This month’s column has been a challenge to put together as there is so much going on in the sand drag world as we head into one of the busiest stretches the sport has seen in recent history. I guess the easiest way to go is to start where I left off last month. Late August was pretty quiet in the sand drag world, but things would get rolling again with West Michigan Sand Dragway’s Labor Day Weekend event. This is the last big event of the year in MI, and had a solid turnout. There was close racing all weekend, especially on Sunday with big money Buggy Brawl, Big Bud, & Top Gun Shootout races. I was fortunate enough to win the Top Gun Shootout in my last race of the season against some amazing competition. It’s always a positive as a racer to end the year on a high note, and makes for a little more pleasant off season.It’s going to be an incredibly busy next couple months for NSDN with the stellar schedule of races ahead. First up is going to be the Show-Me Fall Nationals at Thunder Valley Sand Drags in Grain Valley, MO on September 21-22. This is going to be the third race of the Mid-America Sand Drag Series season. This event should shape up the points race heading into the final showdown at Atoka. I also understand there will be a few Top Alcohol Dragsters on hand shooting for Frank Martuscelli’s six year old track record of 2.557. From there, the next stop will be the SCSDA’s “Remember September” race at the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, CA on September 28-30. The west coast racers are itching to hit the ground running as the second half of their season gets underway in So Cal.
October kicks off with the PTN Championship Weekend 2012 at Little Sandy Raceway in Grayson, KY on October 5-6. The Little Sandy crew always puts together a great program, and a strong contingent of cars will show up vying for the big money up for grabs. The next weekend NSDN will be in Atoka, OK for the 2012 Fall Fest, which is also the Mid-America Sand Drag Series Season Finale on October 12-13. This will be quite a shootout with championships on the line in all classes. Unfortunately, NSDN will not be able to make the trip up to Avenal, CA for the NSRA Points race that same weekend on October 13-14, but we will certainly have full results & news from this great west coast event. The ASDI crew along with the Zavala’s & Mario always put on a first class show at the Central California track, and this one should be no different. They have also recently launched a newly redesigned website at www.AvenalSandDrags.com, so check that out when you get a chance. Finishing up the month of racing in October for NSDN is the October Showdown at Dome Valley Raceway in Wellton, AZ on October 20-21. Whenever there is a race at Dome Valley, you know it’s going to be a good one with Ernesto having the track prepped superbly, and the Swag crew shooting cars down the track. Conditions should be conducive to some big numbers at this one, which has racers from across the country contemplating the trip. NSDN’s Daily Race Coverage season concludes November 2-4 with SCSDA’s Season Finale at Soboba. This is also the point series finale for the NSRA Point Series. It should be a nail biter all day long on Sunday as the championships are decided.
As you can imagine, the coming weeks will be tough with all of the travel, but I’m looking forward to seeing everyone across the country. The people are what make this sport go round. Unfortunately, of late, there have been a lot of quality race cars hitting the Classifieds section. It’s sad to see some great people exiting the sport. Hopefully we can entice some new blood to buy some of this nice equipment and continue to build events up across the country. We all know that this sport is notorious for going in cycles, more like a roller coaster at times. Hopefully the sport can see the current race venues prosper, while new venues can emerge to bring our product in front of as many people as possible to get them hooked on this sport we all love. Bringing some stability to this sport is what we all want, and let’s all do our part to push it in a positive direction in the coming months and years.
Stay tuned to NSDN for all of the action from the busy weekends of racing ahead.
Until next month…
Tom Bray (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)