How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, how was your 2016 race season?

I was able to get to 22 races this year, visiting 7 different tracks in just two states. I didn't get to travel any out of the area this year. I REALLY miss getting out to Indiana!

Two of the high lights for me this year was getting to see the Silver Crown series back at Williams Grove and getting back to Jennerstown for the ISMA Supers. We came close to losing Jennerstown so it's good to see it coming back strong!

So how was your 2016?

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

Down in both spectating and participation; 18 total dates at 8 different tracks in just 2 states myself, vs. averaging 24-25 a year, and only got the car out 4 times vs. averaging around 10 races the past 2 years, and finished one 'A' Main, due to various gremlins and mishaps.
I did, however, manage to visit 4 new tracks; Farmer City, Spoon River and Wayne County in Illinois and Daugherty in Indiana, which brings my lifetime total up to 91 race tracks, almost exactly half since moving out here from California 7 years ago.

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

Enjoyed 2016 season , only drawback not enough races attended. Was great meeting Brandon Mattox during sprint week, a true gentleman. Highlights for year, attending ALL of Indiana Sprint week for the first time, a must in years to come, and the 100th. running my 57th. straight Indy 500. What a year, meeting and seeing old and new IOW fans. Thanks for the memories.:22::22:

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

A good racing year. 36 total, mostly taxi cab races though. Hoping I can get to more dirt races in 2017. However my prelim. schedule has a lot of asphalt on it.

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

Considering 2015 was the worst races attended year in about 30 plus years. with only 8 attended. and only 14 om 2014

2016 was pretty darn good.
Know I made 13 races at Burg only one non sprint Merrill Downey. All with my Uncle in attendance.
Made several BOSS sprint shows including two at Burg, Millstream, Limaland, Waynesfield, Atomic, Pprtsmouth and Eldora. I visited Millstream and Waynesfield twice during the year.

USAC. Made Montpillier midget week, All three at Burg, BC Night at Kokomo, Four Crown. LPS and Bloomington Sprintweeks. PPV'd Arizona, Perris, Turkey Night and DuQuoin.

1 LM race Fall 50s at Florence.

29 attended 9 PPVs
Better than I had thought I'd done. I don't see making that amount in 2017 season, But will make a fair share :)
Probably make a Little 500 apearance and want to hit Terre Haute a couple times as I've not been in three years

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

Decent year for us with just a 750cc racing against 1000cc and 2.4l engines and just 3 races and a test session on the season each night was a different track and I got to go down to South Carolina for a race, for the first night out we went to US 24 Speedway we got 2nd out of 5 for both heat and main and had the smallest engine and we was battling with track owners son! 2nd night we went down to South Carolina at Sumter Speedway we did ok in the heat and then before the A main I started getting sick and couldn't even stand without falling and even with people telling me to get in the car just to run a lap or to i refused that's overly to dangerous to do especially when I can barely stand or walk. Then the 3rd night was a test session at Hilltop Speedway to see how our cars would do on a track that they haven't ran with them and as of what a few people said is I was fastest car out of our class which was 3-4. Then comes the last night of the season, we went to our local track we haven't ran since 2014 and last time we ran there we got put into the wall on the start of the heat! Still with a 750cc (smallest engine there) and not that great of gear ratio we did decent in heat they was taking top 4 to A and I started 6th got up to 4th was trying to pass for 3rd to secure a spot in the A and made a few driving errors and lost 4th ended up finishing 5th which would start us 3rd in the B main. The second I get on track for the B Main the car dies and won't re-fire so I got to watch the B main from the infield. Found out our injectors and fuel pump went bad in staging for the B main. So a decent year for only 3 races with a 750cc engine and a non mainstream chassis.

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

I'll have to check the notebook I keep for all the details when I get back home from vacation (Lafayette, Louisiana.... dancing with lots of great women!)
But some highlites were my first 4 Crown, watching Lance DeWease beat the Outlaws at Williams Grove, 2 Indiana Midget week races & a really pleasant surprise, my 1st POWRi race at Belle Clair in Illinois
New tracks: Putnamville (Lincoln Speedway), Bloomington, Belle Clair, Lebanon Valley in upstate NY (pretty drive from Connecticut) & I can't recall the name of the track south of St. Louis in Missouri (Saint somebody County, maybe?)
Also got to meet BrentTFunk & the notorious Kevin Eckert!

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

St. Francois County Raceway... not so easy to remember, I don't feel so old & senile now ;)!

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

I got a whole 35 races in this season, which is down from my average of around 60 are more. :7:
LPS 5
Haubstadt 4
Little Bellville 4
Bloomington 4
Granite City 3
Jacksonville 2 new track for me
Brownstown 2
The Burg 1
Wayne City Dam what a party I think lol :32:
DuQuion
PPV
AZ 2
CA 3
Turkey night
DuQuion 1
I don"t think its bad for a old fart fart fighting the big C. Thanks to all my friends with all the encouragement I miss and love you all. Hopefully I"ll return to a full schedule in 2017. :8:

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

Good luck with that nasty disease. Hang in there & have a Happy New Year!

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

I will be attending my 66th race tonight (New Years Eve) at the PPL Center in Allentown, PA for the TQ show. Last night was my 65th at same venue. Kind of cool that the year started at the PPL Center and will end at the same location. Saw races at 38 different tracks and picked up four new tracks. I have gone to at least 1 new track ever year since 1978. My wife gave me a great Christmas present, going to a three days of USAC sprints in Ocala, FL in February which will be a new track for me. Plan to come out to Indiana for the 500 again and hit Terre Haute, Indy State Fairgrounds, Bloomington, Lincoln Park and Kokomo while in Indiana, follow the USAC Eastern Storm (not sure about Port Royal with having the wing cars there with USAC) Silver Crown at "The Grove", the USAC midget Eastern swing, Pocono Indy Car event and shows at Kutztown, PA for the weekly events. I retired in June and as long as the Chief Financial Officer (the wife) says the money is there for other events I will pick up races as the year goes on. To all of you warm regards and best wishes for a Happy, Safe and Prosperous New Year, Steve Peters

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

On the West Coast, the usual events were good, USAC 410 at Ventura with Troy Rutherford's 360 winning, the trophy cup at tulare, and the PAS Oval Nationals were highlights for me. I missed Turkey Night, but it sounded like a huge success other than it being too damn cold and long.

It looks like USAC has a GREAT schedule for USAC 360 and 410, and added Micro Sprints.

Happy New Years to everyone

I made it to 13 races including 3 new tracks. Traveling is limited for me with a young family. I did get to Gas City for Midget Week which was awesome. Also, I made it to Eldora for the truck race and I don't care what anyone says that was good racing.

Some of the series I got to see with limited travel.

WoO
All Stars
USAC Midgets
ASCS National
Auto Value Super Sprints
SoD
GLSS
MTS
NASCAR Trucks

Definetly a fun year. Also ordered a few PPV

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

Pretty good season, not great but better than average.

Chili Bowl
Dirt Late Models-Volusia Speedway Park (February)
Shamrock Classic
Sumar Classic
Hulman Classic
Hoosier Hundred
Little 500
100th Indy 500 (our 32nd Indy 500)
POWRi-Mighty Macon
Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series-Mighty Macon
ISW Terre Haute
POWRi-Fairbury American Legion Speedway
Allen Crowe Memorial 100-ARCA Stock Cars-Springfield Mile
Ted Horn Memorial
Southern Illinois 100-ARCA Stock Cars Du Quoin
Jr. Knepper 55

Best racing we saw all season was Fairbury POWRi, Ted Horn Memorial, Chili Bowl, Little 500 and Indy 500.

Less than perfect shows were-Shamrock Classic and Lucas Oil Late Models at Macon.

I got in 51 racing events this year. Thanks to all the great iow racing families and racing teams for a great 2016 season. Thanks mrs g and the entire staff that makes this website available for us racing fans and teams. Thanks. Looking forward to seeing all the great iow racing families in 2017. Thanks for all the meet and greet this year. You guys are simply the best friend's. Thanks.

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

36 races at 18 tracks down from the 50-55 the last few years. pretty much abandoned local races (nj/pa) in favor of midget week and sprint week 3 new tracks (attica montpelier and ppl center) most attended track was bloomington (4)

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

49 races for the second year in a row. All in Indiana except 3 Eldora races and 2 in Arizona.

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

25 races this year, down from over 50 the previous 2 years. Mostly Bloomington, Brownstown, Dream at Eldora. Hope to do better in 2017

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

This year was slightly down for me since I was busy making the move from Fort Wayne to Louisville right smack dab in the middle of the summer and starting a new job.

Still managed to make it to around 25 races though at 10 or 11 different tracks.

Already piecing my 2017 schedule together and hoping to make it to a lot more shows this year than last

Not sure how many races we hit but I know it was a healthy number. Met a lot of new folks this year - our tailgate crew is expanding!! I will say things seemed very different after BC's wreck. Things just weren't the same and won't be the same again.

Looking forward to 2017 and reuniting with our friends and making a lot of great memories.

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

In addition to the usual Usac and MSCS races in IL and IN, I picked up two new tracks this year. I am very thankful I was at the Ditch to see BC win after Thorsen shredded a RR. Scary bleachers there though. Need some new boards. Also got to see the Sat. race at Queen Creek AZ. In the middle of the desert the track stayed racy all night with no grooming like you see at Tri State. I highly recommend if you get a chance to go to Phoenix to try to see a race there.

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

Like a post above stated, the month of August was a tough month. After attending Belleville, it was hard to get excited to go back to the track. I probably stayed away from any track the entire rest of the month. I did get to one new track, Des Moines State Fair Speedway, to see a NSL show.

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

87 Races
15 Different Tracks
Central PA (Williams Grove, Port Royal, Lincoln, Susquehanna, Selinsgrove, Lanco, Trailways, Path Valley and Grandview)
Saw -WoO (Central PA), All Stars (Central PA & Eldora), USAC Sprints (Central PA swing), USAC Midgets (The week of rain in Central PA), USAC Champ Cars (Williams Grove & Eldora), NASCAR Trucks (Eldora, Martinsville, Daytona & Homestead), NASCAR Nationwide (Daytona - twice, Bristol & Homestead), NASCAR Cup (Daytona - twice, Bristol, Martinsville, Dover & Homestead) and Big Block Modifieds (Williams Grove & Eldora).
As far as good races - the one that sticks out in my mind is the Champ Car race at Williams Grove. Clauson almost got it at the end.

It was a good year.

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

I didn't keep real good records last year. figure I got to 43 to 49 shows. Saw some really good ones. Smackdown at Kokomo and Sprintweek at Putnamville get praise for racing when I didn't think it would be possible. As mentioned before Bryan's loss will always dominate 2016 memories.

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

Good thing you got to the Iowa State Fairgrounds this year. That track is no more. Sad deal. Read about it on Facebook and there are a lot of people who are on that sight saying they will never set foot on the Iowa State Fairgrounds again.

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

61 for us in 2016, new tracks were Fairbury NE, Beloit KS & Belleville KS. Was really looking forward to BMS this year, but apparently that isn't going to happen.

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

2016 was a great but bittersweet year for all of us race fans. First the good attended 22 races just down 1 from 2015. Attended Eldora 7 times and went to my first Kings Royal in years and Four Crown for the 2nd year in a row. BC won 5 times in the 22 races that I attended. Smackdown was the best races of the year even with the Tornadoes which was totally Nuts! Got back to the Little 500 after a year off and it was great. The Bunkhouse Gang went to 4 different tracks together Eldora 3, The Burg 1, LPS 1, Kokomo 1 and it really doesn't get much more fun than that. At Smackdown handed out each night the BC award to the driver finishing 7th each night in the A-main. Since Wednesday was a wash 17th place got it Saturday night as well. Winners Brady Bacon, Jarrett Andretti 2 times and Sunshine Tyler Courtney on his 7th place finish on the final night. The passing of BC in august was tough on everyone and we will miss him very much not just because of his racing but for the kind of man he was and the Class he brought to the table in everything he was about on and off the track! Prayers to his family and friends. Thanks for sharing him with us and we love you all! Many of you may or may not know this but the Bunkhouse Gang lost a great man and huge race fan and the Bunkhouse Boss Harvey Hendershot in December his loss will be missed and we can only hope we can make him proud by continuing his great passion for racing and life he instilled in all of us. Here's to a safe and happy, Healthy 2017 everyone. Hope to meet many more of you at the races.

_______________________
Scott McCloskey
Bunkhouse Gang member

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

Not a bad season, but I have had better, myself. Headed out 28 times but only got in 25 due to rainouts.

I thought the best weekend was the Indiana Dirt Classic at Kokomo with the All Stars. The heat formula was great with the inverts a la Australian sprint format. Too bad they are not having it again this year.

Everything at Butler Speedway up here was a mess. From running late (and I mean REAL late due to the uncontrolled modified division), dusty track conditions (the All Star race was the worst track conditions I ever saw) and the FAST/SOD debacle wherein it rained in the day and the track was nowhere NEAR getting it prepped in time. Eventually it was canceled. I will use severe judgement if I go there at all this year.

One interesting trip was leaving Eldora after Haud won the last round of Ohio Sprint Speed Week and making it to Butler in time to catch the last 12 laps of the Feature. I probably could have caught it all but this might have been the one night they were actually fairly close to being on time.

One new track for me: Montpelier. USAC Midget Week. BC won in sprints that night. It was the last time I got to see him win.

Starting out next weekend at the Half Moon for Chili Bowl night, then on to Volusia next month. Looking forward to going for we opted out of FLA last year.

Safe racing to all!

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

My wife and I had a good year in 2016 with me hitting 99 shows while Pat finished with 96 shows. We started and finished 2016 at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa and in between we went to 58 different tracks in 12 states with 15 rainouts stopping our goal of 100 races for the second year in a row. We saw many good races in our travels with Kokomo (11 times) being our home track (it don't get much better than that!). We met many new friends along with old friends in our travels and this is often the best part of the racing scene. Hope to start the 2017 season off in late January in Florida. We miss Bryan and will always remember him in our memories.

Bruce and Pat Eckel

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

What is BMS?

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

Butler Motor Speedway.

Both my visits to Millstream this year I seen people and met people that Butler was their home track. I told them stories of how I read on IOW about people leaving other tracks and still making the features at Butler and both times the people confirmed that theory. One even said they were going to try to make tonights features when I was at Millstream.

I've only done this twice, When USAC ran Terre Haute and sprints were still part of the Freedom Hundred at Puttnamville. It was easy really. Sprints done at 930-10 at Terre Haute and still made most of the B mains and all the A mains at LPS.

Ron he is referring to Badlands Motor Speedway Brandon S.D.

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

Thats true, should have read his thread better.

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

My season began on March 19th at The Southern Illinois Center for the Shamrock Classic and ended there on December 17th for the Junior Knepper 55 for a total of 46 events. I attended my usual mainstays of the Indy 500 (52nd consecutive), Brickyard 400 (been to all of them), USAC Silver Crown at DuQuoin (every one since 1965), and the USAC Four Crown at Eldora. I usually do the Hoosier Hundred, but I was feeling puny the night it was run, and I couldn't find a shotgun rider, and didn't feel up to making the trip by myself.
I also did my usual itinerary of Indiana Sprint Week, which is all of them except Gas City and Kokomo, and my annual trek to Paragon, this time for the Chuck Amati 68.
My weekly schedule included Bloomington on Friday, Putnamville on Saturday, unless Haubstadt was running, and sometimes there was a Sunday event at Terre Haute, and I did the ARCA race at Salem in April.
Made quite a few trips to the Land of Lincoln, mostly to Belle-Clair, but also went to Granite City for the Gold Crown and Wayne City for the Jason Leffler Memorial.
I guess I am fortunate to get to that many races, since Haubstadt is the only track that is less than approximately two hours from Evansville. Rain also cut my total by probably seven or eight races.
As far as the tracks go, LPS (Putnamville) has become my favorite for the total fan experience. There is always a good field of cars, the seating situation is ideal, and the entire facility has really been upgraded since Joe Spiker came on the scene. It is worth the 300 mile round trip!

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

Had a great year riding my bike to many races and hanging with my crew and IOW members.Resetting to zero and starting again.1st race,1st time the CHILI BOWL:32:See ya at the races:6:

My year was decent, and pretty typical. I hit all my usual haunts a few times. Jacksonville, Granite City, Terre Haute. I added 2 new tracks. The Duquoin indoor venue and Fairbury, Illinois. I saw all 3 USAC divisions along with Powri and MOWA shows. The lowlight of the year is obvious, we lost one of the nicest, most talented drivers way too soon. For me, the Bettenhausen being rained out again just leaves my year incomplete also. On the bright side, I made it to the Ted Horn for the first time in 15 years. I also witnessed some dynamite races at THAT, Jville, and Fairbury. Look forward to getting started next week in Tulsa. Everyone have a great 2017!

I had a fantastic 2016, probably my best year of racing so far. Started out by getting down to my old home track, Haubstadt, for the April USAC race. The month of May was awesome. I was at IMS for almost all of the Indycar practices in the morning while also getting to a couple Kokomo shows. The last week or so of May I hit USAC Terre Haute on Wednesday, Hoosier Hundred Thursday, partied with some friends at IMS Friday and Saturday, 500 on Sunday, and the WoO Lawrenceburg show on Monday, probably my favorite week of the year. Another highlight was early July, Lawrenceburg sprint week, all three nights of the King's Royal, and Terre Haue sprint week all in one week. Made it to all nights of Smackdown for the first time. Got to Four Crown. Capped the year with the sprintacular at Eldora. Had some other shows scattered throughout the year, too.

Of course, it's tough to discuss 2016 without mentioning the loss of BC. I've never been hit so hard by anything in my time following racing. I'd followed his career ever since moving to his hometown 11 years ago.

Excited to get 2017 going. I just graduated from college, so I decided to take a graduation vacation and get to my first chili bowl. These next couple days can't pass quickly enough, ready to be in Tulsa.

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

OK, found the notebook: 15 races, 12 tracks, 6 of which were new for me (Left out Eldora, how could I?) 7 states: Arizona, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pa., N.Y. (No home track, have to travel for ANY dirt track)
Oh yea. "Saint somebody" = St Francois.... & while we're on the subject of saints, St. Genevieve Ferry across the Mighty Mississippi!

Re: How was your 2016 Race Season?
 

Oh...! And on a sidebar, the OTHER highlights of my 2016 year were meeting IOW standout Old Coyote, racer Devin Fairchild of Montpelier fame, and Cindy Elliott.

I also finally found out Critter Malone's real first name. I was apprehensive when asking this..... for no one would REALLY name their kid Critter....... or would they?

Not good this year, only made five or six races. Bad knees kept me off the bleachers. This was also the first year in probably thirty years I didn't deer hunt. I'm going to be having bariatric surgery in February, so hopefully by this time next year, I'll be about half the man I am now with brand new knees for climbing the bleachers and hills lol.