Broadslidin’ the Back Roads

(Val) The weather started out perfect for racing at Jacksonville last night. Blue skies, fair temps and little wind made for a great combination. The track was in good shape for qualifying, but got pretty dusty as the night wore on, and a breeze kicked in to blow that dust right into the grandstands. It was the first time I had seen that happen at Jacksonville, and who knows why sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t.

There was a good-sized car count and the grandstands were pretty full too, and with a big high school football game for competition, it was probably a tough decision for some. It’s hard to pass up a night dedicated to Sprint Car and Midget action, especially when it’s set on the tight little bullring that is Jacksonville Raceway.

Spring and I spent hotlaps and qualifying in the infield and made the best of light and shadow. Sometimes we would shoot side-by-side and other times we split up and headed for opposite ends of the track. It’s fun to compare shots later and view the different ways we see things. She has taught me so much about angles and watching for background distractions, but I am still very much the amateur to her professional. I am very grateful for every bit of advice and help she gives me!

We traveled to Jacksonville with my Dad, brother, Spring’s husband Randy, and family friend, Bob. Old Blue was loaded down and riding smoothly as we traveled up highway 79 along the rolling river. On the way up we raced a BNSF freight train, and I wished my son, the train nut, was along to see it. We drove past fields of corn and beans, up and down hills and through small towns as we were serenaded by Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban once again.

(The trip there was quick, and we had a lot of fun. One of the best parts for me was visiting with Sprint Car driver Bobby Hawks who lives in Jacksonville and has been racing there and elsewhere for many years. It was announced that evening that he would be hanging up his helmet soon, and that this night would be his last night to race at Jacksonville. Upon further investigation, we found that Bobby has his race team up for sale, but says he will probably get to drive now and then for other owners. He is turning fifty in the next few days, so in addition to wishing him well with his semi-retirement, I also want to wish him a happy birthday. He has always been fun to watch and I will miss seeing him drive. Good luck to Bobby, Mike and all the crew in their last few races of the season!

(On track action was very exciting and there were many races within races. In the Sprint Car feature, we watched Danny Smith work his magic, moving from midway back in the pack up to fourth before he spun and had to go to the end of the line once again. I have lost count of how many times I have witnessed Danny win at Jacksonville, but this was not his night as Paul May ended up the one in victory lane.

The evening flew by, and before I knew it we were back in the van and headed home once again, after a quick stop at Sonic. The miles did not pass as quickly on the reverse trip, but with Roger and Randy making me laugh and doing “deer patrol,” I managed to stay awake. We saw at least a half dozen deer along 79, along with two coyotes and a fox.

Spring and Randy got the privilege of being the first ones home for a change, which I am sure they appreciated with the busy weekend they had ahead of them. I dropped off the rest of my riders and headed down those last few long miles home on my own, ready to drop into bed and sleep for hours. Of course, once there, it is always hard to get the adrenaline to calm down enough to drop off, but it did happen at last.

Our next trip may still be the Cup race at Kansas Speedway, but we’re not sure yet. Details are still up in the air. We are working on a few other fun little things, and will share that with you here as plans come together.

Thanks for stopping in again. I have a few of my pictures up in the gallery, and with a little luck, and maybe a bit of duct tape, we’ll have some of Spring’s up before too long. She’s had a rough week of computer problems, flash card issues, and software snafus. I think she’s ready for things to just go right for a change.