And We Don't Have Sense Enough...

I believe that is how the line starts, followed by " to come in out of the rain."
Well at least I had plenty of company Saturday night at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa. Despite a persistent rain that was often more than a drizzle, an amazingly large crowd braved the precipitation and cool temps to witness an outstanding racing program. We can all say we saw the first ever program of the Midwest Open Wheel Association, and if the first one proves to be typical, this sprint car series could be around for a while. A combination of 39 410 and 360 sprint cars signed in for the inagural event, and there were some big names in the pits thanks to a World of Outlaws rainout Saturday morning in Oklahoma. Danny " the Dude " Lasoski from Dover,Mo. probably was about the fourth or fifth fastest car come feature time, but he can wheel a sprinter as well as anyone, and he used a combination of talent and good fortune to take home the $2500.00 top prize. Popular Decatur,Il. ace Kaley Gharst made the run of the night, starting 18th, and moving up to challenge the Dude on the 30th and final circuit, settling for second.
As exciting as the sprint cars were, I was keeping my fingers crossed that the rain would not increase until the IMCA late models completed their 25 lap finale. With 26 cars on hand, the late model main was sure to be action packed, and it did not disappoint. Matt Bailey and Keith Pratt dueled for the top spot early before sixth starting Rob Toland charged to the front. Meanwhile, Tom Darbyshire found his way into second, and took the top spot after some inadvertent contact with Toland in turn one. Rob seemed to take offense, giving Darb something more than a nudge on the backstretch. The # 42 was able to keep going, while Toland slid to a stop, bringing out the caution. Darbyshire was out front on the restart, and Denny Woodworth, who had been strong from his row four starting slot never could muster enough juice to overtake Darbyshire. Tom Goble made a late run himself to capture third, while Jason Frankel, who did not make the redraw, suddenly found his line around the top of the track, advancing from 13th to finish fourth. Jason Perry started and finished fifth, one spot ahead of Matt Strassheim in the Darbyshire team car.
The 26 car IMCA stock car field ran the first feature of the night, and even on the rain slick track, the put on a top notch show. Jeff Mueller picked up where he left off in 2010, overtaking John Oliver Jr. to open the 2011 points season with a win.
I must say I have rarely seen the type of yeoman effort the 34 crew put forth to not only get the track and grounds ready for this type of show, but the continuing work throughout the off and on showers to keep the track rolled in and race ready. I was amazed Saturday morning when the text came that the show was on, and I honestly wondered what condition the track would be in. I would have to think that everyone who took in this show left more than satisfied.
While exploring the internet late last week looking for racing options, I discovered that Lee County Speedway in Donnellson,Iowa has added a pair of IMCA late model shows to their schedule for 2011, with the first being this Friday night, April 29. The feature event will pay $1,000.00 to win, and will hopefully kick off the first three race weekend of the season for this blogger. Saturday night offers up many options, and Sunday evening Quincy Raceways will try to get back to weekly racing after two straight cancellations due to wet grounds. Come on sunshine and warm temps!