Options

By Kevin Eckert

May 21, 2009 Speedway, Indiana: Options are wonderful. Why live and die with one flavor when life is a smorgasbord? Here in the falsely-filed Midwest, racer can find races in any direction: west to Illinois, south to Kentucky, east to Ohio or north to Michigan in less than 150 miles. Of course, all may rain out.

Two straight Fridays found Bloomington and Gas City gassed before lunch. This week, neither was so quick yet I did not trust them. The consequence of calling off a race at noon is a genuine loss of trust. Jacksonville, Illinois canceled early and Bloomington also faced the inevitable. The eastern sky looked bright, so Friday seemed like a fine time to end my seven-year absence from Attica, Ohio.

Attica Raceway Park is a cornerstone of the sprint car world. Since it opened in 1988, Attica has been the Friday anchor to Saturdays at Fremont to form what is today’s FAST (Fremont Attica Sprint Title) series sponsored by Kistler Racing Engines. Along with Fremont, Attica also enables entry-level 305 racers to blossom into 410 forces. The third-mile has sharp yet banked corners inside an old horse track that serves as efficient staging area, victory lane and buffer zone for dust.

Ohio is the dust capital. Its emperor Earl Baltes long ago conditioned its subjects to swallow dirt with their beer. Every other Ohio organizer followed his blueprint to groom it smooth, slick and slow. Trot out the “same track for everybody” line and offer goggles by the gross. For seven years now, whenever asked about Attica avoidance, I cited the inability to drive by Gas City on a Friday when in reality, dust remains the issue.

And just so this indictment is not exclusive to the barren Buckeye State, last month’s World of Outlaws show on my beloved Tri-State Speedway was as filthy as I have been since they paved Flemington.

Attica is a fairly young 21 years old. Iowa native Rocky Hodges (Shoff 23s) won its first race on May 27, 1988. Six weeks later when I arrived, Rocky had been replaced by Billy Anderson and Stan Shoff yet ‘23s’ won again with Kevin Huntley. To see Stan’s orange car on the trotter path proved familiar when Frankie Kerr camped on the lake in Fremont to ransack Attica for 13 wins in eight seasons. Kerr was one of the most complete, consistent driver/mechanics sprint racing has ever seen. How about 509 Ten Tens in 591 All Star starts? I led the crusade that put Lee Osborne in the Hall of Fame and Frank is a new project.

Some of my other Attica A-mains include the day in 1990 when Steve Siegel beat All Star V-8s with Ben Cook’s V-6; first wingless show (CRA 1991 won by Kerr) and four USAC visits from 1999 when Kasey Kahne cleaved his sprint on the frontstretch to 2002 when Aaron Fike hiked from last to first with brother’s midget. I caught two of Attica’s first three World of Outlaw events including the only WoO win by Joey Allen in 1992. But the best race in my memory of Attica was the 1990 Brad Doty Classic led by Stevie Smith, Jac Haudenschild (Pack 4a) and ultimately, Jack Hewitt.

Friday’s wild hair to drive to Ohio struck around 2pm. I used I-70 to make a little time before 18-wheel claustrophobia kicked in. Three to New Castle and 36 to 227 along the eastern edge of Indiana, I entered Ohio at Fort Recovery. East on 119, I passed St. Henry’s Nightclub to 66 through New Bremen, yet another Baltes arena. Bremen was dirt from ’26 to ‘66, paved from ’67 to ‘78, dirt from ’79 through ‘81, then as dead as Don Davis, the Arizona hero who hit his head on the final corner of a USAC sprint race at New Bremen in 1962.

I crossed I-75 on 67 and considered winged 360s at Limaland, a cool high banked quarter 75 miles closer (to me) than Attica on a Friday night. But the last look at radar indicated Attica at less risk than Lima, which lost 8 of 18 to rain last year but did see Friday through. Indiana native now attending the University of Northwestern Ohio, Neil Shepherd led Lima’s first six laps before J.R Stewart scored his second straight win. Ohio Speedweek stops in Lima on June 26 and the 21st annual Brad Doty Classic goes off there on Wednesday, July 15.

I wandered through Waynesfield, where sprint races have been happening for five years. Waynesfield Raceway Park’s promoter is Dean Miracle, former man in charge at Limaland and Millstream. Miracle alternates winged 360s and wingless 410s but this week, combined both on a card that I reserved as a Saturday possibility. Ohio Speedweek stops at Waynesfield on Wednesday, June 24 and the Jack Hewitt Classic will pay $3000 to the wingless 410 winner on Saturday, August 13. Hewitt’s hometown of Troy is 50 miles north of WRP.

Kenton connects to no fewer than five roads, one of which is 53 to Upper Sandusky, still 57 miles south of (Upper, Upper) Sandusky, home of the supermodifieds. I was back on 67 to 103 and Highway 4 for the final eight miles to Attica Raceway Park.

I love moments of perfect symmetry. You know, like when the washing machine matches the beat of the music (I live in a laundry cellar) or song lyrics that mesh audio to visual. Friday’s journey was almost over when the shuffle stopped on Concrete Blonde.

“I hear you’re driving someone else’s car now,” Johnette Napolitano began. “She said she came and took your stuff away. The poetry in the trunk you kept your life in. I knew that it would come to that someday. Like a sad hallucination, when I opened up my eyes. The train had passed the station, and you were trapped inside. And I never wondered where you went. I only wondered why. I wonder why…”

There was one more town between me and Attica and the sign came into view just as Johnette reached the title of her song. And they were one: Caroline.

I parked outside turns one as Attica’s audience rose for the National Anthem. Despite little towns like Caroline consuming five and a half hours from Indy, my timing was more perfect symmetry.

There had however, been no time for beer despite the drive-thru garages unique to Ohio. So after three heat races, I returned to town to find Labatt’s less than 60 miles from Canadian waters. Attica is so dusty that it still falls to earth ten minutes after the checkered. I swapped my cherished Continental Club cap for a freebie and layered up because a cold front was blowing in from Lake Erie less than 30 miles away.

Friday was my first Attica appearance under the authority of John Bores of UUI, the underground utility company that helped Chad Kemenah to four straight All Star titles. In his fourth season, Bores has Rex LeJeune as race director. Rex ran the road with All Stars, Mid-American and WoO Gumout series. For the first decade of its life, Attica’s announcer was Rex’s brother Rick, who loved to interview me during red flags. Friday found Rex waving an unannounced guest to the tower (out of the dust) and in keeping with tradition, a B-main red created an Open Wheel Times commercial courtesy of Brian Liskai.

Attica always exceeded typical track food by employing recipes from Uncle Dudley’s restaurant in Willard. I arrived with fond memories of coney dogs drenched in real meat sauce and pulled chicken sandwiches, neither of which remain on the menu. My coney came with lame red sauce and the shredded beef was salty.

Attica also illustrates how inconsequential 20 sprint cars feel in comparison to three or four diesel locomotives rumbling behind the frontstretch. Mark Keegan owns more crowns (12) and feature wins (55) than in Attica history. He was honored in a nice Friday ceremony capped by the call of the last five laps of his landmark upset of Steve Kinser that closed Ohio Speedweek 1995. But when the climactic portion rolled, so did a northbound CSX to drown the whole thing.

At age 50, Mark worked hard to transfer on Mark Keegan Night. He wrestled the final berth out of the B-main from rim-riding Bryan Sebetto (“Suh-beet-oh”) who follows four years by Lee Jacobs in the Burmeister 16. Cole Duncan (Genzman 53) and Craig Mintz fell two and three spots shy. Prior to the B-main, I saw Cole’s father Rodney raising the back of the wing and only half joked, “Now I remember why we don’t see each other much anymore.” Duncan formed a Friday crew with Billy Daugherty, who worked alongside Jack Hickman and Andy Potter with Kerr, now a NASCAR chief to Marcos Ambrose. Lee’s uncle Dean Jacobs (McClure 9) fell from his heat and could not go B-to-A.

The last book that made me laugh as hard as Smokey Yunick’s autobiography was Hunter Thompson’s Curse of Lono in 1983. Attica was where I delivered two of its three volumes to Rob Hart, who will derive more from them than anyone I know. Yunick and Hart share U.S patents. The Indy 500 chapter of Smokey’s amazing life is currently in the hands of Mike Trimmer, former WoO wrench to Jeff Shepard and current IRL tech inspector. Don’t worry Leslie: I’ll have all three volumes intact by Labor Day at Calistoga.

Hart had a pensive smile in the Titan pit. Tatnell had drawn the outside pole of the heat, won it, and then pulled pole position for the A-main.

“We were just gonna come here and run used tires,” Rob reported. “Now he wants a new tire.”

Titan faced a familiar dilemma. To start deep and reach tenth is hardly worth a new tire. However, if there is a real chance of winning, a team does not wish to lose because it pinched pennies on used rubber that surrendered five laps too soon. Warren Beard marched to the mobile Kear’s Speed Shop; Tatnell got his tire.

Hart’s wife Cathy is the daughter of “Bustlin’ Billy” Barrows, who battled Brooke’s father George around many an Australian oval. During her days with Shane Stewart, Mrs. Hart regarded Brooke as a “bloody windger” which by U.S translation is a chronic complainer. Has she softened now that Tatnell determines their family cash flow?

“No,” was Rob’s reply.

Attica was an alternate choice for Team Titan because Tatnell was detained in Minnesota by immigration (it happened to him in 2005 when Randy Hannagan had to sub) that caused Brooke to miss connections to the eastern Outlaw swing. That was probably just as well given Tatnell’s tepid pace at The Grove plus the punishment administered by the PA Posse, which occupied nine of the Top Ten. Attica’s A-main began with Brooke beating Mike Linder into turn one, drifting to the thin cushion and staying there for 30 laps.

Friday was wounded by too many yellows and reds. A nice dice for third between Caleb Griffith, Greg Wilson and heat winner Phil Gressman was interrupted three times in three laps. Linder lost second to Greg and third to Caleb by lap eight. Gressman pulled Stan Courtad’s blue ‘9x’ off the backstretch and Brandon Wimmer retired Rick Ferkel’s famous Zero.

Attica champion for five of the last six seasons, Byron Reed flirted with its only fence. I marveled at Reed’s knowledge of every inch of his Friday showcase, right before Byron clobbered the wall and flipped nose-to-tail off turn four.

After the Reed wreck, Tatnell led six All Star championships in Wilson and Kemenah, kicked back to local circles when his World of Outlaws team foreclosed. Kemenah gave Griffith the outside leaving turn four but decided that he wanted the top of turn one. Chad squeezed Caleb into the fence and flipped Griffith into the path of Linder and Keegan, who did a great job of backing in gently as Linder lay prone.

Griffith was furious and stomped through the infield to scream at Kemenah. An official kept Caleb from anything physical but A.J Havens saw only that his cousin was strapped down for potential violence. Despite closed red conditions, Havens charged to Chad’s aid and a mild scrum ensued. No punches appeared to be thrown. LeJeune wanted Kemenah tossed because Chad’s crewman violated the rules of a closed red, but Bores overruled Rex for too much confusion and too few bloody noses.

Linder made sure to pass Chad on his walk to the trailer. What did he say? “Oh, he ran his mouth,” Kemenah shrugged.

Back to green, Kemenah replaced Wilson and went after Tatnell, tucking inside into turn three but falling short on exit. Like a smart man who races 12 months a year, Brooke had a bit in reserve and gapped Chad by a couple car lengths.

Arizona native Mike Kuemper got to go fast on the Eldora hills and made the Attica A-main before nearly wiping out the lead car of former Tony Stewart co-worker Rob Hart with a 360-degree spin in turn two of lap 24.

Hannagan’s extreme inside line looked formidable (he won his heat) but excessive cycles sealed his tire and rendered Randy a docile fourth. Tim Shaffer failed to transfer through his heat and had to climb from row nine to fifth. Like the Titan team, Tim and Brian Kemenah carried Call Motorsports to I-80 west 600 miles to Knoxville, where Shaffer snapped the driveline. Lee Jacobs and Andy Potter scored sixth over Brandon Martin and row ten starter Craig Keel, the proud papa who instantly produced pictures of his baby girl.

"That is a great field of cars for a regular show,” Tatnell told Liskai on Custom Chrome Plating Night. “You had World of Outlaw caliber drivers (Kemenah, Shaffer, Hannagan, Keel and himself), All Star drivers (Wilson, Wimmer, Brock Mayes and Brandon Martin) and the locals are very tough here.”

Two of those locals, Mike Linder and Phil Gressman, have combined to win 57 Attica A-mains in 410, 360 and 305 distinctions. Mike wears ‘312’ in honor of father Jim and in a rare bonus, uncle Fred and Mike’s cousin Matt Linder were home from Georgia to give Attica a go. Persuasive cases for the Hall of Fame can be made for Fred or Jim Linder.

Byron Reed had ironically written me on Monday to confirm the living members of the hall from Ohio. He remembered Ferkel, Hewitt, Haudenschild, Doty, Kenny Jacobs and Rollie Beale, but forgot Larry Dickson from just west of West Virginia. Byron will get them to autograph “something” to raffle for the American Cancer Society. I forwarded the full list of enshrined Buckeyes beginning with Barney Oldfield and Spider Webb to car owners John Vance, Gus Hoffman and Bob Hampshire, craftsmen A.J Watson, Floyd Trevis and Mutt Anderson, promoters Earl Baltes and Bert Emick, and author John Sawyer of Marion.

Friday’s $2200 was the first win ever in Ohio by Brooke Tatnell, who took second in his first Buckeye summer of ‘92 against K-C All Stars and matched it at Attica (2005 Doty Classic) and 2006 WoO action at Sharon. Brooke called Friday practice for the WoO return on Friday, May 29 when Attica will pay $500 to the highest-finishing track regular and $2000 to anyone in its Top 20 who can dust The Outlaws.

It was cold and late (late models ran long between sprint features) yet I was bothered to see the crowd disperse before the 305 finale. Walking out on stock cars is one thing. It is our only protest to integration. But how can you walk out on sprint cars? I see it in Knoxville where 410 followers would sooner drink at Dingus than watch a 360 feature, or at Williams Grove where an arrogant posse will walk out on a 358 race. You people need to appreciate that if your ass was born in Kansas or Virginia, these would be your only sprint cars.

Friday’s 305 feature at Attica was far cleaner than its 410 race. Jac Haudenschild’s nephew Brad took off in the quest for a second straight win with the Stealth that snatched the last two All Star races of ‘97 driven by Dean Jacobs. Defending champ Stuart Brubaker relieved Haud of command after 15 of 25 laps. Ed Haudenschild’s son dropped second to Jake Trevino on lap 20 as John Ivy climbed to third. Just as I thought it sad to see a driver of Ivy’s ilk (winner at 410, 360, 305ci or 600cc) struggling for $600 to win, John spun with two to go.

Camp LeJeune in Willard was the Country Hearth Inn that has a cook on call 24/7. Rex reserved the suite usually occupied by Michigan’s Jeff Converse, shooter of High Vista video. Feeling guilty, I helped Converse dent a bottle of Cabo Wabo. In the morning, Sammy Hagar’s tequila made it rain in my brain like the rain outside. Jeff headed toward Fremont, which canceled to kick Converse to Butler, Michigan. Tenth in the Attica B-main on Friday, Andy Shammo won the first 410 feature of his career Saturday on the Butler Battleground that “still sucks” according to High Vista text.

I too considered ending another seven-year absence from Fremont even though that skating rink was the root of my bad Ohio opinion. Fremont’s USAC sprint/USAC midget show of 2002 was so bad that I sat in my car and contemplated driving away before B-mains. But they have new leadership and Reed reported that Rich Farmer and Andy James work hard not to let their third-mile get “bad slick.” Fremont is a cool little fairgrounds smack in the middle of town that just needs a little water to be great.

Cleveland’s Chad Hanobik, son of the car owner who won Sandusky’s 1981 Hy-Miler Nationals with Gus Olexen, creates a metallic blend of photography at www.speedmeetsart.com. He suggested a Saturday of MSA supermods at Lorain County, but I’d been to South Amherst in 1991 when Mack McClellan annihilated AAMS midgets. My vision of big block supers on a flat quarter-mile brought back sour memories of Birch Run, Michigan, now mercifully banked.

If it took new territory to break my tie, I might as well curl around Flat Rock, Michigan. Buckeye 305 sprint cars provided the first open wheel card there in seven seasons. Built in 1953, the quarter south of Detroit dropped checkereds on Eddie Sachs, Gordon Johncock, Bob Tattersall, Billy Mehner, Doug Kalitta, Kenny Irwin, Ryan Newman and A.J Fike. It resulted in six ARCA midget wins by Jim Hettinger, five for Don Schilling, three by Sarah McCune and three straight for Gene Lee Gibson in ’97-98. Gibson’s father Todd topped Flat Rock supers in 1983 and Gene Lee’s brother Larry won an ARCA midget race there in ‘96. Friday at Toledo saw Buckeye 305s beaten by Larry’s boy Zach, who parked in the first corner that just claimed Larry’s brother Terry.

Pavement remains a personal option only when all dirt has drowned. Saturday sounded like a good time to not be in Flat Rock because Buckeye brought ten cars and failed on three double-file starts. In five midget seasons and five more in winged sprints, Ryan Gillenwater never won until Flat Rock.

Despite landing in Willard, my Saturday still pointed to wingless MSCS 410 sprint cars in Florence, Kentucky. Rain had passed and Florence was still standing, so I aimed 30 miles south of Cincinnati by way of The Ohio State University in Columbus, home of cheap pipes to replace those lost to industrial accidents. Saturday’s storm line paralleled I-70. Southern towns like Florence and Chillicothe looked dry but not to the north at Waynesfield, which did cancel.

Washington Court House is 35 miles from Chillicothe, where winged 410s sought $3000 to win at K-C Raceway. Eight years have passed since my last K-C card yet I continued to Kentucky because they had no wings. K-C caught rain around 6:30 and tried to pack the track but had to call it off around nine. I took 22 to 68 to 50 to I-275 and I-75 into the hills to Florence Speedway.

Union holds the National Late Model Hall of Fame, easily the best work of Bill Holder, though I did not enter because its door was locked. A large cleaning bill was avoided because Florence was a muddy mess. Of those in the hall of fenders, Rick Aukland, Lynn Geisler and Charlie Swartz are the only sprint winners. Aukland defeated teenage Donny Schatz at Cedar Lake in 1994. Geisler pounded URC at Raleigh, North Carolina and added roll bars to bag Jennerstown and Tri-City in 1972. Swartz swept five features at K-C (Atomic) and added Manzanita (’78) and East Alabama for Bob Hampshire to end ‘85. Larry Moore was second at Salem (’77) and Cincinnati as a USAC asphalt ace. Also in the hall is Racin’ John Mason, who ran Saturday’s feature at Florence.

First known as the Northern Kentucky Speedbowl, the track in Union opened in 1955 as a three-eighth mile of macadam but by ‘62, had evolved to its current half-mile of dirt. Florence first appeared on the open wheel map on the Labor Day weekend of 1967 when USAC midgets stopped on the road to Columbus, Ohio from DuQuoin, Illinois to be beaten by Bob Tattersall. It took 23 years for USAC midgets to come back for a race won by Mike Streicher of Findlay, Ohio.

There were five Florence All Star races from the 1981 win by Jac Haudenschild (Hampshire 63) and 2002 checkered of Shane Stewart. Florence was the first of Jac’s 20 All Star wins, and its 1990 All Star race was Hewitt’s only win with Lenard McCarl. Florence All Star wins were taken by Greg Wilson (Hampshire 63) in 2001 and Danny Smith (Webb 51) in 2002. It held a winged sprint race in 1989 that brought Jeff Gordon his first USAC win. One week later, Gordon won the Night Before The 500 midget event that altered the direction of his life.

Florence was not a new track to me because in 1988, Guy Smith and John Gibson and I caught a North/South 100 won by Hall of Fame driver Bob Pierce. Back then, Kentucky adhered to Eastern Standard Time while Indiana did not. So when a USAC sprint feature went non-stop at Lawrenceburg, Guy and I nodded to each other like Peyton and Marvin and went deep 23 miles in time for STARS intros and a stand-up double.

Ironic that Gibson should call today on his way west from Williams Grove. He and Roger Slack were seeking a Saturday race and were directed to Florence, where Slack’s head was spinning with safety concerns. Hey, this is The South, where hillbilly girls hose mud from their tattooed feet and hope none of “them skeeter cars” vault the chicken wire.

Saturday was the third MSCS event in five Florence seasons. The wingless 410s arrived in 2005 to be defeated by Dickie Gaines but promoter Jerry King excluded MSCS from his 2006 schedule, booked them in 2007 (Robert Ballou won) and skipped last year.

Gaines and Ballou occupied two of 20 Florence sprint cars in 2009. Danville, Illinois must have looked like safer to those rained out in Putnamville, Paragon or North Vernon. Kentucky did contain some fine practitioners of the art of wingless sprint racing: Dave Darland, Jerry Coons, Damion Gardner, Brady Short, Chris Windom, Nic Faas, Kyle Cummins and always-hustlin’ Hud Cone.

Windom was on the pole but beaten on the start by fellow heat winner Faas, adding a Kentucky contest to Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and his native California. Nic was quick but spewed smoke that turned to flame by lap five. Mo Will waved the yellow to ease the extinguishers.

Leaders were all on the rim until Short shot through on the bottom. The lane down low began to slow after nine laps and Windom went around Brady for the lead.

Undefeated in three Kentucky cards, Ballou was bent on accepting nothing less than first. Exiting turn two, Cone cut him off so Robert used his extended bumper to turn Hud around. Cummins was clinging to the cushion and Ballou wanted that space so Robert ran Kyle out of aisle in turn two of lap 21.

Florence ran green for the last 18 laps and in the double-file chaos, Windom sat surrounded by slower cars. We braced for a big Ballou dive that never found the space. Saturday was the second MSCS $2000 in the career of 18-year old Chris Windom, who beat them at Haubstadt in 2007. He used a Claxton Maxim owned by his dad Preston and wrenched by Brian Cripe and Jeff Walker, who added Jeff’s Jam-It-In Storage as associate sponsor to Central Abrasives.

Kyle Cummins, the two-time MSCS champ who opened the season eighth as Racer X because he ran out of time to apply ‘3c’ to his tail, took third. Kyle’s father Mark helped tune the engine he built for Kurt Gross, racy after being idle for all but five races in four years. Gross sponsors the MSCS Rookie of the Year standings presently paced by Terre Haute’s Brandon Mattox, eleventh in Kentucky after tenth at the Tri-State opener.

Short dropped from first to fourth followed by Gaines as sub for Brad Stevens. The combination of Coons and Walker was as ineffective as Jerry has looked in a long while, wrecking Gardner and Darland with a rare heat race spin and riding a quiet sixth. Bedford, Indiana street stocker Bub Cummings was more impressive in seventh-place.

After his finest Indiana weekend ever (first at Lawrenceburg and second at Kokomo), Damion Gardner crashed hard at Gas City, got upside-down at Florence (he could not believe Coons spun) before earning eighth. He crashed again Sunday at Kokomo.

Dave Darland, sixth at Gas City and fifth at Kokomo for Scott Benic, was Saturday’s choice of Findlay, Ohio’s Rick Daugherty, a winged 360 winner at Florence in 1992. Darland was ninth at Florence for Walker in 2005 and ninth again for Daugherty in 2009. Cone came back for tenth.

Ricky Williams and Chase Briscoe continue to polish their acts in MSCS while waiting on the 16th birthdays that open the door to USAC. Chase’s father Kevin Briscoe (seventh at Florence against USAC wings in ’89 and eighth against 1990 All Stars) had Dan Drinan in Saturday’s pit.

“Aren’t you banned from Kentucky?” I asked Dan in reference to his Richmond win of 1995 that landed him on USAC probation for contact with Tony Stewart.

MSCS is a refreshing organization because they listen to those that love them. For several seasons now, MSCS has maintained a rule of not allowing cars to rejoin an A-main. Sounds silly but it was probably aimed at those who stop with flat tires. In 2007, it cost Jon Stanbrough a shot at $10,000. And in the 2009 opener, it robbed Haubstadt of Hunter Schuerenberg heroics. MSCS saw that the rule was flawed and by Saturday, added a red flag work area.

Florence followed a weekend when USAC sprints drowned in Bloomington and MSCS sprints opened at the Tri-State Speedway of Late Model Hall of Fame name Tom Helfrich.

If the luck of the draw places a rookie on the pole of a heat in which said polesitter darts all over to nearly wipe out the pack, should Randy Nigg go back to the pole for a complete restart? It’s as if officials say, “You failed to hit anyone. Try again!”

And at the risk of abusing children, Kevin Thomas of Cullman, Alabama (called K.T to differentiate from the accomplished Kevin Thomas of Mobile, Alabama) is regressing. After more Tri-State spins, MSCS added K.T to the ‘A’ as if to say, “You failed to fuck up anyone’s heat or B-main. Try again!”

Faas seemed to have Haubstadt won. That is, after lap four when Bryan Clauson stuck his right front wheel in the first turn cushion and catapulted out of the lead. As long as Nic ran the rim, no one could catch him. But he felt loose (he was) and began to enter low, where he was worse. All of a sudden, Levi reeled in and passed Faas only to see a caution. On the lap 28 restart, Nic dropped down, drifted wide and watched Levi drive underneath.

Faas fell from first to third wrenched by Jake Argo, who tutored Blake Fitzpatrick for two seasons before joining Faas. Fitzpatrick and crew chief Bubby Jones finished fifth Sunday at Kokomo after their fourth-place at Haubstadt ahead of Ricky Williams, Kyle Wissmiller and Danny Holtsclaw (Pottorff 11p) in seventh.

As leaders jostled bottom to middle, Windom went upstairs and almost stole $2000. Levi’s winning wheelstand was less for show than an inability to lift and still win. After growing up in Olney, Illinois some 66 miles away, cheering on Chuck Amati at age eight (Alan Beck paid pre-race tribute to the Hall of Fame hero who passed in February) and racing there at 16, Levi Jones had never won in Haubstadt, Indiana.

“Levi has run off and on for me since he was 18 years old,” Jeff Walker told Tri-State spectators. Relieved of responsibilities to Brett Burdette due to injury, Walker put car and mechanic (BCRA’s Justin Grant) in Windom’s rig, beat them, then gloated for 200 miles back to Noblesville.

Haubstadt was happy to acquire West Lafayette’s Baldwin brothers, who won with Thomas Meseraull at Danville, quarreled over money and told T-Mez to get lost. Baldwin brought the black five to Tri-State for Scotty Weir, who blew it up in his heat race. Meanwhile, the Truckers team that booted Meseraull at the end of 2008 and rented rides to Jimmy Light and Shane Hmiel has an open chair now that Jimmy has seen the light. Truckers are slated to take T-Mez to T-Haute.

Finding a $40 room in downtown Evansville, I started Sunday by trying to check Chandler Motor Speedway, which is what the sign says without a peep about Presleyland. Locked gates prevented a good look but Chandler’s capacity did not seem capable of paying $15,000 to win on September 5. Hope that I’m wrong.

Did you know that the Indianapolis 500 was almost the French Lick 500? When first concocting the idea of a two and a half-mile test track in 1908, Carl Fisher seriously considered French Lick because it was already a destination spot.

I stopped at the French Lick Hotel for an awesome Mother’s Day buffet. Yes, I called my mother. This elegant resort opened in 1845, burned to the ground in 1897, and was rebuilt on a grander scale. It was world famous for the healing powers of its sulphur springs (tapped, capped and sold as Pluto Water) and illegal casinos that attracted U.S presidents and Chicago muscle like Al Capone. Indiana legislature killed the casino in 1949 and handed back its license in 2006. But they pulled a dirty trick on French Lick by allowing slot machines at horse tracks. The casino resort in West Baden also hemorrhages red ink.

Some of the guest photos at the French Lick Hotel include Irish guitarist Gary Moore and Nebraska native Nick Nolte, who stayed in 1993 while researching the Blue Chips movie that includes a cameo by the biggest thing to hit French Lick since blackjack, Larry Bird. Bird’s current perch as general manager of the Indiana Pacers would be less precarious if the NBA lottery had dropped Blake Griffin of Oklahoma on his stoop.

I stopped at the Salem Super Speedway and smoked over the spirits of Wally Campbell, Bob Sweikert, Gil Hess and Rich Vogler. I rode 135 north 100 miles past Bean Blossom to Indy.

Memphis native Rickey Hood, a former Boonville, Indiana resident that I saw win a winged USAC race at Attica in 1989, returned to Joe Herrera’s car and promptly won two months shy of his 57th birthday at Tucson, Arizona.

Tucson’s Jerry Coons commuted 460 miles from Florence, Kentucky to win Sunday’s BMARA midget opener in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

Brad Loyet of suburban St. Louis swept SMRS midget races in Beloit, Kansas and commuted 670 miles overnight to fourth-place in the BMARA opener at Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

Sammy Swindell and Iowa cars driven by Terry McCarl and Kerry Madsen declined the 625-mile march by the World of Outlaws from western Ohio to the eastern seaboard. Big Game Treestands did a big 848 miles in 16 hours from Eldora to Husets so that McCarl could clock a new track record of 10.31. Dropping off the outlaws has paid Terry approximately $8500 for winning in Jackson, Minnesota and seconds at Knoxville and Sioux Falls.

Tuesday in Delmar, Delaware saw Danny Lasoski set fast time at 107mph, draw a zero, and lead all 15 miles to The Dude’s first win since New Years Day in Sydney, Australia. Delmar marked the first win by Casey’s car owner Lonnie Parsons since Dodge City 2006 and first WoO win since Tim Shaffer scored four times in ‘05. Lasoski then missed the A-main at Williams Grove (six of 12 outlaws wanted a provisional) and jetted from Harrisburg to Kansas City to bring his own ‘33’ to Knoxville and beat McCarl.

Delaware International Speedway (formerly U.S 13) staged a single 410 sprint race every October for 14 of 15 years. Fred Rahmer recorded two wins with Al Hamilton after his first Apple Chevrolet score in 1993. Apple also won with Greg Hodnett. Kenny Adams won two of Delmar’s first four with Harz Furniture and Weikert Livestock. Harz won again with Lance Dewease. Todd Shaffer scored in 1990 and 2000. Delaware International 410 features were also won by Dave Kelly, Keith Kauffman, Todd Gracey, Billy Pauch and Bob Bennett before Steve Kinser won most recently in 2003.

“King of the Hill” is Larry Crane’s song for friend and neighbor Steve Kinser. When it popped up on the shuffle, I realized that Larry’s line “24 men with 24 boys, 24 bright new shiny toys” is dated in the wake of 28 starters at The Grove.

Kraig Kinser makes it easy to forget that Tony Stewart has a second car on the World of Outlaws. Kraig could not get out of the C. Remind me why he was hired? TSR publicist Misha Geisert is again saddled with spinning positive press from negative nights. When she asked Kraig about Virginia Motor Speedway, he began, “As I recall, it is pretty fast.” As I recall? I guarantee teammate and champion Donny Schatz has a much more vivid image of what awaits him. If Tony Stewart fired him tomorrow, Kraig Kinser would be selling uniforms alongside Brian Paulus.

Pete Postupack’s car had never been to Delaware until Daryn Pittman pushed it fourth against The Outlaws. Daryn’s U.S 13 record lap of 114mph still stands. Sixth at The Grove, Pittman and Postupack picked off the first leg of Keystone Cup at Grandview.

Randy Wolfe, a Delaware driver for Ted Gano (’91) and Keystone Pretzels in 1992, finished fifth in Delmar on Tuesday as crew chief to son Lucas Wolfe, matching his best result of 2009.

Chad Layton had never been to Delmar until last month’s URC opener in which he finished second. In his second start along U.S 13, Layton landed sixth against the World of Outlaws.

New York memorabilia merchant Mike Heffner hit sprint car racing at September’s Tuscarora 50 with Ryan Smith in the seat. This year, Heffner hired Sean Michael and reached third at The Grove, fourth at The Port and fifth at Lincoln before Sean broke his knee cap. Mike made a second Rider JEI available for a homestate start by Sean’s kid brother Curt from Delaware.

The World of Outlaws quietly rearranged its New York itinerary by dropping their May 17 date at Orange County, delaying Rolling Wheels from May 25 to October 10 (bringing The Outlaws back to the Syracuse festival) and filled May 25 with its first foray to Canandaigua since Stevie Smith defeated Donny Schatz in 1999.

Kevin Nouse nailed down a Williams Grove WoO transfer driving for Jim Nace. As a driver during the first World of Outlaws season of 1978, Jim hammered his Heintzleman down the backstretch of the Syracuse mile. Fifth at Eldora (’79), Nace was fourth at Williams Grove (‘87) and ninth at Bloomington during a 1989 Camel Express excursion to Gaerte Engines. Jim ran his last WoO A-mains at Syracuse and Rolling Wheels on the same day in 1992.

I want a Kevin Titman T-shirt. Someone in Brisbane make that happen!

Tatnell and Titan of Queensland traveled from Attica to fifth at Knoxville on Saturday and fifth at Grandview on Wednesday.

Don Ott Racing Engines shipped the 410 that carried Cameron Gessner to victory in Brisbane, Queensland and built the 358s for Williams Grove that scored second with son Aaron Ott and third with daughter Amy Ott.

Cody Darrah was seventh against the World of Outlaws in his first start at Eldora before arriving in Port Royal for sixth against All Stars. Friday’s WoO race at The Grove saw Cody cross second.

The All Star conclusion to two days and nights at The Port read like a thriller without a single position change in the Top Seven. I bought an RPM to read Gordy Killian (he was absent) and on the cover was an Ed Funk podium shot of Port prince Stevie Smith and 6’5” Dale Blaney, who looked short enough to have a shot blocked by Alan Cole.

Tony Bruce followed four weeks with the World of Outlaws by finishing fifth in Oklahoma City against ASCS Sooners and third at Dodge City Raceway Park with NCRA, the club that he beat last Sunday in Wichita, Kansas. Tony is helping stage this weekend’s Steve King Memorial at DCRP.

Brian Brown of suburban Kansas City set the pace for the World of Outlaws at Knoxville (ultimately netting fourth) and took third in IRA at Burlington and sixth in Wichita with NCRA. Brown then suffered a bruising crash in Jackson, Minnesota.

Scott Brown, the Lubbock Wrecker Service owner who tamed Devil’s Bowl with Gary Wright, did seven seasons with Garry Lee Maier, who was seventh in Wichita for the Ochs brothers. Last season, Ochs had Don Droud Jr, second at Knoxville in the famous 47 of Gil Sonner to match Gilly’s best since Matt Moro in 2005.

NCRA noticed the large fields of 305 sprint cars that URSS has compiled and concocted its own 305 series but only a handful has broken ranks, proving some solidarity may exist.

Another scene of auto racing in the desert is due to get leveled when Hollywood Hills in San Felipe Pueblo, New Mexico tastes the blade after this weekend’s Buddy Taylor Memorial. I never got to the San Felipe Pueblo palace.

Tennessee’s Terry Gray made his first appearance ever at Lake Ozark Speedway and beat everyone except resident pro Jesse Hockett. Gray headed west on 54 to Wichita to his first ever NCRA 360 start. Prior to downsizing, Gray won three NCRA 410 championships in four years.

Saturday at California’s Kings Speedway signified Ricky Shelton’s first race since the 2001 Hoosier Hundred. He had been an incarcerated guest of the Golden State.

Another long-winded editorial is dedicated to the memory of Larry Rice, who won the Hoosier Hundred at age 35 and died Wednesday at 63. He seemed to be doing pretty well for a guy with cancer but last week, son Robbie let friends know time was short.

Junior Knepper teamed with Rice to be champions of the 1981 USAC Silver Crown circuit and once talked about laidback Larry.

“He would come in from hot laps and we would ask, ‘Is everything okay?’ and he would say, ‘Sure.’

“Well,” I would say, “you’re a second slow. He’d answer ‘Oh?’ and go out and pick up that second.”

The last time that I saw Larry Rice was four months ago at the Indy Circle Track Expo. Donald Davidson and I were to quiz Rice and other famous folks on racing trivia, making Larry nervous.

“Don’t worry,” I told him. “I intend to tailor the questions to suit the people on stage. I might ask you something like, ‘Where was the first Volkswagen victory by a USAC midget?’”

“Roseville, California!” he said. Lost Creek, Kentucky was the correct answer. “Oh, is that where it first won?”

It would have been unfair to ask that VW question after Larry had been briefed, so when he took his turn came, I served up one I thought he might recall.

“Name a New Zealand driver who won a USAC midget race.”

Rice was rapid on the buzzer. “Barry Butterworth!” he answered. Judges would have also accepted Graham Standring.

Larry Rice was an unflinchingly nice person. He will be missed.

Ok