Holy Toledo!
by Andy Belmont-Staff Writer and ARCA Series Driver
11/05/2003

Holy Toledo!

A second date at Toledo, what a great addition to the schedule! If you haven't been to Toledo Speedway, you might put it on your calendar and this year. You get two shots at it.

With the home office of the ARCA RE/MAX Series right around the corner, this is a natural. Not only is it one of the ARCA mainstays, but it is a great little short track in it's own right. Greg runs a great show over there and has been permitted to think out of the box and be creative. This is a must in our difficult economy. Roy has added so many positive things since we have started going there. The only downfall is that we lose Winchester (they have elected to take a year off) to gain a second Toledo race.

This is one of those great little ARCA short tracks that is a must for training in a 3400 pound car. Traffic is always tough and it is a real learning experience to race there. You need to have a decent car and hook it up as well as be able to drive it. There is no real aero garbage to have to deal with. There are lots of cars get the fenders knocked off in the war and still come out on top.

Ken Schrader has been a frequent visitor with his Federated Pontiac and hopefully we will get to race with him again in 2004.

Of course, you can't mention Schrader racing with us at South Boston, Toledo or wherever his schedule permits without mentioning Tony Stewart racing with us on the Dirt at Springfield and or DuQuoin. Annually, this is one of the worst kept secrets in racing and in all honesty, watching Stewart qualify a big car out there when the track was heavy was a thing of beauty. Yes, he really put it on us at DuQuoin, but he doesn't flaunt it. He is a racer in the purest form of the word and it is a pleasure.

Looking for great things from lots of folks in 2004. Everyone in the top ten continues to step it up. Shelby is moving on but no doubt there will be another young gun to take his spot. Look out for Justin Allgaier if he gets the proper funding. This kid is the real deal. He is going to be a good one.

Funding, is of course, the main thing. I read an article here somewhere, I think Bones Bourcier wrote it in Speedway Illustrated. Not all of the best drivers are in Winston Cup. And they are not. Politics, funding or whatever have kept more than one great driver from playing on Sundays. Well, at least at the Cup level. In our home area, are some of the greatest race car drivers you will ever see. They just chose to keep winning modified or sprint or late model races.

I am looking forward to Toledo. I just ordered the new traction control unit. It is a new fiber optic deal and we remortgaged the house to get it. They will never find it, never. I am told you can hit the nitrous button and the traction control unit will still keep you from spinning the tires. It will be like drag racing without having to soft pedal it!

Ah just kidding. We didn't remortgage the house.