I apologize for not writing in such a long time and no I didn't have writer's block. You have to be a writer to get writer's block. The fact is I was running the speedway, running my growing business, coaching the Goodman/ Pembine Girls in our local summer basketball league, and working with the Pembine boys basketball team a couple nights a week as well. I was just a little overwhelmed this summer and let our racing column slip a little. The speedway had another great year showing increases in attendance and maintaining a steady car count. We had repeat champions in the Pepsi late model division and auto value super stocks. We had a rookie win the fab 4 division and a young speedster from Menominee dominated the slammer division like nobody ever has before.

TK motorsports or The Kelly boys, Kris and Toby won their second championship in a row with dedication and perseverance. Very few in our speedways history work as hard or put in as much time during the winter or summer. Their Hauler, cars and equipment are always clean, straight, and well maintained. I have listened to Toby talk to Kris on the radios during the race and while most crew chiefs just gave strategic information, Toby motivates as well. He helps get Kris to drive the car as hard as it can be driven.

Ryan Windell won his second straight championship very quietly. Ryan and his dad carry a very low profile in the pit area and let their actions on the track get your attention. Ryan is a superb qualifier. He turns very consistent lap times by using his brake pedal very lightly and picking up his throttle very quickly. Between the Windell family and the Boettcher family, Florence County seems to have a lock on the super stock division.
In a rare occurrence, a rookie from Escanaba won the fabulous four-cylinder division. 20 year old Gary Dubord Jr. won his first championship in his first season as a full time competitor. Gary is a second-generation driver who was mentored by his father who was also a successful race car driver. I noticed that Gary was very patient and that helped him miss many of the crashes that make the division so difficult to survive in. I also thought he was lucky a few times.

You can look at it two ways. Travis Reidell made it boring because you knew he was probably going to win before the race started or you were a hard core race fan that just enjoyed watching a talented, skillful young driver that went from the back to the front every night. The slammers are heavy cars with conventional passenger car tires and most of them don't handle very well. Travis changed all of this. His car looked like it handled better than most of the super stocks. Travis looked like he was as good a driver in any division at any track, a true young talent.

Congratulations to the teams, sponsors and families that supported them and helped them achieve. You are all champions. I mentioned earlier in the column that I "was" running the racetrack and in the next column you will hear about the people that are going to take our track to the next level. I'll probably see you at a local high school basketball game.