try to do, I added a couple of new tracks to the list of places I have been. Currently, I have been to 30 tracks in 6 states, and seen races at 29 of those tracks. I even sponsored a long haul award for the DRC King of Compatcs event at Brushcreek Motorsports Park this year as well. I feel However, just because on track action is over, doesn't mean the whole racing scene will be dead. When the season ends, the race party season begins. I look forward to hitting as many as I can. I also plan on enjoying the rest of the college football season and college basketball when it gets going, as well as the NFL and NBA and whatever else I can find to pass the free time I have while not doing my main duty, getting my work done as a college student. Hope you all go out to some of your local driver's race parties, have fun, and help support them. I know I will. This COULD be the last blog posting of 2010, but we shall see about that.

Before I wrap this blog posting up, for those who don't know, former NASCAR star who was banned for life for substance abuse Shane Hmiel, son of NASCAR crew chief Steve Hmiel, was hurt this last Saturday night during qualifying for the Sumar Classic USAC Silver Crown event at the Terre Haute Action Track in Terre Haute, Indiana. I could attempt to describe the wreck, but I will post the link to the video which is on YouTube. This is the video of the entire lap. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vitPUBo5E4k&feature=related I warn you, it isn't easy to watch and might be disturbing to some. Shane needs our thoughts and prayers. There is a Facebook page giving updates about Shane's condition. The link to it is http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Shane-Hmiel-Road-to-Recovery/156856564346848 For now, be safe everyone. Thank you for reading the blog!!

40th Annual World 100 Recap

2010-09-28T13:56:00.001-05:00

This is my recap of the 2010 running of the World 100, ran of Friday and Saturday, September 11 and 12 at Eldora Speedway. This was the 40th annual running of this dirt late model crown jewel known as "The Granddaddy of Them All." This is the weekend where many in the racing world from the top to the lowest end of the spectrum all convene for the same reason. They are at the track to have a good time and take some racing in as well.

My weekend began when I, along with my grandpa, left from their house in Decatur at the break of dawn to make the near 5 hour journey to Western Ohio. We arrived at Eldora Speedway at a little after 2 PM EST. The first thing we did, as we always do when we arrive, was to upgrade our tickets to pit passes for the $5 fee. It really is worth it for those who have never done it. As we were told jokingly by one of the workers in the pit pass building the very first time we went to Eldora for the 14th Annual Dirt Late Model Dream in 2007 , "You can go anywhere on the grounds except the women's restrooms. If no one says anything, you can go there too." One of those things that was definitely worth a few laughs for sure. After getting our pit passes, we walked around the pit area to see where everyone was pitted and see some of the special schemes that various drivers and their graphics people had come up with.

The next thing on the agenda was sit into the first part of the Dirt on Dirt pre-race show sponsored by ApplianceZone.com. Below are a couple of photos I took from the first 2 segments of the show. For those who didn't get to see the show, go to http://www.dirtondirt.com and you can watch the pre-race show for FREE. Both segments in their entirety are posted. Those links are: PART 1-http://dirtondirt.com/video.php?watch=2479 and PART 2-http://dirtondirt.com/video.php?watch=2483 I even posed a question to Steve Casebolt about his experiences driving for others and himself, and what the $70,000 ApplianceZone.com sponsorship, a deal in partnership with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, would mean to him as a driver/owner.

The first photo has (from left to right), Chris Stepan (announcer and Dirt on Dirt contributor), driver Matt Miller of Whitehouse, Ohio, and Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series announcer James Essex. In the 2nd photo, (from left to right), Brasstown, North Carolina driver Ray Cook, Newport, Tennessee driver Jimmy Owens, and James Essex.

After this I walked through the pits some more, talking to numerous people I know, until it was time for round 1 of qualifying to begin. Qualifying seemed to go a LOT quicker than years past, but with 134 cars in attendance compared to 160-200 cars, it will make a world of difference. Austin Dillon would lay down a lap of 15.390 within the first 25 cars to go out. Josh Richards, the 2nd quickest car, didn't turn his fast lap until early in the 2nd round. Richards turned a time of 15.591 around the high banks of Eldora. Dillion skipped 2nd round but the time was enough to hold up. The next big thing to happen after qualifications ended was the the spin of the wheel to determine the invert for the heat races on Saturday night.

The first picture is while the wheel was rolling. Eldora Speedway announcer "DJ" Dustin Jarrett was interviewing 2nd quick qualifier Josh Richards. The 2nd picture is of the wheel when it quit turning. The invert was one that was popular overall with the fans, but not with the drivers. There is a straight up, 3 3's, 4 4's, 5 5's and 6 6's. Dillon rolled the # drivers dread, 6.

After this, there was only one event left on Friday night, the non-qualifiers event. Before it started, no one had anticipated on witnessing history take place. However, we all were witness. We seen the first female driver EVER to win a race at Eldora Speedway in it's history. This goes for ANY class. April Farmer of Livingston, Tennessee, dubbed the Rocket Mom, won the Non-Qualifiers feature Friday night to wrap up the on track activities for the evening. Below are some victory lane photos I got of this historic moment. You can click on them or any other photo to see them in a larger view.

Just because the racing had ended for the evening didn't mean the action around Eldora Speedway had stopped. Quite the contrary. Jeep Van Wormer along with his wife Angie, put together this year a group called A Head For a Cure. The website is http://ahead4acure.com/index.html Their big fundraiser was Brave The Shave.

It got started at Eldora Speedway at this year's Dirt Late Model Dream, and wrapped up with the shavings happening on Friday night and Saturday before the racing began. A total of 21 drivers, including names such as Jeep Van Wormer, Shannon Babb, Jason Feger, Jimmy Owens, Steve Francis, Brian Birkhofer, Jack Sullivan, Brandon Kinzer, Tim McCreadie among many more other notable names as well all raised money from then until right up until Friday, some making money right before they were shaved. They had a goal of $40,000 to raise, and they surpassed it thanks to generous fans, sponsors, and other contributors. I am proud to say I kicked in over the course of their fund raising for a few drivers and helped the cause. Below I have some pictures from Friday night. Sorry but they aren't the best quality.

After this and talking to a few people I roamed the hallowed grounds of the speedway, then walked through the Speedy Campgrounds across the street from the track to see what all was going on there. This is strictly what I saw. It was pretty tame, with the exception of a golf cart with about 6 guys on it pulling a wheelie. It was dangerous but you couldn't help but laugh and maybe even cheer a bit since no one got hurt.

After some much needed sleep in the car, it was time to get up. I didn't end up going to St. Henry Night Club for their breakfast buffet as usual since nothing was posted at the track and nothing was mentioned about it. Kind of disappointing, but I digress. One thing I have ALWAYS found to be cool was that when you walk into the main grandstands on Saturday morning, for either big Late Model Event, right at the base of the tower, one of the trophies is sitting there on display.

That trophy is one if you ask almost ANY dirt late model driver, that is THE trophy they want. This race is maybe the hardest to win in the country, and has been through the years because of stellar fields of quality cars from across the country and the vast amounts of LUCK it takes to qualify well, hit the invert, and then race well in the 100 lapper.

After having some lunch, the rains hit. The pits became an utter mess. I walked through them a few times to see what was going on, and ended up a bit muddy, but hey it's a dirt track. I don't expect to stay clean all of the time.

At 2, we started shaving those who had raised more money than those on Friday night. I got some great pictures from Saturday's shaving, and they pretty much tell the story.

After everyone braved the shave, the rest of the pre-race festivities, including interviews and whatnot, carried on. After walking around, talking to a lot of people, and taking everything in, I seen the clock and started getting goosebumps. The atmosphere was becoming electric. It was just 20 minutes before 7. Mother nature did dump moisture on the surface, so I knew the traditional 7 PM start of heat racing wouldn't happen. At 8:15, the push trucks came off and opening ceremonies began. One very cool thing done by the staff at Eldora was a sign they put up for our nation's troops.

This may seem simple to some, but this gesture shows that we care and we haven't forgotten who helps to fight for our freedom and give us ALL the ability to go to the races, wherever we happen to go.

At 8:24 PM, one of the most electric moments of the year happened. The first heat for the World 100 hit the famed Eldora Speedway highbanks. The track was very wet and heavy and stayed that way throughout the heats. Some incredibly fast laps were being turned by the drivers. The heats were fast and furious. Heat winners were, in order of heats: Chris Madden, Scott Bloomquist, John Blankenship, Jimmy Owens, Don O'Neal, and Bart Hartman (the defending winner of the event).

For the B-Mains, I went down to the infield. For someone going there for the first time, I HIGHLY recommend doing this and going right up by the fence in either turns 1 and 2, the back stretch, or turns 3 and 4 where you can. The sensation is absolutely incredible. While in the stands I could feel dampness and the occasional rain drop. However, when down in the infield, I noticed something a lot worse happening. A thick fog was developing and moving in, covering the speedway. There was a pileup in B-Main 2 in turn 4. I was in turn 1 at the time, and it almost looked like someone had sprayed fire extinguishers on a car. It was that hard to see.

As I walked back up, the fog was clearing off and as I got to my seat, it had pretty well cleared off. The time we had been anticipating the entire weekend was upon us. It was time to run the 40th Annual World 100 at Eldora Speedway. The green flag dropped, and defending winner and polesitter Bart Hartman jumped out to the early race lead with "The Real Deal" Don O'Neal and "The Newport Nightmare" Jimmy Owens in tow. Early on, these three broke away from the rest of the field. The first yellow flew on lap 11 for "Squirrel" Brian Shirley. His Jayco Construction, Skateland South, Kim's Autobody Bob Pierce #3s came up lame in turn 1. The race would restart only to see a caution again for "The One Man Band" Dennis Erb Jr. His Petroff Towing, Thomason Express, C&J Excevating Barry Wright #28 had issues in the rear end of his car, and he broke in turn 3. Yellow #3 would fly on lap 15 for the #7 machine of Matt Miller. At 25 laps in, 2 drivers had made a visual charge through the field. Those 2 drivers, former World 100 winners, were Dale McDowell and Billy Moyer. They were showing that they were going to make some noise and be in contention when it mattered most.

The 4th yellow flew on lap 28 for the 15B machine of Brian Birkhofer. By lap 33 McDowell was up to 4th, and Moyer was 5th. They both looked to have cars that could very well win the race. Leader Bart Hartman broke on lap 41. This gave Dale McDowell, who started 17th in the feature, the lead. McDowell would lead for a good 20 laps or so until 5 time World 100 champion Billy Moyer really started turning up the pressure. Lap 66 was a turning point as Moyer took the lead from Dale McDowell. With 15 to go I started to head to the infield so I could get in place to get pictures in victory lane. I sprinted from the frontstretch to the Love Tunnel. I watched on the backstretch, in turn 3, turn 4, and the frontstretch. I got there with about 9 to go. Bloomquist was starting to make a late move and Moyer's pace had slowed some. The view looking up at the stands was entertaining as well. The Bloomer fans were rooting as hard as they could for their driver, as Moyer fans and others were rooting for the other perennial powerhouse. I would say there were more people rooting for Moyer. He had come from 23rd to lead the feature. Some were rooting for him because he is considered one of the nice guys (there are more of those than people think). It was nice to see someone who not just a couple of years ago had been written off as done by many lead. Moyer has had a decade of bad luck at Eldora as well, but he finally shook that in June at the Dirt Late Model Dream. This was September though, and this race, as much as it's about money, was about the globe trophies.

When the white flag hit the air, it was Moyer's race to lose. "Mr. Smooth" as he is known, lived up to his reputation, coming to take the checkers to win his unprecedented 6th World 100 title. After he made weight, the crowd erupted into cheers, and Moyer wheeled his black #21 to victory lane.

After stopping, Moyer got out, and it was very obvious this win was as meaningful as any he had captured over his illustrious career.

Moyer had actually climbed up on the roof to show his joy, something Moyer RARELY does to that extent. Moyer was then interviewed by Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series announcer James Essex.

After the usual questions about the track, car, and race, one of the trophy queens brought over the hardware so many others had shown up to win.

Billy would then hold the trophy high and proud.

The trophy for the owner, who was Moyer, as well as the check, were brought over next.

Moyer would then do some pictures with the Ms. Eldora's.

Then, the pictures with friends and crew were taken.

Next, Billy's wife Joyce would join the others in victory lane for the group pictures.

Moyer then did a couple of pictures with just himself and the hardware.

Finally, a photo opportunity I personally asked for. These featured just the Moyers (Billy, Joyce, and Billy Jr.).

This was the last request before Moyer had to go to the tower to do his media press conference. With these last couple of pictures, I headed back up to the stands, and talked to a couple of people I knew. It was then off to the car where grandpa was waiting, and we were on the road home from another great weekend at Eldora Speedway. This weekend was filled with history. I am just glad I was able to witness it all, especially with my grandpa.

Labor Day weekend racing recap

2010-09-09T01:43:00.000-05:00

Well, one of the absolute busiest weekends of racing has come and passed for me. That weekend I am referring to is Labor Day weekend. It is a weekend meant to celebrate the American laborer and how hard they work. It is also one of the last warm weekends of summer as well. It is a time for friends and family to get together. It also marks the start of college football, which is exciting to me as well. I spent my weekend racing 3 out of 4 days.

I spent Friday at Fairbury American Legion Speedway for the Inaugural Prairie Dirt Shootout, a $5,000 to win UMP Late Model event that served as a prelude to the 21st Annual Prairie Dirt Classic. The pre-race festivities were booming like usual, and I enjoyed spending some time enjoying them including having food with fellow friends and fans including members of the UMD. The evening was also accompanied by a $1,750 to win UMP Modified feature. 99JR Frank Heckenast Jr. set fast time for the UMP Late Models out of a field of 43 cars. 3L Jeff Leka set fast time for the UMP Modifieds out of a field of 43 cars in attendance. Heat races in the Late Models were fast and furious with plenty of side by side racing. Heats were won by Rodney Melvin, Jason Feger, Brady Smith, and Bret Sievert. UMP Modified Heats were won by Jeff Leka, Mike Harrison, Jeff Curl, and Gabe Menser. Late Model Semis were won by Greg Johnson and Junior Shickel. Modified Semis were won by Chevy Miller and Josh Furgeson. After the semis, the crew at the 2 time UMP Track of the Year went to work on the racing surface to give the racers the best possible surface and give fans the best possible show.

They ran a vintage feature before the 1st Prairie Dirt Shootout. When the PDS took to the track, the action was hot. The Dairyland Destroyer Brady Smith rocketed out front on the start. The track was very top oriented at the start but there were several cars running the bottom, no better than Jack Sullivan who was picking his way through the field. Sullivan, who started 10th in the feature, had made his way up to 5th before lap 10. The race would change when lapped traffic got involved. With around 25 to go, Brady Smith got hung up in traffic and a hard charging Brian Shirley was able to get around, as was Jason Feger. In one corner Brady went from the lead to 3rd. Shannon Babb had made his way up to 5th where he started after getting shuffled on the start a ways back. With 23 to go Sullivan was showing muscle as well, as he ended up taking 3rd from Brady Smith. Feger would crank up the pressure on leader Shirley just past the halfway point. He gave Shirley all he could handle, and with 13 to go he overtook the 3s for the lead. Feger would lead until disaster struck on the back straightaway with 3 laps to go when Greg Johnson and Richie Hedrick wrecked in the middle of the backstretch. Feger and Shirley made inadvertent contact trying to miss the wreck. Feger had right rear sheetmetal damage that, while not visible to the naked eye from the stands, damaged the tire. On the restart, it was evident Jason had his hands full with the car. With 1 to go Shirley, Sullivan and Feger were 3 wide. It was absolute insanity, and the people were on the edge of their seats, some out of them. Feger would keep trying, but would get pinched up and Shirley and Sullivan would go by with Shirley winning by about a car length over Sullivan. The top 5 ended up being Brian Shirley, Jack Sullivan, Jason Feger, Shannon Babb, and Billy Moyer It was a fantastic race, and the modified feature hadn't been run yet.

After the 1st Prairie Dirt Shootout was in the books, the UMP Modifieds ran their 30 Lap, $1,750 to win feature. Mike Harrison, a driver from Highland, Illinois who usually doesn't travel that far north, took the lead early and showed he was the car to beat. Jeff Leka tried to keep pace, but just didn't have anything for him. Several cars including Denny Schwartz, put on a show slicing through the field, but Harrison was smooth and made it look incredibly easy, and he would take the win with no real challenge from anyone else. The top 5 was Mike Harrison, Jeff Leka, Gabe Menser, Kevin Weaver, and Clint DeMoss.

Saturday it was back to the Fairbury American Legion Speedway for the 21st Annual Prairie Dirt Classic. After the fantastic racing last night, I was definitely excited to see what the evening had in store. The pre-race atmosphere was absolutely fantastic like always, and like yesterday I enjoyed food and company with friends including the UMD. The evening got rolling with Late Model qualifying, with 21 Billy Moyer setting fast time over a field of 47 cars. 3L Jeff Leka set fast time for the 2nd night in a row in the UMP Modifieds over a field of 46 cars. UMP Late Model heats were frantic. The Late Model Heats were won by Billy Moyer, Richie Hedrick, Jason Feger, Kevin Weaver, and Dennis Erb Jr. The UMP Modified Heats were won by Jeff Leka, Mike Harrison, Clint DeMoss, Nick Neville, and Jeff Curl. Late Model Semis were won by Mike Provinzano, Shannon Babb, and Eric Smith. Provisionals were Darren Friedman and Ryan Dauber. The Modified Semis were won by Jeb Friedman, Don Kiger, and Kevin Hastings. Just like last night, at intermission the crew of Fairbury American Legion Speedway went to work on grooming the track surface to hold up to 3 features.

The street stocks spent about 20 minutes or so helping to pack in and work in the freshly groomed track and put on a show, with Jeff Semmens winning the feature. Next up was the 21st Annual Prairie Dirt Classic 60 lap $10,000 to win UMP Late Model feature. The feature started with Feger jumping the start and the race was restarted again. On the restart, Billy Moyer jumped out front, and the track was lightning fast early. Cars were running hot lap and qualifying speeds early in the feature. With 6 in the top 5 of Billy Moyer, Jason Feger, Kevin Weaver, Brian Shirley, and Dennis Erb Jr. had broken away from the rest of the field. In 7 laps Moyer had caught the tail end of the field. Moyer had company in Feger, but he used patience and showed why he has won everything he has in his career. He was methodical in how he picked off lap traffic. Feger had problems on lap 14 when he lost a right rear tire. We went back to racing and Dennis Erb Jr. was challenging Weaver for 2nd. He would pass Kevin, but the yellow flew at the same time for Ryan Dauber who spun. This would put Erb Jr. back to 3rd. The green flag flew with 17 laps in the books and 43 remaining. Lap 21 saw Richie Hedrick and Brian Shirley swap 4th place back and forth, with Shirley coming out on top of the exchange in the end. Moyer was running the topside and holding a 1-3 carlength lead over Erb Jr. and Weaver. Erb, running his traditional low line, began to really challenge Moyer, and he eventually took the lead on lap 26. Moyer would try to rally back right after that, but just didn't make a lot of progress at that point. Feger, who had a flat early, never made up ground and eventually fell a lap down, as was Sullivan who pitted earlier in the race as well. With 40 in and 20 to go Shirley was challenging Moyer for 2nd. It looked like Moyer's car was tight, meaning it didn't want to turn easily. With 15 laps to go Dennis Erb Jr. was in heavy lapped traffic. He looked at this point to have the race well in hand. The yellow flew on lap 46 when Frank Heckenast Jr. ended up in the frontstretch wall. With 14 laps to go, 19th place starter Shannon Babb had picked his way up to 8th. Erb Jr. led the field back to green, and Billy Moyer found new life. Moyer would end up taking the lead with 12 laps to go. Debris would bring out the caution on lap 50, thus bunching the field up yet again. On the restart Babb made some huge gains. He was up to 5th and was flying at the right time. He got to 4th and was challenging for 3rd. Erb Jr. cranked up the pressure on 4 time winner Billy Moyer, but Moyer fended him off. Billy Moyer ended up winning his 5th Prairie Dirt Classic title, matching Bob Pierce as the only other 5 time winner of the Prairie Dirt Classic.The top 10 of the 21st Prairie Dirt Classic was Billy Moyer, Dennis Erb Jr., Brian Shirley, Shannon Babb, Kevin Weaver, Wendall Wallace, Rodney Melvin, Brady Smith, Mike Provinzano, and Eric Smith.

The UMP Modified feature was not only the last feature of the night, but for the season at Fairbury American Legion Speedway. Mike Harrison picked right back up where he left off the night before, and won the UMP Modified in absolutely dominant fashion. The top 5 of the $2,000 to win UMP Modified Feature was Brian Harrison, Clint DeMoss, Kevin Weaver, Jeff Leka, and Jim Farris.

After a trip through the pits, and some hot chocolate thanks to Karen DeLong, Justin DeLong's mother, we were on the road home.

Sunday was a day off, but I did watch the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race from Atlanta. The racing there was pretty wild as the cars looked like they were on the verge of wrecking lap after lap. They were sliding sideways at 160-180 mph in the corners. Tony Stewart, who was smooth all night, was smoothest when it counted the most, and picked up his 1st win of the 2010 season.

Labor Day Monday it was off to the DuQuoin State Fair and the Magic Mile as it's known, for the ARCA Re/Max Series Southern Illinois 100 presented by Federated Car Care, as well as the UMP Modified Oldani Memorial championship event. A.J. Fike would win the pole in his RFMS/Liberty Village #10 Ford Fusion with a lap of 33.130 at a speed of 108.663 MPH. Below is a view of the pit/garage area as it was seen from my seat at the historic DuQuoin State Fairgrounds.

Racing began with the Oldani Memorial UMP Modified Championship event. Shelby Miles would take the lead from Tim Burdell on the start. Jeff Parks brought out one of only a few yellows in the event when he was running 4th. He was able to rejoin the field at the end. On the ensuing restart, Curt Rhodes would take 2nd from Tim Burdell. X Jesse Snyder was working his way up towards the front as the race went on. At halfway it was Shelby Miles, Curt Rhodes, and Jesse Snyder running in the top 3. 500 Steve Adams spun a couple of laps later and made minimal contact with the turn 1 wall and was able to continue. A few laps later a huge wreck destroyed quite a few cars, and one even rolled over, which is absolutely scary at a mile track. Everyone was ok. In the end, Miles would go pretty much unchallenged over the last few laps, and win. Curt Rhodes and Jesse Snyder rounded out the top 3.

The ARCA race was next. After all of the pre-race, and parade laps, the race went green. Polesitter A.J. Fike jumped out to the early lead. Kelly Kovski, a Springfield, Illinois native and full time car chief for Allgaier Motorsports who fields the 36 of Robb Brent, would challenge 2nd starting Ken Schrader for the runner up spot and take it a couple laps in, with Steve Arpin right behind him. The first yellow flew on lap 7 when Justin Koch spun. The pits opened up, but out of the top 5 cars, only Ken Schrader would pit to get his mandatory stop before lap 90 done then. Fike, Kovski, Arpin, Hessert, Coulter, F Kimmel, Sheltra, W Kimmel, Kile, George Jr were the top 10 when the race went back to green on lap 12. Kelly Kovski cranked up the pressure on leader Fike, and eventually would over take him on lap 17. Yellow would fly soon after as Tim George Jr. spun on the front straightaway. A.J. Fike would give up his runner up spot to make his mandatory pit stop. The top 5 at this point are Kovski, Arpin, Sheltra, Coulter, Kile. 22 laps were in when they took the green again. Schrader picked his way up to 8th pretty quicky. Frank Kimmel, 9 time ARCA Champion, ended up getting heavy right rear damage, eventually losing a right rear tire and spinning in turn 1 and hitting the wall, bringing out another yellow flag. This caution waved at lap 29, and the entire field who hadn't pitted made their mandatory pit stop. Schrader would end up being the leader after everything cycled through on lap 31. He would lead the next 5 laps, and then surrender the lead to Tom Hessert. A.J. Fike would soon after slip by Schrader to 2nd. Yellow would fly for Robb Brent on lap 46 when he spun. The green flag flew on lap 49. At halfway, Arpin had sliced his way up to 3rd with Patrick Sheltra in tow. Kovski was with those 2 as well. Skipping a 2 car spin with no damage, Arpin was reeling Hessert in and there was a battle for the lead on lap 61. He took the lead on lap 62 and would not surrender it. There was some great racing behind him. The ARCA Re/Max Series Southern Illinois 100 presented by Federated Car Care Top 10 was Steve Arpin, Tom Hessert, Mikey Kile, Patrick Sheltra, Ken Schrader, Will Kimmel, Craig Goess, Chad McCumbee, Kelly Kovski, and Brian Silas. Below are photos from the celebration by Arpin and crew.

This would wrap up my racing weekend. I was fortunate to be able to enjoy it with my Grandpa, who is the one who really introduced me to the sport. It was a fantastic weekend with a lot of good racing, and pretty good weather. I was blessed to be able to see it all. Hope everyone had a fun and safe Labor Day weekend!!

Ansar Shrine 50 Recap

2010-08-29T11:10:00.000-05:00

I am going to start this recap off by first recapping my radio experience. I was fortunate, being a long time fan who went weekly to Macon as a kid, to be selected to go on Macon Speedway Live with Brett Zerfowski to kind of share where my love for the sport was born. I literally didn't have enough time to name all of the drivers who I have seen race there in 15 years, locals and stars. From what I have gotten in the way of feedback of those who listened, it went well. I want to thank you all for your support. As long as I have followers, I will give updates and keep doing the blog. I do it for the love of the sport and I just want to share the passion I have for it with others who love it as well. Now, on to the race recap.

The night began with qualifying for the UMP Late Models. There were 24 UMP Late Models in attendance at Macon Speedway tonight. Roger Brickler was the fastest of those 24 with a lap of 10.868. The street stock heats were the first group of events. Those heats would be won by Mike Pickering and Blake Shelly. The racing in both gave a pretty good indication of the carnage and insanity that would ensue as the night went on, for all classes. The UMP Modified heats were next up. The heat winners were Dave Crawley Jr., Jeremy Nichols in a barn burner of a heat with a ton of side by side racing, and Aaron Burcham. The Pro Hornet heats followed. John Lewis and Eric Wilson scored heat wins. Then it was on to the UMP Late Model Heats for the Ansar Shrine 50. Heat 1 would see Roger Brickler win, with John Beck, Dick Taylor, Kerby Damery, and Zach Bunning rounding out the top 5. Racing was all around the bottom in the 1st and the 2nd heat as well. The 2nd heat was won by Richie Hedrick. The rest of the top 5 for heat 2 was Brandon Sheppard, Rick Standridge, Rodney Standerfer, and Chris Dick. Heat 3 saw some multi-groove racing. Corey Daugherty was the first driver in the late model class to make the top side work, and boy did he ever in the heat. He won the heat, and was followed by Steve Lance Jr., Brian Divley, Terry Reed, and Ryan Little. The final heats were the amateur hornet heats. Those were won by Adam Webb and Jared Matherly. Semi features followed the final heat.

The first semi was the UMP Modified semi feature. It was won by Roger Drake, with Danny Maguire, Jeff Wallace, Clark Robertson, and Dave Echols advancing to the Modified feature. Before the Late Model semi was ran, there was an intermission and the Ansar Shriners came out to the track and we got to see a parade right there at the track. Here are some photos from the parade.

It was wonderful to see all of the Shriners out on the track. I want to thank them all right now for coming out like they did. Everyone in the stands appreciated it. The Late Model semi feature was the last semi feature of the night. Kyle Logue's bad luck continued as he ended up hitting the wall after John Graham got into him, bumming his ankle in the process. The top 5 that advanced to the Ansar 50 were Mike Hammerlee, Kevin Moffett, Jim Moon, Jospeh Hughes, and Ethan Schnapp.

The first feature of the evening was the street stock feature. Just like the heats, there was some insane racing throughout the field. Plenty of side by side racing, contact too. When it was all said and done, Mike "Jimbo" Pickering won the feature. Next up was the UMP Modified feature. This one was absolutely filled with side by side racing Jeremy Nichols led it wire to wire, although he was lucky to even take the green as he looped it on the initial start. It was a hornet's nest behind him. Dave Crawley Jr., Aaron Burcham, Randy Huffman (who started close to 10th), and Mark Tullis rounded out the top 5. That group of 2-5 ran side by side quite a bit with Tullis and Huffman making the top side work for them. Next up was the Pro Hornet Feature. Michael Webb ended up winning that feature.

Next up was the show everyone had came to see, the UMP Late Model Ansar Shrine 50. Roger Brickler and Ritchie Hedrick led the field to the green flag. Ritchie would jump up top and take the lead. Behind him, an all out war was being waged. The first yellow would fly on lap 4 when Kevin Moffett pinched Ryan Little into the wall. To put it as it was, Little was pissed. He actually punched Moffett's car twice when it came by on one pass. Every time Moffett went by, Ryan showed him his displeasure with him. The top 10 at this point of the race was Ritchie Hedrick, John Beck, Roger Brickler, Cory Daugherty, Steve Lance Jr., Rick Standridge, Kerby Damery, Brandon Sheppard, Dick Taylor, and Brian Divley The green flag waved over the field again, with the battles behind the leader picking right back up where they had ended when the yellow waved. Greg Kimmons spun out on lap 7 to bring out the 2nd caution of the event. The top 10 was the same except that Chris Dick had gotten around Brian Divley for 10th. The green flag flew again and, just like before, the insanity resumed. John Beck was cranking up the pressure on Hedrick, and the 2 actually made contact coming off of turn 4 when Ritchie came up to block and Beck had a pretty good run going. The yellow flew for the 3rd time on lap 10 for Jim Moon. The top 10 with 1/5 of the race in was Hedrick, Beck, Brickler, Daugherty, Lance Jr., Standridge, Damery, Sheppard, Dick, and Taylor. The green flag and racing resumed again. The yellow would fly on lap 15 for the 4th time when Chris Dick looped it. Brandon Sheppard was put to the back for making contact, which I didn't see. They were close, but didn't see any contact. Sheppard wasn't happy and plead his case to no avail. He would rejoin at the tail of the field. The green flag waved again and would stay out for a while. Hedrick built at one point a half a track lead over the field. The top 5 at halfway was Ritchie Hedrick, John Beck, Roger Brickler, Steve Lance Jr., and Rick Standridge, who was on the move on the low side. The yellow would fly for the 5th time on lap 31 when Roger Brickler finally drove over his head in turn 3, bounced off of the wall, and eventually spun in turn 4, lighting the tires up. The top 10 with 19 laps to go was Hedrick, Beck, Lance Jr., Daugherty, Standridge, Damery, Dick, Divley, Taylor, and Terry Reed. The green flag flew, but yellow would fly 4 laps later for the 6th time on lap 35 when Terry Reed spun. Roger Brickler, trying to avoid, cut too hard right and ended up on the turn 4 wall. The yellow was for the 11k of Terry Reed.

The top 10 with 35 laps in and 15 laps remaining was Hedrick, Beck, Lance Jr., Daugherty, Standridge, Damery, Dick, Divley, Sheppard, Taylor. Damery was showing that he had tires left, and Sheppard had charged from the tail up to 9th. The green flag waved again, but didn't even last a lap as Cory Daugherty lost the center out of his right rear wheel, bringing out the caution for the 7th time and final time. The top 10 on the final restart was Hedrick, Beck, Lance Jr., Standridge, Damery (showing muscle as he had saved his tires), Dick, Divley, Sheppard, Taylor, Hughes. The green flag flew again, and John Beck had found a 2nd wind. He was all over Hedrick for the lead for a few laps, but when the tires got hot Hedrick cruised away to the win.

The top 10 in the Ansar Shrine 50 was Richie Hedrick, John Beck, Kerby Damery, Rick Standridge, Chris Dick, Brian Divley, Brandon Sheppard, Dick Taylor, Steve Lance Jr., and Mike Hammerlee. The final feature of the evening was the amateur hornet feature. Jared Matherly won the Amateur Hornet feature. The evening was done at 10:03 PM. It was a wild and crazy night at the races. The Shriners raised a lot of money. Raised $1,100 in the 50/50 drawing, and the racing was entertaining. All in all, a pretty good night from the fan's perspective. Thank you to everyone who helped make this night a success!!