Midwest Racing Roundup By Tom Botos
7-5-10
Happy belated Independence Day my friends!
It was a wild and wooly weekend of racing all over
the midwest as we are really in the thick of the
2010 racing season with many tracks hosting there
midseason chamopinship races with many drivers
scrambling to add to there point totals at there
special event races. Me and my buddy trackchaser
Dave Egan were racing our brains trying to find any
racing going on Monday July 5th. The only track
running to my knowledge is Mottville (MI) Speedway
with a regular show of street stocks,Mini stocks and
mini thundercars.
Are any of you feeling the thinning of your
bank account yet this season? I will be honest I use
most of my tax check to go to as many races possible
at the beginning of the racing season! I try to go
to as many races as possible before it gets so
miserably hot that you cannot enjoy the racing. The
UMP Summer National Tour has today (Monday) off for
a much needed break! I have had to slow down my
Friday Night racing trips in order to go "racin" on
Saturdays and some select Sunday racing events. I
really hate to pick and choose which races to go to
and "give up" to go to another event. I feel that
true race fans have the ability to follow both dirt
and asphalt racing with equal enthusiasm. I hope the
feeling of butterflies in my stomach before going to
the races never goes away. I cannot think of a
better way to spend the weekend than
hearing,smelling and feeling the rumble of the cars
racing passed you on the frontstretch at the track!
One thing I like is sitting as close to the
track as possible . I wanna feel the power and
rumble of the engines flying by me that is just part
of the experience. Tracks like Kankakee Speedway in
Illinois you sit real close to the track. South Bend
Motor Speedway in Indiana has a narrow path between
fans and the track allowing fans to sit almost on
top on the track. Gas City (IN) Speedway is another
up close in your face kind of track! Gascity
continues this season to have good car counts in
Sprints and UMP Modifieds and they have great side
by side racing on the black tacky dirt track. The
two occasions I have been at Gas City this season
there has been very little dust and great racing.
My Midwest Racing Fan of the Week is Joey
Case from Three Rivers,Michigan. Joey is 17 years
old and is crewman on the #88 Pure Stock driven by
Stephen Lafluer. Joey's home track is M-40 Speedway
in Michigan. Joey says his favorite drivers are #83
pure stock Cody Dale and #3 Todd Taylor from M-40
Speedway. Joey enjoys watching the CRA touring
series and his fabrite division to watch is street
stocks and pure stocks. favorite tracks JOey wishes
he could go to more are Hartford,Butler and Berlin
(MI) Speedways. Joey believes all tracks should
allow small coolers for race fans. If Joey owned a
track he would eliminate racing curfews,replace old
bleachers and lower food and drink prices. If
possible Joey would lower track general admission
fees allowing more fans to come to the races. Joey
has been to the Kalamazoo Clash,CRA Shows at
Plymouth and M-40 Speedway Octoberfest racing
events.Joey has only been a race fan for three
years he reall enjoys the races and helping out on
Stephen Lafluers Pure Stock. He invites everyone out
to the track and have as much fun as he is!
My second Midwest Racing Fan of the week is
Mikel Knepley of Greensboro,Indiana. MIkel is a
crewman and graphics guy on his brothers #30 Late
Model driven by Scott Knepley. Scott Knepley has one
late model feature win so far this season at Mt.
Lawn (IN) Speedway. Mikel worsk very hard on his
brothers car to maintain and have it race ready week
after week. Scott Knepley also has a UMP dirt
modified racing it at Eldora (OH) Speedway and Gas
city (IN) Speedway.Mikel stays home and is caretaker
of his father and when not busy with that he is
working on the Scott Knepley race cars! Mikel's
favorite drivers are Scott Bloomquist and Tony
stewart. Mt lawn Speedway is the home track for
Mikel and Scott Knepley.Mikel says his favorite
touring series is the ALMS American Late Model
Series which races at north eastern Indiana and Ohio
dirt tracks. Mikel has traveled as far as
Daytona,Florida to catch a race and Cleveland
Speedway in Tennesee. If Mikel owned a track he
would have $5.00 general admission and make all
track fees affordable for both fans,drivers and race
teams. Mikel has been to the World 100,Dream
100,4Crown Nationals,UMP Fall Nationals,Raintree
100,Anderson 400,Winchester 400,the DTWC the Dirt
Track World Championship,Big Dawg 100,,North South
100, and the Jackson 100 in Indiana. Mikel is a fan
of both dirt and aspahlt racing and is well
deserving of being Midwest Racing Fan of the Week!
Saturday I went to Mt. Lawn Speedway for the
Raintree 100 for Late Models. 15 cars started the
race which Scott Knepley led until he was spun out
accidentally and sent to the tail. Kevin Claborn
finished 2nd with very weak breaks. Jeff Marcum won
his 1st Raintree Saturday Night. Neil Marcum won yet
another Thundercar Feature. In the victory lane
interview with Neil Marcum track owner Rick Sweigart
said "you have one evry thunder car feature this
season maybe we should put a bounty on you" Neil
replied "its probably already been done". Brian
Slavey won the awesome Hornet feature coming down to
the last lap of the feature it was almost three
wide wher #76 Brian Reynolds got hit by another car
sending him off the track in the grass and over the
timing light! Brian finished in 3rd coming all the
way from the rear followed by Chase lane in 2nd with
Brian Slavey getting across the stripe 1st to win.
Sunday night I went to Anderson Speedway for
the IOFS Figure 8 Madness show with R.J.Norton
winning the wild 50 lap feature. The school bus
race was alot of fun as well as the trailer figure 8
race. Nick Warner won the FWD Figure 8 feature and
Josh Tharp won the Anderson Figure 8 division
feature. For any news,notes or comnents email me at
indybear37@yahoo.com . Gotta go see ya at the
races!
