Let the Racing Truly Begin

The month of May has been synonymous with racing for close to 100 years, largely in part to the Indianapolis 500, but as the majority of the nation finally unthaws from winter local tracks along with regional and national series kick into high gear. While those of us in the Arizona desert have been enjoying racing throughout the winter months, minus the Wild West Shootout, the late-model landscape has been particular barren. Just two of the scheduled fifteen SWDRA events have been contested, and while on the surface that doesn’t make a lot of sense (if you know what I know that I know it does) given the interesting to say the least off-season that in itself is an accomplishment.

Now that the drama has played itself out (read more on dirtondirt.com) more than half of the 2010 season is about to take place over the next 10 weeks. With eight races scheduled at three tracks, of which two are bonus point shows, the championship may very well be decided in the heat of the summer. I’ve heard more than one person wonder aloud “why do we race in the summer” to which I answer (stop whining) because like it or not that’s when it makes the most sense. Sure it’s sometimes (24-hours a day) ungodly hot (this is a desert) but the weather from December through February isn’t always a barrel of monkeys (how much fun is a barrel of monkeys anyway?) either. Kids are out of school, that’s when families schedule the majority of their free time doing activities, and the holidays in the summer encourage people to attend races.

 As much as you’d rather go to a race and escape certain members of your family during the winter holiday season (just drink) if don’t want to end-up sleeping on the couch I highly advise against it….or that’s just what I hear! So that is why we race in the summer. Grab your 55-gallon drum of water, the SPF 100, suck it up and enjoy the show.

It’s difficult to make any predictions just two races into the season (but I’m going to) however, come July 18th 2/3rds of the schedule will be complete and with just five shows remaining (three in September & two in October) this stretch is critical to not only those currently in contention, but those looking to capture the title. So what’s in store over the next 10 weeks?

The swing begins with a stop at Prescott Valley Raceway on May 15th where last year Brad Whitfield and Anthony Madrid picked up feature wins. The tight fairgrounds oval produced some rough and tumble racing in 2009 where passing opportunities were at a premium. Often times it took a mistake or the chrome horn for a driver to advance his position and that could be the case again. Cooler mid-May temperatures might benefit the track surface and produce two-wide racing, but don’t miss the re-draw because that may be the key to victory.

A Memorial Day double-dip at Canyon Speedway will more than likely see the first (and not the last) race contested with temperatures in the triple digits. There has been plenty of catastrophe (15 car pile up) bad luck and point saving rallies in the first two Canyon events, and taking care of their equipment will no doubt be on the tops of driver’s minds. Brad Williams swept the weekend in 2009 and after missing race one and retiring early from race two, a couple of “W’s” would be welcomed by the 23 team. This is the first of four double-headers weekends for the SWDRA in 2010, and whomever preservers the best in those eight outings just might end up with the big check at season’s end.

The first trip to Thunder Raceway, and the season’s first “bonus points” race, is on the docket June 12th. Show Low returns to the schedule after a three-year absence and make no mistake, if a driver wants to win the title success there is a must! Why? Of the three bonus points races for the SWDRA in 2010, two of them are at Thunder Raceway. The smallest track on the schedule (with the highest elevation at more than 6,200 feet above sea level) just may have the biggest impact on the championship chase. At just a ¼ mile, a lucky re-draw for the main event could (like Prescott Valley) land a driver in victory lane.

Another stop at Canyon comes on June 26th before a July 4th weekend double-header back up the mountain in Show Low. The July 3rd show will again award “bonus points” before the final event at the track on July 4th. The added incentive on night one might cause drivers to throw some caution to the wind, but taking care of their equipment will again be top of mind. Thunder Raceway’s back-to-back races will have teams further from their home bases then any other multi-event weekend. The distance, coupled with extra drive time due to the large increase in elevation, makes a return trip to the Valley or Tucson between shows nearly inconceivable.

Canyon Speedway hosts the final event of the eight race grind on July 17th and it should be interesting in more ways than one. Teams will certainly be ready for a break to refresh (minds, bodies and racecars) evaluate their point’s positions and develop a strategy for the season’s final five events. It will also undoubtedly be the hottest race of the year as July in the Arizona desert is hardly suited for human existence.

My prediction is someone’s going to go on a run during this stretch and win multiple events. While that wasn’t the norm the latter half of 2009 as teams stepped-up their programs, I think racing almost every other weekend is going to separate the contenders from the rest. This in my option is the toughest stretch of racing in the history of the series, it covers three distinctly different tracks, two-climates, and more races grouped together than at any other time in recent memory. Yes, luck will probably play a part, but when a driver is on a roll seemingly nothing can go wrong. I also think that the point’s leader on July 18th will be the 2010 SWDRA Champion.

So, who’s it going to be? After two races the three most impressive performances in my book have to go to Lonnie Parker, Jr, Anthony Madrid and Cory Hemphill. After nearly getting upside down in the opener, Parker survived for a top 10 finish before picking up the win in race two. Madrid settled for second to his teammate Ricky Thornton, Jr. in race one and briefly exited race two with a broken suspension while running second. He also returned to score a 12th place and keep him in the early championship hunt.

Newcomer Hemphill experienced his misfortune in race one as well. Missing the “big one” at the beginning, the F5 drop from second place halfway through race one and was credited with ninth. He returned in race two with another outstanding run and came home in the runner-up position. Sandwich in a non-SWDRA seventh place finish at Perris (California) Auto Speedway and Hemphill has scored three top 10’s so far in 2010.

While each of the three has experienced some sort of misfortune, I think they will occupy the first three spots in the points when September beings. In what order is anyone’s guess, but one of those three will be the 2010 SWDRA Champion. Any takers?

Let the fun, and racing begin!