Monday Notebook: January 15, 2018

Yes, in the middle of January, it was still a big weekend for dirt track racing as the open wheel fans had the mid-winter mega event, The Chili Bowl, while Late Model fans had the triple header conclusion to the Wild West Shootout.

I had the Tivo set up to record the Chili Bowl as I went to Burlington to watch third-ranked Indian Hills throttle Southeastern Community College (Tony Paris would be proud) and I watched the MavTV coverage once I returned home. It looked as though we were going to be treated to a showdown between two of the brightest stars in the sport, but when the engine on Kyle Larson's car went up in smoke that left Christopher Bell all alone out front to claim his second straight Golden Driller trophy.

It is amazing how the Chili Bowl just keeps on growing and that growth will now make it a six night event in 2019 as announced by promoter Emmett Hahn this week. The Wednesday through Saturday reserved seats are next to impossible to come by now and even Tuesday was nearing a sell out, so if you have never been to the Chili Bowl before now would be a good time to snap up tickets for Monday and Tuesday to get your midget fix. I know that it will be something that Morgan and I will consider for next year.

Of course that trip might get aced out by a return trip to Arizona to catch the 2019 edition of the Wild West Shootout. I have been to the event twice while it was held in Tucson, but after watching highlights from this year's racing at the Arizona Speedway in Queens Creek I am itching to go out west again next January, especially since I have friends who have offered me a place to stay! For some great reporting from all six nights in the desert please visit my Positively Racing colleague Ed Reichert's blog "One Fan's Travels" and he will give you the details while I offer up a few observations here.

Leading up to the mini-series the assumption seemed to be that Bobby Pierce would collect some Keyser Manufacturing bonus money, but the question was how much? Would he win all six nights? Five, four? Surely he would at least earn an extra $10,000 by winning three and so the expectations were high for the young driver from Illinois in his debut with the Dunn Benson team. After finishing twelfth on opening night Pierce was leading late on night number two only to be stunned by the defending WISSOTA National Champion Don Shaw who took advantage of a slight bobble by Pierce in the closing laps to take the win. That all came after a thrilling back and forth battle between Pierce and opening night winner Ricky Weiss where contact between the two sent Weiss sliding through the exit gate going into turn one.

Pierce would finish second to Shaw again on Wednesday night, take third behind Mike Marlar and Weiss on Friday before closing out the weekend with a twelfth place finish on Saturday and a seventh place run in Sunday's finale. While it wasn't the performance that many expected out of Pierce, the six days in Arizona will no doubt payoff as he gained experience with his new team before the Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series gets underway in just under three weeks in southeast Georgia.

Nobody would have predicted that the drivers shooting for the Keyser bonus would have been Weiss and Shaw. Weiss too is a former WISSOTA Late Model National Champion and spent last year racing regionally in Tennessee. The young Canadian definitely turned heads with his consistently strong performances in Arizona and if not for the DNF after his scuffle with Pierce he would have likely been the mini-series point champion. It will be interesting to see what kind of schedule that he will now follow for 2018 as a check of his website shows it as blank for now. Shaw is a veteran driver form Minnesota whose trucking company even sponsored the finale and for the past several years he has raced in Arizona both before, and after the regular season back home with building success. Will this week encourage him to venture out on the road more in 2018, or will he be the odds on favorite to repeat his WISSOTA title?

Former USMTS Modified regular Cade Dillard had a solid week as it seemed like he was always in contention. In fact it looked as though he had Wednesday's race well in hand before a skirmish with a lapped car put him into the wall and ended his night. He came back strong though to finish second and fifth in the final two nights to propel him into his first full year of Late Model action. Now we wait to see what his plans are as well, but you can bet that you will see the young driver from Louisiana in victory lane soon.

Another name that caught my attention, mainly because I had never heard of him before was Mike Maresca who pulled all the way down from Potsdam, New York. A twenty-two year old big block Modified driver who, according to his website did not score a win last season, Maresca failed to qualify his first night out on Sunday and then steadily gained speed making the remaining four shows and posting his best finish in the finale where he finished eighth. Just a week or two earlier Maresca had wheeled a micro sprint indoors during the Tulsa Shootout.

Iowa was well represented as Chris Simpson, Justin Kay, Jason Rauen and Ryan Gustin were all in Late Model competition. Simpson had taken the lead from Weiss in the opener only to have Weiss find a better line late to regain the lead leaving Chris with a runner-up finish. Simpson would also finish fourth during the Friday night program. Kay qualified for five of the six main events, but his best finish was a 16th while Rauen made the main event in the finale where he finished 14th. Earl Pearson Jr. drove Jason's #98 during Friday night's program and he finished fifth. Gustin who has had success at this event before winning the big money finale in Tucson a few years back made a solid return to the seat of the Gressel Racing Late Model posting two top-fives in four feature starts.

Again I urge you to visit One Fan's Travels for more details and for news on the Modifieds and X-Mods as well. Dirt track racing will essentially take a two week break now before the Georgia/Florida Speed Weeks action gets underway.

I was disappointed to see this story online last night where essentially the Southern Iowa Fair Board has thrown in the towel on racing in Oskaloosa for 2018. The track has operated the last few seasons with the board taking the financial risk and they have every right to back away and state that they no longer want to do that if they feel that there is "no profit" in it. However, there is one line in the story that I don't understand where fair board member Shawn VanEngelenhoven is quoted as saying "we've not got anything on paper, except from our existing promoter gave us a written bid. Otherwise nobody's come forward with any bids"

So doesn't that mean that you have a written bid? That existing promoter is Mike VanGenderen who has been a paid employee for the past few years, but who has now put in a bid to lease the track and take the financial risk himself. So yes Mr. VanEngelenhoven, you do have a bid, but from what I have been told you have not even responded to that bid. I would think that for the racers and the fans as well as the community itself that benefits from the dollars that comes into Oskaloosa every Wednesday night during racing season, you would want to sit down with VanGenderen and try to negotiate an agreement that both parties would find beneficial.

Mr. VanEngelenhoven, Mr. VanGenderen. Mr. VanGenderen, Mr. VanEgelenhoven. There, I have made the introductions, now get together and discuss. I'll be happy to serve as a mediator if you will will allow somebody with only five letters in his name into the room.

Another track that has been operated by a fair board lately, the Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City had a January 15th deadline, today, to receive bids from interested promoters and my source tells me that at last check they only had one. And, since this is Martin Luther King Jr. Day there is no mail service, so......

I haven't mentioned the Open Trailer Nationals in the past few entries on the Back Stretch. Will we get enough of a ground swell to convince a promoter to take a chance? Send in a pic of your car on an Open Trailer today. Okay, well maybe not an actual picture from today, it's too damn cold to be outside, but soon!

Thanks for checking in!