Eagle Raceway
Lucas Oil teams endure Eagle's windy conditions
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt managing editor
Joel Rogers wore scratched safety glasses on a windy night. (DirtonDirt)
EAGLE, Neb. (May 16) — Crew member Austin Hargrove was sitting in the Rocket Chassis house car pit area Friday afternoon when a metal wheel cover blew off the car, into the air and toward the adjacent Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series trailer. | RaceWire
Wheel covers and just about anything else not fastened down were blowing across the pit area on the second night of the Malvern Bank High Bank Heist with high wind warnings posted throughout Nebraska bringing winds of 30 mph and gusts up to 50.
Thursday’s opener was windy, but Friday raised that a few notches. Lucas Oil officials elected not to put out the infield banners until Saturday. Doors from portable toilets banged open and closed. Dust blew across the pit area. Rubber mats leaning against Dirt Late Model wheel wells were blown to the ground almost as soon as they were placed. Even on a normal night at Eagle, the track's garbage receptacles are tied to fences so they don't blow away.
“It’s going to blow us down the front straightaway,” said Rocket house car driver Brandon Sheppard while walking toward his car for hot laps.
The Dust Bowl-style winds had virtually everyone in the pits putting their hoodies to use while fans bundled up in the stands. Pleasant spring temperatures in the mid 60s felt much chillier amid the windy conditions.
Seeking shelter made sense, but Zach Frields, a Koehler Motorsports crew member for reigning Lucas Oil champion Ricky Thornton Jr., found that wasn’t a great idea in the high-profile racing transporters crowded into the pit area above turns one and two.
“I was in there eating as sandwich,” Frields said, “and I thought the damn thing was going to tip over.”
Wind advisories remained in effect until 9 p.m., meaning most of Friday’s race program would be enduring the blustery weather. Boone County Raceway in Albion, Neb., 130 miles to the northeast of Eagle, called off its racing program, which included IMCA Late Models, because of the high winds.
“If we were racing sprint cars, we wouldn’t be racing tonight,” Rocket Chassis house car crew chief Danny White said.
Jeff McGee of Fremont, Neb., who works the pit gate at Eagle Raceway, said he’s seen worse. Just a few weeks ago at the track opener it was even windier, but the program went off without incident.
Fast qualifier Jonathan Davenport’s team fought through the wind and posted its vertical VP Racing Fuels banner atop the team's liftgate. Thornton’s team was less successful with the 2-foot-by-3-foot Sunoco Race Fuels banner hanging below the team's liftgate, so windblown it was mostly unreadable.
In a state that draws 30 percent of its energy from wind sources, visiting Dirt Late Model teams were getting a good taste of it.
“I don’t know if I’ve raced in such high winds,” said Rocket1 crew member Joel Rogers, who along with White put on safety glasses after getting a speck of sand in his eye. (The goggles were scratched, meaning his vision was somewhat obscured. “These have been rolling around in the toolbox a little while,” Rogers said).
Drivers, crew and team members were mostly making due, keeping a tight wrap so anything important wasn’t blowing away.
“You’ve gotta make sure the hood is good and fastened down,” Hargrove said with a smile.
