Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Weekend Preview (April 29-May 1)

Friday, April 29

Bloomington Speedway

410 sprint cars as well as 305 RaceSavers return to the red clay of Bloomington Speedway on Friday night where 2015 track champion Brady Short picked up the win last week.

The 410s and 305s will be joined by UMP modifieds and the Indiana Late Model Series on Friday for the JB Robinson Extravaganza.

Schedule & Prices

Pit Gates: 4:30 pm
Grandstands: 5:30 pm
Hot Laps: 6:30 pm
Racing: 7:30 pm

General Admission - $15
Kids 12 & Under - Free

Saturday, April 30

Tri-State Speedway

The Midwest Sprint Car Series (MSCS) returns to action on Saturday night as they take on TSS for the second time in 2016.

Kyle Cummins and Carson Short are tied for the series points lead going into Saturday night with CJ Leary, Robert Ballou and Dakota Jackson rounding out the top five.

UMP modifieds and the MMSA mini-sprints will join the sprints for Saturday evenings event.

Schedule & Prices

Pit Gates: 3:30 pm
Grandstands: 4:30 pm
Hot Laps: 6:30 pm
Racing: 7:30 pm

General Admission - $20
Students - $15
Kids 12 & Under - Free

Lincoln Park Speedway

LPS is back in action as well on Saturday night with their weekly program. The 410s will be joined by the UMP modifieds, super stocks and bombers.

Shane Cockrum edged Brady Short for the win last Saturday night in Putnamville.

Schedule & Prices

Pit Gates: 3 pm
Grandstands: 4:30 pm
Hot Laps: 6 pm
Racing: 7 pm

General Admission - $15
Kids 10 & Under - Free
Pit Passes - $30

Lawrenceburg Speedway

Saturday night is Healthcare Services Worker Night at the Burg. Joss Moffatt picked up the Kelsey Chevrolet sprint car win last Saturday night. This weekend's winner will pick up the King of the Midwest crown as well as a chance to win an additional $1,000 in bonus money if he can pick up the win at Kokomo on Sunday night as well.

Also in action: UMP modifieds and pure stocks.

Schedule & Prices

Pit Gates: 4 pm
Granstands: 5 pm
Hot Laps: 6 pm
Racing: 7 pm

Grandstands - $15
Kids 7-12 - $7
Kids 6 & Under - Free
Pit Passes - $30

Sunday, May 1

Kokomo Speedway

Kokomo will get their season rolling on Sunday after their early season Kokomo Grand Prix was cancelled due to inclement weather.

The winner of Sunday's King of Kokomo title will pick up $2,500 and a bonus of $1,000 if they managed to win the feature at Lawrenceburg Speedway the previous night.

Schedule & Prices

Pit Gates: 3 pm
Grandstands: 4 pm
Hot Laps: 4:45 pm with racing to follow

General Admission - $20
Kids 10 & Under - Free
Pit Passes - $30

Terre Haute Action Track

THAT hosts sprint cars for the first time in 2016 on Sunday when they host the Midwest Sprint Car Series.

The race will be the MSCS's second race of the weekend as they will race the night prior at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt.

UMP modifieds will join in the action as well in Terre Haute on Sunday.

Schedule

Pit Gates: 3 pm
Grandstands: 4 pm
Hot Laps: 5 pm
Racing: 6:30 pm

Schedule subject to change

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Opinion: Dirty air? Smoking in the stands

Tobacco use has always been a hot topic when it comes to smoking in public. Many restaurants, bars and sports venues across the country have outlawed the practice. However, in an era of political correctness and changes in protocols at athletic venues, Indiana short track dirt racing has been mostly unaffected.

Saturday night we were at Montpelier Motor Speedway to watch and provide updates for the inaugural visit by the USAC AMSOIL sprint cars to the track.

Halfway through qualifying I noticed the gentleman in front of me light up a cigarette. Did it bother me? No, not really. For years I used smokeless tobacco before quitting recently because of a cancer scare. What did bother me, the kids sitting in my immediate area.

There lies the question. Should smoking be allowed in the stands at the track?

Many tracks on larger stages that host sanctioning bodies such as NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula 1 have banned smoking in the stands while others have chosen to continue to allow it.

My take

If you want to smoke, why not simply exit the stands and go to a place where there are not so many people? Sure, there might be people around such as myself that do not mind but when there are kids around, be respectful. A good approach might be to ask the folks around you if they mind.

In the grand scheme of things it is not that big of deal to go have a smoke behind the stands and come back. An evening at the track takes a few hours, it takes a few minutes to smoke a cigarette. You can go have one, or as many as you want, during intermission, track maintenance or during racing classes you are not particularly interested in.

If someone around you does not like you smoking, you may say, "Why don't they move then?"

That could be a solution but if it is at an event like the USAC event at Montpelier on Saturday night that may not be an option. The stands were packed with fans and the chances of finding another seat were slim to none. You certainly cannot do that at a venue that has assigned seating.

Tracks could also help the situation if they are facing some criticism when it comes to the subject. Some tracks, such as Talladega, have implemented smoke-free sections at their facilities. Why not have a smoking section just like Eldora has a non-alcohol section? Then there is no problem.

I'm not one to preach about the health effects of using tobacco or alcohol. Adults know what is good for them and what is not. But if you are in the stands and lighting up and do not plan on moving, at least check to see if there are kids around, I'm fairly certain they do not want to smell the stuff nor do they need to be subjected to it.

Sound off

We posed the question to our followers on Twitter asking if they were okay with fans smoking in stands at the track, this is how they responded.

Responses: 82

Yes: 38%
No: 62%

Monday, April 25, 2016

Bonus offered by Lawrenceburg & Kokomo Speedways

Lawrenceburg Speedway and Kokomo Speedway announced Sunday they will be offering a bonus of $1,000 to any driver that can successfully win the sprint car feature at both tracks this weekend.

Lawrenceburg will host its King of the Midwest event on Saturday with Kokomo holding its season opening King of Kokomo event on Sunday.

If a driver does complete the sweep the driver would pick up on the bonus on top of the purse for winning both races which adds up to $4,500 making it $5,500 with the bonus.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Kyle Cummins: His time is coming

Most of loyal fans of Indiana sprint cars are familiar with Kyle Cummins. However, this year Cummins is gaining more national attention than ever with his consistent strong runs in his chase for the United States Auto Club AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship.

Through the first seven rounds of the USAC sprint car season, Cummins has tallied five podium finishes including three second place finishes along with a pair of thirds. He's also recorded a heat win at Bubba Raceway Park in Florida as well as being the ProSource fast qualifier at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt on April 16.

The Princeton, IN native left Ocala, FL as the series points leader after strong finishes of second, second and third respectively at Bubba Raceway Park for Winter Dirt Games VII.

Cummins returned to Indiana for races at Lawrenceburg and Bloomington where he struggled finishing 14th and 18th in those feature events before tallying yet another podium at TSS.

Cummins, driving the Rock Steady Racing #3R, had a fast car once again on Saturday night at Montpelier Motor Speedway in that tracks first time hosting a USAC event. Cummins showed speed gaining on leader Brady Bacon and getting to his tail tank multiple times but could not make the pass before Bacon took the checkers leaving Cummins, again, without that elusive first USAC sprint car win.

Although Cummins may not have a USAC win (yet) he is not a stranger to victory lane in a 410 sprint car.

The 28 year old has tallied victories all over the state including tracks such as Tri-State Speedway and Lincoln Park Speedway.  Oh yeah, we forgot to mention he was the Midwest Sprint Car Series (MSCS) champion in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2014 with his first championships coming as a teenager.

After the race Saturday night at Montpelier, Cummins trails series points leader Chase Stockon by 25 points with the next event(s) being back-to-back nights of action at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, OH on May 6th and 7th.

So the question is, when will Cummins pick up that first USAC win? Our guess is this season and sooner than later. He has consistently credited his crew for giving him a car that is both fast and easy to drive and we feel it is just a matter of time before we see him parked on the front stretch with a large paycheck in his hands.

Saturday Results (April 23)

Montpelier Motor Speedway

Brady Bacon drove a nearly perfect race to win the first ever USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National race at Montpelier Motor Speedway.

Bacon was able to run down the front-running cars of Dave Darland, Kyle Cummins, and Shane Cottle to gain the top spot from his sixth starting spot.

Kyle Cummins was also able to get by Dave Darland and at times looked to have something for the 2014 USAC sprint champion but Bacon was able to hold Cummins off and pick up the win.

Bacon was also the evenings ProSource Fast Qualifier in front of a capacity crowd in Montpelier.

With his top five finish, Chase Stockon continues to lead the USAC points standings with Kyle Cummins trailing by 25 points. Bacon, Meseraull and Darland round out the top five in points.

Feature Results:

1. Brady Bacon
2. Kyle Cummins
3. Dave Darland
4. Shane Cottle
5. Chase Stockon
6. CJ Leary
7. Jerry Coons Jr.
8. Carson Short
9. Jon Stanbrough
10. Justin Grant
11. Thomas Meseraull
12. Robert Ballou
13. Chad Boespflug
14. Aaron Farney
15. Max McGhee
16. Colten Cottle
17. Cole Ketcham
18. AJ Hopkins
19. Matt Goodnight
20. Bret Mellenberndt
21. Landon Simon
22. Isaac Chapple

Heat 1 Results: Hopkins, Farney, Darland, Bacon, C. Short...Stanbrough, Goodnight, Ketcham, Hanft
Heat 2 Results: Ballou, Grant, Meseraull, Chapple, S. Cottle....Weir, Simon, Coons
Heat 3 Results: Leary, Stockon, Boespflug, Cummins, McGhee...C. Cottle, Mellenberndt, Spencer

B-Main Results: Coons, Stanbrough, C. Cottle, Goodnight, Ketcham, Simon, Mellenberndt, Spencer, Hanft

Car Count: 25

Lincoln Park Speedway

Shane Cockrum, sometimes known as Alex Shanks, was able to hold off Brady Short on Saturday night to collect his first Indiana sprint car win of the year.

Joining Cockrum and Short on the podium was the 4J of Kevin Thomas Jr.

Mario Clouser and Nate McMillin rounded out the top five.

Feature Results:

1. Shane Cockrum
2. Brady Short
3. Kevin Thomas Jr.
4. Mario Clouser
5. Nate McMillin
6. Brandon Mattox
7. Mitch Wissmiller
8. Charlie Belden Jr.
9. Brandon Morin
10. Tyler Hewitt
11. Jamie Williams
12. JJ Hughes
13. Lukas Smith
14. Shelby VanGilder
15. Jeff Bland Jr.
16. Conner Donelson
17. Matt Brannin
18. Lance Grimes
19. Hunter O'Neal
20. Tim Creech

Heat 1 Results: Williams, Hughes, Thomas Jr, Donelson, Brannin, Smith, Gross, McDonald
Heat 2 Results: McMillin, Cockrum, Short, Mattox, Wissmiller, Clouser, Grimes, Newlin
Heat 3 Results: Bland, Belden Jr, Morin, Creech, Hewitt, O'Neal, VanGilder

B-Main Results: Clouser, Grimes, O'Neal, Smith, Van Gilder, Newlin, Gross, McDonald

Car Count: 23

Lawrenceburg Speedway

The 2015 track champion Joss Moffatt got back into his winning ways on Saturday night on the high banks of the The Burg.

Nick Bilbee, Garrett Abrams, Michael Fischesser and Dickie Gaines rounded out the top five.

Feature Results:

1. Joss Moffatt
2. Nick Bilbee
3. Garrett Abrams
4. Michael Fischesser
5. Dickie Gaines
6. Braxton Cummings
7. Travis Hery
8. Shawn Westerfeld
9. Aaron Fry
10. Steve Thomas
11. Riley VanHise
12. Patrick Giddens
13. Ben McMurray
14. Kyle Wissmiller
15. Mike Weber
16. Justin Owen
17. Shawn Miller
18. Jarett Andretti
19. Jordan Kinser

Heat 1 Results: Gaines, Andretti, Bilbee, Abrams, Hery, Giddens, Weber
Heat 2 Results: Westerfeld, Moffatt, Wissmiller, Thomas, Fry, McMurray
Heat 3 Results: Kinser, Owen, Fischesser, Cummings, VanHise, Miller

Car Count: 19

Anderson Speedway

Aaron Pierce picked up his 5th Glen Niebel Classic victory in Anderson on Saturday night. Pierce dominated the second half of the 100 lap event after Geoff Kaiser set the pace in the first half, lapping most of the field in the Little 500 tuneup race.

Pierce was also the quick qualifier in his number 26 sprint car.

Top 5:

1. Aaron Pierce
2. Chris Neuenschwander
3. Geoff Kaiser
4. Travis Welpott
5. Don Hamilton

Car Count: 10

Friday, April 22, 2016

Friday Results (April 22)

Bloomington Speedway

It has been somewhat of a wet week around the state the past few days but that didn't stop Bloomington Speedway way from getting their show in on Friday night.

Brady Short is back to his winning ways going to victory lane from the pole on the red clay on $5 admission night.

Jeff Bland Jr. and CJ Leary joined Short on the podium. "The Madman" Robert Ballou and Shane Cottle rounded out the top five.

Ethan Barrow won the 305 Race Saver event after leader Luke Bland had engine issues. Last week's winner Ethan Fleetwood finished 4th.

Feature Finish:

1. Brady Short
2. Jeff Bland Jr.
3. CJ Leary
4. Robert Ballou
5. Shane Cottle
6. Max McGhee
7. Kevin Thomas Jr.
8. Jarett Andretti
9. Nick Bilbee
10. Braxton Cummings
11. Brandon Mattox
12. Shelby VanGilder
13. Cody Clarkson
14. Billy Cribbs
15. Dave Gross
16. Hunter O'Neal
17. Thomas Meseraull
18. Jordan Kinser

Heat 1 Results: Ballou, Andretti, Meseraull, Bilbee, Thomas Jr, Mattox, Cummings
Heat 2 Results: Bland Jr, Leary, McGhee, VanGilder, Rogers, Cribbs, Kinser
Heat 3 Results: Short, Cottle, Barrow, O'Neal, Clarkson, Gross

Car Count: 20 + 12 RaceSavers

Results are unofficial 

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Twin Cities Raceway Park closed

Per their Facebook page, Twin Cities Raceway Park has been closed indefinitely. At this time we have no further information. If more becomes available we will post it.

The TCRP events have been removed from our master dirt schedule page.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Weekend Preview (April 22-23)

Friday, April 22

Bloomington Speedway

Nature finally cooperated last weekend when the United States Auto Club sprints put on a show on the red clay in Bloomington.

Bryan Clauson won the event while defending track champion, Brady Short, finished 9th.

The 305 Racesavers will also return to action after 18 year old Ethan Fleetwood won the first 305 event of the season last Friday. Also in action on Friday night: UMP modifieds and super stocks.

Schedule & Prices

Pit Gates: 4:30 pm
Grandstands: 5:30 pm
Hot Laps: 6:30 pm
Racing: 7:30 pm

General Admission - $5
Kids 12 & Under - Free

Saturday, April 23

Montpelier Motor Speedway

For the first time in its history, Montpelier will host the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars on Saturday night in Montpelier, Indiana.

Hot off of his first USAC win of the season, Chase Stockon enters Saturday night as the series points leader followed by Thomas Meseraull, Kyle Cummins, Brady Bacon & Robert Ballou

Also in action on Saturday night at MMS: UMP modifieds, super streets and thunder cars.

Schedule & Prices

Pit Gates: 1 pm
Grandstands: 2 pm
Hot Laps: 5 pm
Racing: 6:30 pm

General Admission - $20
Kids 12 & Under - Free
Pit Passes - $30

Lincoln Park Speedway

Shane Cottle kicked off the 2016 campaign at LPS with a bang picking up the big paycheck last weekend before the fireworks lit up the night sky over beautiful Putnamville, Indiana.

This weekend the sprints hope to do more of the same as they return to LPS along with UMP modifieds, super stocks & a special bomber show offering $500 to win.

Schedule & Prices

Pit Gates: 3 pm
Grandstands: 4:30 pm
Hot Laps: 6 pm
Racing: 7 pm

General Admission - $15
Kids 10 & Under - Free
Pit Passes - $30

Lawrenceburg Speedway

Former track champion Shawn Westerfeld cashed in on Nick Bilbee's bad luck last Saturday evening to pick up the win on the high banks in Lawrenceburg.

This weekend he'll hope to do more of the same as the Kelsey Chevrolet sprints return to action on Servicemen & Women's Night at Lawrenceburg. Any Fire/Police/EMT along with any U.S. military member or veteran with service identification will be admitted free on Saturday night.

Also in action Saturday night: UMP modifieds, stocks and hornets.

Schedule & Prices

Pit Gates: 4 pm
Granstands: 5 pm
Hot Laps: 6 pm
Racing: 7 pm

Grandstands - $15
Kids 7-12 - $7
Kids 6 & Under - Free
Pit Passes - $30

Anderson Speedway

Sprint cars return to Anderson Speedway this weekend as we inch closer and closer to the 68th annual Pay Less Little 500.

Sprints will take part in the 100 lap Glen Niebel Classic on Saturday. Also in action: Thunder roadsters, legends and the figure 8 cars.

Schedule & Prices

Pit Gates: 3 pm
Hot Laps: 4 pm
Qualifying: 5:30 pm
Racing: 7 pm

Grandstands: $12
Kids 6-12: $4
Kids 5 & Under: Free

EVENT SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE 

Monday, April 18, 2016

Opinion: Live streaming @ the track

As some of you may have seen on social media or read about it on the thread on IndianaOpenWheel.com, Daugherty Speedway in Boswell, Indiana recently announced that it will no longer allow any streaming of live video at their facility during races.

This includes any new apps found on most smartphones including Periscope or any kind of social media app that supports video chat such as Facebook that can be used to live stream video to other devices. Any person(s) caught live streaming will be removed from the track and banned for the remainder of the season.

It seems there are two schools of thought when it comes to this rule: the first being that it is absurd, the other is that it diminishes the product in some way and lets fans stay at home and watch rather than pay money to attend the races.

Personally for me, knowing someone is going to live stream from the track has never kept me from attending a race and quite honestly I think I am in the majority when it comes to that type of thinking.

You cannot reproduce the experience of being at the track in person by watching coverage through images taken on a cellphone. To me there is nothing better than being showered by clay, the smells, seeing all those fans you often see traveling from track to track around the state and dirt sprinkles in your beer.

That said, by someone live streaming a race on their cellular device, how much money is a track losing in sales on tickets at the gate? I understand the track is theirs and they can do as they please, but the only people that would be watching a race through a live stream via cellphone probably was not going to attend in the first place in my opinion.

To me, people who would do so are the casual fans, fans with an illness or a sick child at home, or someone just too far away. As a matter of fact I have seen drivers from the NHRA, ARCA and NASCAR inquire as to if someone was "periscoping" a race from a certain track before.

So in conclusion, our vote is that tracks that have outlawed live streaming might be overreacting. But again, it is the owners track to do as he or she pleases and I will not hold that against them. Whether someone is live streaming or not, we'll be at the races. We'll see you there.

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Saturday Results (April 16)

Tri-State Speedway

Chase Stockon became the fifth different driver to pick up a win in the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series this season in six events after he was the first to the checkered flag in Haubstadt on Saturday night.

Kyle Cummins rebounded from a rough Friday night in Bloomington with a second place finish with Carson Short rounding out the podium. Chad Boespflug and CJ Leary rounded out the top five in the USAC/MSCS Spring Showdown.

Cummins was also the ProSource Fast Qualifier after logging in a lap time of 13.512 at the "Class Track".

Feature Results:

1. Chase Stockon
2. Kyle Cummins
3. Carson Short
4. Chad Boespflug
5. CJ Leary
6. Brady Bacon
7. Robert Ballou
8. Brady Short
9. Thomas Meseraull
10. Kent Schmidt
11. Dakota Jackson
12. Justin Grant
13. Landon Simon
14. Dave Darland
15. James Lyerla
16. Isaac Chapple
17. Aaron Farney
18. Matt Goodnight
19. Brandon Morin
20. Kody Swanson
21. Nevil Algieo
22. Max McGhee

Heat 1 Results: McGhee, Bacon, Meseraull, Cummins, Darland...Ballou, Morin, Mellenberndt, Algieo
Heat 2 Results: Schmidt, Farney, C. Short, Grant, Leary...Boespflug, Chapple, Chastain
Heat 3 Results: Stockon, Jackson, Simon, Swanson, Goodnight...Lyerla, B. Short, Shelton

B-Main Results: B. Short, Ballou, Chapple, Boespflug, Lyerla, Algieo, Morin...Mellenberndt, Shelton, Chastain.

Car Count: 25

Lincoln Park Speedway

"The Throttle" Shane Cottle went wire-to-wire on Saturday in Putnamville and picked up the win in the legendary Paul Hazen #57. Cottle was joined on the podium by Kevin Thomas Jr. and Jon Stanbrough.

Jordan Kinser and Shane Cockrum rounded out the top five. Logan Jarrett was the evenings hard charger coming in eighth after starting from the 19th position in the 20 car feature event.

Feature Results:

1. Shane Cottle
2. Kevin Thomas Jr.
3. Jon Stanbrough
4. Jordan Kinser
5. Shane Cockrum
6. Jeff Bland Jr.
7. Kyle Robbins
8. Logan Jarrett
9. Kevin Studley
10. Cole Ketcham
11. JJ Hughes
12. Colten Cottle
13. Mitch Wissmiller
14. Ethan Barrow
15. Brandon Mattox
16. Tim Creech
17. Nate McMillan
18. Tony DiMattia
19. Chris Babcock
20. Tyler Hewitt

Heat 1 Results: S. Cottle, Kinser, Hughes, Cockrum, Robbins, Barrow, O'Neal, Brannin, Belden Jr
Heat 2 Results: Bland Jr, Mattox, Ketcham, C. Cottle, DiMattia, Wissmiller, Jarrett, McMillan, Rogers
Heat 3 Results: Studley, Thomas Jr, Stanbrough, Hewitt, Creech, Underwood, Babcock, VanGilder, Freeland

B-Main Results: Barrow, Wissmiller, Babcock, Jarrett, McMillan, Brannin, Belden Jr, VanGilder. Underwood, O'Neal, Freeland, Rogers (DNF) 

Car Count: 27

Lawrenceburg Speedway

Shawn Westerfeld found his way into the victory lane on Saturday night after taming the high banks at Lawrenceburg Speedway. Westerfeld took the lead after then-leader Nick Bilbee had a tire go down.

Mike Miller and Garrett Abrams joined Westerfeld on the podium.

Feature Results: 

1. Shawn Westerfeld
2. Mike Miller
3. Garrett Abrams
4. Jarrett Andretti
5. Joss Moffatt
6. Nick Bilbee
7. Dickie Gaines
8. Chad Wilson
9. Cooper Clouse
10. Michael Fischesser
11. Steve Little
12. Justin Owens
13. Braxton Cummings
14. Steve Thomas
15. Riley VanHise
16. Mike Weber
17. Aaron Fry
18. Eric Semple
19. Travis Hery
20. Cody Gardner

Heat 1 Results: Miller, Andretti, Fischesser, Abrams, Gardner, Wilson, Thomas
Heat 2 Results: Westerfeld, Bilbee, Cummings, Owens, Weber, Semple
Heat 3 Results: Hery, Clouse, Moffatt, Gaines, VanHise, Fry

Car Count: 20