Offseason Almost Over

As many of us take a look out the window we see conditions outside that could make us think that nicer weather will never come. However, for some of us this is a sign that racing season is just around the corner. In fact it has never really ended for some people with indoor races and races contested in Australia and New Zealand, where it is currently summer.
I was lucky enough to attend the Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma for the second year in a row. For those of you who love racing ,and midget racing in particular, the Chili Bowl is truly a sight to behold as they are able to have a trade show, room for about 290 cars, a quarter-mile dirt track, AND about 15,000 seats under the big roof at the Tulsa Expo Center! It is absolutely a must see event in the world of racing. I was in attendance for the last three nights of the five-night affair and saw Tony Stewart Racing's Tracy Hines take Thursday night action and 2008 USAC Sprint and Silver Crown champion Jerry Coons Jr. was the Friday night winner. After a long day of racing on Saturday afternoon and evening, Sammy Swindell ,in a radical looking car, took his fifth Chili Bowl A-Main in the 23rd running of the event.

Sammy Swindell (1) passes Tracy Hines on the way to victory at the Chili Bowl (photo by Sean Mizell)

It has been a Winter of Discontent for many in North Carolina as the economy has hit NASCAR teams hard. Layoffs have been the common theme down south and no team has been safe from them as even the big teams like Hendrick Motorsports have had to make cuts. The economy has also caused some teams like Bill Davis Racing look like they won't be able to answer the Sprint Cup bell. Now new teams are beginning to pop up like Tommy Baldwin Racing, Nemco Motorsports, and a team spearheaded by former driver and current announcer Phil Parsons in an attempt to fill the fields that could potentially be short this season.
Many questions will be answered next week when things kick off at Daytona International Speedway a week from Saturday night with the Budweiser Shootout. Be sure to check in next week for a preview of the goings on in Florida!