Home life, Tony Stewart and more

Well, it's Sunday again and it has not been a good one. My wife is having a horrible day, so that leaves my mother's care to me. I don't mind, and it's not hard work, but it leaves me unable to do anything else like get the yard work done. The lawn needs to be mowed and "weed and feed"ed, but I'm stuck in here so maybe tomorrow night after work.

Mom is having a pretty good day actually, and for that we're very thankful. She even got up and walked around with her walker today; a really good day for her. Supper's going, so I'm taking a little time to do the blog that I promised in my last posting. I'll finish it after supper and getting Mom in bed and then publish it.

First off, I got a call from the owner/promoter at Eagle Raceway Friday. Nothing unusual in that, but the news he had was definitely out of the ordinary. He told me that Tony Stewart (yes, THAT Tony Stewart) was coming to run with the ASCS sprints next Saturday night at The Icebreaker Challenge at Eagle. So, after it became official I started getting the word out to the public. I received several differing responses with my announcement; and I was surprised by some of them, even though I probably shouldn't have been.

As with all famous people, Tony evokes many differing emotions in the general populace. They range from those who fawn over him, to such comments as "Big deal!!" or "He's a jerk" to "What a big ego" and even "We don't want him there!!". I even experienced a couple of folks who didn't know who he was. Now THAT surprised me, since the 1000 pound gorilla known as NASCAR is so ever-present that it seems odd that anyone could not have some inkling as to who "Smoke" is.

Quite a few said that they would come out and bring their friends just because he was going to be there, and that's the whole point. When you run a dirt track the most important thing is to fill the stands, and it looks like that will happen thanks to Tony.

I'm not worried about that so much, because I think that is a given. What I AM concerned with is that we'll have so many "NASCAR groupies" that it's going to be a disaster. It happens quite frequently it seems, because at a Sprint Cup event you have absolutely NO access to the drivers, whereas at a dirt track race you can go right into the pits either during the evening (with a pit pass) or after the night's contests are finished with no extra cash outlay. And when a certain part of the populace finds out that someone like Tony will be there they lose all common sense. They HAVE to be there!!

At Tony's own track, Eldora Speedway, they have a big late model race every year, The Dream. There also is a race with late models the night before that is called "Prelude to the Dream"!! Most of the competitors in the Prelude are NASCAR drivers or personalties past and present along with a few from other racing endeavours such as USAC and even drag racing. This year Danica Patrick is slated to race in fact. All of the proceeds go to charity, and from what I gather, the stands are PACKED!!! I've heard more than 1 dirt track fan and Eldrora regular complain about all of the "NASCAR people" who are only there to see the Sprint Cup stars. I'm hoping against hope that it doesn't happen this coming weekend. I've also got my fingers crossed that some of the folks who make their first trip to Eagle end up really enjoying the racing and become regulars. The only way that I know of to get folks hooked on dirt track racing is to get them to go to one.

We'll provide extra security for Tony and his team, but not just because he's a star; but still partially due to that fact. He has given and continues to give back not just to dirt track racing but also to charities in significant amounts. I personally think that he deserves the right to use his free time as he wishes. If that means going to and competing at a dirt track like any other racer, so be it. We provide the same courtesy to folks such as Larry the Cable Guy who has made numerous trips to Eagle Raceway. Larry wanted the ability to just sit and watch the races with his family, and we made sure that he could do exactly that. Just because you're famous, or rich, doesn't mean that you can't have some peace and quiet when you want it.

The long and short of it is, Tony wants to be just another sprint car driver for the night. He doesn't want to be pestered by autograph seekers, or drooling fans who want to get close to a star. No autographs, no pictures with your kids, none of that. Seems like a fair request to me. Should he give the autographs and take the pictures? Maybe so, but that's his call; not mine or anyone else's.

I admire Tony's accomplishments in the racing world today. Many people have deigned him the modern day AJ Foyt; a designation with which I wholeheartedly agree. He can drive and win in almost any type of race car. He's a past NASCAR Champion, IRL Champion, USAC Champion, he won the Triple Crown, even snagged a World of Outlaws race win last year. He drinks plain old beer, plays poker, and enjoys what he does best; RACE!! If I weren't just a lowly pit shack guy I'd love to be able to pal around with him because he seems to me to be just a regular guy who makes a VERY good living racing. Sadly, not everyone sees it that way.

I once wrote an article for a long-defunct website that I titled "But I paid for this ticket". It was basically telling the average race fan that the price of a seat in the stands did not entitle them to anything but a good show. They didn't buy the right to pry into or discuss the drivers' personal lives, or those of the owner or promoter of a race track, or those who put the teams out there for our enjoyment. I think that goes for the present situation especially. Do people come to where you work and pester you for an autograph, or a picture of you with their children or themselves? Doubtful. And don't give me the same, tired old excuse of "They're famous. They aren't like everybody else". Of course they are, they're just famous. If you don't like what you DID pay for, you can complain. But, if you complain, you'd better be able to offer a better way of doing what you didn't like. A reasonable way that actually will work without bankrupting the track or causing more headaches that it solves.

And that takes me off of the soap box and onto another subject that is reflected above. A certain bloviator....excuse me; blogger; embodies to the Nth degree the sort of thing that I mentioned above. Although they admit to being nothing more than a grumpy fan (read bleacher creature) he constantly berates promoters as if though they were second class citizens, not normal human beings. Where this attitude springs from is up for debate, and his actions are a matter of humor even to his friends. I've been told that more than once in fact. This person also is constantly putting me down for my attitude towards race tracks and their owners & promoters. My only belief is that the owner/promoter that I deal with constantly is a great guy. He took over a track that the previous owner was losing large amounts of money at and was prepared to sell to the highest bidder. It didn't matter to him what the purchaser wanted to do with it. Land development, housing or keep the facility going; it wasn't important. The new owner didn't want to see the track close, so he not only purchased it, he made a go of it, and is finally turning a profit at it. I read that Eagle is the second highest attended fan venue in the state, behind Memorial Stadium. No, it doesn't hold the most, but over a year's time, it draws the 2nd highest amount of people. I believe an average weekly show is around 2500 people. Pretty good for a dirt race track I'd say, and the envy of some much more well-known ones. With so many dirt tracks folding every year, it's a shining example of what can be done at one.

One wish I have is that this person and his fellow complainers would actually have control of a dirt track for just 1 year. After they implemented all of their fantastic innovations and lost a huge amount of money and failed miserably in their attempt they most likely would STILL refuse to believe that they didn't have the know-how to run such a facility and would blame it on God, the previous owner or something else. Maybe if this blogger would actually WORK at a track and be a part of the inner workings of said facility they might realize that a lot of what they think are brainstorms are really only brain farts!!

Oh well, I suppose that will never happen. And the blogger will keep on complaining about tracks and promoters with no workable solutions  to remedy what is perceived by them as a problem. And, they'll probably insist on continuing their 5-year old game of "I know something that you don't want to be told and if you aren't careful I'll tell!!". Just another perceived but untrue situation that I know the truth of. There is no problem, as both parties involved were pleased with the arrangement that was agreed upon and fulfilled.

Alright; Mom is in bed and I'm heading there shortly. Take care, and I hope to see you out at Eagle Raceway soon. If you make the trip; and you should; stop by and say hello. As far as I'm concerned, you're either already a racing friend or one that I just haven't met yet. We may not agree on everything, but what friends do?? We need to remedy that situation!!

Long time no blog

As a lot of you know, my mother is not doing very well. She moved in with us about 2 months ago in a hospice situation. She will be here until she leaves us forever, and we wouldn't have it any other way. My saintly wife cares for her while I go to work and we share the duties while I'm home. This, coupled with her having spent the previous months in and out of the hospital offset with stays in assited living facilities has meant little to no time to spare for things like blogging. For this, I apologize. I will do my utmost to keep up my duties as a blogger to the best of my ability under the current constraints.

Eagle Raceway's season starts in less than 2 weeks. The 19th of this month will be an open practice night for any and all classes. Front gates open at 6 with free admission for everyone. Pit gates open at 5 with pit passes just $10.

The following 2 nights are the Icebreaker Challenge, featuring the IMCA Modifieds. Friday night's support classes will be Lucas Oil ASCS Sprints and IMCA Sport Modifieds. Front gates open at 6 and racing starts at 8. Adult admission is $12, youths 6-12 are just $5 and 5 and under are free. Pit gates open at 4 with pit passes costing $25.

Saturday evening the Lucas Oil ASCS Sprints will again be racing, but the Sport Modifieds will be replaced by the IMCA Hobby Stocks and IMCA Sport Compacts. Front gates will open at 5 with racing beginning at 6:30. Adult front gate admission will be $15 while the youth and children's admissions prices remain the same. Pit gates again open at 4 with pit passes again being $25.

The 27th and 28th of April there will again be a double-header weekend. On Friday night the World of Outlaws presented by SLS Promotions make their return to the high banks of America's Home Track after having been absent the past 2 years. The best 410 travelling series in the world will have the mini-sprints as their support class. Front gates open at 5:30 with time trials at 6:30 and racing at 7. If you wait until the day of the show, adult front gate admission is $35, youths are $15 and 5 and under receive free admission with a paid adult. There is a package deal with both a reserved seat and a pit pass available for just $5 more. You can save $5 on adult admission by visiting participating NAPA stores. You also can purchase reduced price front gate tickets online at SLS Promotions tickets for Eagle Raceway or by calling 1-815-344-2023. Pit gates open at 4 P.M.

Then on Saturday the Nebraska Lottery presents the SuperMania 2012 Season Opener. All regular weekly shows will consist of the Budweiser 360 Sprints, Nebraska Drive Shaft & Radiator IMCA Modifieds, NAPA IMCA Sport Modifieds, Valentino's IMCA Hobby Stocks and Exhaust Pros IMCA Sport Compacts. Front gates open at 5:30 with racing at 6:30. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for youths 6-12 and 5 and under are free. Pit gates open at 4 and pit passes are $20.

There will be lots of fun for all ages with give-aways, contests and other fan interaction to go along with plenty of racing action. As I always say, "Going to the races is an event", and the events at Eagle Raceway will have you planning your next trip back there even before you leave.

The next big event will be held the 8th and 9th of June when TBJ Promotions presents the Eagle Nationals featuring the Lucas Oil ASCS National Sprints. Friday night the IMCA Sport Modifieds and IMCA Hobby Stocks will also be on the card and Saturday evening IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Compacts will be the support classes. The Eagle Nationals is always one of the most exciting and hotly contested events of the year as the Eagle regulars attempt to protect their home turf against the national touring drivers.

August 3rd the Amsoil National Championship 410 non-winged Sprint Cars will make their first ever appearance in the state of Nebraska at the Rumble in the Bullring. The event was originally scheduled for last August, but unfortunately Mother Nature decided that the previous week's lack of rain needed to be remedied and the event had to be cancelled. The NCRA/MARS Super Late Models will be running topless and the other support class will be the Mod Lites.

The 2012 season wraps up with two Sunday shows. September 2nd Budweiser presents the Eagle Super Shootout featuring the 360 Sprints, IMCA Modieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Hobby Stocks and IMCA Sport Compacts.

The final event will again feature the Lucas Oil Sprints at the Nebraska Cup on September 9th. They will be supported by the IMCA Sport Modifieds and IMCA Hobby Stocks.

The entire 2012 Eagle Raceway schedule can be viewed at Eagle Raceway 2012 Schedule and the website is updated regularly during the season with results and news.

Eagle Raceway should be on everyone's bucket list, and there is no better time than the present to check that one off!!

I'll try to get another blog posted yet this week, as there are some things being said that need to be addressed; so stay tuned!!!

As always, your comments are welcomed and even encouraged!! So sound off.