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.