NOTE - This is the last actual race report for this year, but rest assured we'll have a pretty good season wrap-up thread starting soon.

Shadow's last call for 09 - Ultimate Sandblasting and Coatings Chaos Finale

Howdy all! Well as we know, we wrapped up the season on Saturday with the Transmission Direct Enduro Nats, and apparently it was quite a show. I was a the track briefly. Not having the time to spend the whole day, I headed out to see if I could catch the Chaos cars final event, and had to leave shortly after. So unfortunately I can't report for the Enduro guys.

In the weeks leading up to the race, there was some smack talk going on on the HAHAHAHA thread, so I thought the race might be interesting, and it was, in that it was in fact the highest car count we've seen for a Chaos race. It was announced that the event would feature a new obstacle known as the Texas Turnaround. Essentially it was a regular Chaos race, using the whole track, wiith your standard barrel turns in 1 and 4, a slolam down the backstretch, and a bus-stop turn. The Texas Turnaround part was on the fronstretch just after the start finish line in which everyone basically had to go partway around a barrel, put it in reverse and go backwards till they got to the next barrel that waited down near the end of the inside pit wall, then turn it around frontways again.

Sounded entertaining, and it looks like 9 other drivers thought so too. Our contestants were "Bush Bomb" Rabideau, "Snot-Rod" Toll, "Blue Thunder" Triska, "Red Baron" Mills, "Wednesday" Kok, "Born Again" Leeson, "Undertaker" (no name given, but if Im getting this right, he posts here as Notingtolose), Chad "Kane" Rijnen in the 82x mini stock, and the Raider, also no name given but fielded by Beal Secondary.

The unofficial popularity portion came first as each car made its entrace to its own theme music. It sounded to me like Blue Thunder won for audience noise, followed closely by Snot Rod, and believe it or not, the rookie Undertaker. The Undertaker was an old K-Car wagon, painted black and done up sorta like a hearse, and of course he came out to the familiar "bong...bong"  funeral dirge that heralds the WWE Undertaker's arrival to the ring. The crowd definitely ate it up.

So they each did their entrance and then took off double file for the start. It was bad news for Snot-Rod right off the get go, when he got put in the fence at the first barrel turn in turn 1 that pretty much put him out of commission for the race. Red Baron jumps to an early lead and has things well in hand for the first bit, but he's followed by Wednesaday and Kane. Completing the first lap, Wednesday misses the frontstretch barrel turn, which he will be penalized for later. There's contact and Kane is spewing up a lot of smoke. At the same time, Snot Rod is sitting still in tirn 3.

At one point, it looks like Wednesday beats Red Baron out of the Texas turnaround. And yes the Texas turnaround certainly provided some action. Red Baron hangs on though and soon he's got Bush Bomb on his tail.

There's a re-shuffle with 2 laps to go...I beleive this is the point that Wednesday got put to the back for missing that first barrel turn. When they took off again, Blue Thunder beats everyone thru the turnaround, but Red Baron regains his lead. At one point, Undertaker appears to be up to 2nd but ends up retiring with mechanical trouble.

In the end its Baron with the win, Blue Thunder 2nd, Wednesday 3rd, Bush Bomb 4th and Born Again 5th. Snot Rod, Kane, Undertaker and Raider did not finish. When they came around for the cool down, a couple of them put noses to the frontstretch wall and laid down some rubber as a salute to the fans.

Yes it definitely was a chaotic show, and I hope I have the order and the names right...but you know it doesn't much matter I don't think. Everyone had fun and that's what Chaos is all about. Its been reported that Bush Bomb Rabideau is this years Chaos Champ.

I want to send out a commendation to all the Chaos drivers for their participation all year. I've said it before and I'll say it again: You guys do bridge a gap here at Delaware, and the best thing you guys have done is come up top after your race to sign autographs and whatnot. People can say what they want, (and they certainly do here) but you guys are the best. Folks can say it's a "good show for the kids", and mean it as a belittling statement, but DO NOT underestimate the value of that principle. Even if  "putting on a show for the kids" was all you did, it does not make you second best, and in fact probably does more for the future of the speedway than anyone else. I know kids, and I know the value of postive associations. Even if the show could be considered Mickey Mouse, every kid that has fun is going to get a good feeling when they think of coming to the speedway. That goes for everyone by the way, not just the Chaos guys. Chaos cars are fun, and that positive association will last a lifetime, much like watching the antics of the original Hoppy the Clown did for me in the 70s .

So give yourselves a hand. You're doing good work.

And I'd also like to commend Sid and Ultimate Sandblasting and Coatings for getting behind the program, and I sincerely hope that they consider staying with it for next year. The Chaos program has been an uphill battle, and a battle that isn't quite over yet, but I do believe that the program is and will be wildly successful.

Kudos to all.