I need to write here more often during the offseason as it might keep me from getting in trouble! I spent a couple of days last week going back and forth on a message board with a gentleman who I actually think knows a great deal about the sport, but his problem is that he has developed this online persona that makes him the equivalent of a lightning rod......no matter what he writes somebody is going to take the other side against him and argue.....and argue....and argue....and sadly on the subject of whether the MARS series making a couple of stops in Iowa this year would hurt weekly Late Model racing or not, I ended up being that person arguing with him. The funny thing about it is that there will never be a cut and dried way to decide who was right and who was wrong and I knew that before I made my first post, but with each one of his replies I found myself getting sucked into it further and further until I was bound and determine to "win"......but that never happens in the world of internet message boards does it? I made myself look like a jerk and I'll chalk it up to a lesson learned. So now it is back to reporting on racing (and a few other things) in a Positive manner here on the Back Stretch. Ah, it is nice to be back in my comfort zone!
Sad to have seen this e-mail this afternoon:
WORLD Dirt Racing League Closes Series
Gilman City Missouri
For Immediate Release:
The WORLD Dirt Racing League (WDRL) is sorry to announce that it will no longer have the Touring Series WDRL and is discontinuing business as such immediately.
We hated to have to make this announcement because of the loyalty of the race fans, race teams, and several racetracks that we have been fortunate to have races at each year.
With fewer and fewer tracks running open Late Model cars in the region that the WDRL (formerly the ol' Busch Tour) runs in you had to figure it was going to be a tough go for the veteran race director Jim Wilson and it looks like he is picking the right time to get out. I hope that Late Model fans and drivers have appreciated the many years that he has committed to the sport.
I am looking forward to Saturday's ARCA race at Daytona due to the interesting cast of characters that have qualified for the forty-three car starting field. Of course a great deal of attention will be given to the Stock Car debut of Danica Patrick, but she is joined in the lineup by five other racing ladies including Iowa's own Jill George. Throw in other dirt trackers such as Steve Arpin, Patrick Sheltra and Josh Richards and that is enough to grab my attention on a Saturday afternoon.
Speaking of Jill George, she is listed, along with Chas Shellanbarger of Winfield PA, as a 2010 Rookie of the Year contender for the World of Outlaw Late Model Series. The Outlaws will have a new "Young Gun" to deal with this year in 17-year-old Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Delaware. Hubbard will take over the driving duties for Dale Beitler's team in 2010, the car that was driven by the 2009 series runner-up Steve Francis. Hubbard showed that he is ready for the big time when he captured the $12,000 top prize in the finale of the Super Bowl of racing at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, Georgia, on January 30th holding back persistent challenges from Scott Bloomquist.
As I have been watching the results roll in from Speedweeks so far it seemed to me that everybody was winning from the front row. But when I went back and researched it in more detail I did discover that there have been some winners who have had to race their way to the front. The winners so far and their starting position follows:
East Bay Modifieds
Jeff Mathews (4)
Brady Short (1)
Rodney Wing (1)
Don O'Neal (4)
Rodney Wing (1)
Golden Isles Late Models
Scott Bloomquist (8)
Josh Richards (2)
Austin Hubbard (1)
East Bay Late Models
Mike Marlar (2)
Scott Bloomquist (2)
Billy Moyer (Front Row)
Earl Pearson Jr. (5)
Volusia Sprints
Craig Dollansky (1)
Joey Saldana (5)
Volusia Mods
Dave Hess Jr. (Front Row)
David McWilliams (Front Row)
Don't get me wrong, a guy can win from the front row and have it still be a great race. The Wednesday night duel between Moyer and Richards is evidence of that as the pair started side-by-side at the front and waged a great battle throughout.
Earl Pearson Jr. made the pass of Scott Bloomquist coming to the white flag to take the win at East Bay Thursday night. Pearson's new teammate for 2010 at Bobby Labonte Racing Brad Neat started 14th and raced his way up to third at the finish.
PR.com area drivers making the Modified feature at Volusia the first two nights are Tommie Seets who finished second to Pennsylvania's Hess on Wednesday night and then was 14th on Thursday. Former All Iowa Points Champ Ron Barker of Dubuque has made the feature from the 70+ car field each night and has finished 25th both nights.
Closer to home I see that Burlington's Andy Krieger has indicated that he will start out following the new Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA Modifieds and will stick with it for the full season if he has some early success.
If you want stay up to date on Modified racing throughout the country take a look at this site http://www.dirtmodifiedracer.com/
And finally, stepping away from racing and over to college basketball, if you want to work up a smile you have to check out this blog by Ohio State benchwarmer Mark Titus http://clubtrillion.blogspot.com/
Have a great weekend and check in again soon!
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