Ogilvie Raceway Opener

I never did address all the hoopla that went down with 2 of our weekly tracks switching sanctions, but basically it means our schedule was rearranged slightly.  Princeton and Brainerd switched from Wissota to IMCA, and Granite City Speedway switched from Sunday nights to Friday nights.  I've heard opinions from each side of the fence and my only opinion is that I believe things will work out for everyone.  As much as it makes people defensive and uncomfortable, change is inevitable.  And sometimes I think people just like having something to complain about.  It's like we all complain about the pot holes, but then we bitch during road construction because traffic is moving too slow or we're forced to take a detour.  Maybe that analogy wasn't pertinent, but you get the idea! Sometimes the difference in the situation is all in your attitude.  And I truly hope that this shift in central MN racing turns out beneficial for all involved! 

 

So back to our schedule change.... We now will be racing Granite City Speedway on Friday nights, and mainly Ogilvie Raceway on Saturday nights.  KRA speedway in Willmar is a possibility on Thursdays, depending on work.  And occasionally we might travel somewhere on Sunday, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to have that day off to enjoy other summer activities!  Might need to sell a racecar to buy a new boat! :)

 

Shane has admittedly never been much of a fan of Ogilvie, mainly because he struggles there and is intimidated by the backstretch wall.  But see why change can be a good thing?!  It forces you to challenge yourself to figure out something you previously would've just given up on!  This past Saturday he finished 2nd in both the Midwest mod and super stock (both from the front row I believe, as it was draw/redraw for opening night), and made his way up to 8th from 19th in the mod, after a tough break during the heat.

 

Braelyn usually volunteers to help wash, and I couldn't help but chuckle at her choice of shoes.  The kid's a goof.  She's pretty homely dressed most of the time, but I pick my battles, and let her do her thing.

There's a reason we usually shop Walmart and not Target, and Rollback prices are not the reason!  Yes, she's wearing ONE clip on dangly earring. :) Ooy!
So long for now... Have a great week!

Wisconsin Racing

I'm going to start off by taking the risk of offending some fellow race-track goers, and tell you that I find it annoying (as do others) if you clap, cheer, grin from ear to ear, or voice your enthusiasm for a driver when he has unfortunate luck (mechanical failure, driver error, wrecked equipment, etc.).  I'm not speaking from an incident that happened to Shane, just something I witnessed over the weekend and I can't help but wonder, where's the love?! Of course we all have our favorite drivers that we hope to see win, but to root for someone during hardship just seems immature to me.  I get that racing isn't really a team sport, but I think we're all united in a "hey...I came here to win, but mostly, I come for the fun of it!" type of way.  Or at least I hope you come for the fun of it.  And if you find yourself at the racetrack and you're still grumpy, I advise you to stay home & find something else that makes you happy.  Being at the racetrack makes me happy.  I enjoy watching a good battle on the track, and it's worth noting that I enjoy Shane winning; but I also find enjoyment in other competitors winning too. The thing is, my favorite part of the night usually doesn't revolve around winning or losing.  I come for the company of those that have befriended me, and the bullshitting, beers, and food afterwards!  So even if you're not quite ready to show some love to everyone within this awesome sport, at least keep your mouth shut when someone's having a bad day! :)

 

 

Now, onto results:

Sorry, I forgot to post last weeks results, but our first race around home was at Cedar Lake Speedway in Wisconsin on April 11th.  The superstock wasn't quite race ready, so we just brought the mods, and Shane ended up winning both features that night!  This past weekend we ventured to Rice Lake, Wisconsin for their season opener.  He (Shane) finished 5th in the Midwest mod, won with the superstock, and finished 3rd with the mod. 

Sorry the pictures seem blurry. The superstock has a little different look than the mods...I like it...it has a prettiness to it! :) The next race is still undecided, as we'll keep an eye on our options with this  cold weather we're having! Enjoy the rest of your week!

Kansas Race Trip

I apologize that this a couple weeks late... somehow it took me 2 weeks to sit down and decide to do a race recap from when we traveled to Kansas for the $10,000 to win King of America race. We left on Tuesday evening once I got done with work.  It took about 12 hours to get there, as the roads through most of Iowa were horrible with snow/slush/ice...or at least that's what the guys said.... me and the kids sort of slept most of the drive.  We arrived safely and awoke to a pretty decent day, until evening came and it was time for practice to start.  Then the storm rolled in and forced them to cancel practice until the next morning. 

 

I'll just give a quick recap of racing... but basically each modified driver raced a total of 4 heats and accumulated passing points throughout the course of the first 2 days. Shane's first run was shaping up to have some potential, until he came into the corner way too hot and hit the wall.  It looked much worse than it was and thankfully the guys got it put back together and everything scaled out normal.  From then on, I could tell he raced scared, or untrusting of the car/track/etc. and his passing points reflected his lack of confidence.  He picked up a heat win (from the pole), and basically finished wherever he started in each heat.  In a big show like that, you need to finish consistently toward the front and we just weren't able to produce well enough finishes to make the main event.

 

The Midwest mod ran a complete show each of the 3 nights, and he wound up 2nd the first night, 9th the second night, and DNF'd on the final night, after his rear suspension broke while leading.

 

 

 

 

There was a nice wooded area, river, and grassy play area on the grounds, so me and the kids went for walks, met some new people from Texas and played softball and kickball with them during the day.  We took the golf cart one afternoon to town and played at the park, and also took an adventure on some back roads which led us to Kansas cows! Yes, they're probably the same as MN cows, but watching Mason freak out when we seen one with horns and then noticed himself wearing a red jacket, was quite possibly the funniest part of my vacation.  The speed at which he removed his jacket and hit the gas on the golf cart was hilarious.

 

He had to prove to me that he could cross the river... Not without falling in first though!

 

Even though racing didn't go as well as it could have (albeit, it could've gone worse too), we all enjoyed our time there and are excited to hopefully head back again next year.