This past week was another busy successful week for I-35 Speedway. Mother Nature dictated when the track was worked and when the grass was mowed but she gave us a great day and evening to race when it came race day on Saturday. Thank you Mother Nature. We also met with the fireworks company in preparation for upcoming July 4th festivities (race night and fireworks are July 2). We even received news from the Governor of the Great State of Missouri, but more on that later.

The theme for this week seemed to be the green, white, checkered finish. The Charger and B Mod class both experienced the green, white, checkered finish. This occurs when a yellow flag happens after the leaders have taken the white flag. Safety dictates the throwing of the yellow flag. If you are the leader on the white flag lap and the yellow is thrown your first thought is “rats” or some other word of choice. If you are second place your thought is alright, great, yes, another chance to get him or her. Sometimes the leader has a huge lead and it is reduced to a restart with second place immediately behind the leader. There are no guarantees on green, white, checkered finishes as sometimes the hot hand has worked his or her way through traffic and is getting the break they need. However, not on this night, the hot driver in both features was the person sitting in first at the original white flag, in the case of the Chargers, Houston “Moose” Johnson and in the case of the B Mods, Trevor Hunt. Both of these young but experienced drivers held off the challenges of the second place veteran competitors.

Ninety-One racecars graced the pits for another week of outstanding racing at I-35 Speedway. We had the Midwest Outlaw Vintage Racers (MOVR) and the Mod Lites as the guest classes for the week. Congratulations to Jack Simmons and Dillon Rafferty for wins in these classes. Also congratulations to Matt Dorssom on win number 4 in the E Mods, Cory Wray on his second win in the A Mods, Connor Masoner on his first win in the Pure Stocks, and Dean Wray on his fourth win in the Stock Cars. Hunt’s win in the B Mods ensured there was not a repeat winner in this class, seven weeks of racing and seven different winners.

We also made one slight change in our weekly racing program which seemed to work great. The on track interviews were moved to the announcer’s booth. After each feature the winner went to the front straight, received the trophy, had the picture taken, and then reported to tech. After clearing tech the winner would report to the announcer booth for his/her interview. This allowed the racing program to keep on rolling, the winner to receive the accolades of her/his fans, and the interview to be completed in a more relaxed atmosphere. It also allowed the winning driver to get a glimpse of what work goes on in the tower during the races.

The tower can be very busy during a race. The announcers are busy calling the race, the scoreboard operator is recording the laps and listing the top 5, the Competition/Race Director is busy working with officials’/safety crew and making calls on the raceiver radio, which each competitor is required to wear and listen, and the scorers are busy recording each lap and when the race is complete inputting the data into the computer. Then the results and payout information are printed and transferred to the front office for their action.

This past weekend was Timberline Trading Night at the Races. This week is Ferrellgas Night at the Races. Does your company you work for have an employee night? Have them contact the race track and we can work with them to have their night at the races or make it a company picnic and then enjoy the races.

This brings us back to the Governor of the State of Missouri. On August 12 and 13, 2016 I-35 Speedway will be hosting the “Smokin Trackside BBQ and Brew Bash”. This is a Kansas City Barbeque Society sanctioned event. The proclamation from the governor makes this a State Championship event. The Grand Champion of the “Smokin Trackside BBQ and Brew Bash”, because this is a state championship event, receives an automatic entry in the Jack Daniels World Championship and the American Royal Invitational BBQ contest which appropriately this year is following I-35 Speedway’s lead and holding their event at a speedway, Kansas Speedway.