POSTED November 19, 2001

Saturday night we found out there is something worse than rain for racing in and that is FOG! I mean the fog was dense! A good share of the night we could not see the cars from the announcing tower on the backstretch or in turns 2 or 3! So we stationed David Schaefer in the track truck in the infield to keep us informed of spinouts in turn 3 and Tom Pearson could report on turn 2 from the pit tower! But the races were exciting, perhaps even more so than usual, because of the fog! At least it was fairly warm-low 50’s and high 40’s!

The 35 lap street stock feature was really exciting!  Season points leader Randy Morley had a new engine from a van installed in his SS 26 and led after 17 laps when we had a caution. He stopped just entering the backstretch and had to be pushed to the pits and his bad luck of late continued! Donald Hunley resumed the lead he had held previously before Morley passed him. Josh Salter had started last and worked his way carefully to 2^nd! On each lap we watched turn 4 to see if a black car or a white car emerged first! The black car of Salter took over the lead but on most laps we easily saw the white car of Hunley in 2^nd before the lead car of Salter! Salter went on for his 2^nd feature win of the season with Hunley 2^nd!  Paul Scott survived at least two crashes and came home 3^rd!  Mike Long was a steady 4^th and Robert Sprague passed Terry Baldwin late for 5^th.

Scott won the dash and heat wins went to Morley and Hunley. Bill Neering returned from Cedar Lake Indiana but crashed in hot laps and left the feature early and returned many laps down!

Matt Buzzard broke during hot laps and was done for the night and his 2^nd place in the season points  standings is very much in doubt with Hunley and Scott bearing down on him!

Jason Schaefer passed season points leader Merle Yoder midway through the 25 lap Mottville Stock feature and went on for his 11^th feature win of the season! Terry Kline was a distant 3^rd followed by Rod Roberts and Jamie Kline. Jamie won the heat and Merle Yoder took the dash.

Fred Garrett easily won the Mini Thunder Car feature and heat with Morley, driving the 38 MTC , finishing 2^nd in both.

Fred Collins won his 9^th Thunder Car feature of the season fairly easily over Cindy Grinnell, Richard Allbee and Bill Crapo. Grinnell won the heat. Season points leader Eric Root had his 57 car present but had a transmission leak and could not race.

Karts season points leader Andrew Behlke won his 17^th feature of the season and made it look very easy! His grandfather Tom Koehler was 2^nd and his father Tod Behlke was 3^rd. Justin Stump pulled in the infield early in the 12 lapper and was 4^th.

For the weather conditions and for being November 17 the car count was very good with a total of 31 and a strong SS count of 14!

Sunday the weather was almost perfect for our season championship races sponsored by Yoder Oil Co, our racing fuel supplier, and it was our final Sunday night show of 2001 ! The racing was exciting and close all night long!

Paul Scott won the 25 lap Street Stock feature for his 3^rd feature win of the season! Early in the race Scott was leading when Donald Hunley bumped him hard on the front stretch and then we had a report from spotters that Scott was leaking fuel. The race was cautioned and Scott sent to the pits and the problem easily corrected. When he returned we put him back in first place since my feeling was the trouble had been caused by Hunley bumping him. Right or wrong it was my call and I stand by it! Morley finally finished a feature again and 2^nd, about wrapping up his 3^rd SS season points championship and 2^nd in a row! Terry Kline was 3^rd and Hunley 4^th. Hunley won a very close dash over Scott and Morley and Scott took a close heat win over Hunley and Morley.

Jason Schaefer was awesome again in winning his 12^th Mottville Stock feature of the season! Rod Roberts was 2^nd and Merle Yoder 3^rd. Merle about wrapped up his MS season points championship which will be his first ever and well deserved! Merle won the dash over Jamie Kline and Roberts took the heat over Schaefer.

Fred Garrett took over the Mini Thunder Car season points lead by winning his 18^th feature of the season over Morley.

Richard Allbee made it 3 Thunder Car feature wins as he took the 15 lapper over Cindy Grinnell and Bill Crapo. Fred Collins was 4^th and probably season points champion Eric Root, nursing a sick car, was 5^th.

Crapo really look good in wining the dash and heat!

Andrew Behlke, 10 years old, about wrapped up his first ever season points championship by winning the 10 lap feature over Tom Kohler and Tod Behlke.

Seems hard to believe that we have now run 74 races this points season plus 2 off season races! Even harder to believe that we have now gone 123 nights without an outright cancellation! This has to be a national record! Our last cancellation was in June of 2000! In between we have run in the rain, heavy at times, dense fog and cold! Now that is a bunch of very dedicated racers!

Elsewhere on this web site you will find our 2002 rules and 2002 registration form. Basically the rules are the same as 2001 but we have changed SS to Pro Stocks to more accurately reflect what the cars actually are and in the process we have raised the payoff  greatly! Also the MS, despite some set backs this season, have had their payoff increased which is a big gamble on my part!

Well this Saturday we wrap it up for 2001 and our 51^st consecutive season at racing at Mottville! I always hate to see the end of the season come! Remember we open at 3 and race at 4 this Saturday!

Also banquet tickets are no on sale and by mail you can send $20 per ticket to P.O.B. 207, Nappanee, In. 46550 and if you wish to sponsor a points plaque for $35 for your favorite driver send your check or money order to the same address. Hunley’s Service and Repair in Goshen has already agreed to sponsor two plaques and Goshen Collision Center and Jenkin’s Napa Auto Parts Stores have signed on also! Have about 3 more sponsors I have to contact who probably will sponsor plaques also!

After next week I will start reviewing the 2001 season and share that information with you in this column. One column I intend to write before the end of the year concerns what it is like being a race track owner! Since I hear there is a track for sale in our area you might want to read it before making an offer!

Have a great Thanksgiving and I know I personally am most thankful for all my blessings this year including being given the  temporary custody of the Mottville Speedway for 11 years now! I have now ran Mottville for more seasons than any other person in the 51 year history of the speedway and I am hoping the Good Lord blesses me with many more seasons!