Someone must have mentioned going over 20 total races this season without a rainout and forgot to knock on wood, as rain postponed a stellar card this past Saturday headlined by the Lucas Oil POWRi West Midget Series and 2nd installment of the First Annual Red River Shootout featuring the stars of the Texas Open Wheel Racing Series (TOWR) pitted against the top micro sprint talents of the Sooner State.
That race also marked the 19th Round of the I-44 Riverside Speedway’s Champions Cup for all five micro sprint divisions. As evidenced time and time again, speedway promoter Mark Banister is not one to take such defeats lightly. So here’s what we did.
In recognition of the dozens of out of state teams coming to race this past weekend, Banister judged saturated pits versus another half inch of guaranteed rainfall that was also expected to linger well into the afternoon and called it to save as many teams as possibly could from needless traveling.
However, behind the scenes was a frenzy as promoters from each faction worked out details to recreate what was likely to be an even bigger show than previously planned.
The Lucas Oil POWRi West Midgets will race on Saturday, September 20th for a guaranteed $1,000 to win and $100 to start purse. Over 20 midgets were confirmed to be traveling to Riverside Saturday and POWRi West promoter Eric Fenton noted that the weekend of the 20th are bye weeks for most regional open wheel series.
Recognizing that the show could not only be rescheduled, but to an even greater effect, POWRi West and I-44 Riverside seized the opportunity. But as many remember, there was another headliner to the micro action this past weekend.
September 20th is also a bye week for Scott Key’s Texas Open Wheel Racing circuit. So TOWR and Riverside seized that opportunity as well.
So this past weekend’s rainout of such a sensation card of racing, is not cancelled, but merely postponed to Saturday, September 20th - on that night the Lucas Oil POWRi West Midget Series will headline the race with the Texas (TOWR) vs. Oklahoma headlining the micro sprint action in the A Class, Non Wing, and Restricted divisions.
The Junior Sprint and Turf Tire classes will also be showcased. In fact, we will even see if those two classes want to run a draw/passing point format like the rest will that night, just to shake things up a bit!
Saturday, September 20th has been a date circled to many of us for some time as we I-44 Riverside will host a fundraiser that night for Valerie Foley, wife of speedway announcer David Foley.
Valerie has been in need of a kidney transplant since 2007. The I-44 Riverside Racing Family will rally to her aid that night with a fundraiser highlighted by a silent auction. With much optimism for the tight knit communities to which we belong both in racing and in the greater Oklahoma City area, we ask that everyone take part, whether in donating, purchasing items in the silent auction or in a donation to this wonderful racing family that has been a stalwart at the track for the past decade.
While we were disappointed in this past weekend’s rainout, we are thrilled that we were able to pen a move of one of the top open wheel races in the region this season - to this night in which it all can have so much of a tremendous impact.
Anyone wishing to donate items to the silent auction please contact David Foley at 405.694.6444 or Cody Morris at 405.641.4139.
So speedway officials aimed to make up Champions Cup Round 19 this coming Friday, September 12th and create a two race weekend for The Only 200mph Dirt Track In the World ß--NEVER gets old!
This was announced on speedway outlets as soon as the call was made to not race this past Saturday. However, a strong cold front is set to move through the area Fridat carrying with it large rain chances and unseasonably cool temps. Most outlets have rain chances above 50% and race time temperatures firmly in the 50’s.
Already rolling with this on short notice and competing against area high school football, such conditions were the final straw to nullify what many were savoring.
So I-44 Riverside Speedway will only be racing as planned, this Saturday, September 13th, presenting Round 19 of Champions Cup action featuring the A Class, Non Wing, Restricted, Turf Tire, and Junior Sprint divisions. The purse increases remain in effect. 25 entries or more in the stock classes and that purse goes up 40%, 30 entries or more and it skyrockets to 80% - a $400 to win / $50 to start purse, which we’re proud to present as the top weekly purse in the region.
For the Restricted, Turf Tire, and Junior Sprint divisions - 15-19 entries next that 40% boost, 20 entries or more shoots it to 80%.
In the three weeks the increases (need a new name for this) have been in effect, the Junior Sprints have hit it twice and the Turf Tire class once. And while have high hopes that each of those classes will hit that mark and higher this weekend, come on A Class and Non Wing teams!
There are over 70 of you local to our area and the average count in the last three weekly shows has been right around the 20 mark for Non Wing and 22-23 in A Class.
With a downright beautiful forecast this Saturday with temps in the mid to upper 70’s and getting late in the season, get with your fellow races and root them on to make this the week we hit the bonus in both stock classes!
As for the Friday night makeup race, yet again we are not cancelling that entirely either. We are postponing it to Friday, September 26th - Championship Weekend, our final weekend of Champions Cup point racing. This will be the 2nd Annual Jimmy King Classic.
So let’s go through the remainder of the season a final time and in chronological order.
Friday, September 12th - OFF (moved to 9-26)
Saturday, September 13th - Champions Cup Round 19 featuring A Class, Non Wing, Restricted, Turf Tire, and Junior Sprint divisions.
Saturday, September 20th - The Lucas Oil POWRI West Midgets “South Side Showdown”
Red River Rumble Part 2 featuring the TOWR vs. Oklahoma
Champions Cup Round 20
Friday, September 26th - 2nd Annual Jimmy King Classic Night 1 - Champions Cup Round 21
Saturday, September 27th - 2nd Annual Jimmy King Classic Night 2 - Champions Cup Round 22 - Championship Night
Thursday, October 9th - 2nd Annual Twister Nationals - PRACTICE
Friday, October 10th - 2nd Annual Twister Nationals featuring the Lucas Oil POWRi West Midgets + A Class, Non Wing, Restricted, Turf Tire, and Junior Sprints
Saturday, October 11th - 2nd Annual Twister Nationals Finale featuring Lucas Oil POWRi West Midgets + A Class, Non Wing, Restricted, Turf Tire, and Junior Sprints Season Finale
I-44 Riverside Speedway 2014 Banquet - TBA November
Still much to go over in the coming days, but we would like all readers and patrons to visit The Vapor Hut in Moore, Oklahoma. This Friday is their grand reopening following the devastation wrought by the May 20th tornado last year. The same tornado that leveled the speedway.
The Vapor Hut is the title sponsor of Bethany, Oklahoma’s Champions Cup Restricted leader Matt Moore. Following taking the 2013 season, Moore has bounced back in a very big way, winning a speedway best 10 A Feature’s including the Inaugural Red Dirt Nationals and the 15th Annual Mini Sprint Nationals.
The top Oklahoma City rock station 100.5 FM The KATT will be on hand doing a live segment from The Vapor Hut between 3pm and 6pm (tentatively). Matt Moore will also be on hand with car and trailer on display.
We encourage all of our racing and local community to show a fellow small business that was dealt the same devastating blow our speedway was - the same exemplary support and unity that so consistently sets the example for the rest of our great country and the tens of thousands of communities therein.
The Vapor Hut in Moore,OK is located at 1019 SW 19th. St.
For further information contact 405.759.3950