The 2011 season sure got off to a rough start with Mother Nature keeping most gates closed early on, but we were sure as hell treated to some great racing all year long. Lakeville had some very tight points battles right to the end, and Hilltop packed the house each night with the 3 and 4 wide racing that place has become famous for. Hell, Hilltop still isn't quite done either. Next Saturday will be the "Soccer Mom 100" Mini Van Enduro race along with an event only the crazy folks at Hilltop would dream up. There will be a autocross event for Mini Stocks involving a wild track layout complete with a few "speed bumps" for the most daring of those in the field. This should be one wild event. Hilltop finally completed their Weekend On The Hill event this weekend and it also brought it's share of surprises. 4 cylinder Late Models made the trip to Millersburg and those things are awesome to watch. I want one! A damn nice field of Mod Lites and dwarf cars also took to the high banks of Hilltop for a great show. The whole show was kicked off on Saturday night by a very touching tribute to the late great Dave Haven Sr. with the entire Haven family racing stable on the track. Dave Jr. piloted his dad's familiar Super 6 Mopar ride and first carried the American flag for the national anthem, then picked up the checkers from Ed for another lap to salute Mr. Mopar himself. Ed Frederick went on to donate that same checkered flag to the Haven family at the end of the event on Sunday. What a classy move by a guy that often gets abused by those that don't really know him. Sure I give him the finger every chance I get but that doesn't mean I don't like the guy. ;-) And while we're talking about class, the Hilltop Speedway gang is top notch in my book, and stepping up to match the money raised in the helmet walk is just one example of why. Hats off to all of you!
The end of the 2011 season has brought some surprises along with it too. The sale of Lakeville Speedway was made public at the Blow Out which has created quite a few rumors as always. First off I'm happy to say that Randy and Agnes plan to return in the spring to help the new owner, Steve Meadows, get the racing season rolling. Steve has plenty of other things in the works for the track so this help will certainly be needed. I have to say that working with Randy and Agnes has been one of the most positive adventures I've had in all these years around racing. THANKS to both of you for all you've done these past 5 years to turn around a great track. Some may wonder about that comment but consider what ugliness that place was known for just a few years ago. Those on track brawls, torn up race cars, and other shit have become a thing of the past thanks to the dedication of these folks. Some of their decisions may not have always been popular but they always did what they could in order to improve Lakeville Speedway. Let's all hope the improvements continue in the future. I'll be doing whatever I can to see that they do.
