50th season opener at Eagle is in the books

I apologize for not getting this up last Sunday when I wrote it. I SWORE that I hit publish, but evidently not.

Well, the wife and I are back working at Eagle Raceway. We worked a practice night Thursday and then the first actual racing Saturday night.

I was really pleased and surprised at the size of the crowd; it was REALLY good, considering that the temps got down to the mid-40's by the time the racing ended a little after 11. Yes, I know that's late, but when you have 164 cars in the pits, it's going to take some time to get all of the races run. I guess that's the price that Roger pays for being a good promoter.

I'll be honest here and say that it was TOUGH getting back into the swing of things, even after having a bit of a free trial Thursday. Thank God Michelle had someone come up to handle the IMCA licenses and a lot of the minor registrations!! I was really worried about being able to keep track of the racing, get it down in a manageable format to allow me to write the story for the website, but it looks like I made it through with only minor hitches along the way. The story is up on the website and e-mailed to those who requested it and the media outlets as well.

As for the evening's events, I'd say that it was a great night. The track started out a little dusty, but the moisture ended up coming up and the track went dry-slick. I personally prefer a dry-slick track, because as the sprint winner Jeff Edgerington said "you have to drive on a dry-slick track". You can't just stomp and steer. Yes, there were ruts in the track, but that comes from the wet weather we've had lately. Most of the drivers I interviewed agreed; the ones who actually knew about such things did anyway.

Of course, one of the big stories of the night was the new sprint car class having it's first races at Eagle. We only got 16 cars, which is about the same as we were getting in the 360's last year, but I thought the racing was pretty damned good! In the feature defending 360 sprint car champion Mike Boston got in a car for someone else because his motor wasn't ready yet. He won his heat and got DQéd for being too light at the scales, so he started at the back of the feature. He ran up to second before losing the nose wing from his car and being sent to the back. Well, as you would expect from Mike, he ran that thing back to second and actually took the lead for a short time right at the end. His banzai move put him out front, but he slid up and Jeff took the lead back and held on for the win.

I'd say that the 305 Racesaver class has a real future at Eagle; at least I sure hope so. Rumor has it that we lost 1 of the new drivers who decided to give the class a shot because he can't handle the sprint (he hit the wall both Thursday and Saturday). I surely hope not, because we need all of the cars we can get to be sure this class goes over. Then there's the case of the young ladies in the class. They both did VERY well!!! Given that neither of them has ever raced a sprint car before (at least not a full-sized one), I'd say that they did very well. Shayle Bade ran 5th and Lacey Tuttle grabbed 6th in their inaugural feature.

All in all, a good night. A long night, and a tiring night, but a good one.

Here is the link to my write-up of the events and the full results: http://www.eagleraceway.com/EagleRaceway/?p=4383

Some personal stuff, and lots of racing

I ended up staying home from work again today, because my wife was feeling very poorly. She's having heart troubles, and someone had to stay and take care of my mother, so I was elected since Linda couldn't do it. She's had an overnight stay at St.E's Hospital and then another trip to the ER at Bryan LGH. Despite I don't know how many tests, they can't find out what the cause is. We've discussed the wife's problems with several of Linda's doctors, and Ed Raines of course, and we'll talk it over tonight after I get Mom in bed and make our decision then as to what we're going to do. Her cardiologist and Dr. Raines both said she should probably have a pacemaker, so we'll decide on that and go from there. We've got insurance, but the co-pay is going to be a biggun I'm afraid. I just pray that I don't run out of vacation time before the end of the year. I sure can't afford to take a day off without pay since I'm the sole source of income in the house.

Mom's doing as well as can be expected, so we can be thankful for that. I cherish every day that she's with us, and want every one of them to be the best that they can because those days are numbered.

Speaking of Ed Raines, it was SOO nice to chat with him again, even considering the circumstances. I miss him terribly already, at the track and outside of it. We were never really close friends outside of racing, but it was a great comfort to know that he was available whenever we needed him. I doubt that will change, and I wish him well wherever he lands. I know he'll do great, and many lives will be saved thanks to him.

Speaking of racing; we've actually gotten 4 of the first 5 race nights in this year. If you recall, that's pretty good compared to the last couple of years. The only one that we missed out on was the World of Outlaws. That really bummed me out, because it's been 3 years since they've been at Eagle and I really miss seeing all of my friends on the tour. The race has been rescheduled as a mid-week show in September. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that Mother Nature doesn't rear her ugly head for that one!!

USAC will be coming back on August 3rd to hopefully get in the first USAC 410 wingless sprint car race ever held in Nebraska. That's another one that I'm very jazzed about seeing, since I've never seen them before and grew up with the wingless sprints. The topless super late models will be running with them, so it should be one whale of an evening. After last year's rain-out, we need good weather for that one too.

The first 2 nights this year were the Icebreaker Challenge, and it was CHILLY both nights. The first night saw plenty of racing; even a C Feature in the IMCA Sport Modifieds. Last year's IMCA Sport Modified Champion Jesse Sobbing was there and won as he seems to do so often. Jay Noteboom came down and took home the IMCA Modified Main. Kaley Gharst won the ASCS 360 Sprint Car Feature. Kaley has been showing up every week, and there are rumors floating around that he intends to run the high banks every week this season. Stay tuned to find out if that's true or not.

The second night of the Icebreaker was a real treat for me and probably 10,000 others. After Tony Stewart announced that he'd be running that night the fans came in droves!! Heck, I bet that we had over 1000 just in the pits. Brandon Johnson won the IMCA Hobby Stock A, with Johnny Saathoff winning the IMCA Modified Feature and Ole Olsen coming home in first for the IMCA Sport Compacts. Then came the most exciting race that I've seen at Eagle Raceway in quite awhile. Last year's points champion Stu Snyder snagged the lead on lap #3 with Stewart and Jack Dover right behind him. Stewart used lapped traffic to grab the lead on lap #11. The race ran from green to checkers without a caution or red flag and I can tell you that all of the fans got their $15 worth just in that 1 race. Stewart was the master racer that he is throughout, but he never ran away from Stu! I still get excited just recalling it. Although Stewart had said that there would be no autographs, he stayed in the pits for over an hour and a half until everyone that wanted to got their autograph. I had interviewed the other winners and ended up standing off to the side for over half an hour before I could talk to him. I reminded him that I had told him earlier that I needed to interview him and he said "C'mon man! I have to be up at 8:30!!!" and it was already past midnight. As he walked into his trailer he repeated "C'mon!" indicating that I should follow him. I would have been okay with not getting the interview, considering that he still had to drive out to the other side of Lincoln, take a plane to Kansas City and then drive to the track; only to get a few (very few) hours of sleep before racing the next day, but was thrilled when he said he would. He seemed to be extremely impressed with all of the improvements that had been made since he was there 18 years before. He also praised the track conditions, which obviously were to his liking given his performance. His statement was “This track is just awesome, and it’s the perfect size and shape. It was easy to run anywhere I wanted; top, middle or bottom. The racing is fantastic. I didn’t want to get down off of my hauler for my race because I was having so much fun watching the sport compacts. I mean they were running 3-wide behind the leader!”. I gave him a picture that I had printed out of him and the trophy from his last visit to Eagle. When he saw it he called his crew together and said "Look guys!! I WAS skinny once". I hope he comes back soon and often, because he is one whale of a racer and seems to be a pretty nice guy to boot.

The next weekend was the first points show at the track, and the temperatures weren't too awfully bad during the day, but then the clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped but the wind didn't and again it was a 3 sweatshirt night for this Pit Shack Guy. We got over 180 cars in the pits that night! How many dirt tracks would KILL to say that? Jesse Sobbing came back and won from the front row in the IMCA Sport Modifieds. It just isn't fair to give that good of a racer a front row spot, because pretty much everyone else is running for the rest of the purse. Jesse VanLaningham took the victory in the IMCA Hobby Stocks, Chris Alcorn was first in the IMCA Modifieds and Nick Lindblad won the IMCA Sport Compact Feature. Mike Boston got his first win of the season in the 360 Sprint Cars. Another great night of racing.

Last Saturday saw another great turnout of cars in the pits and a really great crowd in the stands. The racing was no less spectacular than the preceding weeks either. The biggest change was that instead of freezing, we were all sweating (well, as least I was) as the afternoon temperatures were above 90 degrees. The wind was relentless again (that seemed to be the rule every week so far) and the track turned dry-slick again, but that didn't mean that the racing was any less great. The competition was still 3-wide in the features. Max Harder won the IMCA Sport Modifieds. Chad Bassinger was the winner in the IMCA Sport Compacts after Scott Spellmeier was DQ'ed for a modified rear suspension. Lee Kracht won the most intense A Feature so far in the IMCA Hobby Stocks as he and Justin Busboom battled tooth and nail for the lead throughout. Johnny Saathoff again won in the IMCA Modifieds and Jordan Boston won a truly fabulous 360 Sprint Car A main, passing for the lead on lap 12 and holding off 3 really tough competitors in Trevor Grossenbacher, Mark Pace and Jack Dover.

Despite being dry-slick most times this year, the track has been extremely smooth and racey. The addition of George Bogue to the track prep crew to help out Larry Tombs seems to have resolved the problem with the dip in turn 1 right over the spring that has been a problem for as long as I can remember. I even kidded him that he and Larry should try putting some water on the track and he said "We started watering at 9 this morning!!". With winds and temps like Saturday, I don't think that there IS enough water for the track. Keep up the great work guys, it's well appreciated by the drivers and fans. Even if we do have to eat a little dust, when the racing is as good as it's been, who cares???

The crowds have been good, the racing has been great; what more could we ask?? I heard that Eagle Raceway had been named the #2 dirt track in the country. I haven't verified that, but I will look into it more and see where that was published if I can. I love working at and watching racing at Eagle, so it doesn't surprise me at all that such accolades should befall the facility; because last year it was named the #2 fan venue in the state behind Memorial Stadium. Roger and the staff must be doing something right, huh??

If you want to see the complete stories (written by yours truly) and the complete results, just go to http://www.eagleraceway.com/EagleRaceway/ and find whichever week you want to know about. There is also a complete schedule and lots of other information. Check it out.

As always, I welcome any and all comments so feel free!!

I'll try to at least get results up every week, but with caring for both Linda and Mom plus working a full-time job and at Eagle it's been tough. I have 3 unfinished articles and 1 in the works that I haven't had time for either. Hopefully soon things will settle down and life will return to it's normal level. Please keep my 2 special ladies in your thoughts and prayers. Until next time, I hope to see you all out at the track!!

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.

A bad couple of nights, a sad couple of weeks

Well, the last 2 nights at Eagle haven't been the greatest. We got to the track a little after 3 on Friday, and went to the office to pick up the money drawers and bands to put on the people coming into the pits. While we were standing outside waiting it decided to rain; and I DO mean rain!! It came down for about an hour, long enough that the night couldn't be salvaged. After a very long and very intense discussion between the owner and Jason from USAC, it was decided that there was no way to make it work. They also discussed a possible make-up at a later date, but it just couldn't be worked out.

We headed home around 5:30 and went to the drug store to pick something up. We came out to more rain and got into the car to sit it out. After 10 minutes of a downpour, I said "The heck with this, I'm heading home". Not the smartest move on my part as it rained even harder!! I could barely see the road and the gutters were running full. Guess USAC and Roger made the right call, huh??

Such a shame!! The first time EVER for USAC's 410 wingless sprints in the state and the only appreciable rain in a couple of weeks has to happen!! There were people from all over camped at the track specifically to catch this show, and I can't remember all of the people who called to find out if the races were still on. Most of them said "AHHH NO!! Oh well, we'll be back next year". Throw in all of the racers who towed in for the show; USAC, SLMR, the mod lites and 600cc mini-sprints, and you have an awful lot of disappointed people. I would be right up there at the top of the list, followed closely by the owner. He said to me that this was the show that he was most excited to watch all year!! One of the drivers even told Jason that he had been looking forward to running the high banks with his 410 ever since he did it in a midget! Oh well, we will all just have to start planning our vactions, sick days, etc. for next year in August.

So, on to Saturday night. Another typical August day in Nebraska. Hot and muggy as all get out!! Lots of people in the stands, track was VERY fast but had a few holes due to all of the rain the night before. There was some really good racing in the heats for all 5 classes, with the only real problem being when Gene Ackland caught the hole in turn 1 and went from wheels, to air, to wheels, to air and back to wheels. He dinged the wing just slightly, but I saw on his Facebook page that the frame was junked.

At intermission the drivers gave all of the kids in the crowd rides around the track in some of the cars that were competing that night. Sport compacts, hobby stocks and modifieds had youngsters getting a thrill that they won't soon forget.

So, as I looked around the sky which had been showing lightning in a 270 degree arc around the track, I hear them telling people to get out of the high-rise grandstand. Well, it didn't take long for the wind to shift and the monsoon began!! The lightning flashed, the thunder crashed and the rain came down SIDEWAYS!! So, we sat in the Pit Shack and watched the procession of haulers and half-drowned spectators slowly pass by the windows. After quite awhile it began to let up and lo and behold, there was clear sky out west. We headed up front to check out and went to the car to try and get out of the parking lot. It only took about 10 minutes; a lot shorter than the folks who left right away. I was told that some of them had spent an HOUR waiting for their turn to hit the highway.

2 nights, 2 rain-outs. The bright spot in it is that I and the fans will be treated to double features during Junior Fan Club Night on the 20th. Hope to see you all there.

Now that I've discussed the couple of bad nights, I'll touch on the sad couple of weeks. 2 weeks ago Saturday Gary Grossenbacher passed away at the young age of 65. This was a great loss to our racing family, to say the least. Gary was the crew chief for the "Black Bandit", Lonnie Jensen, and then took on the role for Lonnie's son Tige who is an Eagle regular in the 360 Sprints.

Equally sad for the local racing scene, and even more sorrowful for me personally was the loss of Frank "Zook" Scdoris. Zook raced at all kinds of local tracks from Capitol Beach, to Beatrice where he is enshrined in their Hall of Fame, to Midwest Speedway where he ended his driving career and took up the reigns as flagman. After he stopped racing his daughter Rhonda took over the seat in the 52 sprinter. And now, his grandson Nick races a 360 at Eagle. The Scdoris (and now Bryan) families are in our thoughts and prayers. They are some of the greatest people I've ever met and I'm very VERY proud to call them friends. I knew Frank for what seems like forever, and I'll miss him terribly, but I know that he's in a better place now.

God obviously needed a couple of great guys who knew their way around a sprinter, because he got 2 of the very best. Our loss is his gain, and I know that the 3 of them are bench racing right now and having a whale of a time!! That would be a conversation worth hearing. Lord, please keep these 2 close to you, and hold their families in your heart as they travel through these rough times.

So, there you have it. 2 lost nights of racing, and MUCH more importantly, 2 horrible losses to our racing family. It's life, and sometimes life is hard. The rest of us just have to pick up the slack for our 2 lost friends and carry on the racing tradition that they were such a large part of.

Thank you for stopping by, and please click on the ads on the right side of the page to help support this site that allows me to post my blogs.

Under 240 hours, Eagle racers success, Homer

With the up and down weather that we in eastern Nebraska have been enduring, it's hard to believe that Eagle Raceway will open it's doors for the first time this season just 2 weeks from today. Granted, it's only a Practice Night, but it seems like it's been forever since I've seen cars running on the high banks!!!

Thursday April 14th is the first Practice Night for Eagle, followed by the 2-night Icebreaker Challenge. I've written about this before, so I'll refrain from doing it again. But, suffice it to say that I and a LOT of other racing fans (not to mention the racers themselves) are chomping at the bit!!

Local racing actually started on March 18th & 19th at Beatrice Speedway. Familiar faces from the pits at Eagle Raceway made a good showing with past track champion Jordan Grabouski winning the IMCA A-Modified features both nights. Bob Zoubek was 2nd Friday and Johnny Saathoff took the runner-up position Saturday with Zoubek taking the remaining podium step. Friday night saw another past track champion from Eagle take the top prize in the Hobby Stock division when Roy Armstrong won. Chad Fegley brought home the third-place money. Way to go guys!!!

Another track opened their 2011 season last weekend with I-80's Spring Meltdown. Eagle regulars made a good showing on Saturday evening. Kyle Prauner (B-Mods) as well as Johnny Saathoff and Jordan Grabouski (A-Mods) had podium finishes. RJ Macku won the A Feature for the Hobby Stocks, with Keith Dragoo also finishing in the top 10. Again, congratulations to the guys from Eagle!! Although I couldn't attend, I understand that the racing was VERY good; the crowd was lacking on Friday night however, and I have heard no reports on Saturday's fan count.

Although my 'home track' is also "America's Home Track", I hope that I-80 can find some way to keep going. I'm not sure about their sudden affinity (both last year and this year) with so many sprint car shows, as I-80 has always been known as a fendered car track, but if it keeps the doors open, I say go for it!!!

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And now, back to our regularly schedule blog.

Please do me a favor and click on the ads that you see on this page. I'm not asking that you buy anything, but I do want to keep this space going so that I can talk about racing. Click 2 or 3 or however many you have time for. Those ads make it possible for folks like myself to be able to blog.

Thanks to everyone who reads these blogs.

Under the weather, but a good feeling

The good thing about having to stay at home because you're feeling ill is that you have the time to put up a new blog. That, coupled with getting news from a friend, turns a bad thing into a good feeling.

Yesterday a fellow writer, an actual journalist in fact (although I doubt he would agree with the label) e-mailed me requesting contact information for John Klabunde. Lee Ackerman writes for the Omaha World Herald and is wanting to do an article about John Klabunde and the upcoming Icebreaker Challenge races at Eagle Raceway.

After giving John's phone number to Lee I informed him that he would truly enjoy interviewing John. As I mentioned in my last blog, John is a really humble individual who exemplifies the racers at almost any dirt track you visit in this great country. Although they share the same roots, none of them have visions of being the next Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart. They spend their hard-earned money, spend countless hours every week getting their mounts ready for the weekend, and risk life and limb in what they know is a money-losing proposition. They don't do it for money or fame, they do it for the love of racing; the love that we all share.

I can't thank Craig Cormack enough for hiring me to work at Eagle years ago. He gave me the opportunity to see, talk to and interact with people who I previously had known only from a spectator's viewpoint. I find it strange how a person's perspective can be altered so drastically merely by being a part of a track, rather than just a fan in the stands. Enlightening comes nowhere near describing the difference.

Speaking of money-losing propositions, an area dirt track has been saved. Yesterday it was announced that Blackbird Bend Speedway near Onawa, Iowa will be running this year. A couple of gentlemen have signed a lease for 2011 with the intention of keeping the facility operating in the future. The classes that will be there weekly have not been decided yet, but for 2011 they will be running without sanction. Hopefully they will be able to get the IMCA sanction that they are seeking for future seasons.

They are looking for workers for concessions, track preparation and maintenance. Applications for employment, pit stalls and to reserve car numbers are being taken. So, if you have any interest at all you'd better be getting ahold of them quickly. Practice Night will be April 29th with the first races being run May 6th (weather permitting).

Practice Night at Eagle is just 2 weeks away on April 14th, with the 2-night season-opening Icebreaker Challenge the following 2 days. The Rev Honey IMCA Modifieds are the featured class both evenings, and will be competing for $1000 to win on Friday and $2000 to win on Saturday. Also racing both nights will be the ASCS 360 sprinters. The winner's share of the purse will be $1500 each evening. Support classes will be the NAPA IMCA Sport Modifieds and the Good Old Time Racing Association on Friday with the Valentino's IMCA Hobby Stocks and Exhaust Pros IMCA Sport Compacts on Saturday. For more information you can visit Eagle's website at http://www.eagleraceway.com/EagleRaceway/ or call the track office at 402-238-2595.

In other news, we announced this past Monday that the track surface had been reworked over the off-season. Also, changes will be made in the weekly track preparation this season in order to improve the racing on the high banks of "America's Home Track". There were no layout changes (other than the addition of the "Little E" track inside turn 1), and NO, the infamous spring-fed problem in turn 1 hasn't been remedied to my knowledge. But I have a strong feeling that the racing at Eagle will be fantastic this year. If you've never attended a race there, you are definitely missing out!

Hope to see everyone out there this year. And if you do make the trip, stop and say hi; you know where I'll be.

The Rumble in the Bullring

Finally, I get to see the USAC non-winged 410 sprint cars!! Wingless sprinters hold a special place in my heart, because the first sprinters I saw were wingless, because that's all that they ran back then. The plywood toppers didn't come along until I was in my mid-teens, and then not around here until a couple of years later. Although USAC has run numerous times around here with their midget series (the midgets were a staple at Eagle for a lot of years), this is the first time EVER for the 410 wingless sprints to run in the state of Nebraska.

You can see the press release that I wrote here: http://www.eagleraceway.com/EagleRaceway/?p=2913.

This is going to be a really great night at Eagle Raceway. People have been complaining because another race track wasn't going to have the wingless 410's this year, and that there wasn't going to be a Late Model show at Eagle this year after last year's Late Model special lost money. 1 person in particular was VERY vocal about that in fact. Well, now he and a lot of other fans will get their wish. Wingless 410's and Late Models the same night on the high-banked 1/3 mile of "America's Home Track"?? WOW!!!!! What more could you ask??

I'm finally shaking off the mental and physical aspects of my August major surgery, thank God. I finally finished my article for Flat Out magazine on last year's Eagle Raceway 360 Sprint Car points champion, John Klabunde.

John is, as I said in my article, a truly good guy. Very unassuming, humble nearly to a fault, and just your typical weekend warrior. He races because he loves doing it. He never had visions of track championships, or being a big shot in dirt track racing. Heck, he was afraid I'd make fun of him in my article!! After he read the final version he said "Wow! You made me sound like somebody special!". My response was "That's because you are". Maybe he's been reading other people's blogs where all they do is complain about racetracks, NASCAR, drivers, certain classes, other writers and anything else that they think aren't exactly what they believe that they should be. I'll be posting the article about John in it's entireity after it is published, so stay tuned to this blog.

In regards to some people's writing, you will NEVER hear anything negative about a driver, track or the sport of dirt track racing itself from me. That's just not me. I LOVE dirt track racing; all kinds of dirt track racing; like very few other things in my life, other than my family and friends. And even if my mind should ever run in that direction, I still wouldn't. You see, I work for not only Flat Out magazine but also for Eagle Raceway. Not only would any such rants reflect badly on myself, it could possibly do so towards Eagle and the magazine. Although some writers don't mind doing it, I refuse to. Lord only knows I would love to respond, but I cannot and will not. But it does irk me. I doubt that there would be any retributions from either place, but I still won't do it. The thought of dengrating dirt track racing in any way, shape or form just irritates me more than I can possibly say.

Yes, I see things wrong with racetracks, promoters, sanctioning series, drivers, etc. but you can bank on the fact that you won't see it manifest itself in this blog or anywhere else. Racetracks and promoters are businesses and business men who's job is to make money. Series' job is to protect itself (it's profitability) first and it's drivers second. Drivers are people first (people with families)

and public figures second. They put their very lives on the line every week for our entertainment. What right does ANYONE have to question them?? The old saying goes "Walk a mile in my shoes, and then judge me". Advice that I live by, and others should too.

I hate the namby-pamby, politically correct nation that we have become; but I was taught the golden rule at a very young age and still believe in it. Plague, famine, pestilence, war, etc. all are something we need to speak out against. But there are very few other things about which we deserve to feel outrage; and none of these are dirt track racing.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to read my blog. I'm going to make every effort to post something at least every week, if nothing else than my write-up and the results from the weekly racing at Eagle Raceway; so keep stopping by.

Welcome to "Views from the Pit Shack"

Thanks for visiting my blog.

As you can see from reading the main page, I've been around racing for a long time. Here's a little bit of background information so that you can gain some insight into my background.

First of all, I should introduce myself. My name is Greg Soukup, sometimes better known (for better or for worse) as The Eagle Pit Shack Guy. I’ve been going to races for over 56 years now. My first experiences were as a baby at Capitol Beach Raceway, here in Lincoln, Nebraska. My father loved racing, and we went every weekend.

Of course, I didn’t really appreciate the racing the first few years that we went. BUT!!! There is no doubt that I wanted to go all the same. You see, they had an amusement park there on the grounds also!! I got to ride the rides to my heart’s content, right up until race time. Then we went to watch the likes of Lloyd Beckman run their “hoodoos” around that little track. What’s the old saying? “If only I knew then what I know now”? Well, I think that one applies to me in every way. I wish that I’d spent less time on the merry-go-round and more time watching the races.

I also was fortunate enough to be taken to the IMCA races at the Nebraska State Fairgrounds each and every fall. Those sprints, or super-modifieds, or whatever you want to call them were something to see. Sleek monsters of chrome and sheet-metal, flying around that track, throwing dust and dirt everywhere!! That’s where I developed my ever-lasting love for racing. The old hoodoos were fun, but these beasts were so far above them that I can’t to this day describe the joy which I felt while sitting there on the boards of the stands.

Unfortunately, my father was killed in the line of duty as a police officer in 1966. I still went to the State Fair every fall, and watched the racing, but it just wasn’t the same. Racing just isn’t as much fun if you don’t have someone to share it with.

Shortly after Capitol Beach fell victim to development, I started going to Eagle Raceway and Midwest Speedway and for a short time Lincoln Speedway before it also closed. What a double punch!! Saturdays at Eagle, Sundays at Midwest!!! This had to be heaven, or pretty darn close to it. Kenny Gritz, “Little Joe” Saldana, Lloyd Beckman and Gordon Wooley were a few of the A feature winners at Eagle in 1968. How’s that for name-dropping?? In the ensuing years, I would get to see other greats at Eagle, such as Thad Dosher, Dick Sutcliffe, Jan Opperman and Lonnie Jensen. Those are but a few of the all-time greats that I remember seeing. I apologize for any others I may have forgotten.

Midwest had a few of the travelers come and try out the local talent there also. Every so often Ray Lee Goodwin Jr., Ed Bowes, the 3 Drouds (Senior, Junior and Rodney), Lloyd Beckman and many others would get to test their mettle against the likes of the legendary Jan Opperman, Doug Wolfgang, and even Steve Kinser. Again, my sincere apologies for any omissions.

Probably my most profound memory of Midwest (of so many) was the night Jan Opperman pulled in, unloaded and proceeded to lap all but 1 or 2 of the cars in the A Feature. I rushed to the pits, wanting to get a peek at the man who’d performed this miracle. I’d never heard of Jan Opperman!! But, then again, I wasn’t very worldly. Remember, I’d spent my entire life in Lincoln, Nebraska.

I managed to get my first look at this scruffy, long-haired, easy-going man who’d made monkeys out of all the local big boys. I managed to overhear him as he told someone “we’d have been faster, but I dropped a cylinder in the heat race”. Makes you wonder what would have happened if he’d had all 8, doesn’t it??

Approximately 6 years ago, I got the opportunity to actually get into the races at Eagle for FREE!!! Well, I hesitated no more than the infamous New York minute before I accepted. Then I found out that they’d actually PAY me to go!! Okay, had I died and passed to the great beyond?? Nosirreebob. I found out that they actually expected me to work, but all things considered, it was still a good deal.

I’ve been there nearly every race since, greeting the racers and fans. Meeting new “racing friends”, and renewing old acquaintances from time to time. I hope that one day, you and I will have a chance to meet and become friends. So, if you’re ever at Eagle Raceway, stop by the Pit Shack and say hello. I’m always looking forward to meeting others who love this sport as much as I do.

Around that same time, I was contacted to write for a now defunct website about sprint car racing. It was very enjoyable, and I found that I had a small knack for writing. I'll try and put up a couple of the things that I wrote for the website to fill in my "writer's block" moments.

A year or so ago, an aquaintence by the name of Ron Meyer convinced me to try my hand at writing for Flat Out magazine and Justin Zoch has been gracious enough to print a few of my interviews. The first time I read my name as the byline in a national magazine about sprint car racing was indescribable!! Thanks Justin, for giving me the chance to make a couple of bucks while doing something I love.

Currently I am still working in the Pit Shack at Eagle Raceway, and doing interviews with the night's winners each week. Then I write up the story of the evening's events for posting on the website. You can keep up with all of the goings on at http://www.eagleraceway.com

I hope you enjoy my blog, and that you check back often to see what's new at Eagle Raceway. I'll also try to keep you all advised as to some of the goings-on in the world of dirt track racing.