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
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Opening night of the 2011 Eagle Raceway Season
What can be said about the first night of the 2011 season at Eagle? I would say that WOW is nowhere near a strong enough word.
A revamped track surface suffered under strong winds both Friday and Saturday. Of course, it turned dry-slick and even developed a few ruts. But, what do you expect from the first track of the season after a practice night the evening before? I thought it held up pretty darned well, considering.
While working the Pit Shack before the racing started, I kept wondering "will the people ever stop coming???". We ended up with 180 race cars in the pits, besting the old record car count by 30!!! That led to extra time getting every racer entered into the database, and a start time delayed by 25 minutes. As you would expect, it also led to LOTS of racing on the evening; It was well after midnight before the last checkered flag flew. The heats went off without a hitch until the sprints took to the track. A flip on the first lap of the first heat seemed to open the flood gates for more up-and-over action; a total of 6 cars ended up with damage before the sprint heats finished.
Todd Sanford grabbed the first feature win when he was victorious in the Sport Mod A. It was Todd's first win in a sport mod, but far from his first win ever at Eagle. The first thing I did when I got to his car was say "And you passed tech this time!", referencing having his previous victory taken away due to irregularities with his car in the tech area last year. He took it in stride with a smile, and I'm glad for that because I meant it in good fun. Todd's a great guy, and was all smiles after that throughout the entire interview process.
Roy Armstrong took the win in the Hobby Stocks. I didn't get a chance to interview him because he left after the front stretch presentation and getting his car loaded. Taking into account the late hour and the chilly temperatures and wind, coupled with the long drive home he faced, I don't blame him or anyone else who skeedaddled as soon as they could. I was disappointed, because Ray is definitely old-school, and a joy to talk to.
A visit by USMTS regular Jake Neal ended up being a good one for him as he won the Modified A. He was a really pleasant interview; he's very young, but you can tell that he's no beginner in racing. Well-mannered, but with a clear undertone of wisdom beyond his years. You can definitely tell that he's been on the national tour scene and has learned well from the experience.
The Sport Compact feature saw a big pile-up in the first 2 corners, and Maynard Kinnersley ended up rolling his racer. That was scary for those of us who know Maynard, because he's no spring chicken. But, those of us who know Maynard knew what to expect; after the safety crew got him out and he was okay, they righted his car and he crawled back in to continue the contest. Sadly, the Cinderella story ended shortly after that when he spun out and was sent to the pits. Larry Cronin looked to have the race in the bag before flipping with just a few laps left. Ole Olsen won after a pass shortly before the checkers, overtaking then leader Amanda Rhiley. Ole also departed before I could get to interview him.
The Sprint A Main was, to say the least, a GREAT one!! Mark Pace who gets to race only sparingly at Eagle due to work travel, and Jack Dover who races full-time put on a fantastic show for the fans who stayed for the finale. In and out of traffic, high and low, back and forth; they raced and raced, and raced. It's too bad they couldn't both have won, but Jack got him in the end. They were both all smiles in the pits afterwards, and going by that, you would never know who won and who almost won. They both obviously love racing, and knew that they had given it their all and loved every minute of it. Jack has improved SO much with his interviews from when I first did one with him. Well-spoken, great with the fans; he has been around the block enough times to know what he's doing, in racing and out.
All in all, it was a good night; it wasn't a great night because of the length of the show, but it was a good one. Roger told me this week that the car count could be even bigger this weekend, because he's had a LOT of e-mails and calls saying that people didn't have their cars ready for last weekend.
More than 180 cars in the pits??? Again, WOW is nowhere near a strong enough word!!!!
Please, do me a favor and click on the ads you see on this page. They help support this blog, and this site and make it possible for me to have a place to blog at and share my feeling & thoughts with you.
Hope to see you all through the Pit Shack window!
You can read my complete write-up of the night here: 2011 Season opening write-up
A revamped track surface suffered under strong winds both Friday and Saturday. Of course, it turned dry-slick and even developed a few ruts. But, what do you expect from the first track of the season after a practice night the evening before? I thought it held up pretty darned well, considering.
While working the Pit Shack before the racing started, I kept wondering "will the people ever stop coming???". We ended up with 180 race cars in the pits, besting the old record car count by 30!!! That led to extra time getting every racer entered into the database, and a start time delayed by 25 minutes. As you would expect, it also led to LOTS of racing on the evening; It was well after midnight before the last checkered flag flew. The heats went off without a hitch until the sprints took to the track. A flip on the first lap of the first heat seemed to open the flood gates for more up-and-over action; a total of 6 cars ended up with damage before the sprint heats finished.
Todd Sanford grabbed the first feature win when he was victorious in the Sport Mod A. It was Todd's first win in a sport mod, but far from his first win ever at Eagle. The first thing I did when I got to his car was say "And you passed tech this time!", referencing having his previous victory taken away due to irregularities with his car in the tech area last year. He took it in stride with a smile, and I'm glad for that because I meant it in good fun. Todd's a great guy, and was all smiles after that throughout the entire interview process.
Roy Armstrong took the win in the Hobby Stocks. I didn't get a chance to interview him because he left after the front stretch presentation and getting his car loaded. Taking into account the late hour and the chilly temperatures and wind, coupled with the long drive home he faced, I don't blame him or anyone else who skeedaddled as soon as they could. I was disappointed, because Ray is definitely old-school, and a joy to talk to.
A visit by USMTS regular Jake Neal ended up being a good one for him as he won the Modified A. He was a really pleasant interview; he's very young, but you can tell that he's no beginner in racing. Well-mannered, but with a clear undertone of wisdom beyond his years. You can definitely tell that he's been on the national tour scene and has learned well from the experience.
The Sport Compact feature saw a big pile-up in the first 2 corners, and Maynard Kinnersley ended up rolling his racer. That was scary for those of us who know Maynard, because he's no spring chicken. But, those of us who know Maynard knew what to expect; after the safety crew got him out and he was okay, they righted his car and he crawled back in to continue the contest. Sadly, the Cinderella story ended shortly after that when he spun out and was sent to the pits. Larry Cronin looked to have the race in the bag before flipping with just a few laps left. Ole Olsen won after a pass shortly before the checkers, overtaking then leader Amanda Rhiley. Ole also departed before I could get to interview him.
The Sprint A Main was, to say the least, a GREAT one!! Mark Pace who gets to race only sparingly at Eagle due to work travel, and Jack Dover who races full-time put on a fantastic show for the fans who stayed for the finale. In and out of traffic, high and low, back and forth; they raced and raced, and raced. It's too bad they couldn't both have won, but Jack got him in the end. They were both all smiles in the pits afterwards, and going by that, you would never know who won and who almost won. They both obviously love racing, and knew that they had given it their all and loved every minute of it. Jack has improved SO much with his interviews from when I first did one with him. Well-spoken, great with the fans; he has been around the block enough times to know what he's doing, in racing and out.
All in all, it was a good night; it wasn't a great night because of the length of the show, but it was a good one. Roger told me this week that the car count could be even bigger this weekend, because he's had a LOT of e-mails and calls saying that people didn't have their cars ready for last weekend.
More than 180 cars in the pits??? Again, WOW is nowhere near a strong enough word!!!!
Please, do me a favor and click on the ads you see on this page. They help support this blog, and this site and make it possible for me to have a place to blog at and share my feeling & thoughts with you.
Hope to see you all through the Pit Shack window!
You can read my complete write-up of the night here: 2011 Season opening write-up
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