COMMENTARY-But Anyway...

Another weekend of racing is history and if we learned anything, it's that Jack Dover is on a higher level right now than anyone else running 360's in the Midwest.

Friday night, Dover made it three feature victories in a row at the ASCS show in Denison, Iowa. Last night, Dover again proved his toughness, winning his fourth consecutive feature. Starting 19th, Dover quickly machined through the field on his way to a dominant feature victory.

My Take...

Friday
Crawford County Speedway

It was my first ever trip the the half-mile track in Denison. Like most Iowa tracks, Crawford County Speedway featured that trademark black Iowa dirt. I've always thought it looks like ground up Oreo cookies from a distance.

The facility there is actually very nice. The traditional covered grandstands were recently replaced with newer bleachers, and concessions facility. The track itself was very tacky and very fast!

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Crawford County Speedway doesn't see much use during the summer. I believe that Friday's show may be one of the only true races run there this year. Mostly it's used for figure 8 shows, held on the front stretch.

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While I'm sure everyone involved with putting on this race tried their best, it was like amateur hour.

I don't mean to be too critical, but if you're going to put on a race using a inexperienced staff, at the very least, make sure the fire and safety crews know what they're doing! The one worry I have for racing at Denison is the lack of speed shown by those crews after accidents.

It took them way too long to attend to Mike Boston after his crash, and they seemed confused at times what to do or where to go during caution periods.

Had there been a critically serious situation, I'm not sure a driver could depend on that staff for the best aid.

***

Jack Dover beat out Ryan Anderson, Clint Gardner, Lee Grosz, and Don Droud Jr. for the feature victory. Billy Alley was forced pitside on lap 19 with mechanical issues. Brian Brown lost a radiator cap and retired after nine laps.

With Brown's DNF, Dover now sits atop the ASCS Midwest point standings.

***

As mentioned above, the staff at Crawford County didn't seem too familiar with real racing, and that included the public address announcer.

During the night I thought it sounded like we were at an auction, based on the way the guy spoke. Turns out, he's an auctioneer.

Perhaps I'm being nit picky, but is it too much to ask that the PA announcer at least gets the winner's name right? I don't now who "Jake" Dover is, but apparently he won Friday's race. It should also be noted that "Dan" Droud Jr. finished fifth.

The most unique (or annoying) thing about their PA, was his tendency to say something...well dumb and follow it up with "but anyway". At one point I heard "these sprint cars don't have brakes, so make sure you don't get in their way or they'll run over you...But anyway, be sure to stop by the concession stand..."

I'm not saying I could do a better job of being a PA announcer. However, I will say I don't think I could do much worse.

***

Originally we had thought that the show might be rained out, however we enjoyed beautiful weather Friday. The only thing that put the show in jeporady was when the lights in turn four went out.

Luckily, after a fifteen minute delay, they were able to get them turned back and on and the racing resumed.

It would have been funny had we avoided the 70% chance of rain forecast, only to have the show ended with a technical glitch.

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The races Friday were part of the Crawford County Fair, which was running just outside of turns one and two. This made for a colorful backdrop, and gave the event sort of a traditional feel. However, there was no barrier in place to keep people at the fair from wandering over to just outside the catch-fence to see what all the noise was.

As a result, racing was halted several times until someone from the track could make their way over and get the people off the fence.

If they run the race next year, maybe they should put up a barrier between the fair and the outside of the track. Just a thought.

***

I will give the folks at Crawford County an A on their concessions. They had some of the best looking and smelling food that I've seen offered at a race. We had planned on getting some mozzarella sticks (the first time I've seen them offered at a race) but they ran out before we had a chance to buy some.

The other notable concession item was the popcorn. Since they don't have a lot of races there, the popcorn was sold in the bags it was popped in, instead of the traditional box. I got such a kick out of that, I had to buy one. Act II brand butter lover's popcorn right out of the bag! It certainly hit the spot that night. They also pop by the can, a rarity these days.

***

Going to Denison was like going back in time. County fair track, inadequate safety measures, and a small field of cars.

Going to places like Denison makes me realize just how spoiled I've become. Watching races at Eagle and Knoxville, you grow accustom to the facilities and staffs that know what they're doing.

I don't want to sound too harsh though, but there are some things that should be changed before the next race in Denison.

But anyway...if they run sprints again next summer, I'll probably go.

Saturday
Eagle Raceway

The next stop for the ASCS just happened to be at Eagle Raceway, and I just happened to go. I chose to watch from the pits and overall it was a relaxing evening. I may be the only person capable of watching a race from the pits, and not do any actual work.

Watching the crews sweat and work on the cars did make me somewhat tired, but I managed to fight through it and enjoy the show.

***

I will admit to being extremely impressed with Jack Dover's win last night. He had to earn that victory, and it did make for an exciting feature.

Dover was looking fast in his heat when he lost the motor. The Team Dover crew feverishly worked to switch the powerplants, and Dover was able to make the call for the B main. While Dover was fast in the B, he just didn't have the power coming off the corners. Perhaps with so much repair work to be done, they didn't have as much focus on the set-up. Dover finished third in the B, and would start 19th in the A.

Apparently Team Dover had enough time to get the car ready for the feature, because from drop of the green, the 53 car was on the move! The race wasn't five laps old when Dover was in the top five.

He tracked down leader Lee Grosz, passed him and never looked back, winning the feature and completing the sweep for the second weekend in a row.

ASCS Northern Plains points leader Lee Grosz came back from a flip in the heat race to finish second, Jason Danley third, Gene Ackland had a nice run to finish fourth, and Jeff Griffis rounded out the top five.

***

Robby Wolfgang was back at Eagle, this time with the wing. Wolfgang arrived late, and barely had enough time to make the call for his heat. He finished the night with a ninth place finish in the feature.

It was cool to see Doug there, wrenching on his son's car. Wolfie was working hard and the sweat was pouring off of him. There were few sprint car drivers tougher than Doug Wolfgang, and seeing him in the dust and dirt, working on his son's car, was pretty cool.

***

I know I'm just a tire kicker, but I really enjoy watching the action from the pits. There's a constant buzz of activity, and you really get an appreciation for all the hard work that goes into racing by being right in the middle of it.

Every crew was out there looked hot, dirty and sweaty. They don't get much reward for their work. It's amazing to think that it's something they do for "fun" on the weekends. That's why I like being in the pits. I like being around people that are there because they love it.

***

It is evenings like last night that I long for during the cold winter months. Luckily, we still have a few races left on the '08 schedule before it's over.

Next Up...
7/26-Championship Sprints, Eagle Raceway