Too Much Time On My Hands

  Happy Valentines Day from northeast Missouri! Today is the first hint we have had that spring may eventually come and hopefully dry things out enough that we can race in the midwest. Cabin fever has definitely set in, as I usually don't pay much attention to the racing news out of Arizona, Georgia, and Florida, but I have been following it more this year, it seems, even as I flip through some vintage Hawkeye Racing News editions that still linger in my basement.
  The 2019 schedules are nearly complete, and weather permitting, things will get started shortly, with the Scotland County Speedway set to kick things off  in four weeks, March 15 and 16 with their spring special, followed the next Friday and Saturday at Lee County Speedway, and then Saturday, March 30 the Sprint Invaders opener at 34 Raceway will include the return of IMCA late models to the legendary 3/8 mile high banks. Quincy Raceways is then set to open their gates Sunday, March 31.
  One scheduling snafu of note that I came across this week is at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo. When weather forced postponement of the 2018 UMP Fall Nationals last October, it was announced that even though the points season was complete, the two day show would be run on March 29, 30, 2019. In fact, the press release has been on the front page of the I-55  website all winter. But the release this week of the schedule indicates that Saturday, March 30 will be a practice night, as apparently the event will not take place.
  Several of the local tracks, including 34 and Quincy will be hosting car shows and practice nights, so I would encourage you to visit the tracks' websites for dates and times.
  In keeping with the theme of " too much time on my hands, " I am going to stray for a bit from the " positive " theme, and address a couple of issues that sort of rub me the wrong way. I want to start by saying that I am not singling out any particular track or promoter, as these issues have been going on for many years at many venues.
  The first post season " banquet " I ever attended was actually a cook out at the old Keokuk race track in the mid 1970s, and I know the concept was around well before that and is still going strong. But one thing that has bothered me over the years is the requirement that drivers attend the banquet if they wish to receive their awards, be it cash or just a trophy. In many cases, the date of the banquet is not announced until well after the season is complete, and is often not on the same night the track held their racing events. This can create any number of problems for the drivers. One that stands out to me is that several of these are taking place even as races are going on in the aforementioned warm weather states. I would hate to think I would be forfeiting my earned accolades because I was racing a thousand miles away from my home track.
  Along the same lines, tracks often require drivers to attend a certain ( high ) percentage of races in order to be eligible to receive points and the corresponding award. I fully understand the concept of promoters encouraging and rewarding driver loyalty, but in the interest of fairness, it always seemed to me that if a driver is good enough to race say one half of a tracks' point shows and do well enough to finish in the top five or ten in points, they deserve recognition for their accomplishment.
  Some may call me just a keyboard jockey, which I suppose is fair, but I would like to think these are things I would do differently if I were in charge. But then who would be silly enough to put me in charge!?!
  With that being said, I would not let these pet peeves keep me from any track, and hopefully I will be able to prove that in the coming weeks. Everyone stay safe, and we will see you at the track soon!