What's important

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

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

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.

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.