Final Arkansas Points for 2022

I hope that all of you had a great Thanksgiving Day weekend! We spent ours in downtown Chicago where the weather would have been perfect for some late season racing, but after a cold snap the week before both Black Friday and its following Saturday were too wet down south washing out the final events on the schedule in both Arkansas and Texas. It also pushed the Turkey Bowl to the end of February 2023 at the Springfield Raceway in Missouri.

I have been tracking the Arkansas Points since 2017, but I have never shared them here on the Back Stretch during the first five years because there were tracks that were very inconsistent with reporting their results either using outdated websites or Facebook. In 2022 I am happy to say that all tracks have made their way to MyRacePass giving me the consistency that I need to provide a full summary here for the first time.

Let's start with the Modifieds where Drake Findley edged out defending champion Carl McDade by just two points o earn his first Arkansas Points title. With twenty-two top five finishes that included six victories Findley was able to overcome McDade's stellar season of twelve feature wins in sixteen top fives on Arkansas soil. Keaton Atkinson finishes third with five wins in nineteen top fives.

From the Drake Findley Facebook page

Steven Crocker dominated the Late Model division scoring eleven wins in fourteen top fives to roar to his second state championship in six years. The driver from Jonesboro was also the Late Model champion in 2018. Tennessee resident Henry Gustavus is the runner-up posting four wins in his fourteen top fives and third goes to Kyle Downs who was a five-time feature winner in twelve top fives.

From the Steven Crocker Racing Facebook page

The Limited Modified division is only found at a few tracks in Arkansas at this point with Lonnie Robins Jr. taking the title with two wins in twelve top five showings. Brent Willyard follows him up in second with one victory in thirteen points earning efforts and two-time champion Shannon Weese (2018 & 2020) takes third winning four times in seven top fives.

Dirt track racing in Arkansas takes a big hit as the I-30 Speedway in Little Rock ran its final race in October and the Sprint Car division will lose one of its premier tracks going forward. The Arkansas Points champion in both 2017 and 2020, Eddie Gallagher earned his third title by scoring seven wins in eighteen top five finishes in 2022. Derek Hager was a nine-time feature winner in thirteen top fives to rank second in the final standings while Cody Gardner finished third winning three times in fourteen top fives.

Eddie Gallagher - From the RAD Action Photography Facebook page

From the Patrick Linn Facebook page

This is just the second year to track the Stock Car division in Arkansas and Patrick Linn has been the champion both years. The former IMCA Modified ace was an eight-time feature winner in twenty top fives during this campaign putting him well ahead of Randy Weaver (six wins in sixteen top fives) and Arlen Stewart (two wins in thirteen top fives). All three drivers list Little Rock as their hometown so the Stock Cars will also have to do some traveling to race after the closing of I-30. 

Check in tomorrow as we will wrap up the state of Texas and then, following this weekend's Gateway Dirt Nationals, we will have our final state points story with Missouri before throwing them all together for our Best of the Midwest finale.

Arkansas Points

Modified Final 2022

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Drake Findley Bryant 77

2 . Carl McDade Mulberry 75

3 . Keaton Atkinson Hot Springs 66

4 . Shannon Brack Jonesboro 63

5 . Chad Williams Lake City 56

6 . Landon Mielke Jonesboro 56

7 . Dallas Everrett Cabot 46

8 . Andrew Moreno Jonesboro 44

9 . Brandon Poppenheimer Nesbit MS 44

10 . Jeff Taylor Cave City 41

11 . Peyton Taylor Batesville 41

12 . Dillon Knight Burlison TN 38

13 . Kanyan Methvin Yellville 35

14 . Robert Powers Campbell MO 34

15 . Noah Burlison Malvern 33

16 . Jason Snodgrass Mountain Home 31

17 . Carson Wyatt Brookland 30

18 . Kelby Wright Fisher 30

19 . Shane Hight Bono 30

20 . Lynnsee Provence Little Rock 29

21 . Ryan Moore 29

22 . Ashton Wilkey Batesville 28

23 . Bryce Clark Conway 27

24 . Wendell Wallace Greenbriar 24

25 . Brandon Smith Floral 23

26 . Dalton McKenzie Van Buren 23

27 . Grayson Moore Jonesboro 23

28 . Brint Hartwick Quitman 22

29 . Clay Caldwell Arlington TN 21

30 . Roger Witt Batesville 20

31 . Dustin Tiger West Plains MO 19

32 . Camden Cotter Mountain Home 18

33 . Adam Maple Batesville 17

34 . Brad Calhoun Jacksonville 17

35 . J.T. Goodson Little Rock 17

36 . Richie Tosh Salado 17

37 . Rusty Jeffrey Batesville 17

38 . Casey Findley Bryant 16

39 . Cayden Mitchell Holcomb MO 16

40 . Chuck Sanders Little Rock 16

41 . Dennis Kimbrough Byhalia MS 16

42 . Johnny Gustavus West Memphis 16

43 . Wayne Brooks Bald Knob 16

44 . C.J. Davison Jr. Marion 15

45 . Carl Thomas West Memphis 14

46 . Chad Phillips Cabot 14

47 . Fred Ramsey Fayetteville 14

48 . Jeremy LaCoe Lincoln 14

49 . Johnny Cook Jonesboro 14

50 . Mike Powers Burlison TN 14

51 . Vance Ball Paragould 13

52 . Caleb Howard Fernando MS 12

53 . J.C. Waller Atoka TN 12

54 . Jess Sims Stilwell OK 12

55 . John Briggs Harrison 12

56 . Shannon Weese Van Buren 11

57 . Spencer Hartwick Quitman 11

58 . Travis Mosley Batesville 11

59 . David Baser Jacksonville 10

60 . Eric Perry Little Rock 10

61 . Nick Ivy Imboden 10

62 . Clark Evans Carlisle 9

63 . Josh Farris Harrison 9

64 . Nathan Hagar Adair OK 9

65 . Tanner Barnhart North Little Rock 9

66 . Andrew Hancock Pocahontas 8

67 . Cody Laney Torrance CA 8

68 . Jay Croney West Plains MO 8

69 . Paul Robinson Tupelo MS 8

70 . Brad Green Fayetteville 7

71 . Dylan Coughran Mountainburg 7

72 . Gary Tackitt Jonesboro 7

73 . Keith Hammett Brookland 7

74 . Sam Osman Spiro OK 7

75 . Shawn Walsh Ash Flat 7

76 . Chad Tilley Dexter MO 6

77 . Jaren Martin Republic MO 6

78 . John John Montgomery Bethel Heights 6

79 . Roy Long Stilwell OK 6

80 . Andy Milliken Greenwood 5

81 . Cam Rank Fairdealing MO 5

82 . Chuck Tilley Essex MO 5

83 . Dillon McCowan Urbana MO 5

84 . Donnie Pate Harrison 5

85 . James Drummond Mountainburg 5

86 . Jamey Dalton 5

87 . Jason Sartain Royce City TX 5

88 . Jesse Tackitt Viola 5

89 . John Waugh Batesville 5

90 . Kyle Ledford Greenwood 5

91 . Robert Leamons Berryville 5

92 . Steven Crocker Jonesboro 5

93 . Cody Acklin Calico Road 4

94 . Cody Lowe Little Rock 4

95 . Jayden Schmidt Seymour WI 4

96 . John Ritchie 4

97 . Josh Asher West Fork 4

98 . Josh Ray Southaven MS 4

99 . Justin Rigel Thayer MO 4

100 . Kaleb Gallaway Rogers 4

101 . Lonnie Sitzes West Plains MO 4

102 . Raymond Gustavus Jr. West Memphis 4

103 . Roger Carter Van Buren 4

104 . Troy Schaberg Amity 4

105 . Tyler Davis Haysville KS 4

106 . Victor Pinkerton Cedarville 4

107 . Aaron Moss Westville OK 3

108 . Austen Becerra Carthage IL 3

109 . Billy Tedford Thaxton MS 3

110 . Brandon Jessen Ardmore OK 3

111 . David Marez Huntsville 3

112 . Jason Foster Springdale 3

113 . Larry Barden Greenbriar 3

114 . Mikey Bell Quitman 3

115 . Pappie Leonard Ravenden 3

116 . Robert Southerland Sallisaw OK 3

117 . Rusty Rosson Mountain Home 3

118 . Timothy Casey Finch 3

119 . Zach Jones Weiner 3

120 . Austin Powell Star City 2

121 . Brandon Smith Floral AR 2

122 . Camden Perry Lincoln 2

123 . Cody Burgess Pocahontas 2

124 . Coleton Douglas Forrest City 2

125 . Conner Reed Spiro OK 2

126 . Ethan Dotson Bakersfield CA 2

127 . J.T. Pierce Wilson 2

128 . Kevin Grissum Fairview 2

129 . Lynn Irwin Southaven MS 2

130 . Monte McCollum Van Buren 2

131 . Paul Kramer Lavaca 2

132 . Ricky Anderson 2

133 . Shane Mendoza Atoka TN 2

134 . Terrel Chastain Jonesboro 2

135 . Troy Martin Jr. Wagoner OK 2

136 . Allan Beatty Chandler OK 1

137 . Arlen Stewart Little Rock 1

138 . Billy Tribble Sothaven MS 1

139 . Blake Bass Arlington TN 1

140 . Brittany Wiley Van Buren 1

141 . Chris Lewis Springdale 1

142 . Chuck Smith Van Buren 1

143 . D.J. Walker Searcy 1

144 . Danny Hinrichs Ava MO 1

145 . Dennis Gathright Lake City 1

146 . Howard Kimbrough Byhalia MS 1

147 . Jody Mitchell Kennett MO 1

148 . Ken Schrader Fenton MO 1

149 . Mark Tackitt Bakersfiled MO 1

150 . Mike Cook Conway 1

151 . Nick Glaze Cabot 1

152 . Randall Jones Dyer 1

153 . Thomas Newman Brookland 1

154 . Wade Douglas Forrest City 1

Arkansas Points

Late Model Final 2022

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Steven Crocker Jonesboro 66

2 . Henry Gustavus Bartlett TN 48

3 . Kyle Downs Brookland 44

4 . Scott Tracer Rector 40

5 . Brandon Poppenheimer Nesbit MS 38

6 . Chris Piper West Plains MO 37

7 . Hunter Duren Yellville 33

8 . Nathan Brown Marion 33

9 . Chandler Petty Cabot 28

10 . Brandon Baldridge Alton MO 25

11 . Mark Nichols Bono 24

12 . Mike Carr Lake Cormorant MS 23

13 . Ashley Newman Ripley TN 22

14 . John Aitken West Plains MO 22

15 . Chris Jones Neelyville MO 21

16 . Gavin Jordan 21

17 . Ross Farmer Glenwood 21

18 . Blaine Mattey Mountain Home AR 19

19 . Chris Caststeel Mountain Home 19

20 . Logan Martin West Plains MO 19

21 . Geoff Aitken Pottsville 18

22 . Kyle Beard Trumann 18

23 . Brian Woodard Ripley TN 17

24 . Dale Howard Byhalia MS 16

25 . Josh Ray Southaven MS 16

26 . Ben Piper West Plains MO 15

27 . Morgan Bagley Gladewater TX 14

28 . Billy Moyer Jr. Batesville 13

29 . Lane Carr Lake Cormorant MS 13

30 . Brian Rickman Columbus MS 12

31 . Dustin Holmes Mufreesboro 12

32 . Tyler Stevens Searcy 12

33 . Shane Stephens Arlington TN 11

34 . Ben Waggoner Mount Vernon 10

35 . Brandon Ball Texarkana TX 10

36 . Dean Abbey Boyd TX 10

37 . Derrick Nichols Warren 10

38 . Jonathan Davenport Blairsville GA 10

39 . Travis Ashley Batesville 10

40 . Michael Goatcher Jonesboro 9

41 . T.J. Hughes Hernando MS 9

42 . Chance Mann Joesboro 8

43 . Mason Oberkramer Broseley MO 8

44 . Rick Hearnsberger Arkadelphia 8

45 . B.J. Robinson Bossier City LA 7

46 . Jeffery Abbey Comanche TX 7

47 . Jeremy Emmons Doniphan MO 7

48 . Josh Goatcher Jonesboro 7

49 . Mark Byram Trumann 7

50 . Scott Bell East Prairie MO 7

51 . Troy Dow Munford TN 7

52 . Clayton Stuckey Shreveport LA 6

53 . Kris Lloyd Peach Orchard AR 6

54 . Otis Lester Hernando MS 6

55 . Scott Freeman Hector 6

56 . Austin Vincent Moody MO 5

57 . Blake Allen Coldwater MS 5

58 . Brent Raulston Mountain Home 5

59 . Dewayne Kiefer St. Genevieve MO 5

60 . Ed Hill Jonesboro 5

61 . Garrett Alberson Las Cruces NM 5

62 . Hayden Ross Muskogee OK 5

63 . Kanyan Methvin Yellville 5

64 . Matthew Tribble Pocahontas 5

65 . Mitch Keeter Webb City MO 5

66 . Rob Litton Alexandria LA 5

67 . Ryan Colby Chatham MS 5

68 . Terry Phillips Springfield MO 5

69 . Andrew Hancock Pocahontas 4

70 . Barron Prince Haughton LA 4

71 . Brad Riley Coldwater MS 4

72 . Dustin Mooneyham Aurora MO 4

73 . Hudson O'Neal Martinsville IN 4

74 . Jamie Burford Keatchie LA 4

75 . Jan Howard Marion 4

76 . Spencer Hughes Meridian MS 4

77 . Tim Steinhaus Mountain Home 4

78 . Tony Anglin Walnut Ridge 4

79 . Bobby Raulston Marshall 3

80 . Chris Hawkins Neosho MO 3

81 . Dale McDowell Chickamauga GA 3

82 . Hunter Rasdon Jonesboro 3

83 . J.C. Waller Atoka TN 3

84 . Jamie Robards Broseley MO 3

85 . Jim Gulley Brookland 3

86 . Jim Spurlock Arcadia LA 3

87 . Jimmy Owens Newport TN 3

88 . Johnny Waters Jonesboro 3

89 . Jon Mitchell Texarkana 3

90 . Kenny Morden El Paso 3

91 . Mark Jordan Paragould 3

92 . Riley Sheedy French Camp MS 3

93 . Shawn Mann Searcy 3

94 . Tim McCreadie Watertown NY 3

95 . Alan Brown Searcy 2

96 . Brett Hansen Fort Gibson OK 2

97 . Cam Rank Fairdealing MO 2

98 . Chris Showah Indianola MS 2

99 . Cole Farmer Glenwood 2

100 . Eddie Hoyer Plumerville 2

101 . Henry Gross Coldwater MS 2

102 . Jace Parmley Neosho MO 2

103 . Jarret Stuckey Shreveport LA 2

104 . Kevin Sitton Baytown TX 2

105 . Michael Carr Horn Lake MS 2

106 . Paul Betts Jonesboro 2

107 . Terry Gray Munford TN 2

108 . Tyler Erb New Waverly TX 2

109 . Wesley Wise Perryville 2

110 . Wyatt Wilkerson Morning Sun IA 2

111 . Bobby Blankenship Little Rock 1

112 . Brandon Carpenter Coldwater MS 1

113 . Brandon Sheppard New Berlin IL 1

114 . Bubba Wilburn Southaven MS 1

115 . Carl Kilgore IV Greenville MS 1

116 . Chandler Moenning Willard MO 1

117 . D.J. Burke West Plains MO 1

118 . Dean Carpenter Coldwater MS 1

119 . Garrett Gibson Haughton LA 1

120 . Jeremy Tharp Bald Knob 1

121 . Jerry Croney West Plains MO 1

122 . Kevin Ramey Fort Worth TX 1

123 . Landon Harris Gladstone MI 1

124 . Lynn Irwin Southaven MS 1

125 . Preston Farmer Glenwood 1

126 . Robert Myers Pottsville 1

127 . Thomas Newman Brookland 1

128 . Tyler Burnett Eros LA 1

129 . Wesley Hamilton Malvern 1

Arkansas Points

Limited Modifieds Final 2022

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Lonnie Robins Jr. Alma 39

2 . Brent Willyard Van Buren 37

3 . Shannon Weese Van Buren 31

4 . Ryan Williams Fort Smith 30

5 . Martin Hemphill Spiro OK 26

6 . Adam Roy Hooks TX 19

7 . Jared Ricketts Decatur 18

8 . Aaron Roy Texarkana TX 16

9 . Austin Aurther London 16

10 . Colby Mewborn Texarkana TX 16

11 . Dalton Ragsdale Muskogee OK 14

12 . Andy Hooten Conway 13

13 . Brandon Reynolds Lamar 11

14 . Caleb Barker Elkins 10

15 . Caleb Pence Sallisaw OK 10

16 . B.J. Moore Texarkana TX 9

17 . Casey Acklin Norfork 9

18 . Chris Tuck Mulbery 9

19 . Connor Mewborn Texarkana TX 9

20 . Duane Rose Mulberry 9

21 . Josh Farris Harrison 9

22 . Roger Pence Sallisaw OK 9

23 . Jason Snodgrass Mountain Home 8

24 . Chad Mitchell Atkins 7

25 . Dustin Robnett Hooks TX 7

26 . James Romine Winslow 7

27 . Leon Hudson Pottsville 7

28 . Ryan Lowe Muskogee OK 7

29 . Skeet Amason New Boston TX 7

30 . Johnny Gregory Alma 6

31 . Scott Rentfro Russellville 6

32 . Andrew Rossum Texarkana TX 5

33 . Brandon Brown Texarkana TX 5

34 . Daniel Tarkington Checotah OK 5

35 . Justin Whitehead Texarkana TX 5

36 . Krew Walburn Emporia KS 5

37 . Richard Berry Stilwell OK 5

38 . Tye Hollingsworth Springdale 5

39 . Camden Perry Lincoln 4

40 . Cecil Hayes Huntington 4

41 . Dustin Durham Texarkana 4

42 . Johnny Virden Russellville 4

43 . Neil Johnston Fort Smith 4

44 . Richard Crow Centerville 4

45 . Zane Hunter Alma 4

46 . Chase Hatton De Berry TX 3

47 . Dan Culp Hindsville 3

48 . Daniel Cowett Porum OK 3

49 . Danny Bolen Harrison 3

50 . David Bradley West Fork 3

51 . Dustin Taylor Texarkana TX 3

52 . Gene Parvin Bixby OK 3

53 . J.P. Gregory Alma 3

54 . Jeremy Vaughn Pocola OK 3

55 . Ronnie Chism 3

56 . Trey Wiley Sallisaw OK 3

57 . Troy Keith Benton LA 3

58 . Adam Hardin Clarksville 2

59 . Barren Prince Haughton LA 2

60 . Carey Eason 2

61 . Chuck Smith Van Buren 2

62 . Hayden Holzman Ozark 2

63 . Jake Huckaby Texarkana TX 2

64 . Logan Griffin Texarkana TX 2

65 . Luke Aitken West Plains MO 2

66 . Robert Billington Jonesboro 2

67 . Shamron Ritchie Stilwell OK 2

68 . Shay Hardin Strickler 2

69 . Weston Holman Springdale 2

70 . Coty Tupper Blanchard LA 1

71 . Devin Murphy Myrtle MO 1

72 . Drex Johnson Van Buren 1

73 . Jay Rierson Booneville 1

74 . Justin Crow Centerville 1

75 . Mike Anderson Muskogee OK 1

76 . Robert Page Muskogee OK 1

Arkansas Points

Winged Sprints Final 2022

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Eddie Gallagher Olive Branch MS 71

2 . Derek Hagar Marion 57

3 . Cody Gardner Benton 50

4 . Howard Moore Memphis TN 44

5 . Tucker Boulton Brighton TN 39

6 . Dewayne White Byhalia MS 32

7 . Andy McElhannon Nesbit MS 27

8 . Tyler Newcom Jonesboro 24

9 . Aaron Reutzel Clute TX 21

10 . Dale Howard Byhalia MS 21

11 . Chad Jones Memphis TN 20

12 . Tim Crawley Benton 17

13 . Brad Bowden Hernando MS 16

14 . Keith Ainsworth Munsford TN 16

15 . Marshall Skinner Marion 15

16 . Jordon Mallett Greenbriar 13

17 . Landon Crawley Benton 10

18 . Sam Hafertepe Jr. Sunnyvale TX 9

19 . Wayne Johnson Oklahoma City OK 8

20 . Blake Hahn Sapulpa OK 7

21 . Blake Jenkins Alexander 6

22 . Gavan Boschele Mooresville NC 6

23 . Justin Sanders Aromas CA 6

24 . Matt Covington Glenpool OK 6

25 . Joseph Ray IV Lakeland TN 5

26 . Ronny Howard Nesbit MS 5

27 . Ayden Gatewood Caruthersville MO 4

28 . B.J. Simmerman Batesville MS 4

29 . Chase Howard Nesbit MS 4

30 . Colton Hardy Phoenix AZ 4

31 . Garret Williamson Columbia MO 4

32 . Jan Howard Marion 4

33 . Jason Martin Lincoln NE 4

34 . Landon Britt Atoka TN 4

35 . Ryan Timms Oklahoma City OK 4

36 . Ernie Ainsworth Bartlett TN 3

37 . Dustin Gates Haughton LA 2

38 . Seth Bergman Snohomish WA 2

39 . Terry Gray Batlett TN 2

40 . Alex Lyles Arlington TN 1

41 . Bradyn Baker Alexander 1

42 . Corey Bailey Coldwater MS 1

43 . Dylan Westbrook Scotland ON 1

44 . Kenny Coke Olive Branch MS 1

45 . Rick Kahler Memphis TN 1

Arkansas Points

Stock Cars Final 2022

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Patrick Linn Little Rock 81

2 . Randy Weaver Little Rock 56

3 . Arlen Stewart Little Rock 42

4 . Jeremy Kester Mablevale 36

5 . Peyton Taylor Batesville 34

6 . Joe Payne Concord 28

7 . Edwin Wells Morrilton 24

8 . Chris Dollarhide Little Rock 23

9 . Hayden Hartwick Heber Springs 20

10 . Jeffrey Abbey Comanche TX 16

11 . John Bubbus Bauxite 16

12 . Brad Hartwick Rose Bud 15

13 . Zane DeVilbiss Farmington NM 14

14 . Kevin Atkinson Vilonia 13

15 . Scott Earl Hensley 12

16 . T.J. Herndon Atwood TN 12

17 . Tommy New Dover 12

18 . Drake Findley Bryant 11

19 . Jason Hefley Austin 11

20 . Richie Tosh Salado 11

21 . Scooter Scruggs Little Rock 11

22 . Wayne Brooks Bald Knob 10

23 . Taylor Carver Lockesburg 9

24 . Cody Lowe Little Rock 8

25 . Jack Sullivan Greenbriar 8

26 . Tony Anglin Walnut Ridge 8

27 . Jeremy Tharp Bald Knob 7

28 . Josh Rankin Alexander 6

29 . Chanse Hollatz Clear Lake IA 5

30 . Nathan Stewart Bryant 5

31 . Tathan Burkhart Hays KS 5

32 . Troy Jerovetz Iowa Falls IA 5

33 . Brent New Dover 4

34 . Ricky Wrinkle Star City 4

35 . Robbie Arnold Paragould 4

36 . Abe Huls Carthage IL 3

37 . Barkley Rowland Paragould 3

38 . Dale Nelson Milan TN 3

39 . Jeff Taylor Cave City 3

40 . Blake Clark Joshua TX 2

41 . Darin Long Jacksonville 2

42 . Dustin Stuart Alexander 2

43 . Jeremy Russell Brookland 2

44 . Justin Whitehead Texarkana TX 2

45 . Lynn Hefley Cabot 2

46 . Mikey Bell Quitman 2

47 . Bobby Bryant West Plains MO 1

48 . Denver Lee Witts Springs 1

49 . Hayden Linn Little Rock 1

An Abrupt End To 2022

With the postponement of Springfield's annual Turkey Bowl to the weekend after Thanksgiving my 2022 racing season has come to a disappointing end as I also lost the chance to see the Turkey Dash at the CJ Raceway two weeks ago. After being very cooperative for most of the back half of the racing season, Mother Nature decided to usher in winter just a little earlier this year and that is always the risk, or reward of scheduling races late on the calendar.

With the end of East Bay Raceway south of Tampa, Florida, now scheduled for just a couple of years from now, I had to get back to one of my all-time favorite tracks one more time and that is why my 2022 season started off with a Speed Weeks trip where we were able to catch seven straight nights of action. The first four of those were enjoyed at "The Clay by the Bay" and we then moved on to one night at the New Smyrna Speedway (my only pavement race of 2022) and then two nights at Volusia where we were treated to the debut of the Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Car series. This prompted me to recall some of the other "firsts" that I have been a part of over the years and I have to say that I didn't really hear that much more about this new non-wing Sprint Car series after that.

So with that seven race "head start" on my season I would have thought that I would have easily been back in the mid-60's for a race count by the end of the year. That was not to be though as another cold and wet Spring limited me to just one race in March and three in April. Then, in June my wife and I went on a spectacular eight day European vacation cruising the Danube and when I returned I found myself with more of a discerning attitude in regard to whether or not I was going to go to a race. In the past, if there was a race scheduled within a couple of hours of home on a night that I was available, I was always going to go hoping to see a great show. Let's just say that I have been disappointed a few too many times over the years, in particular items that you can find in several of my past entries here on the Back Stretch (I am going to make you look through the archives here during the offseason to find the specifics), so I will admit that I stayed home more often this season assuming that I would see a show that started late, had too long of an intermission, had poor track prep, would be too dusty, would get over with too late, etc.

Frankly I have changed from a glass half full (optimist) to a glass half empty (pessimist) when it comes to racing and I am hoping that a long offseason will change my attitude. So even with the seven race head start my total ends up being 57 nights of racing at 24 different tracks in five states Florida, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Illinois. Yes, that is still a lot of races, as my wife reminds me, but take away those seven in Florida and it is just five more than my lowest total since I snared my driver's license in 1979 and that 45 came in a year when I had three kids playing Spring, Summer and Fall sports.

As usual I spent the most nights this season at the Knoxville Raceway with nine. Eight of them came in a ten day span with the 360 Nationals and the 410 Nationals while the ninth visit was for the opener of the Late Model Nationals, one of the only two nights of racing that I saw completed in the month of September. 

The closest track to my Mt. Pleasant home, 34 Raceway west of Burlington found me there for five nights of racing this year although one of them ended up being rained out just before the heat races were completed. When I announce for the Sprint Invaders I leave the Notebook in the car so this linked story comes from my colleague Bill Wright telling the story of Chase Randall's amazing debut with the series. His first of six Sprint Invaders victories on the season. 

Along with East Bay, I made the much shorter trip south to the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson four times this season and while both the first appearance here by the SLMR and my personal favorite event Shiverfest were entertaining, I would have to go with their July 1st event as my pick of the four.

I also spent four nights at the Davenport Speedway, a track that I have to admit has become one of my favorites over the past couple of years. In 2021 Dirt On Dirt named the MARS race from here as the Race of the Year and Ricky Kay and his crew have a legitimate shot of getting that honor two years in a row with this gem. What has Davenport climbing up the list of my favorite tracks? They start on time, track prep is good and, if needed, only takes a short amount of farming before feature time and they have a curfew so I know that they are always going to present a show in a timely manner (all tracks should act as if they have a curfew). Yes, they have a lot of big shows on the schedule at Davenport, but they have earned the right and have attracted the following to do so. It does not take a "big show" for me to want to go to Davenport as their weekly events boast some of the highest car counts this side of Boone.

I spent three nights each at Oskaloosa, Vinton and at the Lucas Oil Speedway where the three nights were on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in October for the USRA Nationals. Joining Volusia with two nights each are Stuart, Quincy, Columbus Junction, East Moline and Memphis, Missouri. One trip each was made to New Smyrna, I-35 Winston, West Liberty, Spoon River, Eldon, Tipton, Bloomfield, and Dubuque.

Each year I try to get to one "new to me" track and in 2021 that was the Clay County County Fair Speedway in Spencer. How good was that trip? Good enough to make the five plus hour drive to northwest Iowa again this past September while my new track in 2022 was the 81 Speedway in Park City, Kansas.

As I put this season to bed there have been some interesting rumors floating around that I am interested to see if they come to be. If they do, I believe that it will be a positive step forward for three or more tracks. Sort of like a good domino effect. Also, with our new format, I have already started to plug in dates on the Positively Racing Special Events calendar so make sure that you bookmark that to see where you can find specials in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, eastern Kansas and southeastern South Dakota.

We still have the states of Missouri, Arkansas and Texas to wrap up in regard to our state points standings and once the race at the Dome is completed we will soon follow the final Missouri Points with our Best of the Midwest rundown for 2022. Then be sure to check in during the Holidays as we will update the Cumulative All Iowa Points in all nine divisions.

Finally, a couple of weeks ago I saw several of my announcer friends on Facebook share a post promoting a Short Track Announcers Summit that will take place on January 7th with the tag line "A good announcer can save a mediocre race program. A bad announcer can kill a great one." The host is Dave Moody who is widely known for his work on MRN and SiriusXm Radio and I can't help but wonder if the newest challenge to being a "good announcer" will be addressed. I wrote the following as part of my February 1st, 2001, Back Stretch and I can tell you from experience that I hear more and more fans who have purchased a ticket to sit in the stands say that they are irritated by how the announcer only seems to be talking to the Pay-Per-View crowd. Perhaps Mr. Moody will have some words of wisdom on that subject at this Summit?

That brings me to the wide variety of announcing styles that I have experienced over the past several months and as someone who has announced at least one night of dirt track racing in each of the past forty years, it shouldn't surprise you to hear me say that the announcer will either make or break your PPV. Yes, even a good announcer or announcers can overcome an overzealous director while a not so good announcer can drive you to the point where you just hit the mute button, one big advantage that PPV has over actually being there!

Again we are talking about a preference of styles here and there is a wide range of preferences among race fans from young to old. I know that my style is not a good fit for PPV and it wouldn't surprise me if I have been muted a few times myself, so my comments here should not be taken as me preaching about how to do it, they are only my opinions and are not meant to be considered right or wrong. No announcer is perfect, some of the best in the business still have little quirks that most people enjoy and others do not and that is not limited to race track announcers The biggest names in the industry such as Jim Nantz, Joe Buck, Kevin Harlan, etc. still have people who piss and moan about them on social media, but you wouldn't want them to change because they achieved their success by being who they are and the same thing goes for the cream of the crop on the microphones at dirt tracks. The difference is that all of them honed their skills on announcing to the fans in the stands and they are still adjusting to what is still a relative new medium in PPV.

I feel like I was at my best as an announcer in the 1980's. There were no VIP booths with speakers inside and a good sound system back then would be considered trash now. I started my night during wheel packing (for you younger fans that was when the race cars would come out and pack the race track for about twenty to thirty minutes prior to hot laps with mud clods flying in the air and giving you a nice tacky surface to start the show on) reading off the sponsors of the drivers who were participating and letting the fans know who some of the newcomers were and their accomplishments at other tracks. This would continue during hot laps, but my microphone would turn off once the green flag flew. Immediately following the National Anthem I would give the starting line up of the first heat race, car number, name and hometown, not always in that same order, for each driver from front to back. There was no time to rattle off a list of sponsors for each, otherwise the green flag would fly and I would be drowned out by the roar of the engines. In fact I was even careful to pause in giving the lineup as the cars passed in front of the grandstand on the pace lap in order to make sure that every driver's name could be heard.

Once the green flag waved I would make a comment or two when the entire field was racing down the back stretch, but once they were spread out enough that I knew that the fans in the stands could no longer hear me I would turn the microphone off and watch for interesting items to point out should the caution wave. Once the checkers flew I would recognize the drivers who transferred, or finished in the top four for instance and then read off the sponsors of the winner before asking the crowd to give him or her a big round of applause. That all went quick though because I had to get out the full lineup of the next race before the green flag waved and that was up to me to get that done as the flagman's job (Doyle Bennett, Bill Newman, Donnie Williams to name a few) was to run off a smooth and efficient program. They weren't going to wait on me!

All of these years later that is still my style because right or wrong, if the microphone that I am using is going out on the public address system at the track, those fans in the stands are my priority no matter how many people are plugged into me as well through the PPV. Sorry, but these people that I can see are the ones who spent the money and made their way to the track that night, they are the ones that are buying the concessions and hopefully reading the billboards of the sponsors in the area that are the lifeblood of the facility and that is why they come first to me.

Frankly I feel that race tracks are putting their announcers in a tough position if the same voice is being used for both the fans in attendance and those who are dialed in on the PPV as there is no way to do a good job for both audiences. Let me use two of my own experiences from this past year to illustrate. 

With Covid keeping the fans out of the stands during the month of May I was given the opportunity to do a DoneRightTV broadcast of a night of action at 34 Raceway where my self and Rob Hinckley were seated at a table, headsets on and a monitor in front of us so that we could see what the camera was on. We weren't being heard over the PA system, we were just working with the PPV crowd and it had to be the fastest four hours that I have ever experienced at a race track. Rob and I got into a nice flow where not only were were getting all of the essentials out there such as lineups and finishes, but we were also calling the races in a more conversational tone throwing in some facts and trivia about some of the drivers along the way. When you watch Jim Nantz do a college basketball game he doesn't describe every dribble or every pass as you the viewer can see that on your screen. Instead he and his color analyst add to the experience rather than sounding like some rabid auctioneer trying to paint a picture that is already painted.

I would like to think that this is somewhat how Rob and I sounded on that night and one the nicest compliments that I have ever received in my life came when I took off my headset after we went to intermission and the Producer smiled at me and said, "you've done this before." I mentioned the Chili Bowl preliminaries up above and thus far that is the best announcing that I have heard on a PPV broadcast yet. Anchored by Caleb Hart and joined by two or three "guests" at a time including drivers Kevin Swindell, Clinton Boyles and Thomas Messeraull, their call was calm, thorough and very informative. They were doing it as if they were sitting in the living room with me and I was thoroughly entertained.

Fast forward to June where I was asked to fill in on the microphone for Tony Paris at the Stuart Speedway. First of all we are blessed here in the upper Midwest to have some of the best and most unique race track announcers in the entire country so no matter who I sub in for around here, I am already at a disadvantage because I will never be able to match their style and Tony is one of those. The challenges for me on this night though would be many as you have the best Race Director in the business when it comes to presenting an efficient show, Mike VanGenderen rolling one race out right after another, plus it was live on PPV on RaceXR. With over 130 cars in the pits I'm doing my best to let the fans in the stands know the full lineup before the race goes green, in just one pace lap, and then I want to give a good play-by-play for the PPV crowd including the number of laps down and a list of positions, then as the checkers waved I would give the finish as the drivers crossed the line. Then, again in trying to keep up with my fans in the stands, I would give the finish and ask for a round of applause for the winner (the second time that the PPV fans would have to hear this) before hustling through the lineup of the next heat race that was already rolling down the back stretch and heading for green.

I hope that it all came off okay, but I have to tell you that I felt like it was the most miserable job that I have ever done on a microphone whether it was at a race track, a basketball game or doing play-by-play on the radio. I was so frustrated with my effort that I turned down an invitation to do it again a few weeks later because I did not know how I was going to be able to improve upon it. And that is why I believe that it is tough on an announcer to try to do both.

I would love to hear what Ed Reichert had to say about the announcing as he sat in the stands at East Bay this past week. That's no knock on James Essex and Bob Dillner as their primary duty was to provide commentary for the taping of a show that will be edited and broadcast at a later date on MAVtv, they didn't have the time or the motivation to announce to the grandstand like a normal PA announcer would do. When you are announcing to the people watching at home you give the qualifying times while the cars are under green, you give the lineups while the cars are on the track and moving and you give all of your news and notes while you can't be heard over the roar of the motors. Then, when it finally is quiet, you annoy the crowd in attendance even further by making them sit and listen to your "shout outs" to those people who are watching on PPV. When you separate the duties, both audiences are taken care of.

The quality of announcing that I have heard over the past five months has been a wide range although I will admit that I am somewhat of a critic. Even the best sound like auctioneers as they scurry through the list of sponsors for each driver while giving a lineup, something that makes me tune it out to a point where I don't even "hear" one of them, so just how much exposure are those sponsors really getting in that scenario? 

Breathlessly telling me that Joe Blow just edged out Ed All by less than "point zero three four seconds" to lead lap fourteen really only matters to me if the caution comes out and the restart lineup is based upon how lap fourteen was scored. 

Modulate your voice and realize that if you try to make everything sound amazingly exciting, when something amazing actually happens you won't have anything else to give to it. And no, I'm not kidding you, I have actually seen cars race two and three-wide before so don't act so surprised to see it yourself in a race that you are calling.

Then there are the efforts that I have considered to be challenging. I recently watched a replay of race down south from this past Fall where the announcer plugged his own Facebook page a few times and then failed to deliver one full race lineup before the green flag dropped all night long. I mean these were seven or eight car heat races where at best he got the first two rows mentioned, along with their sponsors, but once the green flag dropped the rest of the field went unidentified. Then on a couple of heats there was dead silence as you watched, a break that we were told later was caused by a fan who had come up to the booth to argue something with the officials. 

Over forty years of announcing, and while I had a shirt on that matched all of the other officials, I have had several instances where somebody wanted to argue a point with me. My response would always be "I am the announcer, if I have mispronounced somebody's name please let me know, otherwise you need to go find a real official", and then I would go back to doing my job. This guy disappeared from the PPV broadcast not once, but twice although by then some of the viewers may have had it on Mute anyway and never knew what was going on.

I could go on with some other examples, but the last thing I want to do is to sound like sour grapes because it is a tougher job than most people think, but suffice it to say that your announcer will be more scrutinized than ever when your show is on PPV. I'm glad that I am semi-retired from that job!