It All Comes Down To This!
 

With the Bloomington show being called, it all comes down to one race. You have two drivers, Brady Bacon and Robert Ballou, who have a long history with one another, dating all the way back to their duels in the Sprint Bandits TNT days. It's going to be settled at one of the best tracks in the country, in Tri-State Speedway. A race track that you know will be race ready, come feature time. Points-wise, they're within one feature finishing position of one another, as they're only separated by 3 points. So, the only way either can guarantee that they win 2015 Indiana Sprint Week is to roll into Haubstadt and leave with a max points night. Both are capable of doing this as Ballou has been the dominant driver at this track in the last year or so and Bacon was the victor at the USAC race ran here, earlier this year. And he looked impressive in doing so.

The X-factor here very well could be that you have several other drivers, that are ringers at this track, who's only goal will be to show up tonight and just win the damn race. Many of Brady Short's great wins have been in big races on this track. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain by putting in an all or nothing effort. KT Jr dominated Haubstadt for a period of time and is just really at the top of his game, right now. He was very impressive, both without and with a wing, just a few weeks ago, here. You also have Kyle Cummins that has done everything but win a race here in recent history. He's been the driver that has made a series of great races at Tri-State the races that they turned out to be. He's pushed the action and caused the eventual winner to have to race the race he had to, in order to win. So many times, the race winner has been in victory lane, raving about what a great driver Kyle Cummins is and how they love racing with him. So he deserves one. You also have Chase Stockon who is always fast here and was just dominant in the last MSCS race here. And then there's Dave Darland and Hunter Schuerenberg, that will need some bad luck from Bacon and Ballou, and only have a chance if they win.

So we'll get to see a points battle that may go down to the very last lap. Maybe the last turn of the last lap and probably a feature that will be settled the same way. I know I'm ready for this.

Jerry

Re: It All Comes Down To This!
 

After the motor blew in the 3r at LPS in hot laps I think we may see (hope) the 3c roll into town. I don't know for sure but if it happens Katie bar the door :8:

Re: It All Comes Down To This!
 

Darland has never won at Haubstadt. He hates the place which may be why he's never won there.

Re: It All Comes Down To This!
 

So, you're counting him out, then?

Re: It All Comes Down To This!
 

Tom Dave has won at Haubstadt was driveing the Walker 11 but been some years ago :6:

Re: It All Comes Down To This!
 

Jim,

I was thinking he beat Alex Shanks in a close one, when he was driving a race for Benic in the 2B car. Or maybe it was the Peterbilt car. Seems like I remember a yellow car.

Jerry

Re: It All Comes Down To This!
 

Tom,

I asked his sister if he had ever won there, and she replied that he had. I seem to remember him winning, but don't recall the details.

Re: It All Comes Down To This!
 

He has won at Haubstadt.:22:

I think you are correct, sir!

Re: It All Comes Down To This!
 

I stand corrected and hang my head in shame..... again. He still hates the place and I don't think he can keep up with the guys that run there a lot and are consistently fast there. I hope Cummins is in the 3c. He just seems faster in the family car to me.

If it for some reason slicks off, Darland has a chance. But if it's heavy, against the wall, and lap traffic, darland won't run well.

Bacon was 8th quick and Ballou was 10th. Neither will receive points for qualifying. The margin is still 3 points. How about the 2nd fast run by Josh Hodges!

Ballou finished 2nd in his heat, Bacon finished 3rd in his. Going into the feature Bacon's lead is now 2 points. As long as they're both on the top ten, whoever finishes ahead of the other wins Sprint Week.

Re: It All Comes Down To This!
 

Since we said something bout Cummins How about his run 16th to 7th It wasn;t Kyle it was sitting in the penalty box (3r) :6:

Re: It All Comes Down To This!
 

Jerry You may be right. But I was thinking it was when Haubstadt ran weekly on Sunday night and it was unsanctioned race and it was in the Walker red car. Hell I don't know I have slept since then lol :29:

Re: It All Comes Down To This!
 

This was a very impressive win for Brady Short. Not only for the drivers he beat to win tonight's race, but for the way he won this one. Coming out of the heat races, everybody just knew that Brady was going to be a major factor, come feature time. Not only was he fast in the way that he marched through that heat's lineup. He also checked out and was able to make the 11P car go where he wanted it to go and do what he wanted it to do. Then when CJ Leary didn't transfer out of his heat, that put the 7th fastest qualifier on the pole. Short was the 7th fastest qualifier. Many people thought that Short, looking the way that he had earlier, might just take off and dominate the race. That's not the way it happened, though. When the green was waved, I don't know whether there was contact or Brady just got out of sorts, but he was immediately shuffled back to 4th or 5th. Chris Windom took off and opened up a lead. After a few laps, it was obvious he was being tracked down by KT Jr. Short regrouped and immediately went on the hunt for positions. A little further back, Robert Ballou had gotten around Brady Bacon and another car and started to pull away in the battle for the Indiana Sprint Week title. Even further back. Kyle Cummins was starting to tear a path through the field. But would he have time? About half way through, Thomas made a move on Windom for the lead and we had a new leader. A few laps after that Short approached Chris in traffic and made an aggressive move to claim second. He was visibly catching KT. A few laps later, in traffic, Brady dove under Thomas for the lead. About that time, Robert Ballou finally won a tough battle with C.J. Leary and started getting pressure from the hard charging Cummins. After he survived that, he went to work on chasing down Josh Hodges, who showed tonight that he's a great young talent. He wrestled 5th away from Josh and then went after 4th place runner Chase Stockon. And while this was going on, KT Jr was cutting into Brady's lead as they went in and out of traffic. With a few laps left, Ballou took 4th away from Stockon and Short cleared the slower traffic and closed the show. But it took a great run, because Thomas never gave up and put in a great effort.

Brady had won the battle, but Robert had won the war. Although in the post race interview Robert seemed pretty upset with himself for not winning the battle also.

It was another great night at Tri-State Speedway. From beginning to end the track was really good and racy. Which is especially a good accomplishment for the track to hold up on a sunny day, that was nearly 100 degrees.

Jerry

Re: It All Comes Down To This!
 

Congrats to Robert Ballou

It was a weird week and the schedule was really ravaged by the weather. I can't remember the last time someone took the title without a feature win. Regardless, Ballou and his team did a great job by finishing near the front for the entire series of races. Had the weather held, things might have been different (and Robert very well could have won as well)

I think the "Danner's Sprint Car Series", which was the pre runner to the Sprint Weeks extravaganza, was copped once by a driver with no feature victories. This is a good trivia question IMO!

and I'm pretty sure Dave Darland can wheel a sprint car on any track. .............. on seven cylinders for that matter!

I am sure many will disagree with me but I feel like Haubstadt has lost some of its luster. The racing is still decent but the track is so gritty, dusty, and slow as compared to what it use to be. You can't sit in the pit stands anymore and enjoy the race without getting blanketed with grit from the track. It comes in droves.

Re: It All Comes Down To This!
 

I don't know whether you're sensitive to dust getting on you or not, that's your deal. I went to all all seven programs and saw all five features. Haubstadt was, by quite a bit, the best feature of the five that happened. Remember, it was more than 95 degrees, for most of the day. There were two passes for the lead in this race, in the last half of the race. And more late race passing in this one, than any other race in the series. Tom has one of the best tracks in the country and last night was another example of why it is.

Jerry

Pretty sure I came home with dirt on me from every track. Or mud in the case of Kokomo and Bloomington. And I'm ready to do it all over again! 👍🏻

Re: It All Comes Down To This!
 

I know I am. My car looks like a calico cat, right now. Thanks for all the great work you do for IOW, Jen.

What, dust at a Dirt Track! Unheard of! Travesty!

I am not sensitive at all, just stating my observation and thoughts. The dust was just as bad at the outlaw show in May as it was last night. Make no bones about it, Haubstadt is and always will be "home" to me as its where i grew up going to the races, nothing will ever stop me from going; but, in my opinion the racing isn't as exciting there as it once was.

Re: It All Comes Down To This!
 

RGraves, were you not there for the last three races last season with each finish being as thrilling as can be with Kyle Cummins and others writing a book on magnificient, clean racing and leaving us all in the grandstands in awe? The Outlaws were good this year and the MOWA race very exciting with the, I know it's not open-wheel, fender-bender UMP SummerNationals the best race I've seen all year. I'll admit the wing shows can be dirty but that's why God let us invent hats and goggles. Sitting in the pit grandstand in number 2 turn is undoubtedly the worse place at Haubstadt to sit with 20 some-odd cars on the track all going for broke. All I know is that nobody in the country spends more time and puts in more effort to prepare as good a racing surface as possible as Tom Helfrich so if it does get dusty I know nobody could've done any better. I hope I don't sound high-handed as that is not my intent but if you travel around the country a bit and visit different tracks, and maybe you have, any dust at Tri-State will seem minimal in comparison. Tom's dealing with Mother Nature constantly when working the track, not frying chicken with a 100 year old, can't miss recipe.

I was a bit distracted at Haubstadt as I won the 50/50. After the race I went down to Tmez and gave him $50 for being the winner of the "I won the 50/50 hard charger award". Had lots of fun watching him race all 4 nights.

Re: It All Comes Down To This!
 

Congratulations on your winnings. I have to say, though, that in either his heat race or the B-Main, I can't remember which, T-Mez hit everything but the popcorn stand. He flat drove into someone going into turn one with a "no chance of succeeding" move and put the guy out. I wasn't impressed.

Re: It All Comes Down To This!
 

Yeah, that was a bad move. Every driver has made a dumb move at some time. You should have seen how evil that car was when he unloaded at Haubstadt. Totally missed the setup, they had way too much stagger in it.

Neither was the guy that he took out.....but he did apologize to the one he took out.