TERRE HAUTE — Questions and random thoughts surround the much-anticipated return of Indiana Sprint Weeks to the Terre Haute Action Track.
• With temperatures hovering in the 90s and the air so thick you can literally cut it with a knife, is there is any question that ISW is upon us?
• In that vein, with three of the shows already victims to rain this season, aren’t Action Track officials due to have good weather for what could be their biggest event of the year?
• Once considered the showcase for the sprints is now USAC’s biggest attraction, which speaks well for the sprints, but what does that mean about the overall health and future of USAC and its other divisions?
• Wouldn’t it be nice to see the ISW with a television and sponsorship package worthy of the support it receives from fans and racers across the Hoosier state?
• ISW dates are the most lucrative most promoters have all summer. Are the purses for each event anywhere near where they need to be?
• An ISW feature win should be worth nothing short of a $10,000 payday for a winning driver and his car owner. With an additional $25,000 going to the series champ.
As grueling as the seven-race nine-day ISW schedule might be, does it even come close to matching what World of Outlaws winged sprint teams face — on the road 48 weeks out of the year — during a demanding slate?
• Are the Indy Racing League and Indianapolis Motor Speedway missing a golden opportunity to win back or gain new fans by guaranteeing the ISW champ a legitimate test drive in the annual 500 rookie orientation program each May?
• Do they not have the vision to see what the likes of a Dave Darland, Jon Stanbrough or Levi Jones might do to help spur much needed interest among grassroots dirt track fans?
• With Darland a legitimate contender to win this year’s version of ISW, he would become only the second four-time series champ. Can anyone tell me what driver’s record he would tie?
How about Kevin Thomas, who accomplished the feat winning back-to-back titles in 1992-93 and 1995-96.
• Can ISW really be considered a true Indiana Sprint Weeks championship with the track that is host to the state’s most successful weekly card not on its schedule?
The absence of Paragon Speedway on the ISW slate is the result of both sides failing to swallow their pride and coming to reason on what is best for Indiana sprint car racing .
• And how about Indiana’s paved ovals at Salem, Winchester, O’Rielly Raceway Park and Anderson Speedway? They are as much of a part of Indiana sprint car racing as any of the dirt tracks.
With the promotional changes at Lincoln Park Speedway in the offering, could the 5/16-mile oval be back on the ISW for 2010? Many fans are hoping so.
• Is it the sluggish economy, the hassles of USAC officialdom or the stark reality that they may not be competitive with USAC regulars or maybe the combinations of all three factors the reason why Wabash Valley racers are noticeably absent from this year’s ISW fields?
• West Terre Haute’s Blake Fitzpatrick has been the only local driver to run in the ISW thus far. His efforts have been nothing short of spectacular. With a fast qualifying effort at Kokomo, a pair of heat wins and a pair of top six feature finishes is it not a pleasant surprise to the see the talented newcomer ranking fourth in ISW points?
Once the dust settles and the checkered flag falls on the 2009 ISW will there be any question that fans will have been treated to some of the best open-wheel dirt-track racing this country has to offer?
Joe Buckles can be reached at jbuckles4@verizon.net.
Trackside
Trackside: Could ISW improve upon recent success?
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Trackside: Midgets could be on rise in Wabash Valley
With Indiana Midget Week taking center stage this week at Wabash Valley ovals, it’s time to talk midget racing.
More specifically, it’s time to examine its status in the Hoosier State and what the future might hold for one of open wheel’s most competitive but yet overlooked forms of racing.
It’s no secret the mighty, little midgets have suffered from hard times in recent years. Spiraling engine costs and resulting smaller car counts have led to a sharp reduction in the number of races for the midgets.
Terre Haute Action Track supporters of the midgets know first hand. They lost their popular Hut Hundred a few seasons back and hope of them returning to the local half-mile clay oval remains a question mark. -
TRACKSIDE: Bad weather gives time to reflect
With weather-related issues continuing to plague the Wabash Valley racing scene, the lack of on-track activity presents an opportunity to offer an overall assessment of the 2013 campaign to date.
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TRACKSIDE: Burton’s death shows tragic side of racing
The tragic chain of events that had unfolded the previous night at Bloomington Speedway had cast a pall over what should have been an enjoyable night of racing at LPS.
Word had circulated the Putnam County racing facility that earlier in the day that young Josh Burton had succumbed to injuries from an accident the night before at Bloomington.
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TRACKSIDE: Chase Stockon hopes momentum stays with him in Terre Haute
Momentum, an element that can be as elusive to a race driver as that perfect setup, can spell the difference in winning or running at the rear of the pack.
It’s a force difficult to achieve and maybe even harder to maintain. One learns quickly to make the most of the opportunity when it comes his way.
It’s something Chase Stockon will carry with him coming into today’s Jim Hurtubise Classic at the Terre Haute Action Track.
Only days following the biggest victory of his young and promising career, the $10,000-to-win USAC feature at Lawrenceburg, Stockon followed that up with another rich payday this past weekend at Tri-State Speedway. -
TRACKSIDE: Stanbrough continues points chase after recent skirmish with rival
Veteran sprint car driver Jon Stanbrough has never been one to hide his distaste for chasing point championships. It simply doesn’t bode well with his style of racing.
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TRACKSIDE: Brett Andrew plays role in developing NASCAR's new body styles
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TRACKSIDE: Stockon takes giant step forward in USAC
One of the more impressive and welcomed storylines of the recently completed Indiana Sprint Week was the emergence of area driver Chase Stockon on the national sprint car scene.
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TRACKSIDE: Indiana Sprint Week rises above heat, rain, poor economy
The 25th annual version of Indiana Sprint Week is now officially in the record books and the latest chapter will go down as one of the most successful in recent years.
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TRACKSIDE: Late models may have no long-term future in Indiana
Reflecting on what was billed as the biggest week of the summer for dirt-track stock-car racing … while preparing to shift gears for the busiest week of the year for non-wing sprint-car racing in the Wabash Valley.
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TRACKSIDE: Summer heat has made this ‘The Hell Tour’
It is fittingly billed as “The Hell Tour” for many of the Midwest’s leading late model stock car drivers and their crews.
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TRACKSIDE: Retired driver LaJoie spreads the word of safety
In his roles as past driving champion and television analyst, Randy LaJoie has rightfully earned the reputation as a major contributor to the sport of auto racing.
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Trackside: Stanbrough on track at midseason
When veteran driver Jon Stanbrough ushered in a new season in Florida back in February, he found himself facing a pair of unfamiliar challenges.
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TRACKSIDE: Clauson bucks the IndyCar trend
On the surface, the distance from the dirt oval at Lincoln Park Speedway to the massive, paved Indianapolis Motor Speedway may appear only a few miles apart.
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TRACKSIDE: USAC Midget Classic not nearly as revered as it once was
It might be three years removed from its birthplace but the Hut Hundred USAC Midget Classic still holds a special place in the hearts of Wabash Valley racing buffs.
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TRACKSIDE: What could have been: Indy’s folklore got richer this week
It’s a question that will linger for years and only add to the folklore of the Indianapolis 500.
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TRACKSIDE: Sprint car event could generate close racing
One of the hottest and most competitive weekends of the 2012 motorsports season gets under way tonight at the Terre Haute Action Track with the scheduled running of the Tony Hulman Sprint Car Classic.
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TRACKSIDE: Mulling over the biggest weekend in motorsports
We’re approaching what has traditionally become one of the busiest and most prestigious weekends in all of motorsports.
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TRACKSIDE: Helfrich: Short-track racing has good future
When questions arise regarding the current state of sprint car racing, whether they be at the local or national level, one doesn’t have to search much further for the answer than veteran promoter Tom Helfrich.
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TRACKSIDE: Near-capacity crowd turns out for opening night of racing
Opening night at one of the midwest’s premier short track operations can be like no other time of the year.
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TRACKSIDE: Racing season has promise
With several “test and tunes” sessions and season openers having already taken the green flag, it’s a sure sign the Wabash Valley racing campaign is shifting into high gear.
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TRACKSIDE: Valley racing showed best, worst of times in 2011
A look back on the 2011 Wabash Valley auto racing season reveals the best and worst of times the sport has to offer.
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TRACKSIDE: Menard's victory at Brickyard momentous for family, race fans
Who says one of those familiar bright fluorescent-colored Menards race cars can’t find its way to victory lane at Indianapolis?
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TRACKSIDE: After a delayed start, the Terre Haute Action Track gets season cranked up
Its arrival may have been delayed by several months — for a host of reasons — but the 2011 Terre Haute Action Track season is finally out of the blocks.
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TRACKSIDE: Changes come up on Indiana racing scene
With the highly anticipated USAC Indiana Sprint Week sprint card on tap at the Terre Haute Action Track tonight and the Tony Hulman/Don Smith Classic and a host of events leading up to the Brickyard 400 looming on the horizon, it would appear that it’s the best of times for Wabash Valley racing buffs.
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TRACKSIDE: Fortunes of dirt track racing at Action Track can be written in the dust
In the 40 plus years of covering motorsports, it would appear the process of writing this weekly race column would come together rather routinely.
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TRACKSIDE: Auto racing in May in Indiana runs on history and tradition
Possibly nowhere in the sports world does history and tradition play such a key role in an event’s success and future as that found in auto racing.
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TRACKSIDE: Wabash Valley racing ready to take green flag — even Action Track
Despite having already lost several bouts to the elements, the 2011 Wabash Valley motorsports season has taken the green flag and will soon be shifting into high gear on several fronts.
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TRACKSIDE: Fitzpatrick on track to continue impressive start to racing career
One of the top stories on the Wabash Valley motorsports stage last season was the emergence of Blake Fitzpatrick as a legitimate front-runner on the national sprint-car scene.
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Frightening finish to season at Terre Haute Action Track
The 2010 Terre Haute Action Track season came to a climactic close over the weekend. Unfortunately, the campaign closed on a near-tragic note for the second consecutive year.
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Trackside: Attractive USAC sprint car card this weekend
With the area circle track season rapidly drawing to a close, fans will have a pair of attractive USAC sprint car cards to attend this weekend. Back-to-back shows at Lincoln Park Speedway and Terre Haute Action Track not only offer fans a final opportunity to see the sprints in action one final time, but they also serve as pivotal stops in the chase for the USAC sprint car drivers championship.
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