Silly Season Off To An Early Start

At the end of my report of the Dlouhy/DeVore Memorial race from Tipton last weekend I noted that the “silly season” had begun. But little did I know that it would really go full swing this week with the resignation of Toby Kruse from the Knoxville Raceway.

I will be the first to admit that I do not know the inner workings at Knoxville so for a report from someone more connected I refer you to our Positively Racing colleague Eric Arnold. I did spend a full year in the press box there in 1998 though and having had the pleasure of covering the place as a columnist/blogger for more than thirty years now I knew that it would be a HUGE challenge for whoever stepped into the shoes of Ralph Capitani. Not so much because Cappy was a legendary figure that could do no wrong, even he will tell you that was not the case, but because the relationship between the position of General Manager and the fair board members had evolved over Capitani’s tenure so much so that no matter who filled that role would find it hard to adapt. Unless of course he or she had the same personality and carried the same weight as the guy who had done it for years, and that just not possible.

We were told during the Nationals by a couple of good sources that Toby would not likely stay for the year and the common reason given was that he and the board did not see eye-to-eye on a lot of things. No surprise to me, I have known for years that the Marion County Fair Board is a very powerful organization and, despite what you might see on forum boards right now, they do have some pretty good business sense. All you have to do is take a look at the facility and the program and realize that while Cappy was a terrific leader, he just might have had some input from the Board along the way as well. Is Knoxville Raceway at its pinnacle right now? No, but it is still looked upon as a “goal” by other facilities to achieve, so don’t go writing the place off just yet.

Last year before Toby was hired I wrote that I would rather be the guy to replace the guy that replaces Capitani at Knoxville. It is too bad that Toby ended up being that sacrifice as, for the long run, I couldn’t have thought of anybody better qualified for the position. Hopefully now that the organization has a season in the book post-Capitani, both the board members and the next General Manager of the Knoxville Raceway will know that a new kind of relationship will need to be forged internally in order to achieve future success.

As for Toby, he obviously knew the possibility of this being a short gig and maintained the successes that he has in the Marshalltown Speedway and with his bar Toby K’s Hideaway. Plus, as one the promotional side’s brightest stars, it looks like he may have some even bigger opportunities down the road. I am hoping to catch one night of Marshalltown’s season finale “Havoc On The Highbanks” next weekend.

The promotional duties at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson have been in transition recently as owner Dave Sapp last week advertised for a new promoter in 2013. Dewain Hulet had been Sapp’s choice before the two parted ways in mid-August with Brandon Savage stepping in. Savage, who races an IMCA Modified and who got his feet wet last October by promoting the annual two-day show in Memphis, Missouri, was not looking to do this on a regular basis though and he will finish up with this Saturday’s Steve Kirchner Memorial featuring the SportMods for $1000-to-win.Savage then will take on a more important role when he marries his beautiful fiancée Nicole this Fall.

 It is likely that Sapp has had at least a couple of qualified applicants and I would not be surprised if a new promoter for both the remainder of the 2012 schedule and for 2013 is announced on Saturday. Donnellson is my intended destination for Saturday night, so if there is an announcement, I hope to have it as part of my report on the event.

And finally let’s go back to Tipton where I started this effort in the first place. Al & Kathy Dlouhy did a great job as promoters here for seven years and they will be hard to replace. Rumors had the promoters from Vinton and from Maquoketa as being the most likely candidates, but at this point I m thinking that this is more of what the rumor-starters are hoping for rather than any strong interest from either party. Taking over an unsanctioned track in a small town is not an easy undertaking in this day and age, especially one that is primed for the whole Open Mods vs. IMCA Mod debate as soon as the ink on the contract is signed.

Yes, it is the Silly Season…….and it is just getting started!

It looks like a great weather weekend to get out and take in the special events of your choice including the Yankee, the Tiny Lund, Border Wars, the Kirchner and so many more! Enjoy your racing weekend!