The run for the ULMA Late Models at the Quincy Raceway was a short one as following a change in the ownership structure the track has now decided to go UMP Late Model racing in 2012. Speaking purely from the standpoint of being a fan, I love this decision as I have always enjoyed the action provided by the UMP Late Model division. This past year the closest UMP weekly show to me was in Peoria, just over two hours away from home, but to get there I would have had to drive right past a pretty darn good weekly show that was only twenty miles from my driveway, so I never made the trip. But now with Quincy only being an hour and a half away, and with no track in action on the route, I see myself making several Sunday night trips to the south over the coming years. With Shepp's Speedway moving to Friday nights, Quincy becomes the only track that will be running UMP Late Models on a Sunday night in the region so not only will there be a nice core group of Late Models from the Quincy area, but there will always be the element of surprise entries that may pull in from the St. Louis area, the Springfield area, the Peoria area and points beyond. In fact, it is likely that the UMP Late Model National Championship will pass through the Quincy Raceway in 2012.
When the ULMA sanction was being considered at Quincy I speculated on what effect a change to that sanction might make at 34 Raceway in Burlington, given the fact that nearly half of their weekly Late Model field was based out of Quincy. The ULMA rules would have allowed for a relatively easy change for the IMCA cars and vice versa, but you just never know whether or not drivers would want to make that change to race at both tracks, especially when the two tracks race back-to-back nights. I thought that it was a possibility that the ownership at 34 might even consider going ULMA as well. However with the change to UMP, and the complete change in rules that totally separates the two "divisions" of Late Models, that possibility is no longer there and, with the press release yesterday from co-promoter Amy Laue, it is clear that 34 Raceway will continue to be the anchor track for the IMCA Late Models. And before any of you take issue with me calling 34 "the anchor track" for IMCA Late Models, keep in mind that the track was a charter member for the sanctioned division and the first-ever Summer Series event was held there.
The owners at Quincy met with their Late Model drivers and in their press release noted perhaps up to 90% positive feedback on the move to UMP before making the decision, but with 34 Raceway's announcement that they will remain IMCA it does give those drivers who may not want to make the move the opportunity to race weekly within a reasonable distance. Plus, until a new promoter is found and the race program is announced for the Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa, 34 Raceway has the possibility of drawing in those Quad City area cars that prefer racing on a short track rather than a half-mile on a Saturday night. So for now, even though there are still many uncertainties, this race fan is pleased to know that the ownership group at 34 remains and is looking forward to hosting another great season of racing in 2012, and that the UMP Late Models are now that much closer to my doorstep racing on Sunday nights in Quincy!
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I will admit when I am wrong and it is now obvious that I was when I said that promoters avoid the forum boards like the plague as two promoters have currently made some interesting posts on Iowastockcars
Shane Davis who just completed his first season at the Quad City Speedway has an interesting thread going right now as the fairboard considers who will be the promoter at the track in 2012. I, like many others, was surprised that the position was up for grabs in the first place as it appeared to me that Davis was the perfect fit for the job.
And, after posting her press release on the future of 34 Raceway, Amy Laue took one of the board's regulars to task for statements that were made that were opposite of what was actually happening at her track.
In case you haven't figured it out yet, there is a TON of mis-information that gets posted as "fact" on message boards (not just the one I referenced above). And when someone either challenges that mis-information such as Knoxville is going bankrupt due to sharply declining car counts, or refutes the report that Fairmont is going WISSOTA with a factual report from the track itself, the common response is "well that was what I heard".
Heard from who?
The guy who bags my groceries tells me every time that either a tornado outbreak or a blizzard, depending upon the season, is on its way. But before I would get on a weather forum under my profile name, anonymous or not, and say "Big Storm Coming" I would instead do my own research to make sure that it was true. After all, even my anonymous reputation would mean enough to me to risk it with unsubstantiated bogus information from a source that is not trustworthy. Readers of forum boards, for that matter, should always consider the source as well.
Now lets sit back and see what new information comes to light this week!
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