ESCANABA, Mich. (July 21, 2010) – The stands and pit area were full and a great amount of racing action was on display in Escanaba – finally. The first round of the Upper Peninsula Triple Crown on June 12 was a wild success.
Officials and volunteers could have rested on their laurels, but decided to make several improvements to the program to make it even better than the first. With the improvements, round two promises to provide just as much excitement in a streamlined program.
“We learned a lot,” said UPIR volunteer coordinator Boyd Widdis. He said many suggestions were made to speed up the show, and he was willing to listen.
One of the setbacks was the amount of time to re-align cars after a caution, Widdis said. Other volunteers agreed.
“Boyd and I sat down with some people after the race on June 12 and put some policies in place right there,” said volunteer consultant Doug Strasburg. “These policies will speed up the show.”
Cars will be stopped on the track, realigned and sent back to the green flag. Lineups will be handled by Lonny Dalgord, who raced at tracks in Northeastern Wisconsin notorious for fast programs.
“Lonny had some really good suggestions,” Widdis said. “He did a great job of lining up cars before the race. The problem was getting them back in line after the cautions. With Lonny’s suggestions, we’ll move the show through much faster.”
Widdis said time may be of a factor because he expects more racer entries due to the interest generated on June 12.
Improvements to the track may help expedite the program, as well. With a smoother surface and more room to race, Widdis expects fewer cautions to interrupt the racing action. Ed Brunette of Brunette and Son Construction was once again responsible for improvements to the track.
“Ed prepared the track for the monster truck show and put it back to how it was afterward,” Widdis said. “He reworked the track, made it wider, put more fill in and more clay on and added a couple degrees of banking.”
Widdis said the extra banking should help drain the track if an excessive amount of rain is received before the race, as was the case on June 12. He also said it should provide another groove of racing and more action. The track also added traffic lights to help alert the drivers when a caution is out.
Fans can anticipate the same three divisions on Saturday July 31. Three divisions of Micro Sprints, the Small Cars and the wild and crazy Tough Trucks will be back. Racing begins at 7 p.m.
UPIR is an abbreviated 1/8-mile clay-surfaced course carved out of the existing course at the Delta Co. Fairgrounds. A Triple Crown in 2010 will be used to gauge the interest of race fans in the area and to fund the efforts of reopening the facility featuring a 3/8-mile asphalt oval in 2011.
The UPIR Triple Crown will take place on three Saturday evenings in 2010. The dates are June 12, July 31 and Aug. 21. Racing is slated to begin at 7 p.m. on June 12 and July 31 and at 1 p.m. on Aug. 21.
Rules and registration are available by contacting Boyd Widdis at 906-450-5112. For more information visit upirracing.blogspot.com or www.deltami.org.
Officials and volunteers could have rested on their laurels, but decided to make several improvements to the program to make it even better than the first. With the improvements, round two promises to provide just as much excitement in a streamlined program.
“We learned a lot,” said UPIR volunteer coordinator Boyd Widdis. He said many suggestions were made to speed up the show, and he was willing to listen.
One of the setbacks was the amount of time to re-align cars after a caution, Widdis said. Other volunteers agreed.
“Boyd and I sat down with some people after the race on June 12 and put some policies in place right there,” said volunteer consultant Doug Strasburg. “These policies will speed up the show.”
Cars will be stopped on the track, realigned and sent back to the green flag. Lineups will be handled by Lonny Dalgord, who raced at tracks in Northeastern Wisconsin notorious for fast programs.
“Lonny had some really good suggestions,” Widdis said. “He did a great job of lining up cars before the race. The problem was getting them back in line after the cautions. With Lonny’s suggestions, we’ll move the show through much faster.”
Widdis said time may be of a factor because he expects more racer entries due to the interest generated on June 12.
Improvements to the track may help expedite the program, as well. With a smoother surface and more room to race, Widdis expects fewer cautions to interrupt the racing action. Ed Brunette of Brunette and Son Construction was once again responsible for improvements to the track.
“Ed prepared the track for the monster truck show and put it back to how it was afterward,” Widdis said. “He reworked the track, made it wider, put more fill in and more clay on and added a couple degrees of banking.”
Widdis said the extra banking should help drain the track if an excessive amount of rain is received before the race, as was the case on June 12. He also said it should provide another groove of racing and more action. The track also added traffic lights to help alert the drivers when a caution is out.
Fans can anticipate the same three divisions on Saturday July 31. Three divisions of Micro Sprints, the Small Cars and the wild and crazy Tough Trucks will be back. Racing begins at 7 p.m.
UPIR is an abbreviated 1/8-mile clay-surfaced course carved out of the existing course at the Delta Co. Fairgrounds. A Triple Crown in 2010 will be used to gauge the interest of race fans in the area and to fund the efforts of reopening the facility featuring a 3/8-mile asphalt oval in 2011.
The UPIR Triple Crown will take place on three Saturday evenings in 2010. The dates are June 12, July 31 and Aug. 21. Racing is slated to begin at 7 p.m. on June 12 and July 31 and at 1 p.m. on Aug. 21.
Rules and registration are available by contacting Boyd Widdis at 906-450-5112. For more information visit upirracing.blogspot.com or www.deltami.org.
