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Butts in the Bleachers

by Rusty Rogerson

The Masters Classic is BROKEN

Last weekend I attended the World of Outlaw 3 day show at Knoxville. It was the annual Hall of Fame Induction weekend, which means it is time for the Masters Classic. I hate to say it, but this format is BROKEN. You have drivers like 71-year-old Ernest Jennings then you have folks like Swindell and Lasoski. After Sammy broke the 360 track record, people in the grandstands started mumbling. Then when he all but lapped the field in the A-Main tempers began to flare. In the post-race interview Sammy indicated it was their plan to lap the field. Those comments did nothing to change his image with most fans.

On Saturday the campgrounds was a buzz about Friday. The majority of fans would like to see some restrictions placed on who can compete in the Masters Classic. If the only restriction is a driver’s age, then it is felt that participation will continue to fall off year after year. Why would people like Steve Hainline or Roger Clark, who drove in the 70’s even consider participating. They haven’t been in a racecar for 25-30 years and to come run with current World of Outlaw racer would be not worth the effort. Several us began to wonder if there were any additional restrictions to the Classic and no one could come up with any other than age.

I think the Hall of Fame should re-work this program and make it meaningful to the drivers that participate and also to the fans. We paid $30 to get in and to watch Sammy lap the field was not what I was seeking. I wanted to see some of my old heroes go wheel to wheel like they used to. I would have loved a battle between Randy Smith and Mackie Heimbaugh that would have been worth the admission price. I think they should move the Classic into the 305 class and only allow drivers who are actually not driving for living participate.

As always I take ownership of these words and you can always reach me at gorusty@aol.com

May 24, 2010

“THROW THE YELLOW” I never dreamed I would ever write a piece about use of the yellow flag. I believe the yellow is thrown many times when it is not necessary, but Saturday Night at Knoxville during the 360 A-Main, the yellow was needed and was down right scary that young Mr. Clark did not throw it.

Chad Humston driving Mark Burch’s 1M was running away with the show. He was very fast and very smooth. Near the end of the race Jonathan Cornell slowed coming out of turn 2. No yellow flag and here comes the field roaring down the backstretch. To make the matter even worse there were several lapped cars in the mix and I watched in horror as Chad plowed downed into the stalled car of Cornell. Chad then took a hard roll and I am sure destroyed a car in the progress. Cornell was then hit by Brett Mather’s car. In an instant 3 races were heavily damaged and the risk of serious injuries was very high. Thankfully everyone walked away from this disaster. Would the yellow flag have prevented this? I don’t know, but it couldn’t have made the situation any worse than it was.

“Sammy WINS Knoxville” in another story from Knoxville, I never thought I would use the Sammy Wins headline. I have never been a Sammy fan, not that I don’t admire his skills and his dedication to the sport, I just find him boring. On Saturday May 22, 2010 he put on a show for all the fans. After a jumbled up start, Sammy was relegated to the tail end of the field. Once the green flag was dropped on the restart he made his charge to the front and by lap 12 he was leading the field. Brian Brown made a couple of attempts with slide jobs, but Sammy just had his “mojo” working.

WoO total invert for Friday June 4, 2010 feature. As I was headed to Knoxville on Saturday I heard on the radio that the A-Main feature finish from Thursday night would be inverted for Friday’s A-Main. This should really give the fans a show. I am really looking forward to this event. I verified this is true on Knoxville’s website.

I am headed to Farmington, Missouri Saturday June 12th. I sure hope the weather cooperates, Farmington has been having around 27 410s at their weekly show. I believe Knoxville had only 22 this past Saturday. Farmington is different kind of sprint car racing. If you have never been it should be on your calendar. Small and tight with a great tradition of side by side racing.

34 Raceway is offering FREE ADMISSION on Saturday May 29th for the Sprint Invaders. You can’t beat that. Thanks to the promoters for this great start to the summer. Grab your neighbors and take all the kids to this one. The Sprint Invaders always put on a good show.

Still counting the days till my Kings Royal weekend.

May 2010

Well, Mother Nature finally cut us a break last Saturday and Knoxville got their first night in the books. On Friday afternoon when it was raining sideways I held out little hope for Saturday. As usual the Knoxville track crew did their job and a great racing surface was prepared. They timed the 360s in groups, which is change for them, and they did a good job. The BIGGEST question for myself and many other fans is the only thing GOOD about Goodyear is in the name? Tire failures were the news of the night. First, Austin McCarl running 2nd in the A-Main has a left rear tire explode in the middle of turns 3 and 4. He did a great job holding the car up next to the fence. Unfortunately when the tire blew it tore off a nerf bar, which Josh Schneiderman running 4th ran over and his right rear exploded on the front stretch. After Schneiderman’s car was removed from the track and the green flag waived again, Mark Dobmier who was charging forward had a right rear blow on the front stretch. Many people sitting around said it was going to be a long summer if this is what is going to happen. Regardless of all that it was nice to see Don Droud bring home the win for Sonner’s 47 car.

The 305’s were also at Knoxville and put on a nice show. There are several of these drivers that are really hard chargers. It appears that 305s on the schedule pretty routinely in 2010. I originally was not that excited about adding this class but they proved me wrong.

I traveled to New York City a couple of weeks ago and picked up my new motor home. As I was driving across Pennsylvania I finally figured out why the PA Posse are such hard chargers. They are used to driving on I-80 where there is nothing to see and you tend to drive faster to get to the next exit to see if there is anything there.

Bobby Hawk’s Jacksonville Speedway was rained out this past Friday night and will open the season with the Sprint Invaders on Friday May 7, 2010. Their website indicates a lot of improvements have been made, with new concession area and a new judge’s stand for the starter and scorer. This was desperately needed, as the times I announced there it was kind of scary how close to the racetrack you really were. Good Luck to Bobby and Cathi and the entire Jacksonville Speedway crew. Update Friday 5/7/10 is has been raining all day.

What’s in a name? Recently I have noticed that several racetracks have latched onto names that are clearly associated with other events. I find this somewhat disturbing as I feel like it is an infringement on another promoter’s success. Recently, 34 Raceway hosted an “Ultimate Challenge” event for the Sprint Invaders. In August we will have The Ultimate Challenge in Oskaloosa. That would be like Knoxville Nationals changing their name to the All-Star Race like NASCAR. I am probably the only person who thinks this is weird, but I do. The one thing a good promoter must be is creative. Creativity in names, in events, in advertising and every other aspect of the operation is essential to getting and keeping butts in the bleachers.

Last time I mentioned that Brother Matt had retired from sprint cars. He informed me he is looking for a ride. Sorry Matt

Spoke with Terry McCarl last Saturday at Knoxville. He has his arm in a brace and he stated it was still very painful. He wasn’t sure when the doctor would release him to return to duty.

HANG ON Dingus Fans: AJ and crew are making major changes at this popular post race gathering spot. All the canvass tents are gone and they are actually building a large outdoor covered area. It appears that it will have garage doors on it for those hot nights in July. They are also putting a new roof structure on the original building. Rumor has it that they are building a stage in the new addition. Last Saturday night the place was busy with what appeared to be several parties being held for Brides to Be. The DJ picked up on the young crowd and played the music these kids like. I personally couldn’t understand the lyrics, except for often-repeated cuss words. Anyway, it was a great time and actually a couple of the girls decided to throw a few punches, which Dingus Security guys quickly ended. As the girls swung, I mentioned to the lady next to me that they must be angry with their beauticians as both girls had wild hair color. The woman promptly replied they were the beauticians in town. I was half way right.

Finalizing my racing schedule with planned trips to the Kings Royal and of course a stop at the Slippery Noodle and also the CowTown Nationals in Texas. My kids have talked me into transporting them to the Iowa vs. Michigan in Michigan, so that should be a good time.

As always the comments stated here are strictly mine and I don’t care if someone would like to disagree. That’s what makes the world fun.

You can send me an email at gorusty@aol.com

March 2010

Has SPRING sprung where you live? When you live in Iowa you come to expect 0 degrees one day and 65 the next, with a snow storm thrown in the middle. Each day I think come on get me to April 17^th and soon. The 17^th is the Sprint Invaders opening show at 34 Raceway Park in West Burlington, Iowa. There has been a lot of activity in the Sprint Invader’s territory. Veteran driver Matt Rogerson has retired after a very successful 2009 season. The highlight for Matt was wining at West Liberty, Iowa. West Liberty is a historic half mile that has hosted racing action sine the mid 1940’s This was Matt’s first ever win on half mile race track. Known for his bullring driving abilities, capturing the half mile was a great way to end your racing career. 2010 should be a great year for the Sprint Invaders, as long time sponsor Ideal Ready Mix has returned once again as the series main sponsor. The Invaders will return to the Lee County Speedway at Donnellson, Iowa after a couple of years hiatus. Thanks to Terry and Jeni Hoeing and the Sprint Invader Board for making this happen. If you have never seen Sprint Cars at Donnellson it is worth the tip. The racing action is always exciting. The food is good and the restrooms are always clean. The Invaders will return to Farley, Iowa as part of the Yankee Dirt Classic. Last year was the first time that Sprint Cars had been at Farley for many years.

2010 will bring changes to the Jacksonville Speedway in Jacksonville, Illinois. Veteran Sprint Car driver and all around nice guy Bobby Hawks will be the promoter. Winged 410 Sprints will make a return to the speedway. Bobby and his wife Cathy will bring a lot of experience, knowledge and organization to the program. I am looking forward to visiting some Friday night in May, the season opener is April 30^th.

I stopped by Midland Performance in West Burlington, Iowa a couple of weeks ago. Scott Bonar was busy preparing Jerrod Hull’s 12 for action in the Midwest. Hull of Sikeston, Missouri is always a threat when his rig rolls in the pit gate. I also got a chance to see the Midget that Invader’s Andy Houston drove at his run at the Chili Bowl in January. Jarrod Schneiderman’s 88 car was also nearly complete. He will make his 360 debut in 2010 after running 305 last year, finishing 5^th in points at 34 Raceway.

I am not really clear what is going on Knoxville. As of this writing they have announced which specific compound the Goodyear right rear will be. One has to wonder if they are watching what is happening with the World of Outlaws selection. Then last week they announced a motor rule change for the 410 class. This change will allow some older motors around the country to be legal on Saturday nights. I am guessing this is an attempt to increase the numbers of 410s at their weekly shows. I lay you odds that Lenard McCarl has a couple of these motors at his house. I can’t wait for my first Saturday night visit to Knoxville. Dingus here I come.

Knoxville Nationals will celebrate their 50^th anniversary this August. This is a major milestone in our sport. I am hoping that the fair board marks this event with style and showmanship.

Another notable milestone is the 25^th Anniversary of Deuce Motorsports out of West Burlington, Iowa. Son Josh will sport a Silver car in the 410 class. The team has also created several surprises for fans to help them celebrate this Anniversary. Be sure and stop by the pits after the races and see what’s up. I think all the fans will be a winner.

On a sad note Sprint Car Racing lost a good friend, loyal supporter and former driver when Randy Wagler passed away. Randy drove for many years and his entire family loves sprint cars.

My summer plans include a return trip to the Kings Royal, 1^st time visit to Jackson, Mn, and LaSalle, IL for the return of the Outlaws, Cowtown Nationals in Dallas and to Charlotte for the World Finals for the Outlaws. In between I hope to get to just about every track within 200 miles that has a Sprint Car event. I look forward to seeing old friends, meeting new friends and generally having a GOOD Time, which I have heard is my reputation.

As always you can contact me at gorusty@aol.com.

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