It's not an elegant expression, but for the matter at hand, it's perfect: You're damned if you do, damned if you don't.

That's exactly the position Dirt Late Model promoters are in when cancelling early-season events. I bring this up for obvious reasons. Both Illini 100 promoter Don Hammer and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, and to some extent Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway's Tim Keithley the week before, have come under some criticism from race fans for electing to pull the plug on their MORE

As cliched as it sounds every year, is it really already December? It feels like just yesterday we were in the midst of Speedweeks at East Bay, or the Summernationals heat in Atwood, Tenn., or in a fog at Eldora.

But as it has a tendency to do every year, the calendar has rolled on without us paying much attention, and not only is the 2010 season completely behind us, but the 2011 season is just a month away as the Ice Bowl (and it's 20-degree weather ... brrrrrr!) will be here before you know MORE

When you go to as many races as I do, for better or worse they often start to blend together. Few have that “special” feeling, that “it” factor that make them feel unique.

But the World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway is one of them.

Granted, it’s not a crown jewel in the typical sense of the word, but make no mistake, the three-day event in NASCAR’s backyard generates enough buzz to produce one of the biggest Dirt Late Model crowds of the entire MORE