I experienced something for the first time Saturday, and it's likely that it may never happen again. But before I tell ya, let me set the stage for the day's activities....
I originally planned to head back to the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa Saturday afternoon for the second "day" of the MUSCO Lighting Fall Challenge. However, those plans were spoiled when a friend of mine learned of the cancellation due to SNOW! Yes, I said SNOW... According to tv meteorologists, it's the earlier snow on record in Iowa. By the way, the race in Oskaloosa will be run on Saturday, October 31.
So I thought, no big deal... I'll head to Tipton, who was scheduled to start a couple hours later in the day. Approximately twenty minutes after receiving the Osky bad news, I pulled up the Tipton website only to find that their event was postponed as well. The date will now be Saturday, October 24.
Well... Now I was really bummed out. The only two shows in Iowa for the weekend had just postponed due to snow and cold temperatures. So I quickly did a little searching on the internet, and low and behold I found a race to attend!!
I gathered up all my winter gear and.... (wait for it) headed to Fountain City (Wisconsin) for their second night of the Fall Festival!! The further north I traveled on Highway 63, the brighter the skies were looking. Normally that's a good thing, but that meant colder temperatures without cloud cover for the night. I arrived at the track before hot laps got underway and positioned my folding chair (that track doesn't have a grandstand) before heading back to the car to put on more layers of warmer clothing.
Classes in action Saturday night included USRA modifieds, Wissota midwest modifieds, Wissota street stocks, Wissota super stocks, hornets, and vintage cars. I guess they also ran "mini mods", also known as slingshots. Or as I like to call them, "glorified go-karts". The track announcer mentioned that 125 cars were on hand, but that number did not include the vintage cars. That number was down from the previous night, but I thought that was a good number to be braving the cold weather.
Bob Timm led flag to flag in the USRA modified feature, but he had to hold off challenges from Jason Cummins and Josh Angst throughout much of the twenty-five lap feature. It would be Timm's first victory at the track this year, a track in which he promotes. Timm took over the reigns at the speedway and made significant changes to the track. Last year the track was a tri-oval, but Timm transformed it into a fast 3/8-mile oval.
To be honest, I didn't bother to take notes Saturday night as the temperatures were too bone-chilling. So for complete results, check out the track website at www.mississippithunder.com or for the results only check out their speednetdirect site.
I can tell you this... When crossing back over the Mississippi River to the town of Winona (Minnesota), I saw a sign that said the temperature was 35*. I had put on every layer I had taken with me, and even used hand warmers for the first time that I can recall. With the early start time of 5:00, the USRA modified feature got done shortly before 9:00 with only the hornets and vintage cars remaining. I decided not to stick around for those, and instead opted to head to the car for some warmth.
I had intended on heading to the Quad City Raceway in East Moline, Illinois Sunday afternoon. However, I called the track early Sunday morning to find that they had cancelled the event. I had noticed on their website that the "more information" link wasn't working on the schedule page, but thought nothing of the possibility of them cancelling. Good thing I called before heading that way!!
So as I said in the opening sentence, I experience something I may never get to again. I got snowed out in Iowa, and traveled to Wisconsin to see a race!! Go ahead, I can see you shaking your heads already! LOL.
The upcoming weekend schedule just got a little lighter. The Buena Vista Raceway in Alta has decided to cancel their two-day special that would have included topless modifieds among other classes. The Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City has rescheduled their Fall Challenge for Saturday with hot laps starting at 3:30. This event has been postponed twice already, so hopefully the third time is the charm. Friday and Saturday will also find the Dubuque Speedway in action as they will host the Spec Late Model Nationals. This event was held at the Farley Speedway last year, so time will tell if the change of venue will be a good thing. The 34 Raceway in Burlington has a special on Saturday. Looks like all weekly classes with the exception of the late models will be in action that night.
For those living to the south of me (or for those diehard race fans who might travel anywhere to see a race), there are a few other options with which you can choose. The I-55 Speedway in Pevely (Missouri) has their UMP Dirtcar Roundup scheduled for Friday and Saturday. Pevely is located south of St Louis for those interested in that. The Scotland County Speedway in Memphis (Missouri) will be running the Fall Nationals on Friday and Saturday. Todd Staley will be promoting this event as it will be the only races run at this track for the 2009 season. However, I had heard that a promoter has been named for the 2010 season. The final option for a Friday/Saturday twinbill is at the RPM Speedway in Hays, Kansas. IMCA modifieds will be racing for a $5,000 winner's check while IMCA stock cars will also be on the card.
For a Saturday/Sunday show, McCool Junction (Nebraska) is having their annual season closing special.
If you are interested in any of these shows, I'll be nice and list the track websites for ya.
Pevely (Missouri) - www.i55raceway.com
Dubuque - www.simmonspromotionsinc.com
Webster City - www.hamiltoncountyspeedway.com
Burlington - www.34raceway.com
Hays (KS) - www.rpmspeedway.net
McCool Junction (Nebraska) - www.junctionmotorspeedway.com
I do not have a website for Memphis (MO). However, here is the link for information on the race.
http://citrackside.com/uploads/memphisnationals.pdf
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
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