Photo Overload

Somewhere between here and last time, I seem to have lost summer. A recap in pictures is the best I can do (I'm updating from my phone).

Pool Day

Color Vibe Run

Jones/Fleischer Memorial

 

Mod Nationals Beach Day

 

Workin hard?

 

Beach Day with Gramma

Bike winners at KRA

 

Summertime by George

 

Little pit man

 

Splash Pad

 

Lake Day

 

Camping weekend

Snocross points trophies were delivered

Dirt Runs Deep

Hope you all are having a good week and enjoying all the sunshine we've had lately!  Last weekend we raced at Granite City on Friday, which I need give a shout out to first-time feature winner, Tommy Bawden!  He is mighty impressive, with this being his rookie year in a Midwest modified and his enthusiasm in victory lane and pit-side afterward, was very refreshing to witness!  Saturday we raced at Cedar Lake in Wisconsin; and Tuesday we raced at KRA in Willmar, MN, where Shane finally broke his losing streak and picked up the win in the modified!  CHEERS! to all that......

 

The kids think they're so cool drinking root beer and coffee creamer from shot glasses!

 

Scraping mud at cedar.

 

 

Mason made his dirt track debut on Sunday at the same facility that he raced snocross at, in Elk River, MN.  The Berglund family (Bob, Amy and Noah) have been good friends of ours for years now. 10 to be exact.  When our first born, Slade, was born (and died) from health issues/birth defects, Amy (a stranger at the time, but part of the racing community) wrote me a letter...You know, the old-fashioned way with pen and paper! :)  That letter formed a friendship, and the rest is history!  Where am I going with this? Oh yeah.... The Berglund's gave Mason the opportunity to drive their go-kart on Sunday, and since Shane and I are clueless about this karting stuff, they also filled in as pit crew for him.  It was quite the challenge for Mason to get the hang of the track.  Apparently you can't go high in the corners or you'll get up in the marbles and spin out, or hit the wall! He did both!  Mason's kart had some engine issues, but was fast, almost too fast for him, when it was running right. He would just hold it, what seemed to be, wide open through the corners and attempt to make passes around the high side, and end up spinning himself out. He was able to pick up a win in one of his heats! All in all, he had a blast doing it and has asked us every day since then when he can go race go-karts again, and if we can buy one!  I haven't caved yet.  I can handle being a racer's wife, but a racer's mom? I'm not sure I wanna sign up for that! :)

 

It's Friday, the sun is shining (well here anyway).... Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

~Katie

 

 

Days Go By (or is it bye?)!

Ohh bloggy schmoggy, how days get busy and I tell myself I'll do it tomorrow! And then days turn to weeks and weeks to months! We've mainly just been spending the start of our summer racing, and adjusting to the new routine/race schedule.  Part of me is embracing the new adventure, and part of me is missing the old.  Of course things are only as good as you make of them and honestly, it's been a lot fun and we've met some cool new people at the different tracks we've been to this year. But part of me wants to go back to Princeton and Brainerd and plop my butt on the backstretch pit grandstands "in my spot" and have Kenny the tech guy and Linda over afterwards for food and a beer! :)  And maybe some weekend I will do just that.  But for now, here's where we've been recently....

 

Cedar Lake Speedway, KRA Speedway , Bemidji Speedway, Grand Rapids Speedway, Amsoil Speedway, I-94 Speedway and our usual Granite City Speedway and Ogilvie Raceway.

 

Not in chronological order... but first up is, after spending the night at the track in New Richmond, WI, a blown trailer tire forced a pit stop by this view to fish watch and have breakfast at a little café, where the chef went above and beyond to make Brae chicken alfredo for breakfast! Why didn't I think of that?! It was delicious!

 

 

 

Next up is the better of the two nights that we attended KRA Speedway.  I haven't a clue of finishes, but I know this wasn't the time that we had to take a gravel detour at 12mph  for 12 miles and everything imaginable fell to the floor of the trailer, and the hauler door wasn't crushed, and gramps didn't lose half his thumb.  Some days are shit shows, and some days are train wrecks!

 

 

And sometimes the only mishap is a burnt finger from the marshmallow stick! Bemidji Speedway was a good time, and the kids enjoyed practicing their lumberjack skills.

 

 

Mason has learned how to use the impact and set tire pressures, and he's having a blast with that!  I doubted his work and suggested Shane double check, but he didn't seem too worried about it and said it'll be fine.  No wheels came flying off so I guess he knows what he's doing!

 

This past weekend we went to Grand Rapids on Thursday because Cedar Lake's special had rained out, so we spent the night up north (thank you to the Tardy's for your hospitality) and visited the Lake Superior Zoo on Friday before hitting up Amsoil Speedway in Superior, WI.  The night went well for us and we both mentioned how we really like that track.  The race weekend finished up on Saturday night at Ogilvie Raceway. I hit up Winstock that day with a friend because, well.... Sam Hunt. That's why! Shane ended up with a 5th and a couple DNF's.  It's no secret that he hasn't been doing as well as in the past, but I never thought the kids paid attention until this conversation happened....

 

Mason: "Dad, maybe you can win tonight."

Shane: "Well I hope so, buddy."

Mason: "Yeah maybe everyone in front of you will crash or break and then you'll have a chance!"

Kids are cool!! Haha!

 Have a great week, everyone!

 

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.

 

 

....CONTINUED

So I explained how I like to get rid of things, and clear my house of clutter HERE. But my husband isn't quit on the same page as I when it comes to ditching the "things".  So how do we compromise on things that stay and things that go?  Umm, well, typically I'll tackle a job when he's gone and if I know he hasn't used or worn it in the past year, I kind of just assume that he won't notice it missing anyway.  And 9 times out of 10, my judgment is spot on.  I bet he'll never miss the 8 cloth belts (you know, the ones that come with men's shorts) or the dozens of old shirts that sat folded in the bottom of the closet, or his pairs of work boots that have accumulated over the years.  Because why would anyone resort to the old things, when you have since replaced them with new things? 

But remember how I said I'm right 9 out of 10 times?  Yeah, so there was this ONE time that I went cleaning crazy and gave away all his racing coats that have accumulated over the past 10 years.  They were given to him for various track championships and state/national championships.  Now mind you, these coats are stored in a closet in the hallway and not in our entryway, which means they are not/have not been used in years, so it was fair game (in my mind) to get rid of them.  But I forgot about the second part of my rule... is it beautiful?  Because what I see beautiful vs. what my husband or kids see, is different.  Not so much that he thought his coats were masterpieces of art, but he enjoyed having them and looking through occasionally.  How did he even notice them missing, you ask?!  Of all things, he went in the closet to get the vacuum..... Who'da thunk?!? ;)  *I was thoughtful enough to keep a few coats.  But my lesson here is to maybe get permission before you get rid of someone else's things!

Someday, we'd like to move.... To the country, to a farm, live in a hauler, travel the country racing... who knows.  But when the time comes to pack up this house, I'll have fewer boxes to move, by moving them now!!

Have a happy week!! Maybe do a little spring cleaning!!