A Snowy Saturday in March!

My original plans for this Saturday was to head a few hours south and take in some racing at either I-55 Raceway in Pevely, or at the Malden Speedway in the bootheel of the Show Me state. But when I looked out the window and saw this scene this morning, I decided to stay close to home rather than risking the seven hour drive to Malden. (Pevely had already cancelled in anticipation of bad weather)




Since I wouldn’t be seeing any live racing I decided to do the next best thing. First I stopped at the Finish Line Restaurant in New London for a tasty lunch and some good conversation with Bill Vantiger. Bill, his wife Pam and primarily his daughter Megan operate this racing themed restaurant located on the east edge of New London and I don’t know what kind of seasoning that Megan uses with her fresh ground beef, but my double cheeseburger was the best that I have had! If you live here in southeast Iowa make sure that you visit the Finish Line often, and if you aren’t from around this area make sure that you stop by and give them a try if you are passing through. I will be trying their pizza on my next trip. And don’t forget about all of the baked goodies and treats at Pam’s Cakes and Bakery that is attached to the restaurant.

After lunch I continued east to West Burlington where the annual 34 Raceway car show is being held this weekend at Westland Mall. There was a nice mix of race fans and general shoppers walking around checking out the beautiful race cars that will soon be slinging the dirt on the 3/8-mile high banked oval. The track is scheduled to hold a practice session this coming Saturday before opening the season on April 3rd with the Brian Hetrick Memorial. Details can be found by clicking the ad on the homepage at http://www.positivelyracing.com/.

While at the show I enjoyed catching up with several people including fellow Hawkeye Racing News columnist Larry Bontz, Tri-State Speed Review publisher Dewain Hulett http://www.tristatespeedreview.com/ , the top man of the Lil’ Racer Car Club Mitch Swinton, and the star of the Pepsi Inside Track Dave Jones. Dave was kind enough to tape an interview with me for his radio show that now everybody can hear at their convenience by clicking on the link at http://www.heartlandmotorsports.com/.

Modified driver Bill Roberts Jr. told me that he is excited about chasing the IMCA Modified Hawkeye Dirt Tour schedule this year and his sharp looking race car, including the pink wheels (see below), will definitely catch the eye of race fans at each venue. Veteran sprint car driver Matt Rogerson told me that he has no plans as of right now for 2010 and he really isn’t actively looking. It is hard for me to refer to Matt as a "veteran sprint car driver" as I still think of him as just a teenage kid who made his debut at 34 Raceway when I was the track announcer there. If he is now a veteran driver, that just makes me an old announcer.

If you are looking to get your racing fix, the show at Westland Mall continues on Sunday and here are just a few of the cars that are on display. Ryan Clark has some more pics from the show "In Staging" at PositivelyRacing.

Justin Newberry

Jacob Darbyshire

Kevin Hetrick

Colby Springsteen

Bill Roberts Jr.

Daniel Bergquist

Dustin Crear

Jeff Mueller

Jason Cook

Brett Timmerman

Kirk Kinsley

Jay Johnson

Evan Epperson and Mark Winkel