Reflections on the Weekend.

Eagle's biggest weekend of the season has come and gone. It was a fun weekend to get out to the home track. Both nights I walked away feeling what could have been great shows were mealy good shows.

My Take...

Friday

-The Back Row Challenge seems to have been a complete afterthought this year. Instead of attempting to make this a big sprint car event, Eagle's feature class was relegated to support show status. I think it's obvious how I feel about that.

-I'm glad Outlaw regular Justin Henderson agreed to return to his Eagle roots in the Swenson 24A car. It was sort of anti-climatic however, as Henderson didn't make much of a charge to the front.

-Jason Danley ran a great race in winning the sprint...support show. I mean Back Row Challenge.

-This year's version of the Challenge really didn't create much of a buzz. That's too bad. This event showed a lot of promise back in 2005. I wouldn't be surprised to see it off the schedule next year.

-I know that there were a few sprint car participants who weren't really cool with the idea of being relegated to a support class. I don't think we'll see an outpouring of sympathy from any of the other weekly classes.

-Mike Boston did not run this event. Instead, the 51 car along with Toby Chapman and Jay Russell ran at US 36 Speedway in Missouri. All three teams had a good night, with Chapman finishing third, Russell fourth, and Boston ninth.

-What should we think if Eagle's points leader chooses not to run at his home track? There was talk that both Boston and Chapman's teams were trying to get other weekly 360 racers to "snub" Eagle and run with them in Missouri. I'm not taking sides on that issue, just reporting what I heard.

-I was a little surprised that the added WDRL didn't result in better attendance. From the view in the pits, the Friday evening crowd looked a little sparse. Not sure how to read into that. Does it mean Eagle patrons aren't a late model crowd? Were people saving money for the Outlaw show? Or is this the current world we live in with regards to dirt track racing?

-I'm still under the opinion that a lot of people in the dirt track business don't spend enough time promoting their sport.

-Nobody damaged their equipment. Those are the best kinds of nights.

Saturday

-It looks as though creating a one and only chance to see the Outlaws paid off. The stands looked very full. I'm glad for those involved in putting the show on.

-Joey Saldana had 'em covered last night. Jac Haudenschild looked like he REALLY wanted to pass Saldana but couldn't quite get it done and had to settle for second.

-I'll give Eagle the benefit of the doubt on track prep. I'm SURE they didn't prepare the track better because they didn't want an overly rough surface. However in their efforts to be conservative it didn't make for a good track.

Looking back it was probably a good idea for them to re-work the track. Had they continued it would have been a miserable feature. The only problem I had was re-doing the surface took some time. I know the hard core types probably didn't care, but how about any corporate people or first time fans? Would they enjoy sitting around for nearly an hour with no entertainment?

-I think Roger would be wise in seeking counsel on track prep. It obviously wouldn't quiet all the complaining, but it might help out with providing a better racing program for everyone involved. I'm also told that the previous individual involved with track prep is willing to impart some of his knowledge on what makes a good track at Eagle. If true, swallow your pride Roger and call him.

-Once racing resumed, the staff did do a great job of moving the program along. We were out of there earlier than I would have guessed given the lengthy delay.

-I heard many an outlaw crew complain about the number of support classes. I agree, too many especially on an Outlaw night.

-In talking with Randy Hannagan it was interesting to find out how he acquired his sponsorship from Penthouse Magazine. They simply called up Penthouse and asked if they wanted to sponsor the team. Simple as that.

-It was pretty remarkable how close Jac Haudenschild was to the wall through the turns. I don't think there were more than a couple inches separating his car from the concrete.

-The Outlaws go in deeper and come out harder.

-The green 11 looked poised to run away with another feature win at Eagle. However the King made an uncharacteristic mistake that took both himself and Daryn Pittman out of the race. Pittman's car was towed to the pits with him hanging on the side of it.When asked if he could repair the damages, Pittman said...well let's just say a definite "no". He then elaborated on where he felt the blame for his car's condition should be placed.

Donny Schatz was also a victim of the wreck, losing his top wing along the way. His crew earned their pay that night, getting the wing replaced just in time for him to re-start the feature.

-How about Danny Lasoski in a new JEI Chassis? Lasoski has long been a supporter of Eagle Chassis. Just goes to show the only constant thing in racing is change.

-There were 27 sprints on hand last night. The Outlaws are pretty deep this year considering there were only a couple non-Outlaw teams that showed up. It wasn't too long ago the Outlaws would do well to have 15 teams running throughout the season. With that new TV package and over 20 Outlaw regulars something good did result from last year's split.

-Matt Wasmund from Minnesota had what I thought to be the best looking car in the pits. His black and red 4W was truly a beautiful machine. There's a photo of his car lower on the page.

-The last time I went to the Outlaws with my dad and Aaron Allgood, we picked the top three finishers. Saturday night we were 0 for 3. Perhaps we aren’t geniuses after all.

And Finally...

I Hope Eagle makes the Back Row Challenge relevant again. I hope that the World of Outlaws come back to Nebraska next season. I hope the difficulties in track prep are fixed.

Eagle had a chance to hit a home run last night. Instead they had to settle for a triple. Sorry, but I can't totally give them a free pass on having to stop the show to re-work the track. And too many support classes did nothing but add time to the evening.

I think the question of Eagle being a sprint car track was settled. Biggest crowd of the year on the highest priced night in Eagle history. They weren't there for the fenders.

Roger, if you get the Outlaws next year, charge $5 extra per ticket and run the sprints only.

How'd they do?
Oval Operator Results from the weekend:
Eagle Raceway 6/8/07
A Feature
2. John Klabunde
3. Tige Jensen
8. Gene Ackland
13. Bobby Becker
16. Trevor Grossenbacher
18. Frank Galusha
23. Nick Bryan
24. Doug Lovegrove
Note: Rodney Droud ran the A Feature, but his name is not listed in the results.

US 36 Speedway 6/8/07
A Feature
5. Jay Russell

I-80 Speedway 6/9/07
A Feature
1. Trish Dover

Knoxville Raceway 6/9/07
B Main
3. Jack Dover

Next Up...
305 Sprints, Knoxville Raceway, June 15
World of Outlaws, Knoxville Raceway, June 16