he aint worth it...our field is already so stout..it really dsnt need him!
What good is a stout field if theres no fans to watch them.
he aint worth it...our field is already so stout..it really dsnt need him!
Thayne, you hit the nail square on the head with that one!! And that's the bottom line cause blkflag said so!!!... TOWER let me ask you this..... What option does the Simcoe County race fan have??? Watch the best field of LLM in the province, that should have 20 cars if not more and at least a dozen that can win on any given night OR go to a track that will be lucky to have 10 LLM and 2 or 3 that can win?? I'll take the former not the latter thanks... 60 day blkflag for you for having the most ludicrous comment of 2009 to date on this forum
Ok now that I'm done with the riff raff, time to expound a little further on both cars I included in the preview that werent at the practice the other night, as well as those I didnt include that appear to be racing BSW in 2009.. First the ones that were included and absent, and I'll start with the Inglis boys Rob and Allan.. Talked briefly with John Inglis, and he told me that Al's car wasnt quite ready yet, and that Rob was to work Wed night that's why they werent present.. He said both cars SHOULD be ready by the opener.. Also had a quick word with Rick "Big Dog" Meyer and the 2008 Rookie of the Year in LLM appears not to be racing this year due to his current work situation.. That's really too bad because he had a pretty solid year in 2008, and as I told him the former Ian Bourque car is FAR too nice a ride to be sitting collecting dust.. That being said it wouldnt suprise me to see the racing fleas invade the BIG DOG by mid season, so I think you could still see him for a few races in 2009. Also absent was the #36 of Stoyan Zutich and the #50 of Larry Woodward, now Woodward lives in North Bay and that in itself was probably the reason he wasnt there for practice night just due to the distance involved to travel down.. I havent heard nothing to the contrary that says Woodward wont be racing in 2009, so I'll assume he too SHOULD make it out for the opener.. Haven't talked with Stoyan of late, but I know he posts here so maybe he can inform us of his plans in 09.. He's been known to only start racing mid season in the past due to work, but last year did compete in 15 of the 17 features, so I'll assume if he isnt too bogged down with the daily grind he too SHOULD make the opener. Also listed in the preview and not in attendance was the #23 of Rob Black and the #84 of Sean Cronan, now Black appeared at the track for the first 6 races in 2008, but didnt make it out after that.. He's really mostly a part time racer at best so that might be the case again as 2009 dawns on us.. I have really no idea about Cronan, as I hear he had the car down at the Tiemersma shop getting ready, but also heard that he didnt want to run a full year footing the bill himself pretty much, and was in search of sponsorship before comitting to anything.. I suppose the possibility also exists that he will convert the car back to a Pro Late Model as it was under Steve Tiemersma and race it Friday's at Kawartha.. If you know any more about ANY of the above mentioned drivers please fell free to contribute and let us all know their status for 2009.
Ok now for the guys that were in attendance and appear to be making BSW their new home in 2009 followed by a brief synopsis of each with info as I know it.( Which isnt much in some of the cases but I'll try my best)
#6 Keith Maiato ---- another that appears to be following the lead of Ron Quesnelle and moving to BSW from the track to the south. Entering what I believe to be his 4th year of Late Model racing, he has been pretty solidly etched inside the top 10 for the last two seasons, including a 7th in points a season ago.. Landed on the podium at least once to my recollection down there as well, with a few heat wins mixed in along the way. Didnt look out of place one bit in the Barrie practice, as I had him just 2 or 3 tenths off the front running Barrie cars.. The car is no stranger to the Barrie tri oval however, after being piloted to 2005 Rookie of the Year status by Rob James.. Might be hard for this driver to crack the top 10 in points in his inaugrial Barrie season, but not outta the realm of possibility either.
#20 Ed Bowlby ------ I had the 2006 OSCAAR Rookie of the Year at least partially on the radar for 2009 duty at Barrie, and that appears to be the case in the former Jeff Walt #42 ride out of the Thornborrow garage.. Ed is a highly talented wheel man and I'm looking for big things from him in this car in 2009, as the car does have some ALSTAR wins in a previous life as the ex #30 Jim Molenhuis ride. Ed has a ton of race expierience in the LLM division, having run at Mosport in the early part of the decade, where I believe he even finished as high as 3rd in points one season(2004 if I recall). Also familiar with the Barrie track, having run there in Street Stocks in the mid 80's (although its a vastly different track now having been reconfigured..) Could very well be a top 10 car this year with a strong team and race budget behind him.
#79 Rod McLeod ----- alas CRO's own STATSMAN is returning to the driving ranks after an absence of some... ahemmmm 32 years since he last drove a mini stock at BSW in 1977 I believe. The car last hit the track in 2006 at Barrie in the hands of John Mombourquette, and was driven to 1 feature win that season and 5 feature wins the season before (tying #43 Darin Malcolm for most feature wins in said season). I wouldnt expect Rod to set the world on fire by any means out of the blocks, as I think he's really just out to learn the intracquicies of the car and have a bit of fun in the initial weeks.. Now that being said it is a pretty good piece, and he too has a very strong team behind him so dont be a bit suprised if some decent results are in the works for this driver come mid season.
#18 Kyle Baker ----- didnt initially have him pegged for racing this year after a strong rookie campaign in 2008, but Kyle has recently purchased the former #90 Kevin Reynolds car and will be returning to active duty in 2009. Being told he might not be ready for the season opener this coming Sat. night, but should have the car out for week 2. While falling short of Rookie of the Year honors last season the young Baker did have a strong year as evidenced by his 3 top 5's; and 5 top 10's while making 15 of 17 starts along the way..Was the only rookie driver to record a podium last season, finishing 3rd behind father Dwayne and Keith McLeod in a mid August race. If he does happen to make the opener he could land in top 10 in points, with also a possible first win in a LLM in the forcast.. Finished 7th in points in 2007 while driving Thunder Car as well..