3 hours to see what....#115 in NY

#115 Freedom Raceway, Delevan, NY (1/3-mile dirt), 9/22/06...

Have you ever gone to the races and wondered what you saw or secondly worried that you were even going to see a race?

The above was the case at New York's Freedom Raceway. I had planned on making my first visit a week ago Friday for their season finale, which was to include the traveling New York Mini Sprints. Despite no rain, Freedom pulled the plug due to wet grounds and postponed the event to this past Friday night less the Mini Sprints; however, two of Bradford (PA) Speedways classes were added. Freedom has been a track I've been trying to get to for years now and it just never works out. With very little racing taking place in the region, I decided hopefully this would be the week.

Friday's forecast called for increasing clouds with rain holding off until at least 10 PM according to weather.com and after midnight according to the NWS. The rain quickly spread across Ohio, but began to break up as it neared eastern Ohio and western PA.

I doubled-checked to make sure racing was still on and it was confirmed. I hit a few sprinkles and a brief shower near Erie. The weather didn't look very good south of Buffalo, but as I neared the speedway the sun peeked through.

I arrived just before their scheduled 7:30 start time and found very few people or race cars. A drivers meeting was taking place. And when the lineups went up on the board I was relieved that racing was going to be taking place. The crowd slowly came in, but still numbered only around 125. Car counts were 16 mini stocks, 7 street stocks, 6 pure stocks, 5 e-mods, 3 Bradford charges, 2 super stocks, and 0 Bradford thunder stocks. A total of 39 cars for what was supposed to be 7-division show.

I came to realize that "Fun Night" was only to be King of the Hill Races for their regular divisions except the Mini Stocks, which I knew were going to be highlighted in a 30-lap $300 to-win feature.

Because there were only 5 e-mods and 2 super stocks they decided that instead of a King of the Hill, they'd combine the class for a single 10- lap event, which was won by champion Greg Oakes in his e-mod over Rich Thorton's super stock.

The street stocks held their King of the Hill won by Rich Wulff followed by two mini stock heats, a pure stock King of the Hill won by John Ellwood, and the charger heat race.

They went right into the 30 lapper for the mini stocks, which was a decent race won by Kyle Bedell after passing his brother Craig Bedell on lap nine. Only three cautions slowed the event as all 16 cars took the green.

They went into their intermission as all that was left were mechanics races, official races, ladies races, and the charger feature so I made my way for the exits as it was 9 PM with about a three hour drive home. I hit rain not far from the speedway and that continued for much of the drive home.

Freedom used to feature New York's only weekly 360 sprint class before dropping them a few years back. The Patriot Sprints were schussed to make an appearance on the Friday of Labor Day Weekend, but that show was scratched. They did have a T3 All-Star Modified Series event earlier this summer and they are trying to work in a crate late model division.

Freedom has been for sale for a number of years now. The facility is in drastic need of improvements. They do have a scoreboard and one of the biggest American flags I've seen at a race track. A program was on sale for $2, which featured colored driver photos of both themselves and race car for the five divisional champions. There is an infield road course, which I believe is operated on various Sundays. The surface itself was very nice, although very few races took place on it and it was dark by the time racing got underway.

Freedom Raceway made for my 9th Empire State Track, 10th new track of the season, and #115 overall.

#115 Freedom Raceway (NY), 9/22/06
#114 Spring Valley Raceway (OH), 9/17/06
#113 Hilltop Speedway (OH), 9/8/06
#112 Kokomo (IN) Speedway, 9/3/06
#111 Lincoln Park Speedway (IN), 9/2/06
#110 Lawrence County Fairgrounds (PA), 8/16/06
#109 Midvale (OH) Speedway, 7/22/06
#108 McKean County Speedway (PA), 6/29/06
#107 Hesston (PA) Speedway, 6/17/06
#106 Grandview Speedway (PA), 5/16/06

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The places we go to see racing...Southern Columbiana County

#114 Spring Valley Raceway, Millport, OH (3/4-mile dirt off-road course), 9/17/06...

Located in rural southern Columbiana County a few miles off the beaten path, Spring Valley Raceway holds off-road races on Saturdays and Sundays one weekend per month from May through October. The drive back to the track off the highway was probably the longest I have seen and I really wasn't sure where it was taking me to other than past shacks, weeds, junk and more junk. When I pulled in the sign said admission was $10 (even though the website said $8) though there was no one there taking money. I was not even aware of this track nor its close proximity to me until reading Randy Lewis' report earlier this summer.

The motocross track is located to the left and the off-road track to the right. Motorcyles & ATVs were practicing while only a few vehicles had gathered at the countable track. The dune buggies pitted near the registration table, while the trucks were up on the hill.

Racing was to get underway at 11 AM though the first vehicle never hit the track until 12:30 PM. There were 7 dune buggies and 6 trucks on hand. It was pretty laid back, low-key family & friends racing. Other than a truck that was parked with people watching from the bed, there were no spectators. When I left there was a guy sitting ready to take money, i doubt he ever took any in. I was surprised that there were no concession trailers nor any pop machines present anywhere on the facility.

Spring Valley made for my 26th Ohio track and #114 overall. It was the first offroad racing I have witnessed.

#114 Spring Valley Raceway (OH), 9/17/06
#113 Hilltop Speedway (OH), 9/8/06
#112 Kokomo (IN) Speedway, 9/3/06
#111 Lincoln Park Speedway (IN), 9/2/06
#110 Lawrence County Fairgrounds (PA), 8/16/06
#109 Midvale (OH) Speedway, 7/22/06
#108 McKean County Speedway (PA), 6/29/06
#107 Hesston (PA) Speedway, 6/17/06
#106 Grandview Speedway (PA), 5/16/06

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To the Top of the Hill for Sprint Cars!

#113 Hilltop Speedway, Millersburg, OH (5/16-mile dirt), 9/8/06...

After being dormant for 30 years, Hilltop Speedway reopened back in May. The 410 Sprint Cars were scheduled to make their first of two appearances of the year in June, but rain washed out the show and it was rescheduled for Sunday. The weather that day and radar looked terrible so I passed and planned on attending this show.

The weather was great on Friday with sunny skies and temps in the 70s. Hilltop advertises 6:30 PM for time trials and 8 for heat races. I arrived around 7 and found hot laps still taking place on the dusty surface. Hilltop time trialed the Sprints, Late Models, and the E-Mods. After time trials the track was watered, which was good timing as the sun was setting. The track, though dry, was much improved and you could see the racing.

Car counts were good with 19 410 Sprint Cars, 14 Super Late Models, 25 E-Mods, 24 Pure Stocks, and 25 Mini Stocks. The World 100 at Eldora took a few Late Models from them. With Attica not racing, they picked up 12 or 13 of their Sprints, the remainder were former Wayne County 360 competitors, with the exception of Texan Sam Haefertepe, Jr. who is touring the country with Rick Ferkel turning the wrenches. There has been talk that Hilltop would like to run more Sprint shows in 2007 and the rumors have also flown that Attica is considering dropping the 410s for the Late Models. That would be the only way 410s could make it at Hilltop unless the shows were scheduled on off Attica nights.

The fastest 6 qaulifiers in the Sprints, Late Models, and E-Mods were locked into the dash. These racers did not run a heat race as the inverted dash determined the first 6 starting spots of the feature, while the rest of the racers started straight-up on time in their heats with the heat finishes determining the remainder of the feature field. The heat races did not start until 8:35 PM.

After all the prelims, the track crew reworked the track. A great crowd was on hand as they really couldn't have gotten anymore people in the granstand area. Food was cooked on the grill as they had two concession areas.

The 25-lap Sprint feature went non-stop with Brandon Martin winning his first feature of the year. Martin passed pole-sitter Rob Chaney and drove a great race through lapped traffic to capture the $2,000 win. John Ivy, who started 5th, passed Chaney for second on lap 20. Chaney dropped to 3rd ahead of Lee Jacobs, Jamie Martin, and Chuck Wilson.

The 25-lap Late Model feature took the green at 11:03 and despite just 14 cars was an excellent race with only one caution. Eric Myers, Ryan Markham, and Scott Peltz put on quite a race as the three were covered by a blanket the entire race. Markham hounded Myers for 19 laps before finally getting by on lap 20, but missed his mark in turn two the following lap and dropped back to third. With Peltz in second he pressured Myers and made the winning move on lap 24. Myers held off Markham for second. Clint Coffman, and J.R. Gentry completed the top five.

With a good two hour drive home I headed for the exits. The facility was better than I expected and the racing was decent. The food was good and the crowd was impressive. Only downside was the late starting time and the surface could have been prepared better ahead of time. Hilltop made for my 25th Ohio track and #113 overall.

#113 Hilltop Speedway (OH), 9/8/06
#112 Kokomo (IN) Speedway, 9/3/06
#111 Lincoln Park Speedway (IN), 9/2/06
#110 Lawrence County Fairgrounds (PA), 8/16/06
#109 Midvale (OH) Speedway, 7/22/06
#108 McKean County Speedway (PA), 6/29/06
#107 Hesston (PA) Speedway, 6/17/06
#106 Grandview Speedway (PA), 5/16/06

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Go west to the Hoosier State to beat TS Ernesto

#111 Lincoln Park Speedway, Putnamville, IN (5/16-mile dirt) 9/2/06...

With rain covering all of the northeast and Ohio, I decided to head west for the weekend to get in two new tracks. Indiana looked like the closest bet with racing I wanted to see. I decided on Lincoln Park Speedway on Saturday and Kokomo on Sunday.

The rain didn't stop until near Dayton, Ohio then it continued drizzling until about an hour east of Indy. When I reached Indy the sun came out and the temps soared to the mid to upper 70s after only being in the 50s and low 60s for much of the trip.

After checking in at the Motel 6 in Cloverdale I made the short drive to Lincoln Park Speedway. With make-up features on tap and fireworks I knew it was going to be a long night; however, I never expected the turnout of cars either. With nearby Paragon not running and Bloomington off on Friday night, I'm guessing that helped the pits swell with 40 Bombers, 39 Non-Wing Sprint Cars, 38 UMP Mods, and 31 Super Stocks.

Racing was supposed to start at 7, but the first make-up feature didn't take the green until 7:23. The Sprint feature was excellent as it went non-stop on the tacky track with Billy Puterbaugh picking up the victory in the 25-lap non-stop affair. With the exception of the Mod feature that had lots of bumping and banging, the features ran off good. It was neat seeing 70-year-old Don Duncan win the Super Stock feature for his first win since 1999, which was a very popular win. He stated that tonight may be his last night. He went out and finished second in his heat too.

The heat races started at 8:35 and it wasn't until 11:17 when 15 heat races and the 4 B mains were completed. The fireworks display was one of the quickest I have ever seen as it was over by 11:27.

Thankfully the Sprint Car feature was up first. It took the green at 11:43. This feature didn't go as smooth as the first one as there were two bad starts and a spin on the third start. The rest of the feature went pretty smooth with only 3 cautions and finished at exactly midnight. Fifteen-year-old California driver Cole Whitt drove an impeccable race to capture his first career win holding off a bevy of challenges behind him. Four drivers battled hard using the entire track for second.

With it already being midnight and the Mods up next I had had enough and was tired from seeing races Friday night, getting up early, and making the long drive so I headed for the exits and the short drive back to the motel.

Lincoln Park offered great racing and a very racey surface. Though it did slick off later, the drivers could race all over the track. Had it not been for the late start, 15 minute light outage, and fireworks, and the make-up features, the program would have been completed in a decent time. They did do a good job of keeping the show moving. A very good, late-arriving crowd turned out that kept coming well after start time. The track has a very nice website, but the facility is slightly rundown and high grass and weeds were present. Overall I enjoyed the night and there aren't too many times you can go to the races and see a 15-year- old and a 70-year-old win.

Lincoln Park made for my 7th career Indiana track and 111 overall.

#111 Lincoln Park Speedway (IN), 9/2/06
#110 Lawrence County Fairgrounds (PA), 8/16/06
#109 Midvale Speedway (OH), 7/22/06
#108 McKean County Speedway (PA), 6/29/06
#107 Hesston Speedway (PA), 6/17/06
#106 Grandview Speedway (PA), 5/16/06

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#112 Kokomo Speedway, Kokomo, IN (1/4-mile dirt), 9/3/06...

I checked out of the Motel 6 in Cloverdale, IN shortly after 11 AM and headed northeast back to Indy then north toward Kokomo. I ate lunch at Cracker Barrel in Kokomo and headed for the speedway.

A good field of cars were on hand including 34 non-wing Sprints, 28 Thundercars, 23 street stocks, and 22 UMP Mods.

Kokomo time trials the non-wing Sprint Cars and did it in 6 groups of 5 or 6 cars each. What to me is supposed to be a timesaving effort turned into a length process. Time trials were slated to start at 6 with racing at 6:30. Time trials didn't start until after 6 and then the other three divisions had to hot lap. I watched hot laps and time trials for the Sprints in the turn two bleachers. What an awesome sight seeing a non-wing sprint broad-sliding it on a tacky surface driving it in as hard as they could make it stick. That was an eye-opening experience.

The first green flag in a heat race didn't start until 7:15, which was 45 minutes past their start time. The racing was great and moved along good until the Thundercar heats when two cars got together on the start and the pushed the other into the turn one exit where the water barrels were and eventually over on his roof. That was a length delay. The Sprint B main was horrendous as six cars got upside down and the final double flip saw the checkered flag wave. Eighteen cars were scheduled to start with 15 taking the green and I believe only 6 "finished". Sixty-year-old popular veteran Terry Pletch was one of the survivors despite having his tail tank and push bar smashed. Under the final red, he did a bow for the fans as it was possibly his last race.

The fireworks show got underway just before 10 PM and last over 20 minutes. Why the Sprint Cars weren't ready to go after fireworks was beyond me. Yes Monday was Labor Day, but there was no reason for another delay when it was already after 10:30.

The Sprint Car feature was excellent as 15-year-old Chris Windom scored his first career win beating Saturday Lincoln Park winner and fellow 15- year-old Cole Whitt. Track veteran John Wolfe was third over Casey Shuman and 16-year-old Hunter Schuerenberg fifth. Pretty amazing to see kids this young wheeling these high-horsepowered cars with this much success. There was so much two, three, and four-wide racing that it was hard to keep track and know what to watch. Windom did a stellar job driving through traffic and Whitt closed in at the finish. Windom said in victory lane that he races Midgets on Wednesday nights in Illinois then races Sprint Cars Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Indiana. Kokomo is five hours from home. I would expect to see big things from Windom and Whitt in the future.

I gave the Mod feature a chance as it took the green at 10:53 and what started off good turned into a long one. I finally gave up nearly 20 minutes in with 12 of 20 laps completed.

I really enjoyed Kokomo and my trip overall as it was some of the best racing I've seen in a long time. Kokomo was a very professional-run facility. The two announcers were excellent. Only downside was the late start and no seemingly hurry to push the show through. I was surprised at the $15 front-gate adult admission for a regular show as they charged an additional $3 for the fireworks; nonetheless an excellent, enthusiastic crowd was on hand.

The bookends of my four-race, four-day, three-state trip were Sharon (OH) on Friday night and Tri-City Speedway (PA) on Monday.

Kokomo made for my 8th Indiana track and 112 overall.

#112 Kokomo (IN) Speedway, 9/3/06
#111 Lincoln Park Speedway (IN), 9/2/06
#110 Lawrence County Fairgrounds (PA), 8/16/06
#109 Midvale (OH) Speedway, 7/22/06
#108 McKean County Speedway (PA), 6/29/06
#107 Hesston (PA) Speedway, 6/17/06
#106 Grandview Speedway (PA), 5/16/06

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