I have always enjoyed racing at Waynesfield. It is really a fun track and overall great facility. Dean Miracle and staff did an excellent job of getting the race in as they worked against threatening weather. To their credit we were loaded, payed off and headed back for Cincinnati by 9:15. From what I was told, it was one of the most competitive fields that Waynesfield has seen so far this season with the introduction of their 1000cc class. When the dust settled, Rod Henning in his newly designed FOZ G2 chassis would take the win. I apologize for the shameless plug, but it is gratifying to see one of our cars take the win over some of the areas best equipment and drivers. It has been a good start to our season with Beau Stewart and Jamie Paul already claiming a victory also. There were a few drivers walking the pits that just don't have their cars together yet, but indicated they would be out in the next few events. I am hopeful that the car count at Waynesfield will continue to grow. It has the added benefit of having a go-kart track on-site also. Like Lawrenceburg, a competitor could start in karts, move to mini sprints and finally transition to sprints without ever leaving the Waynesfield Motorsports Park. It is definately a track that the mini sprints are lucky to have as an option on their calendar.
I really wish I could have attended the event at Twin Cities Raceway Park a few weeks ago where the ASCT unveiled their new midget series. While the message boards have detailed the difficulties that plagued the evening, there was also a great deal of excitement generated by the event. Over the past few weeks there has been a lot of talk about non-winged mini sprints/midgets. I have only had a chance to run a mini sprint without a wing a few times, but can tell you that I had an absolute blast. The ASCT has additional events planned for their midget series this year. While I certainly want to see the groups that are in existence supported, it appears that some of these events don't conflict with the other group's schedules. I hope that the ASCT midgets are well supported at these events. In total it appears that there could be as many as 12 non winged mini sprint dates available to competitors through the end of the season. The following dates (some tentative) have been posted by these groups either on their web pages or on Indiana Open Wheel. I would drop these promoters an e-mail to let them know that you are in favor of what they are doing. I have also heard rumors that Bakersfield Raceway Park in Linton, Indiana is considering turning their non wing 600cc upright class into a 1000cc non winged upright class. Not sure if this one is true or not.
- June 4th - Montpelier Speedway - ASCT Midgets
- June 25th - Salem Thunder Valley Raceway - MMSA - Salem, Indiana
- June 26th - Scott County Speedway - ASCT Midgets - Scottsburg, Indiana
- June 28th - Shelbyville County Fairgrounds - MMSA - Shelbyville, Indiana
- July 2nd - Union County Speedway - ASCT Midgets - Liberty, Indiana
- July 24th - U.S. 24 Speedway, Logansport, Indiana
- August 6th - Union County Speedway - ASCT Midgets - Liberty, Indiana
- August 14th - U.S. 24 Speedway - MMSA - Logansport, Indiana
- Sept 10th - Union Country Speedway - ASCT Midgets - Liberty, Indiana
- Sept 11th - Union County Speedway - ASCT Midgets - Liberty, Indiana
- October 8th - Clay County Speedway - ASCT Midgets - Flora, IL
- October 9th - Clay County Speedway - ASCT Midgets - Flora, IL
- July 24th - US 24 Speedway - Logansport, Indiana
I enjoy keeping track of some of the young talent that is currently competing in the midwest. I recently came across the website of Lynsey Tilton (http://www.lynseytiltonracing.com/). Lynsey is a young lady that has been competing in mini sprints for the last couple of seasons. Reviewing her website it was interesting to see that she has quite a racing resume. She has raced motorcycles, BMX, go-karts, midgets, sprints and is now competing in 1000cc mini sprints. While Lynsey appears intent on climbing the ladder, I am most impressed that she is using the mini sprints as an opportunity to continue to maximize seat time. I am really bothered by the path some of the so called 'driver development' programs have set young drivers on. There are a least a couple that I have been watching that have showed promise as drivers, but are currently spending all their time chasing sponsors, attending media events and attempting to play the role. The saddest thing is they are missing out on the best part of racing--being on track. I might be all wet since we have unfortunately reached a point where perhaps the marketing/pr role a driver must play might have surpassed a driver's role on the track. I have to give a shout out to Lynsey and family. It is nice to see someone chasing their dream while actually remaining grounded enough to know that seat time still plays an important role in driver development.
I apologize I didn't meet my goal of publishing another edition of Mini Sprint Racer magazine by the beginning of May. As is most often the case, time has been at an absolute premium. I have written a story about last year's MMSA champion Scott Bradley and have also written a few tech articles. Hopefully I'll get the chance to publish sometime soon.
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