As more and more races are scheduled during the winter months, the formerly recognized " off season " lines have become blurred. Even as we make plans for our final race of 2018 - for us, the Friday night action during the Gateway Dirt Nationals at the Dome in St. Louis, the 2019 landscape of dirt late model racing is beginning to take shape.
The local scene has been chugging along with the somewhat early release of some track and series schedules, including some new and exciting events at both Quincy Raceways and34 Raceway. Even so, the biggest news to date may be the purchase of the Stuart Speedway just west of Des Moines by well known promoter/ race director Mike VanGenderen. MVG, as he is known has shown himself to be aggressive with regard to his shows, and he has wasted no time reaffirming that trait. Along with the purchase announcement came word that Stuart would open the 2019 season on Wednesday, April 3 with night number one of the IMCA Frostbuster series. And on Monday a Thursday May 2 stop by the MLRA late models was added. Of course, Mike has worked closely with MLRA over the last few seasons, as he was the point man for events at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Scotland County Speedway in Memphis,Mo., and Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa. In fact, the first Thursday in May date has been on the Lee County schedule the last couple of seasons, although it was postponed by rain in 2018. With Quincy Raceways having a Sunday, May 5 date with the traveling series, I would expect the addition of Friday and Saturday races in the area, making for a four day swing. VanGenderen has confirmed that Stuart will host regular Friday night racing, so it will be interesting to see what will happen with the handful of Friday night shows he had previously announced at Scotland County. Either way, Stuart is a track that,even though close to four hours away, is now high on my bucket list of new venues to visit.
Also, congratulations to Matt Curl, who is adding to his duties as World of Outlaw late model series director by purchasing controlling interest in the famed Fairbury,Il. American Legion Speedway where he was formerly employed.
On the national scene, dirt track racing has begun to resemble NASCAR with regard to driver changes. Within the last few days we have learned that Benton, Kentucky youngster Tanner English will be wheeling the #116 SWR ride with veteran Randy Weaver at the helm. The team will debut at Speedweeks and race a pick and choose schedule. At various points during the season English will also appear in a companion car fielded by Tommy Pope.
Meanwhile, the Best Motorsports team has parted ways with Josh Richards and will now have young Texas pilot Tyler Erb behind the wheel. At nearly the same time it was announced the Richards will take over the Clint Bowyer #14 previously driven by Darrell Lanigan. Richards will apparently team with Don Oneal in the Bowyer two car stable.
Lucas Oil champion Mike Marlar will move to the Rumley #6, while Brandon Overton will take over the #2 formerly driven by Joey Coulter. Still we await the announcement from the Dunn Benson team as to who will replace Bobby Pierce, who is moving back to a family operation. I have probably missed some moves and I am sure there are more to come, as the PRI show, December 6-8 this year is typically the time for major announcements, so stay tuned.
Hopefully I will be back with a recap from racing at the Dome this weekend, and if you see me there, say " Hi! " Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Crigler and Gustin Highlight Turkey Bowl Winners
Just shy of one year ago, Jeff Broeg offered a ride to the twice rescheduled 11th annual Turkey Bowl at the Springfield Raceway. Having never been to the southeast Missouri 1/4 mile facility, I jumped at the chance to take in a race on what was now the Sunday after Thanksgiving. 166 cars in five classes turned out on a chilly late Sunday afternoon with a 3:00 PM start time. Unfortunately, there were a few hiccups in the program, and with three members of our group due to show up for work on Monday, we made the decision to head towards home before seeing any feature racing. Of course, this left a bit of unfinished business, so when Jeff offered a return trip for this Saturday, I was all in. Tracking the forecast at least twice per day - you can do that when you are retired! - it looked like deja vu all over again. But as the week progressed, the predictions of temps in the 40's and possible precipitation dissolved, and by Saturday morning, the forecast was for temps in the upper 50's and no rain. So five of us piled in for the trip south, watching as the thermometer climbed to a balmy 67 degrees as we rolled into the speedway.
Something close to 170 cars signed in, even though the late model count shrunk slightly from 26 last year to a still solid 20, possibly due in part to a shock rule designed to accommodate a variety of competitors. Even though we had no need for a self imposed curfew, it did not matter, as the program rolled along quickly. The only problem for yours truly was that the computer system at the track had issues, and announcer Ronnie Williams was apparently left mostly on his own as far as driver information. As to be expected, many of the entrants were unfamiliar to him and me, as well as the normal late season shuffling of different drivers wheeling different rides, which left us doing a lot of guessing as to who and what we were seeing. Compiling points for many of the mid western states came in handy for Jeff, and he has a detailed summary of the action on the Backstretch here at Positively Racing.com.
Early in the evening I decided to segue from reporter to fan, watching as Iowa hot shoe Ryan Gustin, a driver I am very familiar with charged to the front of the non stop 25 lap modified feature, picking up the $2,000 check and the unique Turkey Bowl trophy.
When the late models hit the track, however, old habits kicked in, and I found myself taking notes while watching another driver I see weekly, Sam Halstead, work his way from row six to fifth at the finish, racing five plus hours from home. Scott Crigler claimed the trophy and the $2,000 payday after starting fourth, besting sixth starting Joe Gorby. Jake Davis and Kaeden Cornell followed the first two. Dylan Hoover, former IMCA champion Justin Wells, veteran Raymond Merrill, Jace Parmley, and Shawn Strong completed the top ten.
Following the late model finale, the legend cars came to the track for their feature, while the unscheduled mini late models lined up. When the 22 car legend field suffered their first caution, we headed for the car, just after 8:00.
The racing surface was in tip top shape throughout the night, the light watering and grading ahead of each feature may or may not have contributed, but especially for November racing, it was a near perfect track. Slide jobs and crossovers were in abundance, making for a great late afternoon/evening of racing, and the 2019 Turkey Bowl XIII is a race I can highly recommend. The only change I would offer up is to implement the " spin and your in " rule in the heats, but that might be nit picking...
Even as I am starting to put together my 2019 schedule - see Quincy Raceways, 34 Raceway, Benton County Speedway, Marshalltown Speedway, - there is ONE MORE event for this season, the St Louis Dome race November 29,30, and December 1. If the stars align, just maybe... stay tuned, and thanks for reading.
Something close to 170 cars signed in, even though the late model count shrunk slightly from 26 last year to a still solid 20, possibly due in part to a shock rule designed to accommodate a variety of competitors. Even though we had no need for a self imposed curfew, it did not matter, as the program rolled along quickly. The only problem for yours truly was that the computer system at the track had issues, and announcer Ronnie Williams was apparently left mostly on his own as far as driver information. As to be expected, many of the entrants were unfamiliar to him and me, as well as the normal late season shuffling of different drivers wheeling different rides, which left us doing a lot of guessing as to who and what we were seeing. Compiling points for many of the mid western states came in handy for Jeff, and he has a detailed summary of the action on the Backstretch here at Positively Racing.com.
Early in the evening I decided to segue from reporter to fan, watching as Iowa hot shoe Ryan Gustin, a driver I am very familiar with charged to the front of the non stop 25 lap modified feature, picking up the $2,000 check and the unique Turkey Bowl trophy.
When the late models hit the track, however, old habits kicked in, and I found myself taking notes while watching another driver I see weekly, Sam Halstead, work his way from row six to fifth at the finish, racing five plus hours from home. Scott Crigler claimed the trophy and the $2,000 payday after starting fourth, besting sixth starting Joe Gorby. Jake Davis and Kaeden Cornell followed the first two. Dylan Hoover, former IMCA champion Justin Wells, veteran Raymond Merrill, Jace Parmley, and Shawn Strong completed the top ten.
Following the late model finale, the legend cars came to the track for their feature, while the unscheduled mini late models lined up. When the 22 car legend field suffered their first caution, we headed for the car, just after 8:00.
The racing surface was in tip top shape throughout the night, the light watering and grading ahead of each feature may or may not have contributed, but especially for November racing, it was a near perfect track. Slide jobs and crossovers were in abundance, making for a great late afternoon/evening of racing, and the 2019 Turkey Bowl XIII is a race I can highly recommend. The only change I would offer up is to implement the " spin and your in " rule in the heats, but that might be nit picking...
Even as I am starting to put together my 2019 schedule - see Quincy Raceways, 34 Raceway, Benton County Speedway, Marshalltown Speedway, - there is ONE MORE event for this season, the St Louis Dome race November 29,30, and December 1. If the stars align, just maybe... stay tuned, and thanks for reading.
Sunday, November 4, 2018
Rain Prevails at Columbus Junction
Trying to ignore the " elephant in the room, " the ominous weather forecast, we headed out at the noon hour Saturday for C J Speedway in Columbus Junction, Iowa in search of one more racing adventure. The drive was done mostly in a light drizzle, although the skies cleared a bit as we ventured north of Mt. Pleasant. With the forecast calling for as much as a 90% chance of afternoon showers, we were not sure what to expect, but the 75 or 80 cars in the pits seemed like enough for a solid racing program.
After signing in, I made my way across the track to the infield pit area, quickly realizing that the 4/10 mile oval had already received a fair amount of moisture, and could likely not absorb much more. The starting time had been moved up two hours to try and get ahead of the Friday forecast, and everything was going well as hot laps clicked off in timely fashion on the still greasy surface. The original running order had been changed after only a pair of hobby stocks signed in, so after the national anthem, the first IMCA sport compact heat race was called to the track. Unfortunately, that is when things went awry. A light but persistent drizzle began to fall before the green flag waved, with the cars circling the track to try and minimize the effects of the rain. Soon more compacts joined the group of seven, and then the call came out for some of the wider tired machines to help out. It was not long until the race cars were sent pitside, with track packing vehicles along with promoter Larry Richardson in his street car continuing to turn laps.
While the radar looked somewhat promising, the showers intensified a bit, and after a half hour or so, it became obvious that the track was " lost, " and would need to be torn up and repacked if there was to be any chance of racing, a process that would take at least a couple of hours, provided the rain would stop. So the decision was made to pull the plug on the 2nd annual Turkey Dash.
I have no idea how long the rain continued at the track, but as so often happens, we had traveled only a few miles south on highway 27 when the showers stopped. Still I don't think anyone could question the decision to cancel given the track and pit conditions.
And all four of us agreed that the trip was well worth the gamble for a shot at November racing, and hopefully the Turkey Dash will be back on the schedule in 2019 - perhaps minus the hobby stocks!?!
Thanks to Larry and the CJ Speedway gang for going the extra mile while trying to get the show in.
I believe the curtain is down on racing in Iowa for 2018, but for those unwilling to call it a year, there is still action to be had in Missouri, including the Turkey Bowl in Springfield on November 17, and of the course the race at the Dome in St. Louis November 29,30, and December 1.
Meanwhile the 2019 schedules are beginning to trickle in, and of course around here, the buzz is about the Lucas Oil late model show at 34 Raceway in West Burlington on Thursday, May 16. There are always a few " can't miss " shows on my racing calendar, and this is one of them, for sure. Keep an eye on the calendar tab at Positively Racing as we look forward to the 2019 season, and check back here at Racin' Down the Road for updates.
Thanks for reading.
After signing in, I made my way across the track to the infield pit area, quickly realizing that the 4/10 mile oval had already received a fair amount of moisture, and could likely not absorb much more. The starting time had been moved up two hours to try and get ahead of the Friday forecast, and everything was going well as hot laps clicked off in timely fashion on the still greasy surface. The original running order had been changed after only a pair of hobby stocks signed in, so after the national anthem, the first IMCA sport compact heat race was called to the track. Unfortunately, that is when things went awry. A light but persistent drizzle began to fall before the green flag waved, with the cars circling the track to try and minimize the effects of the rain. Soon more compacts joined the group of seven, and then the call came out for some of the wider tired machines to help out. It was not long until the race cars were sent pitside, with track packing vehicles along with promoter Larry Richardson in his street car continuing to turn laps.
While the radar looked somewhat promising, the showers intensified a bit, and after a half hour or so, it became obvious that the track was " lost, " and would need to be torn up and repacked if there was to be any chance of racing, a process that would take at least a couple of hours, provided the rain would stop. So the decision was made to pull the plug on the 2nd annual Turkey Dash.
I have no idea how long the rain continued at the track, but as so often happens, we had traveled only a few miles south on highway 27 when the showers stopped. Still I don't think anyone could question the decision to cancel given the track and pit conditions.
And all four of us agreed that the trip was well worth the gamble for a shot at November racing, and hopefully the Turkey Dash will be back on the schedule in 2019 - perhaps minus the hobby stocks!?!
Thanks to Larry and the CJ Speedway gang for going the extra mile while trying to get the show in.
I believe the curtain is down on racing in Iowa for 2018, but for those unwilling to call it a year, there is still action to be had in Missouri, including the Turkey Bowl in Springfield on November 17, and of the course the race at the Dome in St. Louis November 29,30, and December 1.
Meanwhile the 2019 schedules are beginning to trickle in, and of course around here, the buzz is about the Lucas Oil late model show at 34 Raceway in West Burlington on Thursday, May 16. There are always a few " can't miss " shows on my racing calendar, and this is one of them, for sure. Keep an eye on the calendar tab at Positively Racing as we look forward to the 2019 season, and check back here at Racin' Down the Road for updates.
Thanks for reading.
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