Carol Wicks started a good post of your favorite racing memory of 2008. What about the best race(s) you saw or participated in 2008. For me, there were 2. I think it was the Thursday night edition of the late model Winternationals at East Bay. Scott Bloomquist had trouble in qualifying and stuggled in the heat and last chance races. I’m actually a big fan of Bloomquist, but the fact that he did not make the feature and the promoters did not provide him with a provisional solidified just how strong dirt late model racing is. The other race was the World Crown race at Peach State. I usually don’t care for long races, but the World Crown had 2 and 3 wide racing throughout, not too many cautions and the winner (Russel Fleeman) had to come from a lap down after some car trouble.
In the past, I probably would have chosen an obscure street stock race as my favorite. Unfortunately, 2008 brought small car and fan counts at most of the weekly races. I did’nt see a whole lot of excitement at the weekly level in 2008. Hopefully, that will start to change in 2009!
I too saw my Fav at East Bay. It was Nov 8, the UDLMCS 50 lapper. That was the most competitive race I have seen in a long time. There was racing all around the track the whole 50laps but the last 5 laps were supremo. The top 6 or 7 cars were all going for the lead. It was a race fans dream. Running a close second was a 100 lap LM race at CCMP. They were racing all over the track and the finish was spectacular. Joe winchell won by a foot. That was just a couple of weeks ago. Bob…
The 5k or 10k to win, sorry dont remember how much, hobby stock race at VSP where Alan Peacock got into Grady Christianson SP? on the last lap. The last race at USA was also pretty good.
Best race for me may have been the Scott Thompson Memorial at Volusia. A season high 63 Dirt Late Models, one hell of a drive by Patrick Williams, and more action throughout the night than I’d seen all year.
The Southern Slam at SGMP was also a very good race. The top 9 finishers were ALL from different states, and it showed me that SLM racing isn’t dead, if you have a rules package that allows teams to travel to other areas for some big-money shows.
The down side of this year, was that I didn’t get to do very much traveling. Only made it to 6 different tracks, and maybe 20-25 shows all together. In 2006, I made it to 6 different STATES, at 20 different speedways. And I didn’t add a single new track to my list. I’m hoping that 2009 will get me out on the road a little more often!
Considering I was there covering it, the Daytona 500 was the best overall race I saw this year. Fantastic finish played out by the best drivers in the country. Tony Stewart losing another 500 after taking the white flag as the leader. It was epic.
On the local scale, the Snowball Derby was a great spectacle and a great race. By far the best asphalt race I saw this year. On dirt, every night I spent at East Bay was memorable, particularly the UDLMS 50-lap race late in the year where 5 drivers could have won the thing in the closing laps.
Say What?
I must say that the Governors cup was the best race of 2008.
NOT!!! Although watching Billy Mowry come through the field and Travis Wilson hit the wall a thousand times along with Palmbayers hero Robert Yoho sit on pitroad for 80 laps, The best race had to be the Southern Slam 250 at SGMP.
A plethora of drivers had a chance to win all except for John “crash” Coffman.
And Drawdy coming through he field after he spun, very nice. A must see next year.