On the road again - a look at Springfield and Humboldt

One fast Colt - Colt Cheever dominated the B-modified field at Springfield Raceway on March 14. This was the only feature to beat Saturday's rain. - BWJ photo

Loyet dominates - Brad Loyet was the class of the midget field at Springfield Raceway on March 14-15. - BWJ photo

It seemed like the road trip that would never end, and not because the racing was bad; but because my race trip ran directly into spring break here in Pella, and I felt like I was on the road for a solid ten days. I apologize for not getting you caught up on my viewpoint of racing action in Springfield, Missouri, and Humboldt, Kansas, the weekend of March 14-15. That is what I am doing as follows…
To me, the sign of a successful road trip is the fact that after visiting a race track for the first time, you are more than willing to go back and check the place out again. I can say that with all confidence about both the Springfield Raceway and the Humboldt Speedway. Both tracks proved to be very racy in extremely different conditions, but the key word was racy, and that is what would have me make a return visit to either place.
Springfield Raceway was hosting its second attempt at the Turkey Open Wheel Classic that was rained out last fall. The staff at Springfield needs to start paying off a different weatherman as showers once again dogged this event and stretched it into two days. They did show their mettle however and kept the show going as well as they could on Saturday as constant showers and mist plagued a good portion of the day. A sizable mid-afternoon rain delay was met by a road grader and some folks that knew their track surface and how to repair it very well. No sooner had the blade pulled off the track then the next heat race slated to go pulled out onto the track in turn two.
We didn’t wait around a lot at Springfield to watch the next race as the cars were staged and ready to roll all day. As Jeff noted in his description of the day at Springfield there was some confusion with the line-ups that led to a delay at the start of the feature events. Rather than just having everyone sit there, the track introduced the starters for the B-modified main event. This gave many people the notion that the track was wasting time as more rain threatened. In reality, we think it was more of the track giving the fans something to watch as the technicalities got ironed out. It was clear that they were not going to introduce any more features as the midget main event rolled out in quick time, only to see a delay until the next day because of the return of a hard rain. More than anybody else, the folks at Springfield were wanting to get this show in on Saturday if at all possible.
When the elements cooperated, the track offered up some good, fast-paced racing on its quarter-mile banked surface. To me, Springfield is built so that is provides good racing action. Located in an industrial park near the airport on the north side of Springfield, it has a nice bank, a good shape, and the drivers are almost able to flatfoot it all the way around.
From a photographer’s standpoint, it was a very good place to shoot. I felt very comfortable in the corners and the track offers good sightlines. You could easily find some favorite places to get some good shots – that’s always a payoff on a road trip. Both ends of the track were full of photogs as the season opener attracted people from several directions on the map. It is always good to talk shop with some new faces.

Wolfpack - Robby Wolfgang was part of the 360 sprint car field that towed into Springfield Raceway on March 14 - BWJ photo

Hagar hauls - Derek Hagar looked to be off to a strong start for the 2009 season when he took to the track at Springfield. - BWJ photo

Still strong - With his Springfield performance, Brian Brown shows he will once again have some muscle for his 360 competitors. - BWJ photo

My only regret about Springfield is that we were not able to complete the program on Saturday. The one feature that was completed was a blowout as Colt Cheever had the measure of the B-modified field. The way he ran, I think he would have placed well in the modified feature as well. He was the class of the field, and had we not had any cautions, I think he could have lapped the field – that is the kind of day Cheever was having.
Humboldt was calling us on Sunday with the chance to make another first-time visit to a track, so unfortunately we missed the final three features that Springfield would finally manage to complete to wrap up the Turkey Classic. The day that Brad Loyet, Brian Brown and Terry Phillips had on Saturday, it was a fairly safe bet that they would show well on Sunday, which they did by picking up feature wins.

Home cookin' - Terry Phillips would roll to the modified feature win at Springfield - BWJ photo

My thanks to promoters Jerry Hoffman and Doug Bland and their staff for the successful kick-off to my 2009 season. I look forward to a chance to go back there and see another show sometime in the future. I think late models would show well at Springfield as the sprint cars and modifieds certainly did.
By the time we reached Humboldt, Kansas, on Sunday, the sun was peeking out and letting us know that we had a good chance to miss the rain and get this stop on the USMTS tour in. It was a fairly warm day, but a strong wind kept a chill in the air ,and the combination of sun and wind had us wondering what kind of daytime racing we would see. As we loaded up and headed out in about four hours time, I can safely say it was one of the better daytime shows I have been able to attend in some time.
Owners Ron and Rhenda Whitworth and the crew at Humboldt know their track very well. They had it hard-packed and well-watered, and it provided good racing under sunny skies. The USMTS heat races provided a lot of action and saw many drivers able to pass and improve their positions. Feature time saw a final dash of water added and some furious action early on. As the track blackened, passing became a little tougher, but positions did change, and there was enough going on to keep things interesting.
Humboldt is a 3/8-mile track with a decent bank to it. When you stand in the infield you get a sense that the backstretch has a little more bank to it than the front. In checking with the staff, I confirmed that it wasn’t my eyes and that was indeed the case. From the shooter’s standpoint, this is another track that provides a lot of great opportunities for good pictures. Both ends of the track offer good photo-ops, and at no time did I feel like I was in any danger of being too close to the action – a definite positive!

Up and away - Tim Shields grabs some air as he runs up on the 13 of Matt Waugh in USMTS B-main action March 15 - BWJ photo

Clean-up, aisle 3 - The Sky Trak at Humboldt makes quick work of tricky situations. - BWJ photo

For the fans, Humboldt Speedway offers very nice facilities, including very clean, modern restrooms. They also offer some different concession stand items, including a very good serving of Frito Chili Pie. The place just has a good feel to it.
Humboldt combined with the USMTS was a great tandem. The series runs a very efficient show, and coupled with a track that seems to do the same, we were treated to good racing and were on the road in about four hours. Officials do not use a tow truck, but a large Sky Trak forklift vehicle at accident scenes. There are very proficient with it too. When cars end up stacked in a pile-up, there isn’t any head scratching – they simply reach down and pick up the damaged cars and take them to the infield. There was no standing around waiting for the damaged cars to exit the track. Officials hurried them to the infield so the show wouldn’t be held up. When the checkered flag flew, the damaged cars were then headed to the pits. This is a good idea that saves some valuable minutes. I realize that all tracks don’t have that luxury, but those that pit on the outside should give that some thought. I know the tracks that do utilize the infield to hold the wrecks tend to use the clock with better results.
Back to the thought that this was a good day race – it was. The USMTS feature saw a lot of position changes, and a little controversy at times as the action got dicey with drivers nosing for extra positions. Officials kept control of things and moved cars accordingly. Brian Bolin and Bryan Rowland may disagree a bit as a leading Bolin went side-by-side with a second place Rowland, spinning out in turn three. There were just eight laps to go, and the two drivers found themselves scrambling for positions as the officials put them both to the rear for the incident. A tough call under tough conditions, but it appeared to be the fairest solution.

Feature action - Gary Langworthy, Jr. (39) and Jason Hughes (12) race for position during the USMTS feature. Langworthy would finish fifth, Hughes seventh. - BWJ photo

And another thing sir... - Kip Hughes (leaning in window) shares his views with Ken Schrader (seated) after the two tangled in the feature - BWJ photo


Deciding moment - Brian Bolin (X2) sits sideways in turn four as Bryan Rowland (20R) and Steve Holzkamper (5) work to avoid him. - BWJ photo

All alone - Steve Holzkamper had the final laps to himself at the front of the field on his way to the win. - BWJ photo

A third-running Steve Holzkamper found himself up front and running off with the final eight laps to take the win. Holzkamper started the feature fifth and capped a top-five that saw starting positions of fifth, ninth, first, tenth and twelfth. A pretty good shuffle for a daytime tilt, and that’s why this show was a keeper. Drivers were able to race and improve their positions, and that’s why we go to the races to start with.

Holzkamper wins - Steve Holzkamper was the USMTS feature winner on March 15 at Humboldt Speedway in Kansas. - BWJ photo

I had a great time at both Springfield and Humboldt, and the two shows certainly got me ready to roll on into the 2009 season. Should you find yourself close to either track this summer, don’t be afraid to give them a try. In addition to their weekly shows, both places have some specials on this year’s calendar too, so check them out.