It's been a while since I got to eat dirt 2 days in a row, and damn do I miss that. Business and a little asphalt action here and there have kept me pretty busy lately but it was time to get away and get dirty. Sure I had to work on Friday at Lakeville but that doesn't mean I couldn't enjoy the show. We knew it would take time to get things rolling at Lakeville this season with such a late start and the other obstacles that stood in our way. With this being only the second night of action I was happy to see the numbers start to increase in the pits and the stands. There's still plenty of room for improvement there, but at least there are encouraging signs. It's sad to see another track work against a struggling one, but I reckon we all knew what to expect, and it's clear that many racers are aware of what's going on. Anyway, the car count may not have been impressive, but there was no shortage of action all night. The Pure Stocks kicked off the show, and treated the fans to some damn good door to door action. The Mods wouldn't be outdone as their feature came down to the wire also. The 4 Cyl. bombers are always known for tight action and they sure as hell didn't let us down either. Even the Cruisers stepped up the action this week for a thrill packed feature. The support from racers and fans so far has been great and the entire staff at Lakeville are very thankful for that. Sure there's been a couple negative moments, but the real supporters of Lakeville Speedway addressed those themselves to keep things moving in the right direction. Hats off to all of you!
Saturday night it was time to head to Hilltop to take in the ADRA Late Model show. I mentioned last week that it wouldn't be easy for any "outsiders" to roll into Millersburg and take home the $3000 winner's share of the purse, and I was right. Unlike the All Star show earlier in the season, this group brought plenty of their own talent with them and then meant business. 30 Late Models signed in, and it was clear we were in for one hell of a show. When guys like Markham, Malcuit, Hornikel, and others find themselves in consi races, you know the field is pretty damn strong. The track was in great shape and Hilltop fan favorite, George Lee found himself on outside of the front row for the feature. Past history would say that's like handing Lee the win but the wild driving bastard would have to earn this one. First he'd have to fight that ever present urge of his to overdrive it and park himself out in the woods or worse. ;-) He'd also have to fight off Drown while working his way through lapped traffic most of the night too. You can love the guy or despise him, but there's no denying that man can wheel a race car on the very edge every lap. Doug Drown is known to drive just as hard and he's happy to do it on the bottom when needed. That got him beside Lee coming to the checkers, but he just couldn't close the deal in time cleanly. Those two might have dominated the front spots most of the race but there was plenty of action behind them. Hornikel was on a mission after working his way into the feature by winning his B main and starting at the rear of the field. He weaved his way up to 5th only to have it snagged from him on the last lap and ended up a very respectable 6th. Had he started near the front, I suspect we'd had a different outcome when the checkers flew. It would have been a wild battle for sure. Thanks again Hilltop for another awesome night of kickass action. It was just what I needed!
