Bill,

I think there's so much irony in the fact that you can walk around during Midget Week or Sprint Week and talk to people from all over the United States or from as far away as New Zealand, Australia, England or Canada that feel so lucky that they even have the chance to come here to enjoy what goes on, right here in our back yard. And at the same time, see people who live right here in the middle of it all, that can find a way to hate nearly every race or every track they go to, in that same racing scene. I just thank God that I was born and raised smack dab in the middle of the Land of Milk and Honey, as far as racing goes. If the early morning dew has combined with clay dust to make mud, on my windshield and the rest of my car, then I'll deal with it. I know how. I watched my dad, uncles or whoever else I could get a ride to and from the track with, when I was a kid, deal with it, leaving places like Paragon and Haubstadt. I'd always rather get on the road at a decent hour, but when I don't, the smell of the parking lot and the fog or mist in the valleys and fields reminds me of the many great races that finished in the wee hours, that I've been lucky enough to see over the years.

Jerry