Dash for Cash won by Aaron Barsness and Darrell Padgett at Volusia Speedway Park

[Jane]

Thanks to the fans $1120 was donated for the Dash for Cash Sportsman and Late Models at Volusia Speedway Park. Aaron Barsness #11 Sportsman won $320 and Darrell Padgett #46 Late Model took home $600 and Jason Davis #145 Late Model took home $200 for second.

Practice will continue after Santa sees the kids. What a great night at Volusia Speedway Park!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mocha2@dishmail.net]

Are you serious?At 5:15 pm I called the track to make sure they were going to race as I explained I had a 2 hour drive to get there.The lady on the phone assured me there would be racing.When I arrived at 7:30 there was a sign that stated there would be no racing due to lack of cars.They didn't know this at 5:15 but somehow when I got there a decision was made they didn't have enough cars?Please tell me how lucky I am to have wasted 4 hours of driving time and $30 worth of gas to stay and watch 4 cars race for free.But in the end I only myself to blame because I was stupid enough to think they were going to have a legitimate race program.To think I chose to go to VSP over East Bay makes me sick because my reasoning was VSP is 20 miles closer to my house and I had my company Christmas party to go to this afternoon and would be getting a late start.I have been going to the races for over 40 years and would consider myself to be a somewhat informed fan but I proved myself wrong tonight.Everybody should get a good laugh at my stupidity because I certainly deserve it.To think I would believe the VSP media about how they were expecting a decent field of cars tonight shows just how clueless I am.Go ahead and polish that turd by saying the weather was the reason for the lack of cars.Monday morning I will head down to the bank and withdraw some money in case anybody has some bridges to sell me for Christmas presents.If I seem reluctant at first about giving anybody money for these bridges just have VSP media write up the sales pitch and you will have this moron hook,line and sinker.I will also need some volunteers to give me a homemade lobotomy so I can be saved from making such foolish decisions in the future.Hopefully this 2 year pooch screw experiment of the Convention Holiday Classic is dead and hammerheads like me can head directly to East Bay even if it means missing the first hour of the show.On the plus side maybe this will finally convince Santa to give that new thinking cap I have been asking for because I know Santa is real because VSP media is now handling his public relations.

[Winger]

Oh man, I feel for you.

What a great night at Volusia Speedway Park!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jane, this is one of those deals where you shouldn't try to put a spin on it. Just admit that it stunk.

[mocha2@dishmail.net]

I am glad the drivers at least got something because I know these people have way more invested in it than me.I go to the races somewhere just about every week to support the racers and try to introduce friends to short track racing because the tracks are in need of all the help they can get right now.I'm just glad I didn't bring anybody new to the sport with me tonight.

[mocha2@dishmail.net]

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse I see where VSP posted on 4M at 6:16 pm. Saturday that all systems are go for night number 2.

[Old Sunshine Fan]

hammerheads like me can head directly to East Bay even if it means missing the first hour of the show.

Just so you feel better, as far as LM's go, East Bay didn't have much of a first hour!... there must have been 70 cautions in the first 50 laps... but once they figured out what they were doing, the last 50 laps weren't bad...had a few cars that were moving up and around. Drivers from all over the country.

The 102 car won.

(looked for that "Good Looking Guy" in the w/chair section - damn he must be small cause I couldn't find him!

[Jane]

There isn't much I can say to you except in my eyes, it was a great night. They did expect alot more cars but we were told that some are on jack stands right now being revamped for 2010. But I cannot and will not give you an excuse for the lack of cars because they did expect to have them.

But I was and still am, very impressed by the fans that were there. They pooled together for that purse because they wanted to see some racing and THEY MADE IT HAPPEN. I am so sorry the racing program itself was cancelled but I am totally amazed at what happened last night at Volusia. Never before in any of my racing days have I ever seen fans not leave because the program was cancelled and then give so much to see a race happen. They were given back their money and yet, they still did not leave. Then to give $1120 of their own free will to see a race, that amazes me and always will.

This was my first Holiday Convention Classic since this is my first year at Volusia Speedway Park so I don't know what has happened in the past. I am the media (and Tonya) and we write what we think is going to happen so I am very sorry if anyway I mislead you because I honestly was told that we would have cars. But I have NEVER seen what happened last night happen anywhere else in the 19 years I have been around Florida racing.

And the drivers were told that there would be no program also and decided to stay on their own to practice and they had to decide for themselves about the Dash for Cash and if they wanted to do it. And evidentally they did since they did race.

Sorry, but I am and will be amazed for awhile on what those fans did last night. They came to see a race and they made it happen all on their own.

[mocha2@dishmail.net]

I too applaud the fans and drivers and would have stayed and kicked in my money but I knew nothing about it.The lady in the booth said I could go in and watch practice so I turned around and thought about making a run to East Bay but once I got down the road I figured I would just go home instead.My beef is being told at 5:15 there would be racing.Then to get home and see they also posted on 4M at 6:16 pm. everything is a go is just wrong.

[Jane]

I had nothing to do with the posting so sorry. I am not sure of the time they called the race but it was about 6:30 when practice began and around 7 or so when the fans started bringing up money. The goal originally was $500 and they were going to race both classes together but then more money came in and Tonya talked to the drivers and the two Dash for Cash races were decided. It was about 8:15 when they did the Sportsman and after that the Late Models.

So the lady at the gate really didn't know anything yet about the two races and only a handfull of fans left after the announcement to cancel the races. I am just so impressed with those fans really. They stayed and the kids had a nice visit with Santa and didn't leave until the last car quit practicing. And not once did any of them say anything negative at all so I was and am very impressed with Volusia's fans.

When we do a press release, we don't know how many cars will show up. I know Friday night I saw quite a few in the pits before the rains came in and quite a few came after the rain started. So when you called the track yesterday, cars were just coming in and until the pill draw closes, you never really know how many you will have unless you have a big race with pre-entries which this wasn't.

But if you had stayed, I think you would have had fun just sorry that the lady at the gate knew nothing about what was going to happen yet. But it really did turn out that we had chicken soup and the fans themselves made it chicken salad.

[mocha2@dishmail.net]

I have no beef with you and certainly no beef with the lady in the booth.I do not know either of you but the lady in the booth is very nice and I look forward to seeing her smile every time I go to VSP.I do not want to give the impression that I have any anger at her she seems like a very nice lady.She probably didn't know all the facts at the time.I did not express any frustration with her when she told me what she knew.She is too nice to be hassled with something she has no control over.I just said o.k. and headed back to my car as I was in shock.I just expected to see some good racing and was disappointed that VSP had mislead me into thinking there would be a full racing card.

[Frasson118]

Do I get this right? VSP wanted $20 for a 2 division show? For the 2 classes offered, that price is double what that show should be worth. If the pit passes were just as ridiculous as the grandstand prices, no wonder no cars showed up.

It looks to me like they were hoping to prey off of out-of-towners from the PRI show. They wouldn't try that during regular season action in front of their loyal weekly fans.

[Jane]

Jerry- as far as I know, the drivers paid the same pit fee as always. And Tonya does not set the gate admission and it wasn't her idea but it is what it is. Some people did bring toys (I did too) and got $5.00 off or had a coupon or PRI Badge and got $5.00 off but in the end, they got back their money since we didn't race. It was a crazy night for sure.

But in the end Jerry, it was the most amazing night that I have ever had at a race track. Never, ever have I seen fans not want to leave when a race was called and NEVER have I seen them put up a purse from their own pocket to have a race. It was AMAZING, truly AMAZING. Those were some fans that the drivers at Volusia have and they were very gracious in Victory Lane for the money the fans put up to see them drive.


JUST AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Winger]

I've never seen a show canceled for lack of cars. I've seen shows canceled because of weather conditions making a track unraceable and I've seen fans hang around then. If I had made the 2 hour trip I probably would have hung around just to see some practice. I've never seen fans pay like they did for this show. I commend them and Joe for putting this together. I feel for Tonya if she has no say in the pricing and scheduling (read that somewhere else). I wouldn't want to be a GM with those restrictions.
I think the weather had little to do with the low car count. A lot of quality drivers were at East Bay. Several of those would have been at Volusia if they weren't running at East Bay. I know of several fans that thought the cost was too high and stayed away. That's probably turned out to be a good thing.
If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, you should call it a duck and not a swan. JMO