Rest in Peace, Chuck Amati

Rich Edwards sent out an e-mail this morning with the sad announcement of the passing of local racing legend, Chuck Amati. The "One Armed Bandit" passed away on Tuesday.

Rich included some great photos and a scan of an old postcard in his note. I have a different postcard of Chuck under the glass of my desktop. I scanned the front and back and will include them in this post.

Godspeed, Chuck. You will be missed!

Everything Else Seems So Small

A week ago today I was grieving the outcome of our elections, stressing about the economy, looking toward a busy weekend highlighted by a big dance for my son. The world, and my concerns, seemed huge.

Today my world has shrunk down to just my livingroom and my kitchen. For the past several days, I have left the house only to run a couple of very quick errands. Today we are engaged in my daughter's difficult fight against mono. This is day 11.

She was sick for several days before seeing a campus doctor last Thursday. Her diagnosis was a virus that would just have to run its course. Three days later, she was much worse so I took her to an urgent care facility where the actual diagnosis of mono was made.

Our days since then have become a blur as I sit here in my recliner working while I listen to her breathing as she sleeps. Sometimes it is the quiet sleep, the kind that sounds relaxing, and other times, like right now, it sounds as if she works extremely hard just to get air into her lungs. Either way, it is good to know she is sleeping because rest is what her body so desperately needs.

The past two mornings she has gotten me out of bed early (4:15 and 2:45am) due to exruciating ear pain. Her tonsils and glands are so swollen that they press in on her ears and cause her to feel like she has the worst ear ache in history. We treat with drops, ibuprofen and the heating pad to get the slightest bit of relief.

My heart breaks at seeing my beautiful daughter brought down like this. I sit for hours listening to her breathe, praying for comfort and healing, praying that my son does not catch this because he is scheduled to march in the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade in two weeks.

This could be nearly over, or we could still be at the beginning of a very long road to full recovery. Only time will tell. Only God will bring us through. He is mighty and merciful and I trust Him for complete healing.

Thank you to everyone who is praying for our family. We truly appreciate it!

One, two, three, breeeaaaatthhhe

Ok, I've had a little time to calm down now, and the counsel of a great local on-air personality and another really good friend. Thanks Jamie Allman on 97.1 Talk FM in St. Louis for helping me to see that my attitude is not the legacy I want to pass on to my kids, and for sharing some really positive points that I hadn't even thought about.

My dear friend and sister-in-Christ, Stephanie helped to tilt my world more toward center when she emailed a photo of her cuddly puffball of a dog, Chloe. How can anyone stay mad at the world when you see a face like that? She also called and gave me some wonderful and Godly insights. Praise God for good friends and spiritual mentors. Thank you, Steph!

As I read through my earlier rants, I realize that they were born out of anger, and that I should have stopped and counted to ten (or maybe ten thousand) before I put my thoughts into print. While I still believe in the essence of what I wrote, I know now that I should probably have said it a bit differently. The words and the context really don't reflect my faith and are not the kind of legacy I want to pass on to my children. If I offended anyone, I apologize. Rants are rants, and should probably be left in my head most of the time.

So here I sit on an absolutely gorgeous fall day as the trees cling desperately to their leaves as the breeze does its best to tear them down. As beautiful as they are, those leaves have to be surrendered in order for new growth to take place. Kind of an analogy on our lives, isn't it? When we hang onto the things of this world, no matter how lovely they are, we fail to let God work in our lives. Sometimes He has to sweep away the good stuff with the bad stuff in order to reveal the nature of His wonderful plan.

Today I am thankful for one last beautiful day before winter sets in, for my job that allows me to sit here by this window and enjoy it, and for new beginnings, no matter how painful they sometimes are.

May God bless your day.

Rest in Peace, America!

When I awoke this morning and realized that last night's election results weren't just some horrific nightmare, there was such an overwhelming heaviness in my heart that I just couldn't handle it. This feels like September 11, 2001 all over again.

The predominant adjective in my vocabulary right now is betrayal. That's how I feel about the actions of just over 50% of this country. You have betrayed us in the deepest and most heinous of ways by choosing a man whose views are so far removed from those of our forefathers that it's hard to believe he can call himself an American citizen.

Thank you, God that folks in my county have some sense, and it looks as if our state still voted conservatively although it was unbelievably and inexcusably close.

Now, I'm not going to ruin my blog by going on and on about the elections because that's just not what the blog is about. As sad as I am today, as much as my heart breaks for my children's future, this just isn't the place to keep ranting over and over. I'm not a whiney liberal and I don't intend to become one.

With that in mind, I have to say that, despite the title of this entry, I refuse to give up hope. We endured the Carter and Clinton years, we will endure this as well because we are still Americans and deep down I have to believe that we still believe in what's good and right and true and when the rest of you wake up and decide to fight for it, we shall overcome.

As for me, I look forward to 2012. Sarah Palin all the way, baby!

P.S. At least there is ONE good thing about today: No election ads on tv and no more of those robo-calls. I think we can all agree that that is a very good thing. :)

The Stars Go Blue

As I sit here watching pandemonium break out as the Associated Press projects Barack Hussein Obama the next President of the United States, many thoughts are running through my head. I would have to say that most of them are running toward the negative, although I keep telling myself that God is still in control of my life, no matter what madman controls this country of ours.

Of course, in this moment, I'm just overwhelmed by feelings of sadness, depression, and extreme disappointment at my fellow Americans. Beyond that, I pity those who are so blind that they cannot see through this man in whom they have placed their trust. Unfortunately, it won't be just those who voted for "change" that will see change. That fate will befall our entire country.

Enjoy the next couple of months, brothers and sisters, because once the liberals take complete control of this country, as they have just done, life as you know it will change forever. It will probably happen in small steps, and you might not even recognize it as your freedoms are slowly stripped away, but one day you will wake up and wonder, as I do now, what country you live in.

What kind of country allows the slaughter of innocent unborn children, the union of two people of the same sex and the total turnover of its country's economy to foreign countries and foreigners living among us illegally? Not the America I know. Not the America our forefathers fought and died for.

Bitter? Yeah, you bet. Sour grapes? Sure. Call it whatever you want, as long as you don't call it racism because that is NOT what this about. Never has been and never will be. I would happily support a candidate of ANY color if they had values, integrity, experience and a positive plan for this country that does not involve socialist and marxist principles. Our projected President-elect has none of those characteristics or plans.

Wow. I just cannot believe so many people have been so incredibly duped. It should not be such a surprise, since the Bible says that in the end days, good will be seen as evil and evil, good. That's what happened in our country today. We handed our future over to the evil side on a red, white and blue platter.

It is a sad, sad day for our country. The scary thing is, it probably won't be long before I won't even have the freedom to write something like this.

Just one final thought before I get down on my knees and pray again for protection and guidance for our newly elected leaders: May God have mercy on our souls. We're going to need it.

God Bless You, Les Nessman

Yes, it's the off-season, and all of a sudden I am brimming with ideas for the blog. Go figure. Of course, they aren't really race-related, but hey, nobody's forcing you to read this.

My job requires that I work at home. Trust me, I'm not complaining about it either! With the way gas prices skyrocketed this year, I have never been more thankful for the fact. We live in a thre-bedroom house and have two children, so all the rooms are taken and there is no finished basement. Because I really, really wanted a space of my own, I embarked upon a job that took a lot of time and effort. I cleaned up about a 10 by 11 foot section of our walk-out and called it my office.

Because there are no walls dividing it from the rest of the basement, I have the washer and dryer a handy few steps away. (Bet you wish you could throw in a load of clothes on your break, huh?) In place of walls, I have several of those metal storage shelves, which don't go all the way to the ceiling, but they do the job.

For those of you who are of my generation, my office may seem a bit familiar. In fact, I often refer to it as my "Les Nessman" office, in honor of the character from the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. Just for fun, I thought I would give you a tour. Here we go.


All of my work is done online, so that requires a computer. My computer of choice is a Dell Inspiron 6000 which has done a fine job so far. This is where the magic happens.


I have quite a few racing collectibles to brighten up my space. This is a GMP Sprint Car that rests among some of my favorite race-themed books, including two by Dave Argabright. The little Lego girl standing by the car usually holds a camera but my son "borrowed" it back.

Wooden blocks spell out my initials.

My space doubles as office and scrapbook/craft area. This is a basket of scrapbook supplies that are just begging to be used.

This is a sampling of my collection of diecast Cars from the movie Cars. That's a Sears NASCAR Craftsman Truck toolbox and the drawers contain the rest of my Cars collection. The picture of Tony Stewart is one of my favorite shots from last season.

This is my work area. I know it looks cluttered but in actuality, it's very organized and everything is accessable. There's a lot of fun stuff on the walls and the shelves and it all keeps me company while I work.

This is one of my favorite organizational tools for scrapbooking. Those are my kids' pictures on top.

I use every available space to display photos and collectibles. That's the heating duct and those photos are in magnetic acrylic frames. It just dawned on me one day that those ducts were metal and not aluminum so with a handful of magnets, I made an interesting collage of hats and photos.

This is my desktop. It is actually an old door that came out of my childhood bedroom. I had a piece of glass cut to cover the top of it, and the inset panels make a great place to display more racing stuff. The edges are filled with pit passes and I have lots of ticket stubs, stickers, postcards and other fun stuff. Yes, it makes my desktop busy, but I really love looking at all this stuff.

That's a quick tour of my office, which will hopefully be moving soon. I've been working in our basement for a while now, trying to go through all the stuff my kids have stored down here. Once I get a different corner cleared out, I will be moving over there. It will be nice to have a bit more space and to have my current space become a more usable family area.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Come out and Play!

Yesterday I previewed Brad Paisley's new CD, Play, which dropped today. As you might have guessed, I did manage to procure a copy, but it took me stops at two stores to get the job done. Wal-Mart had not yet received their shipment when I stopped in, so I headed to Target. The first thing I saw was a stack of rain checks, and my heart immediately sank. Then I took another look and saw at least a dozen copies of the CD sitting next to the rain checks. Hmmmm...


Anyway, I made my purchase and put it in my MP3 player to give it a listen. I have to say that this particular CD is even better than I expected. As someone who has all of the previous releases by Brad, I realize that he has a formula that he sticks to, and this CD is the first to really depart from that formula. Yes, it is still full of a great mix of fun songs and ballads, as well as his take on a classic hymn, but that's pretty much where it stops. Usually Brad's CDs contain one beautiful instrumental, but this one is a majority of instrumentals and it is absolutely wonderful.

Brad Paisley has to be one of the best guitar pickers ever, and his talent shines brightly on every selection. His comments on the liner notes begin with the words: "This album is my love affair with the guitar." That pretty much sums it up. For someone who is so passionate about his music, this album must have been an absolute delight to put together.

There are duets with Keith Urban, Steve Wariner, B.B. King and Buck Owens as well as a toe-tapping jam with some of the other greatest guitar players in history called Cluster Pluck. (You gotta love Brad's sense of humor when it comes to lyrics and titles!)

From his dedication to his wife on Kim and tribute to his son, Huckleberry Jam Brad strums it up on such delights as Departure, Turf's Up, Playing with Fire, Les is More (A tribute to guitar king Les Paul, I'm guessing) and my personal favorite, Cliffs of Rock City. The acoustic version of What a Friend We Have in Jesus is the most moving rendition I've ever heard.

There's not a clinker on this disc, so if you love music, especially guitar music, pick up Play. On sale now at Target for $11.98.

A Note About Liner Notes:

Yesterday I mentioned my interest in liner notes and I just have to say that it was lot easier to read them before my eyes got old and they shrunk the notes from album size to the size of a CD jewel case!

If you buy this CD, take time to read the liner notes. There are great comments in there about how the whole duet with the late Buck Owens came about, which unlikely character does the intro to one of the songs, and much more touching and ineresting stuff.

Enjoy!

Music Appreciation 101

Need a break from all the political talk? I know I do! One of the ways I get away from the craziness of the world is by listening to music. What kind of music depends on my mood at the time and the contents of my MP3 player are very diverse. I've got everything from country to contemporary Christian, classic rock to jazz. There is a song for everything and for everything there is a song.

Music is one of my great passions. As long as I have my tunes, I know I can get through the day. I download a song now and then, but I guess I could be considered a purist because most of the time I still buy CDs. Why? First, because by just downloading a favorite song or two, you miss out on all the rest of the album! There are gems hidden on CDs that people never hear because all they do is download the songs they hear on the radio. How sad is that?

Second, I've been a fan of liner notes since I bought my first Partridge Family album (titled, ironically, The Partridge Family Album) way back in the early seventies. Ok, now I've really dated myself! But seriously, I love liner notes! You just never know what you're going to find out about the members of a band, who they dedicate their songs to, and who even wrote the songs. I like looking up background singers because I have the uncanny ability to figure out who they are and it's fun to check and see if I'm right or not.

This week I've really splurged and bought myself two new CDs. It seems to happen that way, but usually not until after the CMA Awards. Those aren't until next week, so I'd better hide my debit card away now in order to avoid temptation! Of course, I'm not taking it out of my wallet until I buy Brad Paisley's new CD, Play, which drops tomorrow. I've never met a Brad Paisley CD that I didn't like, and this one sounds like another big hit. It is comprised of songs highlighted by Brad's brilliant guitar playing and features several duets.

The first radio release, Start a Band, is a duet with one of my other favorite artists, Keith Urban. B.B. King teams up with Brad on another song. Vote for Brad when you pick up this CD in stores on Election Day.

I mentioned two other CDs that I picked up this week. The first is Jimmy Wayne's new release, Do You Believe Me Now. Spring and I saw Jimmy in concert at Jinglefest 2006 and he really impressed me. I've seen the video for I Love You this Much many times on CMT and heard him tell his story on the Laura Ingraham Show. Jimmy is very talented and I have to say that this album really impressed me. The title song is a powerful ballad about lost love, and is beautifully done. When I listen to his vocals, Jimmy reminds me just a bit of seventies crooner David Gates of Bread fame, but with more depth and richness.

This CD is a nice collection of upbeat songs and ballads that showcase Jimmy's voice. I hope this is the one that will make him more of a household name. Other songs I particularly like: I Don't Come Here to Lose, Stay Gone and I'll Be That.

The other CD that found its way into my shopping cart is the latest release from Little Big Town called A Place to Land. Known for their harmonies on songs like Boondocks, this group caught my ear a while back, but I just hadn't gotten around to getting any of their CDs. After downloading a few tunes, I knew the time was coming.

When I found out that the expanded edition of A Place to Land had the live version of Life in a Northern Town, which features Sugarland and Jake Owens, I knew I had to grab this one.

What a treat this CD is! Full of lively songs and heartrending ballads, it seems like everyone in the group is featured on one song or another, and when they put their voices together, the harmonies are amazing. Every now and then, I catch a little Eagles influence in a line or a verse, and I have to smile.

One of the first songs to get radio play is Fine Line which is a very catchy tune. I'm With the Band is rapidly becoming another one of my favorites. No matter what mood you're in, there is something for you on this CD.

Those are my music preview/reviews for now. Tomorrow I will probably be focused on Brad Paisley's new CD, which I'm sure will be a fine diversion from all the political stuff that will surround us. I can't think of better timing for a much-anticipated release.

One more that I'm anxiously awaiting is American Idol winner David Cook's debut. The self-titled album drops on November 18. I heard the first single, Light On last week on the radio and my first impression was very positive. Saw him perform it on Saturday Night Live and was still impressed so we'll have to see what the rest of the CD holds. David was my pick on this, my first American Idol season, and I think he has a great voice. Hopefully, he won't disappoint.

Wake Me When It's Over

Yes, tomorrow is the big day. We finally get to go to the polls, stand in line and proudly cast our vote for the next President of the United States of America.

Do I look forward to this? Yes! It is not only a privilige but an important duty that every legal American over the age of 18 should take very seriously. We only get one shot every four years at determining who will lead this country, and baby, it's time!

As we approach this important day, I have been doing a lot of praying. Those prayers range from safety and security for the candidates, but also to every person going to the poles. No, this isn't Baghdad, but with as high as tempers are running, anything can happen on election day. I also pray that the outcome would be certain, that on Wednesday morning we will know without a doubt who will be our next President. I also pray that the outcome would be met peacefully, no matter which way the colors fall. Finally, I pray against fraud of any kind when it comes to those election ballots.

Won't it be nice when all of this is over and we no longer have to ignore the phone or the tv because we are just SO sick of all the electronic phone calls and nasty commercials? I know I will be glad to go back to regular programing and just typical phone solicitors wanting my money for charity. What a relief!
What I don't look forward to is the way I fear that this election will turn out.

One way or the other, approximately half of this country will wake up on Wednesday morning thrilled with the results and the other half will wake and wonder what happened. If things (miraculously) go differently than what the pollsters predict, we might be witness to mass suicide by the mainstream media. Their shock, should their chosen candidate be defeated, would be heard 'round the world! What an amazing sound that would be and I think it would be drowned out only by the collective sigh of relief expressed by those of us on the other side.

But I digress in my vivid imaginings.

Whatever happens tomorrow, when we wake up on Wednesday morning, some things will remain the same. The most important thing that will never, ever change is that God will still be in control. He's not pacing back and forth on the streets of gold wringing His hands with worry.

Secondly, we are still Americans and we still live in the greatest country in the history of the world. For a little while at least, we still have the freedoms guaranteed us by our Constitution. Of course, depending up on how this turns out, those could rapidly dry up and disappear.

I could start a long list here of proposed ideas and their consequences. Things like the "Fairness Doctrine" the "Freedom of Choice Act" and California's notoriously devious Proposition 8, but I'll let you look into those and make your own decisions about whether they are good or bad. You might also want to look up the definitions of socialism and marxism while you're at it. With the Robinhood mindset of one of the candidates, it might be good to be familiar with those terms.

One last thing to reflect on and then I'm going to get off my soapbox and leave this topic alone because I'm just as sick of it as you are. Take a good, hard look at the logo that the Democratic candidate is using. You'll notice the sun in a blue sky resting on the horizon over a red and white striped field. Patriotic, right? Think again and look at it this way: That sun is not rising on a new day of welcome change. That sun is setting on the values, ideals, morals and rights for which our forefathers fought and died.

This Presidential contest is not about race, sex or age. This is about who will do the best job of leading and protecting our country, not only from outsiders, but also from the evil within. Unfortunately, there are a large number of people who will cast a vote tomorrow that don't recognize evil when they look it in the eye.

Think before you vote.

Infatuation or Obsession?

Ask Spring and she will tell you, I am not what one would call a "fashion plate." My idea of dressing up is to wear my good jeans and a nice blouse. Not that I don't love girly clothes, because I really do. The frillier the better in my opinion. The problem is, I really don't have anywhere dressy to go and I just don't have the body type to show off the clothes. This doesn't bother me.

So we've established that I'm not a clothes horse. I'm also not into make up and manicures and all that jazz. Sure, I'd love the whole makeover experience, but let's face it, I work at home on the computer, so nails just get in the way and I don't get out much. Makeup is expensive and I've never been good at it and it just takes way too much time. Enough said.

Why would anyone care to know these things about me? Well, figuring that not too many people read this, I would have to say that they don't, but I wanted to preface the following with a little bit of background so you would understand just how weird my latest obsession is.

For some reason, I have started to notice shoes. Now I know, some women are way into shoes, but it's an infatuation that I've never understood until now. Granted, I've never figured out why one person needs twelve pairs of black shoes (high-heeled, mid-heeled, low-heeled, flats, patents, shinies, sling backs, open-toes, with a bow, with another ornamentation of some kind, and two others that I can't even imagine) but some women feel that they do. C'est la vie.

My interest is not in pumps of any height or color. My problem is sneakers. A specific kind of sneakers. My current love is Van's shoes.

It all started with a pair of black shoes with black and white checks. As a race girl, I thought they were the perfect expression of that part of my personality. I yearned for them, watched the sale ads and denied myself countless times. Until one day my husband and I were out shopping and I came across a pair of these shoes in the boys' department and just happened to try them on. As it turns out, a size 5 1/2 boy's shoe is roughly the same size as a woman's 6 1/2. The only catch is that they are about $10 cheaper. Always the bargain-hunter, I just couldn't pass them up.

I brought home my treasured purchase and got out my camera. These shoes were just begging to be photographed so I obliged. After their shoot, I sprayed them with Scotchguard. I wanted to keep them looking as nice as I could! These shoes were too nice to wear to a race track, so I wore them around the house at first, then out, but only on nice days. I stored them in their box and took them out only on special occasions.

After the checkered flag Van's, I found myself looking at other sneakers. See, after one indulgence, it becomes easier to talk yourself into a second. And I did. Another pair of Van's. They are black with pink polka-dots and oh-so-very comfortable. Of course, these were not found in the boys' section, but I still got them on sale at Kohl's, with a discount and a some Kohl's cash. They were very reasonable.

Again I sprayed them with Scotchguard and kept them in their box. They stay warm and dry and only come out on nice days.

Today was the day that I finally had to admit that my little infatuation may be getting out of hand. I had to take my son to buy a new pair of "Chucks" (Chuck Taylor Converse high tops) for the upcoming dance. Yes, it's a teenage fashion thing. Wouldn't you know it, but every shoe in the place was buy one get one half off and my son could only find one pair he wanted. He's such a boy! That left me in a quandry. No, the question wasn't "Should I buy shoes?" but "Which shoes should I buy?" That question was soon answered for me.

There on a bottom shelf were the last two boxes of white Van's with checkere flag stripes. Of course you can guess that one of them was my size. It was the one on display. Was it fate, an evil plan of Satan or something meant to be? Maybe I will never know, but it really doesn't matter. These new shoes feel great on my feet and they go with everything!

Yes, I guess it's true that the first step is admitting you have a problem. Is there a Sneakers Anonymous meeting anywhere in my neighborhood?

Picnik on a Rainy Day

No, that's no type-o in the headline. Picnik.com is a web site that my daughter turned me on to a while back. It's a site where you can upload photos and then play with them by adding text, messing with frames or making a color photo black and white.

It's a fun way to kill an hour or two...or three if you've got it. I don't have a lot of spare time these days, but when I do, I love to head over to Picnik and play. Above are a few examples of the fun I've had.

Gold Crown Photos Posted!

Believe it or not, it's only Tuesday and I already have photos up on the web site from this past weekend! I know, it's got to be a record, right?

Well, they are there, five pages of images from all three days of the Gold Crown Midget Nationals at Tri-City Speedway. I hope you enjoy looking them over, and if you didn't make it this year, make sure you go next year because it was a blast!

Keeping Pace

This blog has been pretty stagnant this season, as has the web site and I should probably apologize, but hey, we all get busy and I doubt that many people read it anyway!

That being said, this weekend was amazing. Three nights of breathtaking midget action at Tri-City Speedway was just what the doctor ordered when it came to wrapping up the 2008 racing season. All I can say is "Wow!" The Inaugural Gold Crown Midget Nationals sanctioned by both POWRi and USAC was outstanding.

Since words really can't describe it justly, and since I am tired from my head to my toes after traipsing throught the pits for the past three nights (not to mention bouncing around in the back of the pace truck) I will let a few of my

favorite photos do the talking. Enjoy!

One Normal Day

We all know where we were seven years ago today. Whether you were just getting out of the shower, or on your way to work or sending your kids off to school when you first heard about the attacks in New York, those moments are frozen in your mind for eternity. I remember thinking of how I wanted to turn back the clock to September 10, to have just one more "normal" day. In the days and weeks that followed, I just kept thinking of how much I took all those "normal" days for granted.

As I sit here reflecting, listening to a re-play of Glenn Beck's radio broadcast from that day, I am reminded once again of just how horrifying it was. The images of fire, smoke, collapsing buildings, the absolute fear on the faces of those on the streets will never be forgotten. So many things come back, many of them too awful to think of.

On the flipside, there are things about that time in our history that I truly want to remember. Things I want to imbed so deeply in my soul that they are never, ever eradicated.

Some of those things are these:

The way we came together, as a country, not red states and blue states or blacks and whites or young or old, but as Americans.

Everywhere a person looked, flags flew from houses, from cars and alongside the roads. Our sense of patriotism had never been stronger.

The way we prayed, and sang our National Anthem, said our Pledge of Alliegance, with the words "One Nation, under God" included, and no one thought of it as politically incorrect.

The way we gathered, in large groups or in twos, to cling to each other and lift each other up in support, to give comfort and friendship and love to each other.
The way we cried. The tears that flowed unchecked down the cheeks of nearly every man, woman and child in this country became a raging river that ran from one coast, through the heartland and on across the mountains to the other coast. They made us equal in our fears, our righteous anger, our need for revenge and our deep and desperate need to cling to hope.

Yes, I want to remember these things, because in the last seven years we have slipped back into our complacency, into that comfortable cocoon of safety that we thought we had before this happened. We have gone on with our lives, as we should, but in moving forward, we sometimes lose sight of the things we had in common in those eerie, surreal days of Autumn, 2001.

Take a few minutes today to remember. Think about how you felt that morning and in the days and weeks that followed. Remember the stirring in your heart when you saw the flags flying and the pride you felt the first time you saw a jet plane fly overhead and knew that gutsy Americans had spit in the face of terrorism and chosen to take wing. Remember those who perished and pray for their families. Praise God for those who survived and pray for them as they cope with the memories of that day.

We have so much to be thankful for in this great country in which we live. This anniversary bring sadness when we think about the loss, but it should also bring a fresh resolve to carry on and take pride in how far we have come. In honor of those who never saw this country united, we need to revive that spirit and not allow them to be lost in vain.

Marching into Fall

Summer has come and gone and I have not made it to nearly as many races as I would have liked, which seems to be the case anymore. With a daughter in college and a son in high school, I am starting to see that in the very near future, I will actually have more time for racing, but for now, I need to enjoy the moment and make sure I do all that I can to preserve it.

That's not to say that the racing season is totally over though. Two of the biggest events of the year are rapidly sneaking up as the calendar pages turn. The first, the Gold Crown Midget Nationals is slated for next month at Tri-City Speedway. This inagural event boasts $15,000 to win and is sanctioned by both POWRi and USAC. The first entry forms have already arrived and I expect the list to be long and prestigious by the beginning of October.

Of course, the second weekend of October is not only a big race weekend, but a very big Marching Band weekend for our family, so I will be splitting my time the best I can, and I expect by the time it's over, both my camera and I will be ready for a break!

Following the Gold Crown Nationals will be the Midgets Before Christmas, an indoor event at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, which is slated for December 19 - 20. Our family is already making plans to attend this one, which should be a fabulous event. This is a POWRi-sanctioned race which will feature two big days of racing that won't be beholden to the weather, a nice change of pace.

So, yes, it's post-Labor Day and racing is winding down, but there is still a lot to look forward to here in the midwest. Stay tuned here and to WhoWon.com for much more on both events!

July 18, 2008
As I write this we are on our way home from Macon Speedway in Macon, IL. Tonight's POWRi racing event was outstanding.

It's been a while since my last blog entry and probably longer since my last race.So much has been going on that l really don't know where to begin.

The wet spring has made for a lot of schedule alterations. It's hard to believe it's the middle of July and this is only my 4th race of the year. Between the wet weather and the price of gas it's really no great surprise.

Speaking of rain, Spring has kept very busy with all of the flooding in our area. She lives in Foley, MO but fortunately she is on the high and dry side of the river.

Being the photographer that she is, and living li the hard- hit community, Spring made good use of her talents. She spent ten days in the murky, dangerous flood areas taking well over a thousand pictures. She is currently working with several different contacts to whom she hopes to sell the images. Eventually, she would like to have a show of her own.

As for me, l spend most of my time working and sending my kids to various camps and trips. My son has been to church camp, band camp, a long Lego- filled weekend in Chicago and finally, a trip to Canada. He's been a busy kid and I am imore than a little jealous!

My daughter has been to Birmingham and Chicago, as well as a weekend trip to Kansas City with me. We had a really good time there and spent most of the weekend haunting the various scrapbooking stores we found.

So that's a quick synopsis of my summer so far.

Tonight's race has been on my calendar since the schedule was released late last winter. We had a great time at the Dana Godfrey Memorial last year and we made sure that we could get back to it this year. Funny thing is, the rest of my family is at a Cardinals game tonight. My hubby and it have been texting and he thinks I may beat them home since the game is tied in the eighth inning! With Me being more than two hours from home, I rather doubt it.

It was good to get out and visit with some of the drivers and other folks involved with Midget racing. I had the chance to pass out a few photos from Belleville in June. That is always fun for me.

I also took a whole lot of new pics tonight that I will have to try and process tomorrow if I have time between my son's baseball game and the next race at Belleville. We will just nave to see how the day goes.

Thanks for checking in. Now you Know that we haven't fallen off the face of the planet! I will do my best to get more timely updates on here in the coming weeks.

Magnificent Midget Madness!

If I hadn't been convinced before, this weekend sealed it: There is absolutely, positively no better racing anywhere on any surface than dirt track Midget racing. And I would have to say that there are no better places to see it than Belle Clair Speedway. Maybe that's overstating things, but I've been to more tracks than I can count over more years than I care to remember, and I truly believe that statement.

Two nights in a row of wheel-to-wheel slide job action will wear a person out and leave them breathless. And if the fans feel that way, I can only imagine how the drivers feel afterward!

We witnessed some spectacular action last night between Brad Loyet, Brent Anderson, Derek King and Mike Hess, just among the front runners. There was other action going on all through the race, but nobody wanted to take their eyes off the front group because we knew we would miss something. It would have taken one of those pocket counters to keep track of all the slide jobs, and these young guys know how to do those to perfection.

As if Friday's feature at Macon wasn't action-packed enough, the Boys of Belleville decided to step it up a notch on Saturday. Despite several yellows and one very interesting spin that resulted in two cars being hooked together by the back bumper, one towing the other down the backstretch, the action never waned. It was anybody's guess who would come out of turn four in front on the last lap, and Brad Loyet proved himself worthy of repeat status by hanging onto his position in front of Brent Anderson just long enough to collect the win.

Yes, the weather is very summerish, but that's to be expected this time of the year. I'm just glad it finally quit raining long enough for us to get to some races! We are still trying to decide about I-55 this Wednesday, but it's looking pretty positive right now. Midget racing is like an addiction and I think we're ready to see what these guys have in store for us again.

Thanks so much to all the great folks at POWRi. We love the racing and appreciate the opportunity to photograph the excellent racing. Hope you all enjoy today's two added galleries!

July 19, 2008

Wow! Racing two nights in a row! And this time Spring was able to join me. Yahoo!

It was warm and sticky at Belle Clair Speedway tonight and the raring was even hotter. If we thought last night's feature was a battle, well it looked like just a warm up compared to tonight's action.

July 18, 2008
As I write this we are on our way home from Macon Speedway in Macon, IL. Tonight's POWRi racing event was outstanding.

It's been a while since my last blog entry and probably longer since my last race.So much has been going on that l really don't know where to begin.

The wet spring has made for a lot of schedule alterations. It's hard to believe it's the middle of July and this is only my 4th race of the year. Between the wet weather and the price of gas it's really no great surprise.

Speaking of rain, Spring has kept very busy with all of the flooding in our area. She lives in Foley, MO but fortunately she is on the high and dry side of the river.

Being the photographer that she is, and living li the hard- hit community, Spring made good use of her talents. She spent ten days in the murky, dangerous flood areas taking well over a thousand pictures. She is currently working with several different contacts to whom she hopes to sell the images. Eventually, she would like to have a show of her own.

As for me, l spend most of my time working and sending my kids to various camps and trips. My son has been to church camp, band camp, a long Lego- filled weekend in Chicago and finally, a trip to Canada. He's been a busy kid and I am imore than a little jealous!

My daughter has been to Birmingham and Chicago, as well as a weekend trip to Kansas City with me. We had a really good time there and spent most of the weekend haunting the various scrapbooking stores we found.

So that's a quick synopsis of my summer so far.

Tonight's race has been on my calendar since the schedule was released late last winter. We had a great time at the Dana Godfrey Memorial last year and we made sure that we could get back to it this year. Funny thing is, the rest of my family is at a Cardinals game tonight. My hubby and it have been texting and he thinks I may beat them home since the game is tied in the eighth inning! With Me being more than two hours from home, I rather doubt it.

It was good to get out and visit with some of the drivers and other folks involved with Midget racing. I had the chance to pass out a few photos from Belleville in June. That is always fun for me.

I also took a whole lot of new pics tonight that I will have to try and process tomorrow if I have time between my son's baseball game and the next race at Belleville. We will just nave to see how the day goes.

Thanks for checking in. Now you Know that we haven't fallen off the face of the planet! I will do my best to get more timely updates on here in the coming weeks.

Take Five

The rain stopped, the clouds parted and the sun finally came out to warm up local race tracks this weekend. For me, it meant getting out to some real live racing for the first time this season (with the exception of one indoor POWRi race) and it felt great!

Saturday night, my hubby, my Dad and I headed about an hour and a half from home to Saint Francois County Raceway in Farmington, MO. Leaving my camera at home, I parked my comfy canvas bleacher seat in turn one and just sat back and enjoyed the night.

It was a little different getting there right at race time, rather than arrving hours early, wandering the pits, photographing hot laps and whatever else I can get before the sun goes on hiatus. It was nice though, getting a taste of what it's like to be a fan in the stands, seeing things from that perspective.

SFCR hosts a $5 night once a month, with the exception of July, I believe, and it is obviously very successful! All around us were adults with kids in tow and the place was packed. I loved seeing that after hearing and seeing so much about our tanking economy lately. It was really nice to see so many people out enjoying a night of great weather and awesome racing. I'm sure the track makes a nice chunk of change on concessions, judging by the fact that they ran out of funnel cakes before I could get one. My body thanks you. Skipping that one funnel cake made the difference between gaining and losing at my Biggest Loser weigh-in this morning! :)

It really was a nice night, and it brought a lot of drivers to the tracks as well. SFCR ran four classes and seemed to have plenty of cars to fill each field. There were 22 or 23 Sprint Cars there and they put on a great show, as did the Modifieds, who kept things exciting.

Next weekend SFCR is hosting a $2,000-to-win Sprint Car event but I'm not sure yet what we are doing. Right now, my next race will be the World of Outlaws/POWRi event at Tri-City on June 8. If something works its way into my schedule before then though, I definitely won't be complaining.

Of course this Sunday will be our annual Indy 500 Watch Party at my Dad's. He's encouraging us to go to church during the week so we can spend the whole day over there, which sounds like a great plan to me! I hope the weather is good and that we have a lot of fun watching the race. As usual, we will draw names and cheer for the driver we pick to win. We always have a good time on Indy Day.

POWRi Debuts this Weekend at Valley and Lucas Oil Speedways in Missouri

From Kenny Brown:

MILLSTADT, Ill. -- O’Reilly POWRi National Midget Series, presented by Lucas Oil, races Friday at Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Mo. and Saturday at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo. These races will feature the series’ debuts at two third-mile tracks in The Show Me State.

Valley Speedway and Lucas Oil Speedway kicks off the POWRi Toyota/TRD Challenge this weekend. Along with the races at Junction Motor Speedway and the season ending Gold Crown race at Tri-City Speedway, POWRi competitors will accumulate points toward the $5000 Toyota/TRD payout. You do not have to have Toyota power to participate in the Challenge.

At Valley Speedway, officials from POWRi and Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. will announce details about a two-race swing – part of POWRi’s “Indoor Winter Nationals” – on a temporary indoor dirt track in December. The following night at Lucas Oil Speedway, Lucas Oil’s film crew will be on hand to shoot the race. Clips from the race will be used to promote the 2009 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl in Tulsa, Okla., at which many POWRi drivers and teams compete. Lucas Oil is in its first season as a presenting sponsor of POWRi.

While the Kemper Arena announcement and Lucas Oil film crew dominate POWRi’s off track news, competitors in the fourth-year series hope to make on-track news with victories at the two tracks. It will mark the first time in nearly three weeks POWRi competitors will race, inclement weather forced cancellation of two races – at Belle-Clair and Tri-City Speedways in Illinois – over the weekend. Three of four POWRi races have been affected by rain this season.

Valley Speedway has been a victim of rain itself, but hopes to open its 2008 schedule with POWRi. The black gumbo track is a third mile. Lucas Oil – known as “The Diamond of Dirt Tracks” – is also a third-mile track in southwestern Missouri. The track was completed in 2006 and has hosted Midgets in other series previously, in addition to late models and modifieds.

Brett Anderson (Belleville, Ill.) is the Midget Series point leader after winning at Macon (Ill.) Speedway on April 26. Anderson leads Gary “Bubba” Altig, Davey Ray, Danny Stratton and Zach Daum in points. All five – as well as Missouri native and defending series champion Brad Loyet (Sunset Hills, Mo.) and drivers from Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Illinois – are expected to participate in the two-race swing. The POWRi 600cc Micro Sprints, meanwhile, have the weekend off.

POWRi Season Starts Friday!

From Kenny Brown at POWRi Racing:

POWRi National Midgets, Micro-Sprints to Kick Off 2008 Season at Jacksonville and Macon

Brad Loyet and Dereck King will begin defense of their titles.

MILLSTADT, Ill. -- O’Reilly POWRi expects a large contingent of cars for both the POWRi National Midget Series presented by Lucas Oil and the Micro-Sprints in the pair’s season-opening weekend April 25-26 at Jacksonville and Macon, Ill. The weekend marks the beginning of the fourth season of POWRi competition.

Last season’s point battles in both divisions showed how competitive this series is, with the National Midget championship coming down to the final weekend of action. We expect the 2008 season to be the best season yet in POWRi competition.

Brad Loyet and the Loyet Motorsports group – who are coming off the “DuQuoin Winter Nationals” two-race championship at the Southern Illinois Center earlier this season – will begin their defense of the driver and team titles in the National Midgets when the green flag flies April 25 at Morgan County Speedway in Jacksonville, Ill. Loyet won the season opener at the third-mile track last season, one of 5 races he won en route to the championship. The race is one of three for both the National Midgets and Micro-Sprints on the 2008 racing calendar.

The following night, April 26, Midget and Micro-Sprint competitors head about an hour and a half due east to the fifth-mile Macon (Ill.) Speedway, for the first of four National Midget and six Micro-Sprint events in 2008. Brad Kuhn and A.J. Fike won POWRi Midget races last season, while Hoosier Ryan Leek won his first career Micro-Sprint race there in August.

The 31-race National Midget schedule includes 17 races in Illinois. Other states hosting races include Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Kentucky, Missouri and Iowa. The Micro-Sprints will also run upwards of 30 races in 2008.

While Loyet is one of the favorites to win the 2008 National Midget championship, he’ll have to fend off several other drivers for the crown. Kuhn and Mike Hess claimed multiple victories during last summer’s action and each held the point lead at some point in 2007. Young guns Daniel Adler and Brent Beauchamp, each who have made their mark at local Sprint car races in the Midwest, also expect to challenge Loyet for the title.

On the Micro-Sprint side, King ran away with the title last season, clinching the championship with more than a handful of races to go. However, King was a non-factor in either of the “DuQuoin Winter Nationals” races at the Southern Illinois Center in January and March. If he wants to win the 2008 title, he’ll have to fight off young drivers such as Jason Ormsdy, Jarrett Cathey, Todd Kirkman, Austin Laskey, Tony Roney, Daniel Robinson and Nic Harris. King is also expected to compete in select POWRi National Midget races in 2008.

Morgan County and Macon Speedway practice will begin at 6:00pm, with racing starting at 7:00pm. For ticket and gate information on both tracks you can visit Morgan County at morgancountyspeedway.com and Macon Speedway at maconracing.com.

A Little Night Magic

Last Saturday night I had the distinct pleasure of attending my first race of the 2008 season and it was a blast!

The POWRi Midgets and Micros heated up the night inside of the Southern Illinois Center which sits in the shadow of the Magic Mile at the DuQuoin Fairgrounds. This little fifth-mile bullring played host to the final race of the Indoor Winter Series for POWRi, a series that was supposed to include a three-race schedule, which was shortened to two after big-time ice storms hit the area.

Brad Loyet was the repeat victor, nipping Daniel Adler at the line to cap off the night of fast-paced action. Brady Bacon took home the Micro win, having come to race after being rained out of ARCA practice.

Before racing got underway, I was busy hawking the calendars that we had made for the Marty Boyer fundraiser. With a lot of help from POWRi colorman, Jim Childers, the calendars SOLD OUT and I was able to send a check to Marty's benefit fund on Monday.

Everyone was so supportive and wished Marty all the best. Racing folks are just awesome when it comes to supporting someone when they are down. I just hope everyone enjoys the calendars and that the money helps Marty and his family.


And thinking of guys who have had their share of trouble in the last year, it was really great to see Tracy Hines back in action again! He was in the Don Moore Music Publications #10 that I have come to think of as Jerry Coons' Midget over the last couple of seasons. After his terrible four-wheeler accident last year, it was wonderful to see him back in a race car.

I am just so glad that racing season is off and running again! The World of Outlaws are in town this weekend at I-55 Raceway, but we won't be able to make that one. Drumline season is still going strong for our son, so we will be watching him perform and cheering on his unit.

See you on the dirt!

Get ‘em While They’re Hot: 2008 Marty Boyer Fundraiser Calendars

Marty Boyer is a dear friend of the Open Wheel racing community. He has been instrumental in covering Sprint and Midget racing all over the Midwest and has helped many up-and-coming drivers throughout the years. Last month, Marty suffered a devastating stroke and is working hard to get well. Everyone in the racing world wishes him a complete and speedy recovery.

Marty and his family will have a lot to deal with during this time, and a special fund has been set up to help ease the financial burden. The folks at POWRi Racing, the St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club, WhoWon.com and Two Girls Gone Racin’ have joined forces in an attempt to increase contributions to the Marty Boyer Fund.

These organizations have combined their efforts to create the 2008 POWRi Racing Calendar which lists all of the POWRi Midget and Micro dates for 2008. The calendar starts with the month of March and each of its twelve months has a collage of either Midget or Micro photos. All of these images were shot in the past couple of years at various Illinois tracks by Two Girls Gone Racin’.

Calendars are priced at $20 each, with all of the profits - $8 per calendar - going to the Marty Boyer Fund. The calendars will be available at many POWRi events throughout the season or may be ordered by mail. Information about mail orders may be found by following the 2008 POWRi Marty Boyer Fundraiser Calendar link on www.twogirlsgoneracin.com or by emailing Valerie@twogirlsgoneracin.com

Attendees of the March “Open Wheel Racing Night” St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club meeting in Belleville, Illinois had their first glimpse of the calendars and it received rave reviews. Fifteen calendars were sold at this event, which was highlighted by interviews with several local POWRi drivers, done by Eileen Waters. Attendees were also invited to sign a get well card for Marty.

We are excited to offer these calendars and we hope that you will join us in our efforts to help Marty and his family.

O’Reilly POWRi Racing Series – www.powri.com
St. Louis Auto Racing Fan Club – www.stlfanclub.com
WhoWon – www.whowon.com
Two Girls Gone Racin’ – www.twogirlsgoneracin.com

IRL/CART Cease-Fire: Will it Last?

The impending reunification of Champ Car and IRL is certainly the hot topic of the day in motorsports. Of course, no one would know by the lack of attention given this subject by local media, but this could be a major turning point for American Auto Racing. My Dad and I talked about it at length over lunch at Cracker Barrel yesterday and had some interesting thoughts on the topic.

Since the news broke on Friday that IRL and Champ Car are close to reaching a reunification agreement, many teams, tracks and media have released statements regarding their opinions on the topic. I have read many of those statements, and right now, it seems the most negative feedback I have seen is from the tracks that were set to run Champ Car events but will lose their dates because of conflicts with the IRL schedule. The teams, at least publicly, seem to be embracing the idea, but you just never know what they are saying behind the scenes.

In my opinion, I would love to see these two come back together stronger and better than before, but it is going to take a LOT of work. The damage done by the split runs deep and has been left to fester for twelve long years. People don’t forget that kind of stuff over night. They also don’t forget the way both of these sanctioning bodies have turned their backs on domestic talent while embracing every foreigner on the planet. Is it any wonder that guys like Sam Hornish have defected to NASCAR? I don’t think so.

It used to be the dream of every American Midget and Sprint Car racer to drive in the Indy 500 someday, but that day is long gone because no one gives them a chance to prove themselves on that level anymore. Instead, these drivers are now working their way up through the ranks of NASCAR who (and I hate to admit this because I’m just NOT a huge NASCAR fan) has welcomed these up-and-coming drivers and showcased them in a very positive way. For all its faults, NASCAR has the largest fan base of any sport and those fans support their drivers regardless of on track performance, or off-track antics.

IRL/Champ Car have come off as snobby and elitist and that is a huge turn off for fans. It is going to take a major PR campaign and a large dose of contrition and sincerity to bring fans back to open wheel racing. If they want to do it right, they will take a page from the books of guys like our local POWRi promoters, the World of Outlaws and yes, even NASCAR, and study them well before making their next move.

One has to wonder if these two entities can put their egos aside once the negotiations are complete and the real work begins. When one looks at the situation in light of a divorced couple getting re-married, the chances of things working out for the long haul are pretty slim. Will these two be able to play well together after their long separation? Only time will tell.

In conclusion, I say bring back open wheel racing, but do it the right way. Continuing on the current paths of either IRL or Champ Car will spell certain disaster for American Open Wheel racing. And while they are at it, put the engines back in the rear of the cars where they belong!

RaceBumpers and POWRi Team up to Support Marty Boyer

MILLSTADT, Ill. -- Our friend Marty Boyer suffered a stroke and may be faced with a lengthy recovery. Marty's efforts at MidgetMadness.com have become an instrumental part in the promotion and growth of midget racing today. Marty has helped many drivers/teams, tracks/promotors, and parts related businesses become successful without asking for much in return. Now its our turn to repay the favor!

From now until May 1st, RaceBumpers.com will donate 5% of all sales to the fund set up for Marty. In addition, we will be auctioning one bumper or nerf a week on Ebay for 6 weeks. 100% of the proceeds from the auctions will also go to the fund.

POWRi Racing will be donating 5% of the proceeds from the Dean King Memorial race at the Southern Illinois Center in DuQuoin, IL March 29th.

We strongly encourage anyone else that has benefited from Marty's efforts to do what they can to assist him and his family through this difficult time.

RaceBumpers.com
Flea Ruzic, Jason Harms
POWRi Racing
Kenny Brown, Jim Siner

(Marty, Spring and I wish you all the best as you recover. Our prayers are with you!)

Feb. 16 DuQuoin Winter Nationals Cancelled

DUQUOIN, Ill. -- The Saturday, Feb. 16 DuQuoin Winter Nationals have been cancelled due to inclement weather. The Illinois State Police have advised the public to restricted traveling in the Southern Illinois region. The area is currently suffering a power outage that is affecting approx 30,000 homes and businesses along with poor road conditions.

All pre-entries will be moved to the March 29th race. If you would like your refund please contact Kenny Brown via e-mail through the contact link on the POWRi website or by phone at 314-267-4944. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Local Drivers Fare Well in 2008 Chili Bowl Nationals

Each January, racers from all over the country, representing many forms of motorsports, converge on Tulsa, Oklahoma for the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.

The Chili Bowl is by far the biggest racing event on the winter calendar. With most dirt and asphalt tracks in hibernation mode in all but the most temperate of climates, racing indoors is the only viable option. With that in mind, two of dirt track racing's top promoters, Lannie Edwards and Emmett Hahn took a gamble over twenty years ago that has turned into much more than just another Midget race.

This year's entry list was comprised of 285 drivers from 29 states, Canada and Australia. Among these drivers were NASCAR Cup champions, Drag racers, Dirt Late Model and Kart drivers in addition to those who routinely turn laps in open wheel machines. Men and women and drivers of all ages from mid-teens to early seventies filled an impressive list of who's who in motorsports today. Missouri boasted 17 pilots, while 29 Illinois drivers made the trek to the Sooner state.

Many of these drivers run our local tracks as a part of the O'Reilly POWRi Midget Series and a few were able to play the alphabet soup game and work their way up through four grueling nights of qualifying in order to claim a spot in either of the "B" or "A" Main events.

Roughly 14,000 fans make up the crowd of this sold-out-by-May event, and untold numbers of others listen to the races via internet broadcasts or get updates through blogs and forums. In fact, so many people logged onto the Chili Bowl web site this year that the server crashed and was down all day on Saturday. This year, for the first time in history, both C-Mains, both B-Mains and the A-Main were all broadcast via HBO Pay-Per-View on Saturday night. That's how we watched it, and the network did a wonderful job of bringing us all of the racing action, behind-the-scenes interviews and commentary that we were hungry for. The broadcast lasted almost four solid hours, and was well-worth the $25 price tag.

The following is a list of the Missouri and Illinois drivers and how they fared in the 2008 Chili Bowl. Many of these drivers and others will be on hand this Saturday at the DuQuoin Fairgrounds for the first POWRi Indoor Series Midget race of the season. Along with the Midgets will be the POWRi Micro Series. All will race indoors at the DuQuoin Indoor Center. With temperatures outside predicted to be in the twenties this weekend, it's time to warm up to some winter time indoor racing!

Illinois (29) – Joey Moughan (2m), Kevin Olson (4ko), Zach Daum (5d), Patrick Bruns (5x), Austin Brown (7a){Made it to the "B" Main], Dan Mecum (8m), Jay Mounce (12m), Tim Siner (15)[Made it to the "B" Main], Chris Windom (17)[Made it to the "B" Main], Kenny Brown (17b), Levi Jones (20J){Finished 11th in the "A" Main], Lee Beckwith (21s), Derrick Myers (25x), Donnie Lehmann (31), Davey Ray (33), Jeff Davis (d33), Mat Neely (35)[Made it to the "B" Main], Tyler Robbins (35T), Don Hammer (45), Daniel Adler (50), Mike Hess (51), Nick Knepper (55k), Bubba Altig (67a)[Finished 24th in the "A" after a warm-up incident], A.J. Fike (69), David Gough (75x), Kellen Conover (76), Justin Allgaier (86), Dave Camfield, Jr. (86c)[Made it to the "B" Main], Rich Camfield (87c).

Missouri (17) – Jesse Stovall (00s), Hunter Schuerenberg (1h), Tony Roney (1T), Robby Ross (4R), Bill Allen (5a), Joey Montgomery (5c), Brad Loyet (05)[Made it to the "B" Main], Danny Lasoski (05L)[Made it to the "B" Main], Joe Boyles (7b), Doug Frye (7c), Eric Todd (7T), Will Pierce (10T), Steve Stroud (21x), Jesse Hockett (29L)[Finished 12th in the "A" Main event], Joe Walker (37J), Andrew Felker (73F), Todd McVay (89JR).

2008 O'Reilly POWRi National Midget Series Schedule

April 25 – Morgan County Speedway – Jacksonville, IL
April 26 – Macon Speedway – Macon, IL
May 9 – Tri-City Speedway – World of Outlaws – Granite City, IL
May 10 – Tri-State Speedway – Tri-State Challenge – Haubstadt, IN
May 16 – Valley Speedway – Grain Valley, MO
May 17 – Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO
June 6 – Morgan County Speedway – MSCS Sprints – Jacksonville, IL
June 7 – Belle-Clair Speedway – IL/MO Speed Week – Belleville, IL
June 11 – I-55 Raceway – NASCAR Night – Pevely, MO
June 13 – Tri-City Speedway – Granite City, IL
June 14 – St. Francois County Speedway – Farmington, MO
June 20 – Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, IA
June 21 – Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, IA
June 27 – Paducah International Raceway – MSCS – Paducah, KY
June 28 – Tri-State Speedway – MSCS & KISS – Haubstadt, IN
July 18 – Macon Speedway – Dana Godfrey Memorial – Macon, IL
July 19 – Belle-Clair Speedway – Finley Memorial – Belleville, IL
July 29 – Junction Motor Speedway – Cornhusker Midget Challenge – McCool Junction, NE
July 30 – Junction Motor Speedway – Cornhusker Midget Challenge – McCool Junction, NE
August 1 – Belleville High Banks – Belleville Midget Nationals - Belleville, KS
August 2 – Belleville High Banks – Belleville Midget Nationals - Belleville, KS
August 6 – Belle-Clair Speedway – Arnie Knepper Memorial – Belleville, IL
August 9 – Washington Town and Country Fair – Washington, MO
August 15 – Macon Speedway – Macon, IL
August 29 – Southern Illinois Center – DuQuoin State Fair – DuQuoin, IL
August 30 – Southern Illinois Center – DuQuoin State Fair – DuQuoin, IL
September 12 – Morgan County Speedway – Jacksonville, IL
September 13 – Spoon River Speedway – Tom Knowles Memorial – Canton, IL
September 27 – Macon Speedway – Macon, IL
October 3 – Tri-City Speedway – Bob Wente Classic – Granite City, IL
October 4 – Belle-Clair Speedway – Charlene Meents Memorial – Belleville, IL