The first weekend of the 2016 Wild West Shootout in Tucson has been completed and as this is being posted, round three will be on the track this evening.
So far, the first two nights of racing has been everything race fans had hoped for and more with lots of race cars, big names galore and intense racing that everyone holding their breath from time to time as bold racing moves blossomed like flowers in the saturated desert.
Things started out a little bumpy for us personally as our flight to the West was scrubbed due to bad weather in Denver and we had to scramble to make other flight arrangements but everything came together and we made it on time. Many of the racing teams reported some scary moments of their own hauling to Tucson as snows in Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico made the traveling dicey, but they to all made it safely and on time. The closest call was made by Wisconsin's Doug Blashe who hit snows a couple of times on their way from the Green Bay area that held them up and they rolled into the pit area just as hot laps were in session. Even though they were too late to draw a number, they were in the great Southwest to race so they dropped the tail gate and caught the back of a heat and if nothing else, got some valuable practice laps. The Blashe team opted to do something different in 2016 and chose to come to Arizona, rather than racing in Florida like they normally do.
The Late Model field was fantastic for the opening weekend, with sixty cars signing in on night one and only Bobby Hogge, Billy Franklin and Greg Jelvik opting not to run on night two. With Donny Schatz' rig already here waiting his arrival from Australia and several local entries waiting for things to sort out a bit before they hit the track, it would appear that the fields will remain large and strong for the next four rounds of racing.
Of course, many were talking about Jonathan Davenport, both in anticipation of seeing him on the track for the first time and later, about his gaffe when he failed to go directly to the scale after winning a heat race, thus putting him in a great hole that even he couldn't dig himself out of in terms of winning on opening night. However, he still came from near the back to qualify through a B feature and came from nineteenth to fifth in the opening night main.
The Late Model car count was up ten from last year's event and the quality of the field was one to rave about. Not every big name in the country was here, but most were and the fields in Florida will be hard pressed to match both the numbers and quality of what we saw here on the desert. Another special element of this series is that the variety of racers is unprecedented with cars from all parts of the country that probably couldn't be seen anywhere else.
Don O'Neal was fearless in winning the opening night main, as Don often is when he races, and the strength of Davenport was on display in night two as he patiently worked his way up from the third row to pass Jimmy Mars with only a couple of laps remaining.
A couple of the most consistent drivers on opening weekend were Steve Francis and A.J. Diemel. Francis was very good both nights in the David Peterson entry and can there be a stronger part time as needed ride for Francis than this car? Diemel has been smooth both nights while recording top five finishes with both Shane Clanton and Jason Papich also recording good finishes both nights. At the end of night two's race, Papich may have been the fastest car on the track and to think where he started at in this series just a short few years ago!
Track conditions varied wildly over the two nights of racing, totally due to the unseasonable weather Tucson has been getting. With double the monthly rainfall already in the first few days of January, there were puddles lots of places where I had never seen standing water in the desert before and even the lower West end of the pit area was unusable due to the mud in that area! With rain still falling through the practice session on Friday night, the racing surface just didn't have time to dry out and it was bad fast on Saturday. Too bad fast, frankly. Even the most fearless of the racers expressed the feeling that the surface was just too fast for good racing. U.S.A. Raceway is a track that raises the hair on the back of the necks of many drivers the first time they race there anyway, as it is a huge momentum track where the brakes get little use. Throw in a very tacky surface on top of that and wow, it is a handful and a half for even the most brave.
By Sunday, the surface was baked out and much better as it got black and slick from top to bottom and turned into a totally different kind of track, one that was much more driver friendly and required some skills, not just a heavy right foot and a big heart! With no rain in the forecast for the rest of the week, this in the kind of racing I would expect from now on.
One of the real surprise drivers so far in the Late Models is a driver from my area, Dustin Strand from Grand Forks N.D. He is driving a new Victory chassis from Moyer and he has been extremely fast both nights so far, his first real times running an open motored cars. He had a real good run Saturday until a piece broke that sent him into the wall and Sunday he had some adjusting to do with the changing track while still discovering all that was wrong on the car after his wall banger.
Probably almost as impressive as the Late Model field was the great turnout of Modifieds with forty four of them signing in to race on Saturday and thirty nine on Sunday. This was nearly fifteen more than showed for last year's event and a really strong number. One must remember that there are nearly no Modifieds left in the local area between the lack of local racing in Tucson during the year and the remaining racing North of here all done under the IMCA banner, which requires pretty much a totally different car than what used to race here under USRA sanctioning. But with much support for this event from the folks in El Paso and Las Cruces through sponsorships, USRA rules were in force but even with that, a great field of drivers towed in to race.
The story so far in the Modifieds has been Cade Dillard as the Louisiana driver, with a new car owner this year and two MB Customs in the trailer, has been very fast. Saturday he shocked many by tracking down and passing Rodney Sanders for the win, something that just doesn't happen too often anywhere.
Just as surprising as that, the Gallardo family cars have struggled so far in opening round action and Ryan Gustin, another expected to shine, didn't finish round one after a tangle and opted not to race the Mod on Sunday. After a rough opening night of problems, Stormy Scott got things together and put in a solid run on Sunday.
For those that follow IMCA, they were probably keeping their eye on Ricky Thornton Jr. and he did not disappoint. In fact, his weekend was very much on the amazing side. Things started out badly when his open motor dropped a valve in hot laps Saturday and it appeared he was done for the weekend before he even got started. However, a friendship made with South Dakota's Terry Haven proved advantageous when Haven offered his car to Thornton. In fact, Haven was running a motor that had been sold to him by Thornton.
With only time to change the tires before the heat race and never having sat in the car before, Thornton went out and won his heat race and was running in the top five in the feature until he got a flat tire. With more time to set things up, Thornton led many laps of the feature before Dillard squeezed by for the win but Thornton finished a strong second. Obviously, the Thornton crew was very grateful to Haven, a retired farmer from South Dakota who winters in Arizona but always brings his race car with him. While Haven uses a MasterSbilt by JMR chassis, Thornton told me they had another open motor being delivered to them by midweek so that Ricky could be back in his own Shaw chassis. They plan to hit the first month of racing in Texas under USMTS sanctioning later this early Spring as they try to top the forty seven wins of last year.
The third class here in Tucson is the X Mods and their numbers have been solid too. The opening features have been split between "the Modern Day Cowboy", Ron Schreiner and North Dakota's Tyler Peterson. Schreiner, a Wisconsin native who was a top runner in both Late Models and Modifieds in the upper Midwest until he decided to leave the cold Wisconsin Winters, has been a dominant force in the X Mod class both in Tucson and at other area tracks, even though he's still running the chassis he had up North with is now six years old.
Peterson is one of the brightest young stars in the upper Midwest in open wheel racing, having dominated the Midwest Mods at Red River Valley area tracks as well as earning WISSOTA National Rookie of the Year honors in 2015 in the Modifieds. On Saturday, he got wrecked in his heat and had to qualify from the back of a B. He then raced from seventeenth to second in the feature, only to blow a motor on the last lap and not finish. Sunday things went much and he led all the way for the win.
I have to give one last shout out to the drivers from my area of the country for their great support of this event. While some might say they are just trying to escape the cold weather up North (which might be partially true!), cars from my area have always traveled well. This weekend here in Arizona, thirty nine per cent of both the X Mod and Modified fields are made up of WISSOTA sanctioned drivers and even though the WISSOTA Late Models run a spec motor that is under powered against the open motors, nearly twenty per cent of the Late Model field are also WISSOTA sanctioned cars, most if not all having switched over to open motors for this series.
Track officials have done a good job of moving along the huge show and while things ran a little late on Saturday due to all the yellows and wrecks caused by the heavy track, things went much more smoothly on Sunday. In fact, all three feature races were completed with only one yellow flag total. The racing has improved as the weekend moved on and it only promises to get better as the drivers dial in the track even better.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Turning the calendar to 2016
With the holidays past us, it is time to put the 2015 racing season to bed and to look ahead at what 2016 may offer. Many things will be the same but there is always the inevitable change from year to year, some good and some things not so good. Let's talk about that in a moment. First let's break down 2015 and see how last season played out.
For me it was another good year of racing and in fact, one of my best ever in terms of races attended. In 2015 I attended one hundred and sixty five race events, which is the second highest year ever for me. It was also the fifth time that I have been to one hundred and sixty nights of racing or more in a year. It was also the thirty fifth consecutive year that I have attended at least one hundred nights of racing in a year.
In 2015 I saw racing at sixty six different race tracks in thirteen states. Interestingly, the sixty six different tracks ties my highest one year total of race tracks seen which happened last year, and that was also done in thirteen different states.
I saw four tracks for the first time ever in 2015. They were the Nobles Co. Speedway in Worthington MN, Rapid Speedway in Rock Rapids IA, The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indy for an indoor midget race.
I have now been to two hundred and ninety three different tracks in twenty eight states and three Canadian provinces. Those numbers would pale in comparison to a Randy Lewis or a Guy Smith who have been to six or seven times more tracks than that, but my mission has never been to try and set any records. I simply like going to the races and as an inevitable consequence of that, the numbers per year and total tracks attended have started to mount.
My strong preference is dirt over asphalt with the 164 vs. 1 comparison pretty overwhelming, especially considering that my home state is probably more well known nationally for the asphalt tracks we have compared to the dirt tracks. However, I still consider the Badger state to have many good dirt tracks from border to border, West to East. My willingness to travel to watch races does give me the chance to get a wider perspective than some on what is going on with racing trends, and I'm happy to report that I feel just as comfortable in the pits and know nearly as many people as I wonder the pits in the Dakotas to Iowa and Nebraska as to my home stomping ground.
While there is never a truly bad night at the races, certainly there are some nights that are more fun than others. Some of the highlights that pop into my head immediately from the 2015 season include the Wild West Shootout in Tucson which is an event that any race fan would love, whether they are a Late Model or a Modified fan. I went to the Rebel 5K race in Davenport for the first time in 2015 and found that to be a great early season race. The Lucas Oil Racing Series visited the Oshkosh Speedzone Raceway for the first time in 2015 and that proved to be a great night of racing. The Zone is really one of the nicest racing facilities in the Midwest, yet I'd guess that many people beyond the Badger state have never heard of it.
One of my favorite races every year is the Street Stock Little Dream race at the Rice Lake Speedway in Wisconsin. I may be partisan because I go to the races there every week, but anyone that attends that race once will tell you that it belongs on your "bucket list" of events to see. The uniqueness of this event, where the crowd contributes mightily to the final purse, makes it for a fund night of uncertainty and last year's winner went home with over 14 thousand dollars, a huge chuck of change for the Streeters and they responded by fielding over sixty entries for the race from four states and two Canadian provinces.
I always tout the John Seitz Memorial Race at the River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks North Dakota as one of the great events of any year. Over sixty Late Models are always on hand to battle it out on this little "bull ring" of a track that produces tremendous racing action along with the nights of Late Model racing, they also provide three nights of 410 sprints and great modified racing too.
Some other highlights of the year included a fantastic photo finish of a Late Model feature during the Twin 25's at AMSOIL Speedway in Superior Wisconsin where John Kaanta beat Jeff Provinzino by literally inches. Although the event was weather plagued in 2015, the Charlotte racing weekend was impressive and perhaps one that we'll try again some time.
Of course, there are always some "stinky" races, whether they be caused by the weather, poor car counts, poor race administration or just some of those nights when nothing seems to go right. I truly saw two of the worst in recent memory during the course of the 2015 season, but I won't name the tracks involved. I will only say that one was in Indiana and one in Nevada. Other than that, you'll have to use your own imagination!
As far as the breakdown, I visited fourteen tracks in Wisconsin, fifteen in Minnesota, fifteen in Iowa, three in South Dakota, two in North Dakota, four in Illinois, four in Missouri, one in Kansas, two in Nebraska, two in Nevada, on one each in Indiana, Arizona and North Carolina.
But, enough of 2015. Let's look at some things early in the 2016 racing season that have piqued my interest. The two tracks in Wisconsin that I wrote about last Fall that were reopening after being closed have made some decisions. The Spring Lake Speedway, which is near Unity Wisconsin in the central part of the state, has decided to sanction their Super Stocks, Street Stocks and MidMods with WISSOTA. They will run nonsanctioned Modifieds, which makes perfect sense since a few of the remaining racers in that area that they want and need to race with them have cars built to USRA specs.So they will undoubtedly write rules that allow USRA, WISSOTA and IMCA cars all to run.
The Tomahawk Speedway, back in business after having sat idle for two years, is waiting on another track to make a decision before they declare who they will sanction with and just exactly what rules they will use. Another area track, which has been for sale for an extended period and has been on and off with their racing, is too close for Tomahawk to run on the same night if they chose to request sanctioning, so Tomahawk is waiting to see if this other track decides to operate or not in 2016 which will play a big part in what Tomahawk decides to do.
The I-35 Speedway in Mason City, now known as Mason City Motor Speedway and a track that I generally get to a couple of times each year, has seen major changes. New promoters Al Hejna and Ryne Staley have convinced the county to make some major changes to the track and the sanctioning body has switched from IMCA to USRA. Pretty much surrounded by IMCA sanctioned tracks, they will have to rely on cars from the Deer Creek and Upper Iowa Speedway areas to help them fill out their fields. They will use the tactic of the "transitional rules" to help ease the switch over, a tactic used successfully by several of the sanctioning bodies.
In Southeast Iowa, Mike VanGenderen surprised me when he announced that he was bringing back Late Models to the weekly show at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. And in a bold move, he wrote a whole new set of rules for his Late Model class that include two options for the crate motored cars and rules that would allow the IMCA Late Models to also race. This new rules package didn't get high grades from some at the IMCA "head shed" when I asked them, but I can understand why. As with any "for profit" business, they make more money the more tracks they sanction and the more drivers who buy licenses. If these new rules go over and drivers start building cars based on these rules, it may cost IMCA more cars and tracks. Strange though, that for a sanctioning body that is so "gung ho" about crate motors in every other class, that they haven't tried to implement rules by now for their Late Models with a crate option.
As I write this, two of the finest dirt tracks in northeastern Wisconsin are going through some difficulties of their own. Seymour Speedway, which has been a Sunday night track for many years, and now that they have changed the track from a tri oval to a tree oval track has provided some of the best racing of any track in that area, is currently undergoing a major change in management.
For many years the track has been a club operated facility, negotiating a deal with the Fair Board. However, the club has struggled from time to time and as with many of the club operated tracks, has both struggled to find people willing to devote their time while also having the expertise needed to operate a special business like a race track is. They got into arrears in their payments to the county, and the threat was there that if they didn't get things squared away, the country would either find some other use for the fairgrounds or simply end racing. Dave Panske, who has been a member of the club for many years and a racing insider in the operation of the facility, has stepped forward to buy the assets of the club and promote the races in 2016. I was at Seymour a couple of times in 2015 and always saw good racing there but with all the tracks in northeastern Wisconsin, by the time that Sundays roll around, some times it's hard drawing both race cars and fans to the track. I wish Panske the best of luck with his efforts.
As I write this, I'm not certain if Luxemburg Speedway has found a promoter for 2016 or not. Luxemburg is truly one of the nicest racing plants in the state, but with so many tracks in close proximity, it has been a struggle for the last couple of years for former promoter Gene Mathu, and he had to fight many weather related issues as well.
Fargo North Dakota has always been one of racing's hot beds in the upper Midwest. There are a ton of racers from the Fargo area and when the Red River Valley Speedway shut down two years ago, it was a major loss for racing in that area. However, the drivers from Fargo didn't stop racing; they simply moved their racing to other tracks and places like I-94 Speedway in Fergus Falls MN and Buffalo River Speedway in Glyndon MN benefited from the extra drivers on hand that were displaced from their home track.
Now, Jake Bitker, who also runs the Norman County Raceway in Ada MN, about forty miles Northeast of Fargo, is going to be taking over as the promoter at Fargo and the track will again run a weekly program on Friday nights. Bitker also owns Performance Auto which is the biggest speed shop in Fargo and also sells various brands of racing chassis and motors.
I talked to Bitker last year in Tucson where he was helping on the Mods and Late Models that he owns, and at that time he told me that the Fair Board had been in contact with him but that the only way he would take over Fargo was if they let him run a weekly program and at that point, they were only interested in him promoting specials. Obviously, something has changed and someone has given in a year later.It will be interesting to see how well the fans support this new program which features neither Late Models or Sprint Cars on a weekly basis while both a local fan favorites, and what effect, if any, the reopening of Fargo plays on some of the other area tracks.
The Late Models have already had their first special of 2016 in Tennessee and the Sprints are racing already in Arizona. Within a few days we will be taking off for the Wild West Shootout in Tucson and many will soon be finalizing their plans to head to Florida. Those of us that are lucky enough to take advantage of some of these opportunities feel very blessed and anxiously await the start of another racing season.
For me it was another good year of racing and in fact, one of my best ever in terms of races attended. In 2015 I attended one hundred and sixty five race events, which is the second highest year ever for me. It was also the fifth time that I have been to one hundred and sixty nights of racing or more in a year. It was also the thirty fifth consecutive year that I have attended at least one hundred nights of racing in a year.
In 2015 I saw racing at sixty six different race tracks in thirteen states. Interestingly, the sixty six different tracks ties my highest one year total of race tracks seen which happened last year, and that was also done in thirteen different states.
I saw four tracks for the first time ever in 2015. They were the Nobles Co. Speedway in Worthington MN, Rapid Speedway in Rock Rapids IA, The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indy for an indoor midget race.
I have now been to two hundred and ninety three different tracks in twenty eight states and three Canadian provinces. Those numbers would pale in comparison to a Randy Lewis or a Guy Smith who have been to six or seven times more tracks than that, but my mission has never been to try and set any records. I simply like going to the races and as an inevitable consequence of that, the numbers per year and total tracks attended have started to mount.
My strong preference is dirt over asphalt with the 164 vs. 1 comparison pretty overwhelming, especially considering that my home state is probably more well known nationally for the asphalt tracks we have compared to the dirt tracks. However, I still consider the Badger state to have many good dirt tracks from border to border, West to East. My willingness to travel to watch races does give me the chance to get a wider perspective than some on what is going on with racing trends, and I'm happy to report that I feel just as comfortable in the pits and know nearly as many people as I wonder the pits in the Dakotas to Iowa and Nebraska as to my home stomping ground.
While there is never a truly bad night at the races, certainly there are some nights that are more fun than others. Some of the highlights that pop into my head immediately from the 2015 season include the Wild West Shootout in Tucson which is an event that any race fan would love, whether they are a Late Model or a Modified fan. I went to the Rebel 5K race in Davenport for the first time in 2015 and found that to be a great early season race. The Lucas Oil Racing Series visited the Oshkosh Speedzone Raceway for the first time in 2015 and that proved to be a great night of racing. The Zone is really one of the nicest racing facilities in the Midwest, yet I'd guess that many people beyond the Badger state have never heard of it.
One of my favorite races every year is the Street Stock Little Dream race at the Rice Lake Speedway in Wisconsin. I may be partisan because I go to the races there every week, but anyone that attends that race once will tell you that it belongs on your "bucket list" of events to see. The uniqueness of this event, where the crowd contributes mightily to the final purse, makes it for a fund night of uncertainty and last year's winner went home with over 14 thousand dollars, a huge chuck of change for the Streeters and they responded by fielding over sixty entries for the race from four states and two Canadian provinces.
I always tout the John Seitz Memorial Race at the River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks North Dakota as one of the great events of any year. Over sixty Late Models are always on hand to battle it out on this little "bull ring" of a track that produces tremendous racing action along with the nights of Late Model racing, they also provide three nights of 410 sprints and great modified racing too.
Some other highlights of the year included a fantastic photo finish of a Late Model feature during the Twin 25's at AMSOIL Speedway in Superior Wisconsin where John Kaanta beat Jeff Provinzino by literally inches. Although the event was weather plagued in 2015, the Charlotte racing weekend was impressive and perhaps one that we'll try again some time.
Of course, there are always some "stinky" races, whether they be caused by the weather, poor car counts, poor race administration or just some of those nights when nothing seems to go right. I truly saw two of the worst in recent memory during the course of the 2015 season, but I won't name the tracks involved. I will only say that one was in Indiana and one in Nevada. Other than that, you'll have to use your own imagination!
As far as the breakdown, I visited fourteen tracks in Wisconsin, fifteen in Minnesota, fifteen in Iowa, three in South Dakota, two in North Dakota, four in Illinois, four in Missouri, one in Kansas, two in Nebraska, two in Nevada, on one each in Indiana, Arizona and North Carolina.
But, enough of 2015. Let's look at some things early in the 2016 racing season that have piqued my interest. The two tracks in Wisconsin that I wrote about last Fall that were reopening after being closed have made some decisions. The Spring Lake Speedway, which is near Unity Wisconsin in the central part of the state, has decided to sanction their Super Stocks, Street Stocks and MidMods with WISSOTA. They will run nonsanctioned Modifieds, which makes perfect sense since a few of the remaining racers in that area that they want and need to race with them have cars built to USRA specs.So they will undoubtedly write rules that allow USRA, WISSOTA and IMCA cars all to run.
The Tomahawk Speedway, back in business after having sat idle for two years, is waiting on another track to make a decision before they declare who they will sanction with and just exactly what rules they will use. Another area track, which has been for sale for an extended period and has been on and off with their racing, is too close for Tomahawk to run on the same night if they chose to request sanctioning, so Tomahawk is waiting to see if this other track decides to operate or not in 2016 which will play a big part in what Tomahawk decides to do.
The I-35 Speedway in Mason City, now known as Mason City Motor Speedway and a track that I generally get to a couple of times each year, has seen major changes. New promoters Al Hejna and Ryne Staley have convinced the county to make some major changes to the track and the sanctioning body has switched from IMCA to USRA. Pretty much surrounded by IMCA sanctioned tracks, they will have to rely on cars from the Deer Creek and Upper Iowa Speedway areas to help them fill out their fields. They will use the tactic of the "transitional rules" to help ease the switch over, a tactic used successfully by several of the sanctioning bodies.
In Southeast Iowa, Mike VanGenderen surprised me when he announced that he was bringing back Late Models to the weekly show at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. And in a bold move, he wrote a whole new set of rules for his Late Model class that include two options for the crate motored cars and rules that would allow the IMCA Late Models to also race. This new rules package didn't get high grades from some at the IMCA "head shed" when I asked them, but I can understand why. As with any "for profit" business, they make more money the more tracks they sanction and the more drivers who buy licenses. If these new rules go over and drivers start building cars based on these rules, it may cost IMCA more cars and tracks. Strange though, that for a sanctioning body that is so "gung ho" about crate motors in every other class, that they haven't tried to implement rules by now for their Late Models with a crate option.
As I write this, two of the finest dirt tracks in northeastern Wisconsin are going through some difficulties of their own. Seymour Speedway, which has been a Sunday night track for many years, and now that they have changed the track from a tri oval to a tree oval track has provided some of the best racing of any track in that area, is currently undergoing a major change in management.
For many years the track has been a club operated facility, negotiating a deal with the Fair Board. However, the club has struggled from time to time and as with many of the club operated tracks, has both struggled to find people willing to devote their time while also having the expertise needed to operate a special business like a race track is. They got into arrears in their payments to the county, and the threat was there that if they didn't get things squared away, the country would either find some other use for the fairgrounds or simply end racing. Dave Panske, who has been a member of the club for many years and a racing insider in the operation of the facility, has stepped forward to buy the assets of the club and promote the races in 2016. I was at Seymour a couple of times in 2015 and always saw good racing there but with all the tracks in northeastern Wisconsin, by the time that Sundays roll around, some times it's hard drawing both race cars and fans to the track. I wish Panske the best of luck with his efforts.
As I write this, I'm not certain if Luxemburg Speedway has found a promoter for 2016 or not. Luxemburg is truly one of the nicest racing plants in the state, but with so many tracks in close proximity, it has been a struggle for the last couple of years for former promoter Gene Mathu, and he had to fight many weather related issues as well.
Fargo North Dakota has always been one of racing's hot beds in the upper Midwest. There are a ton of racers from the Fargo area and when the Red River Valley Speedway shut down two years ago, it was a major loss for racing in that area. However, the drivers from Fargo didn't stop racing; they simply moved their racing to other tracks and places like I-94 Speedway in Fergus Falls MN and Buffalo River Speedway in Glyndon MN benefited from the extra drivers on hand that were displaced from their home track.
Now, Jake Bitker, who also runs the Norman County Raceway in Ada MN, about forty miles Northeast of Fargo, is going to be taking over as the promoter at Fargo and the track will again run a weekly program on Friday nights. Bitker also owns Performance Auto which is the biggest speed shop in Fargo and also sells various brands of racing chassis and motors.
I talked to Bitker last year in Tucson where he was helping on the Mods and Late Models that he owns, and at that time he told me that the Fair Board had been in contact with him but that the only way he would take over Fargo was if they let him run a weekly program and at that point, they were only interested in him promoting specials. Obviously, something has changed and someone has given in a year later.It will be interesting to see how well the fans support this new program which features neither Late Models or Sprint Cars on a weekly basis while both a local fan favorites, and what effect, if any, the reopening of Fargo plays on some of the other area tracks.
The Late Models have already had their first special of 2016 in Tennessee and the Sprints are racing already in Arizona. Within a few days we will be taking off for the Wild West Shootout in Tucson and many will soon be finalizing their plans to head to Florida. Those of us that are lucky enough to take advantage of some of these opportunities feel very blessed and anxiously await the start of another racing season.
Monday, December 21, 2015
USAC in Du Quoin
Saturday night, December 19th, the die hards in the world of racing gathered together one last time before the calendar flips over to 2016 to share some short track racing action.
The scene was the Southern Illinois Center, across the street from the "Magic Mile" in historic Du Quoin Illinois for the "Junior Knepper 55" for USAC Midgets on the tiny indoor dirt track used a couple a times each year for some late season and early season Midget racing.
This year's event was promoted by Nick Knepper and Derek LeMaster and featured sanctioning from USAC as opposed to POWRi which previously ran all the races at the "Mini Magic Mile" as announcer Jim Childers used to label this facility. And the split must be permanent as it was announced during the evening that USAC would begin its 2016 National Championship Midget season with a return trip to Du Quoin next March. What caused the split I can not say, but to the average race fan, the difference was indiscernible. Both groups brought big fields of cars, good officiating and excellent announcers and both groups ran off prompt programs. So for the average race fan, it was just a difference in the letters at the top of the headline, but likely much more important to some people.
Speaking of the race field, it was a great one as sixty two Midgets signed in to race and there were many big names among the entry list. While the difference in equipment is minimized by the smallness of the track, and luck certainly plays an important part in how the racing shakes out at such a small and action packed event, at the end, the name drivers and powerhouse teams seemed to find their way to the front of the field to battle it out for the win.
The race format for this evening's event was one that is used for the Chili Bowl and also, I believe, by the ASCS for their racing events. No qualifying(thank goodness) and instead heat races set by the draw from which passing points were established. The top forty in points move into four qualifiers which are inverted by six, and then passing points are used again. The top twelve in total passing points make the show, the rest move into two B features with four cars from the C tagging the field. Four out of each B set the twenty car feature field, going for fifty five laps in honor of the Knepper family.
Race fans get more than their "bang" for the buck as seventeen races are on the card for the evening. and this is truly racing, very unlike much of what happens indoors at some events. The track is wide enough to pass on and race hard on and the track officials do a great job of staying with the track and making it racy from start to finish. Dust is very minimal and the surface is always heavy, allowing for a nice berm and the potential for some hair raising slide jobs, all in fun of course! And after last weekend's debacle at Indianapolis at their attempt at an indoor event, things looked just that much more impressive this weekend with the high speeds, rooster tails of clay and passing galore.
Blake Anderson was behind the microphone this weekend and he did a great job of calling the action and setting up the program for the fans. We did miss Childers though, as the long time announcer has hung up his microphone after a long and distinguished career calling races all over the Midwest. I first met Jim at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway when he was hired to announce there after that state of the art facility was built, and since Jim lived just across the Ohio River in Metropolis Illinois, it was natural for him to be there. Over the years, we have run into each other at various racing venues, and while I saw him in the crowd Saturday, I did not get the chance to say hello.
The racing itself was very eventful, with more action than could possibly be related in this blog. At the end, it was several of the biggest names on hand that battled it out. And to show how much passing there was, winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Tyler Thomas both went to the back of the pack in a first lap tangle and yet both worked their way back to the front before the end. Stenhouse got the win when he slid past Bryan Clauson with only three laps to go. Clauson had a smoking motor and he seemed to be getting just a little slower off the corners at the end and Stenhouse took advantage to dive under him for the win. Thomas looked to be the fastest of anyone in the house but after he worked his way back up to third, he again got into a tangle and was a DNF.
The biggest surprise of the night to me was the work of Katlynn Leer. The female driver from Iowa did a great job to make the main event and while her car seemed to be down on speed compared to some in the field, many people around me were remarking how smoothly she drove which allowed her to make the show. It was quite an improvement over just a couple of years ago when I saw her race in this event and she was quite slow, frankly.
There was plenty of action over the course of the night as thirteen flips were recorded. When someone asked if that was a record, the remarkable Dick Jordan, USAC statistician extraordinaire, already had the information available that it was the most ever for any USAC event in history! Not only that, but the car count was a USAC high for the year and the most Midgets at a USAC race since 2008.
Probably the only down side to the evening was that the air got pretty bad a couple of times. Whether that was the result of the warmer than normal temperatures that didn't allow the fresh air to filter in so much or just that there were so many cars racing, it did get pretty nasty for a couple of stretches until a yellow flag or the end of an event allowed for a short break.
Racing did not get done until almost Midnight, not because of any delays in the program or a lack of organization, but mostly just because they had so many races to run. If I had my "druthers", since everyone arrives to this race way early, and the sun has no effect on the track being indoors, I'd like to see then try starting at mid afternoon and shoot for an earlier conclusion.
This is not an event where you would want to take someone to see their first race. It is noisy and it can be smoky, but for a veteran race fan that knows what to expect, it is a great night of highly entertaining racing, done up close and personal. This event ranks right up there with the Chili Bowl, albeit on a smaller scale, but no one drives away from Du Quoin not feeling they got their monies worth. That is probably the reason that every event I've been to there always is played out in front of a full house. Congratulations to everyone involved in this program, it was an action packed way of wrapping up the race season.
Next up for me will be our annual trip to Tucson for the Wild West Shootout. Nearly each day, more and more drivers are announcing their intentions of attending this race, making it potentially one of the real "happenings" of the upcoming season.
I hope to soon tally up my 2015 racing season and bring you some information on that. In the meantime, happy holidays to all and best wishes for a prosperous New Year.
The scene was the Southern Illinois Center, across the street from the "Magic Mile" in historic Du Quoin Illinois for the "Junior Knepper 55" for USAC Midgets on the tiny indoor dirt track used a couple a times each year for some late season and early season Midget racing.
This year's event was promoted by Nick Knepper and Derek LeMaster and featured sanctioning from USAC as opposed to POWRi which previously ran all the races at the "Mini Magic Mile" as announcer Jim Childers used to label this facility. And the split must be permanent as it was announced during the evening that USAC would begin its 2016 National Championship Midget season with a return trip to Du Quoin next March. What caused the split I can not say, but to the average race fan, the difference was indiscernible. Both groups brought big fields of cars, good officiating and excellent announcers and both groups ran off prompt programs. So for the average race fan, it was just a difference in the letters at the top of the headline, but likely much more important to some people.
Speaking of the race field, it was a great one as sixty two Midgets signed in to race and there were many big names among the entry list. While the difference in equipment is minimized by the smallness of the track, and luck certainly plays an important part in how the racing shakes out at such a small and action packed event, at the end, the name drivers and powerhouse teams seemed to find their way to the front of the field to battle it out for the win.
The race format for this evening's event was one that is used for the Chili Bowl and also, I believe, by the ASCS for their racing events. No qualifying(thank goodness) and instead heat races set by the draw from which passing points were established. The top forty in points move into four qualifiers which are inverted by six, and then passing points are used again. The top twelve in total passing points make the show, the rest move into two B features with four cars from the C tagging the field. Four out of each B set the twenty car feature field, going for fifty five laps in honor of the Knepper family.
Race fans get more than their "bang" for the buck as seventeen races are on the card for the evening. and this is truly racing, very unlike much of what happens indoors at some events. The track is wide enough to pass on and race hard on and the track officials do a great job of staying with the track and making it racy from start to finish. Dust is very minimal and the surface is always heavy, allowing for a nice berm and the potential for some hair raising slide jobs, all in fun of course! And after last weekend's debacle at Indianapolis at their attempt at an indoor event, things looked just that much more impressive this weekend with the high speeds, rooster tails of clay and passing galore.
Blake Anderson was behind the microphone this weekend and he did a great job of calling the action and setting up the program for the fans. We did miss Childers though, as the long time announcer has hung up his microphone after a long and distinguished career calling races all over the Midwest. I first met Jim at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway when he was hired to announce there after that state of the art facility was built, and since Jim lived just across the Ohio River in Metropolis Illinois, it was natural for him to be there. Over the years, we have run into each other at various racing venues, and while I saw him in the crowd Saturday, I did not get the chance to say hello.
The racing itself was very eventful, with more action than could possibly be related in this blog. At the end, it was several of the biggest names on hand that battled it out. And to show how much passing there was, winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Tyler Thomas both went to the back of the pack in a first lap tangle and yet both worked their way back to the front before the end. Stenhouse got the win when he slid past Bryan Clauson with only three laps to go. Clauson had a smoking motor and he seemed to be getting just a little slower off the corners at the end and Stenhouse took advantage to dive under him for the win. Thomas looked to be the fastest of anyone in the house but after he worked his way back up to third, he again got into a tangle and was a DNF.
The biggest surprise of the night to me was the work of Katlynn Leer. The female driver from Iowa did a great job to make the main event and while her car seemed to be down on speed compared to some in the field, many people around me were remarking how smoothly she drove which allowed her to make the show. It was quite an improvement over just a couple of years ago when I saw her race in this event and she was quite slow, frankly.
There was plenty of action over the course of the night as thirteen flips were recorded. When someone asked if that was a record, the remarkable Dick Jordan, USAC statistician extraordinaire, already had the information available that it was the most ever for any USAC event in history! Not only that, but the car count was a USAC high for the year and the most Midgets at a USAC race since 2008.
Probably the only down side to the evening was that the air got pretty bad a couple of times. Whether that was the result of the warmer than normal temperatures that didn't allow the fresh air to filter in so much or just that there were so many cars racing, it did get pretty nasty for a couple of stretches until a yellow flag or the end of an event allowed for a short break.
Racing did not get done until almost Midnight, not because of any delays in the program or a lack of organization, but mostly just because they had so many races to run. If I had my "druthers", since everyone arrives to this race way early, and the sun has no effect on the track being indoors, I'd like to see then try starting at mid afternoon and shoot for an earlier conclusion.
This is not an event where you would want to take someone to see their first race. It is noisy and it can be smoky, but for a veteran race fan that knows what to expect, it is a great night of highly entertaining racing, done up close and personal. This event ranks right up there with the Chili Bowl, albeit on a smaller scale, but no one drives away from Du Quoin not feeling they got their monies worth. That is probably the reason that every event I've been to there always is played out in front of a full house. Congratulations to everyone involved in this program, it was an action packed way of wrapping up the race season.
Next up for me will be our annual trip to Tucson for the Wild West Shootout. Nearly each day, more and more drivers are announcing their intentions of attending this race, making it potentially one of the real "happenings" of the upcoming season.
I hope to soon tally up my 2015 racing season and bring you some information on that. In the meantime, happy holidays to all and best wishes for a prosperous New Year.
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Turkey in December?
Although it took two additional weeks to get the race in and the calendar turned over to another month before the first green flag was finally waved, for the Springfield Raceway the third time was the charm as the twice postponed Turkey Bowl IX was completed Saturday afternoon at the red clay quarter mile track located just off Interstate 44.
On a day when except for the "bite" of the wind that kept everyone hunkered down in their Winter coats, it could just as easily been disguised as a day in late September or early October. Promoter Jerry Hoffman was determined to get this race in after two straight weekends of lousy weather, and even though racing in December might have been unsettling for some, there were plenty of drivers and spectators more than willing to give outdoor motor sports a shot in the month more reserved for Christmas shopping and snow shoveling in my part of the world.
I did a survey of veteran fans before the racing began to ask if anyone could ever remember attending an outdoor dirt track race in December in the Midwest. None of the people I spoke to could ever remember such a thing happening before and neither could I. Interestingly, nearly the exact same comments were coming out of the Northeast where a big block Modified race went to the green flag on Saturday after being rained out on previous attempts to complete the last outdoor race in New York state previously. Perhaps we are starting a trend that will become the new "norm."
In any event, it was a good way to wrap up the outdoor season, with a solid field of cars and a good sized crowd in the grandstand for the afternoon program that ended in the early evening hours, just as the temperatures really started to drop.
With the race going to the line so late in the season, I felt that there won't be block buster fields of cars on hand as many drivers have either stripped down their cars for freshening for 2016 and had tucked them away in the garages for the Winter. Nevertheless, nearly fifty Modifieds and B Mods were on hand for the show. The Late Model count was slightly below hopes with only fifteen signing in to race, but I feel that many that would have been ready to race for the first scheduled date either just felt they didn't want to wait around another two weeks for the final race before they could start tearing apart their cars in preparation for next year, or simply had too many other things going on in the rush before the 25th.
What did seem to be missing were some of the local racers as a quick look at the track point standings showed a lot of regulars not on hand while there were many racers that traveled a long distance for this race. Drivers from Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas and Illinois were on hand along with local and regional drivers from the "Show Me" state.
I had an opportunity to talk with a couple of the long distance travelers before the racing began. One was B Mod driver Doug Tye from Troy Illinois. He normally races at tracks such as I-55 and Granite City Illinois but had this race penciled on his calendar for quite some time and wasn't about to miss it. Doug's car draws a lot of interest with its wrap, which is a tribute car to the U.S. Air Force with many interesting designs and pictures on the car. Doug was a twenty year retiree from the Air Force and while he never had the chance to race while he was serving, now is his time to catch up. He told me that every one of the pictures and names had special significance to him and he reuses the wrap every year with slightly difference outlines so he can tell in pictures which year is which.
The highlight of Doug's 2015 season was traveling to Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Wisconsin for their big B Mod show in September. In fact, several of his friends traveled with him to race at that event and he said even more would be going in 2016. Doug had his car set up to WISSOTA regulations and had to get an OK from Hoffman to run that set up in the Turkey Bowl. He was even using the WISSOTA Hoosier tires. Next year Doug will have a second car, a Shaw chassis, to go with the Dirt Works he is running. One car will be for special events and one for weekly racing.
The other driver I spent some time with was Late Model driver "Chargin'" Charlie McKenna from Clear Lake Iowa. To see Charlie at this event was quite a surprise but he reasoned that the videos of this track made it look like a fun track that he might want to try. Probably the other reason was that Charlie got himself a new transporter and he was anxious to get it on the road and try it out. Originally owned by Steve Francis, the S & S unit was a beautiful riding vehicle according to McKenna and will allow him to get out and travel more in 2016.
Charlie had just been in Menomonie Wisconsin this week with his car at Mars Brothers Racing for some updating. Charlie plans to run both IMCA and open motor shows next year and he is excited to see the number of open shows already on the schedule. He had high things to say about the early work of new Mason City promoters Al Hejna and Ryne Staley and is excited to be able to run his Late Model as his "home" track. McKenna reports that Mars Racing is crazy busy as their MB Customs Modified program is extremely busy and Jimmy Mars will be debuting a totally reconfigured Late Model in Tucson in January. Other MB customers expected to race in Arizona at U.S.A. Raceway include Jason Krohn and Rodney Sanders.
Ryan Gustin was on hand with both his Late Model and Modified and he was happy that he brought both cars with him as he doubled up, winning both the Late Model and Modified feature. His Late Model win involved total domination as he quickly moved from the second row to the lead and once in front, the only question became just how many of the rest of the field could stay on the lead lap with him. At the end, only Shannon Scott and Jeremy Payne were able to keep from getting lapped as Gustin didn't back off on the torrid pace he was setting. It was a clean sweep for Henryetta Ford as that business adorns both Gustin and Scott's cars. Modified ace Eddie Martin from Oklahoma was running well in second until a mechanical issue put him in the pits. Peyton Looney and McKenna completed the top five.
Gustin's Modified win was much more hard fought as Springfield track champion Scott Crigler proved to be a tough man to pass. Crigler got the jump on Gustin at the start and led for a number of laps as Gustin tried time after time to get under him while Crigler protected the faster high side of the track. Eventually Gustin just kept working and working and was able to edge past Crigler to take over the lead. Crigler stayed close but Gustin was not to be passed once he was in front. Ken Schrader was on hand and was using his IMCA car and Schrader had a good run, holding the low side of the track and keeping up his momentum with his crate motor. He held third for all the race until the final corner when Logan Martin was able to edge him out. The combination of a slick track and the USRA cars running sans rear spoiler seemed to even out the competition and IMCA drivers Scott Drake, Josh Most, Danny Womack, Shane Demey and Peyton Taylor all made the feature with their less powerful motors; most being crates.
Passing points set the field for all three classes and while Gustin started the Modified main right up front, he earned that spot with a back to front drive in his heat race that racked up the points while the video went "viral."
The B Mod feature was a good one with J.C. Morton and Logan Martin battling for the lead. They got together coming off turn four and Martin climbed the front stretch fence and then slid on his roof all the way down the home stretch straight. He was unhurt in the wild wreck. Morton and Kris Jackson then locked into a good battle until they were joined by track champ Ryan Gillmore and after a series of wild slide jobs, Gillmore took over the lead and went on for the win.
The only "downer" of the day was the stupid incident that took place as the Martin wreck was being cleaned up. Martin made a few gestures toward Morton as the cars slowly idled around the track under the yellow, something that was not unexpected, given the situation. However, as the cars continued to circle the track, suddenly one of Martin's pit crew came bursting across the track as the field came by. He ran toward the moving car of Morton and tried to kick the front tire of J.C.'s car with Morton swerving to the left to try to avoid him. This situation immediately brought to mind the infamous Kevin Ward-Tony Stewart incident from last year, an unfortunate situation that the racing world is still trying to recover from. How this crewman was allowed to get on the track and even get near the moving cars is hard to fathom. What do we have to do to drill in people's heads that this kind of reaction is not only futile but extremely dangerous? And why do tracks even allow this to happen? This particular crewman should have been marched right off the track and off the speedway grounds, but I'm guessing that didn't happen. In any event, after this nonsense ended, the rest of the B Mod feature was a good one too.
Even though it was December , the famous hand made Turkey Bowl trophies were again handed out to the winners, and a more distinctive trophy would be hard to find, unless you consider Clarksville's Toilet Bowl trophies.
With all the rain of late in southern Missouri, I would have anticipated a choppy race track would be the result. However, Hoffman and the rest of his crew has the track in fine shape, and especially considering that the racing started in the early afternoon under sunny skies and lots of wind. The crowd seemed good although not as big as for some of the other Turkey Bowls, likely the result of the two week postponement.
Thanks go out to Hoffman and his crew for their diligence in getting this race completed. Many promoters would have thrown in the towel after the second postponement but Jerry's stubborn streak allowed us all to see one more race before the snow flies(actually it already has!), and make the long Winter a little shorter. And some day in the future, when we are sitting around the campfire telling stories, we will be reminded of the time we went to races in December in Missouri!
On a day when except for the "bite" of the wind that kept everyone hunkered down in their Winter coats, it could just as easily been disguised as a day in late September or early October. Promoter Jerry Hoffman was determined to get this race in after two straight weekends of lousy weather, and even though racing in December might have been unsettling for some, there were plenty of drivers and spectators more than willing to give outdoor motor sports a shot in the month more reserved for Christmas shopping and snow shoveling in my part of the world.
I did a survey of veteran fans before the racing began to ask if anyone could ever remember attending an outdoor dirt track race in December in the Midwest. None of the people I spoke to could ever remember such a thing happening before and neither could I. Interestingly, nearly the exact same comments were coming out of the Northeast where a big block Modified race went to the green flag on Saturday after being rained out on previous attempts to complete the last outdoor race in New York state previously. Perhaps we are starting a trend that will become the new "norm."
In any event, it was a good way to wrap up the outdoor season, with a solid field of cars and a good sized crowd in the grandstand for the afternoon program that ended in the early evening hours, just as the temperatures really started to drop.
With the race going to the line so late in the season, I felt that there won't be block buster fields of cars on hand as many drivers have either stripped down their cars for freshening for 2016 and had tucked them away in the garages for the Winter. Nevertheless, nearly fifty Modifieds and B Mods were on hand for the show. The Late Model count was slightly below hopes with only fifteen signing in to race, but I feel that many that would have been ready to race for the first scheduled date either just felt they didn't want to wait around another two weeks for the final race before they could start tearing apart their cars in preparation for next year, or simply had too many other things going on in the rush before the 25th.
What did seem to be missing were some of the local racers as a quick look at the track point standings showed a lot of regulars not on hand while there were many racers that traveled a long distance for this race. Drivers from Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas and Illinois were on hand along with local and regional drivers from the "Show Me" state.
I had an opportunity to talk with a couple of the long distance travelers before the racing began. One was B Mod driver Doug Tye from Troy Illinois. He normally races at tracks such as I-55 and Granite City Illinois but had this race penciled on his calendar for quite some time and wasn't about to miss it. Doug's car draws a lot of interest with its wrap, which is a tribute car to the U.S. Air Force with many interesting designs and pictures on the car. Doug was a twenty year retiree from the Air Force and while he never had the chance to race while he was serving, now is his time to catch up. He told me that every one of the pictures and names had special significance to him and he reuses the wrap every year with slightly difference outlines so he can tell in pictures which year is which.
The highlight of Doug's 2015 season was traveling to Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Wisconsin for their big B Mod show in September. In fact, several of his friends traveled with him to race at that event and he said even more would be going in 2016. Doug had his car set up to WISSOTA regulations and had to get an OK from Hoffman to run that set up in the Turkey Bowl. He was even using the WISSOTA Hoosier tires. Next year Doug will have a second car, a Shaw chassis, to go with the Dirt Works he is running. One car will be for special events and one for weekly racing.
The other driver I spent some time with was Late Model driver "Chargin'" Charlie McKenna from Clear Lake Iowa. To see Charlie at this event was quite a surprise but he reasoned that the videos of this track made it look like a fun track that he might want to try. Probably the other reason was that Charlie got himself a new transporter and he was anxious to get it on the road and try it out. Originally owned by Steve Francis, the S & S unit was a beautiful riding vehicle according to McKenna and will allow him to get out and travel more in 2016.
Charlie had just been in Menomonie Wisconsin this week with his car at Mars Brothers Racing for some updating. Charlie plans to run both IMCA and open motor shows next year and he is excited to see the number of open shows already on the schedule. He had high things to say about the early work of new Mason City promoters Al Hejna and Ryne Staley and is excited to be able to run his Late Model as his "home" track. McKenna reports that Mars Racing is crazy busy as their MB Customs Modified program is extremely busy and Jimmy Mars will be debuting a totally reconfigured Late Model in Tucson in January. Other MB customers expected to race in Arizona at U.S.A. Raceway include Jason Krohn and Rodney Sanders.
Ryan Gustin was on hand with both his Late Model and Modified and he was happy that he brought both cars with him as he doubled up, winning both the Late Model and Modified feature. His Late Model win involved total domination as he quickly moved from the second row to the lead and once in front, the only question became just how many of the rest of the field could stay on the lead lap with him. At the end, only Shannon Scott and Jeremy Payne were able to keep from getting lapped as Gustin didn't back off on the torrid pace he was setting. It was a clean sweep for Henryetta Ford as that business adorns both Gustin and Scott's cars. Modified ace Eddie Martin from Oklahoma was running well in second until a mechanical issue put him in the pits. Peyton Looney and McKenna completed the top five.
Gustin's Modified win was much more hard fought as Springfield track champion Scott Crigler proved to be a tough man to pass. Crigler got the jump on Gustin at the start and led for a number of laps as Gustin tried time after time to get under him while Crigler protected the faster high side of the track. Eventually Gustin just kept working and working and was able to edge past Crigler to take over the lead. Crigler stayed close but Gustin was not to be passed once he was in front. Ken Schrader was on hand and was using his IMCA car and Schrader had a good run, holding the low side of the track and keeping up his momentum with his crate motor. He held third for all the race until the final corner when Logan Martin was able to edge him out. The combination of a slick track and the USRA cars running sans rear spoiler seemed to even out the competition and IMCA drivers Scott Drake, Josh Most, Danny Womack, Shane Demey and Peyton Taylor all made the feature with their less powerful motors; most being crates.
Passing points set the field for all three classes and while Gustin started the Modified main right up front, he earned that spot with a back to front drive in his heat race that racked up the points while the video went "viral."
The B Mod feature was a good one with J.C. Morton and Logan Martin battling for the lead. They got together coming off turn four and Martin climbed the front stretch fence and then slid on his roof all the way down the home stretch straight. He was unhurt in the wild wreck. Morton and Kris Jackson then locked into a good battle until they were joined by track champ Ryan Gillmore and after a series of wild slide jobs, Gillmore took over the lead and went on for the win.
The only "downer" of the day was the stupid incident that took place as the Martin wreck was being cleaned up. Martin made a few gestures toward Morton as the cars slowly idled around the track under the yellow, something that was not unexpected, given the situation. However, as the cars continued to circle the track, suddenly one of Martin's pit crew came bursting across the track as the field came by. He ran toward the moving car of Morton and tried to kick the front tire of J.C.'s car with Morton swerving to the left to try to avoid him. This situation immediately brought to mind the infamous Kevin Ward-Tony Stewart incident from last year, an unfortunate situation that the racing world is still trying to recover from. How this crewman was allowed to get on the track and even get near the moving cars is hard to fathom. What do we have to do to drill in people's heads that this kind of reaction is not only futile but extremely dangerous? And why do tracks even allow this to happen? This particular crewman should have been marched right off the track and off the speedway grounds, but I'm guessing that didn't happen. In any event, after this nonsense ended, the rest of the B Mod feature was a good one too.
Even though it was December , the famous hand made Turkey Bowl trophies were again handed out to the winners, and a more distinctive trophy would be hard to find, unless you consider Clarksville's Toilet Bowl trophies.
With all the rain of late in southern Missouri, I would have anticipated a choppy race track would be the result. However, Hoffman and the rest of his crew has the track in fine shape, and especially considering that the racing started in the early afternoon under sunny skies and lots of wind. The crowd seemed good although not as big as for some of the other Turkey Bowls, likely the result of the two week postponement.
Thanks go out to Hoffman and his crew for their diligence in getting this race completed. Many promoters would have thrown in the towel after the second postponement but Jerry's stubborn streak allowed us all to see one more race before the snow flies(actually it already has!), and make the long Winter a little shorter. And some day in the future, when we are sitting around the campfire telling stories, we will be reminded of the time we went to races in December in Missouri!
Friday, November 27, 2015
Awaiting the WILD WEST SHOOTOUT
For most of us, the last few laps of the 2015 racing season are now over and just memories for us to reflect on as we wait to turn the page on the calendar over to January and start a new year. It doesn't take long to start to feel that restlessness that fills us in the off season as we wait for the first engines to fire and the fumes of a high performance racing engine to waft into the grandstands and tell us that another season of short track racing has begun.
If I may, I would like to suggest that you consider starting your 2016 racing season with a trip out West to warm and generally sunny south Arizona in January for the Wild West Shootout at U.S.A. Raceway in Tucson Arizona from January 9th through the 17th. A number of years ago, when we first considered a trip out to Arizona in January for dirt track racing, the idea seemed both exciting and daunting. However, after the first year we quickly discovered that the trip is not near as difficult as we might have imagined. For those that choose to drive, if you have the time to spare, it's not a bad trip at all. For those that fly, a little digging can generally find a pretty reasonably priced plane ticket. We just made our reservations within the last week and found some reasonable fares though Southwest Air Lines, but depending where you may be departing from, the best airline ticket may be with another carrier.
If you are flying and need to rent a car, our tip is to rent one in Tucson and not in Phoenix, even if that if the city that you land in. Rental cars are incredibly high priced in Phoenix and our calculations were that it was much cheaper and not that inconvenient to even catch a shuttle bus in Phoenix down to Tucson and then to rent a car there, the different in rental car prices was that significant.
Hotels can be had at a reasonable price with a wide variety of choices available in Tucson. The U.S.A. Raceway itself has an offer through its website with a hotel close to the track that offers a very good deal and that is one that we jumped on for 2016 but there are many other properties close by where a good deal can be had also. It is also surprising how many people have friends or relatives wintering in the Tucson/Phoenix area that would love to have you visit them in January, if you know what I mean.
January in Arizona is an event that can easily be sold as a true racing vacation, and has become one of the big selling points for both spectators and competitors. The weather is usually very agreeable and attractive to even those family members that might not normally travel that far to watch a race. While the racing is intense, the off days during the series are pleasant and perfectly timed so as to allow those that wish it, the chance for a couple of days to either relax in the sun or do some other touristy things. In the years we have been going to this race, we have found many fantastic and interesting things to do in Tucson and the surrounding areas and have yet to run out of exciting things to do in our off days. And the food at area restaurants in and around Tucson is spectacular, so if you wind up at Mickey D's, it's your own fault! If you're bold enough, try the local food trucks and you won't be sorry.
Now, let's talk racing. Some of the best Late Model and Modified racing I have seen in recent years has been at U.S.A. Raceway in Tucson for the winter series. The track is just the right size and the surface generally holds up very well over the course of the ten days. They work hard to prep the track and keep it in good shape and there is always lots of side by side racing and passing and a minimum of dust for the fans to deal with.
The field of race cars is spectacular and with the extra money in the purses for 2016 plus other incentives, the fields are expected to be even bigger for 2016. More and more nationally known drivers are finding out that Tucson is a great way to test for the coming year, perhaps make some good money on top of that and also enjoy a few days of warm sunshine. But it's more than just the "big names" that show up. This series provides one of the most cosmopolitan groups of racers that can be seen all year and much of the fun is watching drivers that won't compete against each other the rest of the year go at it and nearly every year, surprises take place that have people talking all Spring. You truly never know just who might show up for this series and that is part of the fun. Even the seasoned announcers and journalists comment on what an interesting field of cars show for this event and how unique the racing fields can be. Every year there emerges a driver or drivers that surprise and shock the troops at this series and that is part of the fun, waiting to see who that driver will be each year.
Along with the Late Models, the Modifieds always put on a great show with some of the top talent in this class from throughout the country. There is always a strong contingent of drivers from the North and honestly, for me who sees many of these guys and gals race during the Summer, it's especially fun to see them take on and do well against some of the best around.
For a few years, the other support classes were not of the best but especially last year, when they settled on the X Mods as the third class, their program really took off. The quality and quantity of the X Mods vastly improved and their portion of the program provided some close racing with not a lot of yellow flags, something vital to keeping the program moving. I know it sounds crazy, but the combination of Winter racing and the warm weather has seen drivers pull all the way from Canada to race in the X Mods!
Track officials have always been spot on about running off a quick program here and this is one series that won't find you at the track until the wee hours of the morning, unless you choose to party that long afterward! And ticket prices for these events are very reasonably priced and actually a great bargain compared to what you might have to pay for a similar program later in the year.
After a very successful series last year, promoters Chris Kearns and Mike Montgomery have really upped the ante for 2016. Purses have been raised significantly for the Late Models and more drivers are expected to join the field for 2016. The Keyser Quarter-Million Challenge plus additional sponsors like Real Truck.com, Barnett Harley-Davidson, Mesilla Valley Transportation and Border International Truck and Trailer Sales all will help to increase the visibility of this series and no doubt stir additional drivers to make the pull Southwest.
For those that can't attend the races in person, a good alternative would be to purchase the series package on pay-per-view from DirtonDirt.com, who do a great job of presenting the action. However, I would say that there is nothing that can replace the excitement of witnessing the racing first hand. Do yourself a favor and take in one of the rising events in the country at a time of the year when everyone can use a break from the cold and snow. Each year I run into more people from my area and the rest of the Midwest checking out the racing in Tucson in January and I have not yet heard from a single one that they were sorry they made the decision with most immediately working on their plans for the following year. Take their lead and check it out as I don't think you would be sorry either.
If I may, I would like to suggest that you consider starting your 2016 racing season with a trip out West to warm and generally sunny south Arizona in January for the Wild West Shootout at U.S.A. Raceway in Tucson Arizona from January 9th through the 17th. A number of years ago, when we first considered a trip out to Arizona in January for dirt track racing, the idea seemed both exciting and daunting. However, after the first year we quickly discovered that the trip is not near as difficult as we might have imagined. For those that choose to drive, if you have the time to spare, it's not a bad trip at all. For those that fly, a little digging can generally find a pretty reasonably priced plane ticket. We just made our reservations within the last week and found some reasonable fares though Southwest Air Lines, but depending where you may be departing from, the best airline ticket may be with another carrier.
If you are flying and need to rent a car, our tip is to rent one in Tucson and not in Phoenix, even if that if the city that you land in. Rental cars are incredibly high priced in Phoenix and our calculations were that it was much cheaper and not that inconvenient to even catch a shuttle bus in Phoenix down to Tucson and then to rent a car there, the different in rental car prices was that significant.
Hotels can be had at a reasonable price with a wide variety of choices available in Tucson. The U.S.A. Raceway itself has an offer through its website with a hotel close to the track that offers a very good deal and that is one that we jumped on for 2016 but there are many other properties close by where a good deal can be had also. It is also surprising how many people have friends or relatives wintering in the Tucson/Phoenix area that would love to have you visit them in January, if you know what I mean.
January in Arizona is an event that can easily be sold as a true racing vacation, and has become one of the big selling points for both spectators and competitors. The weather is usually very agreeable and attractive to even those family members that might not normally travel that far to watch a race. While the racing is intense, the off days during the series are pleasant and perfectly timed so as to allow those that wish it, the chance for a couple of days to either relax in the sun or do some other touristy things. In the years we have been going to this race, we have found many fantastic and interesting things to do in Tucson and the surrounding areas and have yet to run out of exciting things to do in our off days. And the food at area restaurants in and around Tucson is spectacular, so if you wind up at Mickey D's, it's your own fault! If you're bold enough, try the local food trucks and you won't be sorry.
Now, let's talk racing. Some of the best Late Model and Modified racing I have seen in recent years has been at U.S.A. Raceway in Tucson for the winter series. The track is just the right size and the surface generally holds up very well over the course of the ten days. They work hard to prep the track and keep it in good shape and there is always lots of side by side racing and passing and a minimum of dust for the fans to deal with.
The field of race cars is spectacular and with the extra money in the purses for 2016 plus other incentives, the fields are expected to be even bigger for 2016. More and more nationally known drivers are finding out that Tucson is a great way to test for the coming year, perhaps make some good money on top of that and also enjoy a few days of warm sunshine. But it's more than just the "big names" that show up. This series provides one of the most cosmopolitan groups of racers that can be seen all year and much of the fun is watching drivers that won't compete against each other the rest of the year go at it and nearly every year, surprises take place that have people talking all Spring. You truly never know just who might show up for this series and that is part of the fun. Even the seasoned announcers and journalists comment on what an interesting field of cars show for this event and how unique the racing fields can be. Every year there emerges a driver or drivers that surprise and shock the troops at this series and that is part of the fun, waiting to see who that driver will be each year.
Along with the Late Models, the Modifieds always put on a great show with some of the top talent in this class from throughout the country. There is always a strong contingent of drivers from the North and honestly, for me who sees many of these guys and gals race during the Summer, it's especially fun to see them take on and do well against some of the best around.
For a few years, the other support classes were not of the best but especially last year, when they settled on the X Mods as the third class, their program really took off. The quality and quantity of the X Mods vastly improved and their portion of the program provided some close racing with not a lot of yellow flags, something vital to keeping the program moving. I know it sounds crazy, but the combination of Winter racing and the warm weather has seen drivers pull all the way from Canada to race in the X Mods!
Track officials have always been spot on about running off a quick program here and this is one series that won't find you at the track until the wee hours of the morning, unless you choose to party that long afterward! And ticket prices for these events are very reasonably priced and actually a great bargain compared to what you might have to pay for a similar program later in the year.
After a very successful series last year, promoters Chris Kearns and Mike Montgomery have really upped the ante for 2016. Purses have been raised significantly for the Late Models and more drivers are expected to join the field for 2016. The Keyser Quarter-Million Challenge plus additional sponsors like Real Truck.com, Barnett Harley-Davidson, Mesilla Valley Transportation and Border International Truck and Trailer Sales all will help to increase the visibility of this series and no doubt stir additional drivers to make the pull Southwest.
For those that can't attend the races in person, a good alternative would be to purchase the series package on pay-per-view from DirtonDirt.com, who do a great job of presenting the action. However, I would say that there is nothing that can replace the excitement of witnessing the racing first hand. Do yourself a favor and take in one of the rising events in the country at a time of the year when everyone can use a break from the cold and snow. Each year I run into more people from my area and the rest of the Midwest checking out the racing in Tucson in January and I have not yet heard from a single one that they were sorry they made the decision with most immediately working on their plans for the following year. Take their lead and check it out as I don't think you would be sorry either.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
A Comparison of the SMI Dirt Tracks
While I chose not to blog about it due to the fact I was there on my own dime, a couple of weeks ago, at the last minute and on a "wild hair" idea, Linda and I drove to Charlotte North Carolina for the World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway featuring the last race of the year for the World of Outlaws Sprints and Late Models plus the big block Modifieds in their Super Dirt Series finale.
When the long range forecast of great weather suddenly turned much grimmer just before our scheduled time of departure, it was probably a fool hardy trip, especially knowing that if the Sunday rain date was used, we couldn't stay to see that part of the show. Be it as it may, we still went and while we battled the weather for three days and only saw one of the two scheduled programs, it was still an entertaining and learning experience for us.
We picked probably the worst year ever to attend this race with all of the weather issues but record numbers of both Late Models and Sprint Cars showed up anyway along with a stout field of Big Block Modifieds. The racing was intense in all three classes despite the difficult track conditions that saw a lot of expense race cars used up and I could not help but marvel at hard the drivers raced, even though the track was a real handful. of particular interest for me on this trip was the opportunity to see the Big Blocks in action. In the last couple of years I have developed quite an increased interest in the center steer Modifieds that are huge on the East Coast. With the lack of race papers now available(some of you hopefully still remember what a race PAPER was), I started subscribing to Area Auto Racing News which is published in Trenton New Jersey. Owner Lenny Sammons and his writers do a great job of covering racing, particularly East of the Mississippi, and their coverage of Modifieds, Late Models and Sprints is first rate and it is perhaps the best race paper I have ever read, bar none.
Anyway, I was very anxious to see drivers like Tremont, Friesen, Sheppard, Pauch and Hearn race for the first time and they didn't leave me disappointed. Even Linda, who knew none of these drivers, had to admit that their racing was some of the best of the entire weekend. What I was surprised was how poorly they were treated as a class. Going from being the "big shots" on the East Coast, they became the track packers here and they raced first both when the track was at its worst and also the latest in the wee hours of Saturday morning. But I saw enough that I know that I would definitely like to see them again some time, perhaps at a track just a mite smaller that Charlotte.
But I digress. This blog was to compare the three SMI tracks and in the short days after Charlotte, we then flew out to Vegas for IMCA's Duel In The Desert at SMI's track there. I'm guessing that we may have been the only two to pull off that doubleheader, but it's not surprising since there aren't that many "goofballs" left around any more.
All three SMI tracks are first rate and provide great accommodations for the fans. All three have fantastic grandstands with excellent, TV quality lighting. The sound systems are great in all three and the only time I ever had any trouble hearing was at Charlotte when I was trying to hear time trials with multiple cars on the track. For some reason, even though all cars were using transponders to record times, they didn't flash the times on the scoreboards, which are actually pretty pedestrian at all three tracks and certainly not like anything Knoxville has for example.
While the spectator seating and amenities are pretty similar at all three tracks, the pits areas on the other hand vary widely. Vegas has great pit parking that is all on blacktop for almost as far as one can see while Texas is slightly smaller but still good. Charlotte, on the other hand, is worlds behind. Most of the cars pit on dirt quite a distance behind the pit grandstands while the Sprint Cars are crammed in a tight area just off turn one with the unfortunate late ones from the non power teams forced to pit on grass in a spectator parking area that with all the rains this Fall, was a muddy mess with haulers sinking out of sight on occasion.
Pit amenities varied considerably with Charlotte again on the outside looking in. Both Vegas and Texas have fine restroom facilities for the pit personal while Charlotte is still in the dark ages with Satellites the only convenience offered.
Without seeing a race at Charlotte that wasn't plagued by all the wet weather that made the track tough to both pack in and race on, I have to qualify any comparisons on the racing surfaces and the racing itself. I was only at Texas one time, and both nights of the racing there were very good on a smooth and fast surface that did take just a little rubber for the Late Models. The infield tunnel there is a special bonus as it allows cars to exit to the pits smoothly while not holding up the action for those in the next race rolling on to the track.
Charlotte seemed like it would be a good track to see racing if the conditions were more favorable and I have seen some TV racing from the track that looked good, if but a big dusty. If fact, by the Sprint feature from Friday night, even with all the mud and wet conditions, where the track had dried out low in the corners, we got blasted with dust from the prevailing winds in our faces.
Vegas' issues have been well documented throughout the years, virtually from the time the track was built. However, quite frankly, when you have a track situated in the desert, finding proper material to race on can be challenging, although there are certainly some other tracks in the same situation that seemed to have solved the problem some way. U.S.A. Raceway in Tucson would be a prime example. This year their promises to rectify the situation for next year seemed the most sincere ever, so we will wait to see what happens for 2016. Despite the less than perfect conditions that the drivers have had to contend with, there have been some good races in the Modifieds at the track over the years. I have not seen a Sprint show at Vegas so cannot comment on how their racing goes, but the Late Model shows I've seen all saw the track take rubber.
All three tracks vary slightly in size and shape and particularly Vegas gives the impression that they had "so much land available" to make a dirt track so they made it fit that land. The one thing that is always mind boggling at these three tracks is that they are used so seldom. Vegas has two races per year along with Texas while Charlotte is used slightly more than that but under a half dozen times. Just about any other track in the country would kill to have the kind of facilities that these three tracks offer, yet they mostly just sit. They certainly can't be money makers and I'm guessing that if SMI was building these three super facilities over again in 2016 as opposed to when they were built in the "hey days" of NASCAR, the dirt tracks would have been left off the plans. All three are certainly among the nicest tracks in the country though and shouldn't be passed up if one would happen to be in their area when one of their rare races takes place.
One last comment this time; during my visit to Charlotte I had the opportunity to meet Karl Fredrickson as I wandered under the grandstand on a wet Friday morning. Karl is the Publisher of Dick Berggren's Speedway Illustrated and has a column in the magazine every month. If you're not familiar with Speedway Illustrated, it is by far the finest of all the racing publications on the market today and a magazine you should be reading if you're not. Anyway, a nicer person in the sport I have never met before. He was so friendly and pleasant and easy to talk with. I suspect that I could have talked racing with Karl for hours if time allowed and would certainly like to do so sometime in my life. He is one of racing's true "insiders" but so easy to talk with and so down to earth.
When the long range forecast of great weather suddenly turned much grimmer just before our scheduled time of departure, it was probably a fool hardy trip, especially knowing that if the Sunday rain date was used, we couldn't stay to see that part of the show. Be it as it may, we still went and while we battled the weather for three days and only saw one of the two scheduled programs, it was still an entertaining and learning experience for us.
We picked probably the worst year ever to attend this race with all of the weather issues but record numbers of both Late Models and Sprint Cars showed up anyway along with a stout field of Big Block Modifieds. The racing was intense in all three classes despite the difficult track conditions that saw a lot of expense race cars used up and I could not help but marvel at hard the drivers raced, even though the track was a real handful. of particular interest for me on this trip was the opportunity to see the Big Blocks in action. In the last couple of years I have developed quite an increased interest in the center steer Modifieds that are huge on the East Coast. With the lack of race papers now available(some of you hopefully still remember what a race PAPER was), I started subscribing to Area Auto Racing News which is published in Trenton New Jersey. Owner Lenny Sammons and his writers do a great job of covering racing, particularly East of the Mississippi, and their coverage of Modifieds, Late Models and Sprints is first rate and it is perhaps the best race paper I have ever read, bar none.
Anyway, I was very anxious to see drivers like Tremont, Friesen, Sheppard, Pauch and Hearn race for the first time and they didn't leave me disappointed. Even Linda, who knew none of these drivers, had to admit that their racing was some of the best of the entire weekend. What I was surprised was how poorly they were treated as a class. Going from being the "big shots" on the East Coast, they became the track packers here and they raced first both when the track was at its worst and also the latest in the wee hours of Saturday morning. But I saw enough that I know that I would definitely like to see them again some time, perhaps at a track just a mite smaller that Charlotte.
But I digress. This blog was to compare the three SMI tracks and in the short days after Charlotte, we then flew out to Vegas for IMCA's Duel In The Desert at SMI's track there. I'm guessing that we may have been the only two to pull off that doubleheader, but it's not surprising since there aren't that many "goofballs" left around any more.
All three SMI tracks are first rate and provide great accommodations for the fans. All three have fantastic grandstands with excellent, TV quality lighting. The sound systems are great in all three and the only time I ever had any trouble hearing was at Charlotte when I was trying to hear time trials with multiple cars on the track. For some reason, even though all cars were using transponders to record times, they didn't flash the times on the scoreboards, which are actually pretty pedestrian at all three tracks and certainly not like anything Knoxville has for example.
While the spectator seating and amenities are pretty similar at all three tracks, the pits areas on the other hand vary widely. Vegas has great pit parking that is all on blacktop for almost as far as one can see while Texas is slightly smaller but still good. Charlotte, on the other hand, is worlds behind. Most of the cars pit on dirt quite a distance behind the pit grandstands while the Sprint Cars are crammed in a tight area just off turn one with the unfortunate late ones from the non power teams forced to pit on grass in a spectator parking area that with all the rains this Fall, was a muddy mess with haulers sinking out of sight on occasion.
Pit amenities varied considerably with Charlotte again on the outside looking in. Both Vegas and Texas have fine restroom facilities for the pit personal while Charlotte is still in the dark ages with Satellites the only convenience offered.
Without seeing a race at Charlotte that wasn't plagued by all the wet weather that made the track tough to both pack in and race on, I have to qualify any comparisons on the racing surfaces and the racing itself. I was only at Texas one time, and both nights of the racing there were very good on a smooth and fast surface that did take just a little rubber for the Late Models. The infield tunnel there is a special bonus as it allows cars to exit to the pits smoothly while not holding up the action for those in the next race rolling on to the track.
Charlotte seemed like it would be a good track to see racing if the conditions were more favorable and I have seen some TV racing from the track that looked good, if but a big dusty. If fact, by the Sprint feature from Friday night, even with all the mud and wet conditions, where the track had dried out low in the corners, we got blasted with dust from the prevailing winds in our faces.
Vegas' issues have been well documented throughout the years, virtually from the time the track was built. However, quite frankly, when you have a track situated in the desert, finding proper material to race on can be challenging, although there are certainly some other tracks in the same situation that seemed to have solved the problem some way. U.S.A. Raceway in Tucson would be a prime example. This year their promises to rectify the situation for next year seemed the most sincere ever, so we will wait to see what happens for 2016. Despite the less than perfect conditions that the drivers have had to contend with, there have been some good races in the Modifieds at the track over the years. I have not seen a Sprint show at Vegas so cannot comment on how their racing goes, but the Late Model shows I've seen all saw the track take rubber.
All three tracks vary slightly in size and shape and particularly Vegas gives the impression that they had "so much land available" to make a dirt track so they made it fit that land. The one thing that is always mind boggling at these three tracks is that they are used so seldom. Vegas has two races per year along with Texas while Charlotte is used slightly more than that but under a half dozen times. Just about any other track in the country would kill to have the kind of facilities that these three tracks offer, yet they mostly just sit. They certainly can't be money makers and I'm guessing that if SMI was building these three super facilities over again in 2016 as opposed to when they were built in the "hey days" of NASCAR, the dirt tracks would have been left off the plans. All three are certainly among the nicest tracks in the country though and shouldn't be passed up if one would happen to be in their area when one of their rare races takes place.
One last comment this time; during my visit to Charlotte I had the opportunity to meet Karl Fredrickson as I wandered under the grandstand on a wet Friday morning. Karl is the Publisher of Dick Berggren's Speedway Illustrated and has a column in the magazine every month. If you're not familiar with Speedway Illustrated, it is by far the finest of all the racing publications on the market today and a magazine you should be reading if you're not. Anyway, a nicer person in the sport I have never met before. He was so friendly and pleasant and easy to talk with. I suspect that I could have talked racing with Karl for hours if time allowed and would certainly like to do so sometime in my life. He is one of racing's true "insiders" but so easy to talk with and so down to earth.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
The Duel in the Desert
For what I believe is the seventh straight year, we attending the annual IMCA sanctioned Duel in the Desert at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on November 12-14.
As usual, the event was a Modified fan's nirvana with open wheel cars coming from near and far to attempt to make the show at what is one of the most prestigious Modified events of the year anywhere. By my count, along with some help from the announcing duel of Toby Kruse and Chet Christner, there were drivers on hand from twenty three different states and four Canadian provinces, which is mighty impressive.
The combination of this being the biggest Modified race West of the Missouri plus the allure of Vegas for reasons both racing and non racing make this a very important race to be a part of as along with the normal top notch field of weekly racers representing the best in IMCA, there are always a number of top drivers from other sanctioning bodies and other racing disciplines to make the racing even more interesting.
Two hundred and six Modifieds signed in for opening night action along with sixty five Sport Mods who were added to the full three night program just last year. One more Modified rolled out of the trailer on Friday night to give a total of two hundred and seven Modifieds in total. While this sounds like a huge number of cars( and truthfully it is without a doubt), the 2015 numbers show nearly a thirty per cent drop in Sport Mod entries and nearly thirty less Modifieds than rolled through the gates for last year's edition of this event.
Whether this entrant drop off is just a natural "leveling off" of the playing field or for some more specific reason I'm just not sure, and while we as fans always long for bigger and better, quite frankly, two hundred and seventy two race cars running full programs each night is more than enough cars for any track!
While I hate to belabor the point, track conditions for this event are always a point of contention among the drivers. For as long as I've been attending this race, the track conditions have always been "challenging" to say the least. The drivers have learned to understand and accept that when they come to this event, they can expect that the track conditions may not be the best. Quite frankly, the middle of the desert is probably not the ideal place to build a dirt track and finding appropriate material to cover the track is hard to come by. I was told that, surprisingly, a high amount of the dirt covering this track is actually gypsum which is readily available in this area of the desert.
It certainly doesn't help that this track is only used twice a year; for this event and then in March for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car shows. Many tracks that suffer from yearly Spring time issues of bumpy conditions only improve as the surfaces get beat down from repeated races on it, something that just does not happen here.
It was reported that officials at LVMS brought in the track prep crew that does the track at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway. I would assume that would be the same group of folks that do the track prep at Lernerville Speedway in Pennsylvania but whether the acclaimed "Wizard of Dirt", Gary Risch, was on hand at Vegas, I do not know. They put in some long hours over the three days as they tried to bring around a track that I was told had not been touched since March until this week.
Track conditions for the opening night of racing were to be kind, horrid. The track was as bad as it has even been for the seven times I have seen this event and even many drivers, who had grown accustomed to what to expect here, were very vocal in their complaints by Friday in response to what had been the conditions on Thursday. One very prominent driver told me on Friday that no matter how much they complained, as long as two hundred or more drivers show up to race, there isn't a huge incentive for track officials to make wholesale changes, especially when it could be very costly compared to the few times the track is used.
To be fair, the track prep crew and track officials went into high gear after Thursday's show to try and make things better for Friday. And they were very successful, providing a track that while it still had some bumps, was much wider for racing and allowed much more side by side racing. The hope was that things would be even better on Saturday, but unfortunately, things regressed just a bit as the track didn't "clean off" very well on Saturday, so it was more one groove with the cursed bomb crater entering turn one taking more than its share of race car suspensions to task. However, I did get the feeling that LVMS officials truly put in their best efforts to improve the race conditions and I am hopeful that 2016 will provide a turn around for the drivers.
An incredible forty five races were run on Thursday night between the two classes. The "one and done" rule was used for all races except the main events and this tool was a "God Send." This rule kept so many races under the green that otherwise would have seen yellow flags wave. In fact, of this huge amount of races, only the Sport Mod feature saw more than two yellow flags in any race all night.
On Thursday night, Tyler Frye totally dominated the Sport Mod feature as the soon to be crowned national champion easily controlled the field. Jesse Sobbing led all the way in the non stop Modified feature while Missouri's Scott Drake, driving as a hired gun for a West Coast team, won the second feature over USMTS star Rodney Sanders who was driving a second car for Wisconsin's Mike Wedelstadt.
Friday night saw the much different track allow more racing grooves to open up and many of the drivers were up against the outside wall instead of hugging the inside line as they had on Thursday while trying to dodge the big craters.
As opposed to Thursday when once the first green flag was thrown the track remained untouched, several breaks were taken on Friday to help massage the track. Changes were also made to cut down on the number of races and the start time was moved back an hour in an effort to avoid the direct rays of the sun.
Iowa youngster Chase Rudolph ran a high line to dominate the non stop Sport Mod feature race.
In the Modifieds, Jordan Grabouski came from the third row to win one of the twenty five lappers while another USMTS star, Lucas Schott, won the other feature driving a second car out of the stable of Cody Scholpp from Canada. Schott last drove this car on the Dakota Modified Tour this Summer.
Saturday night the dukes came off as the only preliminary racing was Last Chance Qualifiers and the racing was even more intense that ever the first two nights. In the Modifieds, only the winners moved on and with plenty of top notch drivers still on the outside looking in, no one gave an inch.
Finally the fields were set for the two main events. Again, Tyler Frye dominated the action in the Sport Mods. Only the two yellow flags in the main brought the field back to him, but each time he would again pull away from the field. Frye announced that he will be moving up to the Modifieds in 2016, something that the other sixty four drivers on hand would agree as the best move he might make.
The Modified feature race saw several startling developments take place over the course of the forty lap main, with many of the suspected race favorites on the sidelines by the time the checkered flag flew. Schott's strategy, after he redrew the front row, was to hang on the bottom of the track and if someone was fast enough to get around them, so be it. As it turned out, there were two drivers that fit that mold but neither finished the race. Jordan Grabouski showed his strength as he was able to jump to the second lane and get past Schott and appeared ready to run off and hide.
Unfortunately, he was a victim of the turn one crater and the resulting suspension damage took him out of the race. The other strongest challenger was Sanders, and he attempted to roll past Schott on the outside. However, he also fell through the same crater and broke his front suspension and he was black flagged while running second, which eliminated him. So Schott continued to hug the low line and be as clean on his line as possible and he pulled away at the end for the win. This continues the surprising parade of outsiders that seem to end up in victory lane at this race as Terry Phillips and Jeremy Payne, both non regulars with IMCA, have dominated this race before Schott.
Phillips was eliminated from the contest while in a challenging position as he and Sobbing got together on the back chute and then Sobbing "dumped" Phillips which eliminated both cars. As Phillips tried to scramble away from the wreck, he stopped right in front of Bobby Hogge who slammed into Terry and wrecked his car also. Later, when Grabouski lost control after his suspension issue, he shot straight up the track and pounded Hunter Marriott into the wall which eliminated him.
Sanders appeared to be the victim of a questionable call, as even though he had a broken suspension he seemed to have his car under control and was running second, with the cars behind him not able to catch him, much less pass. Earlier, in the Last Chance races, at least two other drivers in contending positions were allowed to continue racing with the same issues that Sanders had.
The crowds didn't seem as big as they were for last year's race. Perhaps the cold evening temperatures kept some people away. To be honest, this race is not one that is particularly fan friendly. The show starts early and finishes late. Unless you are a big fan of Modified racing, for many of the casual fans it is probably a case of "race overload." I would guess that the vast majority of the fans on hand were either directly attached to the competitors on hand or fans that would describe themselves as big Modified fans. The casual race fan might show up on Saturday night, but likely not before. It seemed like a breath of fresh air to be done with the whole program well before 10 p.m. on Saturday, after both Thursday and Friday night shows pressed or exceeded the Midnight hour. If there would be one thing that would make this weekend more attractive, it would be some way to shorten up the proceedings each night. If that meant running only longer distance heats and features and eliminating the B features and giving each driver only one chance to qualify each night, I'd be all for it. And if that meant fifty drivers stayed home next year because they only got one chance to qualify each night, I'd be OK with that also. However, I get the feeling that this event is done more for the drivers than for the spectators and as such, likely the format won't change soon. But, as a hard core fan, you can bet that if possible, I'll be on hand again next year.
An interesting part of this year's race was the theme for the race cars which saw them in some way representing their home states in their car wraps. There were some very clever designs on display. However, unlike some years, the winners weren't announced on Saturday in front of the crowd and in fact, not a mention was made who the winners were. I may have missed it, but I'm still searching to find out who the winners were, days after the event.
As usual, the event was a Modified fan's nirvana with open wheel cars coming from near and far to attempt to make the show at what is one of the most prestigious Modified events of the year anywhere. By my count, along with some help from the announcing duel of Toby Kruse and Chet Christner, there were drivers on hand from twenty three different states and four Canadian provinces, which is mighty impressive.
The combination of this being the biggest Modified race West of the Missouri plus the allure of Vegas for reasons both racing and non racing make this a very important race to be a part of as along with the normal top notch field of weekly racers representing the best in IMCA, there are always a number of top drivers from other sanctioning bodies and other racing disciplines to make the racing even more interesting.
Two hundred and six Modifieds signed in for opening night action along with sixty five Sport Mods who were added to the full three night program just last year. One more Modified rolled out of the trailer on Friday night to give a total of two hundred and seven Modifieds in total. While this sounds like a huge number of cars( and truthfully it is without a doubt), the 2015 numbers show nearly a thirty per cent drop in Sport Mod entries and nearly thirty less Modifieds than rolled through the gates for last year's edition of this event.
Whether this entrant drop off is just a natural "leveling off" of the playing field or for some more specific reason I'm just not sure, and while we as fans always long for bigger and better, quite frankly, two hundred and seventy two race cars running full programs each night is more than enough cars for any track!
While I hate to belabor the point, track conditions for this event are always a point of contention among the drivers. For as long as I've been attending this race, the track conditions have always been "challenging" to say the least. The drivers have learned to understand and accept that when they come to this event, they can expect that the track conditions may not be the best. Quite frankly, the middle of the desert is probably not the ideal place to build a dirt track and finding appropriate material to cover the track is hard to come by. I was told that, surprisingly, a high amount of the dirt covering this track is actually gypsum which is readily available in this area of the desert.
It certainly doesn't help that this track is only used twice a year; for this event and then in March for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car shows. Many tracks that suffer from yearly Spring time issues of bumpy conditions only improve as the surfaces get beat down from repeated races on it, something that just does not happen here.
It was reported that officials at LVMS brought in the track prep crew that does the track at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway. I would assume that would be the same group of folks that do the track prep at Lernerville Speedway in Pennsylvania but whether the acclaimed "Wizard of Dirt", Gary Risch, was on hand at Vegas, I do not know. They put in some long hours over the three days as they tried to bring around a track that I was told had not been touched since March until this week.
Track conditions for the opening night of racing were to be kind, horrid. The track was as bad as it has even been for the seven times I have seen this event and even many drivers, who had grown accustomed to what to expect here, were very vocal in their complaints by Friday in response to what had been the conditions on Thursday. One very prominent driver told me on Friday that no matter how much they complained, as long as two hundred or more drivers show up to race, there isn't a huge incentive for track officials to make wholesale changes, especially when it could be very costly compared to the few times the track is used.
To be fair, the track prep crew and track officials went into high gear after Thursday's show to try and make things better for Friday. And they were very successful, providing a track that while it still had some bumps, was much wider for racing and allowed much more side by side racing. The hope was that things would be even better on Saturday, but unfortunately, things regressed just a bit as the track didn't "clean off" very well on Saturday, so it was more one groove with the cursed bomb crater entering turn one taking more than its share of race car suspensions to task. However, I did get the feeling that LVMS officials truly put in their best efforts to improve the race conditions and I am hopeful that 2016 will provide a turn around for the drivers.
An incredible forty five races were run on Thursday night between the two classes. The "one and done" rule was used for all races except the main events and this tool was a "God Send." This rule kept so many races under the green that otherwise would have seen yellow flags wave. In fact, of this huge amount of races, only the Sport Mod feature saw more than two yellow flags in any race all night.
On Thursday night, Tyler Frye totally dominated the Sport Mod feature as the soon to be crowned national champion easily controlled the field. Jesse Sobbing led all the way in the non stop Modified feature while Missouri's Scott Drake, driving as a hired gun for a West Coast team, won the second feature over USMTS star Rodney Sanders who was driving a second car for Wisconsin's Mike Wedelstadt.
Friday night saw the much different track allow more racing grooves to open up and many of the drivers were up against the outside wall instead of hugging the inside line as they had on Thursday while trying to dodge the big craters.
As opposed to Thursday when once the first green flag was thrown the track remained untouched, several breaks were taken on Friday to help massage the track. Changes were also made to cut down on the number of races and the start time was moved back an hour in an effort to avoid the direct rays of the sun.
Iowa youngster Chase Rudolph ran a high line to dominate the non stop Sport Mod feature race.
In the Modifieds, Jordan Grabouski came from the third row to win one of the twenty five lappers while another USMTS star, Lucas Schott, won the other feature driving a second car out of the stable of Cody Scholpp from Canada. Schott last drove this car on the Dakota Modified Tour this Summer.
Saturday night the dukes came off as the only preliminary racing was Last Chance Qualifiers and the racing was even more intense that ever the first two nights. In the Modifieds, only the winners moved on and with plenty of top notch drivers still on the outside looking in, no one gave an inch.
Finally the fields were set for the two main events. Again, Tyler Frye dominated the action in the Sport Mods. Only the two yellow flags in the main brought the field back to him, but each time he would again pull away from the field. Frye announced that he will be moving up to the Modifieds in 2016, something that the other sixty four drivers on hand would agree as the best move he might make.
The Modified feature race saw several startling developments take place over the course of the forty lap main, with many of the suspected race favorites on the sidelines by the time the checkered flag flew. Schott's strategy, after he redrew the front row, was to hang on the bottom of the track and if someone was fast enough to get around them, so be it. As it turned out, there were two drivers that fit that mold but neither finished the race. Jordan Grabouski showed his strength as he was able to jump to the second lane and get past Schott and appeared ready to run off and hide.
Unfortunately, he was a victim of the turn one crater and the resulting suspension damage took him out of the race. The other strongest challenger was Sanders, and he attempted to roll past Schott on the outside. However, he also fell through the same crater and broke his front suspension and he was black flagged while running second, which eliminated him. So Schott continued to hug the low line and be as clean on his line as possible and he pulled away at the end for the win. This continues the surprising parade of outsiders that seem to end up in victory lane at this race as Terry Phillips and Jeremy Payne, both non regulars with IMCA, have dominated this race before Schott.
Phillips was eliminated from the contest while in a challenging position as he and Sobbing got together on the back chute and then Sobbing "dumped" Phillips which eliminated both cars. As Phillips tried to scramble away from the wreck, he stopped right in front of Bobby Hogge who slammed into Terry and wrecked his car also. Later, when Grabouski lost control after his suspension issue, he shot straight up the track and pounded Hunter Marriott into the wall which eliminated him.
Sanders appeared to be the victim of a questionable call, as even though he had a broken suspension he seemed to have his car under control and was running second, with the cars behind him not able to catch him, much less pass. Earlier, in the Last Chance races, at least two other drivers in contending positions were allowed to continue racing with the same issues that Sanders had.
The crowds didn't seem as big as they were for last year's race. Perhaps the cold evening temperatures kept some people away. To be honest, this race is not one that is particularly fan friendly. The show starts early and finishes late. Unless you are a big fan of Modified racing, for many of the casual fans it is probably a case of "race overload." I would guess that the vast majority of the fans on hand were either directly attached to the competitors on hand or fans that would describe themselves as big Modified fans. The casual race fan might show up on Saturday night, but likely not before. It seemed like a breath of fresh air to be done with the whole program well before 10 p.m. on Saturday, after both Thursday and Friday night shows pressed or exceeded the Midnight hour. If there would be one thing that would make this weekend more attractive, it would be some way to shorten up the proceedings each night. If that meant running only longer distance heats and features and eliminating the B features and giving each driver only one chance to qualify each night, I'd be all for it. And if that meant fifty drivers stayed home next year because they only got one chance to qualify each night, I'd be OK with that also. However, I get the feeling that this event is done more for the drivers than for the spectators and as such, likely the format won't change soon. But, as a hard core fan, you can bet that if possible, I'll be on hand again next year.
An interesting part of this year's race was the theme for the race cars which saw them in some way representing their home states in their car wraps. There were some very clever designs on display. However, unlike some years, the winners weren't announced on Saturday in front of the crowd and in fact, not a mention was made who the winners were. I may have missed it, but I'm still searching to find out who the winners were, days after the event.
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