SCOUTING REPORT: Oakshade Raceway

OVERVIEW:  Anybody who knows me or follows my blog knows that I'm a fan of Oakshade Raceway.  The small, 3/8-mile track doesn't boast fancy facilities, high-dollar luxury suites, or big-name corporate sponsors.  Instead, it does what a race track should.  Oakshade offers top notch, side-by-side racing and a well-run program for an affordable price.  They typically get over 30 UMP Late Models for their regular shows and admission prices do not change throughout the year.  Located in rural northwest Ohio, Oakshade marches to the beat of their own drum and does just fine in doing so.

WHAT WE KNOW:  "Status Quo" best describes The Shade in 2013 as they will open on Saturday, April 27th running all divisions except Late Models, who will join the cast the following Saturday.  The track will once again host four Sunoco ALMS races, the Barney Oldfield Memorial (paying $4,900 to win this year), and the highly-coveted UMP Summer Nationals finale, which shifts back one week to Saturday, July 20th.  For those running Oakshade weekly, the UMP Late Model track championship will pay a whopping $8,500 to win.  And drivers and fans alike will be happy to know that Oakshade's admission prices will once again be the same as they were in 2012 and will not increase for any race.

WHERE THEY'RE GOOD:  Oakshade's good in a lot of areas.  Not only are the admission prices affordable, but so are the concessions.  I'm constantly bragging about their dollar hot dogs and fifty-cent cans of soda.  The racing, more times than not, is excellent and the car counts are high.  The program starts right on time and is efficiently and effectively run.  The intermission entertainment ("The Links Zone") is fan-friendly and kid-oriented.  Overall, Oakshade has pretty much everything a fan could want.

WHERE TO IMPROVE:  The biggest ding folks can find on the Wauseon, Ohio track would be the facilities.  You're not going to find new bleachers or fancy restrooms at this place.  My thought has always been that facilities do not dictate the real reason a person goes to the track...which, of course, is to see good racing.  And on that side of things, Oakshade has seen small splashes of inconsistency, but nothing to get too worked up over.

PROMOTER'S THOUGHTS:  As is the case with all tracks, ideas can sometimes be bigger than budgets.  Such is the case with Oakshade.  "There is plenty we would like to do...just depends on money and time," says Chrissy Henricks.