Hilltop Speedway closed out the season this weekend with their Halloween Havoc / Joel Meyers Memorial event, so I guess the fun is over for a few months. It turned a bit cold, the crowd was a bit thin, and the Pure Stock car count just plain sucked, but the fun on and off the track was as great as ever. The kids were treated to trick-or-treat on the track with the drivers and cars. We were all treated with some serious racing action the rest of the night. A few new comers showed up to take a shot at the $3000 payout in the Late Models, and one in particular brought a big ol' can of whoop-ass with him. Kenny Johnson may not have set fast time, but he sure made quick work of dusting the current track record holder the rest of the night. Hell, he put many of the "big boys" to shame before the night was over and it looked like he was going home with the big money. It wasn't meant to be though, as he made contact with a lapped car about midway through the feature, and his kickass run was ended. DAMN, that man was flyin'!! Speaking of kickass runs, JR Gentry put on quite a show of his own, rocketing from 16th to 4th in the feature at one point. One slip in the closing laps cost him a couple spots but it was still a great run against some awesome competition. Nice job JR!!

Congrats also go out to Brandon Craver for finally picking up his first feature win at Hilltop. Sure, this young punk has won his share of features and even track championships at other tracks, but I was starting to wonder if he had what it takes to get the feature win at Hilltop. ;-) Well, he finally shut me up! Maybe it had something to do with that nice guy that scaled his truck last week huh? Nahhhh,, I can't take the credit for this kid's determination and talent. Nice job Brandon!!

 
THANKS To K-RaCe Photo For The Awesome Pic!

I can't remember ending the racing season this late in the year since my drag racing days, but I must say I enjoyed every bit of the 2006 season. Sure, not everything went perfectly, but it never does. I honestly believe that Hilltop has made the 2006 season more enjoyable for many more people than just me. Hats off to everybody that helped Hilltop put together one hell of a season in just their first year. I don't want this to sound like a commercial for Hilltop, but racers and fans have been over due for track with a different attitude, and they got it this year. Not only did they manage to get in every race on the schedule, they even slipped in some extra shows while they were at it. That's just plain impressive for any track in Ohio where Mother Nature has shown that she's not a race fan. All of the racers, fans, and staff that made all of this possible should be very proud of themselves. I can't wait to see what next season brings.