Bleacher Report - Articles by Nikki Hecht

Hello Fans Are You There? It's Me NASCAR

Nikki Hecht — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:46:53 -0400

I'm a member of a Yahoo group that is primarily for Dale Jr fans and it's all women fans. There are also Steve Park, Elliot Sadler, Tony Stewart, even Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon fans there. But for the most part we're a mainly Dale Jr. group.

It's a decent size group but the few that post and chat the most have been there for several years and over the years a friendship has formed between us. We've got our own fantasy racing league going (where side note...I'm leading in the points for the first time in the entire five years we've been doing fantasy racing!)

We all joined this group because of our love of the sport and a driver. We've seen one of our 'sisters' through the loss of her mother, we've seen one of our sister's give birth to a son, one lost her dad just a couple of months ago.

So what does all that have to do with NASCAR and fans? Well it actually was the insipriation for this article.

Earlier in the week a question was sent to the group about this season's racing. Someone who had asked if anyone else was less interested in racing this season. She had been a season ticket holder to Richmond and ended up selling her tickets. Her family decided to go to Disney World for vacation instead. She wondered if anyone else wasn't feeling the love this season.

She asked is it because Dale Jr isn't doing so hot this year? Remember we all joined this group because we are fans of his. Is it the COT car? Is it the economy? Is it that *insert your own favorite driver here* isn't doing so well? Is life just getting in the way again like it sometimes does?

The general consensus of the group was that we just weren't really into it this year. If the race was even on their TV it was on for background noise and it had very little to do with a driver doing well or not doing well. They just aren't very interested in NASCAR this year.

I myself haven't watched a lot of races this year. I got a promotion at work and now I'm working every other Sunday (that cuts into my race watching time) But there was a time in the not so distant past where I was unavailable for ANYTHING from about noon until 6 or so on a Sunday afternoon because of the race.

Now when I'm home I'm doing something else the race might be on but I'm playing catch up on things or I'm getting in a nap. Sometimes I'm screaming about how I will be sending a map of pit road to Dale Jr! There were a lot of answers similar to mine. So that got me thinking is it just that with us life is getting in the way of our NASCAR habit or are others feeling the same way?

It's not that I'm not a fan of racing anymore because I am. I can't help but be a fan of racing. My dad spent years on a local race team working first as a driver only to discover he's a much better mechanic than a driver. So racing is in my blood!

I'm going out to my local dirt track next weekend to watch races I would have gone out this weekend but it was raining all weekend and my parents have been sick so I didn't want to drag them out to the track with me—not that it's really dragging they do come with me very willingly.

I'm contemplating take a day or two off calling my dad hoping on our motorcycles and riding down to Kansas City to see the ground breaking ceremony of Victory Gang Junction Camp 2.

Anytime my dad can talk both motorcycles and racing he's in heaven. Provided my mom's appointment with her surgeon goes well this week and she doesn't need a valve replacement my dad and I are going to North Carolina this summer for our annual father/daughter camping adventure. I've had to revise the list of shops we are going to go see at least 10 times! So the love for racing is still there for me.

So is it something that NASCAR is doing to make fans loose interest or is it something else? Is it just us? I've listened to discussions about this on Sirius NASCAR radio and it struck me as very interesting. I know that the economy is tough and tracks are doing what they can go get fans into the seats and with some of the great deals out there if I lived closer to some of my favorite tracks I'd be there in a New York second!

Soap Fans Start Your Engines!

Nikki Hecht — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:57:38 -0500

If you are a fan of the daytime soap opera General Hospital you might want to keep yourself glued to the TV in March. Jeff Burton recently filmed an episode of the daytime soap.

He isn't playing a backstabbing friend, a crazed killer, a psychotic doctor, or a back from the dead family member. Nope he's playing himself. He's visiting GH talking to the head Neurosurgeon, one Patrick Drake (for you old time GH fans like myself...Yup that would be Dr. Noah Drake aka Rick Springfield's son). He'll be talking racing with Dr. Drake. Patrick is played by actor Jason Thomspon, who is an avid race fan.

If you can't wait until March to see Jason and Jeff together head out to Fontana this weekend. Jason will be there. He'll get a ride in the pace car and he'll be a part of a question answer session plus be doing other hospitality things before getting a seat in the 31 pits to watch the race!

Maybe if this cameo goes well for Jeff he can come back and end the Mob War between Sonny Corinthos and the Zacchara family! He's a very wise man and isn't afraid to voice his opinion on things so I think ending a Mob War in Port Charles could be right up his alley.

NASCAR Fans Celebrate Their Favorite Holiday!

Nikki Hecht — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 12:50:57 -0500

Christmas, Easter, birthdays, anniversaries, even Valentine's Day fail to compete with today! Today is the day that NASCAR fans have been waiting for since the week before Thanksgiving last year:the Daytona 500.

It seems like forever ago we last heard the words, "Gentlemen, start your engines!"

Many things have changed since we last saw our favorite drivers in Miami. Sure they've been on the track this week with the Duals, the Nationwide, Truck, and Bud Shoot Out Races.

BUT it's been since Miami that we've seen all 43 drivers in the field at one time. Many things have changed.

There are new drivers, new teams, new uniforms to get used to. Also we've got to get used to not seeing some familiar faces in the field like Kyle Petty.

There are many storylines to follow today. There is an 18-year-old in the race who last season was dubbed "the best thing since sliced bread" So will "Sliced Bread" prove to be the best thing since sliced bread or nothing more than a moldy loaf that someone forgot to put away?

Will tires be an issue during the race today? Will someone try to pass below the double yellow lines? Will there be a "big one"? Will an HMS driver win today?

Who will be drafting partners? Who will try pit strategy to get out first? Who will have better gas mileage?

Will Tony Stewart be hoisting the trophy and go for two wins in a weekend? Will a Ford, Chevy, Dodge, or Toyota win today? Where will my driver finish today?

All of those plus other questions we might have will all be answered in a few short hours my friends!

Photo from Getty Images.

Three Engines Stolen from Roush Yates

Nikki Hecht — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:44:26 -0400

Someone broke into the Roush Yates engine shop Monday night and stole three of their Ford Engines that were used in the Nationwide and Craftsman truck series. The engines are valued at about $50,000 apiece.

Police say that the thieves somehow cut a hole in the wall and were able to get in and out of the doors. The engines weight about 500 pounds apiece and are on flats with wheels. The thieves wheeled them out into a stolen Penske cargo van. The police later found the abandoned van, but the engines weren't inside.

Mooresville Police Lt. Joseph Cooke said, "These are not everyday engines. These are NASCAR specific engines. You can't put them in a car, plus they are Roush Yates engines, Very specific."

So you aren't going to be able to put them into the Focus or Taurus that is in your driveway. Since they are NASCAR engines, they aren't going to be easy to unload unless they happen to dump them in the lap of someone in the racing business and even then, it might be difficult to dump them off.

Anyone with knowledge of the missing engines is encouraged to call the Mooresville Police at 704-664-3311 or South Iredell Crime Stoppers at 704-658-9056.

Okay, my crimesolving friends here at Bleacher...opinions on who took the engines? What do you think someone could do with three $50,000 engines? It's going to be interesting to hear thoughts and theories on this.

An Idea for Future NASCAR Cafes and Sports Grilles

Nikki Hecht — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:51:50 -0400

I've returned from sunny warm, gorgeous, hurricane-free Orlando :) With a sunburn (who am I kidding. I'm as red as Kasey Kahne's car!) a little sadness (I can't believe I'm back home already!) and a weird feeling after leaving the NASCAR Sports Grille, which leads me to my point....

I have a suggestion for anyone who wants to start a grille, restaurant, cafe, diner anything like that... PLEASE DO NOT PUT PICTURES OF NASCAR DRIVERS IN THE BATHROOMS!!! Especially when they are hanging high enough to look into the stall. It's weird and yeah it's just weird.

At the Grille at the City Walk in Orlando, you walk up some stairs and see newspaper articles and pictures about Adam Petty, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Dale Jr.'s Busch Series fire suit (I know it's the Nationwide series now, but when Jr. ran, it was Busch. He's a two- time Busch champion, not a two-time Nationwide series champ.)

It's really cool and it totally appeals to my not-so-inner NASCAR geek. There were articles on the wall from the '79 Daytona 500, pictures of the Alabama Gang. It was great!

You go up and I got lost (not a surprise there). Finally, I find the bathroom after being sidetracked by the hundreds...okay, 20 NASCAR bobble-heads in a display case. Bobby Labonte as a bobble-head is disturbing.

I walk into the bathroom to do my business, only to look up and see Kasey Kahne looking down into my stall. It was unnerving, so please, for the love of everything that is holy and unholy, if you're going to open a eating establishment and put pictures of drivers, actors, whatever up... Please do not put them so they are looking down into the bathroom stalls. It's weird!

I promise after I've had some sleep and am less red, I'll post an actual article perhaps one that goes in the Over the Pit Wall Series :)

A Look Over Pit Road Wall

Nikki Hecht — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 09:48:22 -0400

A couple of weeks ago I had this idea for a series of articles. Everyone knows all about the drivers of NASCAR Teams but what about those guys and girls that are behind the scenes?

Those unsung heroes that are the first ones to get the compliments for the fast pit stops and the first ones to get yelled at when something goes bad out on pit road. Yup I'm talking about the crew guys. I have a very soft spot for the crew guys and gals. After my dad decided he was a horrible driver he worked on the pit crew for some local racers for years.

So when I was trying to decide who to write about first there was only one name that popped into my head and when I looked at the list of potential people to write about his name was number one on that list. Ryan McCray front tire carrier for the 38 Yates Racing Team.

Why McCray you might ask? Well why not? He's my age, just a handful of months older than I am and he's a nice guy. He's gracious enough to take Claire B Lang's phone calls on Dialed In when I in a panic send her emails asking about his health (he tore his ACL and had to have surgery at the end of last season).

If he's still on the No. 38 team since Jayski doesn't have him listed on their over the wall pit crew charts. (For the record, according to Claire he's back at the track, "Going over the wall and as fiesty as ever")

Ryan "West Coast" McCray was born October 17, 1979 and hails from California. His last name might be very familiar to people who have watched the sport for years. His father is Rick McCray. Rick had 24 Cup series starts, several Craftsman Truck series starts and ran the Winston West Series.

His sister Toni served as the public relations guru for Erin Crocker when she ran the Craftsman Truck series and now she races at Iriwndale Speeway. His former father in law is Ron Hornaday. It's safe to say that racing is in his blood.

Ryan got his NASCAR start working for his dad's truck team and later on became a tire carrier and mechanic for Ultra Motorsports. That led him to his job at Hendrick Motorsports in 2002 as a shop mechanic and an over the wall front tire carrier. (He was the guy out on pit road that had "Lowe's Blue" hair and bleach blonde hair).

In 2003 Ryan was working on Pit Road at the race at Loudon New Hampshire. He and fellow team mate front tire changer Cory Quick were hit on pit road by their own boss. Jeff Gordon hit them and sent them flying over the top of his car. Both escaped with only minor injuries.

In 2005 Ryan left the 48 team to go to work at Yates Racing on the No. 38 team which at the time was being driven by Elliot Sadler and now David Gilliland. As apart of the "Chocolate Thunder" Pit crew they scored pit crew of the race at Talladega and competed and beat the 48 team at the Pit Crew Challenge.

When he left HMS it was on very good terms. The reason he opted to leave despite the 48 team's monster success was so he could be closer to home and spend more time with his kids Tori and Slater.

The Yates shop in Mooresville is closer to his home and his children than he was when he worked at HMS. (All the women out there say it with me... Ahhhh) He wanted to be able to work on his son's go kart more often and spend more time with them being a dad and still being able to do a job he loved. He also wanted the chance to move up and eventually become a crew chief.

Ryan said in an article in 2005 from his hometown paper,

"We had an awesome team there," he said of Johnson's crew, headed by crew chief Chad Knaus. "You work there for three years and you get a bond, and that showed.

"It was hard to leave. It was a real good deal, all young guys who got along. It was one of the tightest teams I've ever been on. A week after I left, they tried to get me back."

A few months ago Ryan was on Dialed In with Claire B Lang. He said that when Mike Lingerfelt left the 38 team at the end of the 2007 season and went to the 48, Ryan was going to go with him but after having to take time off for his ACL he wasn't able to go back to the 48 team. Here's hoping that in 2009 West Coast will be reunited with his fellow 48 guys!

Chad Knaus: The Man, the Myth, the Legend in the Making

Nikki Hecht — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:52:36 -0400

First of all, I'm a fan of Chad Knaus. When Dale Jr. moved to Hendrick Motorsports I was a happy camper! Junior and Chad racing under the same owner. (And yeah, Chad's driver isn't a slouch in the driving department either.)

We all know Chad is a fan of the gray area. After all, he did end up taking a few NASCAR enforced vacations in the last couple of years. But then his team also won back-to-back championships.

Call him a cheater, call him an innovator, call him what you want—the man is a genius! He can take a junk car and make it good—partly due to his genius self, and partly due to his very good driver. Chad is of course the man that had to have NASCAR institute a new rule for shocks a few years ago.

Here are some things you may or may not know about Chad "the man" Knaus.

He's a total work-aholic! In an article on USAtoday.com Chad talks about going to Aspen to ski shortly after winning the first Nextel Cup Championship in 2007. His long-time girlfriend says he was on the phone at 4:00 AM talking to the guys on the crew.

Rick Hendrick was also quoted as saying in the article, "He's never going to take a week off. He'd go crazy..."

When he was on suspension he spent every waking hour in the shop working on the car. Even when he took a trip while serving his six-week suspension he still worked on notes for the car from the Bahamas.

He got his first taste of being a crew chief when he was 14! He was the crew chief for his father, racer John Knaus. The two of them won the Rockford Speedway Championship series. They also finished second in the Winston Racing Series and won the Great Northern Series Championship. They won seven track championships together.

(I don't know about you, but when I was 14, I was busy drooling over Joey Lawrence and Jonathan Brandis and trying to be young and dumb!

In 1991 he packed his bags and headed south to North Carolina to pursue a job in NASCAR. He got a job with Stanley Smith's stock car team. Then in 1993 he began working for Hendrick Motorsports, working for the 24 team under crew chief Ray Evernham.

He went from general fabricator to managing the entire body construction of the 24 team. He also served as a tire changer on the No. 24 team, and they won the championships in 1995 and 1997.

After the 1997 championship season he left HMS and went to work at DEI. He was the car chief for the one car and worked with Steve Park and later DW (who drove the car after Park was injured and couldn't drive).

In 1998 he went to Tyler Jet Motorsports, but that was nothing. In 1999 Chad's buddy Ray Evernham called him up and invited him to come work for him and be in charge of the Dodge Development team. Chad, being the genius that he is, quickly agreed to this.

He tested with the team and Melling Racing with Stacy Compton. The two of them did two years of test sessions, and in 2001 Chad got his chance to be a Winston (now Sprint Cup) Crew Chief. He sat on Compton's pit box calling the shots.

His work as Compton's crew chief led him to receive a phone call from Rick Hendrick. He was asked to come crew chief for his new team—the No. 48 team with Jimmie Johnson as the driver. So in 2002 he donned his Lowe's Racing fire-suit and hasn't looked back since.

Chad and Jimmie's partnership makes for one of the longest running driver/crew chief teams in the Sprint Cup Series today. Their team record is one that speaks for itself: back-to-back championships, multiple top fives and top 10s.

Here's a peak at what Chad and Jimmie have accomplished in their time together:

•In 2002 the rookie team earned three wins, six top fives, 21 top 10s, and four Bud Pole Awards. Johnson became the first rookie in cup series history to lead the point series (he ended up finishing fifth overall).

He also finished second in the Rookie of the Year contest to Penske Racing's Ryan Newman. Chad being no slouch took home the inaugural IRWIN Crew Chief of the Year award.

•In 2003 the No. 48 team was able to avoid the sophomore slump. The ended the season with three victories, 14 top fives, and 20 top 10s. They finished the season second to Matt Kenseth in the points standings.

•2004 started off slowly for the team. But the team rebounded and won the fifth race of the season at Darlington Raceway. They won the Coke 600 and at Poccono.

They had a late season victory in Martinsville Virginia, but this was marred by the tragic loss of Ricky Hendrick and Rick's brother and nieces who were all on a plane bound for Martinsville. There was no celebration that week.

The next week, though, the No. 48 team hitched up their britches and had an emotional win in Atlanta. (I still get teary eyed when I see footage from the Atlanta '04 race).

They ended up finishing the 2004 season again in second place just eight...EIGHT...points behind Kurt Busch. (Nope, still not bitter about that at all. Nope, totally good with Kurt winning.)

•2005 wasn't a great season for Chad and the boys. They ended up finishing the points in fifth place. They had four wins, one pole, 13 top fives, and 22 top 10s. (I think there are several teams out there that would love to have a not so great season like that one, though.)

•2006 was a great year for the team. Chad and Jimmie won their first Nextel Cup Championship with five wins, 13 top fives, and 24 top 10s.

•2007—well, that's second verse same as the first only better! 2007 can only be described as their best season to date. It was the year of HMS domination and No. 48 team domination. Chad and his team took home their second championship with a series best 10 wins!

•2008 hasn't exactly been a great year for Chad and his team, but it hasn't been horrible either. They are off to a slow start, but I think Mr. Knaus (who has been said to be a great poker player) has yet to show his hand. I think he's still got an ace in the hole.

Whatever happens this season, it's safe to say that the dynamic duo of Knaus and Johnson is here to stay. They will be contenders in this year's Chase for the Championship, and they will be contenders for years to come.

Carl Edwards: No Backflips—Sprains or Broken Bones—At Omaha

Nikki Hecht — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:22:47 -0400

At least Omaha didn't break Carl Edwards this year!

Last year Carl Edwards came to I-80 Speedway and ended up spraining his thumb in an accident that left us without seeing the famous back flip. It also had Edwards going into Omaha to visit Lakeside hospital. And leaving the joke amongst those of us in Omaha we broke Carl Edwards.

(Just a small little side note—my uncle was working there that night. He didn't actually wait on Edwards or even see him since he is a high-risk OB/GYN and Carl only sprained his thumb. He didn't know he had been there until I called him the next day to tell him he had a celebrity in his hospital.)

This year, the Second Annual Carl Edwards Night was July 13th, and Edwards made it without a broken or sprained bone. He raced against his brother Kenny again (Kenny races out at I-80 often and is becoming a favorite driver of this race fan).

Last year, Kenny famously had a sticker on the back of his car reading Carl Who?

The weather for the night's race was 100% perfect! Not a cloud in the sky, not too hot, not too humid—very non-typical July Nebraska weather. It made it very enjoyable to go sit out at the dirt track after working in the backyard.

Carl started the night in the seventh spot and Kenny started 15th. Carl drove the 99 car (duh right?), and Kenny was in his 25 car.

As the race wore on, the night didn't go so well for either of the Edwards brothers. Carl ended up finishing the night 11th and Kenny finished 19th. Carl and Kenny's dad, Carl Sr., raced earlier in the night in the IMCA Crate Models-A Feature, starting 10th and finished in eighth place.

The picture used came from I-80 Speedway's website and their amazing on track photographers! If you're ever in the Omaha area, you should check out our track, it's great! The Kosiski family has done a great job with it!

Shane Hmiel Is Back to Racing

Nikki Hecht — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:22:10 -0400

I was cruising the internet about a week or so ago and I stumbled across a link for an article. The title of the link caught my eye. It read, "Shane Hmiel Mentioned in an Article, No Drugs or Aaron Fike Mentioned." I clicked on the link and was brought to this website.

Shane is now racing in the USAC Division and I am very happy to see that. I Googled him to try and find some other articles about his racing and came across this very interesting article from Sports Illustrated.

Now, I have to say this. I am in no way saying that drug use is good, because I believe it's not. I was disappointed when Shane was suspended the second time. I thought he'd been given a great second chance in life that not many people would get under normal circumstances.

But then after a few days I began to hope that Shane would get the help he needed. I can't imagine how hard it was for his parents. It's hard to watch someone you care about go through that.

Shane was brought onto Dialed In not that long ago—I think it was a few months ago—and he talked about getting this third chance to get to do what he's always loved to do. I was so excited to hear him, to hear how healthy and happy he sounded. Then to actually see for myself that he's healthy and happy was great!

I've always thought Shane was a talented driver and it's good to see him still able to drive and still have (forgive the pun here) the drive to go out and compete and race hard.

Does he deserve a third chance at NASCAR? I don't know. That's not for me to decide. But does he get a third chance with me as a fan? You bet! He'll get a fourth and fifth chance from me if he needs it.

There is something about him that reminds me of one of my very good friends. He coincidentally had a drug problem as well. He was in an accident and became addicted to pain pills. That friend got a second chance from me and, if need be, he will get a third chance, too).

I found myself drawn to Shane because he reminded me of my friend. Shane, with his attitude on the track, could have been my friend (had he been a NASCAR driver and not working a desk job.)

So with that I say, way to go Shane! Way to turn your life around, to take back your life! You'll have a fan in me for years to come.

And for those who have a drug problem or know someone with a drug problem, there is help out there and there is life after drugs.

IRL: Dan Wheldon Wins on His Birthday, but Iowa Gets the Presents

Nikki Hecht — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:44:30 -0400

Today, the IRL hit the track at the Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa.

Now for most of the world they are probably going okay, so what? The IRL races every weekend. Why is this race different from last weeks or the race next week?

Simple. The reason the race today in Iowa was so different was that area and several surrounding areas have been hit hard by floods and tornadoes.

I have to say that mainly due to Danica Patrick, I've become a fan of Indy Racing, but today because of the utter selflessness of Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon, I really became a huge fan of the IRL.

Dan Wheldon was able to hold off an impressive run from rookie Hideki Mutoh. With 90 laps to go Wheldon opted not to pit and with 60 laps to go he took the lead while other drivers opted to pit due to a caution. This strategy worked in Wheldon's favor who said, "My car was just so loose with new tires, staying out was important. I had good restarts on the older tires."

That gamble paid off. Not only did Wheldon score an impressive win on his 30th birthday he and teammate Scott Dixon both donated their winnings to the relief effort for the Iowa flood victims.

The $60,000 winnings from them both will go to the area's local chapter of the Red Cross to assist victims of the recent floods.

So from this Midwesterner, Happy Birthday Dan Wheldon! To you and Scott Dixon, thank you for your random act of kindness to an area that is in need of some acts of kindness!

It's Raining Cats, Dogs, and Good Will in the Midwest

Nikki Hecht — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:41:12 -0400

Here in the Midwest we've been subjected to some fairly bad weather. I mean just this morning at 2:30 a.m. the sirens started going off and there was a tornado that touched down about 15-20 miles from where my little house sits.

Now what does that have to do with sports you might ask? Well I'll tell you in just a minute. I was cruising the website tonight of one of the local dirt tracks. Maybe some of you have heard of it, it's not as famous as say Eldora but it's pretty famous to us here: the I-80 Speedway.

I was actually checking for ticket information about Carl Edwards Night. I went last year and forced my dad to go with me last year and he had a blast so I was going to get tickets for him for Father's Day.

(He's really becoming a NASCAR fan. He was a very casual fan until last year when I dragged him to the track and he got to meet Carl. It turned into a great night because I got to learn about a side of my dad I never knew existed. I never knew that he had worked on a race team, or that he raced himself when he was younger.)

But that's not even the point of this article. I'll write about that later. The point of this article is that the racing community is a great community. It reaches out to people in need and I'm proud to be a fan of racing period. While I was at the website I found this press release:

"June 06 2008—Let's Help Adams County Speedway

As you probably have heard or seen in pictures, Adams County Speedway has caught the brunt of the 2008 storms and is under water. In 2006 a windstorm tore up I-80 Speedway and the ACS staff worked right beside us to help rebuild. In an effort to help ACS with deductibles and get their facilities back in running order, this Sunday night, June 8, I-80 Speedway will be donating ALL GRANDSTAND PROCEEDS FROM AN IOWA PATRON TO ADAMS COUNTY SPEEDWAY (just show your Iowa drivers license)."

It's not much, but it's a much needed start in the rebuilding process that sadly—due to the storms last night and this morning—tonight's race at I-80 was once again rained out.

Adam's County Speedway is a track in Corning, Iowa and it's completely flooded. That's where I got the picture from there are more there too.

Not only did Adams County Speedway help us out when we had damage from a storm, but there are several drivers from the Omaha Metro Area that not only race at I-80 but also ACS and racers from all over Iowa have raced at I-80.

From the pictures it looks like it's going to be awhile before they get back to racing again. But I know the racing community is a helpful bunch of people who are going to do their best to get racing back on track at ACS.

More information about Adams County Speedway and their clean up effort can be found at Adams County Speedway Website