2011: A year to remember and forget

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A New Deal at Dream XVII/Catchup

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

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

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

Memorial Day Marathon of Racing 2011

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

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

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


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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Graduation...Checkered flag to an undergraduate career.

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

Early Cancellations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Macon Speedway Opening Night #66

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

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

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

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

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

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

Losing a friend: RIP National Speed Sport News

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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