Thomas Wolfe was the man who said it, and it’s a familiar line. “You can’t go home again,” he observed, and many times in my life I’ve discovered he was onto something.
However, he wasn’t completely right; in just a few days, I get to go home again.
Throughout the course of a season I’ll see almost every type of race car, on a wide variety of facilities ranging from bull ring to superspeedway, on pavement or dirt. Sometimes you find yourself at a race that isn’t particularly compelling, and frankly it all sometimes gets to be a little stale. This is especially true as the season winds down, because you’re tired from too many miles and too few weekends at home.
But over the next two weekends it’s going to be different, and I’m excited. I’m attending two different events that are pure joy, because they allow me to reconnect with some things that hold a very special place in my heart.
This Friday night the big cars (I still call them Silver Crown cars, even though that’s not technically correct) will be at O’Reilly Raceway Park for the Banjo Big Car 100. Although USAC no longer races these cars on pavement, the guys of PRA have continued the tradition of these beautiful cars.
One week later, on Sept. 21-22, ORP hosts the inaugural Circle Track Nationals, featuring several divisions headlined by the CRA late models.
These two types of cars are about as different as you can get, technically and culturally. But I was exposed to both cars at a young age, and each managed to capture my imagination in a big way.
It’s especially fitting that both races are at ORP, because I have powerful memories of discovering the romantic old oval when I was still a teen-aged kid, so fresh off the farm I probably still had hog manure on my boots.
The fact is, I appreciate both of these upcoming events much more than I would have just a few years ago. That’s because I once took things for granted, assuming the things I enjoy would go on forever.
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think, for example, that the traditional Silver Crown cars would be an endangered species. But that’s the reality, and if guys like me don’t support events like this weekend’s race at ORP, they will be nothing but a memory.
Some years ago I was fortunate to cover a lot of ASA racing, and it was as interesting and dynamic as any short track series in the country. You want personalities? Try Mike Eddy, Dick Trickle, and Bob Senneker — with a great supporting cast — every weekend. The competition was intense, and it was a big part of my lifelong love affair with short track racing.
Alas, ASA went away a few years ago, and I still feel a tremendous sense of loss. Glenn Luckett and R.J. Scott had already launched CRA by that time, and the series has now evolved into a strong entity with an ever-growing following. They will bring a lot of quality cars to ORP, and I know the racing will be great.
There was a time when I didn’t pay much attention to such things as the health of a series; I was naïve, and such reality was lost on me. Today, though, I’m much more tuned in to such things, because I’ve seen too many of my favorite things go away.
The fact is, if we don’t support the type of racing we care most about, there are no guarantees that it will always be around.
On any night there are several choices on where to spend your racing dollar, and the next two weekends are no different. There are other great events, several within a couple of hours drive. But I’m going to be selfish, and I’m going to ORP to indulge a couple of passions. Won’t you join me?