POSTED August 20, 2001

Mother Nature really dealt us a most severe double whammy this past week-end! Saturday it rained off and on during the afternoon and then heavier after we opened! About 15 minutes before we started we offered the Vintage Mods a refund and they took it and left. We started the SS dash in the rain and most of the heats and dashes were run in a misty rain but by intermission time it had stopped and by the MS and SS features the track was fairly dry. Surely Sunday would be much better we were sure! Well it was not! Rain on and off Sunday afternoon and shortly after we opened a shower. Then several drivers swept the water off the track and we hot lapped and got it dried
when it rain again and this time hard and long! Again we swept track and hot lapped and got it fairly dry and then ran the program. A light mist during the first feature was the only rain we saw after that. So despite the rain for two days we were the only track in the area to run at all! This prompts me to review our track policy on bad weather. First of all , if at all humanly possible we will run! Often in the rain. Secondly, we will not force anyone to run. Usually on nights with bad weather we will have no crowd at all (4 on Saturday and 11 on Sunday!) so pay-off must be reduced! The attempt will be made to structure a pay-off so that all drivers running get something and the track breaks even. To me this seems far better for all than canceling! This is offset by the fact that many times, in fact the majority of the time, we pay more than we call for in pay-offs so reducing a very few nights for bad weather does not seem at all unfair to me.
Before the features Sunday on the line-up we posted what each feature would pay to win. The vast majority of the drivers understood and had no problem with it at all. Of course, they would have preferred to have run for full pay and I would have preferred to pay full pay but with the weather against us there was no way! Basically two things happened which really soured me on some drivers! First in the MTC feature the 3 drivers involved run 3 wide very slowly until the last lap and then raced for the final lap. Just as I expected the veteran driver suckered the two younger drivers and won the race. But as Rita Courtney points out on the bulletin board it was the fans who suffered.
I am 55 years old and like most racing promoters I am from what is called the "old school." I am often not politically correct! But I will tell you right here and now no two teenagers are going to dictate to me how to run the track! This reminds me of the problems I had in 1991 with the karters whom I considered "prima donnas" and as result dropped them for 7 years and would not even allow them to hot lap on Thursdays during the 7 years! The MTC class is our newest class and we have lost money on it night after night after night in an attempt to get it going! Now for them to pull a stunt like this does not put me in the mood to continue to subsidize it! Also after all these nights of racing we can not seem to get the MTC and TC classes above the 5-6 level which is most disappointing. I am still confident that eventually these two classes will boom but starting this week-end the pay-off for TC and MTC is based on a minimum of 7 cars just like the pay-offs for MS and SS. Of course, we may well pay the 7 car pay-off even with say 5-6 cars if we have a good crowd just as we often do with the SS and MS now. Also we have added to the rules that we must have a minimum of 3 cars to run either TC or MTC. Otherwise the TC will run with SS and the MTC with MS. Hopefully we will always have 3 cars and that will not be necessary. But if we have anymore game playing with the MTC drivers then I am warning them right now, you are messing with the wrong person if you mess with me. TC and MTC are for fun and if you can't have fun, then do not race! Its that simple Secondly at pay-off one driver who I feel has far too much money in his car, complained about what we paid to win even though we posted it on the board prior to the feature and he won easily and it was obvious to all that the weather killed our crowd! He says he will not be back. Well no official with the Mottville Speedway told him to put that kind of money in his car to begin with and if $15 is the difference between racing and not racing, then he had better keep it parked! We try to run economy classes of racing and keep it fun. I did not buy the Mottville Speedway to get rich and believe me after 11 seasons I am a long, long way from being rich but I am having a great time! (most of the time!)
Anyway end of sermon and thanks to all the drivers who showed understanding for the situation and the fans who did come out!
Most likely we have seen the end of the Vintage Mods at Mottville at least for 2001 and maybe beyond. To put it in the best possible light I can say they are now too expensive for us! We parted Saturday night with both sides very friendly and that is good and I wish them the best. Their 3 nights that were scheduled for Mottville in September were non-points nights (I did not learn that until very recently and then by accident!) so the car count would most likely have been even worse than it has been.
David Fugate looked really awesome Saturday night on a wet track! This guy is unreal! For a period of time Wesley Schaefer led the feature and seems to be improving each week! Larry Birk was back after a long, long absence and had problems Saturday night but came back Sunday with a strong 3rd in the
feature! It was great to see his daughter, Michelle, also! Talking about looking great on a wet track! Matt Buzzard won the SS dash Saturday night on a totally wet track! Did well in the dash Sunday when the track was its wettest of the night! Bryan Smith showed up for the first time in a SS but had mechanical woes and could not run the feature! Dennis Weber registered a SS and gave it the old college try. He would fit in far better as a TC but has 8" wheels. Eric Root had a heck of a week-end! Won the TC feature both nights! Fred Collins was back in TC both nights and is really improving and led the feature for several laps Saturday!
Greg Brown scored the upset of the night Saturday when he just beat Nick Landon, driving a super kart, across the line for the feature win! His sister Jessica was not so fortunate as she had mechanical woes and could not start the feature!
Tyler Hufford looked all set to win his first trophy ever but by mistake pulled in the pits on the final lap! I think too much coaching from the pits!
Merle Yoder looked much better this week-end, taking home 2nd in the MS feature Sunday! Jamie Kline and Barry Harrison were back with MS and both had rods knocking during hot laps and loaded before the racing started which is a major bummer!
Jason Schaefer looks to be on the very verge of being truly awesome! This rookie can really fly! Wes told me he may put a new engine in Jason's car and if he does, look out! Sunday in the SS feature Matt Elsey jumped to an early and big lead but after a caution Jeff Brunt took over the lead and won fairly easily for his 4th feature win of the season! Another hard charging rookie and like Jason a very nice person to deal with! Robert Sprague came to Mottville Sunday with his new SS 05 and looked impressive! A few handling bugs to work out and he will be right in there! WE think Randy Morley blew the engine on the TC 26 and maybe on the SS 26 also so weather he will race this week-end is very much in doubt! Justin Mosher had a new MTC Sunday but could not run feature due to heating problems.

Sunday our scorer and my right hand lady, Ersell Eby, had the flu and I mean really had the flu! So bad she could not come to the track and those of you who know Ersell know she had to be sick to not come to the track! Anyway I really want to thank Judith Grace Swihart Holden for filling in at the last minute! She did a fine job and I really appreciate it!
This Sunday night is a trophy night-trophies to all dash and heat winners and top 3 in features. Plus Sunday is triple points and bonus points plus bonus points to those running both Saturday night and Sunday night! Then the following week-end is our last triple header week-end of racing for 2001! Again TP and bonus points so look out! Could be a close points race yet in several divisions.

Well folks you just never know what will happen at Mottville next so be here this week end because,
 There really is no place quite like it and we love it that way!