The top game in sprint car racing is in Knoxville, Iowa, tonight.
The Super Clean Knoxville Nationals A Main is telecast on Speed Channel this evening. Several central Pennsylvania drivers traveled west to compete. Dream Race Extreme winner Greg Hodnett and second-place finisher Fred Rahmer lead central Pennsylvania's delegates. Also competing are Cody Darrah, Jeff Shepard, Doug Esh, Brian Leppo, Chad Layton and Lance Dewease. Tonight's A Main pays $150,000 to win.
Mike Bittinger is not a household name in sprint car racing, but he won Lincoln Speedway's sprint car feature last Saturday night. Also, I noticed a 17-year-old female named Nicole Bowers won her 358 sprint car heat at Williams Grove. Bower led several laps of the feature before finishing fifth. That was her best finish ever. Congratulations to both.
The super sportsman cars ran time trials last week at Williams Grove. Frankie Herr won the race. Grove officials are considering a wingless race soon. The drivers seem to like time trials. They also like to draw for starting positions.
On one hand, I understand where they are coming from, and yet I don't. Why the contradiction? Because everything is based on reaching in a bag and pulling a pill. If you draw bad, your chances are not good on most nights. Normally, the later you time trial, the slower the lap time. Start back in your heat race and your back is against the wall.
The cars today are so equal and in sprint car racing we are hearing the term "dirty air" being used more often. That term comes up more at Williams Grove and Port Royal because they are big race tracks. The cars seem to be pulled apart and most heat race winners come out of the first two rows. And it's all based on how you draw and then time trial.
Is it a better way? I don't have the answer. I am glad that a lot of good drivers still seem to pass cars in the feature event when they are racing at Port Royal. Fred Rahmer passed 10 cars last week to finish second. That makes the show entertaining.
I want to go back to last week's Dream Race Extreme at Port Royal. The race was an artistic success. It was not as well attended as the first race. A number of factors played parts in why that happened. The economy isn't as good as last year. Crowds have been off at most tracks by at least 10 to 15 percent all season. Lincoln Speedway's decision to race against the Dream Race also hurt everyone. The idea of having a big race like the Dream is good, but the format may need to be reworked in the future. And tracks have to cooperate. If they don't, and tracks decide not to run these events, the race teams are the biggest losers followed by the fans. Our local teams need the pay days to keep going and compete. The tracks have to be able to run these shows and pay the bills. The risk is big and if you can't do it and make out, it won't continue to happen. That's something every one needs to remember.
I'll add one more thing to my last topic. Susie Pontius worked her tail off to make the Dream Race a success. I give her a thumbs up for a job well done. She deserved a better outcome than the attendance drop she got. And compared to other race tracks paying high dollar purses, the ticket price was cheap. My comments are not directed at racers or fans. It's at the fact we're all in this together and everyone has got to remember that and work together. That includes the tracks. Enough said.
Selinsgrove Speedway hosts a four-division show of 358 sprint cars, late models, pro stocks and roadrunners starting at 7 p.m. Williams Grove has super sportsman, 358 late models, street stocks and 4 cyl. stock cars. Hagerstown runs a regular late model program with support classes. All those shows also start at 7 p.m.
There are close points battles going on for the 410 sprint cars. Port Royal, Lincoln and the All Stars have battles that could go a number of ways. The top five drivers at Port Royal are Todd Shaffer, Alan Cole, Mike Erdley, Greg Hodnett and Mark Smith. They are separated by a total of just 95 points. Shaffer holds a 15-point lead over Cole. Even sixth-place driver Keith Kauffman is only 140 points behind Shaffer. That's close. At Lincoln, Fred Rahmer is the current leader. That will likely change because Rahmer is racing at Knoxville tonight. Cris Eash is second in points, just 15 behind Rahmer. Brian Montieth trails Rahmer by 20 points. Fourth-place driver Niki Young is 70 points behind. In All Star action, Dale Blaney leads Lance Dewease by four points entering this week's racing. All these battles could go right down to the wire.
In the world of NASCAR, the Cup cars race at Watkins Glen this weekend. Tony Stewart is the defending race champion. Last year Jeff Gordon led 51 laps and spun out, handing the win to Stewart. ESPN has television coverage tomorrow starting at 1 p.m. Five races remain before the chase for the championship begins.
Martin Truex has signed a contract extension that will keep him driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. through the conclusion of the 2009 racing season. Former sprint car racer J.J. Yeley was released by the Hall of Fame Racing Toyota team on Wednesday. He will be replaced by 20-year-old Brad Coleman.
at Port Royal. The race was an artistic success. It was not as well attended as the first race. A number of factors played parts in why that happened. The economy isn't as good as last year. Crowds have been off at most tracks by at least 10 to 15 percent all season. Lincoln Speedway's decision to race against the Dream Race also hurt everyone. The idea of having a big race like the Dream is good, but the format may need to be reworked in the future. And tracks have to cooperate. If they don't, and tracks decide not to run these events, the race teams are the biggest losers followed by the fans. Our local teams need the pay days to keep going and compete. The tracks have to be able to run these shows and pay the bills. The risk is big and if you can't do it and make out, it won't continue to happen. That's something every one needs to remember.
In unfortunate news, two-time Port?Royal winner Jeff Shepard was seriously injured in a crash in Knoxville, Iowa, on the speedway. He was unconscious and transported to the hospital and regained consciousness at 9:55 a.m. Friday. He's listed in serious condition. We wish him the very best.
Have a great racing week. Until next week, please drive safely!
