Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

Hey everyone I’m going to try give you updates on the weather at Eldora or any other
News that I might hear. As far as Shock and Awe I will explain that in a while.

I drove out to Eldora at 4 pm this Monday afternoon. It is 63 degrees a little light rain
and windy as He!! I walked into the track and can say with great pleasure that the track was looking great. They had it all worked in. You can see where they used the Sheep Hoof
(hope I spelled that right for you spelling police) It looked as all they needed to do was to
get the cars out there and race.
I went up to the new office. (They replaced the old gray trailer house with a new double wide module office.) I talked to Earls son in law Joe. He told me that Larry has been on the track several times today and they were ready to race.
They added more ticket windows to the front entrance of the track. I’m sure this is for there Big races.

Now for the Shock and Awe.
This is what the Mercer County sheriff is calling there crack down on Drunk drivers.
Mercer County is 3 miles to the North of the track.
Thee Weeks ago 4 friends of my youngest son were killed instantly in a two car crash
These 4 young men were 19 years old and coming from a bar a 3 am.
Another driver who was 22 and legally drunk ran a stop sign and T boned the car
that was occupied by the 4 young men. Ironically the drunk driver was friends of the four and his Dad owns one of the local bars. This hit hard in our family. We new all of the kids as well as their parents
The driver is in jail on one million dollar bond and if convicted on all accounts could add up to 53
years in prison.
Mercer county was awarded a $200,000 grant by the state of Ohio to combat
the DWI problem that has plague our county for years. The Sherriff office, State Patrol,
and local police will find any excuse to pull you over and check to see if your drinking.
My home town of Coldwater which is on 118 is on this crackdown. I have heard several
stories today at work on the crack down. The local police has been pulling people over
for anything from head light not properly pointing in right direction to jay walking to there car.

Please everyone that is leaving the track do not drink and drive.

Mark Fritz

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

Thanks for the heads up Mark! Guess I'll leave my vodka laced Jug of Boone's Farm Melon Ball at home!
DANG!!!!

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

Mark, THANK YOU for the great report. What a horrible shame that four young people had to die. Let's just pray that the news of this wakes up a few people and saves other lives. Enough said on that. Good news on the track. The early weather calls for a break on the early part of the weekend with some clouds early Saturday and clearing later on!

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

Thank you for the update, I ask some people that go over a lot if I would see them for the opener, they said that I would see them at Eldora when it got warmer and there was no rain. (Is that fair weather fan's) I might add they said something about sitting all night somewhere in the rain before. Sorry to hear about the sad news. As I sit and watch it pour here in Kokomo thoughts of dry weather dance around in my head. :rolling

Jerry #66j
www.joshspencer,com

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

Not to get off the racing subject but what are 4 19 year old boys doing in a bar? Can't this bar be liable for serving them?

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

Agreed Tim, watch out for the snow heading your way,yuk:thumbsdown:

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

Dan,
You Going To The Big"e"

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

Absolutely, weather permitting.

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

That's just awful all around. Sorry for all of the senseless loss.

Rule number 1 of racing - take care of yourself and your friends. You won't enjoy things nearly as much if you're dead or in jail.

Rule 1a - nothin good is gonna happen when you let kids drink.

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

I know the drinking age in Ohio used to be 18yrs. of age, not sure though if thats still the case.

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

If thats a supposed to be a joke, its a pretty terrible attempt at one...

The drinking age nationwide is 21.

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

While the drinking age is 21, most of the bars in that area allow 18-year olds to enter. Obviously, the underage drinking is rampant, and the bars don't do much to stop it even within their own businesses.

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

Tim
The age is 21 legally to drink. This is a mostly German catholic community and drinking beer
at young ages is accepted. The first weekend in August at Coldwater has a two day community
picnic that has beer served at the public park . Your suppose to be 21 to drink but it's not inforced. A year ago when my youngest son was 18 was pulled over and charged with DWI in Coldwater.
When I went to the station at 2 in the morning and asked him where he got the beer he said at the community picnic. I ask the officer what he was going to do about the picnic serving minors. He
just said that was not his problem. It cost my son $2000 and he was lucky to get off with a minor
sitation. It woke him up and believe me he does not drink and drive. I know he drinks at college but
that is his doing not mine. I raised 3 boys and never offerend anyone of them a beer before they where at age.

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

That's quite an interesting story about the Coldwater community picnic. The law or lack of enforcing the law is amazing sometimes. I still get asked for ID sometimes here in Wisconsin and i'm 44 years old.

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

That cant make ya feel too bad mr. watson

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

I got Grandfathered into the rise in the drinking age from 18 to 21 in 1984. It was 3.2 for 18-20 but thats when it happened and if Im not mistaken, That was a move by the fed govt under threat of loss of highway funding.

A few states held out for a couple years but fell in line.

Enough
with the off topic. Come on SATURDAY!
Chuck

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

Hey guys, after a little reflection on my "boones Farm" post, I'm going to agree with LocalYokel that it was inappropriate for this thread in light of the tragedy that touched EldoraMark's life. My choice of beverage for overnight trips is kind of a standing joke with the circle of racers I associate with and it was an attempt at self-deprecating humor with regard to the police crackdown while ignoring the tragedy that spawned the crackdown. I didn't mean to be insensitive. I would like to apologize to EldoraMark.

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

We will be expecting daily updates from you Mark:shout

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

I only drink at home. I NEVER drink alcohol at a race track. My last time I even had a beer at a track was one draft at 16th street (you know how long ago that was). Except for the 'burg, just about every track I go to is 100 miles or more one way for me. If I would drink beer along with the meds I'm on, there's no telling how many people I would put in peril when driving home at 2 or 3 O'clock in the morning in that altered condition.

It's not worth it. It's just plain stupid. People who drink and drive desereve everything they get when caught.

Let's go racin'!!!

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

Sounds to me like they're more interested in generating revenue than upholding the law. Pricks.

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

We had thunderstorms roll in at 2 am this morning but only had .2 inches of rain.
It was 54 degrees at 6 am and now at 5:30 pm it is 40 degree and windy.
They are calling for heavy rain for thursday and friday with 52 degree temp.
I hope their wrong but the last 3 days they have been right on.
Sat forcast is 52 and no rain.

Mark Fritz

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

Cecil

Apology accepted, I know you did not mean any harm.

Mark

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

Sorry to hear about the Kids......


2 years ago I was pulled over leaving Eldora 2wice. Back to Back events. The first stop was for a rear license plate light out.....It was not. I did all sorts of road sides and blew into the tube and was not even close to the limit... .001. The guy never gave me a ticket. The next event pull over was because he said I did not dimming my Brights quick enough " Same Guy" Once again...road side tests and a blow in the tube.... .0001 again. I have found that I can partake in some pre race fluids and if I stop after the 2nd heat race I am usually good to go. I now joke about driving 10 miles North from Eldora and pull over and wait for the guy LOL.. Be Careful Out There....... I think they feel if you do not have a front License Plate you are not from there and a TARGET!

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

Sunny and 50 degree today which gave the track more time to dry. Local forcast calls for rain moving in from the south Thursday and into Friday. The heavy rain is suppose to be South of Dayton.

They now say sunny and 57 for Sat. 61 and sunny sunday:applaud:

Mark

The Eldora weather man

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

So far so good Mark,:thumb If all goes well this weekend we may have to renegociate youe salary!!

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

We usually leave Eldora after the races instead of staying overnight and very seldom do we ever see any cops? You would think with Wisconsin plates we might be targeted but we never had a problem in 20 years of going to the track.

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

Your local weather man here again.
It just started to rain here. Forcast has not much changed from my post yesterday.
I taked to Levi Jones mom before and she said that Levi talked to Tony today. Tony said that the track could use some rain and should handle quite a bit if it did rain.

See ya at the races:applaud:

Mark

Re: Eldora / Shock and Awe
 

Thanks Mark for the updates, pressure is on you now!!