New Series, New Track, New Season!

Last evening I put together a web site for a friend of mine who has created a brand new racing series. The Ozark Mountain Midget Series will be coming soon to a track in the midwest. This is a Sportsman Midget Series and is a spin-off of the Illini Racing Series. Check out the site, which is bare-bones at the moment, and watch for updates and changes. This should be a very exciting and groundbreaking series.

While working on line, I saw an email come in from our buddy Rich Edwards in Arnold, Mo. He got the chance to go for a plane ride and do some practice shooting with his new Pentax K100D of the construction going on at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL. Nice guy that he is, Rich shared the photos with us and gave permission for us to share them with you. Enjoy!

Of all the lamb excuses...

We've all done it, right? We've been invited to do something or go somewhere, and we don't really want to go, so we make up some silly excuse to get out of it. No harm, no foul, nobody's feelings get hurt.

Well last Friday I called up Spring to see if I could take her out to lunch for her birthday. I couldn't get her at home or on her cell, so I left a message. A few minutes later, I got a text messaging asking, "What's up?"

When I responded, letting her know what I had in mind, she replied that she would love to, but the only way she could do lunch was if I brought it to her because she couldn't leave the house. Finally, we caught up with each other long enough to verbally communicate what was going on.

As it turns out, one of Spring's sheep had given birth to triplets Monday night. Of the two boys and one girl, the Momma really only wanted to take care of one, so the other two were getting shoved aside. One was bad enough that it had to be brought into the house to get warmed up and so they could attempt bottle feeding.

City girl that I am, this was something I just had to see, so I stopped at the Bread Company (where else would I go?), picked up soup and salads, and headed up the highway to Spring's house. When I got there, sweet Sadie greeted me at the door with lots of excitement, jumping up on me and passing out licks.

We had lunch and visited for a bit and then it was time to go see this little miracle of miracles.


I grew up in the suburbs, but I've been to Grant's Farm and fed the goats, ridden horses, seen cows up close and personal, but never before had I seen a less-than-a-week-old lamb. My goodness, how adorable he was! Little Cisco looked like a stuffed animal all curled up in his wicker laundry basket. He was laying on a heating pad in front of a space heater to try and get warm and didn't respond to us much when we stroked him or said his name. Even Sadie tried to help by licking the top of his head and nuzzling his ears.

It was feeding time for the little lamby-pie, so Spring went and heated up a special formula and put it in a small glass Coke bottle with a rubber nipple. She showed me how to hold it and get Cisco interested. He was interested all right! That little guy almost polished off the whole bottle in no time, and once he did, it was amazing how fast he got energized!

Before long, there was no keeping him in the basket or even in a big cardboard box. Instead, he followed me around the dining room (the song "Mary had a little lamb" kept going through my head the whole time) and exploring the house and the cat. His tiny hooves made the cutest little clopping sound on the hardwood floor! It was really something to see and I just couldn't stop taking pictures of the little guy. He finally settle down after quite a bit of wandering, and just nodded off in a corner of the room.

What a fun day it was for me as I got to make friends with Cisco!

Dirt Track Divas Dare to Dream

Things are starting to look up around here now that we've broken out of our Arctic freeze and shaken the ice off the thermometer. I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to get warm anywhere but under my electric blanket.

We spent last Sunday at Spring and Randy's watching the Daytona 500 and pigging out on all kinds of down home comfort food. Spring cooked up some fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and slaw which we washed down with some kind of fabulous punch. We topped the whole calorie-fest off with hunks of a specialty cake that my daughter made to look like the finish line with Junior crossing in front. (Hence the "dream" part of this title.) That was for Spring, who is a Junior fan. I was, of course, cheering for Tony, who made a great showing and should have won the darned thing. Once he was out, I took to cheering for Mark Martin, and we all know how that turned out. Oh well, don't ever take me to Vegas!

So now I'm starting to think that racing season will eventually get here, and I'm really excited. We already have credentials in place for several events, and I am working on getting them for a few more. It will be a busy summer, which is fine with me. The more time I spend chasin' racin', the less time I will spend mourning the fact that my oldest will head off to college in the fall. Yikes!

For now, I am working on a web site for the newly formed Ozark Mountain Midget Series which is a Midget racing series for low-budget racers. Our buddy Dustin has been working his tail off for ages to put this thing together and it's looking really good. He also let me know that he will be racing a Sprint Car on Friday nights this season, and I know he is excited. Congrats, Dustin!

Girls Gone Racin' is the official photographer of the OMMS, and we look forward to this new venture.

In other news, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. who drives Brent's Midget won two USAC events, both Sprint and Silver Crown, while out west. Way to go, Ricky! We have asked Brent if we can ride along sometime this season to see just what goes into a race weekend, and we're going to try and figure out when we can do it.


Saturday is Spring's birthday so drop her a note when you get the chance. We'll be going out with a bunch of other gals for a true "girls's night out" which should be a lot of fun. I'll be sure to bring my camera...

Wake me up when the engines start!

Yes, I know it must seem as if this blog has been in hibernation mode, and I guess maybe it has, but that does not mean that I've been sleeping for the past two weeks. Not by a long shot!

In all actuality, work has been keeping me busy. Usually this time of year, we can kind of kick back and coast for a while, but there has actually been a lot going on in the racing world. Of course, none of it is anywhere near me, so I've had to settle for watching some of the NASCAR hype and wondering why in the world anyone still gets caught up in it. Maybe this time of year it's a bit more understandable because there is no real racing going on, but in two months, NASCAR will definitely be on the back burner as we head into dirt track season.

With that in mind, you just never know where you might find interesting motorsports stuff this time of year. Thanks to my friend Ron, I learned about the Shifting Gears exhibit at the Missouri History Museum. Yestereday my Dad and I headed off to see it, and we had a good time.

The exhibit features cars that were manufactured in St. Louis. It is amazing how many automobile manufacturers were here over the years and how diverse the styles of cars. We saw cars made by Dorris, Moon and many others on display. Most of the cars had been painstakingly restored and were absolutely beautiful. I was surprised by how big some of them were too. The 1924 Dorris (pictured above) on display had to be at least as long as the modern Suburban! The front bumper on this car reminded me of Lizzie's smile in the move Cars.

There was also an area devoted to auto racing, which I found to be particularly intriguing. The trophy on display was intricately detailed and I can only imagine the pride of the driver to whom it was presented. One of the descriptions of a race, which started at night, described the track as being lit by hundreds of gas-powered torches. Can you imagine? No Musco lighting in those days, that's for sure!

I also enjoyed the display of "motoring togs" that were popular in the early 1900s. The first photo in the blog is an example of one of those styles. Her goggles are lined in purple fur! I think she is quite elegant, but I can't imagine having to get into all that gear just to run to the mall.

There was another section with information about motoring safety and how new laws had to be enacted as automobiles evolved. At one point, the speed limit in St. Louis was 8 mph. This left us with an intriguing question: How did the cops know if someone was speeding? They certainly didn't have radar guns, in the driver's defense, there were no speedometers! Sounds like a slick way of padding the coffers of city government to me.

All in all, this is a small but interesting display. There are only about a dozen or so cars on display, but the exhibit is open to the public, and free, so the price is right. It runs through March 31, 2007.

The Motorsports Zone Radio Show Returns for 5th Season

Our friends at The Motorsports Zone are gearing up for their fifth season on the air. Here's what's in store for 2007:

Courtesy: Chuck Licata

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Motorsports Zone radio show (KVET-AM 1300, Austin, TX) will return Saturday, Feb. 10, 2007 at 10 a.m. for a fifth season of broadcast.

Chuck Licata, who started the show with former co-host Ric Clark, will return to host the show. Licata, co-owner of K-MAC Sports Productions of Austin (an online broadcast company), will be joined by a “rotation” of co-hosts for this season.

KVET-AM 1300, known as “The Zone,” is the flagship station for University of Texas athletics. Steaming of all Zone programming can be found at the station’s web site, www.am1300thezone.com.

“This is going to be a great season for the show,” Licata said. “We’re going to continue to grow the show. This season, we’re going to bring in different co-hosts in anticipation of different racing events. The co-hosts all have different ‘strengths’ that cover the wide variety of racing topics.”

The rotating co-hosts will include “BA” otherwise known as Brian in Austin; Bobby Chaffee, Ric Clark and Dawn Murphy, all of San Antonio; and “Zippy,” also from Austin.

Licata will be joined by Chaffee March 2-3 at the Pro-Cuts Dirt Track Championships at Texas Motor Speedway, where the duo will broadcast the show live from the TMS Dirt Track.

The Motorsports Zone is also available for replay, 24/7, on www.kmacsports.com. Listeners just need to click on “The MZone” logo on the web site.

Listerners can call into the radio show to share their thoughts and opinions at 512.390.LIVE (5483).

Counting Down the Days

The 2007 Chili Bowl has come and gone (congrats Tony!) and now we are counting down the days and weeks to our first live race of 2007. So far it looks like that will be a World of Outlaws Sprint Car race at I-55 Raceway on April 7. Being as that is my 23rd wedding anniversary, I had to ask my hubby if he would mind celebrating at a race, and he willingly agreed to the arrangement. So, as long as the weather cooperates, I guess we are good to go.

Until then, we will continue to muddle through the cold and snow while we patiently wait for spring time and fair temperatures. As a last resort, we will most likely get together for the Daytona 500 and maybe even another NASCAR race or two before the real racing season gets underway.

In local news, it looks like our friends Kevin and Tammy Gundaker will now have double the promotional duties starting today. Over the weekend, they finalized a deal to purchase Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, Missouri. Lucky for us, they run 360 Sprints and since this is a track I've never seen, I am more than anxious to make the trip down. Congratulations to the Gundakers and best wishes on the new endeavor!

Before I forget, I need to thank someone who really helped us out. Check out the new logo on the web site if you haven't already. A big "THANK YOU" goes out to Chris and his company 87 Design for the new design. We love what he did and we are happy to be working with him. Be sure to check out his place on MySpace when you get the chance. Thanks, Chris!

Chili Bowl Serving #4: Spicin' it up

Tonight's races are going on despite nasty weather all over the midwest. Inside the Tulsa Expo Center, dirt is flying like nobody's business. It will be exciting to hear stories about the races, and what's going on with folks trying to get where they need to be.

Back here in Missouri, real life is more exciting than the movies, or any race could ever be.

Earlier this week, a young man was kidnapped from near his home in Beaufort, MO. This afternoon he was found, alive, and as if that was not miracle enough, along with him was another young man who had been missing since October of 2002. It's an amazing discovery, and when I first saw the news flash across my tv screen, I thought I was seeing things. When the story was confirmed, I cried.

All week long our family has prayed for Ben, and each day I have followed the news, hoping to see positive news. When it finally happened, the news was even better than the scenario I had imagined. Wow.

So yeah, I guess going to the Chili Bowl would have been fun, although I wouldn't want to have to deal with the weather. For me, being right here at home finding out this wonderful news is better than any race I could be watching.

Of course, I still want to hear all about it, and I'm looking forward to all of tomorrow's news stories. This has to be one of the best-covered events of the racing season, no doubt.

Ben Ownby FOUND!

Ben Ownby, of Beaufort, MO has been missing since January 8.

Contact: FRANKLIN COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT 636-583-2567

ABDUCTION INFORMATION

Case Number:
Date Last Seen: Monday, Jan 8th, 2007
Time Last Seen: 3:30pm
Location Last Seen: Beaufort, MO

INCIDENT INFORMATION

Victim got off bus after school approx 1530 hrs and was walking home and did not arrive. White Nissan pickup with camper shell seen in the Beaufort area.

VICTIM

Name: William "Ben" Ownby
DOB: 1993-12-06
Age: 13
Race: white
Gender/Sex: M
Hair Color: brown
Eye Color: blue
Height: 4' 10"
Weight: 100
Clothing: st louis rams hooded windbreaker and blue jeans
Other: wears glasses

Type: Nissan compact pickup
License: unknown unknown
Description: white older model nissan compact truck with white camper shell. Vehicle has "Nissan" in black block letters on upper left corner of tailgate. Last seen in the Beaufort area.

Ozark Mountain Midgets Ready to Roar!

The new Ozark Mountain Midget Series logo.

(Thanks to Dustin Arnall for keeping us in the loop about this exciting new series!)

HARTVILLE, Mo. -- Starting in 2007 will be the Ozark Mountain Midget Series for Sportsman Midgets. The series is a spin-off of the Illini Racing Series in the Chicago area.At this point, the series will race strictly on dirt.

Schedule will be limited to tracks no larger than 1/3 mile. 1/4 miles are perfect for us. OMMS is based in Southwest Missouri.

Any 4 cylinder midget or upright mini sprint (13" wheels, bladder, and no wings) is legal.

An engine restriction formula is in place to keep OEM type engines and older midget packages competitive with any engine package currently used in midget racing.

Chassis specs are in place to keep older cars competitive.

Mickey Thompson sportsman DOT tires are the series spec. The tires lack of grip balances out the competition to an amazing level.

With this rules package, 20 year old cars frequently win races/ Quad 4 spec engines frequently win championships.

Two tracks are already on board to provide an 18-25 race schedule in 2007.

Complete schedule coming soon. Waiting to see final schedule for SMRS, MARA, POWERi, & MOLS. We do not want to schedule on top of any other groups in this region if at all possible.

At this point we expect 16-22 cars on opening day. This is not an optimistic #, this is reality.

IF YOU THINK YOUR EQUIPMENT CAN'T BE COMPETITIVE, WE WILL CHANGE YOUR MIND!

Here is where to find more info about the newly formed OZARK MOUNTAIN MIDGET SERIES.

Dustin Arnall, President 417-741-7815 djbarnall@centurytel.net
Neil Gamble, Board Member 417-369-3751
Chris Talburt, Board Member 417-861-5992 jatalburt@aol.com

Complete rules and Illini Series history http://www.illiniracingseries.com/

We will use the Illini Series car/engine rules 100% word for word. Format info and contact info will be different.

OMMS website coming soon!

Special Thanks to Bill Allen at Dallas County Speedway in Urbana, MO and Greg Clemmons at Grand River Speedway in Urich,MO for providing a place for this series to grow!

Chili Bowl Serving #2: Tossed Salad?

Tonight is night number two of the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals at the Tulsa Expo. We're looking for all you fortunate folks who made the trip to fill us in on all of the details. Otherwise, links to results and related stories will be posted right here Thursday morning.

Remember to click on the "Comments" link below to share your impressions of the big event!

Chili Bowl Pre-Qualifier News & Notes

TULSA, Okla. -- Bubba Altig was victorious in the first night of the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, taking that win on the last turn of the last lap just to make things really exciting.

You can read the entire story, get the results and view photos here:

http://www.whowon.com/sresults.asp?SanctionID=0&StoryID=210647

For even more news and information about the event, check out www.chilibowl.com or go to:

http://www.whowon.com/ResultsDates.asp?TrackID=843

More stories will be posted throughout the day today, and all through the week, so check back often.

Chili Bowl Serving #1: The Appetizer

Here it is at last, the first day of th 2007 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals at the Tulsa Expo Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Haulers are parked, tickets are sold out and race fans from all over the country will be packing the place to the rafters.

Practice starts at 11:00 CST this morning and no doubt folks are hungry enough for racing in these bleak winter months that they will come for practice and stay right through tonight's races.

We're ready to hear from you folks down in Tulsa. Be sure to click on that itty bitty "Comments" link at the bottom of this post to add your thoughts.

While many of you are enjoying tonight's kick off in Tulsa, I will be at a high school basketball game cheering for my alma mater, which is now my daughter's school. Maybe not quite as exciting as Midget racing, but a different type of fun all its own.

Below are a few of my favorite Midget photos from this past season, and all of these cars are registered to be racing at the 2007 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals. Good luck guys!




Tim Siner, Waterloo, Illinois



Doug DeWitt, Sunnyvale, California



Mike Hess, Riverton, Illinois



Nick Knepper, Belleville, Illinois



Brent Nausley's #52, driven here by Randy Bateman. To be driven at the Chili Bowl by Joey Montgomery of Farmington, Missouri

Hunka Hunka Burnin' Chili

Well here it is, January 8th again and me and the King (Presley, not Petty) are celebrating our birthdays together. Of course, I'm the only one getting any older and one of these days, I'll actually catch up with, and pass him, God-willing.

I've talked to several people today who are packing their gear and heading for Tulsa, and I have to say that I am green with envy. That's way better than the kind of green Spring is experiencing today as she deals with an ear infection and the flu. Get well soon, chickie! I guess it's a darned good thing we didn't get tickets to the Chili Bowl after all.

With that said, it's been an interesting day of posting news of sadness and that of excitement. The passing of NASCAR legend Bobby Hamilton has been one of the top stories of the day in the sad department, while big news of sponsorships, new sanctions, big rides and all the other silly season stuff is filling up the ol' email box. I've been posting them almost as quickly as they arrive and they have been showing up in surprising numbers for January, let me tell you. Usually I am working hard to stay busy this time of the year, but not today! As usual, for all the latest racing news, check out www.whowon.com

Along with the news, schedules are rolling in as well. Tracks and sanctions are starting to nail down their dates, and so are the GGR girls. Just today I confirmed at least a half dozen dates for the 2007 calendar, all of them Winged Sprints in the bi-state area. Already lined up for this year are several POWRi Midget races, a possible NASCAR race at Talladega and maybe even a run up to Knoxville for the Midget Nationals. And just for fun, an ASA Challenge Series event at I-70 Speedway has been thrown into the mix. No drag races so far, but you just never know. Of course, we will wrap up the season back in Hartville, Missouri for the Fifth Annual got milk? Fall Karting Nationals. Speaking of Hartville, I talked to Dustin Arnall just this afternoon, and he will be making a big announcement of his own soon. Not to spoil the surprise, but I think local Midget fans will be very happy!

Of course, thinking of Midgets leads me back to the good ol' Chili Bowl. With a record number of entries (last I saw the number was 275), and an extra night of racing with tomorrow night's qualifier, things are bound to be exciting in Tulsa this week. I hope that many of you will remember to share your thoughts and comments here as the week progresses, as we are really excited to see how it goes. Remember, we want your pictures too! Feel free to email them to us at girlsgoneracin@sbcglobal.net.

To those of you heading out, drive safely and enjoy the races!

P.S. I received a link to an absolutely adorable web site today. If you're into racing (if you found us, you must be!) and love dogs, then check out www.racerdogs.com. Beautiful artwork and the cutest racing t-shirts ever. Great work!

Chili Bowl Drivers and Lady Ann Doin’ Donuts

(Courtesy Dennis Michelsen)

CHICAGO, Ill. -- Join hosts Lori Munro and Dennis Michelsen as they welcome Chili Bowl drivers Shannon McQueen and Michelle Decker to the show. In addition Lori and Dennis will be taking a virtual road trip to the amazing “Land of Velocity” and meet artist Ann Boyer LePere. (“Lady Ann”) Cue up house band “Tar and the Nicotines” and let the fun begin. If it’s Monday at 8pm eastern, it’s time to make the donuts with Lori and Dennis on RaceTalkRadio!

http://www.doindonuts.com

Meet Shannon McQueen The first female driver to win the Budweiser Outlaw Nationals, Shannon is also the only female driver to race on pavement and dirt at the same time. "I'm a pretty simple person really. I work hard as a CPA to fund my racing. All I ever wanted was a chance to make it." This twenty-seven year old from Tehachapi, California has quite a racing resume. This will be her third trip to the historic Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.

Meet Michelle Decker Hailing from Guthrie, Oklahoma thirty-three year old Michele Decker has been involved with racing most of her life. Michelle runs both classes of sprint cars at her local track and will run her second "Chili Bowl" this year. "They are evil little machines but so much fun to drive,” exclaimed Decker. Michelle works for a mortgage company when she is not busy working on her own racecars.

Meet Lady Ann Boyer LePere Hear ye, hear ye, thee royal court is in session with Lady Ann Boyer LePere presiding. This grandmother of three is an amazing realist painter who spends most of her time working on commissioned portraits. Explore her "Land of Velocity;" the mixture of speed and fantasy are blended into a sort of NASCAR renaissance fare in the wondrous imagination of this creative lady.

Doin’ Donuts Every Monday Night 8-10pm ET A dog named Carbon Super Sport doing commercials? Show hosts blowing up people’s stills? Finding out who ain’t getting any in NASCAR? This provocative racing show will entertain, enlighten, and yes sometimes confound you! Sit down, strap in, and sound off for two hours of high-octane fun NASCAR-style with Lori Munro and Dennis Michelsen every Monday night on “Doin’ Donuts!”

Do you have a product that needs the best commercial spokes-pup in the business? Put Carbon Super Sport to work for you today! Please contact Dennis Michelsen for details on how Carbon can get consumers wagging their tails for your product!

Sponsorship opportunities are available for the 2007 season on many of the RaceTalkRadio shows. Contact us today and learn how our radio shows, websites, and newsletter can be put to work for you!

In Racing, as in Cooking, Preparation is Key

Much like a chef preparing ingredients for a big batch of chili, car owners and teams must ready their cars for any big race. The Chili Bowl is one of the biggest races of the year to prepare for and the close quarters, large number of entries and type of facility (indoor) make for many challenges.

(The team works on the #52 car after the crash at Belle Clair in October.)

Car owner Brent Nausley shared a little insight about his team's preparations with me today. He will be entering two cars into next week's competition. Car #52 will be driven by Joey Montgomery and #50 by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Both cars will carry Girls Gone Racin' stickers, so keep your eyes open!

Here are a few insights from Brent, to whom we give thanks not only for sharing this background information with us, but for the friendship we have been priviliged to share. Thanks Brent!

Good morning,

Well we had alot to do to the 52 due to the crash at Belle-Clair, [Oct. 7, driven by Randy Bateman. See photo.] we have repaired the chassis, the rear end had to be repaired, along with a lot of bolt on parts. I took the motor to Dynotech to have it checked on the dyno and everything for it is back and the car is together. The 50 car is still waiting for the motor today. Ricky Jr is bringing it up from Memphis and we will put the 50 together when he gets here.

I try to gather and load as many spare parts as I can for the trip. I also go through every thing on the cars to make sure they are in good shape. I replace parts that are worn. I clean every thing up and Harold repairs and repaints the body work.

It is a lot of work, but this race isn't like any of the other races because there are so many things that reduce your chances to win. The amount of competitors on the track increase the chance of tearing up the car, but the list of great drivers who come each year makes this race special. So the opportunity for me to take my cars makes it special for me.

The uniqueness of the race for preparation is the amount of cars on the track wearing it out. The track being indoors doesn't have weather affecting it but is does dry out and with all the races ran on it it does wear down. We have found it to be consistent though, it is dry slick. The motors also run a little different indoors and we have to work on that.

I don't have a good camera any more but I will get some kind of picture.

We appreciate you writing about the team and following it. I know you will enjoy it when you make the race.

Brent

P.S. Harold and Debbie bring alot of food and take care of the meals. They make the trip a whole lot more comfortable.

Pass the Chili My Way, Baby!

Hey, Mama always said, "Don't cry over spilled chili," right? Something like that anyway. Well, if you're like Spring and I, and can't make it to Tulsa for the biggest event of the winter, that doesn't mean you can't experience the excitement just like everyone else.

We just got this press release today from the folks at Racin' Boys, (Racin' Boys and Girls Gone Racin' hmmmm) letting us know that they will be doing a live broadcast right from the Tulsa Expo. So next week, instead of sitting around wondering which briefcase holds the million dollar prize, or who will get to hear the Donald's famous farewell, fire up the computer and log onto the internet to get all of the Chili Bowl information you can stand.

Many thanks to Bryan Gapinski at Racin' Boys for this report:

Chili Bowl Broadcast Times Set

TULSA, Okla. -- Fans unable to attend the sold-out 21st annual O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals at the Tulsa Expo Raceway on January 9-13, can hear all the action via the internet. The event can be heard only on the internet at www.racinboys.com . It’s the second straight year RacinBoys.com will provide the live audio webcast of the country’s premier indoor racing event.

Fan1st.com will be the title sponsor for the broadcast. Fan1st.com allows ordinary fans to become a part of the sponsorship of a car by putting their name in the logo that goes on the car at the track. In 2007, Dave Blaney will be driving the Fan1st.com car in the NASCAR Busch Series.

The RacinBoys, Scott Traylor and Kirk Elliott, are co-hosts of a popular Saturday morning Midwest regional motorsports show called "Track Talk with The RacinBoys" on the countries Largest all Sports Radio station the 50,000-watt Sports Radio 810 WHB in Kansas City, Mo.

The Racinboys will be again joined by Bryan Gapinski, well-known open wheel racing announcer. Gapinski has been involved in previous broadcasts of the Chili Bowl, in the area of television, simulcast, radio/webcast and video. Gapinski is also the media director for the Badger Midget Series and founder of the National Midget Driver of the Year.Veteran sprint car announcer Scottie Cook has been added to the broadcast team for 2007, and will head up the Saturday afternoon ‘alphabet soup’ feature coverage. More than 35 hours of action concludes with the 50-lap championship feature on Saturday night, January 13. More pit and trackside interviews are planned as well as Saturday pre-race ceremonies.

The evenings broadcasts will start on Tuesday at 6:30 pm CST (local-Tulsa time), Wednesday-Friday Jan. 10-12 at 5:30 pm CST. The broadcast of action on Saturday will tentatively begin at 12:00pm CST. Stay tuned to www.racinboys.com for any updates.

The broadcast team will be joined by three lucky fans Dan Anders (Wednesday), Melissa Lazzaro (Thursday) and Bill Morrow (Friday). The trio were the highest bidders to receive a fan package and the opportunity to announce a heat race during the evenings events, that was recently held on eBay. Rod End Supply also recently signed on as a broadcast sponsor.

Got Chili?

COTTLEVILLE, Mo. – In just two weeks, all eyes in the Midget racing community will be focused on Tulsa, Oklahoma and the 2007 Chili Bowl. The Tulsa Expo will be packed with cars, crews and fans as the five nights of the mayhem, madness and excitement that make up this great event unfold.

The girls at Girls Gone Racin’ have been asked many times if we will be there this year, but unfortunately, other commitments prevent us from making the trip. Despite this obstacle, we still want to bring our readers as much coverage as possible. That’s where you come in.

Each night, starting with Tuesday’s pre-qualifier, we are asking folks to contribute their own coverage directly from the Chili Bowl so that those of us who can’t be there get as much information as possible. If you have access to the internet while in Tulsa, jump on to our blog and give us your thoughts and insights, or cheer on your favorite driver. Whether you are in the pits, the stands or a suite, we want your exclusive viewpoint.

If you do not have access to the internet, but want to share your views after you return home from the Oklahoma pilgrimage, you can do that too via our Chili Bowl wrap up blog which will go up after the 2007 Chili Bowl champion has been determined. So take notes on a napkin, the back of your program, or via your cell phone, PDA or MP3 player and then transcribe them when you get back to your computer and post away.

In order to post on the GGR blog, simply navigate to www.girlsgoneracin.com and click on the Girls Gone Racin’ Blog link, or go straight to http://girlsgoneracin.blogspot.com
Each night of the event will have a separate thread, and you can add your comments by clicking on the word “comments” at the end of the thread. Because this is a family-friendly site, all comments will be moderated before they go live, but we will do our best to turn them around as quickly as possible. So keep it clean and rant-free so we can share your views as you write them.

If you are taking a digital camera, and want to share your photos, we welcome those as well. Just pick your favorite one or two, make sure your files have been reduced to a reasonable size and are in .jpg format, and email them to girlsgoneracin@sbcglobal.net We will post as many as we can in the blog and on the web site.

We look forward to all of the great coverage that our readers will provide and we are excited to see just how many respond to the call. Be sure to look for cars with Girls Gone Racin’ decals, as we know there will be a few down there and we are anxious to see how they do.

Good luck to all of our bloggers and photographers. Have fun and thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts on this event with the rest of the world.

Brea Lopez Midget Found!

Yesterday, word spread quickly about the theft of Midget racer Brea Lopez's car, hauler and truck which were taken from their hotel parking lot in Kansas City. They were on their way from Washington state to Orlando for the PRI race tomorrow night.

I am happy to report that the race car, truck and hauler were found. It just goes to show that the racing community is a tight-knit group that works together when someone in the family is hurt or threatened. It is unfortunate that the thieves made off with expensive equipment and parts, and did the damage they did, but I know that Brea and her family are grateful to everyone who got the message out.

Below is a report on the recovery of the stolen operation.

If you are a member of the racer community, Dan Press and Brea Lopez extend the biggest heartfelt thank you to everyone. The car has been found thanks to you.

Two truckers early this morning, a William and a Darren (known as Bear) drove by some brown buildings next to a flying J truck stop in the Kansas city area, and one of the two spotted the midget sitting outside of a white trailer and commented to his partner that he just saw a midget sitting in the wide open between these buildings. The other trucker, being a serious racing fan, immediately responded and said "What!, I just read about a stolen midget on one of the message boards. They went back, and sure enough, there was the midget, trailer, and the Dodge Pick-up. The truckers than called Dan and informed him they were standing there staring at the #25.Dan contacted the police. Shortly following a Mark Hockemeier, a police officer from Kansas city (and a racer himself) contacted Dan to report that he and his partner, Brandon Steele were responding. At the same time, Officer Lambert, who is a police officer in the Kansas City area and married to Rachel Lambert, cousin to Rob Lindsey, past president and now business manger for the WMRA heard of the find, and responded. All three officers arriving pretty close to each other.

Status - the contents of the trailer are gone - tools, spare parts, generator, lights, heater, and the personal luggage of Dan's and Brea's. However, the car is INTACT, no visible signs what soever of damage or missing parts. Brea's drivers' bag was not taken, Helmet, drivers suit, Hans were left in the trailer. The locks on the trailer were gone and some damage to the drop gate is evident. Spare Tires mounted on Wheels were left, however, spare axels, quick change rear were also taken.

The drivers door handle on the Dodge Ram Pickup broken (gaining access) and the ignition on the column was stripped out.

Once the officers confirmed and did their police stuff at the location, Rachel Lambert than made arrangements for the #25 midget and trailer to be dropped at a secure location (locked compound) and the Dodge Ram was taken to a nearby Dodge Dealership. Mechanics at the dealership, when the P/U came in knew it was the "racers" stolen rig, and quickly assessed the damage and ordered the needed repair parts.

Dan reports he most likely will be flying out within one to two days to bring hauler, trailer, and the #25 back home.

Yes, Brea didn't make it to PRI - however, thanks to the racing community, the excellent work of Marty Boyer in getting the word out on the radio stations, and the posting of the theft on the message boards,Brea and the #25 will be racing this spring.

Dan Press and family, Brea Lopez, and the whole WMRA community so thank each and every one for caring and aiding in the recovery.

The bond of racers, never cease to amaze.Thank you, everyone!
Dan Press / Brea Lopez#25 WMRA Vader, Washington

USAC Driver Brea Lopez has Race Hauler & Midget Stolen

We were on our way to Orlando, Florida for the PRI Sprint and Midget Classic; we stopped right outside of Kansas City, Missouri at a hotel to sleep for the night. We got up around 6 am and walked outside and everything was gone.

Our truck was a Black 2005 Dodge Ram, and our trailer was a white Exiss with two big decals on the back one is a WMRA logo and one is a Red Line Oil decal. Every single piece of my racing operation was in that trailer.

The Chassis was a red powder coated 2005 Beast, with black carbon fiber pannels. The motor is an esslinger. Our tool box with all of our tools, shocks and springs, wheels and tires, quad, all of my safety equipment, spare axels rear ends, I can't even name it all off. I really don't even know what to say right now. Just please if anyone hears or sees anything, please let me know.

Email me at brea_lopez@yahoo.com. Thanks.

If seen please call the authorities immediately. Than please contact Dan Press, Telephone - 360-295-3937
Truck License Washington State A82018X
Trailer License Washington State 4533RV
Brea Lopez, Driver
Brea Lopez Motorsports
1397 State Hwy. 506
Vader, WA 98593
Phone: 360.295.3937
Cell: 360.270.2109www.brealopez.com

Jason Aldean, Emerson Drive Concert Photgraphy

(The guys from Emerson Drive wrap their set with a wave to the crowd.)

Spring asked me to write up a quick blog for her because she's so busy. In the aftermath of the winter storm here, our kids have missed way too much school and since mine (finally) went back today, and hers didn't, I guess I can understand that.

(Jason Aldean's Band is smokin'!)

We had a great time at the concert, which you know if you read my blog and looked at my weak attempts at concert photography. If you like pictures, and you like the bands we saw, then you are in for a treat. I have just uploaded three pages of photographs to the web site. In order to view them, just go to www.girlsgoneracin.com/Jinglefest.htm