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

T'was the Night Before Christmas, Race Fan Style

Valerie Perkins, WhoWon.com and TwoGirlsGoneRacin.com

T'was the night before Christmas, and all through the land

Not a race track was open, only snow filled the stands.

The pit shacks were shuttered, front gates were secured

And over PA sysems, not one word was heard.

The flagstands were empty, there were no shouts or cheers

And no kids begged their parents for speedway souvenirs

PRI had just ended, Chili Bowl was two weeks away

No races were scheduled to run Christmas Day.

RVs and campers were winterized and parked

Musco lighting was turned off, scoring towers were dark.

And everywhere race fans were snug in their beds

While visions of close finishes danced in their heads.

But somewhere in Ohio, north of Rossburg town

If you listened real close, you could just hear the sound

Of an engine, a Chevy, a small block at that

At the wheel was a driver in a Schlitz Beer ball cap.

He was pushed by a truck, its driver in red

With a long white beard and a furry cap on his head

They moved through the infield, past an empty food stand

Their only witness, a reindeer, with stopwatch at hand.

They rolled out of the pits and down the front straight

Then the engine, it caught, and the car pulled away

Past the bleachers it rumbled, the midget so light

Broadsliding 'round turns on that cold winter night.

Just off the cushion, the driver he flew

Gaining speed as he rounded the corner in two.

He zipped down the backstretch, no fenders, no wings

Because many drivers have no need of such things.

As he circled the track, he laughed in delight

Engine roaring as dirt clods flew into the night,

Many ciruits he made in the snow and the cold

The speed and the skill were a sight to behold.

All too soon, in the east, shown the first light of sun

And alas, it was time to end all the fun.

He was heard to exclaim as he climbed from the car,

"Merry Christmas all race fans, wherever you are!"

Broken Bow Records is Primary Sponsor of the Three Race POWRi “DuQuoin Winter Series”

MILLSTADT, Ill. -- Three events each will make up the 2008 edition of the Broken Bow Records “DuQuoin Winter Series” for the O’Reilly POWRi National Midget and Micro-Sprint Series divisions, officials announced today.

Races at the DuQuoin (Ill.) Indoor Center, which features a temporary sixth-mile dirt track, will be run on Jan. 19, Feb. 16 and March 29 – all Saturdays. Thirty-lap features are scheduled for the National Midgets, who are debuting as part of the “DuQuoin Winter Series,” while the Micro-Sprints are scheduled to compete in 25-lap features.

Broken Bow Records, a country music record label, will be the presenting sponsor of the three-race series. Among those associated with BBR include band Crossin Dixon, which is currently featured on Country Music Television’s (CMT) Studio 330 Sessions. Crossin Dixon, which recently released its first two singles Guitar Slinger and Make You Mine, will play on Friday, March 28, the night before the final event.

The final event will be called the “Dean King Memorial” in honor of Dean King, whose Grandson Dereck King recently earned the 2007 POWRi Micro-Sprint championship. Dean King was avid in racing in many facets, and sadly passed away in 2006. Both the Micro-Sprint and Midget races are expected to award high winner’s shares.

Visit www.brokenbowrecords.com for more information on the record label and its musical artists.

Note from Val: Broken Bow Records is also the label for a 2GGR favorite, Jason Aldean!

Book Review: Hart’s Victory by Michele Dunaway

A few weeks back I received a much-anticipated package in the mail. It was the newest release in the Harlequin NASCAR series of books. The title is Hart’s Victory and it was written by my friend, Michele Dunaway, who teaches at our high school. She sent me the autographed copy of her book as her way of thanking me for helping her with the research that went into it, and even included me in the dedication, which is really cool because I have never seen my name in a book before!

It took me a while to find the time to sit down and read the book, but when I did, I found it to be worth the wait. It was interesting to me to see how Michele included her extensive research in the book, which revolves around a Mom who’s son is very sick and gets to spend a weekend at a Victory Junction-type camp. While at the camp, Mother and son meet their favorite NASCAR driver, and you can imagine where that leads.

It’s a great story with enough plotline to keep even a non-race fan interested. My Mom was the first person I shared it with, and she liked it as much as I did, even though she doesn’t follow NASCAR at all.

Michele did a great deal of research on the camp and the inner workings of NASCAR to make everything very realistic and believable. One of my favorite things is that this is the type of book anyone can read because it is very clean without the crutch of foul language or spicy sex scenes that tend to permeate the genre. As someone who reads a lot of Christian romance, I can recommend this read with a very clear conscience!

With believable and endearing characters, a fast-paced plot, and the excitement of NASCAR, Hart’s Victory deserves a winner’s trophy!

On a related note, if you happen to live in our area, Michele will be signing copies of Hart’s Victory and The Christmas Date this Saturday at Rose’s Bookhouse in O’Fallon, MO from noon to two. If you need directions, drop me a note.
For more information on Michele and her books please visit www.micheledunaway.blogspot.com or www.micheledunaway.com

Music Review: Relient K – Let It Snow Baby, Let it Reindeer!

Every year I add at least one new CD to our Christmas collection. This year, my favorite choice by far is Relient K’s Christmas CD, cleverly entitled, Let It Snow Baby, Let it Reindeer!

Relient K has always been known for their clever lyrics and fun musical style, and this CD is no exception. It is a great mix of traditional Christmas carols and silly songs, as well as different twists to old favorites.

Their version of The Twelve Days of Christmas is a rowdy romp which is only outdone by I’m Getting’ Nuttin’ for Christmas and possibly, Santa Claus is Thumbin’ to Town. Each one will have you singing along and tapping your toes.

For the more sedate moments of Christmas, the Silent Night/Away in a Manger medley is a wonderful rendition which really gets down to the heart of what the season is all about.

With 17 tracks, the $10 price tag is a bargain. I absolutely love every single song on this CD and I highly recommend it. It has something for everyone, no matter their age or musical taste.

Here is a list of the titles on the CD:

Have Youself a Merry Little Christmas
Sleigh Ride
Merry Christmas, Here's to Many More
Angels We Have Heard on High
Deck the Halls
12 Days of Christmas
Silent Night/Away In A Manger
I Celebrate the Day
In Like a Lion (Always Winter
I'm Gettin' Nuttin' For Christmas
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Santa Claus Is Thumbing To Town
Handel's Messiah
I Hate Christmas Parties
Boxing Day
Auld Lang Syne
Good King Wenceslas

Keeping the Lights On

Anyone who checks in here at the blog on a regular basis probably thinks I’ve fallen off the planet or something. I can’t believe how long it’s been since my last entry! Alas, the racing season came to an end, and I got totally wrapped up in my son’s marching band season and in getting through the first few months of having my daughter away at college. Now here it is December and the clock is ticking away the time until Christmas and a brand new year.

Beginning with this entry I plan to cover quite a few topics so I hope you have the patience to bear with me!

Right now I am sitting in a hotel room in Springfield, Missouri waiting for my daughter to finish her final final at Missouri State University so we can head back home. This is her last night in her dorm here because next semester she will be at Lindenwood University, which is right in our home town. I am very excited that she is coming back because the drive down here has gotten very old for everyone. She does it so much that it just seems kind of nuts for her to be so far from home.

We started our journey down here yesterday afternoon, waiting for the morning round of freezing rain to pass. We finally left around 2:00 and hoped to be here by 5:30 or so, driving past endless miles of frozen trees, grass and shrubbery. It was an eerie, yet beautiful sight. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the halfway point, a heavy fog had descended, rain was falling and the temperature was hovering just above freezing. We decided to stop for the night, and pulled into a McDonald’s with wi-fi so we could locate a reasonably priced room in the area. You gotta love technology!



After finding a room, we made a quick run to Wal-Mart because my daughter hadn’t planned on spending the night anywhere but her dorm and she had no clothes, toothbrush or other necessities. Finally, we got comfy at a Waffle House and dove into dinner.

Today we drove through the weirdest stretch of weather I have ever seen. Starting with temps in the sixties and a sunny sky, we got within forty miles of our destination and ran into this huge black wall of a cloud. It looked like the sandstorm scene from The Mummy and totally freaked us out. Within a half mile of entering this cloud, the temperature dropped at least 15 degrees and we were surrounded by gray cottony moisture. The saying here in Missouri is “If you don’t like the weather, wait a bit and it will change.” That was never proven more true to me than it was today!


We spent our day doing some Christmas shopping, eating and jus goofing off. It was a lot of fun getting to hang out with my girl. She is an awesome young lady and I love her to pieces. Tonight I took her and her room mate out to dinner at Lambert’s, famous for its “Throwed Rolls” (www.throwedrolls.com) which was very good. The only bad part is that this place doesn’t take credit/debit cards, and I never carry cash, so that meant a quick run to a local ATM to make a pricey withdrawal! I have to say that it was worth the effort though.

Tomorrow we head back home and I know the journey will be just as much fun on the return trip as it was on the way down, if not more. At least on this trip, there won’t be any studying going on!

So until tomorrow morning, I'm hanging out here in a room of my own, watching what I want to watch, snoring if I want to snore and going to bed whenever the notion strikes me. Heck, I even worked for a few hours! And speaking of working, this hotel is full up with electrical workers who are, I assume, here to repair all the area damage from the ice storms. I wish I had my camera to share a picture of the parking lot! Every space is full of white trucks, some with booms and baskets, some laden with other kinds of equipment. They are everywhere you look, even on the streets around the hotel. It looks like an electrical workers union convention or something! Actually, it reminds me a lot of my Dad who spent 37 years working for our local electic company. I have a soft spot in my heart for the guys here because I know they are going to put in some long hours if they haven't already.

Shhhh! Can't You See I'm Working?

For the first time in over seven years, I had to commute more than a few feet to get to work this morning. In fact, I actually had to drive all the way across town, the town of Springfield, Missouri, that is.

My daughter is in college here, and we drove down Sunday night so that she wouldn't have to do it alone. She only has two days of school this week, and then she is headed home for Fall Break. I spent the last two nights on a makeshift bed in her dorm, which was an experience in itself!

Because I work on line, I was able to bring my laptop and get some hours in while on the road. You would think, in this day and age, it would be easy to find a Wi-Fi connection so that I could get on line and do my job, but alas, yesterday morning was quite a trial! We couldn't get my computer to connect in my daughter's dorm, so I tried a local Panera (aka Bread Co. back home), which wasn't working right. We tried the campus library as well, with the same results. It is amazing to me that a college campus is still relying on wired internet when so many students have laptops that they take everywhere! There are some hotspots on campus, but instead of going that route, I ended up at the Springfield Public Library, also known as the Library Station. I have to say that after all of the hassles of yesterday, I am really glad I ended up here!

Not only is it quiet here, and I have an entire table to myself rather than my daughter's cramped dorm room desk, but it's the most beautiful library I have ever been in. It has a kind of Route 66/Railroad theme which I absolutely adore and right next to my work station is one of those old gas pumps with the glass circle at the top. There are work rooms next to me, which you can sign up to use, which are each named after different types of cars. There is the Corvette, Firebird, Camaro, Mustang and GTO rooms, each complete with a poster depicting the type of car. The funny thing is, the signs next to these rooms that have the name of the car, have a picture of a locomotive. It doesn't really make a whole lot of sense, but oh well.

The library has large model airplanes hanging from the ceiling, separate places for kids and teens to find books and hang out, and a little "paved" road runs around the circulation desk and some of the stacks. Right next door, and connected to the library, is another Panera (with working Wi-Fi!) which is very convenient when it's time for a snack.

Even our newly remodeled library back home just can't compare with this classy place!

It has been an absolute pleasure working here these two days and I really enjoyed being able to bring in a glass of tea and plug into my MP3 player. Not one person bothered me or asked to see my library card or anything. The only nuisance was the guy with the horrible hacking cough that was in here for several hours this morning. Fortunately, he has now left the building! As it was, I just turned up Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban and Dierks Bentley and kept on working.
If you ever get to the Springfield, MO area and needed a place to do some work online, research or just kick back with a book, be sure to stop in at the Library Station. It is awesome!

Gettin' My Kicks on Route 66

This past weekend my family made a trip down to Claremore, OK. Our son had a marching band competition in nearby Owasso, OK and since we really only had to help with some of the band stuff, and watch the performance, that left us with a lot of free time.

Long before the movie Cars, I have been fascinated with Route 66 and its attractions. I have a beautiful book called Route 66: The Mother Road by Michael Wallis who is the voice of the Sheriff in the movie and an expert on all things Route 66. He also helped the Pixar gang with their research.

Our hotel this weekend was right along Route 66 and that left me longing to go for a drive and see if we could find any of the kitschy Route 66 attractions. After consulting a travel guide and a map, I figured out that we were just a few miles from Catoosa, which is home to the fabled Blue Whale. My husband was up for the adventure, so we hopped into Ol' Blue and headed on down the highway.

Once we reached the little town of Catoosa, I began to watch carefully for any signs, just in case our destination was off the beaten path at all. To my delight, the Whale was right alongside the road, and I shouted gleefully when I first sighted it. I know my husband thought I was nuts, but I was so excited! We pulled into a little roadside park with a ramshackle building and a few concrete tables with whale-themed seats and looked around. The whale was huge! He looked to be fairly well-maintained, except for a few loose boards in the dock on which he rests.

There is no swimming (or swiming, if you read the sign) allowed, but at one time I could imagine this pond as being a very busy place. The whale has slides and a diving platform, as well as a sort of "attic" like room that one can climb up into. He sports a top hat, and a large cane fishing pole with a huge hook on the end keeps him forever in his place. From the smile he wears, it doesn't look like he minds too much.

After seeing the Whale up close, I was reminded of a scene in that old Pee Wee's Big Adventure movie, even though that was a different attraction, it still had that same silly feel about it. The whole experience really made my day, and was one of the highlights of the weekend. I didn't think we would be able to top it, but I was wrong.

Heading back up Route 66, and on through Claremore, we drove to the little town of Foyil which has remnants of the original Route 66 running through it. I got down in the roadway and actually took a few close up shots of the roadbed with its unique curbs. On the outskirts of Foyil is a small park-like setting that contains a dozen or so totem poles, one of which is purported to be the largest in the world! When we talked about going there, I really couldn't comprehend what the big deal was. First of all, why carve a huge totem pole, and second, who would want to see it? I was about to be surprised again.

The World's Largest Totem Pole is a unique piece of art which was carved by a folk artist named Ed Galloway. It is 90 feet tall, has a 54 foot base and you can walk right inside of it. There are carvings all over the outside, and paintings on the inside. Along with the huge totem pole are many other carvings, even a table and chair set with totem designs. On the property is a building which houses the gift shop and museum. This building is a work of art all its own, with carvings inside and out. It also contains dozens of fiddles, which represent the 300 fiddles carved by Mr. Galloway during his lifetime, each made of a different type of wood. There are also chairs, inlay art and photos of the artist and his work.

Although I had my doubts about going to see this, I am very glad we went. It is a must-see stop for anyone traveling on Route 66. The interesting thing is that the place came very close to becoming just a memory like so many other places on the historic Mother Road. At one time, the park was overgrown, and vandals had created havoc on the property. Fortunately, a group of local volunteers knew the treasure in their midst and made the heroic effor to save it for future generations. I, for one, am very glad they did!

We left Oklahoma on Sunday afternoon, and traveled Route 66 up to Vinita before getting back on I-44. Seeing just a small fraction of this bit of Americana left me longing for more. I have dreamed of taking the ultimate trip one day: Chicago to L.A. on what remains of Route 66, photographing living history along the way. It will only be a few short years until we reach empty nest status, and I'm thinking that would be the perfect time to hit the road, and take the highway that's the best.

Maybe I should get a head start on the planning right now!

Remembering 9-11

As someone who makes a living editing the work of others, it is not often that I am at a loss for words. This morning, as I began to reflect on the events of September 11, 2001 as I always do on the anniversary of that awful day, the words would not come. Instead, my mind was filled with images, pictures that I saw again on my television, and in my mind:

Video of the gaping hole in the side of the first tower, and watching live as the second plane flew low and with deadly aim, into the second.

Images of the towers falling, of the Pentagon, of that black hole in an otherwise green field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The siren in front of school that went off as I drove by to take my son his lunch that morning.

Memories of my husband's pale face as he stepped from his car that afternoon.

The sounds of the radio blaring the latest news from the windows of my children's bus as it pulled up to the bus stop.

A somber ceremony at our church later that evening.

The images and emotions are as powerful today as they were when they first happened. So much changed that day, yet in the years since, we have grown complacent as life has gotten back to normal.

I thought about that a lot this morning as my son and I had breakfast and he headed off to school. I wondered just how much of an impact the events of that day and those that followed has really had on each of us. Have we really forgotten how vulnerable and angry we felt, or have we simply chosen to go on living our daily lives rather than dwelling on the past?

Personally, rarely a day goes by that I don't think about that day because the reminders are all around me:

The flag on our front porch that flies every day in honor and support of our troops.

The basketball hoop where we spent so many hours in the evenings afterward, when we just couldn't take another minute of the continuing coverage of the tragedy.

The emergency siren in front of the local school that went off that morning as I passed by when I took my son the lunch he had left at home.

Clear, blue sky above me, just like the one here and in New York that day.

An airplane flying overhead, reminding me of the bravery of those on Flight 93, and of every person who chose to get back on a plane in the days and weeks that followed.

This morning dawned cool and gray, and in a way I was glad because I didn't really want it to be similar to that day six years ago. Of course, God had other plans when it came to reminders. Before long, the clouds broke up and drifted off, giving way to the familiar blue. I noticed this as I made my way to my son's school to take the folder he forgot, passing the siren on the way, which did not, thankfully, go off this morning.

Instead of taking the road back home this morning after leaving my son's school, I took another route and ended up in the city of O'Fallon at a September 11 Remembrance Ceremony. I hadn't really planned to go because it was just briefly mentioned on our morning newscast, and it wasn't really on my list of things to do today.

With my ever-present camera, I made my way over to the area that had been roped off for the ceremony. Behind me idled a firetruck, and before me was a piece of twisted steel that had been salvaged from the Ground Zero.

The ceremony was brief, yet touching, and included a young lady who sang the National Anthem and God Bless America, a 21-gun salute, and a bagpiper who played Amazing Grace. A haunting rendition of Taps was played by a lone Trumpeter, and it sent chills down my spine. It felt good to place a flower next to the wreath at the memorial, to shed a few tears, and to be surrounded by others who have not forgotten.

I hope and pray that we will never forget, that folks will again fly their flags at half-staff, that we will take time out to thank the men and women who serve so bravely, that September 11 will never become just another day on the calender.

We have to move forward, but every now and then we need to look over our shoulder at where we have been. It's the only way to really appreciate the journey.

Magic on the Midway

Yesterday I made my second trip to the Magic Mile at DuQuoin State Fair Speedway. The beautiful USAC Silver Crown Cars were on tap and the weather consisted of blue skies and warm temperatures. It was the kind of day that makes one welcome the setting of the sun and the coolness of evening.

There is something awe-inspiring about this mile-sized dirt track carved from the Illinois countryside, especially when you are used to tracks that are anywhere from a quarter- to a half-mile. No matter your vantage point, at most tracks you can see everything that is going on all through a race. On a track the size of DuQuoin, it can get pretty tough to keep up with the action in the back stretch or a far corner, which actually makes for some fun surprises coming down the front straightaway.

During last night's race, Shane Cottle led flag-to-flag, but that does not mean the race was boring. There were a lot of little battles going on all through the field, and several drivers made some pretty impressive advances. I loved it that they opted to start 32 cars in the feature, rather than the traditional 24, but I did miss the introductions and pre-race line up in front of the grandstands this year. There's a sort of pageantry to that which would have been nice, but knowing that it takes time and a lot of folks have long drives home, I can understand the change.

My Dad and I got to spend a lot of time in the pits together while my husband, our daughter and her boyfriend wandered around to see the sites of the fair. Everyone enjoyed the different foods offered too. My daughter (the amateur baker) raved over some huge hand-made cinnamon rolls she discovered and my Dad was crazy for the lemonade. For me, chocolate ice cream did the trick.

All-in-all it was a wonderful day and I really enjoyed getting to photograph the big, beautiful Silver Crown cars again. It is a once-a-year experience that I truly love. My deepest thanks to the folks at Track Enterprises for allowing me to do it again. I hope everyone enjoys the pictures!

Seasons of Change

Last weekend I became and official College Mom when we dropped our daughter off in her new home at Missouri State University. She settled in fast, and I know she will be involved and become a part of the community there just as she was at home.

So yes, this week has seen its share of tears, but I just keep reminding myself of how proud I am of all she has, and will accomplish. That, and I am really looking forward to the fact that she will be home next weekend!

Our son is a freshman in high school now and a member of the marching band. He is a percussionist and plays in the pit, which means he gets to learn how to play a lot of different instruments. His first performance is next Friday night, and I can’t wait to see him in that uniform for the first time!

It has been a busy couple of weeks here in our household but it seems as if we are starting to settle into our new routine and our conversion from a four person household down to just us three. Of course, every now and then I still find myself peeking into my daughter’s room to see if maybe she’s in there working on her laptop as usual.

All of these changes, combined with Spring’s month-long sabbatical in the south, have necessitated some alterations to our racing schedule. As of right now, next weekend’s Ted Horn Memorial at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds will be our second-to-last race of the year. Tri-City’s moving of their POWRi race from Friday October 5 to Sunday, October 7 is a welcome change because it means that we will be able to make that our last race of the season. Unfortunately, we have had to drop our return trip to Hartville for the got milk? Fall Nationals because it was moved up a weekend and I have a prior commitment. All of these changes will soon be reflected on the schedule page of our web site.

With all of that said, I am really looking forward to next weekend’s race. Last year was my first trip to DuQuoin and I was blown away by everything from the historical old fairgrounds itself to the awesome racing and all the fun I had on my first trip out with the Pentax K100D. Last year’s weather was beautiful too, and I am hoping that the weather forecast is correct and we are headed for a cool down by the end of next week.

With credentials provided by Track Enterprises, we will make the trip over to DuQuoin after church next Sunday. It looks like we may have a van full this time, although Spring has not yet decided for sure if she will make it or not. Hopefully, my camera techniques have improved enough from last year that I can do a good job even if she decides not to go along. I did okay the first time out, but I have learned a lot since then, and I am much more confident when approaching people, so we’ll see how it goes.

I am looking forward to seeing the big Silver Crown cars again, since this is the only time each year that I get to do that. They are such classic machines that stir up a lot of nostalgia and put on a great race.

For anyone who considers himsef a fan of open wheel racing, this is one event you don’t want to miss!

It's never too hot to go racin'!

I am not sure what the official high temperature was for yesterday, but I know that somewhere along the highway from my house to Belleville, Illinois, one of those bank signs said 103. That would not be surprising, considering how sweltering the heat was at Belle Clair Speedway. But hey, it's the midwest, it's summer, and we expect it. And as far as this year goes, our weather has been awesome, so this little heat wave somehow feels like it is well-deserved.

So yes, it was warm, hot, uncomfortable, and a host of other related adjectives last night, but that could not stop the POWRi guys from putting on some great racing over at the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds. All I can say is, my pal Spring is missing out on some great racing action while she wiles away her time with family and friends in North Carolina!

We headed over kind of late for us, after hot laps and just before the heat races, but it was ok with me. The later we went, the cooler (or rather, less hot) the temperature and the more time we spent in the comfort of air conditioning. Believe it or not, it didn't feel all that bad to me, and I am usually one who does not tolerate summer well. Maybe it was the breeze created by the cars, or my constant duck into shaded areas of the infield, or the bottled water that two different teams kept offering me, but I managed not to overdo it, which was nice.

I met up with our buddy Rich, who is always a lot of fun to talk to. He recently spent some time shooting Super Modifieds in New York and has plans to go back. We talked about racing and photography, and compared some of the shots we managed to get. It's pretty cool how we can have exactly the same camera, yet get totally different pictures.

Rich and I stayed out long enough to shoot all of the Midget heats, but then we lost the sunlight and just couldn't contend with all of the shadows. We both lamented the lack of proper flashes, but those things are expensive and on our long-range wish lists. Belle Clair is a fun track to shoot at because of the low walls, but that also means being extra careful when the cars are in motion. Of course last night we worried less about the race cars and more about the crazy push truck driver who kept trying to run us over!

Anyway, we survived, then went our separate ways to watch the rest of the night's action. And it was definitely action-packed! The feature was especially good, with a ton of movement throughout the field and several lead changes. There is just nothing like racing on old fairground tracks, that's for sure. I kept thinking to myself how all of those NASCAR fans who have never been to a dirt track race have no idea what they are missing!

Brad Loyet won the feature, but really had to work at it. There were a couple of big crashes, but thankfully everyone walked away.

Looking forward to my next, and probabl last, race of the season which will be at DuQuoin in September. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy last night's photos!

Crazy for Cars!

By now many of you know that I absolutely love the Disney-Pixar movie, Cars. It has become my favorite movie ever, and has inspired me to collect various things related to the movie.

Most of my collection consists of the diecast replicas released by Mattel. My son and I have a great time trying to find all of the new releases when they come out, and he even lets me use him as an excuse when I'm trying to find them, which is really nice. We have been lucky so far, and have only a few more to find of the latest releases, but rumor has it that more are coming in the fall, so we will be on a bigtime safari then.

There is a wonderful message board for others who are afflicted with Cars Mania. It is filled with really nice folks who collect the cars for themselves, their kids, or both, and everyone is great about helping others on the board get what they are looking for without having to cave in to the scalpers on eBay. I enjoy the many wonderful posts there, and am relieved to find that I am definitely not the most obsesses Cars person out there!

I hope you enjoy the pictures under the "Crazy for Cars" heading in the gallery. I know that with my daughter leaving for college in only two and a half weeks, I should probably be doing something else, but this was a really nice distraction from the bittersweet emotions I am dealing with right now.

Thanks, as always, for stopping by!

TSR Publishes a 2GGR Photo!

One of the pictures I took at Macon last Friday is now up on the Tony Stewart Racing site. Here's the link:

http://www.tonystewartracing.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=842

This is pretty exciting for an amateur like me! Thanks to Misha for publishing it for us.

Edit: There are actually four photos of mine up on the site now. They are all in the Gallery under Tony-Macon Midget. Look for the photo of the tail with the number 20 on it.

Lots of new photos added!

I just finished publishing 70 photos from Friday at Macon Speedway. You can find them in the www.twogirlsgoneracin.com gallery and on the 2007 schedule page.

Spring was also busy today, uploading her gallery from June 13 at I-55 Raceway. Those are also linked from both the gallery and schedule pages.

We hope you enjoy the photos!

Macon Time

Tony Stewart has a lot of fans in Central Illinois. At least, that’s how it looked last night at the 1/5 mile bull ring that is Macon Speedway.

My Dad, husband and I left home around 2pm and made the 150 mile journey east and north to a track we had never been to before. All we knew was that POWRi Midgets and Micros, as well as UMP Modifieds were on the menu, and Tony Stewart and Ken Schrader were scheduled to race.


That last bit of information, more than the racing line-up may have been the biggest draw of the night, at least if the plethora of Home Depot orange in the stands was any indication.

The combination of dirt track Midget racing, NASCAR stars, unbelievably mild temperatures and lack of humidity made for a night that midwestern race fans can usually only dream about. I can count on one hand the number of race nights where everything has come together so perfectly, so this was a rare night indeed!

Our first impression of Macon Speedway was that it was crowded! Cars lined the streets of this small town while Midgets, Micros and Modifieds filled the pits. Fans crowded through the gates and waited in line for autographs from Tony and Kenny. From what I could tell, no one walked away disappointed.

I cruised through the pits for a while, talking to friends and snapping a few shots. Everyone I talked to commented on the weather, so it was obvious that I was not the only one who appreciated it.

The crowd around Tony’s trailer was amazing. Yes, I consider myself a fan, but spending my time in the 12-person deep quagmire of humanity that stood there just waiting for a glimpse of the driver was not my idea of a fun way to spend my time. Anyway, I couldn’t help but having a little sympathy for the guy. All he wants to do is spend his weekend away from his real job doing the kind of racing he truly loves, and he has to be flanked by security guards just to get to the driver’s meeting. I could not live that way, and I wouldn’t trade places with him for many millions of dollars. Being rich and famous is not what it’s cracked up to be.

I thought it was great that Tony came out to race his Midget and I know the fans enjoyed it. It was fun watching him finesse that car around the track, sawing at the wheel, performing heart-stopping slide jobs, and maneuvering through traffic. To me, the person who enjoyed it most was probably Tony himself. Every time I caught a glimpse of the guy, he was smiling, so that has to say something.

Of course, Tony was not the only driver at the track, and he did not steal the show when it came to where he finished the races. A.J. Fike came out on top in the Midget feature, holding on for the win, even after numerous delays due to tangles. Fike was challenged closely by Brad Kuhn and Derrick Myers. Those two rode his tail for all forty laps, doing their best to get around but they just could not get the job done.

Racing wrapped up at the very reasonable hour of 10:30 and we headed on down the road. Even after getting through a little bit of traffic and stopping for travel snacks, we were still back in our own driveway by 1:30 am. Not a bad run at all in my opinion, and definitely worth the trip.

I am working on getting my pics up on the site and will hopefully start loading pages shortly after this post appears, so stay tuned!

Two Girls Gone Racin' Press Release 7.19.07

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that we would be sending out a press release to the motorsports community. There were some things we needed to check out before we felt comfortable making the statements in the release. After thorough investigation, we feel that it is now time to announce to the public our new name, and the reasons why it was changed.

Again, we thank everyone for their support as we endure the aggravation that has been forced upon us and the frustration of trying to re-do a lot of hard work. We continue to pray for guidance as decisions are made in this situation.

Blessings,
The Girls

Same Great Web Site, Brand New Name

COTTLEVILLE, Mo. (July 19, 2007) What’s in a name? If you are into racing or any other professional sport, you know that name recognition is a key ingredient of Motorsports marketing. Any negative connotation of a name will turn things in the wrong direction in a hurry. Owners of a Missouri-based motorsports web site recently found out first-hand what it’s like to have your business name associated with something you never intended to promote.

An e-mail with a “cease and desist” order was not what these two girls expected on a sunny July morning, but there it was, alleging trademark infringement and asking them to cooperate or face legal proceedings. Within 24 hours, a name change was initiated and all contents moved to the new domain.

The accusations in the email were disturbing enough, but what made it worse is the nature of the business that the other site conducts. Both girls admit that if this had been another legitimate race-related site, they would have been able to reach some kind of understanding with the other party and moved on with business as usual. The fact that the site is of an adult nature was what gave them cause for concern, prompting the name change.

“We in no way want to be affiliated with the adult entertainment industry,” state the women. “It is our hope that by changing the name, we will not inadvertently direct traffic to the other site because that is absolutely the last thing we want to do. That kind of site is in direct opposition to everything we stand for as Christian women.”

The new name is Two Girls Gone Racin’ and the web site is www.twogirlsgoneracin.com. The site contains the same great photo galleries as before, galleries which include races at many Missouri and Illinois tracks, as well as Eldora Speedway and The Museum at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, among others.

Professional photographer Spring Hansen and writer/webchick/amateur photographer Valerie Perkins began their web site in April 2006 and use it to showcase grassroots racing, as well as an occasional concert. Their goal is to shine a spotlight on the true heroes of Motorsports, the guys and gals who do their best work at dirt tracks throughout the Midwest.

“We love racing, especially Sprint Cars and Midgets,” stated Perkins. “Our focus is on giving these folks as much press as possible, getting photos out there for their sponsors and potential sponsors, and just letting them know that we appreciate what they do.”

The web site also links to a blog where the girls entertain readers with tales of their travels and express their feelings about life in general. Both women are working Moms with husbands and kids who don’t always share their passion for racing, but try their best to be understanding.

With the new name comes new opportunities, and these two gals hope to continue their adventure for many seasons to come. Next on the calendar for Two Girls Gone Racin’ will be the POWRi Midgets and Micros, as well as UMP Modifieds at Macon Speedway in Macon, Illinois. Photos should be up on the site within a few days of the event.

Spring and Val encourage you to stop by to browse the photos, and leave a message on the blog whenever you get the chance.

About Two Girls Gone Racin’:

Two Girls Gone Racin’ was formed in 2006 by Spring Hansen and Valerie Perkins, two women who have a passion for Motorsports and a desire to share their unique perspective with other racing enthusiasts.

Spring, professional studio photographer and owner of Spring Renee Studio, is a long-time race fan who had always dreamed of combining her camera skills with her love of racing.

Val, a life-long Sprint Car fan who dabbles in writing and photography and has been employed in the Motorsports market for many years, had long envisioned a place where words and photos could be shared in a constructive, yet casual way.

Together, we strive to pay homage to drivers of all levels, from the low-budget, grassroots, weekend warrior, to the full-time driver who races to live and lives to race. With that in mind, one never knows just who might show up on the pages of www.twogirlsgoneracin.com

Get the picture. Tell the story. Live the passion.

Crunching the Numbers

I'm not a numbers kind of person. In fact, most of the time, I do my best to avoid anything involving math of any kind, including balancing my check book, measuring for appliances and calculating lunch money for my kids. Numbers perplex and confound me, yet today I find myself putting together a little table of sorts, the kind of table that involves numbers. Yuck.

Yesterday was a good day in NASCAR for me because I like Tony Stewart. Yes, he can be tempramental and he gets pretty excited about stuff, but to me, that's just part of what makes him the amazing driver that he is. His passion for racing shows up in a lot of ways.

Of course, I openly admit that I am not a big NASCAR fan and I am not ashamed of it. To me, racing involves Midgets and Sprints, preferably without wings of any kind. And racing should always be done on dirt. That's just the way it is.

With that thought in mind, I thought it might be kind of fun to start tracking the NASCAR drivers who got their start in the Sprint and Midget arena. Off the top of my head, I could think of five, and I have listed them in a table, along with how they did this week, and their current points. It seemed to me like it might be kind of interesting to track these guys and see how well they do. The chart is over in the right hand column and will be updated after each week's Cup race.

Currently, Jeff Gordon is the points leader, which is great, but poor Dave Blaney is way out of Chase contention, which is a shame. Dave is a great Sprint Car driver, and I think he would do well in NASCAR but he just can't seem to catch a break. Kind of like Junior these days.

Anyway, these are the five I could think of because I know for sure they have raced Sprints and/or Midgets on dirt. Most of them I have seen in action. If anyone reading this knows of other Cup drivers who got their start running at least a full season or two of Sprint/Midget racing, drop me a line and I will add them to the table. I hope you guys enjoy looking at the numbers. Maybe some day it will all make sense to me.

Of course, I could probably come up with a list of Busch and Truck drivers who started out in Sprints too, but with the way they keep showing up on the police blotters for alleged illegal drug possession, I think I'll just stick with Cup drivers for now.

Same Great Web Site, Brand New Name

If you found us today, then you know that we have had a change of names, but not a change of heart. Because of all the craziness of this past week, we felt that the best thing we could do to protect ourselves and our web site would be to change names and move on.

Below is a copy of the release that will be going out to the motorsports community in the next few days. We want everyone to know that we are back and that we don't take threats lightly.

So, from here on out, we will be known as Two Girls Gone Racin' and you can still find us at the old domain, or at www.twogirlsgoneracin.com. We will be keeping the original for the long haul.

You have probably noticed the change in the blog name as well. Please update you bookmarks, as the old name is no longer valid and no forwarding was available.

We would again like to thank everyone who emailed us this week. The outpouring of support was just what we needed to get us through this difficult time. After Spring's injury and all of the pain she has been through, this latest setback was really not what we needed! The way I figure it, we must be doing something really right if the forces of evil are doing everything they can to get us down. God is good, and through His strength we will persevere.

Begin Press Release:

What’s in a name? If you are heavy into racing or any other professional sport, you know that name recognition is a key ingredient of Motorsports marketing.

Owners of a Missouri-based motorsports web site recently found out first-hand what it’s like to have your business name associated with something you never intended to promote. An unexpected e-mail with a “cease and desist” order was not what the girls expected on a sunny July morning, but there it was, alleging trademark infringement and asking them to cooperate or face legal proceedings.

The email was disturbing, but what made it worse is the nature of the business that the other site conducts. Both girls admit that if this had been another legitimate race-related site, they would have been able to reach some kind of understanding with the other party and moved on with business as usual. The fact that the site is of an adult nature was what gave them cause for concern, prompting the name change.

“We in no way want to be affiliated with the adult entertainment industry,” state the girls. “It is our hope that by changing the name, we will not inadvertently direct traffic to the other site because that is absolutely the last thing we want to do. That kind of site is in direct opposition to everything we stand for as Christian women.”

The new name is Two Girls Gone Racin’ and the web site is www.twogirlsgoneracin.com. The site contains the same great photo galleries as before, galleries which include races at many Missouri and Illinois tracks, as well as Eldora Speedway and The Museum at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, among others.

Professional photographer Spring Hansen and writer/webchick/amateur photographer Valerie Perkins began their web site in April 2006 and use it to showcase grassroots racing, as well as an occasional concert. Their goal is to shine a spotlight on the true heroes of Motorsports, the guys and gals who do their best work at dirt tracks throughout the Midwest.

“We love racing, especially Sprint Cars and Midgets,” stated Perkins. “Our focus is on giving these guys and gals as much press as possible, getting photos out there for their sponsors and potential sponsors, and just letting them know that we appreciate what they do.”

The web site also links to a blog where the girls entertain readers with tales of their travels and express their feelings about life in general. Both women are working Moms with husbands and kids who don’t always share their passion for racing, but try their best to be understanding.

With the new name comes new opportunities, and these two gals hope to continue their adventure for many seasons to come. Next on the calendar for Two Girls Gone Racin’ will be the Lucas Oil Late Models at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach Illinois. Photos should be up on the site a few days after the event.

Spring and Val encourage you to stop by to browse the photos, and leave a message on the blog whenever you get the chance.