5 WEEKEND AFTER-THOUGHTS: Power Outages, Pontoons, & Big Paydays

(Jeremey Rhoades photo)

1. Finally blessed with another nice weekend, local tracks Oakshade and Waynesfield both got to swing open their gates.  From what I've heard, Oakshade's Late Model feature was a dandy with Ryan Missler narrowly edging out Brian Ruhlman at the finish line.  Waynesfield, unfortunately, fell victim to a power outage just as the green flag waved on the first A-Main.

2.  One story you probably missed this weekend was the fact that Eldora Stock racer Paul Pardo had to pull the motor out of his car after last week's race.  His replacement engine? The motor out of his pontoon jet.  Pardo wheeled the fresh power plant to a heat race victory and and second place A-Main finish Saturday night at the Big E.

3.  In a weekend full of drivers with excellent finishes, perhaps no two-day run was stronger than Jon Henry's.  "The Steel Driver" captured two wins and a second place finish in a 24-hour span by wheeling the Dean Miracle-owned 23J to a win Saturday night at Eldora, which was preceded by a win and a runner-up finish the night before in Limaland's UMP Modified "Double Down" show.  Speaking of solid UMP Modified runs, Joey Kramer picked up back-to-back wins at Southern Ohio Speedway this weekend.

4.  Anybody remember when I said Doug Drown would get himself a big payday this year?  Okay, actually what I said was that Drown would get a national touring series win this year.  But, Saturday's $12,000 victory in the Southern 100 is just as good with several national stars, regional hotshoes, and local warriors in the house.  Kudos to him on the big win.

5.  Last but not least, get well wishes go out to Barry Doss.  The veteran southwest Ohio driver suffered a heart attacked in the pits at Moler Friday night and is currently in a medically-induced coma.  Thoughts and prayers here...

5 WEEKEND AFTER-THOUGHTS: Attica, Eldora, and more!

(Action Photos)

1. If you missed Brian Smith's victory lane celebration after he won the 410 Sprint feature Friday night at Attica Raceway Park, then you missed the greatest celebration I have ever seen in my 33 years.  In a true "David vs. Goliath" battle, the under-funded Smith captured his second career win at Attica and made sure the fans wouldn't forget it any time soon.  After climbing from his car in winner's circle, Smith ran down the horse track to a long stretch of muddy mess, did a forward flip onto his back and into the ginormous mud puddle.  He topped it off with a muddy snow angel, much to the delight of the crowd.  Everyone enjoys seeing an underdog get a win ... and everyone likes an enthusiastic driver in victory lane.  Friday night at Attica, they saw both all wrapped up into one.  The video is available here (the celebration starts right around the 10:00 mark).

2.  The Sunoco ALMS feature at Attica didn't disappoint as Jon Henry and Jeep Van Wormer battled back-and-forth, side-by-side throughout the middle stages of the race.  Throw in a hard charging Matt Miller, who started 18th, and you had an instant classic with Henry coming out on top for his first win of 2013.  The Late Model and 410 Sprint features at Attica Friday just help prove what I have said the last few years ... week in and week out, Attica Raceway Park is one of the best and raciest tracks in the entire country.  I'm fortunate to live so close.

3.  Not to be outdone, Eldora finally got their 60th season opener in the books.  While the Mods and Stocks put on their usual good shows, it was the Tuff Trucks who stole the spotlight.  Although only nine drivers started their 15-lap feature, the race amongst the top four/five was as good as you'll see anywhere with side-by-side racing and slicing and dicing for the win.  The video is here and the Truck A-Feature starts right around the 7:10 mark.

4.  Celebrating his 92nd birthday (and his 66th wedding anniversary to wife Bernice), Earl Baltes was in attendance Saturday night at Eldora.  I'm truly blessed to announce at the house he built and it's always good to have him and Bernice at the track.

5.  Another week in the Dirt Late Model world and another week of tire doping infractions.  I'm not sure who or what to believe anymore.  And I'll just leave it at that.

SCOUTING REPORT: Jon Henry

OVERVIEW:  It's possible that no local driver rose to fame as quickly as Jon Henry did. After 14 wins, a World 100 start, and a solid third place finish in the UMP National Championship standings in 2011, Henry came back strong the first half of last season with a Summer Nationals win at Spoon River and regional victories at Attica, Fremont, and Oakshade.  Then, in July, after losing a primary backer, Henry abruptly shut down his race team, only to run a handful of events the rest of the season.

WHAT WE KNOW:  I'm about to answer the big question on everyone's mind...   Yes, Jon Henry will indeed be back in 2013.  Henry's now infamous "Dirty Dozen", a group of 12 supporters packaged together to form one major sponsor, has been expanded into the "Mean 15" for this year.  His Late Model team will only run a select number of races this season - an outlaw-type schedule - including every event at Eldora.  In addition, "The Steel Driver" will return to his roots and race UMP Modified owned by none other than Dean Miracle.  A throwback to Miracle's days as a Late Model owner, the car will carry the famed Miracle Motorsports #23J and will run for an Eldora points championship, a title Henry picked up back in 2010.  Henry also plans to enter the Mod in an array of other regional events throughout the year.

WHERE HE'S GOOD:  Everyone knows Henry is one of the guys to beat any time he pulls into Attica, Oakshade, Eldora, or any Sunoco ALMS sanctioned race.  He's one of the few drivers, regionally, who's name alone holds that much power.  He's excellent on any type of track condition and can seemingly stick in car in a hole quicker and smoother than anyone else on the track.  He has some of the best marketing skills of anyone in the sport, and we all know that helps tremendously in this sport.  

WHERE TO IMPROVE:  Bluntly put, Jon Henry got tired of racing last year.  After his Summer Nationals run, he took a "sabbatical" of sorts and realized he wasn't having any fun.  Too much money, too many politics, and too much pressure got the best of him and shut his entire operation down.  If he wants to get back to where he was two years ago, he has to find a way to make racing fun again.  And, from the looks of things, he's taking a giant step in the right direction.

DRIVER'S THOUGHTS:  "I'm really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of Dean Miracle's Modified this year.  I'm going to have some fun with it, which is something I haven't done for a while.  I think this new team he and I have put together has a great chance to give some guys a run for the money this year!"

Five Weekend Afterthoughts 7/30/12

Jon Henry has made the tough decision to cease his racing operation for the rest of 2012.

1.  With the loss of financial backing, standout Ohio driver Jon Henry has made the tough decision to park his #15 for the remainder of 2012.  The decision, as mentioned in his press release, was a tough one but also a decision "The Steel Driver" knew he had to make.  After completing the grueling UMP Summer Nationals "Hell Tour", Henry was left with two motors than needed tuning as well as upgrades to his 2012 Rocket Chassis.  With his impressive resume, the move will undoubtedly make Henry one of the most sought-after "free agents" in the sport.

2.  Ryan Gustin captured the $25,000 World Dirt Track Modified Championship Saturday night at Minnesota's Deer Park Speedway.  However, the bigger story of the weekend was the bombshell announcement - just 24 hours from the start of the main event - that a group of sponsors had stepped up and added $30,000 to the feature's purse!  The Mod industry is absolutely BUZZING about this, and rightfully so.  Will we ever see something like this in the Dirt Late Model ranks?  We can only hope.

3.  Eldora's "Summer Shootout" for the USAC Sprints went off without a hitch and the racing was pretty darn good too.  At one point, Robert Ballou had come from 23rd to 3rd until mechanical woes forced him pitside with just four laps left.  Chase Stockon completed a 20th to 4th run which kept the fans on their toes and, until the yellow on lap 46, Bryan Clauson was sizing up Dave Darland for a potential last lap pass.  All-in-all it was an excellent show which most folks should have been happy with.  

4.  Don O'Neal won his 10th Lucas Oil race over the weekend when the series made a visit to Hagerstown (MD) Speedway.  If it wasn't for Jimmy Owens banging out top five after top five, "The Real Deal" would most certainly be a solid title contender ... even more of a contender than he is now, being 350 points behind ever-consistent Owens.

5.  A lot of the buzz this weekend was about DirtonDirt.com's live broadcast of this weekend's 25th Annual USA Nationals at Cedar Lake (WI) Speedway.  I'm fortunate enough to be a part of the broadcast team again, along with Ben Shelton among others.  I'm not usually one who gets on here and "encourages" you where to spend your hard-earned money, but trust me when I say that this broadcast is well worth the investment. 

Five Weekend Afterthoughts: 6/4/12

1.  Don O'Neal's win in Saturday night's Ralph Latham Memorial at Florence Speedway was convincing enough to make him a strong contender to repeat as winner of this week's Dream at Eldora.  Of course, there's that whole "history thing" where the Latham winner runs strong the following weekend at Big E.  That helps.

2.  Friday washed out everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, even remotely close to my place.  Every single track in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and West Virginia was rained out.  And Paducah was the lone track in the Bluegrass State to get their show in. That's one track in a five-state radius that got to run.

3.  It must be Dream week because several drivers took Saturday night off in preparation for the $100,000-to-win show, including Matt Miller, Jon Henry, and Andrew Reaume among others.

4.  It upsets me that - in this day and age, and with technology we have available - it's Monday morning and some tracks still do not have any results posted from the weekend.  Inexcusable. 

5.  I was checking out the results from Brewerton (NY) Speedway Saturday night and couldn't help but notice their feature winners came from 10th (Big Block Mods), 9th (IMCA Mods), 12th (Mod Lites), and 8th (4 Cyl).  This makes me even more excited for my first ever visit there on June 29th.

Five Weekend Afterthoughts: 5/14/12

1.  Saturday night's Late Model feature at Oakshade (OH) Raceway was an instant classic.  Brian Ruhlman (low), Jon Henry (middle), and Andrew Reaume (high) were three-wide at the white flag, and Henry & Reaume were side-by-side, door-to-door at the stripe with Henry getting the win by mere inches.  It was the kind of race you won't forget anytime soon and the type of show you drive all year just to see.   The win was Henry's fourth of the year and his third in a row (Fremont ALMS 5/4, Attica 5/11, Oakshade 5/12).

2.  Don O'Neal may be the hottest driver in the country right now, with three Lucas Oil wins in the his last four races thanks to his weekend sweep at Hartford (MI) Motor Speedway and LaSalle (IL) Speedway.  We're only halfway through the month of May and he's already got seven Lucas Oil wins, plus a few other big shows like Florence (KY) Speedway's Spring 50 back in March.  

3.  Has anybody else noticed the year Chris Garnes is having?  The 24-year-old from Cross Lanes, WV has been quite impressive to start off the 2012 season rattling off three wins...two at Skyline (OH) Speedway and one at Tyler County (WV) Speedway.

4.  UMP DirtCar's decision to terminate it's relationship with Farmer City (IL) Speedway comes as somewhat of a surprise...at least to those of us who aren't there every week or aren't close to the situation.  It'll be interesting to hear what develops the next few weeks regarding this whole ordeal. 

5.  Sometimes you question why things happen to the "good guys" in racing. Saturday night at The Shade, Josh Scott got upsidedown in his heat, ending his night and, according to him, putting him out of commission for quite a while.  Likewise for Curtis Deisenroth, who lost another motor in his heat, cutting his night short.  Josh and Curtis are two of the good guys in this sport...hate to see that kind of stuff happen to them.

Five Weekend Afterthoughts: 5/7/12

1.  I'm really happy for Jesse Wardell and the folks over at Hilltop Speedway.  They were the big winners this weekend with over 150 cars in the pits for their five-division program.  To compliment the 33 Late Models, they had 53 cars for the inaugural Renegades of Dirt Modified show.  We hear the racing was pretty darn good too with George Lee getting a last lap pass on KC Burdette to win the Late Model feature while Lance Elson bested a solid field of Mods for the $1500 paycheck.

2.  It comes as no surprise, but the Friday night Sunoco ALMS Late Model show at Limaland Motorsports Park was rained out for an unprecedented FIFTH year in a row. I hate to hear this because Limaland is a fun track for the Late Models and, honestly, one of the best Late Model races I have ever seen was the Sunoco ALMS show there back in 2003 where Kris Patterson made a daring last lap, last turn, high-side pass on Rick Delong to steal the win.

3.  After a one-year hiatus, the Sunoco ALMS Late Models returned to Fremont Speedway with Jon Henry getting the $2000 payday from the 7th starting spot. There were several movers-and-shakers throughout the field with Ryan Missler charging from 14th to 3rd, Garrett Krummert from 20th to 6th, and Ryan Markham from 18th to 8th. When it's prepped right, Fremont is as good of a track as any and the Late Models rarely disappoint there.  Also, I'm glad to hear they pulled 27 cars in for this show...not too bad considering it was opening night at Oakshade and Fremont doesn't run Late Models weekly.

4.  Eldora had nearly 40 UMP Modifieds Saturday night with a pretty stout field of cars including the likes of Joey Kramer, Jeff Babcock, Doug Adkins, Fireball Pinkerton, Matt Bex, Scott Orr, Jesse Bitterling and others.  Race-long leader Aaron Orr slapped the wall with just six laps to go ending his chances for his first career win.  Matt Westfall inherited the point, only to have Babcock shoot by with four laps remaining to nab the win.  Kramer was the hard charger, rallying to a 4th place finish after starting 17th.

5.  Side-by-side racing and tons of passing is one of the reasons why Oakshade is so popular.  Congrats to Matt Miller on getting his first win of 2012 in the Rick Delong #3. The top five finishers at Oakshade started 8th (Miller), 7th (Andrew Reaume), 12th (Casey Noonan), 1st (Rusty Schlenk), and 14th (Steve Kester) and that's certainly worth a hat tip.  

Five Weekend Afterthoughts - 4/16/12

Periodically throughout the racing season, I'll post my "Five Weekend Afterthoughts" on Monday mornings. It's simply a collection of my thoughts on various racing topics of interest from the past weekend.  While most of the "afterthoughts" will pertain to regional racing action, a few mentions will cover national topics.   Enjoy!     -DJ-

Jon Henry (15) holds off Matt Miller (3) at Attica.  (Action Photos)

1.  Jon Henry debuted his brand new orange front-end Rocket Friday night at Attica and put the car in victory lane, holding off a furious late race charge from Matt Miller (driving Rick Delong's #3).  It was Henry's first win of the season and the first for his new wrench (and for Matt Miller crew chief) Scott "Schoolboy" Smith.  After four races this season, Attica is averaging 30.5 cars a night, slightly up from their 29.1 car-per-night average at the end of 2011.

2.  Scott Bloomquist's $25,000 win on a difficult-to-pass, tire-wearing Virginia Motor Speedway surface Saturday was probably a much-needed victory for that camp.  I don't know if anyone actually bought into the whole "he's leaving the Lucas Oil tour" shenanigans, but if they did, they're certainly not buying into it now.

3.  Rain was the big winner everywhere Saturday night as practically every track within a three-hour radius of my home was washed out.  The lone exceptions were Crystal, Michigan's season opener (26 cars; Scott Baker was the winner) and practice at Cadiz, Ohio's 250 Speedway, which was cut short by Mother Nature. Unfortunately, the Sunoco ALMS race at Eldora was rained out and will not be made up.

4.  Just like fine wine, Billy Moyer just continues to get better with age.  The 54-year-old notched his (I believe) eighth and ninth wins of 2012 over the weekend and something crazy like his fifth win in his last six starts, if my calculations are correct. Am I the only one who thinks Moyer will still be winning races when he's like 90?! Seriously, I don't see him slowing down anytime soon.

5.  I'll be a guest on DirtonDirt's FastTalk today.  Keep checking their website throughout the day as Todd Turner, Michael Rigsby, and myself discuss a wide array of racing topics from this past weekend.  

PREVIEW: Attica Opener

Not too many years ago, I wasn't a fan of Attica Raceway Park in Attica, OH.  It may have been because they only ran a Limited Late Model division with their two classes of Sprints.  Or maybe it was because I seemed to have trouble obtaining media credentials every time I went there.  


Or perhaps I just never really gave them a fair chance because of those things.


Anyway you look at it, I'm a fan now.  A big fan.  As a matter of fact, I went to Attica nine times last year.  Nine!  To put that in perspective, in one single season, I have NEVER gone to a track I didn't work for more than five times. Never.


That is...until Attica last season.


There's a few different reasons I try not to attend too many races at one single track in a season.  One of the biggest of which is the fact that I don't want to "overstay my welcome".  Because I'm fortunate enough to obtain media credentials at almost all the events I go to, part of me feels like I shouldn't "overuse" that pass.  Although I always try my best to give the tracks (and their drivers) as much exposure as possible, it's hard to not feel a little, um, "shy" about being at one track so often.  And I think if you ask any member of the media, they are likely to say the same thing.


With that in mind, I didn't realize until just a few minutes ago that I attended nine shows at Attica last year.  I was guessing the number was more like five or six.  While I do keep track of all the races I go to, I don't keep a running tally.


There's several reasons that number was so high last year.  Being an hour from home, it's an easy Friday night target.  In addition, they run a tight ship and get fans out at a decent hour.  I'm almost positive I didn't leave the track later than 11:00pm in those nine visits last season.  That's impressive.


Then there's Director of Operations Rex LeJeune.  Rex and I became friends about four years ago...around the same time Attica made the decision to go with a full-blown Late Model division and get it sanctioned by UMP.  Rex has welcomed me to Attica with open arms and has become one of my favorite people to work with.  He cares a great deal about the track, the fans, and the drivers and that passion shows.  Since Rex and I have become friends, the aforementioned credentials problems have been non existent.


The other reason Attica has quickly risen to the top group of my "favorite tracks" list is simple. The racing is absolutely outstanding.  Side-by-side is the norm at Attica and, with a pill draw format (and redraws for the feature), you're almost assured to see a good race.  Last year, they averaged 29 Late Models per race, and the winner's average starting spot was 7.25.  In addition, they only had two Late Model feature winners start on the front row.  TWO!  Very few tracks can lay claim to an accomplishment as great as that.

Jon Henry led the way with eight A-Main wins at Attica in 2011.  The "Steel Driver's" most impressive accomplishment was his June 3rd victory, where he rallied from his 16th starting position to grab the win over 17th-starting Jeff Babcock.  Despite being held winless in 2011, Ryan Missler is the three-time and defending Late Model Track Champion at the 1/3-mile fairgrounds oval.


Attica is one of just a handful of tracks to feature both Super Late Models AND 410 Sprints.  The racing is solid and the program is typically run off without a hitch. Announcer Brian Liskai is sharp in rattling off drivers, hometowns, and sponsors.  The people are friendly and the atmosphere is strong.  If these are the things you like in a race track, you need make it a point to get to Attica's season opener this weekend.


Racing is slated to begin at 7:45pm Friday evening.  If Mother Nature spoils the party Friday night, they'll use their early-season Saturday raindate with racing starting a tad earlier at 7:00pm.


A few drivers who like to pop in and visit Attica occasionally won't be at the opener. George Lee will be out of town while Garrett Krummert, Doug Drown, and Rocky Owens aren't ready yet.  Alan Vochaska is putting a new motor in his car, and Brian Ruhlman is just getting his Late Model finished.


But if Attica does indeed get to race Friday night, look for Henry and Missler to be joined by Russ King, Ryan Markham, and Justin Chance among others to contend for the Late Model win.  


Nevertheless, Attica's season opener will not disappoint.  To say I'm excited for their season to start would be an understatement.  I can't wait.

BREAKING NEWS: Danica Patrick Driving Jon Henry's Car at Prelude

When Eldora Speedway announced that Danica Patrick would be racing in their Feed The Children Prelude to the Dream on Wednesday, June 6, many folks began asking which Dirt Late Model driver would be fielding a car for the popular female racer.  The answer is 2011 Eldora Speedway Late Model Champion Jon Henry.

During the last several months, parties from Jon Henry Racing and Danica Patrick's team have been working diligently to get the deal in place.  Patrick was looking for a top notch ride and Henry was looking for a popular driver.  When an agreement was reached, both sides were excited about having Patrick race for charity in one of the country's premier Dirt Late Model events.

"What an awesome opportunity!" said Henry.  "To have Danica drive my car at the Prelude is really special.  My team and I are certainly looking forward to it and I know Danica is too."

“I raced on dirt once before in a go-kart when I was young, but that’s about it. It’s going to be a challenge for sure, but I know Tony has offered to help in any way possible. I’m excited about it, but I’m also nervous,” Patrick said in an Eldora Speedway press release. “It’s a totally different style of racing, so I’m not sure what to expect. But, it’s for a great cause with Feed The Children benefiting from the money raised this year, so I’m ready to give it a shot.”

Henry, a two-time Sunoco American Late Model Series Champion, last fielded a car in the Prelude to the Dream in 2010.  The driver of his car that year was another worldwide motorsports star, Travis Pastrana.  Pastrana finished 23rd in his dirt track debut, but stated the opportunity to race a Dirt Late Model was something he'd never forget.

For more information on Jon Henry, visit his website at www.jonhenryracing.com.