Speedweeks in the Mirror.

So Speedweeks is over and the racing season has begun. The next real Modifed race is in less than a month at Atlanta Motor Speedway, on the 1/4 mile track on the front strech followed by Orange County Speedway in NC. Lets hope the weather changes a whole bunch in the next 4 weeks.

Opening day for the Whelen Modifed tour is in less than 2 months away at the Thompson International Speedway. The Modifieds will be joined by 6 divisions of stock cars to get the season off to a bang.

The winter was relatively quiet this year. That was until until Donny Lia left the #4 Mystic Missile team 2 weeks ago to re-join the Camping World Truck series. Donny was running well at Daytona until he was involved an a big wreck.

Then at New Smyrna TC won another championship (His 8th by the way) which wasn't the biggest story. The Ronnie Silk/ Keith Rocco WWE SK night at the track grabbed a lot of the headlines. Keith is quickly becoming one of modified racing's bad boys. That is too bad because he can drive a race car but if he keeps this up no one will notice.

The 2010 WMT championship race will be wide open with Donny Lia not racing. Will Ted Christopher get his second championship. Will Todd Szegedy get his first after running so strong most of last year. Will Ryan Preece who is still so young but really came on last year take the last step and get his championship? Plus add in Eric Beers who will have a 2 team effort to try and win his first championship.

Every year at least 1 team steps it up. To do that you need experience, luck, money and a lot of hard work. This year Rowan Pennik could be that driver. Either in his own 93 or the rumored shift to the 4 car could move him up in the standings.

Bobby Grigas will have a new crew chief in Brad Lafontaine, could this be a big year for him? How about Ronnie Silk or Matt Hirshman both very capable drivers with great equipment and experienced teams behind them. This could also be a break out year for some younger drivers, Eric Goodale who had a pretty strong Speedweeks could have a breakout year in only his second full season.

Its just 50 Days until Thompson and counting down. It will probably be cold and with the weather we have had this winter maybe even a little snow left over. But the stands and the pits will be packed with thousands of people all looking to get their racing season off to a great start.

See you at the race track.

Jaws

Its Snowing, So it Must Be Time to Go Racing!!

OK, so it freezing outside and its snowing. That must mean its time to go racing!

While 100,000,000.00+ people are waiting for the Super Bowl, most people I know are looking at Florida not for the Super Bowl but for Speedweeks.

Hundreds of race teams and thousands of of fans are converging on the Daytona Speedway, New Symrna, Volusha and other short tracks around the state. They are there for their love of racing and the annual start of racing in the United States.

Will Jimmy Johnson make it 5 in a row, will Dale Jr. be the driver all him millions of fans want him to be, does Ken Schrader belong in the Bud Shoot out?

All good questions but most of my friends are asking different questions. How many cars are going to show up at New Symrna, will they all come home in one piece, who will win the championship that has been won by so many great drivers over the years? Who will win the Richie Evans memorial race?

For a week of racing that does not pay much beyond the 1st and 2nd place cars it has always attracted the best drivers and teams. Steve Park, Richie Evans, Jimmy Spencer, Tom Baldwin, Ted Christopher, John and Jimmy Blewett, Reggie Ruggiero, Donny Lia, Jan Leaty, Jamie Tomino, Tony Jankowiak and hundreds of others have tried their hands at one of the fasted short tracks in the country.

While a bad night at New Symrna could ruin your season, a good week could make your year. Many a driver has destroyed a car and never recovered the rest of the year. Others have open some eyes with one or two win in Fla.

Well unfortunately the years first race had to wait another day as heavy rains postponed night 1 but hopefully they get in night 2. But there are 7 more races to go including Wednesdays John Blewett Memorial and Fridays Richie Evans Memorial races.

Let hope for good weather and safe races for the rest of the week.

Until we meet at the track.

Jaws