It's hard to believe that the 2013 season is now half over at Hilltop. From the start of the season the place has been packed and the racing action has been the best in the area without a doubt. We've seen domination on certain nights, but with plenty of 3 and 4 wide racing throughout the fields in all classes. What more could ya ask for? Some folks need drama I suppose and they got/created plenty of that this week. I'll get to that shortly.

I was looking forward to Saturday night when Randy Pollock said he'd be headed to Hilltop for his first night out of the 2013 season. Randy may only race part time in recent years but this guy gives 110% whenever he hits the track. Unfortunately his engine gave about 60% in qualifying and then came unglued. Damn, what a shame. The rest of the Late Model field was once again packed with plenty of talent and horsepower so there'd still be plenty of action to see. Tyler Carpenter was back on The Hill, George Lee looked to be on top of his game with fast time, and Rick Bond was turning great laps as he did earlier in the season, just to name a few. With Lee starting on the front row I wondered if he'd run away early again but he answered that question in the first turn of the feature. That crazy bastard must have flipped his throttle switch to on a bit early and forgot to activate his steering switch or something because he wadded up the car in turn one seconds after the green flag dropped. Well, they say he's always entertaining I guess. The caution moved a fella to the front row that hasn't been talked about much recently, Ryan Markham. Markham has run decent most nights but just seemed to lack something so far this year. He sure as hell wasn't lacking anything this week and I don't remember the last time I saw him this hungry for a win. Splitting cars when the hole isn't quite there yet is something Markham usually avoids but not this week and it paid off. He picked up his first feature win of the season as his reward. The action behind him was impressive but nobody was gonna take this one away from him. Nice run Ryan!

Now for the drama of the night. All the years I've spent in racing including the years as a track official, I've wished for just one thing over all else. I wish that racers and especially fans would take the time to read and understand the rules and race procedures before ranting, raving, and in many cases making asses of themselves. In case you weren't there, here's what happened. I'll leave the names out for now so it doesn't cloud your judgment. On the last lap the leader caused a wreck coming out of turn 4 to take the checkers. He then pulled into victory lane only be told that he'd been charged with the wreck and scored at the end of the lead lap. The second place car was then pulled into victory lane as he should have been and given the win. That's when the fans went nuts things got ugly. Here's the deal as it has always been at all area tracks as long as I can remember. No matter what position you're racing for on the last lap, if you cause a wreck as the checkers come out the race isn't stopped by a yellow. You're simply scored as if the yellow came out and the field realigned. The cars you wrecked are scored in their position before you took them out. Simple enough right? Some fans complained that there was no yellow flag. There never is in this situation and for a couple of good reasons. The last half of the final lap is when drivers are probably the most aggressive and doing whatever they can to pick up that extra spot or claim the win. First of all if the checkers are already out and over the railing of the flagstand, the drivers up front expect the race to be over becaue the checkers are "out". Nobody is looking for a yellow light or flag at that point of the final lap but if some were to spot it and lift while others didn't see it, there'd be one hell of a mess caused by non other than the track officials. That wouldn't be pretty. The second good reason in this case is that in the time it takes a Modified to cover the ground from the exit of turn 4 to the flagstand you'd have to be a ninja to switch flags and/or trip the yellow light. Trust me, I've been there and it's not as easy as it looks. If you need yet another reason for how this race was scored think about this. You're in the cockpit leading the race on the final lap. On your way to the checkers you take out a couple cars that were "in your way" causing a mess for those chasing you to the checkers. Do you really feel that you should be given the win and not penalized for causing the wreck? Seriously? Some complained about the cars that got taken out because they were about to be lapped and had been shown the passing flag. The rule on the passing flag is explained each and every week at the drivers meeting. If you're shown this flag you are to hold your line because the leaders are coming up on you. You are not expected to pull over and let them go, simply hold your line so they know where to expect you to be so they can get by you. The leaders are told that it's their responsablity to get by you cleanly and if they take you out the penalty is on them. It couldnt be made more clear than that, and this is exactly how the situation was handled. CORRECTLY!

Now, let's throw in the names of those involved and sadly you'll see why things got ugly. The leader that caused the wreck was Jess Hartman. The second place car that was given the win was Kevin Morehouse. It's no secret that the fans don't much care for Morehouse, and deep down inside I don't know of any track officials that do either. That makes their job even more important as they don't let that get in the way of making calls. Personally, I think of Morehouse about the same as I think of Tony Stewart. There's no denying his talent, I sometimes agree with what he has to say, but quite often he's simply a whiny ass cry baby bitch! I'd rather have sharp stick in my eye than cheer for Morehouse but after hearing the crowd Saturday night I actually considered it. The call was made correctly and the staff had the balls to stand by it knowing that it wouldn't be popular. That's not favoritism as some have claimed. That's simply doing the right thing even though they obviously knew there would be backlash from the fans. That's what true professionals do and I salute them for it.

Mother Nature sure can't seem to decide what season it is, but on The Hill it's racing season no matter what the thermometer reads. In my last write-up I told you that George Lee was back on top of his game but last week he had nothing for Doug Drown and had to settle for third when JR Gentry snuck past him in the final laps of the feature. This week Lee wouldn't have to battle Drown and even though Gentry set fast time in qualifying he'd never get close to George in the feature. There was plenty of action fighting for second spot on back but Lee went to the top of the track and simply drove away once again. This time I swear I heard him get out of the throttle a few times going through turns 3 & 4 but maybe his on/off switch was just acting up or something. ;-) The Late Model division saw a rookie pick up his first heat race win when Justin Patterson wheeled his new ride into Victory Lane. Patterson is no rookie when it comes to winning in the Street Stocks but picking up a heat race win in a Late Model with just a few nights behind the wheel tells ya this kid has some talent. If he can keep his head on straight and his attitude in check, this youngster will find his way to the front of the field before long. Congrats Justin!

This Saturday night June 1st, all regular divisions will be in action at Hilltop Speedway along with the return of the Modlites. You don't want to miss this full night of door to door action for sure.

So far this season the Late Model field at Hilltop has provided an incredible amount of action each night, even when the leader might seem to run away from the pack. There have been plenty of fierce battles for the lead too of course but one thing seemed strange each week. The fella that has become known for running his very own groove around Hilltop, George Lee, has looked like just another car in the field lately. That would change on this cool May night as it seems that Lee has replaced that "throttle switch" I've teased him about having on his car. This new switch might be a three position switch for off, on, and HOLY SHIT! I got there too late to see which position it was in when he set fast time in qualifying but it was clearly set to "on" for every lap of the dash as he slung his ride around the high side to take the win. At the drop of the green for the feature he must have reached for that new position on the switch because he was soon in his own zip code. While I'm not always a fan of his driving habits, it's sure as hell entertaining to see this man on his game. I don't think that engine lost 400 rpm at any point on any given green flag lap until the checkers flew. That's the George Lee we're all use to seeing eating up the clay at Hilltop. Welcome back you crazy bastard! ;-)

Another strange sight at Hilltop this weekend was the #21 Street Stock of Bob Daugherty using the rest of the track for a change. I must admit that I wondered for a minute who was really driving that thing when it wasn't glued to the bottom groove in the heat race. Bob has truly earned his nickname of "bottom feeder Bob" over the years and there's no denying that it works great for him. However he's also a smart veteran driver that will adjust to different conditions to get out front and stay there. His smooooth driving style told me it was him behind the wheel for sure though. Daugherty won his heat race in fine style so he lined up on the front row for the feature. With guys like Moore, Wisecarver, and Gardener behind him we'd see how this new line would work for Bob. They threw everything they had at Daugherty but nothing seemed to work. Some even had the idea to pass him low. Hell,,, I thought I was seeing things. If you're gonna pass Bob Daugherty low, you're gonna have to relocate one or more of those big ass tires in the infield to do it. This guy owns the bottom! At the checkers it was Daugherty picking up his second feature win of the season at Hilltop.

Mother Nature rolled into town soon after that feature ending the action for the night so the Modifieds and Mini Stocks will run double feature on May 18th. You won't want to miss this show as it's the Jerry Reed Memorial event and the ADRA Late Models will do battle with our weekly regulars chasing $2000 to win the feature.

Just a reminder that Hilltop is now running under their summer hours.

The racing has been nothing short of stellar so far this season at Hilltop. The packed grandstands have been treated to some special shows already including a visit from the ultimate "racer's racer" Kenny Schrader. Kenny is one of those guys that has made it big but never seems to realize it. On race night he's just another fella with a helmet and fire suit looking to turn some laps in almost any type of race car. He's more than happy to shoot the shit with ya while watching the races and trying to learn a new track. He had nothing but good things to say about Hilltop although he struggled to master it himself. It kinda seemed like that's what he liked about the place. In his own words "it's a fun place to race because you can race on any part of the track,,,,and some of those guys use it all every lap". I think that pretty much says proves what I've always said. Hilltop is the best place in the area for side by side racing every night of the season.

The next two weeks will bring even more excitement to Millersburg that you won't want to miss. The Modlites return to the hill for the second of seven appearances and judging from their recent show here this will be a great one. The lil buggers really get around the place in a hurry and put on a great show.

When that mean old boss of mine sent me to Holmes County last Saturday to install some vinyl lettering he had to know I wasn't coming back anytime soon. Not with Hilltop just down the road. I missed opening night at Hilltop for the first time ever, but I wasn't gonna miss this one for sure. I was in desperate need of those racing fumes after all. It may be early in the season and the weather isn't quite ready for racing but it didn't stop the fans and racers from packing the place on just the second night of action for 2013. The packed house was once again treated to a full night of kickass action but the real stand out of the event was some young fella from West Virginia in the Late Models. Tyler Carpenter may not have set fast time but he schooled the stout field of veterans the rest of the night. Winning the dash was just a warm-up for this kid. The 25 lap feature went caution free allowing Carpenter to make many think he'd lap the entire field. Honestly, had he not been as patient as he was with one of the lapped cars he may have pulled it off too. This kid was just plain smooooooth! Leaving guys like Moran, Lee, Conley, and Duncan wondering just where the hell he went by the time the checkers flew was nothing short of impressive. If they had mirrors they might have known where he went. ;-) Hilltop isn't always an easy track to tame but this young gun sure seems to have it figured out. Congrats young man, and I hope to see you on "The Hill" on a regular basis.

The action was great in the other divisions as always and I gotta say it was great to see Rory Reed looking "hungry" again. Rory pulled his race car out of the weeds for the first time just the day before but he sure seemed to be on his game when it came to feature time. Battling for 3rd in the closing laps he got pinched into the infield which ended his strong run but they sure as hell knew he was there to run up front all night long. Reed's racing season may end up with limited racing action but if he stays this hungry I look for many more strong runs.

Hilltop Speedway will be my first stop of the season and for good reason. You simply can't find better side by side action every week than you'll find here. The fun family atmosphere just adds to the experience. There have been some improvements to the facility over the winter also. Their gates will swing open for the first time for an open practice for all divisions on Saturday March 23rd. On Sunday March 24th the ever popular Autocross event returns to Hilltop. This is one crazy event you'll want to witness. The season will officially kick off on Saturday March 30th with all divisions in action. With the addition of even more fresh clay, we may be treated to even more excitement in 2013. On Saturday April 6th the Modlites will add to the action packed show for their first of seven appearances this season. You'll certainly get you'll racing fix on a night like this one! Hilltop's schedule is stuffed full of must see events so be sure to check it out. Chances are you'll find me there pretty often this summer.

Another place you'll likely find me will be Deerfield Raceway. I'm pretty sure my granddaughter will see to that. ;-) Deerfield may not have Super Late Models and such but what they do have is the most family friendly race track I've ever visited. The divisions may be different from other area dirt tracks but there are plenty of them each and every night. It's awesome to see the youngsters out there in their own divisions also and they put on a great show. Deerfield will open the gates for the first time in 2013 on April 13th for driver registration and an open practice. Opening night will be April 20th brought to you by Mel's Towing. You'll want to bring your own little ones for opening night so they can meet the Easter Bunny in person. How cool is that?!

As always the gang at Hilltop is looking to put together another great action packed racing season for their racers and fans. Yes, that incredible deal for driver registration is once again being offered also. Drivers or car owners have until March 1st to get their registrations in at the steal of a price of just $100. This registration deal will get you one free pit pass for your team any night your car is in action. No other track in the area seems to have the guts to offer such a deal, but it sure seems to have been working for Hilltop the past couple of years. Very strong car counts and full grandstands speak for themselves.

The folks at Hilltop wasted no time getting to work on facility improvements as soon as the final checkers of 2012 waved also. Pics of these improvements should hopefully be posted very soon. They've also worked hard on putting together an entertaining schedule for 2013 and while it's still subject to some tinkering, it has been posted on their website. The thunder will return to "The Hill" on March 23 with an open practice for all divisions. The very next day, March 24th the always thrilling Autocross event will be held. This is a wild show you won't want to miss. The season opener for all classes will be Saturday March 30th. Weekly divisions include Late Models, Tri State Modifieds, Street stocks, Mini Stocks, Trucks and Mini Wedges.
Regular racing events start times :
Pit gates open at 3:00
General admission at 4:00
Hotlaps 5:00
Racing at 6:30
Summer hours will be announced.

General admission $10
Kids 12 and under free!

It's well known by now that the transition to what was supposed to be new ownership at Lakeville was anything but seamless. When spring rolled around it was up to Agnes and Randy to step up and save this historic track, and that's what they set out to do. Plagued by massive legal expenses to fight for something that's already theirs, along with the cost of repairs to the equipment and facility, it would be one hell of a struggle. With the legal mess requiring way too much silence from everybody involved, it was a pretty rough year for the staff at Lakeville as well as racers and fans. Thankfully a number of great racers and fans stuck it out patiently and showed their support when given the chance. The car counts weren't great but things were improving and there was no shortage of side by side action. Then the legal mess interrupted the racing once again in August. The original thought was that this would be just a short delay before returning to racing as long into the fall as Mother Nature would allow. Sadly the wheels of justice turn much slower than they should and every time it looked like good news was just days away, another snag would pop up. I can say that time is finally running out on this fiasco so some sort of positive news should be out very soon. I can also say that discussions are underway for possibly holding some sort of event before the end of the year if all goes well. Of course this wouldn't be a typical racing event if it does happen, but it would be nice just to get together with the supporters of Lakeville once again. There's no promise at this point that this event will be possible, but we're hopeful that we can pull it off. Plans are also being discussed for the 2013 season and that's a great sign.

On the asphalt side of things, Midvale kicked off their season by showing off the latest improvements to the facility. Pitside is completely new, along with new fencing and grandstands for starters. The front wall was relocated a bit too in order to widen the turn 4 exit. Damn, this place has come a long way since Randy Young bought it, and they're not done yet, As soon as the place went silent at the end of this season, they got to work on the rest of the improvements that will complete the restoration of this entire facility. Midvale is without a doubt the nicest place to take in a race in this entire area. Even dirt racers and fans owe it to themselves to make the trip to Midvale at least once. The Late Models may be the top division there and they provide some great action, but the crate motor Modifieds provide the most competitive shows every week. This crate idea might just be worth considering at other tracks.

Barberton Raceway Park also opened under new ownership this season. This little bullring got a much needed facelift including a new racing surface for 2012. Unfortunately Barberton would also run into its own snags before the season was over, but things went much nicer for them. It was a pleasant surprise to see the support racers and fans showed during this mess and the racing action returned after losing just one night from the schedule. The loss of the NASCAR sanction sounds worse than it really is in my opinion, and should make racing there more affordable again. It may not have been a great year financially for Barberton, but they can be proud of how their ugly situation was handled. Let's hope for a smoother 2013.

2012 was a great season for DFC Racing for sure. This was our best year ever for our carburetors and I'm very thankful for that. Not just for the extra income, but it's great to see many lower budget racers enjoying improved performance and consistency without spending a fortune. Some have even picked up their first career wins this season with a DFC Racing carb. Of course not all of our customers are low budget racers, and that brings a different type of reward including frequent wins and championships. Most rewarding though is the fact that some of our customers spread the word to other racers and at times even loan their carb to others. This type of advertising just can't be bought and it's very much appreciated. To show that appreciation, I'm currently working on a program for 2013 to reward our most loyal customers. Details will be announced during the off season. This strong season has allowed us to install everything needed to do our own plating and color application. This is something I've hoped to do for some time. Other equipment to improve turnaround time is also in the works for 2013. There will be a short shut down period during November related to shipment of in stock carbs. Yours can still be freshened up or modified during this time but focus will be on rebuilding inventory during this time. Thanks for your understanding and support!

You've read stories here over the years congratulating folks on winning a hard earned championship, and you'll notice that those mentioned here actually race and even live like true champions. Finishing the season with the most points at a track will earn you that title and a nice trophy, but these guys know there's much more to it than counting points. I've lost count on how many championships Mike Miller has won over the years, (and he just might snag another one this year if all goes well) but the respect he's earned in the pits has little to do with a trophy count. His personality, respect for others, and willingness to help anybody are much bigger factors. It doesn't hurt that he could wheel a fuggin dump truck to the front of any field either. ;-)

At the start of this season I got to know Modified driver Randy Smart as you might have read earlier on this site. If anybody at Midvale Speedway reminds me of Miller, it would have to be Randy. This young fella is not only smooth, he's just plain relentless when he can smell the front of the pack. He will get there, and do it without roughing up the rest of the field. Always a class act on and off the track, Smart has won championships before, and earned plenty of respect along the way too. The Modifieds are such a close group when it comes to performance it takes something extra to stand out all season long. Randy did just that. He started out the season on a terror, winning 4 of the first 5 features. Before long others were looking to take away any advantage Smart may have on the track. Hell, the track was even kind enough to provide him with one of their carbs towards the end of the season. ;-) Well, it turns out that they may have hampered his winning streak, but they couldn't take away his talent and determination. In a manner that reminded me once again of Miller, Randy made one hell of a statement on the final points night of the season. Not only did he once again set fast time, but he shattered the track record while he was at it. He mentioned his desire to do that early in the season, and I had no doubt that he'd pull it off. Hats off to ya Randy Smart for not only one hell of a season, but for doing it with class and dignity even when they tried to make it tough on ya!

The points are over at Midvale and conservative thinking is probably out the window at this point, so it should be interesting to see what Smart has in store for the competition this week. With the recent streak Miller has been on lately I'd bet he'll bring his best to the season ender this week too. Ya might not wanna miss this show!