Tuesday thoughts

Welcome to my Tuesday April 29 ramblings. This blog isn't an official deal, it's just a place to jot down my personal thoughts. Consequently, it's not going to be a rah, rah, thing like a column or magazine article. It's just me exposing my thoughts to the world. You'll see everything from my glass half full side when things aren't going so well to my when all is well with the world posts. Right now having lost a month of racing and a lousy weekend forecast it's going to be glass half full. In fact it might even border on an empty glass.

I noticed tonight while riding home in the vanpool that gas went up about a dime since yesterday. I'm not going to b*tch about high gas prices, place blame or try to solve the worlds problems. I'm not an expert about how much oil is left in the earth's crust but I depend on it just like everybody else. My CI is a pretty low number, only 10 cylinders between my car and truck, one in the mower and one in the snowblower. Oh yeah, I've got a weed whacker that probably uses about 1/2 gallon per summer. That's it. I ride a vanpool to work and don't do a lot of driving because I only put about two miles per day on my truck. I'll be walking to the Park & Ride when the the path is no longer too muddy to walk. To put it in perspective, I change oil every 3,000 miles on my truck. I think it must have been mid November that I changed the oil and have only put about 1,000 miles on it since then. When I lived in the Cities I used to take the MTC bus to work so I've always been conservative when it comes to fuel consumption. Yeah, even at my pace it hurts but probably not as much as if I was driving 150 miles per day in a 4x4. My way ain't for everybody but it has worked for me for the past 25 years.

This weather has been getting me down. Not only have I not gotten spring fever but I'm not anticipating the racing season. Some of my friends have made the same comment (unsolicited by me) that they're feeling the same way this year. I'm sure it's the weather and rising travel expense. I suspect some of the enthusiasm will return when the weather improves. Who would have thought way back at the end of March standing in the infield as the Sandbox Arena that I wouldn't be seeing another race until May. I'm planning on the CLS opener this weekend but the weather isn't looking very good. Next week I'm planning on going to Jackson and Knoxville for two nights of Sprint Car racing. I'm working on credentials for the IRA so we can cover them in MRC. Got to remember to call Jackson early next week. I have a hunch things are going to suddenly get busy.

I'm working on rebuilding the gotomn.com website. Change the colors and the logo and tweak things a little. Nothing major, it just hasn't had a new graphics job for a few years. It's a slow process so I'm not sure when I'll be ready to unveil it but there won't be any earth shattering changes. I don't spend much time on it now that I've got the news feeds on there. Just upload a few photos and add a history article from time to time. I just uploaded the latest 2008 version of GRP's History project so you might want to check that one when you get a chance. I've got some contributed photos from Brian Skedgel to add too.

Well, that's going to do it for today.

I better start using this blog once in a while...

I haven't been using this blog enough to justify having it so I'm going to make an effort to jot a few thoughts down as often as possible.

Today is the 28th of April and with only a couple of days left this month the gotomn website has registered 11,243 "uniques." In other words, every time someone logs onto gotomn for the first time during the month they are considered a Unique visitor. This stat differs from hits (or page visits) which are total visits to the website for the month including return visits by the same individuals. Total hits so far this month are 16,606. Not that it really matters because my website doesn't have any advertising and I don't make any revenue for page visits but it's good to know that somebody is visiting the site. If they weren't then it wouldn't be worth my time and resources to continue doing it. It reminds me of the old joke if a tree falls in the woods and nobody is there to hear it did it make any noise. So for gotomn.com is still making a little noise after over ten years online. LOL

Yeah, you heard me, gotomn.com has been online for ten years since I got that domain. Actually, I created my first website sometime in late 1996 as a personal homepage and it morphed into what it is now. Not that gotomn.com is really all that much in the overall scheme of racing websites. The ones still around that were online way back when I started mine are all sponsored commercial deals. There aren't many left that are basically hobby pages but I still enjoy fooling around with this stuff so I'll hang in there.

I'm listening to Steve Kinser on Dirtnation as I type. Usually I download and listen on my MP3 but I wanted to listen to Steve live. He's always an interesting interview with a wealth of experience. I've kinda come full circle and become more of a Kinser fan lately. He's pretty close in age to me, a family man, a grandparent and still trying to fit that King of the Outlaws image. He was just talking about the increased costs of travel, parts and fuel and it sounds like the Outlaws deal is getting be a tough way to make a living. As a fellow mid 50's grandpa I know how tough it must be playing this young man's game at an age where a guy wants to grab the remote and a beer and crawl into the recliner at the end of the day.

Man, I hope we get some decent weather this weekend. The advance forecast isn't looking the greatest but we'll just keep an eye on it and hope for the best. I refuse to take what seems to be an obligatory shot at Al Gore whenever it's cold and rainy. Is it just me or is anybody else sick of reading 50 posts blasting Gore everytime it rains? I'm not an Al defender, just want to read the facts and not the BS.

Well, not much more to say tonight. We'll see if we can make a habit of this and keep the blog going. It's Monday night and I'm tired. I think when the Kinser interview is done I'm gonna shut down, grab the remote, a glass of ice water and enjoy some recliner time. ;-)

Later,
Stan

NAVYDAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

"........0 for April at most of our tracks. Mother Nature won again. Saturday morning I woke up to a white ground. Seems like this winter will never end. As we enter May some one will get a show in. It's gettin' mighty old. Not one track around the area ran this weekend. Let's hope May is better. This weeks shot comes from Princeton April 18. See ya at the races.................."

No racing April 19, stayed home and practiced graphics

And came up with this design. Not racing but I thought it looked alright.

NAVY DAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

........I finally got to see some outdoor live racing Friday night. My original plan was to head for Tri-Oval Speedway in Fountain City. Once again Mother Nature put the kibosh on that plan. Looking at the weather and radar I checked on Princeton Speedway and decided it was worth a try to go there. Fortunately the closer I got the better it looked. We were right on the edge of the clouds and racing got underway on time. Turned out to be a pretty good show. There were 91 cars in the pits. Andy Jones had em covered in the Midwest Mod feature, Curt Myer looked really strong in the Superstock feature, and Dale Mathison took the Modified feature race. Gessell Jr won in the streeters. It was good to be back. My plan for Saturday was Cedar Lake but once again Mother Nature stepped in and nixed that plan. This weeks shot of course comes from Princeton during the Mid-West Mod feature. See You at the races..................

Had to make a tough decision...

To stay home instead of spending six hours with a camera strap hanging around my neck in this cold damp weather. If I went racing I would have spent all day Sunday on the heating pad. See you all next week.

NAVY DAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

.........the weather makes one wonder if we're entering a new ice age. We've had it all this weekend. Snow, rain, thunder, etc. If the weather improves we may see some racing this upcoming weekend but I have my doubts. The moisture we're getting though goes a long way toward ending the dry periods we had last summer. Maybe we've just been spoiled by all these easy winters we've had. Regardless I'm ready for some racing.
This weeks shot comes from my one and only visit to Superior last summer. See you at the races..........

NAVY DAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

".........saw my first robin's this week, that must mean Spring is near. Also noted eagles are building or revamping their nests. Unless you live in Northern Minnesota where a foot or more of snow fell last night it looks Springlike around here. I'm still wondering though if the tracks namely Red Cedar and Cedar Lake will open.
This weeks shot comes from Kopellah as the streeters race in typical fashion at the "St. Croix Secret". Hopefully see ya soon at the races..........."

April Midwest Racing Connection online

The April edition of Midwest Racing Connection online is now available. Click on the link for the current issue for the pdf version.

In case you're wondering, Navy Davy hasn't taken control of the blog...

I've got plenty of ideas but have been too busy lately. They're great ideas but I've just got to get going on them...

Stan

NAVYDAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

NAVY DAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

"......Happy Easter everyone. We have snow falling this morning making it really feel like a Spring holiday. Anyway the Wisconsin Badgers are heading for the "Sweet 16". Don't know how far they'll go but it sure has been fun so far. Bo Ryan has em playing pretty good TEAM ball.
This weeks shot comes from Hibbing. A jacked up car(LOL) in a modified heat race. See ya soon at the races......."

NAVYDAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

".....it's gettin closer by the day now. I just wonder how this economy is going to effect our sport. Regular gas is at 3.19 now and it costs me an average 50.00 to fill up these days. Diesel is right through the roof. Doesn't look like it's gonna get any better in the foreseeable future.
This weeks shot comes from Kopellah during a heat. See ya at the races........."

NAVYDAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

"......won't be long now. Looks like it may warm up this week. Been so cold I was wondering if it would ever go the other way. This weeks shot comes from CLS down the back stretch. Hang in there-see you at the races......."

Legends Added to Badger Midget Indoor Event at Amsoil Sandbox Arena March 29-30!

New Richmond, WI. Mar. 2

America's newest indoor motorsports facility, the Amsoil Sandbox Arena at Cedar Lake Speedway, will host a two-day Badger Midget Series event on Saturday night/Sunday afternoon, March 29-30. Event organizers are proud to announce the addition of Legends to the already highly anticipated event. “This event is shaping up to be one of the greatest events in the Midwest in recent history.” stated Ron Bernhagen, event coordinator. “Not only do we have top notch Midget drivers lined up we are bringing in some well known Legends racers along with local talent to race!”

Scheduled to race are:
Ross Kenseth- Matt Kenseth’s Son
Nelson Stewart- Tony Stewart’s Father
Cam Schaffer- 2007 Pro Champion & Legends Racer of the Year
Nathan Sperten- 2007 National Semi Pro Champion
Joel Wyttenbach- Past Legends Champion
Bryan Wennen- CLS NASCAR Late Model Driver
Eric Barth- 2007 National Masters Champion
Rob Caho- Local Racer
John Lemke- Past Asphalt Late Model Standout

With over 25 Legend cars and drivers expected from North Dakota, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois & Wisconsin this is a must see event for 2008!

The 120,000 square foot facility opened in October 2007 and has hosted weekly motocross racing on the dirt motocross track. In mid-March, track officials will replace the motocross design with a clay oval measuring between 1/4-1/5-mile, and wall and safety fencing will also be put in place for the event. The facility currently seats approximately 4,000 spectators.

This event will be the season opener for the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association, the country's oldest midget auto racing organization, and will feature two complete shows. A complete field of Badger drivers and cars along with many nationally known open wheel drivers are expected to compete. Practice will be on Friday night, March 28 with racing both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

Advance tickets are on sale now. For more info or to purchase tickets, visit www.cedarlakespeedway.com or call (612) 363-0479. Buy NOW – limited seating available. Tickets are $25/day for a 2-day pass in advance (by March 26) or $30/day at the door

Jamie Nutzmann
CLS Competition/Points Director

www.cedarlakespeedway.com

NAVY DAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

"......we're within a month or so til the CLS opener. I'll be so glad to see this winter over and done with. It's been a long cold one. Next month is April and most tracks will open sometime in the month. This weeks shot comes from Cedar Lake during a modified heat. See ya soon at the races......"

Eight indoor winners ready for Badger Midget opener-March 29

Past Indoor Winners Head List of Entries for Badger Midget Opener at Amsoil Sandbox Arena

New Richmond, Wis., Feb. 29---

Eight drivers who have scored previous indoor midget feature victories head the list of early entries for the Badger Midget Series season opening event on Saturday night/Sunday afternoon, March 29-30. The event will be held in America's newest indoor motorsports facility, the Amsoil Sandbox Arena at Cedar Lake Speedway.

The field is headed by Arizona's Jerry Coons Jr. who captured 14 features during the 2007 season, including five in Badger sanctioned events. Coons won the Friday Night preliminary night feature victory at the 2004 Chili Bowl. Other feature winning indoor drivers entered are: Dave Darland, Scott Hatton, Davey Ray, Aaron Fiscus, Mike Hess, David Gough, and Robbie Ray. USAC Triple Crown Champion Darland has two Chili Bowl preliminary feature victories in addition to a victory at the RCA Dome in 2004. Three-time Badger Series Champion Hatton captured the 1988 Chili Bowl Championship, while 2003 Badger Champ Davey Ray won a Chili Bowl preliminary night feature victory in 2007. Fiscus captured the most recent Badger indoor event at the Milwaukee Arena on January 22, 2000. Hess and Gough who will be teammates during the season driving for car owner Jerry Hardy captured their victories at DuQuoin and the RCA Dome. Robbie Ray's victory also came at DuQuoin in USAC Ford Focus Midget competition.

The 120,000 square foot facility opened in October 2007 and has hosted weekly motocross racing on the dirt motocross track. In the weeks leading up to the event, track officials will replace the motocross design with a semi-banked clay oval measuring between 1/4-1/5-mile, a wall and safety fencing will also be put in place for the event. The facility currently seats approximately 4,000 spectators. Limited advance tickets are still available, for more info, or to purchase tickets, visit www.cedarlakespeedway.com or call (612) 363-0479.

Jamie Nutzmann
CLS Competition/Points Director

My new card, what do you think?

I have been working on some photo card designs for 2008 and came up with this one. Let me know what you think. Click on the image for a large file version.

Stan

NAVY DAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

"......it's getting closer. Just a few more weeks and we'll all be trackside again. It's been a loooonnnngggg winter.
This weeks shot comes from CLS at the 100. See you at the races........"

NAVY DAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

"......with the running of the 50th Annual Daytona 500 Sunday afternoon "Speedweeks 08" comes to an end. From East Bay to Volusia the Dirt racers put on some great shows. Off to a great start to the '08 season is "Mr. Smooth" Billy Moyer. Three wins at East Bay and three at Volusia Speedway Park. Terry Casey also got a win at East Bay. Also winning at Volusia were Josh Richards and "The Cat Daddy" Clint Smith. Billy Moyer won the finale at Volusia holding off Chubb Frank. A caution with three laps to go sealed the win for Moyer as Frank was giving him all he could handle. Moyer got off to a great restart and held off Frank. The first heat on Saturday saw Earl Pearson Jr. take a nasty barrel roll in turn three. He had to cut out of the car and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.He was alert and conscious as he left. It sounds like he was taken in for observation.
This weeks shot comes from "The Gopher 50" at Deer Creek last June. Moyer and Birky racing down the back stretch. See you at the races......."

Cedar Lake Speedway signs with NASCAR!

Cedar LakeSpeedway signs with NASCAR!

For immediate release
2-13-08

Cedar LakeSpeedway is proud to announce that in addition to being part of the DTRA organization, the track will be NASCAR sanctioned in 2008. This landmark decision marks the 50 year old track’s commitment to excellence for their drivers and fans. CedarLakeSpeedway, founded in 1957 has evolved from a small circle track in a western Wisconsin swamp to one of the nation’s premier dirt track facilities. The addition of NASCAR only solidifies this position. “We couldn’t be happier about the partnership with NASCAR” stated Bob Kaufman, CLS owner. “NASCAR brings a comprehensive sponsorship and huge marketing benefits. In addition, our drivers will compete for the largest track point fund ever and by far the largest track point fund of any dirt rack in the upper Midwest. Finally, and maybe the single most important aspect for the change to NASCAR is their $1,000,000 participant insurance policy for every member in the pit area.” CedarLakeSpeedway now will have piece of mind knowing that every person in the pit area that supports the track week in and week out will have significant accident insurance. “Wisconsin has always been a hot bed of short-track racing,” stated George Silbermann, NASCAR Managing Director of Racing Operations. “We are pleased to welcome Cedar Lake Speedway into the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and look forward to some great racing action.”

Cedar LakeSpeedway believes that NASCAR is undoubtedly the next step for the track and their drivers. That said, this closely guarded change obviously prompts many questions. We have tried to answer a few below. If you have any further questions regarding CedarLake becoming a NASCAR sanctioned track, please call 612-363-0479 or email info@cedarlakespeedway.com

Q. How can CedarLake be involved with NASCAR and DTRA at the same time?

A. In prior years, many tracks carry multiple banners. For example, late model drivers at RiverCities supported NLRA and DTRA while streets and midwest modifieds supported both MDRA and DTRA. In a similar fashion, Cedar Lake Speedway drivers will benefit from the offerings of DTRA and will also be NASCAR sanctioned and benefit from what NASCAR offers.

Q. Why NASCAR? Aren’t they focused on pavement racing?

A. No, NASCAR concentrates on successful tracks in the country and assists them in many ways. NASCAR alone is marketable to a whole new audience and Cedar Lake Speedway will build on their success. In addition, NASCAR sanctioning gives our drivers more point fund money than ever before and $1,000,000 of insurance coverage for all NASCAR members.

Q. What rules will Cedar Lake Speedway use for their classes of cars?

A. The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series does not have specific rules. The 50+ NASCAR member tracks utilize industry standard rules in their area. CedarLakeSpeedway will utilize standard rule templates which are posted on the Cedar Lake Speedway website.

Q. What tires will Cedar Lake Speedway use in 2008?

A. CedarLakeSpeedway will continue to support their relationship with Goodyear. CedarLakeSpeedway believes the longer lasting, less expensive Goodyear spec tire is the best choice for their drivers and fans.

Q. Does NASCAR sanctioning affect the premier events scheduled at Cedar Lake Speedway?

A. No, the Masters, Nationals, World of Outlaw Sprint Cars, The Legendary 100 and all other specials will continue as planned.

Q. Do I have to join NASCAR in order to race at Cedar Lake Speedway?

A. No, however in order to participate in the point funds an annual membership is required.

Q. Do I have to be a NASCAR member to get in the pits?

A. NASCAR does not require everyone in the pits to be a member. However, unlicensed people in the pits are not covered by the $1,000,000 participant insurance policy provided by NASCAR. CedarLakeSpeedway would like to see everyone covered by this policy. See below for plans to do this.

Q. What do I get when I become a NASCAR member?

A. The benefits NASCAR provides include the $1,000,000 participant insurance coverage, discounts on NASCAR sponsors products, complimentary subscription to Speedway Magazine and many others.

Q. How big are the point funds?

A. The total Cedar Lake Speedway local track point fund will be over $30,000! The Late Model point fund will pay $4,000 to win, Modifieds will pay $3,000 to win, Super Stocks pay $2,000, Midwest Modifieds pay $1,000 to win and Street Stocks will run for $750 to win. In addition, Late Models will compete for NASCAR state championship money that pays $4,000 to win and a national championship that pays $25,000 to the winner.

Q. How do I become a NASCAR champion?

A. Each track designates a division of cars called their premier class. The drivers in that class compete against all the other premier class drivers at the other NASCAR tracks. The 2007 NASCAR Whelen All American Series Champion was won by Steve Carlson, a Late Model driver at the LaCrosse Fairground Speedway in West SalemWisconsin. He won the championship by racing at his home track only. 22 starts and 8 feature wins brought the national title to Wisconsin!

Q. Will I need to fill out a NASCAR application?

A. Yes, in order to be a NASCAR member and to receive their benefits a completed form must be filled out.

Q. How much does a NASCAR membership cost?

A. A NASCAR membership for all drivers (except late model drivers) and pit men is $90. A Late Model competitor’s license is $185. However, because it is important to Cedar Lake Speedway that all drivers and pit crew are covered by the $1,000,000 insurance policy and receive the other NASCAR benefits, CLS has decided to cover the entire cost of licenses for all CLS weekly drivers and up to four (4) pit crew members.

More info about Cedar Lake Speedway visit: www.cedarlakespeedway.com

More info about NASCAR visit: www.nascar.com

More info about the Whelen All American series visit: http://www.nascarlocalracing.com/content.php?Series_ID=23

Jamie Nutzmann
651-245-2299
www.cedarlakespeedway.com

DTRA and Terry Blacklance team up!

February 10, 2008. Grand Forks, ND. The Dirt Track Racing Association (DTRA) and Terry Blacklance are pleased to announce that they have agreed to terms whereby effective immediately, Terry has purchased the assets of DTRA and will take over all daily operational functions. “I am excited about this opportunity”, stated Mr. Blacklance. “The DTRA has made great strides in improving racing in this area and I am excited to continue and strengthen this organization”. Terry is the owner of Fast Racing Promotions of Thief River Falls Minnesota. His history in racing dates back 25 years and has been involved in racing as a driver, sponsor, fan, and promoter. Most recently, Terry founded the Midwest Dirt Racing Association (MDRA), a driver run organization that works closely with tracks and drivers to create great racing. He has also founded two other organizations (Thief River Falls Race Association and NOPA: Northern Organized Promoters Alliance) that have been very successful.

“Obviously we are passionate about DTRA”, stated Steve Kaufman of Cedar Lake Speedway. “Terry taking on this role is the next step in DTRA’s growth. He shares the same philosophies we have about racing – saving the drivers money, providing quality racing to fans, and securing sponsors looking to market to someone other than drivers.”

Many questions are yet to be answered as Terry will immediately begin finalizing the tracks, sponsors, and other supporters that are on board for 2008. No major changes are anticipated for the 2008 race season. DTRA will continue its mission of not charging drivers a license fee, will provide a national point fund, and will continue its support of the Goodyear Spec Tire program.

For more info on the DTRA, please visit www.dtraracing.com.

Jamie Nutzmann
DTRA Competition/Point Director
651-245-2299 cell
www.dtraracing.com

NAVY DAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

"....very cold out there right now. I had -15 with a wind-chill we don't even want to talk about. Makes it hard to think about racing. I was listening to the Winter Nationals on Racetalk live the past few nights and it sounded like some very exciting racing. Billy Moyer won three features, Terry Casey won one, and Don O'Neal won one. I'm gonna have to think about heading down there one of these years. I've heard a lot of good things about the East Bay track. This week they race at Volusia and I have been there. It's a nice track out in the middle of nowhere.
This weeks shot comes from a typical night at Kopellah. It's the start of the Streetstock feature. See you at the races if I don't freeze first........."

NAVY DAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

".....two months-not that I'm counting or anything til the scheduled opening of our race season here in the Northland. Sure seems to be a long time since I've seen any live racing. I envy those of you who are lucky enough to be heading south to Florida for "Speedweeks". I'm hoping to open the new season once again at Brownstown Indiana at the end of March.Last years show was great. Brownstown is one of the neatest tracks I've been to. It's a wide third mile bullring that features some of the best side by side racing you will see anywhere.
This weeks shot comes from night one of "The Punky" at Red Cedar. See you at the races......."

Rice Lake Speedway Racers Ready To Celebrate

By Ed Reichert

Rice Lake WI – Smith-Bisonette Inc. has announced details for the 2007 Recognition Banquet for racers, crew members, families and friends of the Rice Lake Speedway.

The banquet is slated to take place on Saturday, February 23, 2008 at Lehman’s Supper Club on Rice Lake’s south side. The social hour is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. with dinner to be served at 7 p.m. featuring broasted chicken and pork tenderloin served family style. At 8 p.m. the awards ceremony will take place. The evening will conclude with live music.

Featured guests will be the six track champions from 2007 at the Rice Lake Speedway. They include: Jared Amundson, Shane Kisling, Mark Hanson, Eric Olson, Scott Duval and Paul Brust. The top ten drivers in each division will be honored as well as the rookies of the year along with other special award winners.

There will be lots of free door prizes and Smith-Bisonette will discuss the 2008 race schedule which is expected to be one of the most interesting in track history.

Tickets for the banquet are priced at $16.25 per person which includes all taxes and gratuities. Anyone wishing tickets should R.S.V.P. to Bryan Bisonette at 12 E. John St, Rice Lake prior to February 16th . Please make checks payable to Rice Lake Speedway. For more information, see the speedway website at: www.rlspeedway.com

Repost of February MRC online column

Scotty Hatton at Angell Park (Stan Meissner photo)


Brad Kuhn at Farley, Iowa (Stan Meissner photo)

The last time I wrote an MRC online column prior to the holidays there wasn't much racing going on. What a difference a few weeks can make. The 2008 racing season started in mid January with the Chili Bowl and by the time you read this several Florida Speedweeks events will already be in the books.

I have never had an opportunity to attended the Chili Bowl but have heard that the racing is excellent. This year I had the opportunity to join some racing friends at a Chili Bowl party and see if the event really lived up to it's reputation. I wasn't disappointed, judging from what I saw on the HBO broadcast it's some of the best racing action of the entire season. Damion "The Demon" Gardner bested a huge field of talented drivers to win the 2008 Chili Bowl Golden Driller award.

The Cedar Lake Speedway and the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association recently announced that the BMARA would kick off their season with an indoor race at the Sandbox Arena. When the Sandbox Arena was under construction on the Cedar Lake Speedway grounds I was told they were considering using the building for an indoor Midget race. Although it's regular use is geared towards indoor Motorcycle and Quad racing the Sandbox will be temporarily transformed into a clay oval for the Midgets. The race will take place on Saturday night March 29 and Sunday afternoon March 30. I am looking forward to this race and hope the support is there so that it becomes and annual event. The oval track will be left intact so that an afternoon Midwest Modified can be held indoors the following weekend which is the scheduled outdoor opener.

The Kopellah Speedway near St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, is rumored to be considering another alternative to WISSOTA for the 2008 racing season. Prior to this announcement I had planned on attending more races at Kopellah during the 2008 season. This news hasn't changed my plans as I don't take sides in these types of issues preferring to support the most convenient tracks to where I live regardless of their affiliation. When I power down my computer at work on Friday afternoon I leave business concerns at the office. I won't allow myself to get stressed out over the business end of running a race track. Kopellah will have another fun and entertaining season of racing and I'm looking forward to attending more races there.

In addition to Kopellah my plans for the 2008 racing season include the entire schedule at Cedar Lake with the only exception being an occasional special event at other nearby tracks. I have some concerns and questions regarding 2008 so I'm going to list five things that I will be watching closely this season. Most of my concerns involve things that are taking place off the track that could potentially have varying degrees of impact on the racing.

My first concern, and I'm sure you all share this one with me, is gas prices. We're at or near historic high gasoline prices and those prices filter down into every purchase we make in our daily life. I am a railroad rate analyst by trade and I assess fuel surcharges on every carload shipment that I rate so I see it first hand in dollars and cents. This will be my tenth season of contributing a column and photos to MRC and you have probably noticed that I'm not making as many of the longer trips as I used to. This year my longest excursion will probably be a little over 200 miles to Jackson, Minnesota for the Friday All Sprint night of the Nationals. I realize that we've all got different circumstances, some of you are probably nodding your heads in agreement and others are thinking "there goes Chicken Little again saying they sky is falling." If that's the way you feel about and you're not being impacted by high prices I'm happy for you but as you'll see later in this discussion every racefan is important to the sport, the small as well as the great.

Secondly, and this is closely related to the first item, what direction will our economy go? Predictions are for a downturn, perhaps a recession, but I'm hoping for the best and am planning to spend my "economic stimulus rebate" in support of dirt track racing. I deal with high gas prices by riding a vanpool to work and only driving two miles per day to my local park & ride and back. This season my racing budget will be boosted by my annual "sick day buy back" and the government's recently announced economic stimulus rebate. That's they way I have always done it, scrape and save all winter so I can go racing all summer. Again, my way of dealing with things isn't for everybody or probably even necessary for everyone but it works for me.

Twenty years ago when I was still raising my kids there were years when I wasn't able to attend many races due to the expense of taking a family to the races. During the past decade my nest emptied and I was able to increase my attendance beyond anything that I had imagined. I'm in denial and won't admit to being a "die hard" racing fan but many of my friends fall into the die hard category. I can relate to both as I have brought a family to the races and increased my attendance in recent years. It's expensive for families to attend races on a weekly basis and we appreciate it when we see families tailgating before the races and all the kids in attendance.

My third concern is sanctions, affiliations and loyalties. Racing is only as entertaining as the "product" that tracks offer to the fans. That product is good competitive racing with decent fields of cars at a reasonable price. Whenever a track has a smaller than expected crowd or doesn't attract as many cars as expected some have been quick to blame sanctioning as the cause. My opinion is that even if all racing was under one umbrella we would still be faced with the same issues. I think that the politics have clouded people's vision to the real issues that need to be addressed such as fuel prices and the economy. I have made it clear that I support the right of business owners to decide what works best for them. I base my racing schedule on personal convenience and don't worry about the business end. For the most part the changes that have taken place in our local racing have not produced any significant difference in what we see on the tracks week in and week out. I have been watching racing since 1962 so sanctions, affiliations and loyalties have changed a lot during that time but my focus is on the racing. Sadly, some have allowed business decisions to affect longtime friendships and dampen their enjoyment of the sport. My advice to these people is to lighten up and have fun at the races.

Fourth on my list is something that is directly related to item number two and that is sponsorship. Few if any make a profit from their race cars. On every level of the sport whether it be Sprint Cup, World of Outlaws Sprints and Late Models, the IRA, WDRL or a Saturday night Pure Stock team all rely on sponsors. Whenever there is an economic slowdown the shockwaves are felt through all of racing. One of the good things about modern racing is that it has become bigger and better than ever. The downside of bigger and better is that it costs more than it ever has to field a race car and if you want to remain competitive you can't go back to the way it used to be. Whenever there is an economic downturn it results in decreased advertising budgets and racing sponsorship is one of the first things that is affected. If you're thinking "there goes Chicken Little again" stop and consider that the Morgan-McClure NASCAR team was recently forced to shut their doors after 25 years of operation due to lack of sponsorship. Still don't believe me? Then do a search of NASCAR news websites and read about the challenges teams are facing first hand. These same challenges are being faced by many of your favorite short track drivers.

Finally my fifth area of concern, and this is directly related to the first five things I listed, is what kind of fields we're going to see this season. I know of several teams that were funded by Mortgage companies, Real Estate firms and companies involved in the building trades that have either folded or are going to have a tough year. I chatted with Justin Fegers at the Chili Bowl party and Justin mentioned that he will likely not run for WDRL points this season due to the increased travel expense. Yes, sponsorship could have an effect on the quality of the "product" tracks are able to offer the fans this season.

Are my five areas of concern insurmountable obstacles? In spite of the economy and high fuel prices we saw more World of Outlaw Sprints last season than anytime in recent memory. All you have to do is tune into NASCAR qualifying each week and you will see a dozen or so "go or go homers" fighting for a spot in the 43 car field. These two examples seem to defy my observations but not to the extent that they wipe out my concerns for this season. Tracks depend on their weekly program to do well and they also need to have successful special events to survive. I'm concerned about some of the smaller tracks that aren't located near major metropolitan areas because those tracks are the heart and soul of American short track racing. I can point to Fox Ridge as an example, some blamed sanctioning changes but fail to acknowledge all of the factors involved in their decision to shut the gates. One observation, and I probably won't win a popularity contest for this one, is that perhaps the good economic times of the past resulted in too much growth for short track racing. In other words, I fear that it was easy to bring it to this level when times were good but it might be hard to stay there when money is tight. Depending on how deep of a recession we enter the current racing landscape might not look the same a few years from now.

So what can we do as fans of short track racing? Do your best to support your local track and don't allow sanctions or business decisions to cloud your vision. The die hard racing fans will be there come hell or high water but the challenge is to get the casual fans to come out more often. We can invite friends, neighbors and relatives to the races and hopefully get them interested in the sport. How about some of those fans who enjoy other types of racing and haven't attended a dirt track race? Fans often complain about the promoters not promoting. What about us? Are we ambassadors for our favorite sport? Even though the sport is bigger than it's ever been to some extent it's still a grass roots deal that appeals to a niche audience compared to the stick and ball sports. To put it in perspective attendance figures for the biggest dirt track specials in our area have been estimated to be in the 10,000 to 13,000 range. Monster Truck shows, High School Tournaments, Concerts and a host of other events draw thousands more people to the big entertainment venues than the biggest dirt track races.

Much has been written about getting the kids who are the future of racing involved. Another area that some might be able to consider is sponsoring a racing team or an event. Sponsorship can range from something as simple as buying a tire for your favorite driver all the way up to funding a traveling team. Events such as the Jerry Richert Memorial and Proctor's Twin 25's offer opportunities for the fans to get involved in a small way. If you're in a position to help out in that way I encourage you to consider doing so. Hopefully I haven't given you the impression that I'm in a panic mode because that is not the case. Short track racing has survived two World Wars and numerous economic downturns. I am confident that we'll see some great racing this season and into the future.

Notes:
Every writer has their own personality, their unique approach to the sport. MRC's Editor Dan Plan has been likened to an encyclopedia, some considered MRC's former Editor as having an Inquirer type approach to racing news. If that is the case then I think my style would probably resemble an issue of Mad Magazine. I enjoy photography and the visual aspect of racing, am not very detail oriented and some say I've got a good sense of humor. What? Me worry?

During a recent visit to Gramdma and Grampa's house I was looking for ways to entertain my grandson Owen and granddaughter Lyric (3 and 2 years old respectively). They were getting restless after an all afternoon Tele Tubbies marathon so I asked them if they had ever seen the "Grampy show." You guessed it, I dug out my old (I can't believe it has already been five years) Race Show DVD and showed them a few of the "Down & Dirty" segments. Their eyes lit up and they got a kick out of seeing Grampy on television. I'm proud to say that it held their attention until Gramdma announced that she was serving ice cream in the kitchen. I used to say in jest that my Race Show interviews were something I could show my grandkids. Now that they've seen the Race Show my next goal is to get them out to Cedar Lake for the annual Firecracker so they can experience racing up close and personal.

The 2008 GRP Racing Trivia Contest took place during the last two weeks of January. This was the ninth year that Greg Parent aka GRP has authored and funded this popular event hosted on my gotomn.com website. I want to take this opportunity to thank Greg and everyone else who contributed their time and efforts to make the contest possible. Special thanks to Troy Powers who donated a 20/20 shirt to the winner in each division as well as the photographers who contributed photos to the contest. If you would like to help out with future contests I encourage you to get in touch with GRP at grp_motorsports@msn.com.

See you at the races!

Visit the Minnesota's Racing Connection website at theracingconnection.com

NAVY DAVY'S Shot Of The Week!!!

.......not much doing these days. Just waiting for this loooonnnnggg winter to get over with. This weeks shot comes from a pure stock heat at Kopellah. They just came out of turn two and are four wide down the back stretch. See you at the races......

NAVY DAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

"......big day today for all us Packer fans!! Looks like it'll be the second installment of the infamous "Ice Bowl" which was played on New years eve of 1967. That day the gametime temp was -13 with a windchill in the minus 40's. Today's game looks like a gametime temp of around zero. GO PACK GO!!!!!
This weeks shot of Dan Schlieper comes from the "Indiana Ice Breaker"(an appropriate theme) last March at Brownstown Speedway in Brownstown Indiana. See you at the races......"

Chili Bowl Photos courtesy of Doug Johnson

Winters Wheelie:



Leffler Air:

NAVY DAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

"....what a game the Packers played Saturday. In the early first quarter it looked like disaster had struck when Ryan Grant fumbled twice and both fumbles led to Seattle touchdowns. But the Pack came roaring back out scoring the Seahawks 42-6 for the rest of the game. It was classic Lambeau with the snow falling. A very fun game to watch.
This weeks shot comes from "The Punky". Jimmy Mars passing John Kaanta for the lead. A.J. Diemel put on quite a charge to take second from way back. See you at the races... GO PACK!!!!!!!!"

Awakened from Hibernation

Cedar Lake Speedway

The news that the Sandbox Arena on the grounds of the Cedar Lake Speedway would be hosting their first indoor Midget even in our area was not a surprise but it proved to be a wakeup call. I realized that once the holidays (and I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season) are over the racing season kicks off shortly thereafter. NASCAR will be testing at Daytona, racing in the southern hemisphere will be wrapping up and there will be Chili Bowl parties all over the country. If you're one of those lucky folks who gets to attend the Chili Bowl or one of the frostbusting events leading up to Florida Speedweeks I salute you.

Hopefully the Midgets will be a success at Sandbox Arena and this will become an annual event. This should be a good time of the year to host an indoor Midget race, there's nothing else going on in this part of the country to compete against. Badger Midget teams will be prepared for their opener and I expect to see the best from USAC. The thing that sets this race apart from indoor Midget races we saw at the St. Paul Civic Center (the predecessor to Exel Energy Center for those of you too young to remember) was that those races were run on the concrete with a special (slick) sealer covering the floor. The races at the Sandbox Arena will be on a 1/4 mile clay oval patterned after the Tulsa Expo Center track design. Some say the Chili Bowl is the best racing of the season and I expect the same type of action at Sandbox Arena.

Even many Late Model fans throw aside their prejudices against open wheel racing and attend the Chili Bowl. I encourage our local fans to give the Badger Midget race at Sandbox Arena a try. I'm expecting a good crowd and many of the Midget fans from southeast Wisconsin to make the 3 1/2 - 4 hour drive up to New Richmond for this event.

In other news, be sure to make your plans to do your homework for the annual GRP racing trivia contest coming up in a few short weeks. More about the contest to be posted soon.

What are your plans for the 2008 racing season? I'm going to do pretty much the same thing that I've been doing, base my schedule on the big specials and fill in with weekly racing. Big dates on my schedule include the Badger Midgets at CLS, the CLS opener, Masters, Firecracker, WoO Sprints, BA Memorial, USA Nationals, Richert Memorial and DTRA 100. I'm planning on taking vacation the week of the 100 so that I can attend all four nights. Other tracks/events will include a couple races at North Central, Red Cedar, Rice Lake, Princeton, Superior and Jackson. I'm also planning on filling in with a lot more weekly racing at Cedar Lake and Kopellah this season than I have in the past.

I'll write more about my 2008 plans and why these races are my favorites in the upcoming February MRC Online.

NAVY DAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!!

".....this weeks shot comes from the "USA Nationals" at Cedar Lake. Babb was lifting er high during the 100 lap feature. See you at the races......."

NAVY DAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!!!

........another year goes by the wayside. HAPPY NEW YEAR one and all. Just about one more month or so and Speedweeks in Florida starts. Arizona will have theirs soon and don't forget Talladega Short Track's Icebreaker. Another season will soon be underway. Four months til we get going up here in this winter wasteland.
This weeks shot is kinda neat. I was going for shot of Bloomer as he came into turn two at Cedar Lake. I wasn't using a flash but as I took the shot someone with a big flash was. It turned out pretty neat I think. See you at the races........

NAVY DAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!!

"........snowing and blowing today. I wish everyone the Merriest of Christmas's and hope you all have a great day. We've turned the corner now and days will be getting longer again.
This weeks shot comes from Cedar Lake during a Modified heat. Merry Christmas!!! See you at the races......"

NAVY DAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

"......just waiting for the '08 season. This weeks shot comes from day one of the "Labor Day Shootout" at Hibbing. See ya at the races......"

NAVY DAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

"........another cold winter weekend-thank God for football. We had -17 here one night. The ice should be ready for some ice racing soon. Time to get the old Sorrels and long johns out and go see a few of these races. Lots of rumors floating around about the upcoming season. We'll have to wait and see which one's are and which one's aren't.
This weeks shot comes from the 'Punky" at Red Cedar. See you at the ice races........"

Good news from the doc and other notes of interest

I just went through the mill for three months and ended up getting some good news on Friday December 7. In early August I noticed a growth on my temple area and was due to see the dermatologist to follow up on another matter so I made an appointment. They did a biopsy of the bump and found something called B cells in it. Evidently that sometimes indicates a rare form of lymphoma that causes skin lesions like the one I had. There was another smaller spot on my chest that appeared around that same time so the entire growth had to be removed. I had the procedure done on Wednesday the week of the Princeton National so I'm probably the only one who was happy for the Friday rainout. I made it through the Saturday program with a big conspicuous bandage on my head. That was just the beginning of three months of medical tests.

Between October and December I have had blood work done four or five times, two biopsies as well as a CT scan of my torso and a whole body PET scan of the skin and lymph nodes. All tests came back normal, normal organ function and nothing to indicate that there was lymphoma in my lymph system. They even tested my blood for a stomach bacteria and lyme disease.

Yesterday I got a call from my oncoligist's nurse at the Humphrey Cancer Center. The latest biopsy taken on December 3rd finally came back and the oncologist determined that I do not have skin lymphoma. He wrote in his notes that my case could be pre-skin lymphoma and he wants to see me on the 27th and treat it with antibiotics. It seems to me after this experience that anytime they're not sure what you have they use the word "pre" if they think you might be prone to developing the condition someday in the future. The last time I saw the oncologist a couple weeks ago he was talking localized radiation or a mild localized form of chemo. Obviously I'm happy with yesterday's news and am looking forward to the 2008 racing season with renewed zeal and thankfulness. When you go through something like this and experience the roller coaster of ups and downs between tests it gives one a unique perspective and appreciation on maintaining good health. No, I'm not going to become a nuts and berries health nut but I might only have one hotdog instead of two next season.

Best of all, the tests showed that liver function is normal. I got some Miller Lite for the weekend, rented some movies and sat in the recliner celebrating.

Last week I got that work done on the Ranger and it's running pretty good now. It's a 1993 that had 104,000 miles when I bought it and is now at a little over 133,800 miles. It's not much to look at, the paint is faded and the tool box is a bit rusty, but since I've had it I've put some money into keeping it roadworthy. Over the past couple years I got a new exhaust system, new serpentine belt and a new heavy duty battery. The timing belt is in good shape and must have been replaced by the previous owner. Last week I had a ball joint replaced as well as trailing arms on the front end, the brakes done and replaced the thermostat. Let's see, they also repaired the parking brake so I don't have to carry a wood block to put behind the wheel anymore LOL. The put in a new set of plugs so it's running better and seems to have more power. I didn't realize how bad the plugs were, they were original plugs and when they showed me the old ones they were as bad as I can ever remember seeing. It's a miracle the truck was running so good and I'm sure I would have ended up having problems during the next year if we didn't replace them.


(My son Les pops open a cold one before the 2003 Richert Memorial. That's the Weenie Wagon on the left and the Ranger on the right so I'm guessing that I've had the Ranger for five years.)

During the winter I only drive my truck to the park & ride for my vanpool which amounts to about ten miles a week. Occasionally I'll drive the 50 miles round trip to work if I've got an errand or appointment but 90% of my mileage is put on during the racing season. I lost track of how long I've been driving the truck but it's got to be four or five years now. At the rate I'm putting miles on it the thing could conceivably last a couple more seasons. I'd like to get something a little more road worthy so I'd be more comfortable on the 150 to 200 mile trips but I'm not complaining. If I wanted to go to Knoxville or somewhere like that I'd take our Olds and the wife could run her errands in my truck. So anyways, I should be able to go another racing season without making vehicle payments.

I can't remember a fall and winter when I've sold as many photos as I have this season. My photo sales supplement my racing travels and if you factored in my mileage and expenses it's still a break even deal and not officially a business. I'm sure a lot of these sales are for photos that are going to be given to sponsors and such so it's probably going to slow down after the holidays. Nevertheless, I anticipate my photo sales to increase so I'm looking at some more equipment purchases in order to improve the quality.

I have been doing some research and have made some changes based on my findings but won't be able to test them under racing conditions until April. There is a lens that I've got my eye on that will be better suited to my needs than the one I'm using. Up until now I have been using a Tamron 28-105mm f2.8 which was a popular lens among our local photographers at the 1/4 and 3/8 mile tracks in our area. That lens works great for getting those three wide night shots of the bigger cars like Late Models and Supers. I bought the lens new for around $800 on the advice of some of the Late Model photographers but found that it's not good for Sprints running the high side up by the wall. The Sprint guys seem to prefer the 70 or 80-200mm f2.8 lenses where you can zoom in when they're up on the cushion but the problem with those lenses is that you're too close to victory lane. A new 50-150mm f2.8 lens was released this fall and it's getting great reviews for sharpness, image quality and a quick focus motor so I'm probably going to buy that one. It just came out and they're out of stock at some places which is usually a good sign because it indicates they're in demand but the downside is that the price is going to stay around $650. If I want one I'll have to pay the going rate.

The only other thing that I would consider purchasing someday is a Norman flash unit which comes in at around $1600 new. I'm going to keep an eye on the new digital camera bodies that are addressing the noise issues as that could someday render the portable studio flash obsolete for racing applications. My opinion is that a high end studio flash would be overkill for me because I consider night photos to be newspaper shots. I'm getting as many of my night shots in the papers and magazines using a $300 hotshoe as the guys with the more expensive flash units. Most of the photos I get in magazines or sell were taken in available light without a flash. I find that photo sales are part talent and technique and part getting the word out about your work. I think the gotomn website photo gallery and my work in the magazines accomplishes that objective.

One thing that I'm not doing much of that people like is the two sided photo cards. I know how to do the layering and artwork as you can see in the samples but haven't bothered to find a printer who will make up the cards at a competitive price. If I got into the card business I'd probably end up with too many irons in the fire during the season. Doing the artwork and running to the printer during would be time consuming and be more like a job than a hobby. The railroad sometimes offers early retirement packages and I've only got nine years to go so maybe I'll get an offer I can't refuse. These buyouts bridge union employees to retirement and I'm in situation where that might very well happen. If that happens I'll be able to concentrate on my photography and website full time.

In the meantime I am able to do one sided designs on standard 4x6 photo stock. A few racing teams have had me do designs for them. If I was doing design work on a daily basis I could refine my skills but I think what I'm doing on a limited basis looks good. Most people buy CD's with flames to use on their cards, I designed my own flames as vector files as well as the cartoon on my main page.







Well, that's going to wrap up my latest update. You can email your comments or feedback to me at mndirt@hotmail.com

MRC Online December 2007

A repost of my column in the December 2007 issue of Minnesota's Racing Connection online:

November through March are a welcome break for me. It's nice to reconnect with family and catch up on the things that I neglected during the summer. I'd like to be able to kick off my season at the Chili Bowl or Florida Speedweeks but that's not possible for me. I'll go to an occasional swap meet or banquet during the winter but I'm not what you'd call a regular attendee at those functions either.

One advantage of hibernation is that it gives me an opportunity to reflect on the previous racing season. I enjoy going through my photos and notes with the goal of making improvements. As I view the photos of each event I reflect on my experiences and would like to share a few of them with you. This isn't a recap of the entire season or a summary of the racing action. I picked out a combination of ten races or in some cases entire weeks or weekends and what made them special to me.

1) My memory of the May 25 Superior IRA race is kind of fuzzy. I have a hard time remembering who won by the next day let alone trying to retain the information until early December. Suffice it to say that I had a good time and enjoyed the races at Superior. I could look in my records to see who won but that isn't necessary for this column. What stands out about this trip is that there was a disagreement between two of the promoters a week or so prior to this race. I recall wondering if they would still be racing. As it turns out the race went off without a hitch and I drove home from Superior with plans to head up to Brainerd the next morning.

The next day I found that some very cold weather for May had blown in overnight and Brainerd was taking the brunt of the winds and cold. I called the track a couple of times on the way there to make sure they were still racing, the weather was that bad. In fact it was so cold that I "wimped out" half way through the races, packed up my camera and went to my truck to warm up. I hung around and watched the Sprint Car Feature from the grandstand and left before the program was over. There was a time when I used to sit on a bucket and ice fish but that was before I had titanium and screws in my neck. I have since abandoned cold weather recreation and do my best to avoid that type of weather. I'm pretty sure the show would have been canceled if the IRA hadn't traveled so far to get there. Hats off to NCS.

Brainerd would be more than inconvenienced by the weather later in the 2007 season when a severe storm caused extensive damage to the facility. You probably recall hearing about it on the news late last summer. Track personnel and volunteers scrambled to ready the track for their first ever WISSOTA 100. The storm damage made all the Twin Cities news outlets but the real story that they didn't cover was how the racing community all pitched in to make repairs.

2) I've got a computer personal wallpaper of Jerry Lepinski broadsliding the Wilke Chevy around the historic Owatonna oval in the early 70's. Owatonna first opened in 1934 making the 2007 season the track's 73rd year. 2007 was my second season as the Owatonna “track photographer” so I attended their Memorial Day USMTS race. I don't get many opportunities to watch the USMTS and they put on a good show. Since Owatonna is a specials only track getting the surface prepared can be a challenge. Track preparation during the 2007 season had improved after a rough start in 2006. The future was beginning to look good for historic old half mile. Unfortunately the 2007 season only lasted through the July 10 Tri-Star Challenge Series Late Model race. The remaining three races, a Labor Day USMTS race as well as two ASCS Sprint Car specials, fell victim to a dispute between the promoters and the Steele County Fair Board.

I'm not certain at this time if any racing will be scheduled at Owatonna in 2008. What I do know is that I won't be working as their photographer next year. My decision has nothing to do with the promoters who I consider friends. Owatonna has been a struggle since the bulk of their schedule takes place on week nights. Consequently, Owatonna requires taking vacation or being out late during the work week. Maybe this is a sign that I'm getting older but I find that doing accounting work without adequate sleep gets more difficult every year. If there is racing at Owatonna during the 2008 season I will include some of their events on my schedule but won't commit to the entire season. When Owatonna canceled their September 15 ASCS Sprint Car race I was able to attend the final night of the DTRA 100 at Cedar Lake and decided that I would never again make conflicting plans on the final night of the 100.

There were some good times at Owatonna so I don't want to give the impression that the racing wasn't good or that I didn't enjoy myself. It's just that for me there are bigger events that I want to preserve my vacation for. The August Fair race at Owatonna is a classic so I'll always make an effort to be there for that one. Perhaps I'll get down there for an ASCS race or two as well if they host that type of racing again in 2008. It's going to be interesting to see what happens down there next year.

3) The next special event on my calendar was the Masters at Cedar Lake. This year I was excited about the addition of the 360 Sprint Cars to the Thursday night preliminary. My MRC Masters preview predicted that Jerry Richert Jr. would win the IRA Sprint Car Feature and Justin Fegers would be victorious in the WDRL Late Models. My prognostications were off but Jerry Richert Jr. did win the Thursday 360 race so I was partially right. Jerry didn't get to celebrate in Victory Lane as Scott Winters came across the finish line first but didn't make the required stop at the scales. Winters posed for photos with the trophy and Richert was declared the winner after the ceremonies. Jerry was happy with the winner's share of the purse and felt bad that Scott had run such a good race only to have it taken away from him.

My other memory of the Masters (at least I think it was the Masters) was a 3am excursion onto the track. Miller Lite in hand I followed an anonymous friend through the pit gate so we could stand on “sacred ground” under the stars. I didn't calculate that my legs were shorter than his and my crotch didn't quite clear the chain securing the gates together. Fortunately I didn't spill my beer but the can did sustain some damage. As I lay sprawled out on the ground looking up at the stars I had a revelation. I realized that I'm getting too old for 3am Miller fueled adventures and need to stay by my camper. I'm not sure how bad I damaged the pit gate chain but I apologize to the CLS owners if you're reading this.

4) The Cedar Lake Speedway put a new twist on their annual World of Outlaws race in 2007. Instead of the traditional Monday date the Speedway booked the “Greatest Show on Dirt” on Sunday night. Having their annual Firecracker on the previous night made for two consecutive nights of racing and another camping weekend. The combined events worked out great for me but I see that they're going back to their traditional Monday night in 2008. I'm not sure if that had something to do with the Outlaw schedule, input from fans or some other reason. I'll probably camp at the track Sunday through Tuesday again next season but will have to find something else to do on Sunday night. Perhaps I'll make my first trip to the Eagle Valley Speedway on Sunday night.

A couple of notes about the Outlaws before I move onto the next topic. The series boasted 26 touring cars at Cedar Lake but don't expect those kinds of numbers on the tour next season. Some cars will be parked due to teams folding for economic reasons and a few very familiar teams are rumored to be no more. 26 cars out on the tour was an anomaly made possible by the demise of the National Sprint Tour. Two series gave some teams a taste of what it was like to be out on the road with the Outlaws (and NST). The return of Steve Kinser, Danny Lasoski and company and the absence of enough tow money to support all these new travelers forced a reality check. I expect the WoO car count to self correct to a more reasonable 18-20 traveling teams next season.



Donnie Schatz captured his second consecutive Knoxville Nationals and World of Outlaws titles in 2007. Not only did Schatz repeat but he silenced the critics who said that he won in 2006 because Kinser was not present. Donnie will be driving for Tony Stewart Motorsports in 2008. This pairing is going to be formidable right out of the box but I won't concede the 2008 title to Schatz yet. Donnie's dad Danny has been with the team for over a decade and we all know how important experience is in motorsports. I'm going to withhold judgement until we can see how well the new team gels. I look for Steve Kinser to slip down a few more spots in the WoO point standings next season. Kinser is in his mid 50's and the inevitable effects of age are becoming more apparent. Steve is going to be competitive and will win some races, maybe some ones, but his days of dominating the sport are over. It doesn't matter how many WoO titles or Nationals championships Steve won, age catches up to all of us.

5) July 12-14, we spent three nights camped at Cedar and sandwiched a Kopellah weekly show between NASCAR night and the Billy Anderson Memorial. Cedar Lake booked NASCAR's most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., this year and the place was packed. I had the opportunity accompany Dan Plan to the media center and take some photos for MRC. At my age I'm not into hero worship so I my encounters with racing personalities aren't as special as they used to be. I have been in what some would consider the enviable position of having many close encounters with the biggest stars of NASCAR. Despite my somewhat cynical view of celebrities I was impressed by how nice of a person Dale Earnhardt Jr. is. Dale was extremely humble and polite during the press conference and seemed to be having a great time. I might have to break down and get an Earnhardt hat one of these years.



The next night my friend Vince and I went to Kopellah to join Dave aka “Navy Davy” Trautmiller in the infield. I enjoy going to Kopellah and have gotten to know many of the people who go there on a regular basis. Owner Marguerite Lindblom has secured on my list of “Sprint friendly” tracks with the addition of one or two 360 specials each season. On this particular evening we had to scramble back to my truck due to a quickly approaching thunder storm. Enough of the program was run to consider it a complete show but we missed out on a couple of the Features. We made it back to the Cedar Lake campground just in time to get our campfire started before the rains came. We kept the fire burning, fired up the grille and did a couple hours of bench racing.

My final race of the weekend was the Billy Anderson Memorial on Saturday night at Cedar Lake. For those of you who don't remember Billy, he was a Minnesota Sprint Car driver who used to race at Cedar Lake in the WISSOTA Sprints. Anderson was paralyzed from the neck down in a 1998 Knoxville crash and died of complications from his injuries several years later. The Billy Anderson Memorial honors his memory and it's an event that I make it a point to attend every year.

This also stood out as the night my camera flash failed in the middle of the racing program. Dirt track racing can be hard on photographic equipment when you're out in the elements shooting hundreds of photos per night. I checked the manual and my flash had exceeded it's life expectancy after three seasons so I got my money's worth out of it. An online order from B&H Photo resolved the problem in time for my next race.

6) August 2-4. I didn't reserve a campsite in time for the USA Nationals so I had to drive home after the races all three nights. This trip was a working trip would be all business. As far as the racing at the Nationals goes I enjoy watching Scott Bloomquist anytime he races at Cedar Lake. Bloomquist has been limiting his schedule to big events and no longer chases points with any series. Next year I have to make it a point to reserve a campsite for the Nationals next season.



7) “Here's Jonny”... Jon McKorkell that is. I attended the Friday all Sprint Car night of the Jackson Nationals on August 17. Chuck Swenson was DQ'd for an illegal modification to the ASCS heads after appearing in Victory Lane. That was the last time Swenson raced during the 2007 season. Jon McKorkell returned as promoter after a year absence and did a good job under difficult circumstances. I'm planning on heading down there for Friday night of the Nationals again in 2008. I love half miles and Jackson is one of my favorites. I wonder if we can move it closer to Forest Lake?

8) IRA Rice Lake Saturday August 25. I hadn't been to Rice Lake since 1999. What was I thinking? The facility has seen many improvements since my last visit, the racing was excellent and the staff welcomed me as if I were a long lost friend. They even allowed me to park my car behind the pit concession stand. Prior to the Rice Lake race I had exchanged messages with IRA driver Mike Reinke on (of all places) the Dave Blaney NASCAR message board. I met Mike at Rice Lake and will make a point to look him up whenever he's racing locally. The Pure Stocks put on a great show at Rice Lake. There are a ton of cars and the racing is very competitive. I'll bet you thought you'd never hear that from me. Rice Lake's IRA show will be included on my 2008 schedule.

9) My son called my office on Friday September 7 and asked me if I wanted to go to the races. I haven't been going to the Friday of the Northern Nationals the past several years so I could get ready to camp at the Richert Memorial the following night. Seeing as Les offered to do all the driving I thought “why not” and jumped at the chance to get out of the office early. My camera batteries weren't charged and I hadn't made media arrangements in advace so I spent the night in the grandstand. The racing was good, Les was happy to spend time with his dad and I got to relax for a change.

The following night at the Richert Memorial we saw Mike Reinke win what has become known as the IRA's biggest race of the season. Even more exciting for me was getting to meet a boyhood hero, Scratch Daniels. Scratch who was voted into the Sprint Car Hall of Fame was a team driver with Jerry Richert Sr. I watched both Richert and Daniels drive Supermodifieds when I was a kid so this was a special night for me. My brother-in-law joined us in the campground with his notorious “Weenie Wagon” for the first time in several years. It was truly an enjoyable weekend.



I'm including the September 15 finale of the DTRA 100 as part of this ninth listing. I wasn't able to attend all four nights of racing but I was able to make it to the Saturday night grand finale. The 2007 DTRA 100 had a twist reminiscent of Scott Winters being stripped of a win because he forgot to scale earlier in the season. Joel Cryderman held off Pat Doar for what appeared to be one of his biggest wins of the season but was turned away from Victory Lane due to running over the cone on a restart. Doar was sympathetic to Joel's blunder in his Victory Lane interview.

10) Friday night of the Princeton National fell victim to rain. Saturday's weather was nice and I was ready to go racing one more time in 2007. Proctor's Proctoberfest canceled earlier in the day due to thick fog sending a few more fans to Princeton swelling an already packed house. Donnie Schatz took a popular win and the racing was excellent.

So that's going to wrap things up until the next issue of MRC online. Have a safe and happy holiday season. In my next column we'll take a look ahead to the 2008 racing season.

NAVY DAVY'S SHOT OF THE WEEK!!!

".....we finally got our first snow of the season. We ended up with maybe 6-7 inches so I've been out plowing all morning. Another month closer now to the '08 season. What suprises will '08 bring us?
This weeks shot comes from Deer Creek Speedway near Spring Valley MN. It's a USMTS modified heat race coming out of turn two. See you at the races......"