Almost Race Day

Despite what the weatherman seems to think, racing season is nearing in this corner of the world. As we wait on a decision on the two day Spring Nationals this weekend at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis,Mo., a pair of tracks will kick things off with car shows. The Quincy,Il. mall will be the scene for the Quincy Raceways preview this Saturday and Sunday. New track owner/promoter Jason Goble has been busy preparing for his first full season after hitting the ground running with a handful of shows last fall. Quincy Raceways will kick off the season on Sunday, April 8 following a pair of practice nights. The track will be rotating several classes during the season, with 305 sprints cars on the card opening night and UMP crate late models debuting the following Sunday. 34 Raceways in West Burlington, Ia. also has new owners in 2018, and Brad Stevens and Jessi Mynatt have spent many hours getting the 3/8 mile track in shape. They will host a car show this Sunday at Deery Brothers in West Burlington. Opening night at 34 will be Saturday, March 31, with the 360 Sprint Invaders and crate late models topping the card. At this time, it looks like my first night at the track will be the second night of the Spring Extravaganza at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa, which is set to take place on Friday and Saturday March 23 and 24. The Illini 100 featuring World of Outlaw late models is also set for that weekend, and the MLRA two day show at LaSalle,Il., is on tap March 30 and 31, as well as another two day program at the Scotland County Speedway. On Friday, the 30th, Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach,Il. will host their 2018 opener. It has not been so many years ago that we had to scramble to find a race within driving distance in March, yet now it comes down to several good choices! Of course, there is hardly an off season any more, and while Jeff Broeg was taking in the action last Saturday in Beatrice, Ne., the Springfield, Mo. 1/4 mile hosted the Comp Cans late models, with veteran Jack Sullivan topping a 21 car field. It was the first visit of the series to Springfield, as this race has previously been sanctioned by the MARS Dirt Car series. Unfortunately, the MARS series had several issues in 2017, including a last minute pull out of a pair of races in Iowa. Just when it looked as though the series may be no longer, promoter Chris Tilley purchased the brand. Although he got a late start, Tilley has managed to build an abbreviated schedule for this season, beginning with the annual two day Toilet Bowl event at Clarksville,Tn. at the beginning of March. Twenty plus late models were checked in at Clarksville, so hopefully Tilley can revive the MARS brand. With the MARS problems last season coupled with a dispute at LaSalle between promoter Tony Izzo and the World Racing Group, the Lucas Oil MLRA late model series has swooped in to grab a foothold well north of their former target area. After sanctiong the late March show in LaSalle, they will come back with a pair of shows in Davenport, Iowa, including one night of action on the 1/4 mile and another on the big 1/2 mile. Davenport was one of the tracks left hanging by MARS in 2017. And the new owners at 34 Raceway also reacted to the MARS snafu by bringing in the MLRA folks as the sanctioning body for the popular Slocum 50 on Saturday, April 21. The Lee County Speedway in Donnellson will host the MLRA one time in 2018, on Thursday, May 3. I would urge you to take advantage of the special events calendar on the Positively Racing home page, as I have hardly scratched the surface of early season specials for both " fender car " and open wheel fans. And as always, check with the particular track before leaving home. See you at the races!