It is a cold, wet winter's day as I write this column, but spirits are high in the X-factor Motorsports camp. That's right, I said X-factor Motorsports! That is the new name of the former G-Force Motorsports team. We recently changed the name for a couple of reasons. Number one, we kept getting confused with the G-Force Racing Gear company, and number two, we felt it was a more marketable name with sponsors. We are excited with the name change and we are excited to get our new team logo and T-shirts out as soon as possible!
Tom McCarthy at Lil Mac's Print Shack in Hubbard, Ohio has designed a new logo and we have new T-shirts being made up as we speak. The number on the car will continue to be X1, but it will have a new look to it for the 2005 racing season. We are very pumped up about the upcoming racing season and can't wait for the new car to debut sometime in early March.
Some good news to report in terms of sponsors for 2005 is the return of Cintas, The Uniform People, for a 3rd straight year. Cintas will once again be providing the highest quality uniforms & team apparel for the upcoming season. Our relationship with Cintas is a strong one and we appreciate everything the do for our team, both financially and in terms of team gear! If you are a business owner and in need of high quality uniforms, give Cintas a call and tell them X-factor Motorsports sent you. You will be supporting a race team and getting a great deal at the same time! A win/win situation.
Other sponsors returning for 2005 are Cook's Markets, Hovis Tire & Automotive, Pennzoil, Groves Excavating & Trucking, and Lil Mac's Print Shack. X-factor Motorsports is proud to be associated with each and every one of these fine businesses. Please show your support by sending your business their way in 2005!
One sponsor that will not be returning this season is Greenwood Hubbard Chevrolet. Greenwood's has been a great sponsor the last two years but due to financial restraints within their advertising budget they will not be able to return for the 2005 season, however, they have left the door open for a return in 2006 if the advertising budget will allow. A big thank you goes out to Greenwood Hubbard Chevrolet for their support of our team the past two seasons and hopefully renewed support in 2006.
Talks continue with several potential new partners for the upcoming racing season and as soon as details can be released, we will issue a press release with all the details. A couple of companies we are talking with want to do some big things with our team, but it is a case of making sure all the i's are dotted and T's are crossed for both parties. Hopefully we will be making some announcements very soon. Anyone who has ever been involved with sponsorship talks knows how long they can take sometimes, but good things come to those who wait!
The X-factor Motorsports Maxim will have a new paint scheme this year. The colors will probably be similar to last season with the car being mostly black, but will have totally new design in terms of graphics this season. Jason Scoville of Scoville Graphics & Design will once again be putting the graphics on the X-factor Motorsports sprinter. Jason does tremendous work and is very reasonable price wise. If there are racers out there in the Western PA or Northeast Ohio area looking for a top shelf graphics person, Jason is your man. Just give him a call at 330-719-6545 and tell him Scott Groves and X-factor Motorsports sent you. Jason will definitely treat you right!
The racing season down in Florida is well under way with Chad Kemanah taking the King of the 360's title and the $10,000 first prize. The following week it was Danny "the dude" Lasoski in the winner's circle picking up the $10,000 winner's check for winning the 410 portion of the East Bay Nationals. Danny has a new sponsor in Bass Pro Shops and a sharp new black paint scheme for the 2005 WoO season. Last night at Volusia it was Terry McCarl picking up the opening night win with the All-Stars. Terry will be a regular with the WoO this season, but he always opens up his season in Florida with East Bay and All-Star action.
Lincoln and Williams Grove are only a couple weeks away. Look for chilly temperatures and hot racing action the last week in February and all through March as Lincoln and The Grove open up with weekly afternoon racing. Both tracks usually get around 30 cars (several from our area) and packed grandstands are everybody is ready to shake the frost off and get back to weekly racing. We are planning on making a few trips out there to start our season before our local tracks get under way around here. It is always a great time.
Well, that is all for this column. I will be back in a week or two with some news on new sponsors and preliminary schedule for our 2005 racing season. Until then, keep the Lord in your heart and trust him for all things and we will see you at the races!
Wow! A ton of things have been going on in the world of sprint car racing in the past few weeks. Lots of new teams, the WoO schedule is out, and an area track is up for sale. Let's get right to the information.
Some of the biggest news out on the WoO trail is the fact that Slammin' Sammy Swindell is now driving for Guy Forbrook on the WoO tour part-time in 2005. They plan on hitting about 50 races in Maxim chassis with Mopar powered Gaerte motors. This should be an interesting combo as both gentleman are known as "hard" to work with. I don't see them lasting the whole year, just my opinion.
Stevie Smith will also be returning the Outlaws on a part-time basis with a new sponsor for 2005. It will be great to have Stevie back out on tour even if it is for only 40-50 races. Stevie was always a fan favorite and winner back in the day.
The Jacobs boys both have secured rides for the upcoming All-Star season. Kenny will be piloting the Rob Hunter owned 2H in mainly All-Star shows and brother Dean will be back behind the wheel of the Guy Webb #51. The same car he finished the 2004 in. It is nice to know that both of the Jacobs boys will be racing in 2005. Rumor had it that Kenny was close to calling it quits because of business obligations, but the Hunter 2H ride was just what he needed to stay in the cockpit for another season. Sources tell me that Kenny wanted a ride closer to home and that is the main reason for leaving the Kline owned #22 from Central PA.
A rumor has surfaced that Mercer Raceway Park is now for sale. This is a rumor that has been going around for almost a year now, and supposedly Vicki has confirmed that the track is officially for sale. No news on any possible buyers. I sure hope whoever buys the track brings in more special 410 sprint shows!
Out in Central Pa Lance Dewease finally secured a good ride as he will be piloting the #25 Pete's Bridge Street Motors Maxim/Rider mount. That is great news for PA Posse fans as the big 3 of Hodnett, Rahmer, and Dewease will all be in quality rides for 2005. Add in Jeff "The Jet" Shepard, Mark Smith, Lucas Wolfe, Keith Kauffman, Jason "The Racin Cajun" Johnson, Doug Esh, Nikki Young, Brian Leppo, and others, and the PA Posse scene will be as tough as ever. We at G-Force Motorsports hope to make it out to at least a couple of the early season shows in Central Pa but we know what we will be facing when we get there. The finest local racing anywhere in the country! By the way, Dewease has reported that he will switch back to Port Royal on Saturday nights instead of Lincoln, however, Jeff Shepard will probably be a regular at Lincoln so it all evens out in the end.
A couple of new local teams in Western Pa to report. The big news is the new ride for Jack Sodeman Jr., the hotshoe standout who has been deserving of a big ride for some time now. Jack will be driving a #49 Eagle/Blackshear combo around Ohio and Pa mostly. I have spoken with Jack online and I know how excited he is. He told me that the teams only goals are to win races and have fun. Good Luck Jack!
Another new, well somewhat new team, is the return of Greg McCandless who has been away from sprint car racing for the last two years. Greg is the owner of McCandless Ford in Mercer, Pa and he will be returning to the cockpit of a J&J chassis powered by, you guessed it, a Ford motor. Greg told me that he will be racing for fun and not chasing any points at anyone track. He said that he will probably run at both Mercer & Sharon on Saturday nights and Tri-City on Sundays when time allows. Good Luck to Greg on his return to sprint cars.
The new WoO schedule was released a few weeks ago and interesting to see was that Lernerville Speedway got 4 dates for 2005. May 20 & 21, July 19 (Silver Cup), and October 3. It is great to see Lernerville finally get a two-day show and the return of the fall race that they used to have many years ago. Sharon Speedway will only have one date this year, that being on June 3. I am not sure why Sharon has only one date and I have heard that a second date may be released at a later time. K-C Raceway has secured two dates for 2005, those being on May 14 & September 27. If you have never been to K-C, it is a must see! The fastest little track you will ever see! It is like racing inside of a large cereal bowl. Attica Raceway Park is also finally back on the WoO schedule after about a 10 year hiatus. The popular Brad Doty Classic will now have all the best drivers in the county competing at Attica on July 13. This has always been one of the fan favorite races and now you can bet on a 50+ car field and a complete sellout in the grandstands! I can't wait until July, I will be there for sure!
As for the G-Force Motorsports team, we are currently talking with several new sponsors for the upcoming season. One sponsor has already been secured, but details cannot be released until sometime in January. We are hoping to up our current sponsorship level and really contend on the local level in 2005. We are planning on running either Attica or Lernerville on Friday nights, Sharon Speedway on Saturday nights, and Tri-City or Sportsman's Speedway on Sunday nights. We will stay in the local area for all points races and only travel outside the area on weeknights or non-point nights. It is our hope to contend for our first win in 2005 and top 5 points finishes at the tracks we choose to compete at.
We have made our decision on which brand of chassis to run and we will be staying with Maxim chassis next year. We have already purchased a Maxim for use during the 2005 racing season and if sponsorship allows we may buy a second car as well. Maxim chassis have been the only brand we have run in our first two years and we have decided to continue running the Maxim brand this season.
Well, that is it for now. I look forward to seeing the snow melt and the racing start sometime in late Feb. or early March. I pray that God blesses all race teams and race fans during the 2005 racing season. Remember, with God all things are possible! Until next time, I will see you at the races.
I know it has been a while since my last column, but there really hasn't been much to report. I have basically recovered from my injuries sustained in the Sharon crash on September 11th, however, both of my knees are still bothering me a little bit. One thing is for sure, I will be running knee protection in 2005!
There has been a a lot of movement going on in the world of sprint car racing over the past few weeks. Lance DeWease is out of the Hamilton #77 and Greg Hodnett is in, Jason Johnson has taken over the driving duties of the Kline #22 formerly driven by Kenny Jacobs, and there are several new teams planning on attacking the World of Outlaws in 2005. Among those new teams are Brooke Tatnell, Shane Stewart, Tim Keading, and Terry McCarl. Should make for an interesting season. Also, Dale Blaney has been running the Wright #35 during the final events of 2005, but I hear that Dale plans on remaining in the Andrews #72 next season.
Big news on the race track front is that DIRT Motorsports has bought Lernerville Speedway and will operate the facility in 2005. The only real question is whether or not they will continue to run weekly shows? I sure hope so! Also, Mercer is dropping big block modifieds in favor of a new small block division that will also compete at CPS and Sportsmans Speedways. CPS is also rumored to be running the Green Flag sprints as well. That should boost the car count in that division.
Steve Kinser has won his 19th WoO championship and just continues to solidify his place in history as the greatest sprint car driver ever! At almost 50 years old the man is still at the top of his game. In other WoO news Danny Lasoski's team has added Bass Pro Shops to their Tony Stewart Motorsports team along with JD Byrider, Mopar, Coca-Cola, and Old Spice. The rumored deal is worth 10 million over 5 years. I have heard that Lasoski's team has an annual budget at or around 5 million per year! Wow!
As for the G-Force Motorsports team we have a verbal agreement from a new sponsor, however, details cannot be released until after the January 1st due to budgeting reasons. We are excited to start the year off on a positive note and only hope that we can announce several more new sponsors before the start of the 2005 racing season. We will be building at least one new car over the winter and possibly two but we still haven't decided on what brand of chassis to run. We have used Maxim chassis the last two seasons but a lot of folks are trying to talk us into running a J&J chassis in 2005. Both are very good companies that win a lot of races each season so I guess I will just have to make up my mind and go with it.
Well, thats all for this time. I will write more when I have some news to report. Until then look to the Lord for strength and guidance and we will see you at the races!
It has been a long, painful week for the G-Force Motorsports team. I am still trying to recuperate from the devastating crash we had at Sharon last Saturday night. The car is basically done for the rest of the year and the motor will be sent away to be gone over and freshened.
For those of you who were not at Sharon last week, I believe we had something break in the rear of the car as I entered turn 3 which cause me to jump the heavy cushion and slam into the turn 3 wall, thus causing the car to flip violently several times. It happened so fast I didn't have any time to react. I just tried to turn the car the best I could and then held on as I hit the wall and started flipping. I just thank God that no one hit me while I was upside down.
It has been a week now since the crash and I am still hobbled by it a little bit. I am still experiencing slight dizziness, and my right knee is still very tender and sore. The days right after the crash were very painful as both knees, both lower legs and ankles, and my jaw were bruised and battered. I was seeing spots out of my left eye the night of the accident, but they went away the next day. Although my neck and back never bothered me, the muscles in my upper neck that attach to the back and side of my head, were extremely sore for about 4-5 days. I expect to be fully healed within another 3-5 days.
The car suffered heavy damage and will in all likelihood put us out of competition for the remainder of 2004. We lost the top wing and nose wing, the front axle, all four shocks, all four torsion arms, all the radius rods and steering components, the borrowed rear end we had in for that night, the rear brake rotor, the jacob's ladder, the torque tube, the wing slider, the right front wheel, and the frame which was bent in two different places. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the seat! The impact was so hard that it bent the right side wrap almost straight on my ButlerBuilt seat. Serious damage to say the least!
I have to thank the Good Lord for watching over me and keeping me from any serious injuries. I am convinced that He had a blanket of protection over me when I crashed. I also want to thank the Sharon Speedway emergency crew for taking care of me right after my crash. I wanted to just hurry up and get out of the car, but they made me stay in the car for several minutes while they evaluated my injuries and that also gave me time to catch my breath and regain some of my marbles. I was very dizzy and sore before I ever got out of the car and it was probably a very good idea for them to make me stay in the car until they knew for sure that I hadn't injured my neck or back or had any broken bones. Once again, a big thank you for your assistance.
I am not sure what our plans for the rest of 2004 will be, but unless we come up with a bunch of money and another car, we will likely be done until 2005. I plan on attending several more races in 2004 and I might even help out a some friends of mine until the season is over.
As for 2005, we are still planning on building a brand new car and hopefully we will have one or two newer motors to use in 2005. I am planning on running Lernerville, Sharon, and Sportsman's next year unless something changes between now and then.
The G-Force Motorsports team is also planning on running two cars at Sharon Speedway next year if the proper funding is secured with my crewmember, "Dangerous" Dan Dominic, running the second car. Dan is wanting to get some seat time and we also think this would be a great deal for our new sponsors in 2005.
That is it for now. If anything changes about our plans for 2004 I will update the column as soon as I know anything definite. We were hoping to run at Sharon on Sept. 25th, Clinton County twice in October and Hagerstown for the Octoberfest at the end of October. If someone helps us out or provides us with a car I still might try to run a couple more races, if not, we will be gearing up for 2005. Until next time, I will see you at the races
What a roller coaster weekend! The lowest of lows on Saturday to the highest of highs on Sunday. You just can't tell what the world of sprint car racing will bring you from night to night.
First, let's start off with Mercer on Saturday night. Our decision was to run with the MASS series on Saturday instead of going to our normal track, Sharon Speedway. What a mistake! To start off with, I draw the second to the worst pill and have to start dead last in my heat race. Then, after failing to qualify through my heat (they only take the top 4) I had to start dead last in the B-main (out of 16 cars, only taking 6). Obviously we didn't make the A-main, which was a great race by the way (congrats to Jamie Smith), but we did learn what NOT to do! Our set-ups were horrible and we weren't even close to being fast.
But wait, it is now Sunday night at Tri-City Speedway and right off the trailer we are fast! How do you figure that one out? We actually ran the same set-up that we ran in the B-main at Mercer the night before and it was extremely fast at Tri-City. Imagine that?
In our heat we started on the pole and ended up finishing 5th, but as I pointed out to my crew, each guy who finished ahead of us is a consistent top 5 runner night in and night out so we weren't too disappointed.
Our only bad luck of the night came with the inversion draw. They drew an invert 8 which meant we would start 9th. If they would have drawn an invert 10 it would have put us on the pole for the A-main, but that is how your luck goes in sprint car racing.
In the A-main the car was really fast at the beginning and after all the spin outs and crashes we were running a solid 5th right behind Jarod Larson, who was in 4th at the time. For about the first third of the race we right with the leaders, however, a line change on my part (moving from the middle groove to the low groove in 3 & 4) allowed the top 4 to put a little distance between themselves and me. Inexperience is what hurt me from having a chance at my first career top 5. I should have went right back to the middle groove in 3 & 4 when Jarod and the others started to get away, but instead I was convinced I was going to make the bottom groove work!
As the race wore on, I started reeling in the #45 sprint car who was in 4th at the time, but as I was catching him Jimmy Weller was catching me. Jimmy raced hard with us for a couple of laps before passing me with an outside move in turn 3. Right after he passed me we encountered several lap cars running all over the speedway. Jimmy and Todd Bauer (#45), with their experience, quickly dispatched the lappers as it took me several laps to get by them. From there we rode home with a career best 6th place finish.
As happy as I was with the 6th place finish, I knew my dad and brother were right, if I would have run a slightly better line and got through the lapped traffic quicker, I probably had about a 4th place car. Oh well, I did the best I could for that particular night and we gained a ton of confidence! As I once again pointed out to my crew, all the cars that finished ahead of me in the A-main are all feature winners this year (Rod George, Andy McKisson, Jarod Larson, Todd Bauer, and Jimmy Weller), so I couldn't be too disappointed. Just knowing that I have the ability to run with these guys in only my second year of racing gives me alot of confidence as our team moves forward.
I really have to give all the credit to my crew for our great run Sunday night, "Dangerous" Dan Dominic, Jim Groves, and Greg Groves. Without them putting forth the hard work and effort I would have probably been running mid-pack. A special thanks goes out to my dad and brother (Jim & Greg) for helping us out the past couple of weeks. We are still looking for a crew chief and dad & Greg have stepped up and really helped Dan and myself out and the results show that they are making a difference. In the two weeks they have been helping me I have had my two best runs of the whole season. Thanks for all your help!
This weekend I think we are going to head back to our home track, Sharon Speedway, and also we are going back to Sportsman's Speedway on Sunday night. I am hoping we can get the monkey off our back at Sharon as our best finish all season long is an 11th place finish. We just have struggled to find a comfortable set-up there, but hopefully this week we can dial the G-Force sprinter in and go fast! We need to find something that works as the premier race of the year in our area, The Sharon Nationals, is just two weeks away. I am also really looking forward to our return to Sportsman's Speedway. That place is a fun little track! I really think with the right breaks there we can run top 5, maybe better!
It is also the last regular season race at Sharon this Saturday night and my main sponsor, Greenwood Hubbard Chevrolet, will be in attendance up in one of the VIP booths enjoying the races. If any of you race fans see anybody walking around in Greenwood Hubbard Chevrolet shirts, make sure to stop them and thank them for their support of both my team and The New Sharon Speedway! That is what sponsors want to hear, good things from you the fans of the sport that they have chosen to be a part of. Remember, Greenwood's supplies the pace truck and several billboards at the speedway, so be sure to support them!
We are hoping to have our new body work on the car for this coming weekend. We will see how everything goes at the shop. We still have to modify some pieces and paint the new pieces and have them lettered. If not this weekend, we will definitely have them ready for the Nationals weekend.
Well that is it for now, I hope everyone enjoys their racing weekend and we hope you stop by and say hello if your at Sharon or Sportsman's. Until next time, God Bless and we will see you at the races!
Finally, a decent weekend! After the bad luck bug had bitten us for about 6 straight weeks, it seems like the G-Force Motorsports team may be finally heading in the right direction. A season best 8th place finish at Sportsman's speedway has the team in high spirits heading into the final regular season races of the year.
The weekend started out like many recent race weekends had, nothing but problems. Saturday night at Sharon a 15th place finish was all the G-Force team could muster. About half-way through the A-main a distinct rattling noise developed in the rear end of the car. Although the noise would come and go I decided to just finish the feature event and we limped home in 15th.
Sunday after washing the car and inspecting it we found the cause of the noise. Two problems, a broken rear brake pad and more importantly, two broken teeth off the quick change gears. Luckily for us the rear end itself was not damaged too bad. We did have to buy a new rear cover with bearings, but other than that we came out in pretty good shape. We also replaced the brake pads in our Red Devil brake system and away we went.
Sunday night at the new Sportsman's Speedway was the best night of the year for the G-Force Motorsports team. In our heat race we finished a strong 3rd out of 10 cars and in the A-main we rode home to a season best 8th place finish. All the credit to the good run goes to my dad and my brother, Jim and Greg Groves. With my regular crew-member "Dangerous" Dan Dominic away at the Knoxville Nationals, my dad and brother found and fixed the problems on the G-Force sprinter and had the car ready to run strong by heat race time. I also want to thank Jack Sodeman Jr. and Sr. for their advice on what changes to make throughout the night and obviously they know what they are doing when it comes to Sportsman's!
The feature event was rather uneventful for me. I started 7th and basically rode in 7th until late in the race when I slipped up off the bottom in turn 4 and allowed the #70 sprinter to squirt by. The surface in the A-main made it hard to pass as everyone was right down around the bottom, but just being able to run with the leaders for the entire race made me happy and most importantly, more confident! I really enjoyed my experience at Sportsman's Speedway and I am looking forward to going back.
Now the big dilemma! Where to run next Saturday and Sunday? Sharon is my home track but Mercer is running a $2500 to win MASS race that same night. Then on Sunday Sportsman's is running a wingless show (and I have never run wingless before) and Tri-City is just running a regular winged show. What to do, what to do? Right now I would say that I am leaning towards running Mercer and Tri-City, but that could change by the end of the week. I just don't know if I am ready to take the wing off just yet, but I really did enjoy running at Sportsman's. Oh well, I have a few days to think about it.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my great sponsors again. These great people and their businesses are the reason I am able to compete in the sport I love. Without their support I would still be up in the stands watching instead of out on the track competing. Hopefully in the near future I will be able to add a couple of names to our sponsorship team and one of them may be a major sponsor, but I can't confirm anything just yet. Keep our team in your prayers concerning next season as we may be able to step our program up considerably Lord willing!
Well, normally I would tell you where I am planning on competing for the coming weekend, but I still don't know yet. Maybe you, the readers of this column, can help me decide. Go to my website www.scottgroves.net, click on the guestbook and tell me where you think I should run. The choices for Saturday night are the $2500 to win MASS show at Mercer or the regular show at Sharon (my home track), and on Sunday the choices are the wingless special at Sportsman's or the regular winged show at Tri-City. Any help with these decisions would be appreciated. Until next week, God Bless and we will see you at the races!
Can our luck get any worse? That is the question the G-Force team keeps asking itself after another mechanical problem popped up Saturday night at Sharon Speedway.
While lining up for the A-main event the number 2 cylinder spark plug blew out. A distinctive pop followed by a loud missing noise made the problem evident. Luckily for us the problem is not serious and we should be back out next weekend.
We will be taking to the car to the motor man on Wednesday and he said it should only take one day to repair the problem. We were very fortunate to have the plug blow out during the warm up laps and not after we were up to speed because the could have been catastrophic! Just the good Lord watching out for us I guess.
The racing action was pretty good Saturday night as Jimmy Weller went on to win his 2nd career 410 feature event. Jimmy has really been on top of his game lately and he also captured the companion Green Flag sprint A-main. 2 for 2, not a bad night!
This Saturday will feature a "replacement" crew working on the G-Force sprinter as "Dangerous" Dan Dominic, our regular crew-member, heads out to the Knoxville Nationals with Jeff McCall and the Outlaw Driving Experience. My dad, Jim Groves, and former pure stock and sprint car driver, Dave Braun, will be assisting me pit-side for the weekend. It should make for an interesting weekend of racing but I am sure we will Git-R-Done as Larry the Cable Guy would say!
I believe we are going to run Sharon on Saturday night and if everything goes well we will be heading to Sportsman's Speedway on Sunday night. I heard a lot of nice things about Sportsman's since it has re-opened and we are excited to make our first trip there in some 13 years!
We have received our new body panels from Aerodine Composite Group, but we will not be running them until closer to the Sharon Nationals. We might even have a new paint scheme for the Nationals if everything goes right. I will have to talk with Jason Scoville at Scoville Graphics & Designs and see what he might be able to come up with.
I hope everyone enjoys their weekend at the races and as always, stop by and say hello! I have enjoyed meeting and talking with several people who read my column. Until next time, we will see you at the races!
It is a warm, rainy Wednesday morning as I write this week's column, but spirits are high around the G-Force Motorsports team. We are currently in negotiations with two major companies about coming on board as marketing partners for the 2005 racing season. We hope to have something finalized by the end of the season so that we can announce our sponsors for next year.
On a sad note, the G-Force Motorsports team has parted ways with full-time crew-member James "Sling" Grymberg. James had been with the team since it's inception in the winter of 2002. The split was a mutual one and both parties decided it was time to move in different directions. Sling will be trying to start his own E-mod team for the remainder of 2004 and is hoping to start his own sprint car team in 2005. All of us at G-Force Motorsports wish James nothing but the best in the future and good luck with his new racing ventures.
For the time being "Dangerous" Dan Dominic will be the only at the track crew-member with shop help from Jim & Greg Groves. G-Force is actively searching for a new crew chief to head the team until the conclusion of the 2004 racing season. Although the team has been in contact with a couple of potential candidates, no one has been selected at this time. Anyone interested in the position should call myself at 330-506-7241 or e-mail me at sprintfreak1@aol.com for more info.
Before I forget, I want to thank Tubby from Tub's Automotive and Don Blackshear from Blackshear Racing Engines for getting my motor tuned and back to me so quickly. The motor is running better than ever and I really appreciate how quickly they got it done. Also I want to thank Jeff McCall for helping us out whenever we need it. Jeff is Jimmy Weller's car owner and he is a great guy and is always willing to help us out.
Speaking of Jimmy Weller! Congrats on your first 410 sprint car victory at Lernerville. Jimmy had a great weekend of racing as he won at Lernerville on Friday, finished 13th (after starting 23rd) at the Kear's Memorial race at Fremont on Saturday, and capped the weekend off with a 2nd place run at Tri-City on Sunday. Not a bad weekend of competition.
For our weekend of competition we only raced at Tri-City on Sunday. We had a 4th place finish in our heat race and a 10th place finish in the A-main. Normally we would be very pleased with a top ten in the feature event, but not this week. We started 5th in the feature and we really knew we had about a top five car, but a bad start in the feature just killed our chances of a top 5. We also selected the wrong gears for the A-main and just didn't have enough pop getting off the turns. Once again, not having a quality crew chief making those calls is keeping the G-Force team from reaching it's full potential!
It was a fun night of racing, however. We had a good run in our heat race as we started 4th and slipped back to 6th or 7th on the first lap. Then, after figuring out which line to run we got back up to 4th and were closing in on 3rd when the checkered flag flew. We were very happy with our run in the heat, but we just didn't quite get it done in the feature event. We are going to keep plugging away though!
As I look ahead to the future of G-Force Motorsports I am committed to reaching the top level of local competition and then one day I hope to move on to run nationally with the All-Stars or World of Outlaws. To that end, we are re-focusing our efforts on making our equipment the absolute best it can be. Within the next couple of weeks we will be unveiling a new style body on the X1 sprinter. I have purchased the same style body that both Steve Kinser and Joey Saldana run on the World of Outlaws tour. It comes from a company named Aerodine Composites Group and it is made from both carbon fiber and a special composite fiberglass. It is extremely lightweight and aerodynamic. We are looking for every advantage we can find from now until the end of the season.
During the off-season the G-Force team will be building a brand new sprint car for 2005. It will be completely state of the art. We are preparing my shop, as we speak, to become a mini-fabrication shop to help in the process of building the new car over the winter. We have recently purchased new items such as a drill press, a cut-off saw, an electric hoist, various grinding equipment, and other fabrication tools. We are also going to be painting the inside of the shop and adding more electrical power to the facility. When it is completed I will have Rick Rarer stop by and take some pictures for the my website www.scottgroves.net . We are very excited with the direction the team is heading! Maybe by the time the shop is complete we will have some big news to announce concerning sponsorship for 2005?
Our racing plans this weekend will be Sharon Speedway on Saturday night and Tri-City Speedway on Sunday night. We are hoping to have two top ten finishes this weekend and at least one top five! Hope to see everybody out this weekend and remember to stop by and say hello. Until then, we will see you at the races!
It has been some time since my last column and that is due mainly to my lack of spare time. As many people know I have a 4 month old daughter at home along with a full-time job, a basketball coaching position, a race team, and my devoted wife. It makes life interesting and time consuming.
I decided to write this week as this is one of my favorite weekends of the racing season. The Brad Doty Classic and King's Royal are two of my favorite races. I was very happy to see Greg Wilson win the huge paycheck from the Doty but as you could tell in his victory lane speech, the honor of winning Brad Doty's race far outweighed the money.
A huge field of 58 sprinters graced Attica Raceway Park for the Classic. Some surprises were Sammy Swindell and Terry McCarl, both of whom had fine runs. It was nice to see such a large turn out for this year's Doty as past years have only seen about 35 cars for each Classic.
As for the G-Force Motorsports team we have been struggling to find any type of groove on the race track. We will look fast at times and then struggle later that same night. We have been experimenting alot lately with set-ups and maybe we are guessing too much. I think we are going to go back to some set-ups that seemed to work for us earlier in the year and see if they will work again.
Right now as I write this column we are trying to get our motor running right. We had a small problem at Tri-City on Sunday when a rocker arm came loose and let a push rod and lifter pop out. Luckily for us there was no major damage, however, we are now having a big time problem getting the motor back in time. We spent about 5 hours on it last night over at Jimmy Weller's shop in Hubbard with Jeff McCall (Jimmy's car owner) trying to get it timed up. We think we have an air leak somewhere around the fuel injection, but we still don't know for sure.
Some personal news. I have recently left Greenwood Hubbard Chevrolet and started working for National Marine in Vienna, Ohio. It was a good move on my part as National Marine was looking for a service manager to oversee their ever expanding business and the offer was one I couldn't refuse. I have nothing but great things to say about Greenwoods and I wish them nothing but the best in the future. If your looking for your next car or need service on your current one, see Eric Blinzley in sales or Butch Dopirak in service. Either one of these gentleman will take care of you, tell them I sent you in and that you are a race fan.
As far as National Marine goes, they are the largest performance boat dealer in the United States with locations in Ohio and Florida. It is a tremendous opportunity for me personally and I am very excited to be on board.
As far as my sponsorship with Greenwoods, there will be no changes for 2004 and as of right now it looks like they will be back on board for 2005. They are just great people led by Mr. Greg Greenwood himself. Our racing schedule over the next couple of months will be mainly Sharon Speedway on Saturday nights and Sportsman's or Tri-City on Sunday nights. We have scratched alot of our travel plans until we get on track set-up wise at our home tracks. We are still planning on traveling a little bit at the end of the year and we our really looking forward to running the Hoosier Fall Classic and The Octoberfest!
Well that is it for now. Remember to trust Jesus with all your heart and soul as He will never leave you nor forsake you and we will see you at the races!
It is a hot and sunny day as I write this column (Thursday May 13th), but I am sure that by the weekend it will change to rain. I had hoped to run Lernerville and Sharon this coming weekend (May 14th & 15th) but it looks more like a Sharon-Tri-City weekend instead.
Saturday night was the grand opening at the newly renovated Sharon Speedway and what a tremendous change greeted the huge overflow crowd. The new VIP/Scorer's tower is magnificent and the new Greenwood Hubbard Chevrolet Victory Lane is a nice touch. The center portion of the front stretch grandstands is covered by a roof while the turn 1 & turn 4 sections are in open air. It makes it nice to have a choice whether to sit under cover or out in the sunshine. What really makes the place nice is the new restrooms, kitchen area, and souvenir area, all part of the new renovation project.
As for the racing, it was Ed Lynch Jr. taking the checkers in the sprint A-main after starting deep in the field. Jack Sodeman Jr. controlled the entire race up until the last few laps when he let Lynch slip by for the victory. After talking to Jack he revealed that he had no brakes for the whole race and when Lynch finally caught him at the end he decided not to battle him too hard and run the risk of taking them both out. Jack has had some real tough luck this year, but he is really running strong everywhere he goes.
The G-Force Motorsports team also had some tough luck to compete against last Saturday. In our heat race I started on the pole and at the drop of the green I settled into the second position behind Jimmy Weller. Kevin Schaffer and a newcomer slipped by on the next lap as I was still running comfortably in a transferred position (4th). Then as I entered turn 1 on about the 3rd or 4th lap, I had a right front lower radius rod come off and almost put me into the turn 1 wall! Luckily for me the caution came out for a separate incident and I was able to pull off with minimal damage.
After repairing the Greenwood Hubbard/Cintas sprinter we started 16th in the A-main. On the initial start we got a great jump and passed several cars on the high side, but the bad luck continued as the start was called back for the front row jumping the start. On the second attempt to start the race we did not get as good of a start but we settled in and started moving forward. About halfway through the race I started to have a very bad vibration coming from the steering. We found out later that both front wheels were packed with mud making it almost impossible to steer the car properly. Then with about 10 laps remaining, I was hit from behind by #91, Bob Lime. Bob spun out and made contact with another car, but I was able to continue. After the contact with Bob my car just didn't feel right, so for the last 10 laps of the race I just sort of ran around the bottom and tried to get as many points as possible for the season point chase.
We ended up finishing 11th which wasn't too bad considering all the tough luck we had throughout the night. It gets us off to a decent start in the points as our goal this year is a top 8 finish in the points. Other than some unlucky things the car really ran well and I think we will be a definite contender before the year is out.
I want to thank all of my 2004 sponsors for their support and my crew members for all of their hard work. I am hoping to make my second season in the 410 sprints a stepping stone onto bigger and better things in 2005.
On a sad note, my wife Suzanne lost her Grandmother Anne over the weekend and we had the funeral Tuesday. Please keep my wife and her family in your prayers as this is a tough time for them. Until next time, I will see you at the races
What an interesting couple of weeks. Not the start to the season I was looking for, but not all that bad either. In five races so far this season we have competed at Lincoln Speedway, Attica Raceway Park, Lernerville, and Mercer, 4 tracks in 5 races.
Two weeks ago we went to Attica on Friday night for their season opener. 30 cars signed in, including eventual winner Danny Smith. The night was a struggle from the word go. The car was so tight that we never did get it loose enough to drive. A tacky track at Attica requires a loose racecar to be fast and we just plain missed the set-up.
The following night at Mercer was a much better night. After failing to make it out of our heat race we had to run in the B-main. Finishing 5th in the B gave us a transfer into the A-main. We started 23rd in the A and steadily moved forward eventually finishing in the 12th position. Moving up 11 spots on a tough, tight track like Mercer is something that we felt pretty good about. It was our first decent run of the season.
The April 10th race at Mercer was also the same night Gary McCollum was injured in a bad wreck on the front stretch. Thank God Gary is ok and that his injuries were not as severe as the track crew had first thought. I think a big thank you needs to go out to the safety crew at Mercer for handling the situation the way they did. They responded quickly and took every precaution to make sure they did not make Gary's condition any worse than it already was. I am sure Gary is thankful as well. You never like to see anybody LifeFlighted out of a track, but in this case it was the right move for the situation.
This past Friday we went to Lernerville Speedway for the first time this season with our new "helper" as he likes to be called, PJ Kerr. PJ is trying to help me get the car right and become a better driver. He has a ton of experience as driver, car owner, and crew chief. It is that vast knowledge I am trying to draw from to help me get to the next level of competition.
Our night was sort of up and down. In our heat race we finished 7th out of 11 cars, but missed the transfer by one spot. But in the B-main I had one of my best runs to date. I started on the pole of the 13-car race and actually led the first few laps until Jimmy Weller III got past me with a slide job in turns 3&4. I tried to go back underneath Jimmy in turns 1&2, but I spun my tires allowing Jimmy to take the lead for good. I ended up finishing a strong 2nd and was very pleased with how the car handled. PJ told me that I needed to run the cushion and feather the throttle to be fast at Lernerville, and in the B-main at least I felt pretty good.
When the A-main rolled around we were starting 20th on a super slick track. The start went pretty well for me as I went right up to the cushion, which was only about 8 inches from the top lip of the track. I passed quite a few cars and was actually running somewhere near the middle of the field when I misjudged my entry into turn 3 and hopped the cushion with my right rear tire and spun out. I was very angry with myself because I knew how hard it was to pass on the tricky slick surface. I ended up 18th in the final rundown, but I know we ran much well than that on that night.
The next night it was off to Mercer Raceway Park for the second week in a row. We came into the night with quite a bit of confidence and we thought maybe we could get our first top ten of the season, but it was not to be. While running 5th in our heat race, which would have automatically transferred us into the A-main, I felt a vibration develop from in front of me. I had hit a fairly large hole in turn 2 a lap before and that is when the vibration started, but it felt like the motor was coming apart. I ran it for about a lap and a half before I decided it was better to pull in than to destroy a motor. After careful inspection in the pits we found that hitting the bump in turn 2 had pushed the torque tube up into the rear of the U-joint damaging both parts. PJ told me that if I had run about one more lap we probably would have junked our motor, as the U-joint probably would have separated from the rear of the motor causing BIG problems!
I am glad we did not tear up the motor and that our problem was only minor, however, I was really looking forward to a good run at Mercer. This week will see the G-Force team run at Mercer on Saturday night and then we will head over to Tri-City Speedway for their opener on Sunday evening. Tri-City will be our Sunday night home for most of the season and we might even run for points there as well as Sharon Speedway on Saturdays.
Speaking of Sharon, I was over at the track on Thursday afternoon and the construction is coming along nicely. After talking to both Dave and Dale Blaney it looks like the May 1st opening date is still a go as long as the construction crew gets good weather between now and then to finish up on the new VIP/scorer's tower complex. The new victory lane is already up and looking very good. It is located behind the turn 1 bleachers next to the pit area. I cannot wait to see the finished product. I am sure it will be the nicest facility in Ohio and maybe the entire Midwest!
I want to send get well wishes to my friend Fritz Andrews who is a little banged up right now. Fritz, of course, is Dale Blaney's car owner and just an all-around nice guy. He loves sprint car racing and he does it his way, which is how we all would like to do it. God bless and get well soon!
I hope to see everybody at the tracks this weekend and I hope the weather cooperates as well. Come up and say hello if you are Mercer or Tri-City and do not forget to check out our team website, www.scottgroves.net. Until next time, we will see you at the races!
A long, long, very long weekend! What else could go wrong is the question the G-Force Motorsports team kept asking all day Saturday and into Sunday morning. A trip out to Lincoln Speedway for our first race of the year was anything but ordinary.
To start the day off we headed out of our team's shop in Liberty, Ohio at around 10:30am. We were planning a simple 4 1/2 to 5-hour drive to Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, PA. About 3/4 of the way there we noticed that our trailer lights had went out so we pulled over to the side of the PA turnpike only to find the trailer plug had been pulled out and destroyed. Here we were, 1 1/2 hours from the track with no trailer lights! But this was only the beginning of a long day (and night)!
We started searching for a parts store to find a new trailer plug and wiring to make the necessary repairs. We stopped into a True Value store in East Berlin but they did not have the required parts. We were then directed to a Westin Auto Parts about 2 or 3 miles down from the racetrack and luckily for us, they had both the plug and the wiring. After picking up our repair kit we headed for the track.
We got to the racetrack at about 4:15pm and were promptly moved right into the pit area. By the way, I love the procedure Lincoln is using to get haulers into the pit area quicker. The driver of the team hauler just signs in and gives the check-in man his driver's license and can drive right into the pits and park. He then goes to the pit shack and pays his pit fee and gets his driver's license back. This keeps the flow of haulers moving and there is no bottleneck at the pit gate. I am going to recommend this procedure to any track I run at, it works!
After getting parked in the pit area we prepared for the night's activities. I started by asking some of the other crew chiefs what the hot set-up was. I was pleasantly surprised at how willing most of the people I talked to offered up information to help us out. Eric Stambaugh's crew chief gave us a little information, as did Lee Stauffer from Greg Hodnett's team. Gear ratios, stagger settings, torsion bar sizes, and ride heights, etc… These are all things you need when you go to a track for the first time. Also a gentleman named Garry Ferguson offered us some timely advice and we really appreciated his help as well. I came to find out that Garry is a former car owner and that current Western PA star, Rod George, used to drive for him. Small world!
As the sprint cars were being pushed out to put heat in the motors that is when our night started getting very interesting. For some strange reason our motor would not fire. We had no spark and could not figure out the reason why. A couple of other team's crew members took a look and reasoned that we might have a bad mag, but just a few days earlier we had the motor running so we did not think that was the case. One of my crewmembers, James Grymberg, took the mag apart and cleaned the contacts and reconnected all the wires to the mag, and after about four attempts to fire the motor it finally cranked up. We were relieved at the time but that was not the only problem we would encounter.
We were put at the tail end of heat 1 because of the handicapping system that Lincoln uses. At the start of the heat we were a little cautious because of not having any warm-up laps due to our motor problem. The real problem started on about lap 3 when I went into turn 3 and the brake pedal went all the way to the floor. No brakes at a track like Lincoln is not a good thing. After the race was over I killed the motor in the infield and had a push truck push me into the pits and still I almost ran over someone because I could not stop the car.
After the heat race my crew went to work trying to figure out the brake problem. They found a small leak at the rear brake caliper and a screw coming loose on the master cylinder. Tightening the screw on the master cylinder ended up being all we had time for before the start of the B-main. We were slated to start 8th with the top 6 transferring to the A. Because of attrition, we ended up finishing 5th in the B and making it into the A-main in our first ever visit to Lincoln speedway. We looked at it this way, even though the night had not been going our way, we were still in the feature event.
The A-main brought the ultimate nightcap to our miserable evening. At the beginning of the feature event I was able to pass two or three cars right off the bat and thought, "Maybe we can turn this into a good night after all!" But that thought soon turned sour as I felt the something under the accelerator and then felt something smack into my ankle as I went into turn one. Then entering turn three I could not press the brake pedal down and once again I felt something smack into my ankle. About this time I started getting worried. I thought maybe a hole had been ripped in my floor pan and chunks of mud were getting into the cockpit. After a couple of laps I decided it would just be best to get off the track and not cause an accident. Upon exiting my car I found out the reason for all the trouble, a 12-inch Maglite lying in the floor pan! I was quite angry at the time, but after cooling down I realized that it was an honest mistake and with all the thrashing around we had done that night, I could not be too upset with anybody, just a fitting way for our bizarre night to end.
Now normally you would think that a night like we had could not get any worse, wrong! On our trip home, which should have taken about 5 hours, we ran out of gas in a blinding snowstorm! That's right, ran out of gas in a snowstorm! I just couldn't believe it. What else could possibly happen to us? Well, how about waiting 4 hours until help arrived. That's the PA State Police for you. It took 4 hours from our initial call until help actually arrived. Thank the good Lord help did eventually arrive!
As for this coming weekend our plans are to run Attica Raceway Park on Friday night in preparation for next weekends All-Star Spring Nationals, and at Mercer Raceway Park on Saturday night in their season opener for the 410 sprinters. As of right now the weather is looking pretty good for this weekend, lets just hope it remains that way!
Also, the G-Force Motorsports team is looking for a part-time crew chief. You can go to our website for more information. This is a paid position and we are looking for someone with several years experience in both car set-up and engine tuning. Interested persons should call 330-506-7241 or e-mail sprintfreak1@aol.com.
That is all for this week. I hope everyone enjoys their Easter weekend and please remember what Easter represents. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ paid the debt for our sins and rose victorious over death and the grave to prove his claims! Put your faith and trust in Him and you cannot go wrong. Until next time, visit www.scottgroves.net for pictures and information on the team, and we will see you at the races!
Racing season is officially underway in the Western Pa region. Ed Lynch Jr. won the opening night feature at Lernerville on March 26th, big surprise there! Lynch will probably win 20-25 A-main events in 2004, maybe more. Mercer also got their season opened with a double-header of late models and 360 sprints.
As many folks already know, my wife gave birth to our first child on Friday March 19th at 3:14pm. Little Chloe Madison Groves was born healthy and strong at St. E's Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio. It is such a blessing to have a little daughter (which is what I wanted from the start). Other than a few sleepless nights, everything about being a dad is great! Now I can't wait to see what she grows up wanting to be, a cheerleader, a basketball player, or maybe a racecar driver?
The G-Force Motorsports team planned on opening our season at Lernerville on Friday, but because we did not get our car back from the decal guy until after 3:00pm we didn't have enough time to get ready. Then on Saturday we were planning on going to K-C Raceway for their opener, but of course it got rained out. Look for the G-Force sprinter to make its debut at either Attica Raceway Park or Lernerville on Friday and then we will be at Mercer on Saturday night. We haven't decided on Friday night yet and will probably flip a coin on Wednesday or Thursday to decide. Since we are not running for points at either track on Friday nights we may go to Attica to prepare for the Spring Nationals on April 16th & 17th.
If you haven't seen our new paint scheme for 2004 yet you can check it out on our website, www.scottgroves.net. We are very pleased with how the car turned out. Jason Scoville of Scoville Graphics & Designs did our car this year and we couldn't be happier with the outcome. Jason is known in our area for doing some of the most creative cars and it was a pleasure to have him work on the G-Force sprinter.
After driving by Sharon Speedway a couple days ago, I can tell you that the facelift is well underway. The new grandstands are already in place and the new scorers tower/VIP luxury boxes are going up as we speak. Sharon will be one of the nicest facilities around after the project is completed.
Speaking of Sharon Speedway, I am happy to announce my company's involvement with "The New Sharon Speedway" for the next two years. Greenwood Hubbard Chevrolet will be a major sponsor at Sharon for the next two racing seasons including providing the pace vehicle and the new victory lane area, among many other things. The Sales manager, Eric Blinzley, and myself put this deal together over the winter and are very, very excited to align our growing company with the growth taking place at Sharon Speedway. We are currently getting ready to move into a new multi-million dealership at the interchange of I-80 & St. Rt. 7 in Hubbard, Ohio. This is the exit off of I-80 where most of the race teams get off to go to Sharon. We hope this will be a lasting partnership that goes on well into the future!
As far as the G-Force Motorsports team's plans for April, we are going to jump around quite a bit in anticipation for the season opener at Sharon on May 1st. We will run at a variety of tracks during April including Attica, Lernerville, Mercer, Fremont, Tri-City, and possibly a few others. We want to gain as much experience as possible running on different racetracks as we plan on hitting 18-20 All-Star shows throughout the 2004-racing season in addition to running for points at Sharon Speedway on Saturday nights. The highlight of April will be running the Attica Spring Nationals. This has always been one of my favorite events to watch as a race fan and this will be my first time competing in this prestigious event as a driver.
Race fans, please feel welcome to come up and talk to the team at any race event. You will always be welcomed and appreciated. I always enjoyed talking to drivers and team members when I was at an event watching and I always found most teams and drivers accessible. We will have our new t-shirts for sale at every event, you can see them at our website, www.scottgroves.net Just click on the t-shirt link to view our 2004 shirts. We will also be giving away some shirts at each race event, courtesy of King Bros. of Bristolville, Ohio, throughout the first half of the season, so keep an eye out when the G-Force team is present.
That is it for this week, we looking forward to getting our season underway on Friday night and we looking forward to meeting many new fans this season. Come up and say hello and don't forget to sign our guestbook at www.scottgroves.net Until next time, God bless and we will see you at the races!
It is a cold Saturday morning in Brookfield, Ohio as I write this latest installment of Sprintfreak's Adventures. The temperature outside is only about 5 degrees, but the weather doesn't dampen our spirits as we begin to prepare for the upcoming season.
We have officially moved our race shop from my house in Brookfield to one of Adam-Eve Plumbing & Excavating's facilities in Liberty, Ohio. We have more space and access to more equipment at their shop compared to mine. We are currently assembling our new car for 2004. It is the same car we finished the season with last year, but we are making some major improvements for the upcoming season.
For starters, we will have a new paint scheme designed by Tom, from Lil Mac's Print Shack, and myself. The new car will be jet black with blood red numbers. We have decided that black looks better than silver on a sprint car. Just our opinion of course. We will also be changing our number from 54 to X1 this season. You can see the new number by going to our website and clicking on the t-shirt link. I think the new number looks great! It was designed by Tom from Lil Mac's.
Some other changes we are making with the car itself includes going back to a conventional fiberglass scooped hood instead of the custom aluminum one we ran at the end of the year last year. We have installed a new "shorty" radiator instead of the full-size lightweight one we ran last year. Just looking to save a couple of pounds with that move. We will be putting in a new seat, mostly for my safety and comfort. A brand new front axle will be installed in the near future. A new carbon fiber air box is being fitted for our motor right now. This should help keep out more dust and dirt compared to the foam box we used last year. More and more of the top teams have been switching to the carbon fiber air boxes, so we decided we should give it a try too. These are just a few of the changes we are making for 2004. I hope to have some pictures from our shop up on the website sometime soon.
Another plus for the coming year is the increased supply of spare parts we will have at our disposal. Last season we started the year with one car, one motor, one top wing, one nose wing, just a couple of wheels and tires, and only a couple of spare shocks and bars. This year we will start the year with 3-4 top wings, 2 nose wings, about 12 wheels and about 30-35 tires, about 12-15 extra shocks, and about 8-10 extra torsion bars. This will help us be a little more aggressive knowing we have some items in reserve should something happen. You can drive a little bit more confidently when you know you have the ability to rebuild, should the need arise. We still only have one motor, but that is something we are currently working on as well.
I am very excited to see the new improvements at Sharon Speedway for 2004. Living only 5 minutes away I can periodically drive by the track and see what is going on, but I also have the privilege of being able to talk to Dale Blaney and his mom Kate from time to time. I won't go into major detail, but let's just say there are going to be a ton of improvements for 2004! New bleachers on the front stretch. A new midway on the front stretch. Possibly some luxury boxes and a whole bunch of new stuff. I am hearing that in 2004 the front stretch will now be used for all regular shows and the back stretch will only be opened for special shows like the World of Outlaws. I think this is a very good idea. The Blaneys are really making an effort to make Sharon Speedway one of the nicest dirt track facilities in the country. Just look at what they have done in two years, and they continue to make improvements all the time!
Another track that continues to improve is K-C Raceway. I am really looking forward to going down this March to their opener and seeing all the improvements. You can go onto their website and see pictures of some of them, but I want to go down and see them first hand. As a race fan, K-C has always been one of my favorites. And now Jim Nier is trying to take the raceway to next level. He has been improving the racetrack, the stands, and all the facilities. He has brought in the X-treme Late Models and the World of Outlaws to what is considered to be a small racetrack, and he only continues to make racing better for the fans and drivers alike. Last year he paid $3000 to win for sprints and late models on a regular night! That's right, a local night of racing paid $3000 to win! Now if some of the other tracks in Ohio would step up to the plate and at least increase the payout over the normal $1200-$1500 to win that most tracks pay. Hopefully, Jim Nier will bring about positive change at other tracks in Ohio by setting the standard at his own track.
Well, that is all for this column. I will write again when I have some more news to report regarding sponsors for 2004 and anything else that happens with the G-Force Motorsports team. Until then, I will see you when I see you! God Bless.