What's important

I didn't post a blog last week, partly because Eagle Raceway rained out. Mostly though, I've been reviewing my priorities. My mother hasn't been very good lately, and at 88 it's not going to be easy for her to bounce back like she used to. Couple that with my wife's ongoing problems, and it's hard to worry too much about racing, as much as I love it.

Since this weekend is Memorial Day, I also have been reflecting on years past. As I've mentioned before, we always went to Milligan (where my father was from) and decorated the graves of our relatives. So, Monday we'll be heading there again; this time we'll be cleaning and decorating my father's final resting place.

When you throw in all of the horrible weather around the country, the huge loss of life, people without anything left of their possessions, some things just pale in comparison. However, the world goes on, and so must we. With that in mind, let's talk about racing.

This past weekend Roger and the crew worked a LOT of hours in order to get the track ready so we could hold races. When I talked to him Thursday he stated "I don't care if it kills me, we're racing!!". When you consider that Eagle was the ONLY track that raced for hundreds of miles around Thursday, Friday or Saturday, you can imagine what it took to be able to do so. What more could you ask of a promoter?? Some folks think that promoters are a breed that don't care about the fans or racers, but that mold definitely doesn't fit Roger. He wants to give the racers somewhere to compete and to put on a good show for the fans, because that's what racing is about. I'd say that he succeeded again.

Saturday night all racers who came to pick up their payout were handed a stack of free admission tickets for the Memorial Day weekend races. Sounds like a good deal for the racers and especially for the fans; free admission is something that you just don't get much anymore. The teams & racers get the chance to let their families watch from the stands for nothing, plus giving back to their fans. I have a few left, so if you need a couple just stop by the pit shack before the races.

The racing was pretty darned good too. Max Harder got his first victory ever at Eagle in a Sport Modified and summed up most of the racers feelings when he said "I’m so glad that we actually had a track to race on after everyone else cancelled”. Judging by a bunch of posts on Facebook the week before, he wasn't alone in that sympathy.

I believe that the Sport Compact win by Cameron Meyer was a first also, but I couldn't locate him for an interview. By the time that I got to the back pits he was evidently gone already. Sorry Cameron; I'll be sure to catch you after your next victory.

RJ Macku grabbed the Hobby Stock Feature again, holding off "Handsome" Chad Fegley and Roy Armstrong. Racing all around the track and throughout the pack made it exciting for all. I thought about asking RJ if winning was getting old, but I'd already given him a hard enough time.

Johnny Saathoff bounced back from an uncharacteristic 4th place in his heat with a vengeance, capturing the A Feature for the Modifieds. You could tell that Saathoff was on a mission, and wasn't going to settle for anything less than a win. The Modified racing at Eagle is second to none anywhere in the country. If you can be among the top in points there, you can race ANYWHERE and be successful!

There was a bit of controversy in the 360 sprint A Main. With just over a handful of laps left, Jack Dover passed then leader Logan Forler. But, a yellow flag came out for another car who had spun in turn 3. Dover thought that he should have the lead, but the transponder system said otherwise. Dover has since stated that his raceiver wasn't working, but the officials showed him several times that he should move back to second. After repeatedly ignoring the officials directions, the flagman showed him the black flag and put him in fourth. Jack managed to get back up to second, but Forler held on for the win.

From what I could hear, it sounded like the fans were divided over who they thought was in the right. The devoted Doverites booed, the others cheered, and in the end it didn't really matter. You can't cheat the transponders, and no matter how much chest-thumping you do on the internet, the win stays with Forler. Jack and Roger both were a part of an internet radio show Monday evening, and it sounds like the big hoorah is in the past and we can move ahead and move on. Let's hope so. Jack is a tremendous talent, and a great young man. He's proven that he can run with the best, and he not only does that, he WINS against the best!

After interviewing Logan, I can see why he is a successful part of the ASCS National tour. Intelligent, well-spoken, and very dedicated to his craft. I failed to ask, but I think he was getting a little practice in at "America's Home Track" in preparation for the Eagle Nationals coming up June 10th & 11th.

Hope that all of you can be on hand either Friday or Saturday (or both would be even better). I know that we'll have people from all over the country visiting; I know one of my racing friends and his wife are coming up for the show. I'm not sure if his new bride has ever visited the high banks, but I know this will be a first for him. He's picked a good one for his initial visit for sure.

The weekly show is a can't miss, so get your hiney in gear and get out there. You won't be disappointed.

To read my write-up of Saturday night's action, you can do so here:
Eagle Raceway write-up 5/22/11