National notebook
Notes: Struggles dim Eckert's return to home track
Rick Eckert puts a decal on his car during Florida Speedweeks. (thesportswire.net)
Rick Eckert will be happy to race at his old stomping grounds Friday. He just wishes he was bringing more momentum into Bedford (Pa.) Speedway's holiday-weekend kickoff for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. A regular at the half-mile fairgrounds oval early in his dirt Late Model career, Eckert is holding out hope that a 50-lap, $10,000-to-win show on familiar turf will help bring some salvation from his early-season struggles.
"We're in a slump," said Eckert, a WoO stalwart who is one of two drivers to start all 251 main events contested since 2004. "Maybe a race at a track close to home will be what we need to get going in the right direction."
Eckert, 44, of York, Pa., has found the going rough in his first campaign as an owner-operator following the November death of long-time car owner Raye Vest. Though Eckert does already have a WoO win under his belt on March 26 at Battleground Speedway in Highlands, Texas, that's largely the extent of the 2010 highlights for the veteran star.
"I'd give my season so far a D-minus," said Eckert, who lives about two hours east of Bedford. "It's been terrible, really. A lot of it is making bad decisions with our car, but we've also had more problems with breaking stuff than I've ever had in my whole life."
Eckert's 2010 performance record is by far the worst through the first 14 events of a WoO season. Despite qualifying well enough to start inside the top five in seven features, he's managed to register just two top-five finishes. He enters Bedford's action sitting a disappointing eighth in the points standings and facing a massive deficit of 206 points to leader Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va.
"We just haven't had any consistency," said Eckert, who has two DNFs. "Last week (May 13 at Delaware International Speedway and May 15 at Hagerstown) we set fast time both nights and it looked like we might be getting better and turning things around, but we were also running close to home. We're still missing something."
One of the primary things Eckert is missing is an engine program that's clicking on all cylinders. He noted going into this season on his own dime that his greatest fear for his financial well-being was a rash of motor woes. Unfortunately, he's experiencing that nightmare. He broke two motors at Farmer City, Ill., and lost a third Sunday during an unsanctioned event at Susquehanna Speedway Park in Newberrytown, Pa., leaving his powerplant inventory virtually depleted before Memorial Day weekend.
"Right now I've got one motor for this weekend," Eckert said Monday, shuddering at the thought of running a WoO tripleheader at Bedford and West Virginia Motor Speedway (May 29-30) — two of the biggest tracks on the schedule — without a backup engine. "We're still waiting to get back the two motors we hurt at Farmer City and now we've had to send another one back. If we don't get at least one of 'em back before Friday, I'll just be hoping to get through the weekend."
And so it is that a victory on Friday night at Bedford Speedway would mean the world to Eckert. He needs a positive outing for his psyche and his checkbook, and running at a track he once dominated gives him the best shot at achieving just that.
Of course, it's been awhile now since Eckert experienced his best days at Bedford – the four consecutive points titles he won there from 1989-1992 before he began to travel extensively. He hasn't won at the track since April 25, 1993, though he still ranks fourth on the all-time list with 22 career victories.
"Over the last five years they've worked miracles with that place," Eckert said of Bedford's current management team led by former racer J.R. Kiefer. "The shape of the track is still the same as when I ran there all the time, but now there's great lights and new dirt (surface) that's a lot racier." — Kevin Kovac
RICHEST RACE IN KANSAS COMING UP: The Sunflower State Showdown, 2010's richest Dirt Late Model race in Kansas, is scheduled for June 4-5 at the Great American Dirt Track in Jetmore, Kan. The $10,000-to-win event is sanctioned by the MARS DIRTcar Series, O'Reilly National Championship Racing Association and Colorado Late Model Association DIRTcar Series. A pill draw will line up Friday heat races with the top 22 in passing points running in a Friday semifeature. The top eight finishers from that race earn spots in the first four rows of Saturday's main event. The event for 25 starters carries a $40,000 total purse with at least $700 going to every starter. Adult grandstand tickets are $30 each night or $50 for a two-day ticket. — Cory Moul and track reports
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA BOOSTS DASH PURSE: Central Pennsylvania Speedway in Clearfield has boosted the purse for Saturday's dash during the May 29-30 O'Reilly All Star-sanctioned Grizzly. While the $5,000-to-win main event will highlight Sunday's action, Saturday's racing will feature a dash for cash, a 10-lap race among the top 14 drivers in qualifying. Track owner Tim Bainey added another $1,000 to the original purse for the dash, and the winner now will receive $700 with the top seven finishers earning pay. The night's racing will also include the Battle of the Big Bear with head-to-head sprints among the top 10 finishers in the dash. The winner of each dash earns $100 with the overall winner earning $200. — Jason Shank
OHIO'S MIDWAY SPEEDWAY REOPENING: Just a week after Midway Speedway owner Chad Shipman announced the Ohio track's closing, the track publicist announced it's been leased and will reopening on May 31. Details about the track's weekly program haven't been announced, but action will continue Friday nights beginning June 4. Monday's $2,500-to-win Super Late Model event will begin with 5 p.m. hot laps and conclude with a 40-lap feature. Provisional starters in Monday's event go to weekend events at Ohio's Muskingum County Speedway and West Virginia Motor Speedway in Mineral Wells. Also, the longest-towing driver who fails to make Monday's feature gets a $150 bonus on top of $50 tow money. — From track reports
ODDS AND ENDS: Quincy (Ill.) Raceway promoters Tony Rhinberger and Paul Holtschlag issued a press release apologizing for the cancellation of the track's May 23 event because of mechanical problems with the track's water truck. ... The UFO Race Championship tour rescheduled Saturday's rainout at Thunder Valley Raceway in Central City, Pa., to June 19. ... The Three State Flyers tour has set up a series finale for Sept. 11 at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway. The top 20 in series points will run a 20-lap, $2,000-to-win event in a final points race. The event will be held in conjunction with the regular $3,000-to-win series finale.
