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So my brother calls me at a quarter to 6 (in the evening) on Friday and asks if I wanna go to the 50-lapper tonight (6/12, Friday night). Ehh, sure, why not, I tell the girlfriend. We load up and get going from the Disney area (US 192 and US 27) right after 6:00pm. Turn on the GPS to see how long it'll take us and how far it is.
One hour and seven minutes to drive 57 miles one way, most of it on the 417 and 408, and over $4.00 in tolls one way. If we'd have taken I-4 to 50 (Colonial), it would've taken us at least two hours in Friday-night downtown stop-n-gpo traffic.
Get to the track at just about 7:15, Bandeleros are running. Four - count 'em all ON ONE HAND...- FOUR freakin' oversized go-carts...? *Sigh*...I figure we're in for a looooong night...
Trucks get out on the track. Not a bad race. Glad to see Scott Reeves run a good race. But again...a really short field.
Legends. 10 cars for 25 laps?? And I think only six actually finished. Thought this class had TONS of cars in this area.
What happened to all the Super Stocks? Cuddy? Only about nine or ten cars, pretty uneventful.
Then the Super Late Models. Only 17 cars - but some darn good ones showed up. Wayne Anderson, BJ, Winchell, Freed, Colangelo, Bowers, Rogers, Finney, Clouser...not too bad a crowd. But - the outside groove was slick. From the grandstands, you could see water coming up through the track. Not a bad race, either, until Wayne started looking like he was mirror-driving. Winchell was really the only guy to try the leaders on the outside, but Wayne'd put him up out of the groove. Not sure what happened to Freed, but he started loose and I think he may have flattened that LR in the process, because he just went backwards and eventually parked. It was REALLy neat to see the old guys - Anderson, Winchell, and Rogers, put on a show and learn them youngin's a thing or two, until Anderson spun by himself. Was hoping to see Winchell get the win, but restarting on the outside I think did him in.
Minis. What can I say...? *sigh*...not sure what went on between the 81 and the 51 (Cody Blair and Jim Erb?), but for a seven car race, that was the sorriest excuse I've seen for sportsmanship in racing in a loooong time - especially for a mini-stock race. There was no need for that mess. The "24 Hours of Bithlo) finally ended after 15 laps instead of the scheduled 25.
We left before the Strictly Stock feature; had to get home because we needed to get up early Saturday. We took 50 across to I-4, then I-4 to 192 and home. Seven miles shorter, and about the same amount of time due to traffic lights and stops.
Some observations:
1) I don't like double-file restarts.
2) Bring back heat races. More action for the fans, more track time for drivers.
3) After the third caution by the same two drivers, send 'em both packin'. Park both cars. That mini stock race was ridiculously long because of the same two cars.
4) Hated to see Bonehead get caught up in that wreck off of four. Glad he got it fixed and back out on the track before the race continued. Still not sure what happened, as I was watching the 51 and the 81 beat the crap out of each other on the track.
5) No coolers allowed in grandstands?
6) $3.00 for a 20oz bottle of Coca Cola. *Three dollars*. The convenience stores are only like $1.25-$1.50. Hell, even at Disney World, they're only $2.50! And the menu board has "small" and "large" size drinks listed. I asked for a Large, because I saw the two different-sized cups sitting on the counter. The girl at the window tells me, "Oh, the soda only comes in the bottle." Then why are there two different sized cups and prices listed for "small" and "large"? And why are there Pepsi cups if they only serve Coca Cola products...?
7) The grandstand seating - the wood - needs replaced *bad*.
8) The entire grandstand probably needs to be replaced. We sat in the top row, just to the left of the announcer box as you look coming into the track. The very top railing - and various other places I looked - are rusted out/rusted through and don't look very healthy.
9) I like the fact that there's a "Family" section.
10) Put in a playground behind the turn four grandstands or *something*.
11) No Orlando Speedworld shirts at the "souvenir" trailer? Hell, all I did see there was 90% candy/sweet stuff.
12) Did I mention that I don't like double file restarts? It really kinda screws the guys on the outside line.
One hour and seven minutes to drive 57 miles one way, most of it on the 417 and 408, and over $4.00 in tolls one way. If we'd have taken I-4 to 50 (Colonial), it would've taken us at least two hours in Friday-night downtown stop-n-gpo traffic.
Get to the track at just about 7:15, Bandeleros are running. Four - count 'em all ON ONE HAND...- FOUR freakin' oversized go-carts...? *Sigh*...I figure we're in for a looooong night...
Trucks get out on the track. Not a bad race. Glad to see Scott Reeves run a good race. But again...a really short field.
Legends. 10 cars for 25 laps?? And I think only six actually finished. Thought this class had TONS of cars in this area.
What happened to all the Super Stocks? Cuddy? Only about nine or ten cars, pretty uneventful.
Then the Super Late Models. Only 17 cars - but some darn good ones showed up. Wayne Anderson, BJ, Winchell, Freed, Colangelo, Bowers, Rogers, Finney, Clouser...not too bad a crowd. But - the outside groove was slick. From the grandstands, you could see water coming up through the track. Not a bad race, either, until Wayne started looking like he was mirror-driving. Winchell was really the only guy to try the leaders on the outside, but Wayne'd put him up out of the groove. Not sure what happened to Freed, but he started loose and I think he may have flattened that LR in the process, because he just went backwards and eventually parked. It was REALLy neat to see the old guys - Anderson, Winchell, and Rogers, put on a show and learn them youngin's a thing or two, until Anderson spun by himself. Was hoping to see Winchell get the win, but restarting on the outside I think did him in.
Minis. What can I say...? *sigh*...not sure what went on between the 81 and the 51 (Cody Blair and Jim Erb?), but for a seven car race, that was the sorriest excuse I've seen for sportsmanship in racing in a loooong time - especially for a mini-stock race. There was no need for that mess. The "24 Hours of Bithlo) finally ended after 15 laps instead of the scheduled 25.
We left before the Strictly Stock feature; had to get home because we needed to get up early Saturday. We took 50 across to I-4, then I-4 to 192 and home. Seven miles shorter, and about the same amount of time due to traffic lights and stops.
Some observations:
1) I don't like double-file restarts.
2) Bring back heat races. More action for the fans, more track time for drivers.
3) After the third caution by the same two drivers, send 'em both packin'. Park both cars. That mini stock race was ridiculously long because of the same two cars.
4) Hated to see Bonehead get caught up in that wreck off of four. Glad he got it fixed and back out on the track before the race continued. Still not sure what happened, as I was watching the 51 and the 81 beat the crap out of each other on the track.
5) No coolers allowed in grandstands?
6) $3.00 for a 20oz bottle of Coca Cola. *Three dollars*. The convenience stores are only like $1.25-$1.50. Hell, even at Disney World, they're only $2.50! And the menu board has "small" and "large" size drinks listed. I asked for a Large, because I saw the two different-sized cups sitting on the counter. The girl at the window tells me, "Oh, the soda only comes in the bottle." Then why are there two different sized cups and prices listed for "small" and "large"? And why are there Pepsi cups if they only serve Coca Cola products...?
7) The grandstand seating - the wood - needs replaced *bad*.
8) The entire grandstand probably needs to be replaced. We sat in the top row, just to the left of the announcer box as you look coming into the track. The very top railing - and various other places I looked - are rusted out/rusted through and don't look very healthy.
9) I like the fact that there's a "Family" section.
10) Put in a playground behind the turn four grandstands or *something*.
11) No Orlando Speedworld shirts at the "souvenir" trailer? Hell, all I did see there was 90% candy/sweet stuff.
12) Did I mention that I don't like double file restarts? It really kinda screws the guys on the outside line.
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