What do you think?

I sure hope so, but I'm not too optimistic.

Last year after DuQuoin, it was the same kind of statement after the race, but then about 10 days later they said that the race would not be made up.

I just talked with a friend in Cisne, IL and he informed me that he had just talked with Track Enterprises and the race is officially canceled.

---------- Post added at 01:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:30 PM ----------

....and I just talked with them myself. Mail your tickets back for a refund.

Did anybody really believe they were going to reschedule?

I thought this would be a difficult race to reschedule with the fairgrounds being a multi use facility, and track enterprises having a very full plate at several other tracks.

Just wished we could get all the silver crown races in you know the big three.... A few years back Du Quoin ran a week late and we just drove right up to the grandstands. We saw a great race as always on the big mile tracks. Lets just run a double header at the Du Quoin.

Blah, blah we couldn't find a good date, blah blah blah blah blah. I don't buy the argument at all. I've worked at the firehouse in the fairground on two separate years, I have a pretty good handle on what goes on there. Yes, there are standardbreds that work out the mile track daily. Because of the sad state of horse racing in IL, there are a lot fewer horses on the grounds than there used to be. There is also a half mile practice track behind the back stretch that is used daily. It would be no problem for the horses to use that track for a day or two. My guess is that there weren't enough advanced tickets sold (no surprise since there is zero advertising), and they didn't want to risk a low gate.

If you worked at the fairgrounds, you'd know how much those horses PAY to workout and train there and that pales in comparison to what Sargent pays and brings in to the fairgrounds. It's a no-brainer for the fairgrounds: screw up the track for the horses, lose hundreds of thousands and schedule a car race or cancel it and leave everything as is to keep the horses happy?

FWIW, I heard a rumor there was a whopping two dates the fairgrounds was willing to give them and both were USAC conflicts. You guys really need to learn to point your venom at the people really responsible for these cancellations: the fairgrounds. Concerts and horse races are much bigger money makers and that's what matters these days.

If you knew me at all, you would know that I don't intend to "venomize" anyone. You kind of made my my point, though. I think if this race was better promoted, the Dept. of Ag would know that it was going to be a moneymaker and would bend over backwards to find a date. I've been to a couple of Bettenhausens that were rescheduled, but that was when the stands were pretty full.

This is sad news, indeed. I have heard over the years that the horse people essentially dictate policy in regards to the Springfield Mile. I think the last time the Bettenhausen 100 was rained out they ran it on the Saturday of the Illinois Fall Nationals late model weekend, which actually worked out pretty well. Since the Illinois Fall Nationals have been relegated to tiny La Salle Speedway that weekend obviously isn't doable if in fact the horse people dictate the dates the Mile can be used for auto racing. I had a funny feelin' this was going to happen and I'd really like to know the truth as to why.

No one loves the big cars on the big one mile dirt tracks more than I do but myself, and many others I would suspect, are getting a belly full of the stuff that has been going on at the Indy Mile, Du Quoin and now Springfield over the past few years. It's just a travesty that everyone involved can't somehow hammer out a make-up date. It just serves to cheapen the Silver Crown brand and that is truly sad.