Thoughts on the 2023 IMCA Racesaver Sprint Car Nationals

 

This year’s IMCA Racesaver Sprint Car Nationals was a great 4-day weekend! Mother Nature didn’t rain on our parade, so that was different from a lot of the past Nationals. She did, however, give us an abundance of sun and heat; making a lot of work for the track prep crew. There weren’t a lot of serious accidents, and although numerous cars were damaged over the weekend, some very badly, none of the drivers were severely injured.

After Thursday’s practice night, we got 3 days of fantastic racing action, culminating in the $3000 to win Big Dance on Sunday evening.

Now, for my take on the weekend. It’s widely known that I love dirt track racing, no matter the class. When you were practically raised at a dirt track, attending your first race at 1 month old at the long gone Lincoln Speedway at Capitol Beach, that love goes awfully deep. I wish I were able to attend more races at more tracks around the country. Sadly, finances won’t allow for that right now. Luckily, I have my latest home track, Eagle Raceway just a few miles from my house. Also, I am allowed to do my small part for the track, drivers and fans by writing up the story of each night’s events.

I also write articles/interviews for Dirt Empire Magazine. Over the past 70 years I have had the good fortune to meet so many people that are now part of my racing family. So many great people, all of them interesting in their own right. I could spend the rest of my life writing about all of them, and I wish that was possible. I choose to dedicate myself to letting the lesser known racers and crew members’ stories be told; something I’m happy and proud to do. I just sent in an article about a local racer in fact. Now, I need to get back to working on one that I started just prior to my wife Linda’s passing nearly 2 years ago. That really took away almost all of my ambitions for anything, but I’m back in the saddle again. I have another one after that that I also started a couple of years ago and following that, I plan to do one on a visiting racer that I became friendly with at the Nationals. My plate is full, but what else is there to do? Especially now that the season is nearly at an end.

As for the Nationals, what a fantabulous event!!! Each and every year, throngs of race teams invade America’s Home Track to test their mettle against the best of the best Racesaver drivers in the world. Some of them won’t even make the Sunday A Main, but still they are awarded with the experience of trying for the championship belt and the top prize. As the saying goes, ‘In the battle, the glory’. The fans get to witness their favorite drivers battle it out on the high banks; hoping that one of them can come out on top.

Personally, I love every single, solitary moment of the 4 day extravaganza. I really enjoy the racing during the regular season, but the Nationals are just over the top!! I was thrilled at times, and at other times shocked and angry. I’ve grown to know the local racers, and am fond of them all; but seeing Tyler Drueke’s race go out the window due to no fault of his own truly got to me. I’ve become very proud of Tyler, and I admire his perseverance and overall demeanor. I stopped by his pit after the race and he was his usual calm, even keeled self. You could tell that it hurt, but only if you knew him well. I told him what great runs he had, both before and after the wreck. His reply? ‘The stats will only show that I went from fourth back to sixth’. He is currently leading both National and State points contest and has already won the track title at Eagle Raceway, so those first 2 contests were surely on his mind. All I can say is ‘This young man is what a racer should be’. What a battle it would have been between he and Huish! Sadly, that competition will have to wait for another day, another time. Our local racers ably defended their home turf. 7 of the top 10 in the Big Dance were locals with Stu Snyder second, Jason Danley fourth, Mike Boston fifth, Tyler Drueke 6^th, Jay Russell 7^th and Trevor Grossenbacher 10^th. Way to go guys!!!

Congratulations to all 87 teams and drivers who came from all over the country to participate. Hopefully, you can and will all return next year. Will we have a repeat winner, or will a first timer put their name in the record books? Only time will tell, so in the mean time get out there and support your local dirt track. Enjoy yourself and be sure to mark your calendars and make your plans to be at Eagle Raceway during Labor Day 2024.

The last 48 years

 It's been over 3 years sinced I put up blog post, and I feel terrible about that. So, here goes.

As most of you know, I lost the love of my life on November 6,2021.After being together for over 46 years, God decided that he needed another angel.I can tell you this without fear of contradiction that he could not possibly have picked a better person that her. She loved everyone she ever me, and everyone she ever met loved her.

The happiest day of my wife was when she agreed to be my wife. She may have been a little punchy at the  time because she had worked a double shift before I picked her up. I drove to Little Bo's parking lot where we always went to talk. She kept falling asleep, so I did the only thing I could think of to wave her up; I proposed!!! That did in fact wake her up, followed by a smiling, crying YES!!!

We married in June of 1975 (second best day of my life). A year and four months later came the third best day of my life when our oldest son was born.

We couldn't afford a sitter, so she stayed home with him. Raising him and teaching him while I worked. December of 1979 marked the fourth best day of my life when our youngest son came into the world. Sh\e continued to stay home with the 2 boys until they both were in school. She then went to work but all too soon she began suffering from bipolar syndriome. 

From then until her passing she ended up aquiring one new health problem after another. Finally she succumbed and flew up to be cradled in the Lord"s arms where she no longer was in pain and free of all ailments.

That was just over 21 months ago and I still have times when I can't believe she's gone. I fell apart some, retreating into my house and just holing up and shutting ouit the world. I didn't want to go anywhere, do anything, or even see anyone. I actually told Roger Hadan that I wasn't going to come back to work at Eagle Raceway. Luckily friends knew me better than I knew myself and changed my mind for me. I couldn't stand to be away from my happy place; the race track. I couldn't stand to be away from my racing family. I loved what I did at the track and always thought I was darned good at it.

Unfortunately I haven't as of yet gone back to writing magazine articles, but I believe I will if I'm still wanted there.

That's always something that bothers me; not knowing whether or not what I wrtote was any good. My stories of the night's racing at Eagle gets posted on both the track's website and Facebook page. Is it good? Is it just okay? Or is it just crap?? Never getting ny feedback makes me wonder. Everyone needs to be appreciated, right?

There are just 8 nights of racing left this season, and that saddens me. Hovever, I am going to do my darndrest to get back to being published nationally to tide me over until next season's racing season.