The Pace Lap – Friday May 26, 2006

Welcome to the May 26, 2006 edition of "The Pace Lap" - news, tidbits and commentary. As always, if you have something you'd like to share, no matter how small, please send me an email.

-Saw this posted by "leap-off" on the Dirtdrivers Message Board: "If it was raining beer at the track, someone would b*tch about not getting free mugs to hold it." How true.

-I'm anxious to see how the Jumbotron works out at Eagle this weekend. They'll be getting some kinks out of the machine, but it's a great debut time - fan appreciation night. If it enhances the fan experience, then I'm all for it. Promoter Roger Hadan (that's H-A-D-A-N) says even more additions are in store.

-Matt Richards debuted a sharp-looking new car at Eagle last Saturday, but it didn't get to spend much time on the track as he had mechanical problems. Let's hope we see more of the car this weekend.

-Open Wheel fans should take note of the powerhouse lineup at Junction Motor Speedway this Friday. POWRi midgets, RMMRA midgets and ASCS Midwest sprints are featured in what promises to be one of the best open wheel shows in 2006. The Midgets will run their finale on Saturday along with the JMS weekly classes, minus Late Models.

-A lot of talk has been about Mike Boston's three win streak in the sprints at Eagle. It's certainly impressive as 3 has been the maximum number of wins in a SEASON the past few years, save for Billy Alley's 5 in 2002. The last 4-peat at Eagle I can find is John Gerloff's streak of 4 features in a row in 1995.

-BUT: Trevor Grossenbacher has won all 4 Multi-Class A features this season at Wavelink Raceway Park...

-Other tales of dominance: Benji Legg of Beatrice has taken 4 out of 5 B-Mod races at Beatrice, while Johnny Saathoff has taken 3 of 5 IMCA Modified races at U.S. 30 Speedway.

-A couple of weeks ago, I asked for story ideas from readers. I received several good ideas. Don't fret, sometimes feature stories take some time to develop and time to be fit in to papers, but I'm starting work on a story now and hopefully it will be featured soon. I'll keep you posted.

-I don't want to be accused of playing "favorites" and whitewashing the issue of the week. It's dominated the message boards and a lot of conversations this week, but a claim dispute in the Tuner division at Eagle Raceway turned into a physical altercation between driver Mike Kennedy and promoter Roger Hadan. I've heard Roger's account, and read Mike's account (posting as "9502cougar") on Dirtdrivers.com. It led to several law enforcement officers hanging out on the premises for nearly an hour. Regardless of what happened, it all looks bad.

As an aside, would a lawyer think it's a good idea for someone involved in a pending criminal case to be posting on a public forum?

- I'm not a fan of claim rules of any kind. Look at how the IMCA motor claim has turned into a grudge weapon. I thought the Tuners/Hornets/etc. were supposed to be about having fun? Add points and a season championship trophy and look what happens. Here's my idea - in your low-buck entry class, don't run for points. You draw for starting spots and run for a trophy each night. Want to keep the same guy from winning? Tell them to start dead last or sit them out for a week after the third win. I don't think that leads to nothing but smiles and beer after every race but I think it would help everyone keep things in perspective.

-Jason Hobscheidt leads the Dodge Weekly Series points in the Saturday Late Model Division with a slim 10 point lead over Dave Livingston. Scotty Hartman holds a 12 point advantage over last week's winner Shawn Bulin in the Pro-Ams while Floyd Richards and Ole Olson leads the way in the B-Mods and Pro Hornet divisions respectively. Nate Christensen has a strong 18 points lead in the Novice Hornets and the 305 Sprint Cars have Rob Kubli in the lead after one points night in the books. The 305 Sprint Cars will be making their second appearance of the season this weekend.

-Fans heading to JMS will hear long time RMMRA Midget Series announce Mitch Miller behind the mic. Mitch has been announcing RMMRA races for the past 40 years. Midget fans love tradition and this will be a great opportunity to hear a racing legend.

-While not SE Nebraska news, this affects dirt track racing as a whole: For those who haven't seen it, there's a major shakeup in DIRT Motorsports leadership. DIRT Motorsports founder Paul Kruger has resigned, with former NASCAR Weekly Series director Tom Deery taking the reins. The largest group of dirt track sanctioning bodies, including the World of Outlaws Sprint and Late Model Series, the DIRT Modified series as well as UMP and MARS series have announced that all debts, save for that owed on three tracks (Lernerville, Volusia, and Canandaigua) have been paid. The long-term debt issue was one of the sticking points regarding the exit of longtime WoO competitors such as Steve Kinser and Danny Lasoski and the formation of the NST.