A couple weeks ago I attended an event known at the "Battle at the Barn", a go-kart indoor event that also provided four-wheeler, three-wheeler, and dirt bike races. While I don't know much about this form of racing, I did notice that there was a young woman racing a go-kart among the "guys." On that night this particular young woman had her struggles. A couple days later I contacted her, asking her if her kart survived all the hits and collisions. She was surprisingly very upbeat and very polite in her response. I asked her what her plans were for the upcoming race season, and when I read her answer, I decided to ask her if she would mind being interviewed for this blog.
At the tender age of sixteen, Kendall Higday already has her sights set on a career. That career is hopefully one day sitting behind the wheel of a World of Outlaws sprint car ride. The Southeast Polk student has had limited racing experience up to this point in her life, but that appears to be changing in 2010 as she will pilot two completely different types of race cars.
The female youngster was born into a racing family, with her mom having experience behind the wheel of an IMCA modified and her father currently has a sprint car himself. Kendall got her start at the age of three when she climbed on a 50cc four-wheeler and raced in the field across the road from her house. With her father teaching her the basics she was able to race the following year at the Iowa State Fairgrounds along with a couple other indoor tracks. After a few years of that, her father got her a go-kart. She wasn't able to race it much due to her father racing his sprint car at Knoxville. When Kendall turned thirteen, she moved up to the Jr. 1 class and won in her debut race at Newton. Since then she has moved to the adult classes in the karting ranks where she competes on a limited schedule.
While the 2009 season didn't produce much experience for Kendall, she enjoyed meeting lots of nice people that supported her. She learned a little bit more every time she got behind the wheel. Keeping an upbeat attitude kept Kendall striving to get better, and now she looks forward to her new challenges that await in 2010!
This year looks to be plenty busy for Kendall. She will get behind the wheel of a 305 sprint car owned by Marty and Jackie Stephenson and run at select tracks, including the Knoxville Raceway and 34 Raceway near Burlington. Another endeavor she is looking forward to is getting behind the wheel of a hobby stock. A family friend, Justin Maschke, plans to put Kendall in the seat at a few races at Boone, Marshalltown, and perhaps her "home track", the Iowa State Fair Speedway in Des Moines. She is also open to the thought of running a 360 sprint car at Knoxville every week if someone has one available. Sounds like this teenager has a busy summer ahead of her this year!
I'd like to thank Kendall Higday for her cooperation in filling out a survey form for me. I'd also like to wish her the best of luck in 2010 and beyond. Be sure to keep a lookout for Kendall at the local tracks this year!!
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Saturday, December 26, 2009
2009 Season in Review
I'd like to start off this blog by saying I hope everybody enjoyed their Christmas Day celebrations. Hopefully the weather didn't affect your plans too much this Holiday season.
My 2009 race season was another wild and exciting season. I didn't think there was any way I could top the 2008 season I experienced, but I was wrong. Of course the first thing that happened to me in 2009 was receiving a phone call from Jeff Broeg, asking me if I wanted to be a part of the Positivelyracing.com "staff". I agreed after taking some time to think it over.
I kicked off the 2009 season much the same way I did in 2008, with visits to Abilene, Texas in February and then in McCool Junction, Nebraska the first weekend in March. Trips to Humboldt (Kansas), West Plains (Missouri), and Beatrice (Nebraska) finished up March.
The racing season in Iowa got kicked off in April with frostbusters at Marshalltown and Burlington the first weekend. I made my first ever visit to 24 Raceway in Moberly, Missouri during this month for a USMTS race while also visiting Adrian Speedway in Missouri for an MLRA late model show.
May saw first visits to the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland (Missouri), US 30 Speedway in Columbus (Nebraska), and Raceway Park in Jefferson (South Dakota).
June's highlights included a mini trip into South Dakota. I followed the USMTS series to Park Jefferson Speedway (Jefferson, SD), Casino Speedway (Watertown, SD), and Huset's Speedway (Brandon, SD). Casino and Huset's were first-time visits for me.
More first-time visits were made in July as I attended a weekly show at Dubuque and Corning. Later in the month I made an inaugural visit to the Elko (MN) Speedway. The asphalt track brought in truck loads of dirt for their "Dirt Nationals", an event that saw the USMTS series along with IRA Sprint Cars.
Highlights of August begin with my first-ever trip to Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wisconsin. I attended the final night of the USA Nationals late model event that saw home-state hero Jimmy Mars take the lead on lap 48 and take home the big money. August was also the month in which the USMTS Hunt For the Championship began in Missouri. I visited the Monett (MO) Speedway along with the Caney Valley Speedway (Caney, KS) within a few days on a six-day USMTS swing. I also ventured up to the newly re-designed Mississippi Thunder Speedway, formerly known as the Tri-Oval Speedway, in Fountain City, Wisconsin. The track used to be a tri-oval, but owner Bob Timm transformed it into a 3/8-mile oval.
September saw me attend every night of the IMCA Supernationals in Boone again this year. In the middle of the month I ventured north to the North Central Speedway in Brainerd for a couple of USMTS events before seeing them race again at the Fall Jamboree at the Deer Creek Speedway near Spring Valley, Minnesota. That event saw Jason Hughes nip Terry Phillips at the line on the final night, and also saw Kelly Shryock be crowned the national champion for the ninth time. September was memorable for me as I had traveled to all 18 of the USMTS Hunt races, something very few can probably say.
October was a difficult month weather-wise. Many of my plans got changed, so I was constantly looking for "backup plans". The Knoxville Late Model Nationals was reduced to a one-day show on a Sunday this year, which saw Scott Bloomquist win it for the second time. The second weekend of the month, the races in Oskaloosa got "SNOWED OUT", so I made the quick decision to go north and hit a race in Wisconsin. Go figure, right!?! October also saw long-distance, first-ever trips to Hays (Kansas) and Muskogee (Oklahoma).
November saw me visiting the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri for the first time in a couple years. The weekend before Thanksgiving saw me travel south to Highlands, Texas for what was supposed to be a three-day USMTS show. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and only one show was able to be run. I checked out the internet to see if there were any other races I could hit on the way home. Sure enough there was. I headed out at 4am Saturday morning and made it to Cleveland, Tennessee to catch a Southern All-Stars late model race. On that trip I traveled through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and a little bit of Georgia for the first time ever. Then on the way home from there I traveled through Kentucky for the first time. Definitely a memorable trip!!
December was supposed to cap off my season at the Houston Raceway Park with a three-day USMTS show. It would crown their Southern Series Hunt champion. Unfortunately that weekend saw the earliest SNOWFALL in the Houston area and only one race was run. That one event proved to be note-worthy though, as Jason Hughes took home the win and eclipsed Kelly Shryock's slim lead to win the championship. USMTS officials have rescheduled those two days for February, but will be part of the 2010 season.
I capped off my 2009 season at Kemper Arena the weekend before Christmas with the Bull Ring Midget Nationals. Those who know me know that I'm not a sprint car/midget fan by any stretch of the imagination. I was curious to see how the event was run and see what it was like. It was definitely unique!
Here are my 2009 stats:
156 races
62 different tracks
25 new tracks (I'd never been to before)
11 different states
43,194 miles traveled (almost 34,440 on my car)
22 rainouts/cancellations
For those interested in seeing EXACTLY where I ventured to this year, you can check out my personal website at http://tapfanstours.freehosting.net and click on the "Kevin's 2009 races" on the left-hand side. You can see a month-by-month breakdown or a composite listing, along with results from most events.
This will likely be the last blog entry for me in 2009. With that being said, I'd like to wish everybody a safe New Year's Eve celebration along with a Happy New Year!!
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
My 2009 race season was another wild and exciting season. I didn't think there was any way I could top the 2008 season I experienced, but I was wrong. Of course the first thing that happened to me in 2009 was receiving a phone call from Jeff Broeg, asking me if I wanted to be a part of the Positivelyracing.com "staff". I agreed after taking some time to think it over.
I kicked off the 2009 season much the same way I did in 2008, with visits to Abilene, Texas in February and then in McCool Junction, Nebraska the first weekend in March. Trips to Humboldt (Kansas), West Plains (Missouri), and Beatrice (Nebraska) finished up March.
The racing season in Iowa got kicked off in April with frostbusters at Marshalltown and Burlington the first weekend. I made my first ever visit to 24 Raceway in Moberly, Missouri during this month for a USMTS race while also visiting Adrian Speedway in Missouri for an MLRA late model show.
May saw first visits to the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland (Missouri), US 30 Speedway in Columbus (Nebraska), and Raceway Park in Jefferson (South Dakota).
June's highlights included a mini trip into South Dakota. I followed the USMTS series to Park Jefferson Speedway (Jefferson, SD), Casino Speedway (Watertown, SD), and Huset's Speedway (Brandon, SD). Casino and Huset's were first-time visits for me.
More first-time visits were made in July as I attended a weekly show at Dubuque and Corning. Later in the month I made an inaugural visit to the Elko (MN) Speedway. The asphalt track brought in truck loads of dirt for their "Dirt Nationals", an event that saw the USMTS series along with IRA Sprint Cars.
Highlights of August begin with my first-ever trip to Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wisconsin. I attended the final night of the USA Nationals late model event that saw home-state hero Jimmy Mars take the lead on lap 48 and take home the big money. August was also the month in which the USMTS Hunt For the Championship began in Missouri. I visited the Monett (MO) Speedway along with the Caney Valley Speedway (Caney, KS) within a few days on a six-day USMTS swing. I also ventured up to the newly re-designed Mississippi Thunder Speedway, formerly known as the Tri-Oval Speedway, in Fountain City, Wisconsin. The track used to be a tri-oval, but owner Bob Timm transformed it into a 3/8-mile oval.
September saw me attend every night of the IMCA Supernationals in Boone again this year. In the middle of the month I ventured north to the North Central Speedway in Brainerd for a couple of USMTS events before seeing them race again at the Fall Jamboree at the Deer Creek Speedway near Spring Valley, Minnesota. That event saw Jason Hughes nip Terry Phillips at the line on the final night, and also saw Kelly Shryock be crowned the national champion for the ninth time. September was memorable for me as I had traveled to all 18 of the USMTS Hunt races, something very few can probably say.
October was a difficult month weather-wise. Many of my plans got changed, so I was constantly looking for "backup plans". The Knoxville Late Model Nationals was reduced to a one-day show on a Sunday this year, which saw Scott Bloomquist win it for the second time. The second weekend of the month, the races in Oskaloosa got "SNOWED OUT", so I made the quick decision to go north and hit a race in Wisconsin. Go figure, right!?! October also saw long-distance, first-ever trips to Hays (Kansas) and Muskogee (Oklahoma).
November saw me visiting the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri for the first time in a couple years. The weekend before Thanksgiving saw me travel south to Highlands, Texas for what was supposed to be a three-day USMTS show. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and only one show was able to be run. I checked out the internet to see if there were any other races I could hit on the way home. Sure enough there was. I headed out at 4am Saturday morning and made it to Cleveland, Tennessee to catch a Southern All-Stars late model race. On that trip I traveled through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and a little bit of Georgia for the first time ever. Then on the way home from there I traveled through Kentucky for the first time. Definitely a memorable trip!!
December was supposed to cap off my season at the Houston Raceway Park with a three-day USMTS show. It would crown their Southern Series Hunt champion. Unfortunately that weekend saw the earliest SNOWFALL in the Houston area and only one race was run. That one event proved to be note-worthy though, as Jason Hughes took home the win and eclipsed Kelly Shryock's slim lead to win the championship. USMTS officials have rescheduled those two days for February, but will be part of the 2010 season.
I capped off my 2009 season at Kemper Arena the weekend before Christmas with the Bull Ring Midget Nationals. Those who know me know that I'm not a sprint car/midget fan by any stretch of the imagination. I was curious to see how the event was run and see what it was like. It was definitely unique!
Here are my 2009 stats:
156 races
62 different tracks
25 new tracks (I'd never been to before)
11 different states
43,194 miles traveled (almost 34,440 on my car)
22 rainouts/cancellations
For those interested in seeing EXACTLY where I ventured to this year, you can check out my personal website at http://tapfanstours.freehosting.net and click on the "Kevin's 2009 races" on the left-hand side. You can see a month-by-month breakdown or a composite listing, along with results from most events.
This will likely be the last blog entry for me in 2009. With that being said, I'd like to wish everybody a safe New Year's Eve celebration along with a Happy New Year!!
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Monday, December 21, 2009
2009 Bull Ring Midget Nationals
I made my first-ever trip to Kemper Arena for the running of the Bull Ring Midget Nationals on Dec. 18-19. It was the second year for this event, and from the sounds of it things were dramatically improved from a year ago. Listening to what others had to say, the ventilation was much better this year as was the racing surface. Officials were able to keep a cushion on the top side so that the racers didn't have to "follow the leader" around the inside.
Along with midgets, dwarf cars/mod-lites and Lightning Winged Sprints were on the card. Four mod-lite drivers from Iowa made the trek to Kansas City to experience some fun. I don't recall off hand how Friday night turned out, but all four were up front in the Saturday feature. Johnny Murdock was running in second when the leader spun, handing him the reigns up front. He would get passed by the eventual winner, but as luck would have it he spun in turn four on the final lap and collected fellow Iowa driver Mike Kennedy. Randy Bryant finished in third while Dusty Masolini came home fifth.
Not only was this my first trip to Kemper Arena, but it was also the first race in which the midgets were the headlining class. I'm not much of a sprint car or midget fan, so therefore I was completely out of my comfort zone. I did recognize a few names, which helped me enjoy the show.
Bryan Clauson and Brad Loyet sat on the front row when the green flag waved on Friday night for the thirty-lap feature event. It would be Loyet grabbing the checkers and taking home the $5,000 payday.
Saturday night saw Danny Lasoski and Brad Loyet on the front row. Loyet got the early lead and maintained his lead ahead of the similarly looking Lasoski car. Over the forty lap race, Lasoski continued to put pressure on Loyet but couldn't make the pass stick as he tried to use the slingshot move in the corners. Loyet proved to be too strong as he took home the win again, this time bagging a cool $10,000 for his efforts.
This was also my first race indoors. I've watched go-kart races at Waterloo or last year at the Battle at the Barn in Des Moines, but nothing like what I saw over the weekend. It was a different, but fun atmosphere. I only had two complaints about the event. First off, I realize it was being held at Kemper Arena, but the concession stand prices were outrageous!! $4.00 for a bottle of water?!! I opted not to buy anything from there and stopped afterwards for something to eat. The other complaint was the amount of time between "sessions" of racing. I realize they wanted to air things out, but Friday night saw lapses of more then an hour between heats and features. I also realize they had scheduled times on the website and perhaps wanted to stick to it, but there isn't much to do other then talk in that amount of time, especially when you couldn't exit the building and re-enter.
Overall it was a fun and new experience. I think it also will bring a curtain down on a memorable 2009 race season for me. Stay tuned as I'll have a 2009 wrapup blog in the near future.
If I don't get that blog before Friday, I'd like to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Along with midgets, dwarf cars/mod-lites and Lightning Winged Sprints were on the card. Four mod-lite drivers from Iowa made the trek to Kansas City to experience some fun. I don't recall off hand how Friday night turned out, but all four were up front in the Saturday feature. Johnny Murdock was running in second when the leader spun, handing him the reigns up front. He would get passed by the eventual winner, but as luck would have it he spun in turn four on the final lap and collected fellow Iowa driver Mike Kennedy. Randy Bryant finished in third while Dusty Masolini came home fifth.
Not only was this my first trip to Kemper Arena, but it was also the first race in which the midgets were the headlining class. I'm not much of a sprint car or midget fan, so therefore I was completely out of my comfort zone. I did recognize a few names, which helped me enjoy the show.
Bryan Clauson and Brad Loyet sat on the front row when the green flag waved on Friday night for the thirty-lap feature event. It would be Loyet grabbing the checkers and taking home the $5,000 payday.
Saturday night saw Danny Lasoski and Brad Loyet on the front row. Loyet got the early lead and maintained his lead ahead of the similarly looking Lasoski car. Over the forty lap race, Lasoski continued to put pressure on Loyet but couldn't make the pass stick as he tried to use the slingshot move in the corners. Loyet proved to be too strong as he took home the win again, this time bagging a cool $10,000 for his efforts.
This was also my first race indoors. I've watched go-kart races at Waterloo or last year at the Battle at the Barn in Des Moines, but nothing like what I saw over the weekend. It was a different, but fun atmosphere. I only had two complaints about the event. First off, I realize it was being held at Kemper Arena, but the concession stand prices were outrageous!! $4.00 for a bottle of water?!! I opted not to buy anything from there and stopped afterwards for something to eat. The other complaint was the amount of time between "sessions" of racing. I realize they wanted to air things out, but Friday night saw lapses of more then an hour between heats and features. I also realize they had scheduled times on the website and perhaps wanted to stick to it, but there isn't much to do other then talk in that amount of time, especially when you couldn't exit the building and re-enter.
Overall it was a fun and new experience. I think it also will bring a curtain down on a memorable 2009 race season for me. Stay tuned as I'll have a 2009 wrapup blog in the near future.
If I don't get that blog before Friday, I'd like to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
- Racing may be a hobby, but it's DEFINITELY addictive!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)