Saturday: Snow likely, mainly before 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 38. West wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
The above forecast is for Proctor, Minnesota, this Saturday. The following forecast is for Fountain City, Wisconsin: Saturday: A chance of rain and snow before 1pm, then a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38. South wind 6 to 13 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
The reason I posted these two forecasts is that both towns have something in common, they're hosting races this weekend. Proctor will feature Late Models, Modifieds, Super Stocks, Midwest Mods and Pure Stocks. Fountain City is playing host to Mini Mods, Street Stocks, B Mods, 600 Mods, Super Stocks, Modifieds, Hornets and the Northern Vintage Cars. Have fun guys...I'm staying home.
I'm not knocking the racing, I love racing, so this is only my opinion but when is enough enough? If one of these tracks was hosting a big extravaganza the likes of the Knoxville Sprint Car Nationals or the World 100 Late Model race that close to home, yeah I'd tough it out because that would be SPECIAL!!! As a photographer, writer, and appreciator (is that a word?) of dirt track racing I would be there for something SPECIAL. The same old, same old shows that we see week in and week out (forgive me my friends who participate in the weekly classes) are not IMHO special enough for me to freeze my ass off.
This observation does not apply to anything prior to the weekend of October 9-10 or the Fall Classic which in my opinion is a SPECIAL show that fell victim to bad weather. The rest of these shows (not sure about Proctoberfest because I have never paid attention to that one) are imitators that popped up after they saw the successs of the first Fall Classic shows at Alex. Unfortunately what was once a weekend reserved exclusively for the Fall Classic and Princeton National has become glutted with lesser shows that are having the effect of watering down the original late fall races. There ought to be a law but that's promoting, if the guy 150 miles away makes a buck by damn I'm either gonna' make a buck too or water his show down in the process. Personally I think greed will water down and ruin a good thing to the point where none of them will make a buck but that's just my opinion.
I have done a lot of thinking about the late fall post season shows that take place after the 100's and came to the conclusion that these new shows that have piggy backed on the success of the original Fall Classic are not so much about the fans as they are about the participants. Sure there will be some fans, maybe more of them than a cold baby like me can fathom, but no way in a gazillion years will the stands fill up on a weekend like this. When I read posts about these races on the local message boards and see the enthusiasm it gets lost on me and I can't wrap my mind around it. To some extent I can understand this zeal for the sport but in my mind there comes a point where we have to hang it up for the year. I reached that point earlier than some and later than others. A lot of people only attend racing in the summer when the weather is nice, I know because I did that for a lot of years myself. A good rule of thumb to follow might be that when there is a chance you might be driving your hauler through ice and snow it just might be a sign that the racing season has come to an end. That's my take on this whole deal.
Like I said, these late fall specials are more about being an orgy of back gate promoting than an actual show for paying fans in the stands. I'll cherish the memory of the last race I attended, the Jackson Fall Classic, where I wore a T-Shirt until the sun went down then donned a sweatshirt for the remainder of the evening. Sorels and snowmobile suits be damned, that ain't my idea of racing. Not to come off like a total cold baby because I do own a pair of Sorels, a snowmobile suit and a pair-a-choppers, I just don't associate those things with dirt track racing. I used to wear that garb ice fishing but now it stays in the closet and only comes out for special occasions like when I'm running the snow blower.
I'm sure not everyone will agree with what I'm writing and some will probably feel anger and could get downright hostile about it. One's opinion about such things are more often than not shaped by (a) age and (b) their outlook about racing. Age comes into play in the sense that with each passing year the cold bothers a body more and more. You can't go by some of these old geezer racing writers that tracks roll out the red carpet for and put up in a heated booth. Those guys are more out of touch with the average Joe than a Washington politician and probably forgot what it's like to set their ass in the stands years ago. No, you've got to check in with the old dogs who are still down in the wind, dust, rain, snow and sleet carrying a camera and running around all night. No pampering for these guys, we're right down there with the track officials, tow truck driver and in some cases where they pit in the infield the mechanics and drivers. So age is a relative thing and can be influenced by what one does during the five or six hours racing is taking place. If they're some pampered type sitting in a heated booth then they're probably going to be out of touch. If they're kickin' and a gougin' out in the weather then they're in touch and know the score. The older ones that know what's going on aren't going to lie, they'll tell it like it is and mean it when they say cold weather sucks.
Part b pertains to your outlook on racing. I turned 58 a few weeks ago and more than ever I'm getting to be a "specials only snob." What I mean by that is if I go for example to see the IRA and Midwest Mods or Supers are running with them fine, I'll take photos and give them my full attention. I know a lot of the drivers and people involved in all types of racing, they're great people and they love what they're doing. They're the backbone of the sport and dirt track racing needs them in order to survive. Nevertheless, I have come to a crossroads in my racing interests and starting with the 2010 season I no longer plan on chasing weekly racing. I have become a specials only snob and I'm not talking Pure Stock or Hornet specials, I'm talking IRA, WDRL, WoO, USMTS, the Fireman's Nationals, Elko Dirt Week, anything that offers a minimum of entry classes and one or more of the top notch touring groups. My thinking on this matter is shaped by two things, time and money. I don't make a cent for covering racing in my column and I sell so few photos that chasing a bunch of weekly shows is no longer a wise investment of my time and resources.
This is not an appeal for weekly racers to buy my photos so I'll cover their racing in exchange for their business. I'm simply saying that there isn't enough money or beautiful days in the summer for me to spend them watching certain types of racing. If I were a paying fan I'd be going to World of Outlaws Sprint Car races, IRA races, Badger Midgets, Jackson, and Knoxville, maybe a few Late Model and USMTS specials and that's about it. The fewer classes to sit through before the objects of my affection take to the track the better. The only times I would see other types of racing would be as a support class to the Sprint Cars. After carefully thinking things over at the end of the 2009 season I came to the realization "what the #@&# am I doing wasting my time on something I don't particularly care for? Again, it's not that I don't appreciate all types of dirt track racing, it's that I can't follow it all without going broke in the process so I will follow my favorites and leave the rest to someone else. There's too much racing for me to do it all.
Anyways, as you can see I don't really understand all these late fall specials that have popped up in recent years. I'm not crazy about attending racing in 38 degree temps with 50-70% snow in the forecast. That's how I feel about it. What about you?
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