Wednesday Notebook: September 28, 2016

I always find it interesting to see the stories that you all like to read here on the Back Stretch. When I cover big races like the Knoxville Nationals or the World 100 I see plenty of page views in my stats, but nothing like what I am seeing for the post that you will find next in line here, the race story from last Friday night's show in Eldon. I guess that it shouldn't be a surprise to me, after all it was a great night of racing culminating in a photo finish on a night when no other track in Iowa was able to race and that is why it has rocketed up to fourth on the list of "most read" entries and will likely make the pass for third this week.

Photographer Carroll Hoover has a knack for catching close finishes and following is the picture that he posted to the Positively Racing Facebook page last weekend from that finish in Eldon. As you can see it was a close call, one that all three scorers had the same and, if you really enjoy a game of "Where's Waldo" you can even find me in the photo.

This time it looks like it is official, the half-mile oval at the Iowa State Fair Speedway has seen its last race as the Fair will move ahead with building a permanent stage in front of the big ampitheater. There is talk of eventually constructing a short track somewhere else on the facility, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. I hope that I am wrong. It will be ineresting to see what happens next in regard to other tracks in the area as they consider the best way to welcome in the drivers who are looking for a new place to race. Obviously Marshalltown has shown an interest in adding the Late Model division as they have run the class the past two seasons after Des Moines finished its season in late July. The track in Stuart is looking at the possibility of moving to Friday night and I have to wonder if the Southern Iowa fair board has even thought about moving Oskaloosa from its traditional Wednesday dates to Friday.

It will also be interesting to see what becomes of both the Trucks and the Racesaver Sprints as they have to be hoping that somebody nearby will pick them up in 2017.

The other big news this week, other than the debate of course, is the parting of the ways between Ryan Gustin and Gressel racing. The combo enjoyed some great success over the past several years scoring some big wins in both the Modified and the Late Model, but will be most remembered for the charge from the back to the front at the Silver Dollar Nationals a few years back. That performance, that did not end in victory, vaulted Gustin to the status of "the next big thing" in the world of dir late model racing, an expectation that perhaps was too much for the team to live up to. Don't get me wrong, they were still very successful, but the bar had been set so high.

Trenton Berry's RacinDirt.com has the story on the new driver for Team Gressel, R.C. Whitwell who will make his debut this weekend at the Grant Junghans Memorial at the Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City. And you can bet that it won't be long before Gustin is back on track and in victory lane as well.

I am hoping to be there for Whitwell's debut on Thursday night before catching the opening night of the Heavy Nationals at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri, on Friday. The rest of my weekend will focus on some other sporting activities that I will tell you about next week.

If I read the two stories correctly it looks like Eric Spangler, the UMP Late Model driver from Lake City, Michigan, won the feature at the South Buxton Speedway in Merlin, Ontario, on Saturday night and then towed all the way to the Quincy Raceways on Sunday night to compete in the season championship race there where he finished fourth. Now that is what I call a commitment to chasing National points!!

The weather for most of the Midwest looks like it will be great this weekend, so get on out and enjoy a show near you!