POSTED October 22, 2001

Paul Scott of Connor’s in Goshen is furnishing roast pork sandwiches and a keg of beer for after the races for all attending this Saturday’s start of the 16^th Annual Indiana-Michigan Challenge Cup! The track is providing canned pop and we are asking all who come to bring a covered dish for a big feed!

The weather forecast is for cold so bundle up but rest assured cold or not we will be racing both Saturday and Sunday!

This past Sunday was a very tough day for us! Floyd Courtney, husband of our world famous flag lady Rita Courtney, died in the afternoon from a sudden and massive heart attack!  Floyd was only 39 years old! In 1991 he had been a security guard at Mottville and later raced off and on at Mottville! He had attended several times this season. Rita went to Sturgis Hospital at once when she was notified and like the trooper she is returned just in time to flag Sunday! Arrangements are pending for a memorial service and when we have details we will post them on the bulletin board in this web site! Certainly our thoughts and prayers are with Rita at the time!

Also , far less important, we were up against an advertised big, big pay-off at a nearby track this week-end and to my amazement Saturday night we had 28 stock cars and 6 karts and a decent size crowd! Sunday was more rugged with 19 cars! But the TC class was strong both days with 10 on Saturday and 7 on Sunday! MTC just held their own with 5 each day. The big hit, as expected, was in SS and MS with 7 SS on Saturday and only 4 on Sunday. We had 6 MS Saturday and a season low 3 on Sunday. Well at least we found out who is serious about points!

Randy Morley won the SS feature both nights and thus attained a goal he had set at the beginning of the season to win 38 features! He picked 38 because that would be half of the 75 nights we run!

Saturday night Al Maurer looked fantastic in wining the dash! But in the heat he broke a rear axle and was done for the night! He vowed to be back this Saturday and Sunday for the big one! Ron Hughson, Jr. was back in his SS 41 and led in the feature before breaking a pinion but he also vowed to be back this week-end!

Now if anyone thinks we pay favorites at Mottville they certainly were proved wrong Sunday night! Paul Scott came across the line 2^nd (same as Saturday night) but was disqualified in post race inspection for weighing 2930 when 3000 is required! This gave 2^nd to Donald Hunley and 3^rd to Matt Buzzard!

We have a nice race shaping up in SS points standings! While Morley seems assured of his 3^rd season points championship and 2^nd in a row Buzzard, Hunley and Scott are battling each night for 2^nd-4^th! Morley certainly deserves his championship and Good Year jacket and points money as he has been most dedicated and Sunday even offered to flag if Rita did not return! In case you wonder what has happened to Jeff Brunt he is working 12 hours per day and 7 days per week! But he hopes to run the IMCC! Meanwhile he has dropped to 5^th in points and Hunley is now the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year in SS!

Merle Yoder seems certain to win the MS season points championship and he also is well deserving of  it! While others were tempted to gamble and gamble big time on the possible big bucks or big loss nearby Merle stayed at Mottville and Sunday won his 9^th feature of the season!  His uncle, John Yoder, was a close 2^nd and is in a heck of a battle for 2^nd in the points standings! Meanwhile Merle’s father, Enos, did a terrific job in running the track safety truck Sunday night!

Saturday night David Fugate won his 14^th feature of the season in MS and he told me afterwards that Mottville is the only track he has run this season and he has won 14 out of either 16 or 18 times! Remarkable!

The TC really put on a show both nights! Saturday night Fred Collins won his 5^th feature of the season and 2^nd in a row as he passed Tom Waddell on the final lap! Cindy Grinnell, improving each and every night, was 3^rd and Richard Allbee 4^th. Sunday night Waddell looked like he might win his first feature ever but cautions hurt him badly and Allbee won his first feature of the season by mere inches over Collins! Talk about excitement-the TC feature alone was worth the price of admission! Allbee also won the heat! Bill Crapo had a tough night Saturday night but came back Sunday for a strong 3^rd!

Again in TC the season points champ would certainly appear to be Eric Root and he also is most deserving as he has been most dedicated! But Grinnell, Crapo and Collins are raging a great battle for 2^nd and Waddell is moving up fast!

Saturday night Fred Garrett won his 11^th MTC feature of the season and Sunday night points leader Nathan Aumack came back for his 22^nd feature win! Saturday night it appeared Justin Mosher would get his first feature win ever as he led most of the race but Garrett managed to just nip Justin at the line!

Greg Brown won his 12^th kart feature of the season Saturday night! His sister, Jessica, looked terrific in winning the heat but was 3^rd in the feature with Justin Stump a strong 2^nd.

The kart season points championship might well be termed the honor that no one seems to want! Right now it is wide open and any karter dedicating himself or herself to making it all of the 9 night remaining on the schedule might well wrap it up!

Yes as unbelievable as it seems only 9 nights left! 66 down and 9 to go! This week-end should be terrific and then we have the season championship on November 18 and the final race on November 24!