There were lots of great-looking...
There were lots of great-looking Late Models at Eldora. Many of these teams are up and coming tour teams that are getting a firsthand look at the big time. Austin Dillon, the grandchild of Richard Childress of Sprint Cup fame, set the fast time by two tenths over Josh Richards.
This year we saw upwards of 160 teams show up for the $43,000 purse. Usually at these big money races, we see teams that just show up well prepared and fast. These are normally the teams that have done well in the past including drivers like Bloomquist, Moyer, and Donnie Moran-all multiple winners of this event.
We had been keeping an eye on Moyer in our last installment where we had seen him winning a large amount of money and more than 21 races so far this year. After all, he had won the Dream here in June, so it was expected that he would do well.
It wasn't to be easy for Moyer. He placed ninth in his heat race and had to race his way into the A-main from B-main #1, starting on the pole and finishing Second. This put him starting 23rd on the grid with a long way to go to the front.
Heavy fog rolled in by the time the race started and from my vantage point between Turns 3 and 4, I couldn't see much of the progression of the race. But I spoke with several observers who filled me in on how Moyer got it done. He ran the track through the middle and bottom grooves, kept his momentum up and he put it on whoever was in front of him until he no longer had anyone else to pass.
At all of our events we give...
At all of our events we give out material about our sponsors as well as some free Circle Track magazines for those who have been living in a cave the past 28 years. At Eldora, the response to that was huge. We went through much of our inventory in a short amount of time. What an enthusiastic crowd they were.
By lap 29, he was racing side-by-side with Bloomquist for sixth. On lap 51 he took second place from Don O'Neal. He took the lead on lap 66 and never looked back completing his second sweep of the Dream and the World 100. And he did it in much the same fashion using his signature driving style. And like the kid from Crossville Raceway, he drove mostly straight ahead, keeping his momentum up.
The rest of the story is that Moyer went on to sweep the three races at the Knoxville Nationals on September 30, and October 1 and 2, for two $7,000 payouts and the final race for $40,000 for a yearly total for wins alone of $324,000. Why do I impress this on you so strongly? Because success is the only measure we should, and ultimately do, use in racing.
The work Moyer has put into his cars as to front end geometry by his own admissions in interviews we have seen, the setups he chooses, and the way he drives the car all point to superior methodology using the one true measure-success.
So, if you are faced with decisions related to how you set up, design, and race your car, look to those who have been successful, learn the areas where they concentrate their efforts, and do the same. That is our message this time around from the Tour.
Next Up Next we head for the big state of Texas and the dirt track at Texas Motor Speedway just up the road from Dallas. From there, we conclude this portion of our AMSOIL Great American Circle Track Tour with a visit to Columbus Motor Speedway located in Columbus, Mississippi.
Dewayne Ragland, the field...
Dewayne Ragland, the field rep for All Star Performance products, and driver Kevin Weaver discuss current events before qualifying at Eldora. Ragland is a longtime friend of mine who is probably the one person I can go to and get the honest low down on current technical trends in the top ranks of Dirt Late Model racing in America. He is well respected among all of the top teams. Weaver is an Indiana driver who has visited this event many times over the years. He finished Second to Moyer in the '98 World 100 and was our test pilot in March of that year in a published test here.
The media was chosen to select...
The media was chosen to select the best appearing car. This is an annual event whereby teams create special designs for their cars for this race. My pick was this interesting design by Don O'Neal where the cards spell out his name. It was one good looking car.
The Brave The Shave event...
The Brave The Shave event wasn't just for the drivers, some of the fans participated too and 12-year-old Andrew Short sports his shave on the midway. This is proof positive that the drivers can influence the youngsters with their actions, be they good or bad. In this case, and I think this reflects the general population of racers, the rub-off was all good.