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The Hoosier Race Report

by Danny Burton

My Grandson, Landon (a/k/a "The Sword Man"), and me at Gas City. by Jim Morrison

Me and that old guy is none other than Butch Wilkerson. We were at Winchester, jawing as usual. by Jim Morrison

My wife Anita and I taken at a HARF party. by Dave Foist

The Hoosier Race Report: Generation Gap Revisited

It’s one of life’s sometimes humorous ironies (or paradoxes) that each generation tries to make things easier or more convenient for each succeeding generation. Once this is accomplished, the older generation unfailingly proceeds to remind the younger how much tougher things used to be and how much easier “kids these days” have it. Both of my parents were Depression era kids who did grow up poor. I was their only child and was blessed enough to get all the attention (and toys) a kid could ever want. With both parents working in local factories during the boom times of the 1950s and 60s, this little Hoosier had it good—including the weekly trips to various area race tracks where I saw some pretty tough and hardened customers race as hard as they probably lived.

This irony extends to the racing world today, from the high profile series to my beloved area bullrings. Today’s old timers shake their heads at how easy these moneyed children have it. Quite often it’s a case where daddy has lots of money to spend for junior to go play Jeff Gordon. If only it was that uncomplicated. First, who are we to say how much money daddy has? To go racing has always taken money; what else is new? Second, we should realize that everyone’s definition of “rich” or even well to do is very different, usually depending upon one’s own financial condition. And finally, I’d guess that even a cursory examination of racing history’s financial conditions would show that money has always bought horsepower, if nothing else. The irony applies to how tough drivers are today. Certainly safety conditions are much improved over those good old days. Today’s racers sit in a custom built bank vault/cocoon. Emergency response methods to crashes are vastly improved. When we see a sprint car flip these days, we feel fairly confident that we’ve not witnessed a fatality. And we old timers lament how these kids feel bullet proof because they are young and, more to the point; these cars are quite safe in comparison. (It should be added that all too often some of today’s racers take ill-advised chances knowing that they’re riding in that cocoon.) This brings me to what I wish to put out there for discussion.

We Are As Tough As We Need To Be

No matter what the issue, an economic depression, a war, or good times, each generation is only as tough as it needs to be in order to deal with whatever it faces. And so it goes with racers too. Those of us of a certain age may still have glorious visions of racers of a long ago era with the t-shirt, flimsy helmet, a lap belt, all completed with a cigar firmly clenched in their teeth. These were men who loved life more than most, partly because they were very aware that it could, and often did, end all too soon. By any standards, they were tough, inside and out. But what about today’s generation of racers? Can they be considered to be tough?

Absolutely. Granted these cars today, even Hoosier style sprint cars, are super safe when compared to what Dick Gaines wheeled. But, as we know, people can still get hurt or worse with them. For only two examples, ask Chris Windom or Bret Burdette, two young men who were hurt for much of 2009.

To say that old time racers were tougher is, to me, about as silly as saying today’s racers are better because the cars are faster. Think apples vs. oranges. One cannot compare generations to really determine who the best or toughest was or is. All one can do is compare how racers, or anyone, has done against their peers. But, one must admit, it is fun to ponder how Bob Kinser would do going wheel to wheel with Bryan Clauson. (Trouble is, which cars will they drive, today’s or the cars of yesteryear? Which Bob Kinser would it be, the 1965 model or the 1985? For that matter, which Bryan Clauson will it be, the 2009 model or one in the future?)

The complaint is made there are too many “rich” kids racing and maybe this is so. But time and maybe a touch of Darwin’s Law, weeds out those who either run out of talent or money. It’s America; let ‘em give it a try and God be with them all. And let us remember that the Bryan Clausons of our racing world didn’t ask to be born into times like these. They are playing the hand that’s been dealt them—and in Mr. Clauson’s case, among others, playing it quite well. Be it a field filler from Lawrenceburg in 1963 or a multi-time track champ from Bloomington, let them all take bows; at least they did get out on the track and get a few laps in.

With all this, don’t forget to respect and revere the past. Appreciate the efforts of today’s racers for sure, but also remember those who went before. All you have to do is go up to a Butch Wilkerson, Kevin Briscoe or Jack Hewitt and merely say, “thanks.” They will know what you mean and will appreciate the gesture themselves.

And don’t limit your appreciation to racers of yesterday. Offer up your appreciation to anyone from a World War II vet to a former co-worker who toiled under worse conditions than yours. Forget not the past. Ever.

This is written with pictures of two little boys right by the computer’s screen. I see those guys and realize that I have much to tell them about lots of things. (I look forward to them asking, as my son asked when he was a little boy, “Dad, how did you get by with only four TV channels?”). I hope to do what I can to show them how much an occasional look back matters, both in racing and in life. Perhaps I’ll take them to our local shopping mall, stop in the middle of the mall and tell them that there used to be a race track right where we are standing. I’ll tell them about going to races when I was their age with my dad and grandpa. And I’ll tell them that racers were tough, hard men, who asked no quarter and gave none.

Perhaps then I’ll take them to a race and tell them that these racers are tough too. They don’t face the same exact risks that their predecessors faced, but there are still risks all the same. And the goal is still the same, no matter who, what or when the race is run: outrun the other guy. Perhaps, at some point, either or both of these young gentlemen (their parents would laugh at that description) will “get it.” And as surely as Bob Kinser provides a link to Bryan Clauson, I may do the same with my grandsons, bringing forth yet another generation of race fans. Stranger things have happened.

Copying this article from notes on my palm, I’m……

Danny Burton

The Hoosier Race Report: Perspectives

I approach a house, doing my job, with a handful of mail, ready to deposit it all in a neighbor’s mailbox. 30 seconds later the neighbor pulls the whole pile out of the mailbox. The neighbor has no way of knowing all that went into the effort to get all of his/her mail from one point to another.

My wife and I arrive at church only moments before the start of the service. Someone had to open the doors, turn on the heat (if necessary), organize the service, the music, prayers, etc. Ushers have to be ready to do everything from park cars to hand out the church bulletin. Child care workers need to be ready for the arrival of the little people who will stay in the nursery. Many worshippers have no idea of all the work and preparation that begins for a given Sunday service.

My son and I go to a concert. The car is parked, our tickets are taken and we browse through the CD selection in the lobby. We use the restroom and buy something to drink before we take our seats. The lights dim and the show begins. We pay no or little attention to all the preparations that the concert promoter, the workers, or the band have all done. We’re only there to hear some music that we enjoy.

I sit here for over an hour typing away, sometimes furiously, sometimes not. I read it over, correcting errors, re-working whole sentences at times. Then I send the whole mess to Allan, who may or may not read it himself. With a few clicks of the mouse here and there, he puts these words on the website. Soon after that, folks (several, I hope) visit hoseheads.com and read these words. Few, I’d imagine, gave a lot of thought about what Allan, myself, or any of the other columnists here did to get our thoughts from here to there, especially right after a race.

The family exits the car at the race track’s parking lot. They arrive just before the singing of our Anthem. They buy their tickets, find a place to sit and consider a visit to the concession stand, if not the restroom. At 7:30 sharp the races begin.

Entertain Me

When you think about it, we spend a good part of our lives asking or demanding to be entertained and/or served, not that there’s anything wrong with that. We pay for the privilege of being entertained, one way or the other. Our postage (not our tax dollars) pays for mail we send or receive. Our church needs our financial support to open its’ doors. Singers, good and bad, won’t sing for free. And, if we’re going to a race, we’d better be ready to buy a ticket, a cheeseburger, or whatever else you buy to support your local race track.

But perhaps we should occasionally consider more than just the “entertainment” itself. Perhaps we should appreciate the effort that lots of unsung people put into our well being. It’s easy to forget that your kid’s Happy Meal began somewhere other than your local McD’s. The minister doesn’t just show up and start preaching. The singer doesn’t simply look up the phone number for the local concert hall and schedule a concert. And the race promoter doesn’t just open the gates on a lazy Friday or Saturday afternoon and count his or her money.

Indeed, the race promoter (I refuse to use the word “organizer” even though there are some who might wear that term well) often begins work on the next week’s race right after this week’s race is over. For that matter, I’d guess that many promoters are quite busy now in January, firming up schedules, hiring track workers, adding a fence or wall and hunting for more sponsors, when they’re not fixing up the track itself. From what little I’ve seen, it can be and is a year round job and all too often we don’t realize that.

Who would wish to have to answer such questions as…how many hamburgers should I buy? How many workers? What is the weather forecast? If I postpone the race, how soon should I make the call? Is there enough insurance? How much of a sanctioning fee can I afford to pay? Should I rent the track out to these guys? Can they be trusted? What kind of tire rule, if any, should I have? How strict should the rules be? Who will maintain the website? How much should I spend on advertising? And where should I spend my advertising dollars? And what should be the penalties for whichever rule is broken? Would it pay off to add more bleachers? Or, how much longer will these old bleachers last? These are only a few of the questions that promoters have; many of them are questions that have to be answered week after week.

I’ve been blessed enough to see a few of the examples above from both sides. I’ve delivered and received mail. I’ve attended church merely as a “spectator” and have been a part of the preparation beforehand. I’ve gone to races and didn’t bother with a notebook; usually these days, though, I have a notebook with me. And I’ve spent many hours reading racing articles either online or while holding a newspaper or magazine in my hands, as opposed to writing about this sport I love. Like singer Judy Collins, often I’ve seen things from both sides. So I do have an appreciation of what folks do to “entertain” us, even as I have no way of knowing what it’s like.

The preacher, the concert promoter and the race promoter all have a few things in common and many of those involve things that cannot be controlled, with weather at or near the top of that list when it comes to attendance. All have their work cut out for them. The really good ones aren’t in it for the money, though they do hope to make a living at what they do. (Those who are in it only for the money may make tons of it for awhile, but if they treat their patrons badly, that surely won’t last. Examples abound.) All wish to “entertain” people (with the preacher hoping to offer a bit more than mere entertainment). And all of the good ones are necessary for our society as we know it today.

So the next time you go anywhere to be either served or entertained, you may wish to consider not only the entertainment, but all of the work that it takes to bring it to you. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll have a greater appreciation and a better perspective of what it takes to do anything from preparing for a race, getting your mail from point A to point B, or reading this article.

Dumping my wing while getting my spoiler out of mothballs, I’m…..

Danny Burton

The Hoosier Race Report: A (Brief) Look Back—Part Two

For sprint fans, come mid-July, we all know what’s up next. That would be the exhilarating, mind numbing, tiring, stressful, and well worth it grind has come to be the peak of the Hoosier sprint car season. Seven or so races with only a night or two for a break, and if a fan such as I am is tired, one can imagine how tired the teams are by the time of the final checkered flag.

But Indiana Sprint Week(s) is far from the whole season. There are way too many other races to consider and that we did.

Sprint Week---Thriller to the End

I’m no fan of points racing but will admit that the Bryan Clauson/Levi Jones point battle was a true thriller to watch by the time ISW ended at Haubstadt. But the rest of the races and racing wasn’t too shabby either.

Night one at Lawrenceburg didn’t disappoint as Dave Darland ran off with the win. From there, it was north to Gas City and Levi Jones taking advantage of Darren Hagen’s misfortune to win. Chad Boat, who had a bit of success at Kokomo this year, took the 30 lapper on the third night, followed by a two day break—for me at least.

Wednesday afternoon saw me headed west/northwest to Terre Haute and wondering how ISW promoters had managed to avoid rain so far. Despite an inch of rain at Terre Haute on Tuesday night, the track prep wizards had the fast half mile bullring ready. And Brad Sweet won as Dave Darland came from 13th to finish third behind Jerry Coons Jr.

So what if Kamp’s Speedway was a dust bowl? It may have been the best race of the year. I was strolling out to John Hoover’s van with him when we heard that Dave Darland had won by .027 seconds over Cole Whitt. I honestly thought that Darland had won from my turn one seat.

Friday night and I was closer to home at Bloomington. Bryan Clauson won a huggy pole kind of race. Complaints about the track abounded. It seldom fails. Maybe it’s a result of rising expectations? People pay good money to see races but track preparation is as much of an art as it is a science. No matter, Bloomington is and always will be special to me. I’ve seen more than my share of great races there.

The closing night finally came and it all came down at Haubstadt/Tri-State Speedway. Clauson and Jones would settle the points title here and Levi held off BC to take it all after a struggle with real life drama. And that was that. But…..there was still a good bit of racing left for 2009.

Sure enough, the first post-ISW race at Bloomington was a thrill as Brady Short passed Casey Shuman on the last lap to win. (Yeah, I know. No time trials, etc.) Shane Cottle closed out July with a win at Gas City.

August

With five different tracks racing in the Hoosier area (counting Eldora), it was no big surprise that “only” 18 cars were at Lawrenceburg. No matter, it was plenty enough for a race and Coleman Gulick showed the savvy of a veteran to win the feature.

The following Saturday saw Brady Short tuning up for the upcoming $10k to win show by winning the feature, worth “only” $1500.

Once again, Brady Short won at Bloomington the next Friday and then it was off to Salem for the James/O’Conner Memorial. Car counts for both the USAC sprints and midgets were not the greatest. The outcry was predictable and maybe, in the long run, the reasons for the low counts will be addressed. Brad Sweet won the USAC Midget feature and Tracy Hines took the A for the sprinters. Off the track, my night was enriched by my first, and hopefully not the last, meeting with Charlie Kay, a Salem kid who moved to Boston years ago but retained his love of Indiana racing.

The Dick Gaines Memorial has a nice sound for a race name. And the racing was up to the title as Jerry Coons Jr. won as I celebrated yet another milestone.

I closed out August by venturing to Lincoln Park for the first time in three or four years to see what new headman Joe Spiker had done to the long neglected track. Thomas Meseraull came from 17th to win and I saw a kinder, gentler LPS. Cleaner, too.

September

Scotty Weir won the first Saturday of the month at Lawrenceburg as Dave Foist and I saw something fairly rare. A sprinter did a flip, righted itself and kept going. Shane Cottle opened September at Kokomo with a win as Cole Whitt wrapped up the track championship. After Dave had driven to the ‘burg, it was my turn to make the drive up U.S. 31 to Kokomo.

I came back from the western North Carolina mountains in time to see Jon Stanbrough carry off $5000 after winning the MSCS sanctioned event at Bloomington. An astounding 65 cars, no doubt the largest car count of the year, were on hand.

Next up was Eldora, Night Two of the Four Crown. Armed with a new North Carolina cowboy hat and some nifty goggles, I greeted grandson #1, his dad and his other granddad on a chilly night and a, what else, dusty track. Through the dust I could see Brad Sweet (Midgets), Jerry Coons Jr. (Sprints) and Dave Darland (Silver Crowns) win at Tony’s place. Dust or not, we had a fine time.

October

Autumn was in full swing as Lawrenceburg opened the month with back to back $10k to win shows with first USAC and then MSCS sanctioning. Damion Gardner won on Friday night as 51 cars signed in. As I was up north on Saturday night wrestling with grandsons, Jon Stanbrough won on Saturday night.

After my mom’s passing on October 13, going to a race track was good therapy. So Dave Foist and I went north one more time to Kokomo to see Cole Whitt win.

Usually my last race of the year is a fendered affair at Salem. My not-so-lame excuse is that it’s Salem; enough said. Chuck Barnes won the 20th Annual Halloween 200 for the seventh time as a brief skirmish broke out in the pits after an on-track mishap. Feelings were hurt and maybe a couple of jaws as well.

And that was that. About 8,000 miles, 40,000 words and maybe four dozen cheeseburgers later, it’s come down to this. I have no illusions about writing as good my writing heroes Twain, L’Amour, Steinbeck, Argabright and Olson (Kevin, that is), but I enjoy it anyway. In the process I saw lots of great racing, met up with lots of good people who are good friends and spent “quality time” (hate that phrase) with my grandson and, on occasion, his dad. Perhaps the main thing I keep learning is that my curiosity is alive and well. On the way to the track I’m still curious what lies around the next curve; maybe it’ll be something new. At the track, I’m still curious who will win, even when it seems obvious on paper who should win. And on the way home, I’m still curious how the next article will turn out. As much as anything, that keeps me going.

May each and every one of you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Preparing to crash a reception at the White House, I’m…..

Danny Burton

A (Brief) Look Back--Part One

Even though I attended “only” 40 races in 2009, the year still provided a lifetime’s worth of memories. New and old faces, good and ordinary races, along with too many cheeseburgers made it all worthwhile. Family issues, along with work issues, kept me home more than usual, but that’s also life. Each race was special, each trip to a track was one filled with anticipation and sometimes the drive there was also a joy.

April

Though rain cut short opening night at Twin Cities, the following week was a huge success as Nic Faas won after a Thomas Meseraull/Bryan Clauson “meeting.” Dave Darland came from 18th to finish second. Jeff Bland won the makeup feature from the tail spot. 43 cars were signed in.

Opening night at Bloomington (after a Gas City rainout) saw 44 cars in the pits. Brady Short came from 10th to win; this would be a harbinger of things for come for Brady at Bloomington in 2009. Brent Beauchamp received bows for coming from the tail spot to finish a strong sixth. The following night saw USAC come to Lawrenceburg and Josh Wise run off with the win.

I took a weekend off from racing during the month to welcome a new grandson into the world. But the following weekend saw grandson #1 and I head to Salem for winged sprinters (and some playground time in the infield). It was Landon’s first visit to Salem, which made him even with Chad Goff, who won the feature co-sanctioned by both AVSS and HOSS.

May

The merry month opened with Robert Ballou taking away $1500 from Lawrenceburg Speedway coffers. Unfortunately, Brett Burdette’s season was over early after a front straight flip. And my own aging memory failed me as I locked my keys in my truck. Kerry Norris came to the rescue.

The following Saturday at the ‘burg had four classes of open wheel cars. Damion Gardner made a last lap slide job work as he edged Ryan Pace. The MASS/winged gang was also on hand with Kaley Gharst winning the feature. Mike Miller was the NRA/Sprint Invader winner with Beau Stewart using a last lap pass to win the mini-sprint A Main.

Brady Short and Nic Faas won the following weekend at Bloomington and Lawrenceburg. At Bloomington, once again Brent Beauchamp made a strong run from the back, 20th to third.

May ended with Chris Windom winning a KISS show at Bloomington. Brady Short won a Lawrenceburg feature that ended at 9:20 p.m. No, really.

June

Ho hum, another Friday night at Bloomington and another last lap pass. Jeff Bland led for maybe a few yards of the feature as he passed Superman/Jon Stanbrough at the end. Up next was Indiana Midget Week.

And what a week it was. Sprint cars with USAC’s Midget Division beginning at Gas City with its playground. Jerry Coons Jr. won the midget feature and Jon Stanbrough took the sprint feature. My grandson enjoyed the playground and I met Dick Monahan, super fan from New England.

At Bloomington Brady Short won the sprint feature and Brad Kuhn came from 14th to win the midget feature with yet another last lap pass.

After wishing Bryan Clauson an early happy birthday, I watched him win the midget feature at Lawrenceburg. Jerry Coons Jr. and the Hoffman team made a rare non-USAC appearance at their home track pay off as he won the sprint finale.

The following Friday it was off to Gas City again Billy Puterbaugh Jr. outran both the field and the rain to win.

June ended with maybe the best race of the year. Certainly it was the most inspiring as Kenny Niflis won the 21st Sheldon Kinser Memorial, coming from 16th and taking the lead on lap 25 of a 40 lap race.

July

The hottest month of the year began for me at Bloomington, where the fireworks on the track overshadowed the fireworks show that celebrated our nation’s birth. Danny Holtsclaw was the third of three leaders on the last five laps as he passed Jeff Bland Jr. with one lap to go.

The rest of my look back will follow soon, beginning with Indiana Sprint Week.

Preparing for my new job as Tiger Woods’ marriage counselor, I’m…..

Danny Burton

dlb1600@yahoo.com

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