The Pace Lap - May 8, 2008

I figured I'd get back to doing this, even with some tracks getting shows in
it still seems like a slow week in the racing world. Plus, I don't have
enough wind to write a full blown editorial this week and sometimes bits and
pieces are better anyhow.

So, let's start:

After fighting rain throughout April, the opening weekend of May was good to
most tracks.

-Shelby County Speedway got off its scheduled season opener with 127 cars in
6 classes packing the pits. That's great news to a group trying to restore
the facility to its previous stature.

-Despite rain on Friday, Beatrice got off its show Saturday. There was
universal praise for the track and the 100+ car turnout/3 hour show
certainly had to please the fans in attendance.

-I-80 clicked off a show on a very different track than the first two weeks.
A dry surface was probably a welcome change from the wet rough track before.
Fans were still going nuts long after a thrilling ProAm contest when Jeff
Joldersma edged out Rick Negrete.

-With Eagle canceled, a few of the sprint drivers headed out to parts far
and wide. Larry Pinegar rolled out with Lovegrove Racing only to be unable
to start the B at Knoxville. Defending Eagle Champ Mike Boston took the new
team to Dodge City and the NCRA season opener and finished eighth. Eagle
part timer Mike Chadd came home sixth, with Stu Snyder finishing 13th after
causing a late race caution. Lincoln's Don Droud Jr. won the A feature, his
third with the NCRA.

-I welcome the change in attitude and the amount of "forgiveness" given to
promoters this year for not wanting to race in the cold versus a very
hostile attitude few years ago. People realize what promoters are up against
and know that tracks that lose piles of money die...quickly.

And for those still crying foul, no promoter wants to rain out - canceling a
show that is a likely big loss is only the least of two evils. Don't equate
that with "making money." Canceling just means you lose less. You still have
to pay the rent, order the food (and hope you can return it), pay for the
ads, get the track ready during the week only to have that go for naught
when it rains, etc., etc.

-Brad "IBRacn" Brown mentioned on his rumors page that there's talk of a
Midwestern-based 410 Sprint Series. Before getting all wound up, Brad will
be the first guy to tell you to take it for what it's worth. My question is
this, did we forget about the (original, winged) Sprint Bandits from 2004?
It was the spec-headed 410 series that produced a unique qualifying format
still in use by the wingless version. The winged series folded after a year.

There's three reasons I can think of that anyone would even think of getting
behind such a thing: 1. The eternal complaint about lack of money at the
track level and greener pastures abroad, 2. Fear that rumors of Knoxville
ending weekly 410 racing would come true, or 3. perhaps there are teams who
can run 410s, but money dictates a limited schedule. Number three is perhaps
the only option that makes any sense to me, given some former WoO teams move
to the All-Stars. Maybe the poor economy could actually be a benefit to a
traveling series.

-Without any evidence to back up my claim, I believe that the 360 sprint
cars are the next division in the area to follow the Super Late Model
example of a hybrid touring/weekly series (SLMR), especially if the economy
in the area continues to flounder for the next 2-3 years. I would envision
an extended ASCS Midwest series, with frequent stops at a few tracks and
occasional visits to others. Not having the burdens of a high purse each
week could ease some of the pressure from...well...Eagle. Again, I have no
evidence, no conversations, nothing whatsoever, it's purely hypothetical.