[fish]

Originally Posted by jdull99 Ha! I was thinking I mighta bought 3 new tires a YEAR when I raced...

Can't blame you, man. Tires are not as important when you're a half lap behind the rest of the field.

[jdull99]

Originally Posted by fish Can't blame you, man. Tires are not as important when you're a half lap behind the rest of the field.

Post #21 from Jim Fisher - "Can't blame you, man. Tires are not as important when you're a half lap behind the rest of the field."

Ha, Ha, Ha. Jim Fisher, I see you are taking out your frustrations from another thread and apparently you think you had to expand on my own joke at myself and budget (my attempt to make light of the shortage and that some of this new rule should be ok...funny thing is, we spent YEARS lobbying for some of the such, when we went to the meetings...but it took a pandemic and the World's response to it, for something like this to be implemented). That is big of you, Jim Fisher...thanks for allowing me to take the time to recall some of the good races we did have...sure we can spend the rest of the times thinking about the bad ones and if that's the way you wana remember me (or by a post I made on other threads, that offended you), go ahead. I most likely won't change the way you look at me and really there is no reason why I should care...goals in life change and impressing guys like you is no longer a big one of mine...

Sure, yep, I'm the 1st to admit I wasn't very good more often than not, but idk, somehow, after a fun Rookie Year battling with guys like Alex Coonan and BG Wood to come up 3rd in that race, we ended up with a heat race trophy in our 2nd year in 05, bested Lee Beckwith and a host of others to win a C-main in 06 (one of the last C-mains of the National car BMARA eras), in 07 ran right with Aaron Fiscus and some big names in a late season USAC qualifier when we got to drive Kevin Eggert's #98 (the best car I ever drove) for the 1st time. Also drove the Slotten Bong backup car a couple times around that time, managed to JUST miss the Dash one night (the closest I was to a BMARA Dash) - that was only qualifying though, I know (but we did make the feature, thru a heat, for Jake at Wilmot one night...). THOSE were the most fun years, honestly...I recall very well racing guys like Bobby Guess, Byron Walters, David Gough (I was in Butch Dahlke's v6, winding it up as much as I could in one vivid memory), Joel Wyttenbach; and many others, right around the transfer spot; as there was still enough cars for enjoyable B-mains.

Around 07, we did focus more on the Illini club (with the original cost control OEM type engine and long-lasting tire rules; which are cool now; but some looked down on them when the ideas 1st came out) winning more heats and even a feature at APS in 07. Took a close 2nd to Kurt Mayhew in one in 08.

In the 08/09 Bmara races we spent a lot of time racing back & forth with Courtney Erfurth, Tim Noble, and some others; like running Chad DeSelle lap after lap thru a whole feature at Beaver Dam, a now especially memorable APS A-main keeping KO behind us til the end, when he came over and joked about how our engine was leaking oil so bad he ran out of tear offs and had to get by. We passed him at Beaver Dam later that year too - a personal career highlight to me - b4 it rained out and we all split the purse! Big payday! We just missed the top 10 in points that year (11th). MANY fans were thankful (a big reason we kept going back; instead of racing in a lower class) we kept a car around, as the field was dwindling.

We also went to POWRi shows around that time, and had some good runs there too, passing former Bmara & USAC RoY Nick Lundgreen to make the feature from the B-main on a 40plus car night at Macon (keeping one Tony Stewart behind us in that event, til I got caught up in a wreck in front of us). Thanks to fellow low-buck racer Eddie Sauer, we went to and passed some kid named Tyler Reddick at DuQuoin to make the feature at a big show there too...

Also, wasn't a Bmara race, but we finished 4th in the 2nd APSARA feature in 2010. The 3rd night (the mentioned night with the new tire), we won the Dash (maybe Davey Ray let me win; someday maybe I'll ask him); and in the feature - which we got 2nd - we happened to beat a few names with a host of feature wins and championships: Daniel Robinson, Kurt Mayhew, David Budress, Wood, and I think the one who started this thread; that has turned into such an unbecoming convo...(If I'm off by a name or two, I apologize; I can't find the results...they were on FB a few years ago but I'm not really on there - Jim Fisher, I'm sure you won't be surprised, I'm looking into getting on a couple other social sites more these days).

Oh well. Not National Midgets, but when we 1st got into the Bmara 600s (& the engines were still stock) we won a bunch more heats, two features, and took 3rd in points around two years or some big personal injuries (we were 2nd in points in '12 before I broke my wrist in a stock car wreck; cars of which we won two championships with, the year before).

Between it all, we took an open wheel APS win (of some sort) every year from 2005-2014 (expect 2011 when we only ran there once, instead claiming the two stock car championships).

In 2015, Back in the BMARA midgets, an early July feature was maybe the most fun I ever had there; we got to drive Johnny Murdock's car one night and I spun early, but the caution never came out and we passed no less than 10 cars to battle Mike Stroik, (another now former Bmara feature winner) up to a solid top 10. We were right behind him at the end...I could see many others were close to us too...lol.

There were some other good Badger midget runs and finishes. We ran better than I always did at APS, at places like Farley and Dodge County Fairgrounds even. I don't think anyone says APS is an easy track to run...

Thankful I got to do it, survived, didn't go in long-term debt; and made friends along the way. Another fun night; recently, after taking time away and studying the sport from the result pages and IoW; it was nice to go back this summer and many made me feel welcome and acted like they had forgot all those races I was "half a lap behind the field"...it was a fun evening.

In addition to the full (one way or another) trophy case, videos & pictures of wins, the memories listed and those I'll think of later; in addition to the previous mentioned friendships from it all; one of the best mementos I have from it came from the book my dad purchased for me, KO's "Cages are for Monkeys". I haven't read it all yet, but at the end of KO's Dedication on page six reads like this; "I write this book in honor and memory of my late parents, Stan Fox , and Lars Lien, and anyone who served one day in the armed services or sat his ass in a Midget for one lap at Sun Prairie". That last part stood out to me personally (and I have more respect for those that served in the armed services, as I wanted to race so I did not complete my sign up for that). AND, on the backside of the cover, there is a personal autograph which reads "I admire your dedication to all racing & consider you a real racer & friend". My take-aways from that meant more than my average finishing distance from "the rest of the field"...

So, as I let you have the last word in another thread a couple weeks ago, I think we should let this one simmer down (I'd say get back to the original topic, but that all seems to have gotten pretty heated too...hence my attempt at levity...)...if anyone wants to send anyone a private message, with all of their information and what have you, go ahead (notice, Jim Fisher, I did NOT ask how many laps you turned and where you finished in the field. Perhaps you are a multi-time champion and for that I commend you. If so, how many new tires a year did you buy?). My IoW in-box is full but my contact info is below. Otherwise, I'm no longer looking for tire sponsors, but if anyone wants to buy me a beverage or a sandwich at APS on May 15th, I might be there; and still squeak on spending any money other than to pay my house off. It appears gas will still be $4+ a gallon, so if anyone wants to offset that for me, I'd be ever thankful and not too proud!

[Ray3]

POWRI has now announced new tire rules as well. They opened it up to any compound just like Badger.