Eagle Raceway Sprint Car committee update for the 2011 season

The Eagle Sprint Car Committeehas received and reviewed numerous ideas and suggestions in regards to what could be done to make the sprint car show more exciting for our fans, while attracting better car counts. We appreciate everyone's input.

The following rule change will be in effect for the 2011 season:

Wings: Eagle Raceway will adhere to all ASCS wing rules, including the top and front wings.

Additional changes:

Lineups: Eagle Raceway will implement a pill draw for the heat race starting lineups. Each pill draw will cost $10 which will become part of the season end point fund. The top 8 drivers with the most points accumulated in the heat races will redraw for the starting position in the A Main Feature. Starting positions 9-24 will be determined by points accumulated in heat races. Draws will decide all ties.

Point Fund: The Eagle Raceway Sprint Car Committe is excited to announce we have secured additional sponsorship for the 2011 sprint car point fund. Our sponsors include: Budweiser (Primary Sponsor), Carpetland (Associate Sponsor), and personal contributions from Ken Klabunde and Dennis Parker in addition to the funds attributed to the pill draw. We anticipate the 2011 point fund will be nearly 300% of the 2010 point fund and will pay back to the top 15 in points.

Additionally, the Rookie of the Year will receive a contingency prize as well as a monetary prize. More info is forthcoming in regards to the point fund.

Purse: The 2011 purse has been increased contingent on a sustained car count of 25 cars. If the car count requirement is not met, the purse will revert to the 2010 purse amount.

Questions for the 2011 Eagle Raceway season

Just a little while ago, I posted on Dirtdrivers.com about questions looming for this season at Eagle Raceway. I want to revisit those here, and give my thoughts on them.

With 5 classes again this year, who do you think will take home the championship in each?

Well, first of all, let's think about having 5 classes at Eagle. A lot of "purists" say that so many classes is a bad thing in and of itself. Quite a few people come to see just 1 of those classes, some enjoy 2 or maybe 3, but darned few want to see all of the events on the evening. Personally, I am one of the darned few. Having seen everything from the old coupes (Hoodoos) at Capitol Beach up to what we have at Eagle today, I can honestly say they all are exciting in their own way. Yes, event the sport compacts! It's probably because I get to interact with all of the racers and their families week in and week out. Ever racer, every member of the pit crews and all of the others in their entourages pay with their pit fees, as well as their sweat and tears (sadly sometimes blood) to be out there doing what they love every week.

As for who will win the championship in each class, I think all of them are up for grabs. What better case can be made than the fact that John Klabunde was victorious in the 360 sprints last year without so much as a single Feature victory??

There are several drivers moving up in classes, so can one of them have a break-out season to remember in their freshman year?

Again, I think it's impossible to even guess about this. Every season drivers make the leap of faith and try something new, challenging and of course, harder. Almost without fail, they have little or no idea of the vast differences between where they were and what they are moving into now. Can it be done successfully? Of course. Will it happen this year at Eagle? Your guess is as good as mine. But, it would be nice to see!!

How will the first-time USAC show be received?

I sure hope it's a success, because I LOVE the wingless sprints. Ever since teams started bolting home-made wings they made from plywood or whatever other material that they had around onto their sprinters, wingless sprints have become more and more scarce around here. That's too bad in my opinion, because removing the lid makes the emphasis SO much more on the driver than on the motor. The crew chief (or whoever does the set-up on the car) becomes invaluable also. Danger, rooster-tails, drive-it-in-hard and come out harder; all these things can be used to accurately describe wingless sprint car racing. And no one is better at it than the USAC competitors. I can't wait, and can only hope that others will be as excited as I am so that we can make this a yearly event.

What can we expect for an outcome at the always exciting Eagle Nationals as the touring pros take on the locals at "America's Home Track"?

I know that there are teams at Eagle that can compete favorably with the "Big Boys" on the ASCS tour. Will one of them get the right breaks that gives them the chance to pull off what a lot of people would say is an upset? I sure hope so. I know that it would make for one WHALE of a party in the pits afterwards. Furthermore, it would be a great focal point for an article in Flat Out Magazine (just kidding). I'm not immune to wanting to be in the racing circle of people associated with winning a prestigious event such as this; moreover it would be a big feather in any racers cap, especially when they call Eagle Raceway their home track. Can any of them overcome the obvious disadvantages they face? Let's keep our fingers crossed.

What lovely young lady will wear the crown at this year's Miss Nebraska Cup contest during Eagle's signature event, the Nebraska Cup?

Wow!! Talk about a tough call!!!!! Unless you are Carnak the Magnificent, nobody has ANY idea on this one. All I can say is that she will be thrilled, and all of the contestants will be well-rewarded. The people associated with the contest have already been hard at work getting gifts for the ladies who want to be a part of the festivities.

Will Mama Nature be kind to Eagle, or will she show her power and be the nasty female that we all so dread?

We call only pray; and I ask everyone to do so so that we don't have a repeat of the 2009 season. That year we lost I believe 7 of the first 8 shows to the wrath of she who wields the weather wand. We can hope that we have a repeat of last year where we enjoyed fantastic weather throughout the year.

Lastly, what creative things will Roger Hadan come up with this season to keep the crowd entertained???

If I thought the other questions were difficult to answer for sure, this one is one for the ages. As someone said to Roger a couple of years back "I come to the track every week to see what kind of crazy stuff you're going to come up with next!". Roger not only thinks outside the box, I don't think he even knows there is such a box. Clowns, mini-van hockey, fire hose riding...only the almighty may have an idea of the workings of Roger's brain; and even he may be unsure.

I would like to add 1 more question that I didn't post on the forum if I may.

Can we break the record for bicycles given away at Kids Night?

I think that this is a record that not only CAN be broken, but needs to be broken. The whole thing started as a tribute to a young child who was a quasi-member of a local sprint car crew. From a couple of bikes and a few other minor gifts, it has grown far beyond what anyone could have imagined at it's inception. Last year the record fell again, as over 350 bicycles were given away to youngsters. With the Hadans donating 1 bike for every 2 that are purchased through donations, I think that it will be done. If you want to make a donation so that a deserving girl or boy can have a bicycle, contact the track or get ahold of me and I'll steer you in the right direction to be sure that your contribution goes to the right place.

As I said in my post, "Guess we'll start to get answers in just 6 days. Hope to see you all there as the 2011 season unravels".

Again, I ask that you help support the people who make it possible for me to have this blog by clicking on the advertisements that you see on this page. I really enjoy writing it, and hope that you all enjoy reading it. Please feel free to leave a comment; I might even okay it for the whole world to see.

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.

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