Although the primary driver in Merrill Calvert’s #3 mini sprint is son-in-law Ian Beveridge, you never know who will turn up when Ian is unavailable to drive. Saturday night evening it was short track midget ace Mike Fedorcak. Fedorcak’s claim to fame is the unique munchkin midget that he built in 1989. Since that time several more have been built for the winter indoor season. Fedorcak finished 8th in his heat race, 4th in the B main and 13 in the feature.
A.M.S.A. owner Jerry Tague had several comments for the driver’s meeting. He noted that he remains very happy with his new weight rule and is convinced that it has created a more level playing field. He also commented on the July 24th non-winged race at Logansport Indiana’s US 24 Raceway. He said they recently tested Calvert’s 2 cars on the 1/6 mile oval and found it to be very racy. Visit the A.M.S.A. website (www.americanminisprints.com) for more information.
One of the nice things about running with the A.M.S.A. is their attempts to make the group seem more like family. After the event on Saturday evening racers, fans and crews were treated to a barbeque dinner. A special thanks to Mert Tague and Sheila Calvert for preparing and serving up such a great meal.
I enjoyed the opportunity to spend a few minutes chatting with Jeremy Perdue (driver of the number 21 mini sprint). Jeremy is a pretty busy person. In addition to a full-time job, he also works for the Hoffman’s race team and spends a couple days a week training two fighters for cage fighting. Jeremy is in his second season of mini sprints and is a transfer from the TQs.
Great pictures from the American Mini Sprint Association race at Lawrenceburg are available at http://www.brandonmurrayphotos.com/p904056177.
It was great to see the car count both the A.M.S.A. and the M.M.S.A. enjoyed over the weekend. It’s always a concern with both groups running so close together on the same night. The A.M.S.A. had 28 cars and the M.M.S.A. had 20 cars. A total of 48 mini sprints running on the same night less than an hour apart is a pretty good indication of where this thing is going. The M.M.S.A. actually ran two features. One of the features was a make-up from two weeks ago when a damaged catch fence cancelled the nights racing.
I am proud to be part of a sport that still honors some of the fundamentals that our country is built upon. In an age when teachers have to be careful about even making reference to God, I am thankful that tracks like Lawrenceburg still start the evening with a prayer. The track chaplain has even started providing a short service prior to the evening’s festivities that is directed at drivers and crew.
I was recently invited to participate in a unique event. Although I haven’t matched it up against the calendar yet, I am hoping to participate. The event is called the 24 Hours of Lemons. It is a 24 hour race at Nelson Ledges Road Course that takes place in cars that have to be purchased for no more than $500. This doesn’t include safety equipment like seats, roll cages etc. Each team is required to have at least four drivers. I have been told that in previous years they have had as many as 100 teams in attendance. The variety of cars is pretty astounding. I’ve seen everything from a VW bus to vintage Mustangs. I’ll post more information as I find it out.
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