Usually I spend my Saturday mornings going through results and compiling All Iowa Points, but with Chateau Raceway being the only Friday night track that was able to race last night, that task did not take long.
I also spend my Saturday mornings listening to The Racin' Boys from 8 to 10 at http://www.racinboys.com/home/video_stream
I am going to go racing tonight, but just don't know where yet. I see that Memphis, Missouri, is already cancelled due to wet grounds and it wouldn't surprise me if a few more suffer the same fate so my choices may dwindle as the day goes on. The SLMR Late Model show at Corning has caught my attention although the three and a half hour trip is a deterrent. Other options that I'm looking at are Burlington, West Liberty, Maquoketa (never been there for a weekly show yet), Independence and Boone.
The World of Outlaws are at Knoxville tonight and that would be a second week in a row for me at the track. With Tony Bokhoven out in California last Saturday working for Speed, I had the honor of filling in for him on the microphone for a great night of action in all three sprint car divisions. The racing was fantastic on a wide mutli-grooved surface and all three features saw lead changes late topped off by a thriller in the 410's where Terry McCarl swept past his son Austin and then leader Danny Lasoski late for the win. Even though it was the 50th career win at Knoxville for McCarl, it was somewhat of a surprise given Lasoski's dominance at Knoxville so far in 2011. The following night the McCarls wrapped up a dream weekend for them as Austin won the feature at Husets with Terry running second. I enjoyed announcing with young Jason Price who was working the mic for only his second night, the first being the night before during the Master's Classic, and I was impressed with his talents and enthusiasm. His nickname is "Whitey" and I am not sure if that comes from his blond hair, or the fact that his normal job at Knoxville is applying the white chalk line in turn four just prior to the start of a race.
The exploits of AWPs (anonymous weasel posters) on forum boards continues to amaze me. Track promoters are already facing an extreme uphill battle this year with a struggling economy, high gas prices and unfavorable weather as if it isn't raining, it seems like it is hot and very windy creating difficult track conditions. Count on the AWPs to add more fuel to the fire though and it always makes me wonder just what it is that they think they will accomplish. Can they truly consider themselves race fans when it appears that they are trying to run down a track or promoter so much that it will shut down? What do they think will happen then? Run a place into the ground too much and nobody is going to want to step in to run it, so guess what, no more race track. Want proof? Just look around a bit. And if they think that some "super promoter" is going to come swooping in to the rescue, someone who knows exactly how to prepare the track under every possible weather condition (predicted or unpredicted), one that is going to have deep pockets so that they can "pay what the drivers deserve", they are delusional. I believe that it has gotten to a point where nobody in their right mind would want to open themselves up to the public scrutiny and bashing for the opportunity to lose money unless they are already in the promoting game and have become thick-skinned enough to accept it. I hate to say it, but more tracks might close before the end of this season and more promoters may call it quits after the season is over. Let's see if my theory, that new people will not be willing to take the risk both personally or financially, holds true.
I myself always figured that someday I would own or promote a weekly race track, but not any more. Why would I when some AWP can start a thread speculating about how many concession stand lines I might or might not have open at my next race night and then have that thread develop into the bashing of two of my most valued and respected employees? Ridiculous.
And while I'm on a rant, if you are online on a forum board looking for results and someone directs you to where you can find them by making two simple clicks, either ignore it or make the clicks and get the results. For crying out load, now even nice ladies who compile results for nothing more than just their love of the sport (no compensation) catch hell from AWPs who apparently have no problem with making one click and forty or fifty keystrokes to bitch about having to make two clicks. Amazing.
I hate to say it, but I think that the AWPs are starting to take away my love of the sport as well, so I need to stay away from the message boards for awhile and get back to the tracks and focus on what I love about racing! The sights, the smell, the people and the competition, the things that somebody who just sits at a keyboard most of the time is obviously missing.
Speaking of competition, let's take a quick look at the current All Iowa Points standings though June 7th and see who is on top. In the Late Models it is Ray Guss Jr. with a 14 point advantage over Andy Eckrich while Terry Neal is another point back in third. Guss is looking for his third straight, and sixth overall championship as he won three consecutive AIP titles in 1989, 1990 and 1991. Another defending champ leads the Modified standings with Ryan Dolan leading Mark Schulte and Randy Havlik by ten points. Remember that Schulte is a two-time champion from 2006 and 2007. Jesse Sobbing is threatening to run away with the Limited Modified title as he has already built a 33 point lead over Danny Dvorak. In the Stock Cars Timmy Current is trying to bring the title back to the eastern third of the state for the first time since 1989 when Marty Beckler of Tiffin was the champion. Derek Green and Randy Killen are chasing Current while two-time Hobby Stock champion Donavon Smith lurks in fourth. The winners of the last three AIP Hobby Stock rank first and second right now with defending champ Devin Smith on top and 2008/2009 titlist Shannon Anderson in second. Michael Murphy and John Watson are not far behind though. Brad Chandler holds an 11 point advantage in the Four Cylinder race right now while its close for second between Andrew Lokenvitz, Jacob Ellithorpe, Merv Chandler and Nathan Chandler.
Danny Lasoski leads the way in the 410 Sprints as he looks for his sixth state championship, but his first since 1993. In the 360's defening co-champion Jack Dover holds a 5 point edge over Brian Brown while the driver that Dover shared the title with last year, Eric Lutz ranks third. And it is Jayson Ditsworth leading the way in the 305 division ahead of Ryan Jamison and Jamie Ball.
That's it for now, filter out the AWP's on the message boards and head out for your favorite track tonight!!
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