Rivalries in Racing

In any form of racing, from your local short track, dirt or pavement, up to the biggest tiers of racing like NASCAR and F1, there are rivalries among drivers. Some of these rivalries are friendly ones. One that I got to see in action last Saturday night was one between Shannon Babb and Billy Moyer, 2 outstanding late model drivers. They have raced one another a lot. They know how they will race one another. They always race hard and clean. They enjoy besting one another. That is what I LOVE to see in a rivalry. Good, hard, clean racing and afterwards they can laugh and joke about things and be friends. Another rivalry like that was the one between David Pearson and Richard Petty. They finished 1 and 2 63 times in their career. They almost always raced one another cleanly, and never had much of a bad word to say about the other. Another good, clean rivalry. Other rivalries have a lot more dislike and sometimes out and out hatred fueling them. One such example is that between Denny Hamlin and Brad Kesolowski. Brad has roughed up many drivers, Denny included. Denny didn't take it sitting down, and has dumped Brad in previous races. They don't really care for one another at this point in time. Another rivalry like this was between Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt, on track at least. They frequently had run ins between the two of them, and have had their off track altercations as well. They were good friends off the track however. This rivalry was between two driven, hard nosed competitors who hated losing. Another good example of a bitter rivalry was between Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher. Both were driven to win. Both hated losing, and both were among the very best. They had hellatious battles between the two. They got along ok outside of the track, but on it they hated one another. One of the most memorable here was between Dennis Erb Jr. and Steve Sheppard Jr., who has also been known as Super Shepp after jumping up on Erb's car in Highland, Illinois after an on track altercation between the two. He even won the SPEED Channel award called Temper, Temper because of it.
Rivalries in general are a good thing for racing. It adds another element of excitement to the sport. If it means seeing a better race overall, I say go at it boys and girls!!

100 lap features

We as dirt track fans have been to at least one 100 lap race in our time. Whether it be a dirt late model race, modified race, USAC midget or Silver Crown race, 100 lap races just have a different feel about them. You know they are long. So do the drivers. Both parties know that a lot can happen between the start and the finish of the race. 100 lap features will show who the most patient and skilled drivers are. Drivers have to be smooth and patient. They have to conserve their tires and even fuel sometimes to make sure they make it to the finish of the race. Usually with 25 to go these races pick up in intensity immensely. The drivers and fans both feel it. The end of the race is approaching quickly. Drivers who have been saving their stuff begin to make a move. You see if the leader has burnt his tires up or if the setup has faded, or if he can pick it up another notch. Sometimes these races can be runaways. I have seen a few of those in my day in different types of races, from late model to USAC Silver Crown. The leader was never challenged and just cruised in the race. I have seen photo finishes at the end of 100 laps as well. The Inaugural Illini 100 WoO Late Model Series race at Farmer City Raceway is a prime example of this. Billy Moyer got a run off of the high side in turn 4 and beat Shannon Babb back to the line by less than 8 inches. It was a thrilling finish to a long race. Everyone there, fans of those drivers or not, were just buzzing. It was an incredible finish. Usually they are somewhere in between. Not a runaway, but not a photo finish either. They always are unpredictable. That is why I love 100 lap races.

Rain Out Procedures

We race fans have all experienced it. We have been at the races, and part of the show has been complete, and then it rains. Sometimes it is during or right after qualifying. Sometimes it's during the heat races. Sometimes it is during semi-features. The worst is when it does it at feature time. We all know that different tracks have different policies for handling rain outs. The most common that I know of is the 6 race rule. This rule states that if 6 races including qualifying have been completed, your rain check will be no good for readmission at another time. If less than 6 races have been completed, that ticket will be good whenever the show is made up and make good and sure you don't lose that ticket stub. Sometimes it isn't as clear. I have been to a few races where more than 6 were completed, and we were allowed to use our stubs towards the rain date or credit towards another show. This is a nice gesture, especially if you can't make it back on the rescheduled date. If your stub is less than the price of the show, you pay the difference, which is a fair exchange. For the most part I have been fortunate when it comes to rain outs. The promoters have worked hard to make sure they keep the fans happy. They have done a good job and they deserve their recognition for it. I know there are horror stories as well, and if anyone has any, feel free to let them rain in the comments section. Let's hope we don't have to deal with these procedures for a long while this season!!

Multiple Duty Drivers

There are drivers who drive in 2, sometimes 3 classes in a night or weekend. This is true from the local dirt track up to NASCAR. It is something that not everyone can do. To be successful in both requires not just a good driver and equipment but luck, patience, and endurance as well. I can think of a few drivers who pull double duty. Randy Korte of Highland, Illinois will frequently drive a UMP Late Model and UMP Modified, and occasionally driving a UMP Pro Crate Late Model as well when he does triple duty. Dave Crawley Jr. of Decatur, Illinois runs a UMP Modified and UMP Sportsman weekly. Ronnie Johnson of Tennessee frequently runs a Super Late Model, Crate Late Model, and a Sportsman car. Even big drivers will do it. Kyle Busch will frequently run a NASCAR Camping World Truck, Nationwide Series Car, and his regular Sprint Cup Ride. Carl Edwards runs a Nationwide Series Car and a Sprint Cup Car. Kevin Harvick will frequently run a Camping World Truck and Nationwide Series car in addition to his regular duty in his Sprint Cup ride. Every driver mentioned has won in each division, some on the same night or weekend. It takes talent, good equipment, good crews supporting them, and of course luck. When you get a chance to see someone do it, watch it and enjoy it.

Tailgating. It's not just for football.

When most people think of tailgating, they think of football. We tailgate at the race track as well. People will get to the track sometimes a couple of days in advance and just cook out, have friends over, and have a good time. Maybe even a game of poker, baggo (cornhole as it is also known), or whatever else you can think of. Tailgates are also a great way to meet new people. I myself took part in one thanks to some good friends I know at the track. The food was good but the time spent with fellow fans and friends was even better. Drivers and fans alike will tailgate at the track. You never know who might show up depending on who and your friends know. Some of your best memories at the track aren't even of the races sometimes. Sometimes they are of good times with good friends.

Reserved Seating at The Racetrack

Reserved seating at the race track is an interesting subject to talk about among race fans. Some love the idea. Some hate it. Myself personally, I like it WHEN it is done properly. I will talk about what it means to do it properly, and talk about my past experiences when it was right. I will also talk about my not so great experiences with it when it isn't done properly and in an organized fashion.

Organized and well prepared reserved seating at a race track can be an absolute blessing for a race fan. It is nice to know you have a guaranteed seat. If you want to get up and walk around, want to get some food, need to use the restroom, or anything else, you know when you come back you will still have your seat. You can also know that if you happen to get to the track late for whatever reason, you are still guaranteed a seat regardless. When done properly, the seats will be marked clearly and well in advance of the event. A good example of this is how tickets are sold for the Illinois State Fair races. The sections are clearly marked (even though they are for multiple reasons outside of just racing). The promoter uses these sections and seating arrangements and sells tickets. It is efficient and organized, and always goes off smoothly.

Reserved seating that is done at the last minute, rushed, and not as prepared as it should be can be a nightmare for race fans. I JUST experienced this myself at Farmer City this evening. It was posted online that at 8 AM that all seats not marked were general admission. That is all well and fine, but they didn't put up signs and start marking until 11 AM. You do the math. There was some tension amongst fellow fans, but with some patience we all settled things in a calm and civilized way. There was some confusion among people who had reserved tickets and those who didn't as to seating. If seats had been marked well in advance, this problem wouldn't have occurred.

Reserved seating, in my eyes, is a good thing. However, to be successful, it HAS to be planned out and marked well ahead of time. Things can't be done at the last minute. It saves track workers as well as fans a lot of hassle if it is efficiently and effectively done.

Racer Nicknames

In the racing world in general, drivers earn nicknames. These nicknames can be picked up for a variety of reasons. One might be based on where the driver is from. Others might be based on their personality. Yet others may be based upon a person's driving style. These nicknames can be found from your local race track up to NASCAR, Formula 1, and so on.
One set of nicknames are based upon where drivers are from. There are many examples I can state that support this. Dirt late model driver Shannon Babb is known as The Moweaqua Missle, since he is from Moweaqua, Illinois. Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa is known as The Muscatine Madman. Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tennessee is known as The Newport Nightmare. These are just dirt late model drivers who have earned their nicknames based on where they are from. Tony Stewart, 2 time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion, has a nickname based on where he is from. He is known as The Rushville Rocket since he is from there.
Other drivers earn their nicknames based on their personality. NASCAR driver Carl Edwards is known as Cousin Carl. This is because his cousin, Ken Schrader, gave it based on his calm demeanor. Kevin Harvick is known as Happy. This is kind of an oxymoron. It is kind of based on Happy Gilmore, a character played by Adam Sandler who was a loose cannon golfer. Harvick was early in his career as well, but he has mellowed out some since. Dale Earnhardt was known early on as Ironhead because he was dead set in his ways and no one would get him to change that. Later on he became The Intimidator because of his driving style and image as well.
Other drivers have earned nicknames based on their driving styles. Jason Feger is known as The Highside Hustler. This is because he loves to run his car right up next to the wall on the high side of the race track. Sprint car driver Danny Lasoski is known as Catfish because he likes to run the bottom of the race track. That is where catfish like to be in a lake or river as well. A lot of drivers get the nickname Mr. Excitement. Billy Moyer has earned the nickame Mr. Smooth because of his smooth driving style. He is always in control and rarely erratic. Jimmy Mars is known as The Iceman because of his cool demeanor behind the wheel. He is smooth as well. Tim McCreadie is known as Topside Timmy because of his liking to run the high side of the race track as well. Sammy Swindell, a famous sprint car driver, earned the name Slammin' Sammy because of his willingness to slam the car up on the cushion.
These are just a few of the numerous examples of nicknames that drivers can and do have. Some drivers can have multiple nicknames as well. They are fun for announcers. They are fun for us as fans. Heck the drivers have fun with them for the most part too.