On a warm night in May

(Val) Wow! I honestly don't remember the last time I got to go racing two nights in a row, but I have to say, it's been way too long. This weekend was a great way to jump into the season.

Last night Dad, my hubby and I headed back down to Farmington for night two of the First Annual 410 Nationals at SFCR. (Note to promoters: Never call something the "First Annual," indicating that there will be one next year, until you see how well the first one turns out.)

It was another steamy afternoon, but the breeze kept things bearable. We had expected a much higher car count after last night's slim turnout, but there were only 20 or so cars. No matter, the racing was still very good, and no one was giving anything away, not even in the heats.

The photo here is a picture of Saturday night's winning car, driven by Tommy Worley, Jr. Tommy was locked into the feature on Friday night, won the dash on Saturday to nail down the pole position, then held off a hard-charging Tim Montgomery for the win. Montgomery looked like he had it up until he backed into the turn 4 wall going for the pass. After that, Worley got out in front and stayed there.

We had a great evening, and thanks to the loan of my daughter's camera, we got better pictures this evening too. My hubby snapped some really nice ones, but since we kept handing the camera back and forth, I'm not really sure who took which ones. The track got a little dusty tonight, but not nearly as bas as some places I've seen. For the most part, I thought it held up really well.

We spent the afternoon today at a family bar-b-que, taking turns catching up on the Indy 500 progress, eating, visiting and working on training our dog. Each year, we each pay $1 per driver and randomly draw names for who will win the race, and the pot. This year's finish was the most exciting ever, both on the track and on Dad's screened in porch. My sister-in-law took home the big $33 prize and turned down the offer of a big glass of milk on her head.

Spring and her family are on their way back from Disney World and were driving through Atlanta this afternoon. We should be out on the road to our next GGR adventure together very soon. I am looking forward to introducing her to the world of Sprint Car racing on June 14. It should be an absolute blast!

Back on track

(Val) After months of thinking about it, planning for it, and praying for good weather, I finally got back out to play in the dirt last night!

My Dad and I headed down to Farmington, Missouri yesterday afternoon to meet up with my brother and a buddy for the First Annual 410 Nationals at Saint Francois County Raceway. It was a warm afternoon, but we found some shade in the drivers stands when we needed it, thanks to the wonderful billboards along the backstretch.

It felt great just to be out and the facility at SFCR is excellent. Surrounded by trees on three sides, it is a picuresque setting in which to watch the greatest sport on earth. With only 19 Sprinters in the pits, we were a bit disappointed, but the talent there would definitely be worth watching, and Saturday is sure to draw more drivers as the winner will receive a $7,500 paycheck. The top four spots were locked in Friday night, and it was a major case of sibling rivalry with Joey and Tim Montgomery started on the front row of the feature. They duked it out the entire time with Dale Howard, Tommy Worley, Jr., A.J. Bruns and others hot on their tails.

For Saturday night's big event, the Montgomery brothers, Worley and Howard will face off in a scramble to see who will sit on the pole. It should be an all out battle that keeps the fans on their feet.

Before the racing started, we wandered the pits checking out the cars and chatting with a few of the drivers. There were a few cars we didn't recognize, others with different names on the sides, and still more with the same diehard drivers behind the wheel. The Webb Racing number 51 has carried a slew of talented drivers over the starting line, including Jarrod Hull and Danny Smith, but it would be Paul May behind the wheel for the first time tonight. May pushed the car to its limits and put on a Sprint Car driving school of his own as he figured out just what it could do. He will be one to watch on Saturday.

While watching the races, I made a few observations. Here are just a few.

The billed cap has many uses
Caps have many uses other than just keeping the sun out of your eyes and off your tender scalp. I'm not a real cap person since I just don't look cute in them the way Spring does. I do, however, snap my WhoWon.com cap (signed by Brad Doty and Sarah Fisher) on my purse and retreive it for a variety of reasons. One of the handiest, is that it can be used as a fan or a bug swatter. It can also be used to keep one's drink mud-clod free or to hold peanuts or other snacks.

Buggy Babes crack me up
SFCR has these cool little buggies they use for pushing off sprint cars and recovering disabled vehicles. Usually, they are driven by a guy while his girl (aka the Buggy Babe) rides shotgun. I can't help but chuckle when I see the vehicle pull up to a car because the same thing always happens. The driver hops out to check on the condition of the racer and assess the situation, while the Buggy Babe sits idly in the passenger seat chewing gum, twirling her hair and looking bored. What's the problem ladies, afraid of getting a little mud on your tennies? Or does your man just like you to stay put while he flexes his muscles while putting the car on the meat hook?

(I added the photo on Sunday. Not a Buggy Babe in the passenger seat, but at least now you know what the buggies look like.)

Dirt track concessions are usually cheaper and better than those at ballparks:
I know I did an entire post devoted to sneaking snacks into sporting events, but for a night at the dirt track, there's really no need. When you can get a fresh grilled burger or a big-as-your-face pork tenderloin at the track for less than the price of a bag of M&M's at the stadium, who needs to pack snacks? Ok, so I brought in two small bags of sunflower seeds, but I got them for free at a Missouri Valley Conference basketball game and they were just begging to be taken to a dirt track. Besides, we didn't touch them because the burgers, fries and tea were too good!

I'd rather spend a bad night racing than a good night at a soccer game
Come on, a good night at a soccer game? Impossible! And there's virtually no such thing as a bad night racing. Even when it rains, we find ways to have fun.

Hoping to get back to SFCR tonight for night two of the First Annual 410 Nationals. Be sure to check out last night's photos. They're no way close to what Spring would have taken, but at least you can tell those are cars in the pictures. Most of 'em anyway.

It's great to be back!

Days go by...

(Val) Wow, I am amazed at how much time has passed since my last post. My most sincere apologies to anyone who has checked back here hoping for something new only to come across my agonizing diatribe on pain. My only excuse is that I really was in a lot of pain and I needed an outlet.

Here I am, nearly a full month since the morning I woke up in excruciating pain, and I have to say that it has been a long, long road to recovery. I just completed my third week of physical therapy, and have one more session scheduled. Hopefully, I will be released after that. Through excercise, stretching, rest and patience, I am very close to recovery. Last night, I slept through the night for the first time since Easter. It was heavenly!

We are still not sure what I did, and I'm still going to have to be very careful not re-injure my shoulder, but I am so thankful to have come as far as I have. I have a great trainer, and it's been wonderful knowing that so many people have been praying for me. Those prayers are being answered!

In the last four weeks, I haven't been able to do anything regarding racing, but that will change soon. Tonight was supposed to have been a night of watching Midgets at Belle Claire Speedway, but weather is curtailing those plans. Instead, tonight we will hang out and watch the NASCAR race at Darlington. Spring and Randy may join us if they feel like making the drive. It should be a lot of fun!

Next up on my schedule is a double night Sprint event at Saint Fraincois County Raceway on Memorial Day Weekend. Saturday pays $7,000 to win and we will probably hang out in the pits. Spring will be in Charlotte that weekend, checking out the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, if everything goes as planned.

Ashley had the good fortune of spending a lot of time at Talladega a couple of weeks ago and she really enjoyed it. She has plans to write up her own entry here though, so I won't steal her thunder.

We'll keep you posted on our ramblings and, God-willing, there won't be such a gap between this post and the next one. Thanks for hanging in there!