Asphalt might not be your thing, but there's no denying that Midvale Speedway has become a "must visit" track for 2012. Even dirt fans might appreciate the money and sweat that has gone into making this a much nicer and safer place to take in a night of racing. When Randy Smith took over a couple seasons ago, he wasted no time throwing plenty of cash at the place to update the entire pitside area. New drainage, concrete, asphalt, catch fence, and seating were the most noticeable items on that list. As soon as the final checkers flew on the 2011 season, Randy and his gang set out to improve the grandstand side of the track in the very same way. Hell, the even found time to widen the track a bit while they were at it. The new seating will be the final touch on this huge project and will be in place before the 2012 season gets kicked off in the spring. You can check out some pictures of this project on their website. While I certainly may not agree with the way parts of their shows have been run, this is probably the most modern track in our area. Check it out at least once!

The other track that has been pretty busy working on improvements is Hilltop. I've already mentioned that their unmatched registration deal is once again being offered for 2012, but that just one reason to make Hilltop your Saturday night home. Every track in the area has been itching for some new clay for their racing surfaces for years now. Hilltop and Lakeville both hauled some in before kicking off the 2011 season even though they knew it was just a drop in the bucket as far as totally resurfacing the tracks. The new clay seemed to make a difference though and Hilltop has decided to bring in even more for 2012 to the tune of 40 more truck loads. Guardrails and parking areas are also being improved for next season. Probably the best news for 2012 is that the new ownership has brought the one thing Hilltop has needed most these past few years. That being security of the future of the facility. While Jesse and Tracy have done an awesome job of reviving the track that nearly died an all too early death, the finances just weren't there to seal the deal on their own. Removing the threat of an uncertain future was very high on their priority list and with the help of some new blood in the way of fresh ownership, we can all take a long overdue deep breath. Best of all, the same folks that have busted ass to make this place a success will still be in place for years to come. That's exactly what the place needed in my opinion.

A couple of years ago when Jesse told me about his plan to offer $100 car registrations that included a FREE pit pass every night the registered car was in action, I thought he was out of his mind. Hell, I remember telling him that. He just shrugged it off and said he wanted to try something "different" from other tracks. We all know by now that the gang at Hilltop is known for doing things a bit differently and it sure as hell seems to be working. So,, once again Hilltop is offering that same $100 registration deal for 2012. Folks, I've tried talking other tracks into giving it a try but you simply can't find a similar deal anywhere else. Complete details of this offer are posted below, but in simple terms, you register your car (as required at any track) at the cost of $100. Sure other tracks charge less to register but they don't throw in a FREE pit pass every week of the season that your car is racing. It doesn't take a ton of math skills to see that this offer is a gift to any racer that plans on running at Hilltop more than once or twice all year. And with the great staff, and kickass action at Hilltop, why the hell wouldn't ya want to be there every week? I know I'm very much looking forward to another great season on "The Hill" in 2012. Hats off to ya Hilltop for continuing to think outside the box!

Complete Details On Registration Offer:

A damn strong field of Late Models rolled into Lakeville this week to put on a great show. If I remember right their feature was slowed by just 2 cautions and there was door to door action to be found throughout the entire field. Well, all except the lead spot. ;-) George Lee hasn't always been known as a guy to actually use the throttle in any position other than on the floor but he showed some great control working through the lapped traffic all night. A couple times he would have to battle Markham for the lead but those battles didn't last long. Lee stepped out front and simply drove away. It was great to see guys like Bond, Canada, Maffet, and Pollock back in action this week. Thanks for the kickass show guys!

The Pure Stock points chase couldn't be any tighter but it almost seems like neither one of these guys wants to win it. Every night this year that Miller or Daugherty has had problems the other one was on the trailer soon after the first one. It's crazy I tell ya. Daugherty would end up with the biggest problem this week with a broken crankshaft. Miller would soon follow him to the pits with a flat tire. I look for Daugherty to return with either a backup car or borrowed engine so this fight ain't over folks. Whoever ends up with the trophy on Friday can sure as hell say they've earned it. Another Pure Stock driver has almost silently slipped his way towards the top of the points list and that's Denny Shear. They call him Mr. Consistency for a reason and lately he's been getting consistently faster. Knocking down a few heat race wins and top fives in the features have been his rewards. While it may be too late for Shear to be a threat for the championship, he's sure as hell made his mark at Lakeville this year.

My racing weekend kicked off with a huge and pleasant surprise. As I was walking into the pits at Lakeville I spotted the Super 6 car headed towards the tech area with none other than Dave Haven Sr. behind the wheel. You might recall that Dave has been suffering from health issues for some time and the last time I saw him was late July. It was tough to see such a historic racer looking so weak but he went out of his way to shoot the shit with me which meant alot to me. At that point I figured we probably wouldn't see the old timer strapped into a race car again but hoped to see him in the pits again soon. Well, I must have underestimated this stubborn old fella because there he was Friday night strapped in and ready for action. I figured it was only right to do something special for him to show the appreciation from the entire racing community for such a determined racer. At intermission Dave wheeled his ride onto the front stretch to be honored by all of those in attendance. By this point of the evening Dave had already run his heat race and made it clear that he would be running the feature too. The crowd responded with a loud and long standing ovation. It's not often you get to honor a guy with 48 years of racing experience under his belt, and this will be a moment to remember forever. I'm very grateful that I could be a part of it. They just don't make racers like him any more for sure. Even with his health problems he ignored the incredible temperatures just to get back out there and do what he loves. RACE! And race he did, bringing the Super 6 car home in 7th place when the checkers flew in the feature. Damn it was good to hear that big ass Mopar engine roar by again. Thanks Dave for making my entire weekend one to remember and for all those years you've dedicated to racing. I salute you, Lakeville Speedway salutes you, and racers as well as race fans that recognize your dedication to racing salute you. We all salute you sir!

The rest of Friday night was action packed as always and it was great to see the Modifieds back in action at Lakeville. The Pure stocks put on a damn good show once again with Daugherty picking up yet another win. Jeff Facemire made just his second appearance of the season and looked pretty strong for a fella that should be pretty rusty by now. Facemire lead most of his heat race but had to settle for second at the end. When feature time rolled around he was right back at it and wound up with a very respectable 4th place finish. Damn Jeff, maybe you should have kicked off your season earlier. ;-)

What a night of action at Lakeville this past Friday night! Recent weeks have brought in some new cars from West Virginia and Pennsylvania, along with some locals we don't see enough of. This week even DJ Cline made the trip to take a shot at the bounty on Duncan. You might wonder why car counts went up with the recent cut in the purse but the drivers I talked to made it clear that it's not about the money for them. Some said they were looking for a track that wouldn't be so hard on their equipment and many said they were there to support a track that has always supported their drivers even through the tough times. Let's not forget that in recent years when Hilltop and Wayne County struggled and failed to run full seasons, Lakeville was there all season long paying full payouts. These drivers didn't seem to forget that and I salute each and every one of them for their support. Speaking of support, it was awesome to see Jesse Wardell in the house and he brought the whole damn gang with him to show their support too. Now, that's just another example of the class the Hilltop gang has become known for. Hell Jesse even found time to text me while I was on the flagstand. What a guy! ;-)

Alright, all this show of support is swell and all, but how was the show you ask. It was probably the most fun I've had at a track in quite a while for starters. Fans were treated to 3 and 4 wide action in many of the races and with almost no torn up equipment all night. Minimal cautions kept the show rolling and the track held up great all night. Hell there was plenty of bite left in the surface when I left for the night. NICE job Randy! There was one red flag incident but this one was a happy moment. We red flagged the start of a Mini Stock race so a driver could propose to the love of his life. How damn cool is that?

All of the features were action packed and the Late Models put on what can only be described as the best damn show in recent years. Some may consider Duncan to be lucky but he damn sure earned the win this week. Slicing through traffic at a wild pace is one thing, but to do it with Cline and Lonas all over you has got to be a bit stressful to say the least. These 3 guys slipped through holes that you'd swear weren't there all night and without roughing anybody up. What a show! In the Late Model heats that young fella I've been writing about these past couple of weeks put on a show of his own. Randy Pollock brought home his very first Late Model heat race win in fine fashion. Battling those "new guys" for the win just made the win even sweeter. Pollock also drove one hell of a smart feature race bringing it home in 6th. Way to go "Speed Racer"!

Not to be outdone the Pure Stocks showed why their points battle has been so close all season long. The top points guys started out battling 3 wide but one would suffer a season ending engine failure before long. Todd Swim was on a strong run when the engine came unglued. That left Daugherty and Miller up front scrapping for every inch of clay and when the checkers flew it was Daugherty in Victory Lane grinning from ear to ear. Once again I was almost certain that meant he'd be the first driver to pick up the Lake/Hill Challenge money since he was headed to Hilltop on Saturday night. After his runaway win last week down there it was looking good for the 21D car.

A message from Randy Young and the entire staff of Lakeville Speedway.

Mini Stock Crack The Whip Friday August 19th

With their season winding down quickly I wasn't about to miss another night at Hilltop and I'm damn glad I made the trip. This place has been the best source of door to door action in this area for years and they proved that once again Saturday night. The night started out with the fans getting to roam the pits to gather autographs and other goodies from their favorite drivers. What a great way to get and keep those in the stands interested in this sport. Once the fans found their way back to the grandstands it was time to get down to business and the Modifieds kicked off the show. Rory Reed would run away with the first heat race while Eppley and Morehouse would snag the other heat wins. The Mod feature would roll out with Reed leading the first few laps before Morehouse went upstairs and never looked back. Before long Doug Drown would dash into second with his borrowed ride and run down Morehouse for a race long battle that had the fans on their feet the entire time. They used every inch of the track fighting for the lead and Morehouse would take the checkers once again. DAMN what a race for the lead as well as many great battles throughout the entire field!

I got a bit of a surprise when the Late Models hit the ramp for their heats when I noticed a familiar blue nose. It was none other than Randy Pollock fresh from his strong run at Lakeville last week. I didn't even notice him parked way back there in the forest. ;-) Randy would face some stronger competition this week but he really stepped up to the plate when the time came. Doing battle with drivers like Aronhalt and Chance he showed that he can handle himself just fine with some of the best around. Taking home 8th in that field is pretty damn good for a part time guy with alot less equipment than most. Another nice job Speed Racer! At the front of the Late Model feature Doug Drown would use another borrowed ride to take home the win in very fine fashion.

In the Street Stocks, 2 Lakeville regulars would take the heat wins. Bob Daugherty and Todd Swim are no strangers at Hilltop but they're locked into one hell of a points battle over at Lakeville too. When the time came for their feature it was easy to predict where you'd find Daugherty. This guy earned the nickname "bottom feeder" for a reason. ;-) At the drop of the green, Daugherty jumped out front nearly rubbing the tires inside turns 1 & 2. The 21D wouldn't leave that line the entire race and he left the field behind. The battle was clearly for second place and Swim had his hands full most of the race but would hold off the challenges to the checkers.

I didn't get to watch much of the Minis or Trucks but I'm told they put on great shows of their own. All in all it was a great night of racing as always at Hilltop. I don't know what it is about that place that breeds such side by side action but I hope it never changes!

It's been a while since I've unloaded here in such a way but it's time to address the bullshit here and now. One of the reasons I've kept quiet is that I'm an employee of Lakeville Speedway and I don't want any confusion over my opinions and the official opinions of Lakeville or the owners. So, as Obama would say, "let me be clear", what you read here has nothing to do with my connection to Lakeville or any other track for that matter. This is directly from me so if you have a problem with any of it, contact me in person and take up your concerns with me directly. I'm easy to find every Friday night.

Now for the bullshit. For several weeks there have been plenty of whispers about the death of Lakeville Speedway. In some cases it was much more than whispers. It was outright public lies being spread among racers and fans alike. I've addressed some of these comments directly when I could, and as always I've encouraged those spreading rumors to contact Randy personally to get the facts. It seems that some prefer not to get the facts because it gives them more pleasure to spread their own version of things. After all, the facts aren't as dramatic or exciting as stories of doom and gloom. This weekend I made the trip to another track and before even reaching the pits I overheard people talking about the death of Lakeville and how they'd miss the place. Needless to say I was shocked to hear that I missed the funeral for one of my favorite race tracks. Once in the pits I caught more conversations about the end of Lakeville and how Randy has just given up and walked away since WCS was putting them out of business. I won't even address the rumors that Jason Flory fully intended to do just that by running Fridays. That's a whole different subject and since I didn't hear those words come from Jason directly, I have to consider it just another dramatic line of shit at this point. Sure, it's no secret that Jason probably doesn't send Randy a Christmas card but I would honestly hope that he'd have enough sense not to start a business by trying to kill a competing track. That wouldn't just be rude, it could very well turn out to be a very bad business decision. On that note, I couldn't help but speak up last night when I heard a racer say that Randy would love to see WCS fail to protect his own track. That statement I know for a fact to be bullshit and any racer that has talked to Randy has heard exactly the opposite statement at least once. Randy would love to see all the area tracks prosper and I've heard the same sentiment from Jesse Wardell of Hilltop. So, let's put this crap to rest and promote the idea of all these tracks working together. If you've been around this sport very long at all you know how racers and fans tend to bash one track while ignoring the same problems they bitch about at another track. That's not healthy for any of the tracks involved. The one getting bashed takes a beating publicly, and the other track has no incentive to fix their problems. Maybe a better approach would be to calmly take your concerns to the track owners or promoters and provide positive suggestions. Keeping in mind that these tracks are businesses would help too. I don't know of any tracks that consistently make big profits, and in many cases they can expect to lose some money on any given night. Racers and fans may not realize what it costs just to open the gates on race night. Those costs begin the morning after race day and continue all week long. Now ask yourself how you would handle things if you spent your own money and time busting ass all week to open the doors of your business and and then were faced with bashing and outright lies from people that aren't even your customers in some cases. I know how I'd like to handle those things but luckily track owners are more forgiving. Probably because they love the sport even more than those doing the damage pretend to love it.

So just how do these rumors and lies get started exactly? Well, it started with a few nights of lower than average car counts at Lakeville. Did Lakeville suffer from those nights? Hell yes they did, but not one driver or staff member shared in that pain when it came time to get paid. Randy has always stepped up and fulfilled his commitments to the racers and staff, and that's much more than could be said of past owners at Lakeville and other tracks. So am I writing this to kiss Randy's ass? Hell no, and he's very aware of my thoughts on how I would have protected myself if I was in his shoes. If it was my business, the payout would always be based on car counts. Other tracks even in this area have done this for years and it's worked out just fine. Even when Sprints were recently brought back to Lakeville the payout was based on car counts until enough cars showed up weekly. To me, that's just smart business and wouldn't be a bad idea at all tracks to secure the future of our favorite weekend pastime. Then again, I don't own a race track and after years of seeing the whole story of owning one, I wouldn't take one if you gave it to me. My hat goes off to anybody that steps up and successfully runs any race track especially in this economy and this era of the "keyboard cowboys". Keyboard cowboys are those that love to use forums to bash a track while hiding behind a keyboard and screen name. Some of these idiots don't even go out to the tracks, yet feel proud to run their mouth about something they've heard, not witnessed. Let's not forget about the online poster that posted that Lakeville was rained out one night because he heard from a friend that it was raining there. That's just one example and it hits all tracks at one time or another. In my opinion, if you're not doing something to promote and support the sport of racing and it's community, you have no right to call yourself a racer or race fan. Just showing up at a track and is showing support. Calm positive suggestions are showing support. Getting others interested in racing is showing support. Running your mouth in a negative way, especially when spewing pure lies and having no interest in getting the facts, is not showing support and certainly not needed. Those people would be much better off finding another sport to shit on. Leave racing to those of us that truly love it!