Dirt from the Stands by Greg Cybulski
FEBRUARY RANTS, RAVES AND RACING
Well race fans, ol' NOSAfan is trying to cope with an extended period of cold weather that is keeping the snow around these parts. That, however, doesn't stop the racing machine from moving forward. The Winnipeg area has been very busy lately with racing news.
Victory Lane Speedway is running three big specials for the dirt track faithful with the NorthernLate Model Racing Association Tour paying two visits in 2005, on Thursday, May 26 and Saturday, September 10 for the annual "Canadian Classic". The third event of the summer will be the "Inaugural Mid Canada Sprint Car Challenge" race set for Thursday, July 14. I say inaugural because it looks like there is a long term commitment to have Sprint Car racing back in Manitoba by the new management team at VLS. Be sure to watch for more updates in the coming weeks. If you think this event looks good so far, wait until you see the final package.
Victory Lane Speedway's webmaster, Vincent Proteau, has set up an information page exclusively for the Sprint Show and it looks great! Be sure to keep up with the latest news by logging onto http://www.victorylane.mb.ca/midcanadasprintcarchallenge.htm
In Late Model news, it looks like the LM population keeps increasing as two more Manitoba drivers will add their names to the NLRA roster this season as Wissota Modified racers Les Pritchard and Dan Gregoire have purchased cars. At this rate of growth, could a Canadian division of the NLRA be in this organization's future?
In a joint effort, Emo Speedway, ON and Victory Lane Speedway will be working together to share information and collaborate on improving racing in both venues. With enthusiastic pro-racing people like Emo's Anthony Leek and VLS's Guy Budel, this can only mean good things for the future of both tracks. Emo Speedway is scheduled to host one of my favorite classes, the NOPA Super Trucks on June 25th.
What a difference a few years make. Prior to the 2004 racing season, I had written a rather negative article for a US based newspaper about the overall state of Sprint Car racing in North Dakota. When people write articles it captures a moment in time. A picture if you will. At that time, the state of our sport was very volatile and I gave my 2 cents worth about it. But unlike some main-stream media columnists, I offered some solution to the problems that I was writing about.
Now a mere two years later, Sprint car racing seems to have gained in popularity again and at a rapid pace. I do not know what the turning point was but I for one am glad it has happened. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean that everything is perfect, but it is a good start. I enjoy driving South and seeing Sprint car racing in different parts of the country, but it's nice to know that we have more opportunities to watch the winged warriors closer to home.
Now my rant for the day. I know we all have our favorites in racing. This past Sunday afternoon the Cybulski family watched the Daytona 500 on FOX. We drew our battle lines as always and during the race the neighbors could here us as we cheered and jeered during our afternoon of quality family time. What struck me as odd was the dead silence of the broadcast crew on the final yellow flag of the race. According to NASCAR's rules, when the yellow is thrown, the field is frozen as is for the restart. The restart order was to begin with Jeff Gordon, then Dale Earnhardt Jr and so on. The camera leaves the track and the announcers talked about Dale Jr the whole time like he was leading the race. Not one mention of Jeff Gordon. Finally the camera goes back to the cars and sure enough Jeff Gordon leads the pack. Now I'm not one to normally complain but it seems to me that if I am a "paid professional", it is my duty to report what is happening accurately and keep the fans informed. The guys at FOX dropped the ball big time in my eyes and I'm sure for many others. Either the current announcers need to check their bias at the door on race day or FOX should look for announcers who can deliver the goods to the fans. My 2 cents.
Take care and good racing.
Greg Cybulski
