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Quick Time: Comparisons on the court, racetrack
By Todd Turner
DirtonDirt.com managing editor
Take a quick lap around the proverbial dirt track with managing editor Todd Turner for a roundup of Dirt Late Model racing through the latest weekend of action along with some other quirks of racing (and the occasional ax-grinding). Quick Time appears throughout the regular season every Wednesday at DirtonDirt.com:
Frontstretch: On the court, on the track
After wedging in hours of basketball-watching between races over the past few weeks, and seeing my hometown Louisville men’s team capture a third NCAA championship, it reminded me of five similarities between college basketball and Dirt Late Model racing:
Familiarity breeds respect: Just like college coaches (and fans) tend to see rival conference teams in a better light than everyone else, drivers tend to rank competitors in their own series higher than others do, too.
What’s inside counts: Just because a team has the snazziest basketball uniforms or a race car has the coolest wrap means nothing when it comes to the results of the competition.
The ruling stands: No matter how much screaming and stomping a coach, player, driver or crew chief does, an official’s decision — even a bad one — stands.
Beware the underdog: Just like an unheralded school from a no-name conference can eliminate a powerhouse team in the tournament, a low-budget race team with little fanfare can upset touring drivers on a given night.
Prelims matter: Performing well in the first round of the tournament, or a heat race at a major event, is critical to being around for the Final Four or the big-money feature event.
Turn 1: We'll take seconds, please
Three things we’ve seen so far in 2013 that I could stand to see more of the rest of the season:
• Checkered-flag-carrying victory laps like Jason Feger took after his Illini 100 victory at Farmer City Raceway.
• More Chris Simpson victories.
• Continued heated competition between Steve Casebolt and Chris Madden in a throwdown showdown for the Spring Nationals title.
Turn 2: Spelling test
Five Dirt Late Model drivers whose names I double-check before publishing:
• Tim Ratajczyk, Millstadt, Ill.
• Tommy Waseleski, Pengilly, Minn.
• Dan Angelicchio, Greensburg, Pa.
• Josh Skorczewski, Aberdeen, S.D.
• Dona Marcoullier, Houghton Lake, Mich.
Backstretch: Track websites
Every spring brings my massive update of website bookmarks among dirt tracks that regularly host Dirt Late Model events, and every spring I pound my head against the wall looking for information that should seemingly be easy to find. Some track websites are great, but many are sorely lacking. Three items on my wish list for track websites:
Schedule link: Put a link that says “schedule” in an easy-to-find spot, preferably the upper left or atop stacked links. Way too many tracks don’t have an immediately noticeable schedule link to inform fans about upcoming races. I’d guess 75 percent of website visits are for this reason alone.
Cut the music: Never, ever have blaring engine sounds or pounding music blast a website visitor. Understandably, it makes you never want to return to the site.
Communication: Many tracks have email contacts or email forms for questions. And many times, messages to the track are ignored. Either make sure someone answers any emails to the track, or ditch the option altogether.
Turn 3: Facebook Status of the Week
From the page of Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series announcer James Essex, who is always intrigued by details of drivers with the same surnames (think Carpenter and Conley), this time at Lone Star Speedway in Texas:
"First race at the same track for Tyler Erb and Dennis Erb Jr. and they are not related.”
Turn 4: Turn back the clock
Five items from this week in Dirt Late Model history:
April 9, 1988: Jeff Purvis of Clarksville, Tenn., won at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill., to complete a weekend sweep on the All-Star Circuit of Champions.
April 13, 1996: Bob Salathe of Bedford, Pa., taking the lead from polesitter Tim Hitt one lap after a lengthy rain delay at Friendship Speedway in Elkin, N.C., led the final 58 laps to capture his lone Short Track Auto Racing Stars tour victory. Salathe won the 75-lapper over Hitt, Mike Balzano, Booper Bare and Jeff Smith.
April 12, 2002: Surviving a tricky track after a rain shower, Steve Russell of Pontotoc, Miss., won at Memphis Motorsports Park for his lone career Southern United Professional Racing tour victory. Russell outran David Ashley Jr., Michael Coleman and 16th-starting Kenny Merchant to earn $2,500.
April 11, 2008: Jeremy Miller of Gettysburg, Pa., took the lead from Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., on the 36th lap at Virginia Motor Speedway and captured the 50-lap Rumble on the River IV, his lone World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory. Miller beat Steve Francis and Josh Richards to the finish line in his Charles Buckler-owned car.
April 8, 2011: Chris Bargetzi, longtime Dirt Late Model owner and driver of No. 441 cars at St. Louis-area tracks, died in a tree-cutting accident near his Highland, Ill., hometown. He was 75.
Checkered flag: Five fearless weekend predictions
• Two drivers outside the top 10 in World of Outlaws Late Model Series points will crack the top five at the tour’s Buckeye 100 weekend at NAPA Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, Ohio.
• Home-state drivers will fail to crack the top five in NDRL events at Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway or Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo.
• One driver will sweep MARS and MLRA races at Monett (Mo.) Speedway and Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo.
• For the first time in series history, the Sunoco American Late Model Series will have winners on the same night at different tracks.
• The Comp Cams Super Dirt Series will get a first-time series winner at either Camden (Tenn.) Speedway or Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark.
(Last week: One out of five predictions correct)
