aaaaaamen

We know Fairbury very well, been there in excess of 100 times over the years both as a crew member of a multi time track champion dirt late model and as a spectator. Fairbury in fact is one of the best, if not the best, tracks in Illinois. But it's bread and butter fan base is hard core tunnel visioned dirt late model people. We live only 40 minutes from Fairbury and if memory serves me Fairbury hasn't hosted an open wheel race of any kind in over 10 years. If I'm incorrect I'm sure someone will set the record straight and I'll gladly stand corrected.

The first time I went to the Oval Nationals I went to the business office at the track to buy tickets for the weekend races. While in the process of purchasing tickets I had a conversation with a gentleman that was involved in management of The PAS and asked him if they'd ever run dirt late models. He said yes but it didn't work out very well given that there were more drivers and crew members in the pit area than there were people in the grandstands.

It is interesting how different areas of the country gravitate to different type cars and different racing. I've always found it amazing how the Illinois-Indiana border is a distinct line of demarcation. West of it is rabid dirt late model country, East of it sprint cars are the much preferred class.

Guess I was lucky enough that my home track, no secret its the burg ran Sprints and LMs for the better part of my first three decades as a fan and sometimes member of crews.

I may have always slightly prefered the Sprints, But I could name as many of the LM drivers from the times and loved them just the same. Herberts, Eichler, Downey, Eaglin, Coffee, Godsey, Millburn, Petro, Boggs, Lefevers, Mugavin etc etc. 88-90 I actually worked on Bomber and LM teams often attending three races a week. Whitewater, Florence and Burg on sundays.

If i remember right there were a bunch of saturday night LM tracks. Florence, Twin Cities, Brownstown, Florence, Atomic and all had full fields. A couple had huge fields weekly.

Other than maybe a mini-sprint add on to their stock car program , I think you have to go back to 2002 for the last big open wheel show at Fairbury. Boston Reid won an IRA/GLOSS race there on a Friday night in June of '02. I remember because the weather was real iffy that day and when I got to Effingham on I-70 I had to make a decision: Turn north to go Fairbury or keep driving east to Bloomington. The sky was pitch black to the north so I went east.

For those of us trying to see a POWRi show at Fairbury the last couple of years, the scenario's the same:
Illinois weather + an open wheel race at Fairbury = Have an alternative plan

Your absolutely right JJ. Thanks for setting the record straight. I had completely forgot about the mini-sprint race this year. I believe you are also correct in regards to the last sprint car show at Fairbury. I know I was there and I think they ran the show basically with the late models being the headliner and the sprints being one of the 3 or 4 support classes for that particular show.


I also remember Jack Hewitt participating in a midget show at Fairbury a year or two prior to the '02 sprint show. He was driving the dark blue JW Hunt/IGA #21 car and got pinched up into the wall coming off of turn 4 and flipped higher than the catch fence. He walked past the car that pinched him off and about everyone in the stands would have bet he was going to take a swing at the driver on the way by. I'll bet Ol' Jack thought about it but he didn't. I think that may have been the last midget race at Fairbury.

It'l be interesting to see if POWRi is, for the 3rd year in a row, given another date in 2016. Weather has not been kind to POWRi at Macon or Fairbury, either one. The difference is Macon usually reschedules their POWRi shows and Fairbury doesn't.

Hey ISF Keep those tin tops over on your side of the state lines lol

Jim, how about not...

If we lose the "Tin Tops" you lose any and all ways to groom drivers for other divisions. Drivers dont just fall out of trees. Everyone starts somewhere.

Jesus h Christ I post 2 times on things I thought may bring a grin to some lips and I get my ass jumped. Won't need to worry bout what I say next cuz you all can kiss my fat ass I AM DONE HERE

Thank God he's done! Everything he posts is so negative. Just like his random NASCAR thread he started today. Too dang negative about everything.

Todd Kimmel

Well that escalated quickly.