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Just A Kid From The Grandstands: My Time In Auto Racing
Stories of my time in auto racing from the beginning to 2003
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Available on Lulu in Paperback And Hard Cover
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Don's California Racing Recollections: Best Of The Blog And Beyond
Racing History, Stories, Statistics And Pictures
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Late Models, Sharp Shooter B Modified Tournament Highlight Saturday's Program At Antioch Speedway
Antioch, CA...All Star Series racing action heated up last Saturday night with some great racing on a hooked up John M Soares prepared 3/8 mile clay oval at Antioch Speedway. This Saturday night, DIRTcar Late Models are back for their second event of the season. The All Star Series B Modifieds will compete, and there's the added bonus of the Sharp Shooter Tournament race for the top heat race finishers. Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars and Bay Area Hardtops highlight another great lineup of racing.
Last time, Richard Papenhausen looked impressive in winning the DIRTcar Late Model feature. During the past four seasons, The lion's share of the feature wins in this class have been gobbled up by the two-time champion Papenhausen and three-time reigning champion Jeff Decker. Decker settled for second in the opener.
Simply put, it's difficult for anybody else to get to get a victory with Papenhausen and Decker in the field. When you do win, you know you earned it. Two drivers to watch in the quest for victory are last season's point runner up, David Newquist, and longtime Late Model competitor Shawn DeForest. DeForest has had a storied racing career going back to Baylands Raceway, and he too is a past runner-up in Antioch Late Model points, earning the honors in 2007. Other drivers to watch include two-time Petaluma Speedway champion Paul Guglielmoni, Dennis Souza, Rob Norris and Kimo Oteta.
Sharp Shooter creator, Jay Banks, announced this week that 2014 IMCA State Sport Modified champion Nick Spainhoward was planning to come to Antioch for a shot at the tournament win and Main Event glory. The talent level in the B Modified division at Antioch continues to rise. Past A Modified champion Aaron Crowell just joined the field, and he finished second in the most recent race after a thrilling battle with 2016 champion Trevor Clymens.
You can talk about such hard chargers as reigning champion KC Keller and 2015 champion Fred Ryland, but the talk of the night last week was rookie Brent Curran. Curran went flag to flag for his first feature win. Remarkably, this was only his fifth start in this class, and he had finished third in a competitive field at Chico the night before. There are some fast competitors hoping to grab the Sharp Shooter and Main Event prizes, and others to watch for include Guy Ahlwardt, Tommy Fraser, Randy Brown and Ryan DeForest.
The Hobby Stock division is being filled with several talented new competitors, but at the top of the list, 2010 champion Chris Sorensen and Michael Cooper continue to do battle. Cooper now has two feature wins, while Sorensen has one. Neither driver has missed the Top 3 this season. One rookie who may be closing in on a Main Event win is John Wacht. The Wacht family is no stranger to Antioch Speedway. Steve Wacht owned some competitive Figure 8 cars back in the 1980s, while his wife Terrie Wacht is the very first Hobby Stock champion in 1995. Matt Wacht also competed during the first few seasons of the division.
Breanna Troen picked up an impressive heat race win last week, but her night ended on a sour note when she hit the back wall and rolled in the Main Event on lap 19. She'll be looking to change her fortune this week. Other drivers to watch for include Joey Ridgeway, Lindsey Buirch, Billy Garner, Jordan Swank, Frank Furtado, Erik Pitschner and reigning champion Cameron Swank.
During the off week, reigning Dwarf Car champion Mike Corsaro celebrated his birthday. But the real celebration for him is anytime he can get behind the wheel of his car and do some racing. Corsaro is hungry for a victory after his Top 3 finish in the season opener, and he's thinking this could be his week. Likely to be with him this week will be his teammate, Charlie "The Hammer" Correia. Charlie is currently the longest tenured Dwarf Car competitor in the state of California, racing regularly for nearly 25 years. He's won several Main Events along the way, but it's been a couple of years since he has had Antioch Speedway glory.
After a brutal flip in his heat race last time an out, word is that last year's Rookie Of The Year, Devan Kammermann, may be out for a while. However, we've also seen reports that the car has already been stripped down and is being repaired. Drivers we are looking for this week include David Rosa and son David Michael Rosa, Mario Marquez, Chuck Conover, Chris Becker and Brian Gray.
The Bay Area Hardtops are making their first of four scheduled appearances, and a couple of the regular competitors were in Placerville last week. Dave Mackey won his heat race, while Ken Retzloff finished second in the Main Event. These two are anticipated along with Doug Braudrick, Terry DeCarlo, Gene Haney and Kimo Oreta. Work is coming along swiftly on the Tommy Thomson car, but we haven't heard when he'll finally see the race track again. As the California Hardtop group also has a date booked elsewhere, it's uncertain who might represent them in Antioch this week.
With the Late Models back in town and the B Modifieds having their third Sharp Shooter Tournament race, Saturday will be a great night of racing. Add Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars and Bay Are Hardtops and you have a night you won't want to miss. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Modified divisions Back In Action At Merced Speedway
Merced, CA...After a week off, the IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Sport Modifieds roar back into action this Saturday night at Merced Speedway. This will be somewhat of a tune-up race for one of the track's signature events on May 5th, the Ted Stofle Classic. Joining these two classes this Saturday night will be the Hobby Stocks ad Mini Stocks.
The community is still buzzing from the close to 40 IMCA Modifieds who came to compete for the $4,000 prize two weeks ago. In that event, it was multi-time Santa Maria champion Danny Lauer grabbing the win. The highest finishing Merced regular in the field was third-generation competitor Darrell Hughes II, who grabbed a third-place finish.
In fact, the competition was so fierce that night that Hughes and 10th place finisher Ryan Porter where the only track regulars to earn Top 10 finishes. As Merced tends to have two or three of these types of events on the schedule, they are very important for the track championship contenders. If you manage to get into the Main Event, you stand to gain good ground in the point race. Reigning champion Randy Brown had a rare bad night in 21st, but he's coming in off of his Top 5 finish at Kern Raceway last week. Other hard chargers to watch for this week include Jeff Streeter, Steven Hopf, Troy Stone, Justin Villanueva and Ricky Thatcher.
The competition in the recent IMCA Sport Modified feature was just as fierce. With $1,800 in the line, roughly 35 competitors came to town for a shot the big bucks. However, point leader Tim Elias represented very well with a third place finish, while Chris Falkenberg had his second Top 5 finish of the year in fifth. Right behind Falkenberg was the man who is second in the points, Danny Roe. So far, these three hard chargers are the top contenders in the championship chase.
However, it is still early in the season, and anything can happen. Tanner Thomas will be out to see if he can grab his second feature triumph of the season, joined by his brother Chase Thomas and fellow young gun Cody Parker. It's a competitive group at Merced Speedway, and it's likely that we will see several different feature winners by season's end. Other drivers to watch for this week include Andrew Odgers, Tim Ragsdale, Mark Condell and TJ Etchison III.
The consistent Shannon Nelson is off to a great start this year in the Hobby Stock division. The wife of two-time champion Bruce "Bubba" Nelson has scored back-to-back runner-up finishes to start things off. Her second in the season opener was very impressive when you consider she came from 16th starting to do it. Last week, she was a race long second, and early point calculations show her leading Kristie Shearer by just six points. Shearer is no stranger to running well in points as a past runner-up in the standings, but it's been a couple of years since either of these talented lady racers has won the Main Event. It could be very soon that we'll see both of them in the Winner's Circle.
Reigning champion Kodie Dean reminded the competition last week that he is still the driver to beat when he won the Main Event. Dean's win keeps him within 11 points of the lead, one behind the surprising John Hensley. Dean and fellow Chowchilla resident Austin Van Hoff had a great battle in the Trophy Dash last week, won by Van Hoff. Unfortunately, Austin hurt his motor in the process to end his night. This week is a new opportunity, and other drivers to watch for include Mike Germait, Robbie Loquaci, young gun Kaleb Shelton and past champions Michael Shearer and Kevin Joaquin.
There's a rumor going around that Destiny Carter has sold her Mini Stock after back-to-back Top 3 finishes. Word is that she is heading for the Hobby Stock division. She gave it a valiant effort in these last two races, but there wasn't anybody on the track who could stop three-time reigning champion Chris Corder. Carter walks away just three points behind Corder in the championship battle, three ahead of her Corder Racing teammate Jennifer Corder.
It seems that between Corder and Dale Falkenberg, the two car owners are doing everything they can to build up this class. Falkenberg fielded four cars last time out and is enthusiastically supporting this entry level division. The numbers don't lie. Last time out, there was a record 22 car field, which is great news for Merced Speedway. Other drivers to watch for this week include Lucy Falkenberg, Lee Ragsdale, Allen Neal, Bryant Desaire, Tyler Jackson, Shawn DePriest and rookie Joe Terry.
It all adds up to a great night of racing with IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds and Hobby Stocks. However, you'll want to mark the May 5th Ted Stofle Classic, presented by Shannon Pump Company, on your calendar. Honoring perhaps the greatest Stock Car driver of the 1970s that night will be IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, Hobby Stocks and Mini Stocks. For further information, go to www.racemerced.com.
Orland Raceway Season Opener This Saturday
Orland, CA...After two successful playdays on the 1/5 mile dirt oval, Orland Raceway is set for racing this Saturday night with an action-packed program. On the card this week will be the popular Pure Stocks, Mini Stocks, Mini Trucks, Wingless Gas Sprints and Micro Sprints.
In his third season as promoter, Rich Hood is stepping things up even more. Popular attractions such as Fan Appreciation Night in September and the Schmitke Race For A Cure in August will continue. The track will hold the big Battle Of The Axles events in October. There will also be visits from the popular California Hardtops and Sport Modifieds. Both groups were well-represented at the first playday, and the drivers we're all commenting about how much they are looking forward to coming back for their scheduled races.
In the meantime, the Pure Stock drivers are chomping at the bit to get back to racing again. Last season, the division ended things on a high note as 28 competitors filled the pits for the $1,000 to win Battle Of The Axles event, won by 2015 champion Paul Stevens. Jeremy Langenderfer is the reigning champion and is ready to see if he can defend the honors. The competition will be tough as last year's second and third place drivers, Shannon Collins and Steve Martin, will be back in action. Martin is the 2016 champion. Amanda Koop, John Camper and Brad Ray are among the other hard chargers to watch for this Saturday night.
Tom Davis set a dominant pace last season in winning the Mini Stock championship. When Sean Perry opened the season on a winning note, Davis appeared to be in for some tough competition. However, Tom continue to win and pulled way to the championship. He is a multi-time Orland champion and is set to give it another go this year. Two-time division champion John Kirkpatrick is also anticipated along with Jason Libbee, Barbra Crain and Dustin Hills.
It seems like the big four over the past few seasons in Mini Trucks has been reigning champion Keith Ross, 2016 champion Dan Webster, Olin Crain and another past champion, Ross Vige. It was an interesting battle on the track last season, though Ross did win the lion's share of the races. The competition is intensifying this season with a few new trucks in the works, and other drivers to watch for this week include William Fogle, Zach Baker and Jeremy Callen.
Last season, the Wingless Gas Sprints were attempting to re-establish their program after a year away. This division of carbureted and self-starting Sprint Cars began in Orland back in 2001, and one of the names on the roster back then is multi time champion Josh Jacobo. Jacobo continues to be a strong supporter of the racing effort and won multiple events last season. It is hoped that the car count will grow a little bit more this year, and other racers to watch for include Rob Worthington, Josh Tucker, Mario Romano, David Johnson and John Irwin.
The 250 Micro class will be running this week, and the reigning champion is Jackie Whitson Jr. Whitson dominated the show last year and won almost every point event of the season. His championship was not in doubt. One time winner Jamie Barnes was a solid second. The drivers are excited about putting these cars through their paces at Orland Raceway, and other drivers to watch for include Ronnie Heyer, Seth Libbee, past champion Jess Garland and Dave McKinnon Jr.
This is just the beginning. There are 16 exciting events scheduled at Orland Raceway this year, and Saturday night will be a show you won't want to miss. For further information, go to www.orlandraceway.org.
Rod Baronian Battles Brother For
Central Valley Mini Stock Win
Lemoore, CA...April 22...Rod Baronian opened the 2018 Central Valley Mini Stock season with a 30 lap Main Event win Sunday afternoon at Lemoore Raceway. Rod won a battle with his brother Greg Baronian late in the race as they were working lapped traffic. He gained the lead at that point and brought it home to a well earned victory.
Rod Baronian was the 2017 runner up in the championship standings and a feature winner along the way. He was surprised at the outcome of the race. "I didn't think I was going to get by him, said Rod. "He just bobbled a bit and I was able to get by. I was lucky."
For Greg Baronian, this was his first start with the group. After leading much of the race, he settled for second and was also the winner of the four lap Trophy Dash. 'I'd like it to have turned out a little better, " Greg admitted. "If I had to lose to anybody, I'd rather it be him."
Dan Myrick was a strong third ahead of Darren Wilson and Randy Brown Jr. Chuck Doglione finished sixth, followed by Ben Davis, Ryan Blank, James Smith and Dick Adams. Ten lap heat races were won by Rod Baronian, Greg Baronian and Wilson. Greg Baronian won the Trophy Dash. Reigning champion Danny Myrick won the 12 lap B Main ahead of Ryan Doglione and Smith.
Central Valley Mini Stocks return to Lemoore Raceway for their second event on Sunday, May 6th. For further information, go to www.centralvalleyministocks.com or look them up on Facebook.
The Editor's Viewpoint
On the road to the race track on a Wednesday morning. We still have things to do, but Southern Oregon Speedway is on schedule to open. With Uncle Rich moving to Long Beach, I stepped in to mow The Grassy Knoll off of Turn 1 and the pits. It needed it. It's so green out there after all the rains. With all the bouncing around I was doing on the mower, I'm still feeling a little sore today. And, I have more mowing to do.
One frustration I have is the forecast is now calling for rain. All the effort and we may be waiting another week. It changed from possible rain to likely rain. What is it with this miserable, depressing Oregon weather? I won't miss this when I'm gone. We get a five month window for racing and it has to rain then too. A couple of weeks into October would be possible for racing, but it's hunting season. People take that very seriously up here.
The dilemma I have as Publicity Director is how to hype this with possible rain coming. Articles went out. We can push the Facebook marketing feature. I had planned to go after TV again. I got us on TV last year. Problem is, it is a wasted effort if it rains. I am reviewing options, but I have to make a move tonight.
The season opener at any track is important. It sets a tempo. We had one of our best nights two years ago, but last year's opener was a gloomy skied, cold disappointment. Low car count and dismal attendance. I feel this race is very important to us for several reasons. I just want to know that I did everything I could to make if pop. The rest is up to the drivers and fans.
At some point, people buy into what you're doing and it pops. I've seen this happen before at other tracks I've been involved with. We're two years into this deal now. Are they ready to get behind it? I don't know. I know we laid the foundation with some nice additions to our program last year. I think its a nice schedule that's not too demanding on any one division. It ought to be easier for racers to support.
That's the thing. You want fans? You need cars. I hear people talk all the time about car count, and it kind of disappoints me the way they compare us to the tracks doing really well. There aren't that many doing huge numbers, but there are a few. I would love every race track to be able to do that well, but this is 2018. We do what we can, but its up to the racers to come support it. So, when the fans wonder about car count, I don't know what to tell them. You put together the best schedule you can, which I think Mike for the most part has done, and then it's up to the drivers.
I hope we get the cars. We have a nice schedule this year and I think we put a lot of good things in place. If the racers come out, I think the fans will start coming in bigger numbers. More cars equals more fans. All we can do is the best we can do. Have we done everything that we can do? I see Mike working hard and thinking the same things. Is everything covered? The hope is that we can look back and see some success this year. We're laying the foundation for the future of a track, that wasn't doing so well in the four or five years prior to our arrival. We'll just see how it goes. I hope for sunny skies for our opener.
I said a good schedule for the most part. I'm not really happy that we didn't book more Calculated Comfort Pro Stock races. Mike has his reasons, and I understand. However, at a time when we're struggling for car count, we need all the cars we can get. Not having the Pro Stock division and their 12 -16 cars is not doing us any favors. In my view, we should have had them on the schedule seven or eight times at least, rather than the two times we have them.
When people ask or comment on the Pro Stock race date situation, I just let it pass. I did what I could, but I never had a chance. The die was cast last year, and Mike was just trying to figure out if he could book a schedule that didn't have them often and could still produce reasonable numbers. He has done it from what I can tell. I'm disgusted by the whole story of the Pro Stock division, particularly the moves that created the situation that we inherited. It's a long story, and its one that will be covered in my next book. For now, I'll let this stand as my opinion and move on. We have a season of racing to oversee.
I probably ruffled a few feathers last year with my thoughts on the California Hardtop Association and its leadership, but they're still rocking and rolling. Despite issues I may have, I'm glad they have such a great following and schedule. However, I want to turn my attention to the Bay Area Hardtop leadership. There is a Bay Area Hardtop group. Dave Mackey laid the foundation for that prior to last season. The worry was that if they didn't get their act together, they could lose the very track that sparked the revival of the Hardtops, Antioch Speedway. Dave didn't want that to happen. I don't either.
I will say on the record that I support both groups. The California Hardtop Association is based out of the Placerville and Sacramento area, so the northern tracks are more of their target tracks. The Bay Area Hardtops, in my estimation, would encompass Antioch Speedway, Petaluma, Watsonville and Merced. Dave definitely wants the Bay Area movement to live, but he hasn't shown much leadership in organizing the group.
The biggest concern is you have probably 8 to 10 cars that would be considered Bay Area cars, but there is no effort to my knowledge to rally these guys to be ready for Antioch and to show that this Bay Area Hardtop deal is for real. In my communications with Dave, I have definitely put it out there that this needs to happen. Dave made the comment about how the Hardtop division should be at the Larry Damitz race, and I would add the John Soares Sr Top Dog Race as well. They would be a natural fit on both nights, but John is unlikely to add more dates unless he can get reasonable support at the dates he has booked.
What this really means is you need to know that you're bringing him at least eight cars, and I feel it's a reasonable expectation. This is before anybody from the California Hardtop Association decides to tow over the bridge and support. If you don't get that, don't be surprised if John pulls the plug. If you do get that, you're representing a group now. You have a seat at the table at Bay Area tracks, in my opinion.
Now, I'm not saying I want to divide the group. It's just that the Bay Area is a big enough area that there should be representation. Build the base in the Bay Area, the same way the Placerville and Sacramento area has built up its base. The car count base between the two groups could reach into the forties, making it possible to have some big blowout races between the two groups. Dave was the one that wanted to the Bay Area Hardtop group to exist. Well, if you're going to do that, you need leadership. You might complain about the California Hardtop leadership, but the Bay Area Hardtop leadership is non existent.
Now, it just so happens that this weekend has Hardtop races booked at Stockton and Antioch. Unfortunately, if you're going to have two different groups, this is going to happen with the schedule. The California Hardtops booked an ambitions 21 race schedule this year, so they're very busy. But, if you have a Bay Area Hardtop movement that has anything to it at all, delivering a half a dozen or eight cars this week should be possible. It only takes picking up the phone and calling the other Bay Area guys to let them know there is a race. Who wants to man the phones? I can guarantee you that John won't be doing it. Don't bring him cars, don't be looking to be on the schedule. Who wants to be the leader?
So, keeping with the Antioch Speedway theme, the Sharp Shooter series is happening this weekend. This one is the brain child of Jay Banks of Living Phat Promotions. Jay has come on board at Antioch Speedway during the last year and is learning under John. Jay saw something in the B Modified class that he really liked, so he is doing this special series. It takes the top two or three finishers from the heat races and puts them into a 12 lap dash with money and a plaque on the line for the winner. He's also keeping points for what is essentially a tournament, and there will be a Sharp Shooter Tournament champion at season's end. They have had two races so far, and there are seven more to go. The next one is this Saturday.
Jay reported earlier this week that Nick Spainhoward was coming in from Bakersfield. Nick is the 2014 IMCA State Sport Modified champion, and it's seldom that we see him at Antioch Speedway. Getting back to the Sharp Shooter idea, I think its a nice addition. Every little bit helps promote the program. Personally, I think Antioch ought to consider bringing Trophy Dashes back to the program. Trophy Dashes are a nice little touch, and I rather like what we do up at Southern Oregon Speedway.
You take the top four Main Event finishers from the previous week into the Trophy Dash. This means that you have a Trophy Dash line up on the board to start the night off, and you can start the night with your Trophy Dashes. They give the fans some races with stakes to them. The winners get trophies. Or, when Antioch was doing them, plaques. Start the show with Trophy Dashes, and you can have winners circle interviews after that and jump right into the heat races.
As I was on my way up to the track this morning, I happened to get a Wi-Fi signal and noticed that one of our articles has appeared in the Orland newspaper. It's always nice to be able to help these different race tracks get some recognition. Orland has their season opener this week. It's Rich Hood's third season as promoter, and I think what he's done so far is good. The main thing was keeping the program going, which he has done. This year, he's added some other little touches to the program, and I think the key is getting more confidence and getting a feel for what you've got. Orland Raceway is in good hands with Rich Hood. Personally, I'd love to make a trip down there on July 28th for the B Modified race. We'll just have to see if I can swing that.
Orland Raceway still has a Wingless Sprint Car class. They run on gas, but I hope they reconsider that. I have a hunch they would get more cars if they did. On playday last week, one of them flipped. Not sure what the story was on that, but flipping is not good on any night, much less a playday. You are there to work out the bugs. Hopefully, damage was minimal and they will be ready to race this week.
The Winged 360 Sprints had a busy week last week, and I was a bit disappointed to see Stockton 99 Dirt Speedway have a big $10,000 to win race with all of the other tracks holding regular races. The occasion was the Asparagus Festival in Stockton. I just wish there was a bit more cooperation among promoters for this, but I'm guessing Tony Noceti had some money to play with after one of his World Of Outlaws races was rained out. He had close to 40 cars without an SCCT or Civil War sanction. The latter group was in Tulane sharing the card with King Of The West/NARC Sprint Cars. Interesting to note the podium of Bud Kaeding, Kyle Hirst and Shane Golobic was identical for both groups that night.
Medford, Oregon area Sprint Car racers Jake Wheeler, Garen Linder and Seth Nunes were in Chico on Friday, and Wheeler led half the race. Jake is the 2016 Southern Oregon Speedway champion, but the track's decision to go with a limited rules package in the interest of car count has him on the road with Linder. Linder scored what could be his biggest win ever. He battled JJ Hickle for several laps and won ahead of defending champion Andy Forsberg. Car count has been up at Chico, showing that replacing the 410 Sprints with 360s was the right move.
I'm very curious how this Outlaw Open Comp race is going to play out at Yreka this week. A few of the racers were asking for this because their cars don't quite fit the rules of the classes that they have there. The track does need something to get more cars. Is this the answer? I guess we'll find out, but I hope it works out for them.
I still wonder if a Hornet division would work. I also wonder if a Hobby Stock division might be something to look at for a date or two. Perhaps if they chose an off night for Orland? Russ Newman of Hayfork expressed an interest in racing in Yreka. I would bet they could have a couple races if booked right. Also, they have four Jalopies in a new group in the area. It might not be a bad idea to have some exhibition races.
The Central Valley Mini Stocks had a race last Sunday at Lemoore Raceway. It was the season opener for the group, and they produced a 17 car field. They ran a full program with qualifying on the clock, 10 lap heat races, four lap Trophy Dash, 12 lap B Main and 30 lap Main Event. The Top 5 in the Main Event was paid rather nicely, and the Trophy Dash winner even got paid. Joining them on the schedule was the Sportsman Micro class, but I have absolutely no information on what happened with them.
What I can tell you is they run a really nice program, and they are family-oriented. The drivers made plenty of time for a meet and greet with the fans, and the little ones even got to sit inside some of the race cars. I like seeing this type of stuff. Now, I know Dan Myrick was looking to expand their schedule to possible other race tracks. I see the merit in that, and what they do at Hanford in June will be interesting. However, I really think they have something special in Lemoore. I'm all for growing this effort where it started, because there's no telling how big it can get in this unique setting. Also, DCRR Racing Media is going to do a little bit extra and see if we can get some coverage for them down there. Looking forward to May 6th.
You can find the Central Valley Mini Stock group on Facebook. I see where a few Mini Stock racers did visit there from other tracks last year, but be advised that these guys are trying to keep it equal, fair and affordable. You're not allowed to do much with these cars, and I like that idea. Keep it cheap and affordable, and you'll get a bigger car count. Now, on Facebook, they do put videos up there sometimes. If you're sitting back on a Sunday and you can't get to Lemoore, this is the next best thing. I'd just like to be able to hear the announcer and for the announcer to show just a little bit more enthusiasm than what I'm hearing in the audio. I think he's a new guy, and I give him credit for getting out there and doing it.
I'm anxiously waiting to see if the weather is going to allow us to have the race this week. Really couldn't tell you at this point. I'll be ready if we're able to get going, or I'll be kicking back at the computer monitoring some of the other races going on. Either way, the rain can't keep on going forever, can it? I guess I shouldn't tempt fate.
That's all for now...
