Knock On Wood - Volume 16 #5
By Matt Prieur

Ovid, Michigan (Monday, August 25, 2008): This, that, and more from the world of Michigan Short Track Racing....

1. Probably one of the biggest feel good stories of the 2008 racing season is the resurrection of Whittemore Speedway. Just a few years ago, the track was barely drawing cars and fans.

Now the two premiere divisions at the Northern Michigan 1/4 mile are "Averaging" 18-20 cars a night. Those premiere divisions are Late Models and Modifieds.

It wasn't that long ago that Whittemore was on the verge of closing. But thanks to the hard work of Jeff Parish (Before he and the Miracles' bought Owosso Speedway) and now Ron Heal, Andy Hess and others, the oldest race track in Michigan is thriving and the now annual Whittemore Fall Invite is one of the top drawing end of the season specials in the state!

2. Speaking of Owosso Speedway, the Parish's and Miracles are doing good things at the old girl. Car counts have doubled, fans are coming back in droves, and the racing is still some of the best the state has to offer.

It's only a matter of time before the track returns to its old glory as one of the premiere Saturday night tracks in Central / Eastern Michigan. Much like it was in 2001. Now the trick is to keep that presence ongoing for the foreseeable future.

Congratulations to Bill Luckhurst on his Sixth consecutive and 10th overall Modifieds Track Championship! The last two Mods races have been some of the most exciting racing action of the season, yet the Ovid, Michigan veteran continues to prove why he's one of the best Modified drivers in the state!

3. After a brief stint on Saturday nights, Dixie Motor Speedway returned to Friday nights and car counts and fan counts picked up right back to normal. It wasn't that it was a failed experiment, but with five other race tracks within an hour of Birch Run, Michigan all running on Saturday nights, there's only so many drivers, fans, officials to go around.

Speaking of Dixie, the biggest Super Late Model show in this area is Saturday, September 6th as the 43rd annual Dixie Classic 100, which is also the final round of the tracks Dixie Cup Series. Michigan Motorsports Hall of Famer, John Grega leads the points standings and will go against about 30-40 of the best Super drivers in the state.

Also on the card are the Auto Value Super Sprints and the tracks weekly Bombers Division running their Season Championships. Plus, School Bus Figure 8 races.

4. Congratulations to Jimmy Gallagher on his first career Super Late Model Track Championship at Spartan Speedway! The 20-year veteran put it all together this season and scored that first title after splitting the last couple of seasons on both dirt and pavement.

5. Mentioning again about the proposed Short Track Auto Racing Series (S.T.A.R.S.) for Late Models and Modifieds, there remain a lot to consider in order to make these concepts and ideas a reality!

But we're working on it and in just about a month, plenty has already been accomplished, but there is a lot of work yet to be done. Time will tell though if all of this really does become a reality. I certainly hope it does.

This weekend is the Harvest at Spartan Speedway, which marks the beginning of the end if you will, the end of the season and the beginning year-end specials. Whittemore's Fall Invite is Friday and Saturday, September 19-20, and the return of the Owosso Fall Nationals is a week later on Friday and Saturday, September 26-27.

Any comments, questions, suggestions, etc., can go to: mprieur@mph-promotions.com

Thanks for reading.