Looking back at this weekend - Beatrice Octoberfest

The season ended for me last Friday night at Beatrice for the opening night of Octoberfest. While a competing event was run down south at Mayetta, KS, there was still a more-than-respectable field of cars on hand for what turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL night. Temps were near record warmth and gave way to a pleasant evening; though it cooled off quickly once the sun set. It was a great night to be out.

I have to say, I have made two trips to Beatrice this year - the first time in almost 20 years. I enjoyed both trips quite a bit. I didn't go out Saturday - I had other commitments and no credentials. It was nice, but not worth $50.

First of all, I really like shooting pictures there. There’s a lot of opportunities to shoot all around the track, and if you sit in one place - as a photographer, you’re missing out. It’s well lit, and you can get very close to the action without a lot of worry - unlike Eagle, where, frankly you have to keep one eye behind you all the time. You don’t have to worry about cars racing across the infield (PUT THE DAMN BERM BACK) or safety vehicles going at full throttle toward the scene.

But I digress.

Also, I was pleased with the effort to keep the show running. Cars were being staged for their race at least two races in advance, and stragglers were left sitting in the pits. Things were clicking off well but some rollovers and nasty pileups toward the end stretched the show to nearly midnight. Officials were ready to pull the plug on a few races, but never quite got to that point. At least from what I heard on the radio, they kept pushing.

The track was very fast at first, but eventually all the racing dried it up and went mostly to the bottom by the time the modified A features took to the track. The Hobby stock battle though was great with Roy and Adam Armstrong battling it out and the elder taking the win.

Bob Zoubek never was seriously challenged as passing opportunites were few. Earlier, it looked like Johnny Saathoff would make a run, but after a mid-race restart, the field played huggy-pole for the rest of the contest.

The original compact winner was DQ’ed and Eagle season runner-up Kyle Gannon picked up the W. Benji Legg ran off late with the Sport Mod A.

One thing I was pleased with seemed to be the officials seemed pretty decisive. Now, a few message board rants suggest otherwise, but frankly I read that for every track - with guys who have been on the losing end of calls making the most noise.

That said, I still think the phrase “too many chiefs and not enough Indians” (forgive my lack of Political Correctness) still comes into play, especially at a track I frequent often. I like the thought of one race director and he (or she) is the ONLY one who discusses a call. The race director is the decider and doesn’t pass the buck, either.

The crowd was decent, considering it was a high-school football Friday. Some started trailing off as the races drew on, but most stuck around for the end.

Couple of nit-picks:

1. 26 cars on the track in the Hobby A feature. It led to several yellows in the hobbies, and a bit of confusion on the lineups. I understood why - the original plan was 24 (still too many IMHO) and only two would’ve been left out from the B. Frankly, for any class that isn’t “pro” AKA weekend racers, I think 20 is enough for any class, especially on tracks smaller than a half-mile.

2. Not cool with people crossing from infield to outside and vice versa while cars were on the track. And, it was mostly spectators. I saw a couple dart across the track as a car was given a green flag to hotlap. That’s disturbing.

3. The website stinks. Granted, it looks polished but there isn't information up there that is timely. Still no race results from the show and only A feature results from before. I had to ask on dirtdrivers.com what the pit gate price was as it wasn't even on the entry form. No news, no hype, no information. That's inexcusable in 2010.

But overall, I have to put the next opener at Beatrice on the list next year and maybe hit a few of the weekly shows. I like it down there.

I have personal commitments the weekend of the Cool McCool 100 and also for the Turkey Chase, so I'm done with 2010. It was quite a year, but I'm happy to call it a season.

I'll still have more editorials, including some thoughts on the sprints and recent developments in the effort to control some costs. The racing may be done, but I've got plenty left in the tank.

-Jason