Behind the scenes Week 22:
This past week behind the scenes was busy, busy getting ready for the Bud Wilson Celebration and busy getting ready for the USRA Nationals and in the process finalizing some USRA business. You see working at a racetrack and owning a racetrack are nonstop work. You can figure on the following each week, trash pick up and removal, cleaning concessions, toilets, and grandstands, mowing grass which suddenly has decided to grow, and track preparation (sheep’s foot and grading). There are other behind the scene weekly events, paying bills, cutting checks for employees, ordering food, drinks, ice, updating the website, writing press releases, maintaining Facebook, incorporating advertisements (thank you Mark and so glad you are out the hospital and home recovering), equipment maintenance, checking the answering machine, program preparation, and coordination, lots of coordination, who can work and when, who do we need to work, who should we be talking to, what radio stations will run our ads, when will the ad be ready, etc., etc. etc.
Let’s start with the behind the scenes Bud Wilson Celebration, this event was to celebrate Bud’s life what he accomplished in life and what he accomplished in passing. The Midwest Transplant Network was a beneficiary of the proceeds collected from T-Shirt and Hat sales to the passing of the helmet collection. Bud being an organ donor gave life to several on Christmas Day this past year that might not have experienced another Christmas without the unselfish attitude of Bud. One recipient the family is aware is a 60-year-old mechanic who received Bud’s heart because he wrote a letter thanking the family which was forwarded on to them. How was I aware of this, because behind the scenes Jessica Oskvig presented the idea shouldn’t we have an article about Bud in the program, of course we should!
In preparation for the upcoming USRA Nationals on October 4, 5, and 6, 2018 there was coordination between track management and Todd Staley. The first discussion concerned the ending of USRA Track points. After this past weekend the USRA Track points have ended so the point leader at the time, Dennis Elliott in A Mods, Daniel Harris in B Mods, and Jeff Dixon in Stock Cars are the USRA Track Champions and will receive from USRA the first place point money/jacket/awards. By ending the USRA track points early provided the sanctioning body time to get jackets ordered and checks prepared for the track banquets. I-35 Speedway track banquet is November 3, 2018, one week after the completion of the season on October 27. I-35 Speedway will continue to give points through the end of the season, October 27, 2018 so should Dennis, Daniel, or Jeff not race anymore it is possible the I-35 Speedway season long champion could be someone different. I-35 Speedway will continue to pay the USRA sanction fee which will allow those racers competing nationally to earn national points through the end of the season. There are several of the I-35 Speedway drivers in or near the Top 20 and several in the region who can continue to better their final standings and earn a USRA national points fund check. Yes, USRA pays a track point fund and a national point fund.
With the upcoming USRA Nationals on October 4-6, 2018 there is plenty of behind the scenes work to get done. Along with the normal track preparation agenda there are camping reservations being made, coordination on ticket prices, pit gate prices, commercial runs on radio stations, workers to coordinate and shifts, trash collection and a multitude of other items as the track becomes a little city. So, you see behind the scenes there is always plenty to do, the 108 racecars we had this last week was just a prelude to the rising car counts we will have at the Nationals.
