Bloomington Speedway season opener May 4th

BLOOMINGTON, IN (April 23) - It's been a long off season; and Mike Miles and the rest of the Bloomington Speedway gang ready to put the famous redclay to work doing what it was meant to do - provide the raciest surface anywhere.

Bloomington Speedway is opening with the three classes that will be in competition all season. There will be races over the course of the season that one of the classes won't be running; but they will certainly provide the base on which our racing programs will be built. The facility as well as the program will be ready for competition on May 4. Mike Miles has spent the entire off season getting the track and the rest of the facility ready.

Besides adding many truckloads of the famous red clay, Mike has done hundreds of little things that all add up to make Bloomington Speedway one of the finest facilities in the Midwest. The track will be smooth; and, with a little luck with the weather, stay heavy all night long. The restrooms and concession stands will be clean; and the staff will do everything possible to see that the program keeps moving.

Chris LaFollette, our 2000 sprint car champion, has advised that he will not be defending his championship as he plans to chase the USAC points this season. This will probably keep him mounting a reasonable defense of hisBloomington Speedway title. However, when he can compete, he will certainly be formidable. He has upgraded his already very good equipmentover the winter; and he has been fast in USAC competition. Of course, the consensus will probably predict a battle between Kevin Briscoe and Derek Scheffel for the championship. However, there are several teams who haveimproved dramatically over the winter. Dickie Gaines has new equipment and should be very strong. Kevin Thomas is now in the Rodney Reynolds machine out of North Vernon; and they too have run strong. The same can be said for Danny Holtsclaw, Greg Dillion, and Eric Burns. Jared Fox, the 2000 rookie of the year, should also be a contender.

Adam Sasser will certainly be attempting to defend his O'Neal Wood Products open wheel modified championship. However, Lee Hobbs, 2000 Tire & Wheel Center super stock champion, has decided to concentrate on his modified this season. He will certainly give Sasser all he wants. Of course, Kerry Norris is probably the favorite to win each week that he runs; however, he generally misses too many show to seriously contend for the championship. Ray Humphrey should also be a factor this season as should John DeMoss, Gary Trammell, and Richie Lex.

The Tire & Wheel Center super stock class should be pretty much up for grabs. With Hobbs concentrating on the modifieds, Greg Kendall and Greg O'Neill should be expected to battle early for the points lead. However, Steven Hunt, Perry Bruce, Brad Cummings, and probably a number of other drivers will be in their battling for their own shot at the title.

However the points battles turn out, the route to the championships should be exciting. Don't miss a single installment of this great season.

Pit gates will open at 4:30 PM, the grandstand gates will open at 5:30 PM Hot laps will start at 6:30 PM, and racing will begin at 7:30 PM. General admission is $10 for this event; and pit admission is $20. Overnight camping is permitted.