I've heard it said many a time that fans have left race tracks and decided to drive by Butler Speedway to try and catch the Sprint Feature due to their lack of timeliness.

Well, tonight I was at Eldora with friends watching the last race of Ohio Sprint Speedweek. Jac Haudenschild was incredible in winning. As he crossed the line I looked at my watch: 9:30 p.m. We had separate cars. I drove alone. I am going to give it a try!

Got in my free car (a story for another day) and headed North. Doing the speed limit..... well.... maybe 5 mph over here and 5 mph over there...... I rolled into the parking lot at Butler Speedway at 11:35 p.m. I could here sprinters on the track. I slinked on in with my Eldora wristband and grabbed a seat just in time for a restart. Doug Zimmerman was leading.

11 laps later the checkered waved for Doug, a Butler icon.

So.... thanks to Butler FINALLY speeding up a show, it bit me. Where was the usual half hour of stall time when I needed it? What? Did they finally run out of modifieds to stop the show like intermittant power outages during a thunderstorm? No. They HAD to be timely tonight. The blind squirrel FINALLY found an acorn!

I can still claim I saw the Feature at Butler after leaving Eldora, though. Well.... maybe with an asterisk. Now I know how Roger Maris felt.

Should have went 10 mph over for awhile.....

You don't deserve it only going 5mph over! Lol

I heard they also did some track prep (not just water) before features? They were in pace to be done even sooner.

Hopefully this is a trend in their direction. How did the track look for the laps you saw Mike?

Was talking with a Butler veteran all night at Waynesfield, He said he'd probably be home from there before Butler started its feature

At least now I know I'm not the only one crazy enough to pull that off.

It wasn't all that bad. About the usual from over the years, I would say. Dust, of course. But then again, I was sitting only about 4-5 rows up.

Heard both drivers and fans had positive comments on the track surface and a better run program. Some areas in Michigan are in worse drought in 16 years per local weather reports. I know I have seen complaints-concerns on dusty and track conditions from Eldora, Millstream, Plymouth,IN along with Butler on All-Star night. I think some good mid-week rain each week would go a long way in helping all the track conditions out there.

Maybe, just maybe all the web based complaints that the tracks hate so much are starting to hit home... Just saying.

Mike -- Love the effort, you are a true race fan with an incurable disease. see you soon.

Rich M

I actually think THAT, combined with TJ Slideways's hammering of Butler on his site, has gotten some attention. TJ swings a big sicle up this way fir us fans. The "weeds" better duck right about now.

I hate bashing Butler for it is the only track up here in the Spartan State that runs sprints weekly. I actually like the joint. But good god.... they have been going out of their WAY this year to show incompetence.

Long Summer and long life to go. I am trying to pace myself.

Back to the speed limit and not 5-10 mph over.....