2019 BS Stats Plus Questions for 2020

If you have ever wondered why the HRN column, and now the Positively Racing blog is titled "Back Stretch" perhaps the first impression that the title of this entry gave you will give you some insight. And to think, I was only fifteen years old when I tried to come up with that. Anyway.....

Despite a cold and wet start, some colder than normal weekends in the Fall and my youngest son's wedding in New Jersey in between I was still able to make it to sixty-three nights of racing in 2019, right about where I have been for the past several years. My season started on March 22nd and 23rd at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson for the Spring Extravaganza and it ended on Sunday November 24th with the Turkey Bowl at the Springfield Raceway. I visited twenty-three different tracks in four states (usually I get to five or six) with the Knoxville Raceway once again leading the way, but just barely this year with eight nights. I made seven trips each to 34 Raceway in Burlington and the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa while the Benton County Speedway in Vinton was my destination on six nights this past season.

I have taken a liking to the Marshalltown Speedway and in fact, through June 4th I had seen more races there at that point with four than any of the other tracks on my list. A late October rescheduling of the World Nationals allowed me to get back to Mo-town one last time to make it five visits on the season. The Lee County Speedway in Donnellson is my closest destination by just one mile over 34 Raceway and I went to LCS five times this year while I also made the nearly three hour trip to the Stuart Speedway five times as well. That should tell you how much I appreciate a well run show.

I would go to the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis if they raced more often as I did get to four nights of action in northeast Missouri this year and I made it down to the Bullring on Broadway, the Quincy Raceways twice this season. The rest of the tracks were one stop only for me in 2019 starting with the La Salle Speedway and now knowing that it might have been the last time that I will see a race there with the facility up for sale. My one and only "new to me" track this year was the high banked paved quarter-mile Slinger Speedway in southeast Wisconsin where I was part of a huge Tuesday night crowd on hand for the annual Slinger Nationals. Definitely a track that I want to see again for one of their weekly Sunday night shows that features both the Super Late Models and the Late Models.

I returned to the Adams County Speedway in Corning, the Fairbury American Legion Speedway and the Grundy County Speedway in Morris, Illinois, for the first time in many years and it has been a few years since I had been to the Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City. One time visits were also made to West Liberty, Eldon, Dubuque, Boone, Jacksonville, Springfield, the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland and the 300 Raceway in Farley.

Every year I feel so fortunate when I am able to attend more than sixty nights of racing in a year and I always feel like the next year could see me back down into the forties. In 2020, with increased work responsibilities as well as a couple of family commitments that will likely be the case, but either way I feel fortunate to live in what I believe to be the best location in the country if you are a fan of dirt track racing!

It seems like the schedules for tracks and both the national and regional touring series come out earlier each year which for me at least just makes the offseason seem to be that much longer in anticipation for what lies ahead. I also have several questions as to how things will play out in 2020.

In an announcement that caught me off guard Joe Kosiski's Malvern Bank SLMR Series has acquired the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models, so now what lies ahead for the longest running regional Late Model series in the country? This year's Yankee Dirt Classic at the 300 Raceway in Farley proved that the rules package allows the IMCA spec motor cars to be competitive with the open motors as nearly fifty drivers battled it out over two nights. Kosiski has indicated that he plans to run both an East and a West series with separate point funds for each while a few events, such as the Yankee I assume, will pay points for both "regions". My initial thought is that this will be huge plus, especially for those of us here on the east side as the Deery shows always had a restricted field. In other words you pretty much knew who was going to show up because they had to be IMCA spec motor legal to compete. Now, under the SLMR rules, that will no longer be the case as an open motor driver who is "in the area" can now compete as well.

Will this mean that more tracks will be a part of the SLMR East schedule than what we have seen with the Summer Series? Or will it be fewer?

Darrel DeFrance was at all 499 Summer Series events. Will we keep on counting that streak under the new banner?

How does this announcement effect the MLRA? With eleven of their events scheduled for 2020 set for tracks that would have been considered to be "IMCA country" they were the open motor alternative to the spec motor Summer Series. Now, with SLMR taking over and opening up the rules, the two series will essentially be in head-to-head competition and it will be interesting to see if the SLMR East schedule will be built around the already announced MLRA slate.

Another Late Model question, with Maquoketa dropping the class from its weekly Saturday night program will 34 Raceway go from having the class on a part-time basis to full time? I keep hinting about it here seeing if I can draw an answer out of Brad & Jessi, but nothing yet. If wagering were allowed though I would have to bet on "yes".

Can the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa figure out how to get their Wednesday night shows over by 9:30, like they had been doing for years before adding the non-wing Sprint Cars to the program? Forty-five cars in four classes worked for me when I could be home by 10:30. Fifty-five in five and an hour later, not so much. But, hey not everybody is driving from 70+ miles away to attend so maybe this doesn't matter to the bulk of their crowd.

Will a new promoter step up in Dubuque and Independence? If not, will the fair boards decide to take the financial risk and hire a race director. That has been the trend over the past few years and for most it seems to have been successful.

Rick and Corey Dripps are the new promoters in Vinton and there are new promoters at the Quad City Speedway as well. Both tracks have been Sunday night staples for many years now, how will things go in 2020? Will any big changes be made at either track or will the new promoters make minor adjustments that they feel will improve upon the program?

With a full season now in the books has Jason Goble turned the corner at the Quincy Raceways? Opening up the rules for the Stock Cars definitely improved the car count in that class and the Sport Mod class was solid throughout. He definitely has another impressive put together for 2020 including an appearance by the Ultimate Late Model Series? That would be a big stray from its normal territory.

Tony Izzo Jr. purchased the MARS Late Model series and other than popping up on the Peoria schedule I haven't seen anything else. With MLRA and SLMR now dominant in eastern Iowa, will Izzo be able to establish MARS as the touring series for Illinois tracks?

Who will move up in 2020? One of the trends that we have seen over the past two decades is the drivers who stay in and dominate the lower budget classes. I understand that with the increased costs of the sport that someone might not be able to make the move, but I also feel that this chokes off the car counts in those classes at some tracks where the new blood feels like they have no chance of competing for a win. Promoter Jerry Hoffman at the Springfield Raceway did something unique this past year where he split his Midwest Modified class into two "divisions" with the more experienced and competitive drivers in one class and his rookies and not so successful veterans in another. Could something like this help the tracks that limp along with six to eight Four Cylinders a week?

How will the change from a big half-mile to a short track in Mason City go over? I will think that it will be a huge hit for the drivers and the fans and in fact I predict that it will be one of those "unicorn" weekly shows where B-Mains will be needed in one or more classes. Definitely a track on my "must visit" list for 2020.

What "new to me" track will I get to in 2020? Some prospects would include the Lafayette County Speedway in Darlington, Wisconson, Chateau Speedway in Lansing, Minnesota, the Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, Minnesota, the New Raceway Park in Jefferson, South Dakota, the Clay County Fair Speedway in Spencer, the Central Missouri Speedway in Warrensburg, Missouri, 141 Speedway in Maribel, Wisconsin, the Jefferson Speedway in Jefferson, Wisconsin, Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Indiana, and Devils Bowl Speedway in Mesquite, Texas. I am also going to make a point of visiting the CJ Speedway in Columbus Junction in 2020 as all four of my planned trips to the track just 35 miles up the road from me were weathered out this year!


So that Texas track might have jumped out to you above. With both of my sons and their families living in Dallas you will notice that the 2020 Special Events calendar at Positively Racing will include Dallas area tracks. Never hurts to know what's going on in the area when grandpa makes a visit!