Photos

Seems like the Zenfolio add on to my website is having problems. I'm kind of
at the mercy of my host. Sorry about that and I'm told it's going to be
resolved soon.

-Jason

Ice Breaker Challenge set for Sat. April 10th

From Eagle Raceway

March 26, 2010

The Ice Breaker Challenge presented by Auto Trans Matic will be breaking in
the track on Saturday, April 10th. Get ready for the fastest and most
fiercest racing action in the mid-western area. Starting out with this
fierce competition between the best IMCA Modifieds in the region battling it
out for the top prize of $2,000 and a chance to qualify for the Fast Shafts
All Star Invitational. Stepping it up on the fastest third mile high banks
of Eagle Raceway will be the 360 Sprints competing for the $1,500 fastest
challenge of the evening. And it doesn't stop there. Just as you think it
can't get any better, the IMCA Hobby Stocks will take the track for the
first time this season and compete for the $300 winner's circle check. A
great start to the 2010 season is upon us, so don't miss the action at
America's Home Track.Eagle Raceway!

Event info:

Saturday, April 10th. Front gates open at 5pm, Pit gates open at 4pm, Hot
Laps at 5:30pm and Racing at 6:30pm. Front gate admission: Adults(13+) $15,
Youth(6-12) $7, Children(5 & under) Free. Pit event fee(pit pass) $25. You
must be 14 years old to enter pit area with a notarized agreement.

Driver info:

Registration: All drivers need to pre-register by 4-1-10. IMCA Modifieds-
must register by 4-1-10*. If entry is late for the Modifieds -they will pay
a $50 late entry fee*. Rules: 360 Sprints -see www.eagleraceway.com and
IMCA Modifieds and Hobbys- see www.imca.com. All Eagle Raceway general
rules apply for all participants. Must wear RACEceiver to compete. Make
sure you have your IMCA license with you to check in. All drivers must have
a filled out entry form, terms of agreement form(on website in rules
section) and entry fee (if late) to office personnel before checking in and
competing. All minors must have a notarized agreement form and copy of
birth certificate on file with office personnel before entering the pit
area. Any questions or if you need any forms sent to you, please call our
office at 402-238-2595.

Practice Nights:

Our first practice night is Friday, April 2nd. All classes are welcome.
7-11pm -Pit and front gates open at 5:30pm. Pit event fee(pit pass) $10.
Front gate admission- Free.

Our second practice night is Thursday, April 8th. All classes are welcome.
7-11pm -Pit and front gates open at 5:30pm. Pit event fee(pit pass) $10.
Front gate admission- Free.

Double the Trouble: Modified action starts with the Ice Breaker Prelude at
Butler County Motorplex on Friday, April 9th. Visit
www.butlercountymotorplex.com for more info.

Beatrice Spring Nationals photos

Photos from 2010's Beatrice Spring Nationals are up.

Check 'em out here: Beatrice Spring Nationals photos

Beatrice, JMS Cancel Saturday/Sunday Programs

Both tracks announced via dirtdrivers.com that Saturday's races have been canceled due to weather, and neither track will use Sunday as a rain date.

Spring Nationals at Beatrice March 26-27

From IMCA

BEATRICE, Neb. (March 17) - Spring Nationals will still start the 2010 race
season at Beatrice Speedway.

The first green flag will just fly a week later than originally scheduled.

The 17th annual special has been postponed from this weekend to next Friday
and Saturday, March 26-27. No changes have been made in the two race
programs, both headlined by $1,500 to win IMCA Modified features.

"We could get the track race-ready, but forecasts are calling for even
colder and wetter weather this weekend," promoter Toby Kruse said. "We don't
want to ask drivers or fans to travel any distance when the odds are that
one or both programs will be canceled."

Both Modified features are qualifying events for the 2010 Fast Shafts
All-Star Invitational ballot and pay a minimum of $200 to start. National,
ButlerBuilt Central Region and Allstar Performance State points will be
given for both shows.

Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods race for $400 to win and IMCA Sunoco Hobby
Stocks run for $300 to win each night. National and state points will be
awarded in each class; Hobby Stocks also earn Probe Industries Northern
Region points. Mach-1 Sport Compacts race for $200 to win, along with
national and state points, on Friday.

An open practice session for all divisions will now be held from 6-9 p.m. on
Thursday, March 25.

Pit gates open at 4:30 p.m. Friday, with hot laps at 6 p.m. and racing at 7
p.m. On Saturday, gates open at 2:30 p.m., hot laps are at 5 p.m. and racing
is at 6 p.m. Grandstand admission each race night is $14 for adults and $5
for kids 10 and under. Pit passes are $10 for Thursday's practice and $25
for Friday and Saturday shows.

To accommodate the rescheduled special, I-80 Speedway at Greenwood has moved
its March 27 IMCA Modified race to Friday, April 2. Sanctioned Mods also run
at I-80 on April 3.

USMTS invades Junction Motor Speedway this weekend; Practice night added on Thursday

For the seventh straight year, the best Modified drivers on dirt will kick off the action in the Cornhusker State as the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour invades McCool Junction, Neb., for a doubleheader at the Junction Motor Speedway this Friday and Saturday, March 26-27.

Sub-freezing temperatures and lingering snow three weeks ago hampered track preparation, and rather than subject fans and drivers to arctic cold and a possible rough racing surface, the event was postponed to this weekend.

Defending race winner Tommy Myer won from the 18th starting spot in 2009 against a stout field that included 55 entries. With a runner-up finish this past Friday at the Outlaw Motor Speedway in Oktaha, Okla., Myer will once again be among the list of favorites.

Several former winners are primed to return to capture another Nebraska Spring Thaw title. In addition to Myer, other past champions of this event expected this weekend include two-time winner Al Hejna, Jon Tesch, Jason Friesen, Corey Dripps, Mark Noble and nine-time USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock, who captured the debut event at JMS in 2004.

Other ready-for-primetime road warriors expected include 2008 USMTS National Champion Jason Krohn, Zack VanderBeek, Dereck Ramirez, Scott Green, Steve Holzkamper, Mike Hansen, Mike Lineberry, Mike Steensma, Grant and Chase Junghans, Danny Booth, Brandon Davis, Nick Deal, Kent Willms, Josh Reisch, Don Gerritsen Jr., Andrew Gordon, Scott Ward, Jim Mathieson, Don Eischens, Anthony Mann and more.

Friday’s event will pay $2,000 to win while the victor in Saturday’s main event will pocket $3,000. Open Stock Cars and Two-Man Cruisers will also be on the racing card both nights.

An open practice will be held on Thursday night from 6 to 8:30 p.m. with free admission to the grandstands. Pit passes are $20. Pit gates will open at 12 noon on Friday, grandstand gates open at 5 p.m., hot laps are slated for 5:30 and racing is set for 7. On Saturday, pit gates will open at 10 a.m. and grandstands open at 12 noon. Hot laps are at 1 p.m. with racing at 2. Tickets each night are $15 for adults, $4 for kids ages 6-12 and children 5 and under are admitted free of charge.

Camelot Inn and Suites is the Official Host Hotel for the 7th Annual Nebraska Spring Thaw. Located just 5.7 miles from the racetrack in York, Neb., Camelot Inn and Suites is offering a special rate of just $44.95 for race fans. This exclusive rate is valid for any single or double room with up to four guests per room, at no additional cost. For more information or to book your reservation, call 402-362-6885. This special rate is available only by calling the hotel directly and mentioning the code “JMS” when booking your reservation. For more information about the Camelot Inn and Suites, visit www.camelotyork.com online.

For those that can’t attend the 7th Annual Nebraska Spring Thaw, there will be opportunity to watch the wheel-to-wheel action through XRN Race Cast – a high-quality Internet video pay-per-view. The broadcast will cover the entire racing show with lap-by-lap coverage, Motorstats.com Instant Replay, interviews and highlights. To order the USMTS Nebraska Spring Thaw, go to www.xrnetwork.com and click to proceed to the live player. Then just sign up for an account, purchase and sit back in the comfort of your own home with the mud-slinging Modifieds of the USMTS!

Located five miles south of I-80 (York Exit) on U.S. Hwy. 81, the Junction Motor Speedway is a state-of-the-art facility entering its seventh year of operation. The track is a super-fast, 3/8-mile clay oval boasting 80-foot-wide straight-aways, making for a lot of racing room for the drivers and a lot of wheel-to-wheel action for fans.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944. You can also follow the USMTS on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

IMCA Online Registration Danger?

Several drivers are reporting that their bank accounts were accessed by
potential hackers after registering online with IMCA.

It appears that online registration has been disabled.

Read the message here:

http://tinyurl.com/yf9rmxh (link goes to dirtdrivers.com)

ASCS Midwest Region Update

From Chuck Zitterich

March 19, 2010

Let's Go Racin'!

The ASCS Midwest Regional opener is once again scheduled to open with it's
annual Nebraska double header. Here are the details:

Friday April 16th & Saturday April 17th
I-80 Speedway - Greenwood, NE

ASCS Midwest Region points both days
2 separate shows - $1500 to win each night

ASCS Midwest Payout (each night)
$1500 - 1000 - 700 - 600 - 500 - 400 - 350 - 300 - 275 - 250
$250 thru 20th.

RR Tire - ASCS Spec Hoosier - LR & fronts open
Mufflers are not required - minimum 1375 lbs w/driver

Pit gates open @ 4:00pm - Racing @ 7:00pm

Pit Passes $30

For more info: http://www.neracewaypark.com/I80Speedway/index.php

ASCS Midwest Region On-Deck:
Friday April 30th - Central Missouri Speedway - Warrensburg, MO
Saturday May 1st - Lucas Oil Speedway - Wheatland, MO

Both events co-sanctioned with WOW Sprints. 

Beatrice Spring Nationals Postponed

BEATRICE, Neb. (March 17) – The Spring Nationals will still start the 2010
race season at Beatrice Speedway.

The first green flag will just fly a week later than originally scheduled.

The 17th annual special has been postponed from this weekend to next Friday
and Saturday, March 26-27. No changes have been made in the two race
programs, both headlined by $1,500 to win IMCA Modified features.

"We could get the track race-ready, but forecasts are calling for even
colder and wetter weather this weekend," promoter Toby Kruse said. "We don't
want to ask drivers or fans to travel any distance when the odds are that
one or both programs will be canceled."

Both Modified features are qualifying events for the 2010 Fast Shafts
All-Star Invitational and pay a minimum of $200 to start. National,
ButlerBuilt Central Region and Allstar Performance State points will be
given for both shows.

Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods race for $400 to win and IMCA Sunoco Hobby
Stocks run for $300 to win each night. National and state points will be
awarded in each class; Hobby Stocks also earn Probe Industries Northern
Region points. Mach-1 Sport Compacts race for $200 to win, along with
national and state points, on Friday.

An open practice session for all divisions will now be held from 6-9 p.m. on
Thursday, March 25.

Pit gates open at 4:30 p.m. Friday, with hot laps at 6 p.m. and racing at 7
p.m. On Saturday, gates open at 2:30 p.m., hot laps are at 5 p.m. and racing
is at 6 p.m. Grandstand admission each race night is $14 for adults and $5
for kids 10 and under. Pit passes are $10 for Thursday's practice and $25
for Friday and Saturday shows.

To accommodate the rescheduled special, I-80 Speedway at Greenwood has moved
its March 27 IMCA Modified race to Friday, April 2. Sanctioned Mods also run
at I-80 on April 3. 

Why I don't watch NASCAR

This was originally published on Chris Moses' site: www.ovaloperations.com


I had planned this for just after "pothole-gate," but my own procrastination made that irrelevant. Now with "Edwards-gate" I got back to work.

For being the king of American auto racing (right now), I can't stand watching NASCAR. What impetus got me to write out my feelings? Well, yeah, it was the pothole, but more so it was the incessant Facebook NASCAR love-fest I saw on the day of the Daytona 500. I still can't understand why people watch this sh*t. Here's why I don't watch it. 1. Manufactured competition. This series is so regulated, and each "manufacturer's" car is so unlike anything rolling off the lines that it might as well be IROC. If NASCAR could get one maker to spend enough money to be the exclusive name, they would. The problem is the fans are still believing this is a Ford/Chevy/Dodge/Toyota war. Really? The fact is that NONE of those "stock" cars exist in reality. Their is no Ford Fusion rolling off a lot that bears resemblance to the Fusion on the track, save for the bogus headlight decals.

Carburetors? Really? The last time carbs were stock was when "Sylvania beat Sony again!" (look it up kids). Let's let modern muscle race. Ford Mustangs, Chevy Camaros, Dodge Chargers...hell, if you must throw in a Lexus IS, Hyundai Genesis, BMW 3's and Mercedes C's. Let's race REAL equipment. Spaceframes? No, instead of getting with the 20th century, NASCAR just made the tracks give instead of the cars. To top it all off, the aero tweaks are so precise as to keep these cars running around in a deadly pack and calling it "close racing." Want to see when racing is decided by luck and who will push the limit of being dirty? Look at the Edwards incident. For crying out loud, this series has gone almost WWE in how close it lets everyone run. In the WWE, a group of dwarves can compete with the biggest monster in the ring. But scripting will do that. Here...well, the script, in my opinion is a little more fluid. The only reason I don't think it's fixed is because despite all this effort with cars and resetting the point races, one guy has owned the series for the past four years, and is showing all signs #5 is on its way.

2. Fox bills these drivers as the "best drivers and the best racing." Really? Now, I think people who claim "all they do is turn left for 500 miles, I can do that" are naive - and I think they really believe it. To give the drivers credit, it's harder than it looks - just look at the end of the Daytona 500 this year. Not even the best drivers were able to finish 2 laps without two crashes!

How's that for a back-handed compliment? But seriously, if the sponsors and teams would let these guys drive, I think the nay-sayers would be surprised. Ask Michael Schmacher after he was humbled by Jimmie in the Race of Nations? Look at the fact that Tony Stewart is multi-disciplined, including sports cars. And, face it...not too many drivers have won the Indy 500 and Monaco GP like Juan Montoya. There are others. NASCAR has good drivers...let them race at something other than a cookie cutter oval. Which leads me to:

3. 500 miles? It's as much about luck and the crew chief. 500 mile races are their own type of event, but if you want to watch drivers race, let them go for 50, 100, 200 laps at half-mile and mile ovals. THEN you'll see driving. Oh, and mix in a few right turns now and then. Why do we live in a country whose road system is based on the right turn, yet our #1 series is all about turning left? Look, I like oval racing. I grew up around it. But I like a right turn now and then, too - especially from a series billing itself as the best American auto racing has to offer.

By the way...shorter races? Won't happen. Can't sell enough commercials in a 250-mile race! So I guess we'll watch crew chiefs and engineers go at it and NASCAR keeps telling us that "Junior" and "Danica" have the potential to be the next Richard Petty or Cale Yarborough, merely because distance will let the blind squirrel find the nut every so often. Kind of like other one-named wonders like "Cher" and "Sting," both people of moderate talent, elevated to elite status for no other reason than the delusion of fan's praise and marketability. 

4. The arrogance. NASCAR will never admit its own failings. They want to keep things deadly...errr...close, but encourage their little gladiators to go after each other now like a cockfight. Let that go...and get more Edwards/Keselowski.

I can't let the pothole die. While in the end, it was a nuisance, it also was a shining example of NASCAR's arrogance. The track hadn't been paved since Detroit was sending out carburetor equipped cars. No, not at NASCAR's flagship facility, not even during the last decade's free-spending days of subprime and roses, when they signed TV deals worth billions (with a b) could NASCAR find the money to repave the track. Really? Just like they refused to step up safety until its star was killed, and they threw a pioneer like Bill Simpson under the bus, NASCAR refused to pry open its wallet and be PRO-active for once.

But of course, the blind boogityboogityboogity-ites will just laugh that off, and in ten years it will be one of those "y'all remember when" moments.

5. In the end...it's boring. I didn't watch IROC, and that's what this has become. Fan counts are declining, to the point of using multi-colored seats at some tracks to give the illusion of people as the cameras pan by. I can't be the only one thinking this. I like partying, I like racing. I think the party is what keeps fans there but the racing is just awful. Don't tell me that because it's close, it's good. I could line up ten snails and it would be close, but it isn't good either.

Now, off to my local track to watch some racing.

Site Changes, Uptime, Downtime...

You'll probably see a lot of changes (and a little downtime) over the next couple weeks. In some cases it will look like I stepped back, but the most important thing to me is getting old data to come over. Look and feel are down the road...

Some changes in the Blogger platform I used to update this site are coming that require me to host with Google or some other lousy alternative.

Plus I wanted to use a platform that offered more customization possibilities. I guess Google forcing the issue is as good as any other motive!

And, it may come with other changes as well...


Thanks,
Jason

JMS NASCAR B-Mod Sponsors Named

From Jessica Goldfuss, Junction Motor Speedway

-Camelot Inn and Suites, the Lounge, and the Southside Grille all Sign On as
Official Class Sponsors of the JMS 2010 NASCAR B-Modifieds-

JMS Officials and the owners of Camelot Inn, The Lounge, and The Southside
Grille proudly announce the class sponsorship of the newly added NASCAR
B-Modifieds of Junction Motor Speedway. The trio sponsors look forward to
the 2010 season and are excited to support the B-Modifieds for this year.
The sponsorship money goes directly into the points fund for the NASCAR
B-Modified drivers for the year ending awards banquet.

The Camelot Inn and Suites hotel is where you can notice a friendly and
helpful staff 24 hours a day. It is located south of the I-80 and US81
interchange in York, Nebraska. With the racetrack just 4 miles south, it is
a convenient location to stay for a racing weekend. Rest assured there are
many shops, gas stations, and other local attractions nearby. There is
plenty of parking for large trucks, RVs, trailers, and other large vehicles.
Pets are also welcome!

Camelot Inn and Suites looks forward to seeing race fans soon, as the 2010
Junction Motor Speedway season will soon be here!

4817 South Lincoln Avenue, York, NE 68467
Phone: 1-402-362-6885 Fax: 1-402-362-4064
Toll-Free 24 Hour Reservations Hotline 1-866-575-2152

The Lounge brings you the best entertainment in Southeast Nebraska. Now open
seven days a week. You can call them today to check their current schedule
and entertainment line-up. After the races, stop in and enjoy a refreshing
beverage and unwind in their comfortable environment. Be sure to join their
text message service by sending the word "Lounge" to 83361 and they'll keep
you posted on events, specials and special events.

You can reach the Lounge at (402) 362-6885.

Simplify your travel and take pleasure in their full facilities during your
stay! Enjoy casual dining in this full service restaurant featuring homemade
favorites and specials to entice your taste buds, and encourage you to share
a random moment to enjoy the simple art of food and old fashioned
hospitality as you travel through Nebraska - East, West, North or SOUTH!
Simplify your travel and enjoy their full facilities during your stay.

Meeting and Banquet accommodations available for events from 10-200 people.
Your personal or business event is coordinated and executed in a timely and
professional manner by their staff to ensure success for you and your
guests. Special room packages are available for events. Enjoy free coffee
and a 10% off breakfast coupon for each registered Camelot Inn & Suites
guest.

The Southside Grille is open 6am daily including holidays! For more
information, call (402) 362-5101 or email info@sosidegrille.com