MOORESVILLE, N.C. — I was really hoping to be able to write about how we were ready to go back to racing in this month’s column. Unfortunately, at this time, we haven’t been given the green flag.
However, there is reason to believe we will hear the rumble, cackle and roar of racing engines soon.
As this issue of SPEED SPORT went to press, well-known sprint car racer and promoter Terry McCarl was organizing a race, even though most of the country was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
McCarl was planning the Open Wheel Nationals for April 25 at South Dakota’s Park Jefferson Speedway.
I spoke with McCarl about his plans and he laid out how and why he thought the event would work. If it does, it may be a sign of what we’ll see at our local short tracks as our sport slowly gets back in action.
“The grandstands at Park Jefferson Speedway can fit 4,000 fans,” McCarl explained. “I measured six-foot gaps and we will only allow 700 people max. Tickets have to be prepaid. There will be 32 410 sprint cars and 32 IMCA modifieds, even though there is plenty of room for more. That way we can keep the teams eight to 10 feet apart. Only 10 people per car and only team personnel in the pits.”
McCarl hoped to limit interaction among people.
“We want to limit all interaction so there will be no pay window,” he continued. “Instead, prize money will be mailed out. There will be a limited menu at the concession stand and we will space our fans out with social-distancing rules when they are in line.”
In order to minimize all social interaction, no post-race trophy ceremony or pre-race show are scheduled. The track’s suites will be closed with all fans outdoors, which is considered better for everyone’s health.
Making this all work also means working together to accomplish the goal of going racing. McCarl’s main sponsor, Craig Mintz, who owns Real-Geese Silhouette, produced 700 face shields — one per fan. The shields were to be handed out as fans entered the facility.
McCarl’s Open Wheel Nationals could be a preview of what racing will look like in the coming months. Are you willing to do this to attend other events? What if the crowd and car count has to be limited for some of your favorite events? Are you still interested?
These are some of the questions we could be faced with during the coming months.
– Like many of you, I’ve been catching up on numerous racing documentaries, movies and books that I have wanted to watch and read.
One of the best was “For the Love of Dirt.” This documentary is presented by NOS Energy Drink and is about life traveling with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. Naturally, it focuses heavily on team owner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and driver Sheldon Haudenschild, who are supported by NOS.
The film does an excellent job of showing the difficulty of competing 90-plus nights a year, while also exposing the pressure that comes with being the son of a racing legend (Jac Haudenschild).
All of the stars of the sport make appearances as they add perspective to the conversation. I was also pleasantly surprised to hear my race call from one of Steve Kinser’s many Knoxville Nationals victories used in the film.
What I really liked, however, was the onboard camera shots. Taking the viewer right into the cockpit, they demonstrate how aggressive and on the edge sprint car racing really is.
While we wait for the push trucks to fire up the engines, “For the Love of Dirt” is a perfect way to keep your passion raging for one of the most thrilling forms of motorsports on the planet. You can find it on YouTube.
– “Hurley” was another racing film I checked out. The documentary highlights the life of the brilliant sports car racer Hurley Haywood. I also enjoyed 1971’s “The Racing Scene.” It followed actor and racer James Garner along with his team from Baja, to Daytona, Sebring, Lime Rock and Mont-Tremblant.
It featured great racing footage from that era of open-wheel and sports car racing, which is what hooked us on this one.
Finally, I’d recommend Porsche’s “Endurance.” Out on YouTube, it is a fantastic behind-the-scenes look at GT racing in back-to-back 24-hour races at Le Mans and the Nurburgring.
– When it comes to books, I loved the massive coffee-table book, “The Ford That Beat Ferrari.” This book does a tremendous job of providing insight to the legendary Ford vs. Ferrari battle.
Pictures, stories and even press releases from the early days of the Ford GT program are included.
My favorite section, however, is on the privateer teams. The authors, John S. Allen and Gordon J. Jones did a remarkable job researching the privateer teams, the cars they raced and the drivers who drove them.
With numerous photos of each team, it’s interesting reading.
Just like the massive seven-liter power plants that were packed into the Le Mans winners, this book is filled with more than 490 pages of Ford GT40 pictures and information you won’t find anywhere else. It’s available from our friends at Evro publishing.
Tell them you heard about it in SPEED SPORT!