Green-White-Checker

ON PIT ROAD: Fireworks, firing up and first-come-first-serve

It's Thursday again. That means it's time to roll the old Mini Stock out of the garage, wipe the dust off and shake down the setup with a spin around the dirt track at the end of the street. With that, here's the latest list of notes collected in a dog-eared notebook over the last few weeks...

* SAGGING ATTENDANCE

? Check.

Low car counts? Check.

Purses out of control? Check.

So, you're a promoter at a short track in Maine, and you've got some problems, huh? Well, read on, Bingo, because I'm about to make all your problems disappear.

ON PIT ROAD: Bruton, Busch and Beech Ridge

It's Thursday again. That means it's time to roll the old Mini Stock out of the garage, wipe the dust off and shake down the setup with a spin around the dirt track at the end of the street. With that, here's the latest list of notes collected in a dog-eared notebook over the last few weeks...

* ON THE ONE hand, you've got about as old New England as they come.

Bob Bahre, the former owner of what was called New Hampshire International Speedway, always wearing a pressed white shirt and work pants, with the same yellow cardigan sweater if he caught a chill in the air. He dined in the same little breakfast nook each morning, spoke shortly and directly, and never seemed to smile -- even when cracking a joke so dry a garden hose couldn't save it.

On the other hand, you've got about as big city glitz as they come.

Bob Dillner makes discriminatory comments in radio appearance

If you're breaking out of the PC camp, you want to go all in.

Just ask esteemed SPEED reporter Bob Dillner, who doubled-down on the offensive comments during an appearance on a small New England radio show being broadcast live from New Hampshire Motor Speedway last Sunday morning.

As a guest on the "Carey and Coffey Show," which is aired on 940 AM and 1510 AM out of Danbury, Conn., and simulcast on the internet at www.careyandcoffey.com, Dillner took shots at the country musicians the show's hosts were discussing as he was coming on the air.

DAY 1 AT NHMS: Fresh paint and fresh faces

Even the concession stands have more life.

New England's only superspeedway, which has been both lovingly and critically labeled "a big short track," New Hampshire Motor Speedway underwent some changes this offseason under its new ownership. New general manager Jerry Gappens promised recently that fans would see more color, and Speedway Motorsports Inc., which bought the track from Bob Bahre, delivered.

It's everything from the subtle to the serious.

ON PIT ROAD: Economics, economics and, well, economics

It's Thursday again. That means it's time to roll the old Mini Stock out of the garage, wipe the dust off and shake down the setup with a spin around the dirt track at the end of the street. With that, here's the latest list of notes collected in a dog-eared notebook over the last few weeks...

* MOMENTS AFTER FINISHING 3rd at Unity Raceway on Sunday afternoon, Joe Allard talked about how excited he was to have the Late Model division back at the track for the 1st time since 2005. But he also talked about how expensive it had been just to get there, spending more than $400 on a set of tires to race his car.

Brad Bellows won his 2nd straight Sportsman feature earlier in the same afternoon and wanted to issue a challenge to all the guys at Wiscasset Raceway to come on up and tackle the Unity oval this year. But with tire confiscation rules in effect at Wiscasset, it's asking a lot for support division teams to buy a brand new set of tires just to run 1 30-lap race without a commitment to a full season.

ON PIT ROAD: Jeff Gordon, Junkyard Warriors and John Force

It's Thursday again. That means it's time to roll the old Mini Stock out of the garage, wipe the dust off and shake down the setup with a spin around the dirt track at the end of the street. With that, here's the latest list of notes collected in a dog-eared notebook over the last few weeks...

* A FEW YEARS back, during that very dark period in my life when I was trapped working and living in southern New England, I wrote a story about how Thompson International Speedway officials had tossed around the idea of at least exploring the possibility of a Craftsman Truck Series race at their historic .625-mile facility.

At the crux of it, the track really needed only add some seating to bring its overall capacity into the tens of thousands with a slam dunk of a built-in local sponsor in either Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun right down the road, This came at a time when the Truck Series was returning to short tracks -- heading back to Mansfield, Ohio, among other venues.

ON PIT ROAD: Shortcomings, short races and short fuses

It's almost the weekend again. That means it's time to roll the old Mini Stock out of the garage, wipe the dust off and shake down the setup with a spin around the dirt track at the end of the street. With that, here's the latest list of notes collected in a dog-eared notebook over the last few weeks...

* SO, UNITY RACEWAY'S much-anticipated opening is just a couple of days away, and already I feel like the buzz is starting to wear off.

I say good for George Fernald for doing what's in his heart, for having the means to try and keep a place going that has meant so much to him for the last 3 decades or more. In racing heaven, he'll certainly have a seat at the dinner table.

But now that we're oh-so-close to the green flag on a season-opening 108-lap Sportsman event, I'm starting to worry about the reality of it all.

ON PIT ROAD: Driving, Danica and ducking out

It's Thursday again. That means it's time to roll the old Mini Stock out of the garage, wipe the dust off and shake down the setup with a spin around the dirt track at the end of the street. With that, here's the latest list of notes collected in a dog-eared notebook over the last few weeks...

* IT SEEMS THAT every week Shawn Martin is a threat to win in the Late Model division at Oxford Plains Speedway only to find himself mired in 7th place with a handful of laps to go.

Martin won the Late Model title at Oxford in 2004, but it's not been the best of rides since. In fact, Martin has just 9 career victories at the track, and his bad luck was illustrated perfectly during last week's 40-lap feature.

He was flying through the field when he was mired in an accident not of his doing.

Uh-oh. It's another GWC rant.

Sometimes I wish they'd ask me some of these questions. I mean, can't you just see me standing down there in victory lane, microphone in hand, right out of the Subaru Forester 25-lap event.

"Thanks, Travis. Anybody you want to thank?"

What? Is there anybody I want to thank?!?

ON PIT ROAD: An outlaw, a promoter and a tire carrier walk into a bar...

It's Thursday again. That means it's time to roll the old Mini Stock out of the garage, wipe the dust off and shake down the setup with a spin around the dirt track at the end of the street. With that, here's the latest list of notes collected in a dog-eared notebook over the last few weeks...

* THIS IS THE kind of guy we just don't see enough in racing anymore. Eddie MacDonald is working hard at becoming an "outlaw" in an age where most assume an "outlaw" is somebody who races in a dying PASS division once every month or so.

This season, MacDonald has already run in both the NASCAR Camping World East Series and the American-Canadian Tour. Before the season's over, he plans to hop in a PASS North Series car, too -- giving him the distinction of running in the 3 most signifcant full-bodied northeast touring series all in the same year.

Downshifting after a day at NHMS

I've got to put it out there -- it was very strange not driving to a hotel in Manchester, N.H., last night with 2 Vitamin Waters, 2 Monster energy drinks, a bag of Twizzlers and a slew of CLIF bars. In some ways, a test session at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a big tease.

My system says after a day of working on story ideas, chasing down quotes and talking about setups under race cars that there should be a race today. But there's not.

Of course, there will be soon enough, that's for sure. And then I'll vociferously complain that I'm not ready for it.

ON PIT ROAD: Points, practice and Julio Lugo

For as long as Dale Earnhardt Jr. races for powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports, we're going to see things like we saw last Saturday night last weekend at Richmond International Raceway.

It's not a matter of whether or not Earnhardt was purposefully wrecked by Kyle Busch, nor is it a matter of Denny Hamlin supposedly "interfering" with the outcome of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race by intentionally parking on the race track with a flat tire to bring out a caution flag. It's not about any of that.

That's not the point. The point is the points.

ON PIT ROAD: Regan, Ragan and Rescue Me

Ashley Force's win over her father in the NHRA Funny Car final at Atlanta Dragway last weekend made for a great story -- the 2nd-generation racer and daughter of larger than life fixture John Force finally earning her 1st win in a professional category.

But even Ashley Force had trouble putting the win into perspective, coming just 8 days after Danica Patrick broke through with an Indy car win. Seems the media wanted to put the "women finally winning" spin on the Force story.

"It's an exciting time, you know, with Danica winning," Ashley Force said this week.

Turning the corner on another week

Got the advance press release from PASS the other day, and I shuddered, my mind re-living every frightening detail from my last trip to Speedway 95 in Hermon.

Ugh-ugh-ugh. I feel like a dog that's just come in from a driving rainstorm, trying desperately to shake free of the cold dampness which clings to me. Can't be done...

* WHAT'S LIFE LIKE in a glamourous press box at a central Maine race track, you ask?

ON PIT ROAD: Ramstrom, riled up and ridiculously unimportant

I'm kind of enjoying the new digs, but there's a pile of boxes over in the corner of the spare room that I just can't bring myself to unpack. You know, it's like I just hit the wall -- it's going to take some time to get settled here.

And, no, there's no jacuzzi. But I did hear that Marcos Ambrose was bringing over a grill and some charcoal as a house-warming gift. No word on whether or not Boris Said will be coming, too, and stocking the fridge with some No Fear energy drink...

In the meantime, we'll just have to make do with the shrimp quesadillas and pork tenderloin...

* HERE'S THE REAL deal on PASS North Series driver Derek Ramstrom.

Despite rumors suggesting there are already "several" NASCAR teams interested in the teen from West Boylston, Mass., the 2006 Outlaw Late Model champion hasn't been offered any development deals. What he has been offered, according to his father, Rick, is a contract from an agent.

I'm in demand

Or, more correctly, I'm now "On-Demand."

Made another guest appearance on the local cable television program "Mainely Motorsports," where I regaled viewers with wit and wisdom that is sure to leave them amazed. Or stupified. I forget which.

The show airs tonight on Time Warner Cable Ch. 9 at 8 p.m.