Pedal To The Metal – Trip filled with great auto racing

Last week I went back to the roots of car racing.

The first stop was at Macon, Ill., for some great dirt-track racing on a 1/5-mile track. Mini-sprints and modifies put on a great show, but the main attraction was seeing some of the best midget car racers in the country competing against each other.

The next day was at the Illinois State Fair, where the Tony Bettenhausen 100 was run as part of the Silver Crown Racing Series. These open-wheel cars raced on a one-mile dirt track achieving speeds over 120 mph. Some great open-wheel drivers are past winners of this race such as Johnnie Parsons, Tony Bettenhausen, Roger Ward, A. J. Foyt, Al Unser, Mario Andretti, J. J. Yeley and Gary Bettenhausen to name a few. It was great to see Johnnie Parsons in the race this year as he was the1949 winner.

The next day was also at the Illinois State Fair where the Allen Crow Memorial 100 was held. ARCA cars filled the field and once again Kenny Schrader showed up to compete in the race. It’s hard to beat this weekend of racing, but you can see it again in DuQuoin, Ill. over the Labor Day weekend.

‘ For all the Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans, his fortunes keep going downhill.

Earlier this week we learned that his personal problems with his step-mother Theresa are not improving. Junior was a teenager when is dad married Theresa. As young as she was, she could have been a sister rather than a mother. Dale Jr. was not the center of attention any more, and this started the friction between Theresa and Jr.

After Dale Sr died, Theresa had control of DEI and the problems continued. ‘Mother’ Theresa was not willing to give up operational control of DEI. This triggered the move to Hendrick Motorsports for Junior, and the only thing left was the transfer of the number 8. Although business reasons were given as the reason for the failure of the transfer, (it seems Mother Theresa wanted the majority of profits for the No. 8 merchandise sales), we know this was just another stab in the back and a ‘how can I torment Junior’ move.

Earnhardt started the Michigan race in 14th place and 100 points out of the 12th and final position for the championship. Much was said when Junior advanced into the 13th position, but what did that gain him? Zilch!

It’s hard to gain ground when the driver you have to beat for the 12th spot wins the race. This now puts Jr. 163 points behind Kurt Busch. Not only did Busch gain on Junior, but Earnhardt also lost ground to Martin Truex Jr. Truex finished second in Michigan, gaining another 38 points on Dale. With only three races to go before the chase, I think we can say goodbye until next year for Earnhardt.

‘ With his fifth-place finish at Michigan, Denny Hamlin joins Jeff Gordon as drivers who have secured a spot in the chase. Matt Kenseth only had to start last night’s race to join the ever growing list of drivers guaranteed a spot in the finals.

Toyota is improving as each week passes. Dave Blaney finished sixth and Brian Vickers finished eighth at Michigan, making it the first time that Toyota placed two cars in the top 10. Blaney’s finish moved him into 35th in the overall standings, guaranteeing him a starting spot at Bristol. Will Gibbs Racing be the next program to utilize the Toyota car? Rumors say it is so.