The racing weekend for me, or shall I say the week started back at I-88 Speedway and I was hanging out with my Family in Binghamton. With that said, I stayed a bit longer than expected and was abler to not just get my uncle to go, but some of my cousins went to the race as well. My original plan was to hit up Thunder Mountain Speedway on Sunday for their special sportsman show, but decided to chill with family and take the day off, as it is only about 25 minutes from my uncle’s house. It amazes me that I had no intentions yet again to go to Rolling Wheels and also even be away from home during the 4th of July weekend. Well racing is in my blood and if you can get a full carload to go, then your doing something right and bringing in more fans to attend and to support local racing. The last time I was at the Wheels, was the one day All Star Weekend show, which actually had me surprised at the turnout and when I arrived this time for the “Stars and Stripes 100” I was in complete awe again!!!
The weather was absolutely amazing and with a start time of 7:30PM, it was hopefully going to be a good track and great entertainment for the night. DIRTcar put the start back a little bit in hopes that it would not be normal conditions for “Daytime racing”, and yet still some people complained. I spoke with Jeff Hachmann who is the general manager at Rolling Wheels and “Ya know you just can’t please everybody”, he told me at the gate. Also, some people were bringing in large coolers, bigger than the 6-pack size ones and were told; sorry you can’t bring that in. Well personally this rule kind of stinks, but to a certain extent. Some of the people in line were going overboard on what was in the cooler and also the size of the cooler. , This track like many others needs to make some kind of money to survive and they have to do what they have to do. I told my cousin Amy that no coolers allowed and after I got my ticket from the will call booth, right on the ticket, it reads “NO COOLERS, Refunds or Exchanges.” No problem, we had a cookout in the parking lot and grilled up some burgers and dogs and just relaxed until it was time to go find a seat. Jeff (Hachmann) mentioned to me as I asked him about this rule before I noticed it on my ticket.. D’OH!! “Well Tom, if I start with one cooler that comes in, it will open a can of worms and everybody and their brother will have to bring one in.” Hey no problem, I understand and proceeded back to the car. Just an observation, but now they have people working the parking lot and most of the vehicles are being parked on the left hand side of the entrance (behind turn four side) and there was cars parked all the way to the road. I’m thinking that there were fewer campers there in the camping area to the right of the main roadway, but most people had to work on Tuesday, so that was expected I guess. Still the parking lot was filled up.
I mentioned in my last blog about many of the updates at the raceway and I’m not really going to talk about them this time, but I can say this, a few water leaks were fixed in the men’s room, and they must have put in some kind of aromatic fresheners and also had some new fresh paint in the place. It really isn’t the tracks fault the bathrooms get the way they do as many drink beer and obviously they can’t aim right or just stand straight up to make it where it needs to be…Maybe after a few too many (Well maybe you can relate, maybe you can’t) It is ok to celebrate on a holiday, race or whatever having a few cocktails, but just don’t drive that’s all I’ll say on that topic. I am saying this, as it is what I believe in, I always go to the source if there is a problem with anything at all. So with that being said, If any fans/drivers/sponsors have any problems at Rolling Wheels Raceway, you can call the office at any time at 315-834-6606, and some one will be able to help you out as long as you act mature and not screaming at them, I have found out that it works rather well and never been treated badly.
Finally I have the family and we are headed to the gate and the FIREMOD, (what I call It) was sitting outside the gate, which is a street legal Modified which is dedicated to all the firefighters.
This is really neat. There again was the big rig tow truck from Pullens Truck Center. Another great site was walking into the entrance and to the right hand side sat four 360 Sprint Cars!!!
Awesome the kids didn’t even know what they were, over checking them out! Thanks to the Empire Super Sprints organization for being a part of the Stars and Stripes 100. The four cars on hand were those of, Chuck Hebing, Jason barney, Shawn Donath and also Lance Younge. These drivers were going to participate in a 5 Lap dash for cash for a preview of Rolling Wheels Raceways “Sprint Car Spectacular” which will be on July 22nd-23rd 2011.
The bounce house was back for the kids to enjoy along with Nutmeg Collectibles, Ice Cream Truck, another food vendor offering some very good sandwiches, which is different than the normal Burgers and hot Dogs. The DIRTcar apparel trailer was there as well as a few drivers and other sponsor set up. Meanwhile, there was loud music blasting and playing music that was really getting the vibe of a party so to speak, or that feeling you get that you know your going to have a good time. SpazmanSpins who is actually owned and operated by Craig Simmons provided the music. He does a bunch of different things, and he was rocking out and asking people for guesses on who was going to win the Modified race and the fan would win tickets to the next event at RWR. What a great promotion by the raceway and also thanks Craig for Jammin Out, it really gave the place a good buzz so to speak.
Be sure to check out his website and give him a call. (Info Below). Another great site was the vendor/sponsor of Dig safely New York. They have a awesome interactive setup explaining what all the painted lines on the ground are, what color stands for what type a line be it water, gas, electrical.. etc..
More info on this below. There was a representative there explaining to a kid what it all was and you know kids, they like to ask questions, and he was like maybe 5-6 but it was rather interesting on the info I got just from standing and watching this. Be sure to call 811 before you DIG, their motto. I learned a few things at a racetrack; totally awesome not even racing related either.
I was one of the people who took DIRTcar up on the offer of ordering your tickets ahead of time and getting a free pit pass when you do so. I hate ordering tickets ahead of time, as you never know what the heck Mother Nature is going to do, so the weather looked good and I went with it. It is a real good way to get more people there offering this to the fans, but the people who just go to the pits aren’t really getting a deal. What if there was a program to let the drivers in for free and/or something of the nature to give some of the teams a break even from past performance or a DNQ from the last race. Just an idea.
Besides the Modifieds and the Sprint cars, sportsman and DIRTcar Stock cars were racing with the Pro Stocks in a special challenge race. The pits were filled up and many people roaming around, this day was just different for some reason, the mood of the place and the surroundings was making me feel like I was back in the years 2000 when it was always booming here. Without going into the pits much in the past It was a treat to walk around and chat with many old friends and people that I haven’t seen in awhile and just to be able to check out the cars up close and see the order of events roll of with the sound of Engines and the smell of racing fuel, I was in heaven! DIRTcar officials do a great job with the Hauler that is set up for the SDS races with all the info that you could ever ask for on the event and rules, out lined order of events, lineups, entry’s and much more. They also have live scoring from the AMB Timing from the transponders that cars have on them, which helps in scoring the races a lot easier for sure.
If you have ever been to the track, you will know that in the past all drivers meetings and the hauler were at the pit entrance, and now it has moved right behind the grandstands near the entrance from the stands to the pits. Most fans stand along the fence to get a glimpse into the pits from here and can also listen into the drivers meetings and whatever is being said over the speakers in the pits. This also has another advantage as well as it isn’t that long of a walk to check lineups and also closer to the bathrooms and just easier all around.
The car counts were kind of what I thought to be expected with 36 Modifieds, 40 Sportsman Modifieds and also 13 Pro/Street Stocks (which was up from the last time). I spoke with Mike Welch and he told me most cars are just sitting home and not racing, which has to be a sign of the tough economy and high fuel prices now. I am like any fan what to see more cars and a huge car count, but I think that with the economy and not all the drivers following the tour, I’m happy to get 36 Modifieds. It always can be worse, has been my motto here recently, being lucky we have a race, a track, and everything else. Basically be happy with what you have and make the best of it.
The track conditions were really not that bad, I couldn’t say it was as good as it was on All Star Weekend, but pretty darn close. I know the track crew was working hard on the surface since Thursday the week before. It seems like through the night it had a few bumpy spots and yes the dust came back again in the features like it usually does. I mean after you get 32 Modifieds out there it’s like a wind turbine spinning and if there is any amount of dust it’s going to fly at ya! I don’t have a solution for the dust, but your at a dirt track, expect some dust at least, be prepared to get dirty, get your hooded sweatshirt on, go buy a set of the bubba goggles and/or get a big set of safety glasses to cover your eyes. This is what I don’t get is that many of my friends and co-race fans are the ones screaming about the darn dust and we have been going to the dam races for years and now it sounds like we all have been criticizing all tracks on the dust problems they have no matter what track.
Come on, some are worst than others we know, but at Wheels many of the drivers didn’t want the dry slick and this time out looked like there was bite for the entire night on the track. I have came to the realization that it is going to be dusty no matter what happens and sometimes worse than at other times. Like I said above, just be prepared when you go, as supporting local tracks is more important now than in the past, if we want this sport to survive we have to help in making it prosper.
The modified feature was set to go the distance of 100 laps and as always it really gets exciting at the end. A very impressive run by Tim McCreadie who had problems on lap 48 bringing out the first caution, who came back out to finish an impressive 5th place at the end of the night. Billy Decker would set a grueling pace out front with Matt Sheppard in tow behind him and Sheppard would get to the lead on a restart over Decker near lap 55. It was also good to see Bobby Varin back at the Wheels as he used to run the whole tour and is always fun to watch, unfortunately his 2nd pace starting spot was as high as he could get finishing in 15th. Tim Fuller who won the All-Star Weekend race earlier in the year was defiantly a favorite to win and he started third and faded back to finish 6th. Peter Britten (21a Modified)who was second in points for awhile has been doing real good and I like most people were watching him to see how well he was going to do, but he ended up with 14th place.
I know from drivers that Rolling Wheels Raceway is a big track and fast, (Thus the nickname “The Fast Track”) and it is hard to get the hang of, so if you finish there your doing something right. The big story of the night was Danny Johnson
as he started 9th and was a force to be reckoned with as he was charging late in the race and with five to go was really closing in on Matt Sheppard. Coming to the checkers though it was Matt Sheppard by about half a car win over “The Doctor”. WHAT A RACE!! I left and just said wow! Maybe one more lap and Danny could have got him, but that’s a coulda, shoulda, woulda, argument, the race is over and it is what it is. Yes Mallett the race was 100 laps not 101.!!!
The Sportsman race was very exciting and close racing for the whole show. David Marcuccilli won the feature in the end. One bad event for the whole night happened in this feature. Kevin Ridley got sideways coming out of turn four and sat doormat on the front stretch, the yellow came out and most all the cars passed him, except for one. The car of Jenna David was about the last place car and for some reason, her one-way radio didn’t work or she just wasn’t paying attention and slammed right into Ridley sitting still. Both cars looked pretty beat up, but the main key here is no one was injured and both drivers walked away. I was shocked as were many others that just could not believe she did not see the car sitting there.
Whatever the reason the results are two badly beat up race cars and Ridleys car didn’t seem to bad until after Jenna slammed into him. Her car was totally ripped apart along the whole right hand side and both had to be put on the hook to the pits.
The DIRTcar Stock Car challenge race was won by Pete Stefanski over Rocky Warner. If any one knows me I am a fan of this class and always have loved the full-fendered classes, hopefully next time out they get some more cars to show-up and the street stocks will grow in numbers.
The sprint car dash was won by Lance Younge over Chuck Hebing as Shawn Donath broke his water pump before the dash and Jason Barney broke his main brake on the car during hot laps, but still awesome to see a preview of what is to come next at the Fast Track..
Before the feature and in between the features, Fireworks were going off and what spectacular show that was, which really made my Fourth of July a great time! Not too many people know my family in Binghmaton, but most of them all have paper routes and work for the Press and Sun Bulletin delivering the news everyday 7 days a week and always have some crazy hours. With that said, my cousins boyfriend was driving and they had to be out of the track at 11:30pm no matter what. They all have to get to the press and start delivering the news. Well I had a ride so I wasn’t going to complain, but as the night went on, the schedule was running a little bit behind and I didn’t know if the show was going to be over at 11:30 so I was scrambling to find someone that was going back toward Binghamton for a ride so I could stay along with my Uncle Dennis to watch the ending of the race. My family, mostly Danny Johnson fans, decided they were going to be late for work and stayed till the end. Danny was on the charge and was looking like he was going to win. So thanks to Harry for staying and letting us stay to watch the finish and also Thanks to Shawn Shields for saying no problem on a ride home if we needed it. So with me posting pictures and doing updates on twitter my phone was about to die and did so I couldn’t call Shawn until back in the car. We were out of the parking lot exactly at midnight all happy we seen a great race at the Fast Track!! Hats off again to the DIRTcar Staff members, Jeff Hachmann and also the track crew for providing a great track. The vendors also that were there and all the fans that came out on a great holiday weekend. My cousin Shelly sat at work all night and was helping me put updates on facebook, so thanks to her also. I’m not quite sure how to put this or describe it, but to me it seems that Rolling Wheels Raceway IS BACK!!!! The whole atmosphere of the whole day/night being there with everything going on really seemed like it used to be back in the day. It was the Stars and Stripes 100, but also The Robert Petrocci Memorial as well as a relative of the original owner of the track was the grand Marshall of the race and it really meant something. That is keeping a tradition alive!! It was good to hear Shane Andrews and Joe Maroda on the mic again and it was rather interesting how Joe was telling the story of how this track was founded and built.
It was also good to see friend and videographer Bob Miller, Doug Elkins
(Picture - Doug interviewing Ricky Breed Pure Stock Driver) and many others and the ESS gang, who sat in front of us and were having a blast during the Mod feature. Overall I had a blast at this “event” and got my monies worth and then some. Rolling Wheels Raceway will be in action again on July 22nd-23rd for the Sprint Car Spectacular. Unfortunately I’ll be working at South Arcade Speedway on Saturday so I won’t be attending this event, but if you like fast cars and exciting racing you should get on out there and check it out as the sprints are fast there!! If anyone has any feedback good or bad, be sure to send emails to tomames2@yahoo.com
And Remember get out to your local track and watch some racing and in the mean time Keep it on, “THE WRITE TRACK”.
Full Results July 4th, 2011 Rolling Wheels Raceway
Super DIRTcar Big Block Series Race #5-Rolling Wheels Raceway July 4, 2011 'Stars & Stripes 100' Event Summary
Feature Results: 1. (9s) Matt Sheppard; 2. (27J) Danny Johnson; 3. (91) Billy Decker; 4. (14J) Alan Johnson; 5. (4*) Tim McCreadie; 6. (74) Tim Fuller; 7. (98H) Jimmy Phelps; 8. (673) Gary Tomkins; 9. (20) Brett Hearn; 10. (99) Ryan Phelps; 11. (49) Billy Dunn; 12. (8R) Rob Bellinger; 13. (3) Justin Haers; 14. (21A) Peter Britten; 15. (10v) Bobby Varin; 16. (62s) Tommy Sears; 17. (10) Tim Currier; 18. (44) Steve Hulsizer; 19. (8) Rich Scagliotta; 20. (21K) Randy Chrysler; 21. (48too) Dave Rauscher; 22. (77x) Dale Planck; 23. (1) Stewart Friesen; 24. (7x) Steve Paine; 25. (42p) Pat Ward; 26. (19) Brian Murphy; 27. (99B) Chuck Bower; 28. (99L) Larry Wight; 29. (33) Mike Mahaney; 30. (21) Derrick Podsiadlo. BILSTEIN FAST TIME AWARD: Billy Decker
Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Series (25 laps) Finish: 1. (m1) Dave Marcuccilli; 2. (66) Dan Wiesner; 3. (10) Josh Van Brocklin; 4. (83x) Tim Sears Jr; 5. (JVS1) Jim Spano; 6. (19w) Justin Wright; 7. (1) Sammy Reakes IV; 8. (18R) Brad Rouse; 9. (99P) Greg Paunute; 10. (77jr) B.J. Willard; 11. (3A) Adam Hilton; 12. (22) Greg Cool; 13. (15s) Shane Pecore; 14. (15) Adam Leslie; 15. (69K) Ken Boniface Jr; 16. (2P) John Juhl; 17. (3E) Tim Schneider; 18. (5) Tyler Siri; 19. (30) Brent Kelsey; 20. (52) Jessica Power; 21. (55c) Jesse Cotriss; 22. (69) Tyler Boniface; 23. (81) Christine Martin; 24. (m70) Billy Cook; 25. (7c) Cody McPherson; 26. (7x) Tom Benedict; 27. (20x) Kevin Ridley; 28. (0) Jipp Ortiz; 29. (2) Jenna David; 30. (85H) Robert Humphreys; 31. (67G) Eric Giguere.
DIRTcar Stock Car Challenge (20 laps) Finish: 1. (2) Pete Stefanski; 2. (79) Rocky Warner; 3. (73) P.J. Peters; 4. (715) Mike Cooper; 5. (272) Kevin Smith; 6. (14) Ron Hawker; 6. (00) Mike Welch; 7. (90) Nate Peckham; 8. (1R) Ricky Thompson; 9. (75) Scott Smith; 10. (5) Ricky Breed; 11. (48) Dion Oakes; 12. (55B) Blane Smith; 13. (98T) Pat Hobbs.
LINKS OF INTEREST
Rolling Wheels Raceway>
http://www.rollingwheelsraceway.com/
Super DIRTcar Series>
http://www.superdirtcarseries.com
Dig Safely New York>
http://www.ufpo.org/
Spazman Spins Entertainment
http://www.spazmanspins.com
Pullens Truck Centers>
http://pullenstowing.com/
Other Forums Where I post>
http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/DTD
RaceNY>
http://www.raceny.com/smf2/index.php
Dougs Dirt Diary>
http://www.dougsdirtdiary.com
Here is a guy that we all Know, Bob Miller who does the videos from Number 9 Video, leaning up to the food stand, Thanks Bob for all that you do!!
Chuck Hebing's 360 Sprint Car>
#33 Big Block Modified of Mike Mahaney
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