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Quick Time: Where are the most rabid fans?
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, presented by PFC Brakes, appears throughout the regular season every Wednesday at DirtonDirt.com:
Frontstretch: Drivers of the Week
National: Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., zapped a six-month dry spell on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series with a $50,000 victory in the 31st annual Sunoco North-South 100, his second straight victory in Florence (Ky.) Speedway’s richest races.
Regional: Chad Simpson of Mount Vernon, Iowa, closed in on his fourth consecutive Corn Belt Clash championship by sweeping Aug. 9-10 series victories in Iowa at West Union’s Fayette County Speedway and Maquoketa’s Jackson County Speedway.
Weekly: Rich Neiser of Fruitport, Mich., grabbed Aug. 9-10 victories at Winston Speedway in Rothbury, Mich., and Merritt (Mich.) Speedway.
Crate: Max Blair of Centerville, Pa., finished no worse than second in Aug. 9-11 starts, including a weekend-opening victory on the Fastrak Northeast tour at Raceway 7 in Conneaut, Ohio.
Turn 1: State-by-state breakdown
Who has the most rabid fans in Dirt Late Model racing? That’s probably a good discussion among frontstretch spectators at Eldora Speedway’s World 100, where each state’s fans are sure to list the reasons why they’re the most passionate.
But we’re here to bring you the cold hard facts. Well, at least according to DirtonDirt.com’s subscriber base. Breaking down website subscribers by percentage, Illinois is far and away the state with the most subscribers, with Tennessee a solid second and Georgia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Iowa not far behind.
Illinois subscribers make up more than 12 percent of DirtonDirt.com’s subscribers, nearly double Tennessee’s 6.4 percent. Georgia is at 5.7 percent followed by Kentucky (5.6), Pennsylvania (5.6), Ohio (5.3) and Ohio (5.0). Every other state has five percent or fewer, and only about half the 50 states even have one percent of DirtonDirt.com’s subscriber base (we’re still looking for our first Alaskan subscriber, if you know anyone up that way).
Are the statistics interesting? No doubt. Are they definitive? Probably not. DirtonDirt.com’s home base is in Illinois, which means its promotions are strongest in the Prairie State. And DirtonDirt.com always pays special attention to the UMP DIRTcar Summernationals, a tour whose heart is in Illinois.
But other than the wide margin that Illinois holds comparing subscriber statistics, the rundown looks pretty reasonable in ranking the sport’s popularity among states. Here’s the top 20 state in DirtonDirt.com subscribers, along with a few comments for each:
1. Illinois: 12.4 percent (UMP stronghold and home to the best quarter-mile bullrings)
2. Tennessee: 6.4 percent (Arguably the best all-time state for drivers, certainly this skews heavily toward the eastern part of the Volunteer State)
3. Georgia: 5.7 percent (A solid showing for a state that had a higher-profile in Dirt Late Model racing in 1990s)
4. Kentucky: 5.6 percent (The geographic center of Dirt Late Model racing? I’m biased. It’s my home state)
5. Pennsylvania: 5.6 percent (Among the states with the most dirt tracks, but sprint cars own much of the turf)
6. Ohio: 5.3 percent (Even beyond Eldora, some hotbeds of racing in the southeast, Oakshade and elsewhere)
7. Iowa: 5.0 percent (Another state heavy with dirt tracks and fairgrounds ovals)
8. North Carolina: 4.4 percent (Ranks perhaps higher than I’d have guessed, but NASCAR’s home ground)
9. Wisconsin: 3.9 percent (Surprised it’s above Indiana and Missouri, but fertile racing territory)
10. Indiana: 3.9 percent (Home to popular drivers — but not as many Late Model tracks these days)
11. Missouri: 3.5 percent (Perhaps most surprised the Show-Me State doesn’t rank higher)
12. Florida: 2.4 percent (Considering a relative lack of Late Models outside Speedweeks, impressive; snowbirds, maybe?)
13. Mississippi: 2.4 percent (Tops in the Deep South and rightfully so with Columbus, Whynot strongholds)
14. West Virginia: 2.3 percent (Another that would seem to rank higher)
15. Alabama: 2.2 percent (Some solid weekly tracks but relatively lacking in touring events)
16. South Carolina: 2.2 percent (Disparity between North Carolina a little surprising)
17. Texas: 1.9 percent (Stronger than Louisiana? A bit surprising down in SUPR territory)
18. Arkansas: 1.8 percent (Like Indiana, stronger in drivers than regular Late Model tracks)
19. Maryland: 1.7 percent (Hagerstown-area no doubt leads the way here)
20. Michigan: 1.6 percent (Fans that perhaps tend to look more inward than outward)
Turn 2: Championship streaks
Chad Simpson of Mount Vernon, Iowa, is on the verge of wrapping up his fourth straight Corn Belt Clash circuit championship tonight (and his seventh straight championship overall, going back to his 2007 title with the United States Racing Association and 2008-'09 titles with the World Dirt Racing League). Drivers who have three or more championships in a row on Dirt Late Model tours:
3 - Jason Friesen, IMCA Friesen Challenge Series (1999-’01)
Backstretch: Accessorizing, Late Model style
At last weekend’s National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame induction, John Gill arrived as we’ve all seen him over the years — sporting a cowboy hats and cowboy boots. His ensemble is among the the most recognizable in Dirt Late Model racing. What are some of the other notable accessories over the years in the Dirt Late Model world?
• Earl Baltes’ cap with the flipped-up bill
• Mike Duvall’s black hat
• Bub McCool’s orange mohawk
• Jeep Van Wormer’s white sunglasses
• The late Johnny Johnson’s ever-present cigar
• Scott Bloomquist’s black beret
• Billy Moyer’s soul patch
• Tim McCreadie’s bleach-blonde hair
• Brian Birkhofer’s Pittsburgh Steelers helmet
• The bushy beard of Tommy Hicks, long-time Scott Bloomquist crew chief
• Brian Shirley’s eyebrow piercing
• Eric Jacobsen’s bicycle
• The shorts of Steve Norris, long-time Billy Moyer crew member
• Tombo Callahan’s bandana
Turn 3: Tweets of the Week
Katie Garrison @KatieMcIntosh: 4th largest car count tonight for the #NorthSouth100 for the year in dirt late model racing! #Coolfact #FlorenceSpeedway
Dusty Reynolds @dreynolds41: Dirt Late Model Jeopardy Answer: #NorthSouth100 and #SilverDollarNats. Question: What are things that start too late?
Eric Arnold @_EricArnold: [Knoxville Nationals sprint car winner Donny] Schatz gave some credit to racing a dirt late model to winning tonight and learning how to race without a wing. World 100 next?
Turn 4: Turn back the clock
Five items from this week in Dirt Late Model history:
Aug. 20, 1988: Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., completed a three-race World of Outlaws Late Model Series sweep at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., in the inaugural USA Nationals.
Aug. 17, 1996: John Gill of Mitchell, Ind., protected by a solid lead built in the the middle of a nonstop race, repelled Billy Moyer's remarkable run from the tail to win the $10,000 in Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway's Jackson 100. Moyer, finished 12 lengths back while C.J. Rayburn was third in a brakeless car. Bob Pierce, Don O’Neal and Jack Boggs were the only other drivers on the lead lap.
Aug. 20, 2001: Chris Francis, crew chief and brother of long-time Kentucky dirt racer Steve Francis, died unexpectedly at his Ashland, Ky., home. He was 32.
Aug. 16, 2008: Bobby Hogge IV of Salinas, Calif., moved up from his fourth starting spot at Silver Dollar Speedway to become the first 10-time career winner on the Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series. Hogge outran Ryan McDaniel and Jeff Decker to earn $3,000.
Aug. 14, 2010: Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., regains the lead from Earl Pearson Jr. of� Jacksonville, Fla., heading for the white flag at Florence Speedway for a $50,000 victory in the Union, Ky., oval’s Sunoco North-South 100. Pearson finished second followed by Don O’Neal, Steve Francis and Ray Cook.
Checkered flag: Five fearless Topless 100 predictions
• A first-time winner will break through at Batesville (Ark.) Motor Speedway
• The 150-point margin among the top four drivers in Lucas Oil Series points will shrink.
• Tyler Reddick will be the feature race’s hard charger.
• Two-time race winner Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., will crack the starting lineup, ending his longest did-not-start streak (three races) going back seven seasons.
• One home-state driver will win a Topless 100 heat race.
(Last week: Zero out of five North-South 100 predictions correct)
