A Show Me Night Off And Highway 275 Leads To Off Road

The prospect of severe weather-tornados and large hail-caused Lucas Oil Speedway promoters to postpone the Show-Me 100 to tonight at 6:00 p.m. Central time. This change also changed the Meyer family race viewing for the weekend.

Matt and I had planned on watching the Show-Me 100 last night but when it was postponed we decided to go to the SLMR race at Off Road Speedway in Norfolk and skip tonight’s SLMR show at Raceway Park in Jefferson, South Dakota. Actually for my old bones not having to climb up Raceway Park’s rickety, old grandstand was a good thing.

Random thoughts about the show:

-There were 36 late models, 18 hobby stocks, 11 stock cars, 11 sport mods, and 11 sport compacts on hand. That is a number I can live with-I like 87 far better than 150 these days.

-Last year when the SLMR series visited it was breezy in Norfolk. OK, it was downright windy that night. The track became dusty early then, and I went home with dirt in every uncovered orifice. It was calm last night, the track was well watered, and sitting in a different area of the grandstands it was not dusty at all.

-If I am correct, the area the track is located is called the Off Road Ranch, and provides a big area for motorcycles to run “off road.” Last night, lining the road leading to the track were dozens of trailers and RV’s, each with at least one motorcycle.

-If you have ever visited US 30 Speedway in Columbus, Off Road Speedway is like a new version of that facility. The track is similar in size to US 30 Speedway, and pits are located outside of the track. As at the Columbus track you climb a path to the grandstands which are located on the side of the hill-you come in at the top and walk down to your seats, and there is a large concourse area where many people stand during the races.

-Perhaps the one fault I could find with last night’s show was the intermission. I am not a big fan of lengthy intermissions, and 30 minutes is far too long, especially when no work is being done on the track.

-For me, stock cars are usually the best racing of the night, and the sport mods aka B mods are the worst. That wasn’t the case last night. Just 10 cars started the feature and it took forever to finish. The sport mod feature also started 10 cars, but went green the entire distance.

-Kyle Berck has to be the favorite in every SLMR feature, but last night he started 6^th and finished 6^th. Brian Kosiski started on the pole and led the first few laps. Corey Zeitner took over the lead, but Jesse Sobbing managed to pass him in traffic. A Sobbing win would have been OK with me, but Bill Leighton Jr. got around the 99 car when Sobbing had just a slight bobble in turn one. It was Leighton’s 12^th SLMR victory and was worth $2,500.

-The SLMR series is turning into a really good regional series. Promoter Joe Kosiski has come up with rules that allow drivers to run almost any engine, and the car count at most series events this season has been around 30. Two thumbs up to all involved.

I attended my first Prairie Dirt Classic last year, and am a BIG fan of the event. The town of Fairbury, Illinois and the Fairbury American Legion Speedway make this special event very special. The racing is simply outstanding, and reminds me of the good old days at the now gone but never to be forgotten Sunset Speedway. The track has made a format change for the 28^th Annual PDC that should make it even more exciting-not sure how that is possible, but I do like the format change. After hot laps and time trials, the late model field will be divided into four groups and each group will run a 25 lap, $2,500 to win semi feature. The top four finishers in each race will make up the first eight rows of Saturday’s 100 lap event.

If you are a dirt late model fan, FALS for the PDC should be on your bucket list. It is a long drive from Nebraska, but it is well worth the effort.

Today I will be watching the Indy 500 and the Show-Me 100 and plan on skipping the NASCAR race from Charlotte. NASCAR admits there needs to be more passing at Charlotte-hint to NASCAR big shots, there needs to be more passing at EVERY NASCAR race-and apparently has laid some kind of sticky substance in the top groove at the track to give more traction there to help with passing.

Yesterday I was only guessing at some of the drivers who have already made the Show-Me 100 field. Below is the starting grid for rows 1-8.

Row 1 – Tim McCreadie, Jimmy Owens
Row 2 – Earl Pearson Jr., Scott Bloomquist
Row 3 – Mike Marlar, Payton Looney
Row 4 – Darrell Lanigan, Mason Zeigler

Jimmy Owens starting on the front row at Lucas Oil Speedway has to make him the favorite to capture the $30,000 first place prize. However, McCreadie, Pearson, and Marlar have shown speed and you can never, never, never count out Bloomquist. I don’t want to, but I will say you’ll see Bloomquist in Victory Lane tonight in Wheatland.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Row 5 – Don O’Neal, Chris Simpson
Row 6 – Steve Francis, Rodney Sanders
Row 7 – Josh Richards, Bobby Pierce
Row 8 – Dennis Erb Jr. Greg Saterlee
Row 9 – Billy Moyer, Billy Moyer Jr.