BILL STEPHENS “IN THE GROOVE” 6/8/09

What a truly macabre weekend.

You do know what ‘macabre” means, right? Weird, uncanny, outside the boundaries of normal….

First, the weather in Joliet was otherworldly. Rain, clouds, sun, clouds, rain, sun, etc. Of course, the Midwest in late spring is a real mix master of weather conditions and it seemed nobody knew what to expect at any given moment. I recall covering night qualifying at Route 66 Raceway in 2004 when a funnel cloud was spotted near the track as the Funny Cars were making their passes. That was the same night Tony Pedregon and Gary Scelzi each made the two fastest passes in class history.

This weekend was also filled with meteorological malfeasance of all kinds.

The Ashley lost in the final to Tony, capping another eventful visit to Joliet.

That was her third final round appearance of the season and with each one, she sets a new career record for a female in the category. She would have liked the win, but the fact is, you need to win rounds to make the Countdown and win the championship. Keep advancing to final rounds (or semi-final rounds) and you’re going to be in a great position when the points are finally added up in November.

If you’ve never been to Route 66 Raceway, it’s still a fantastic drag racing venue. The stadium-style seating, the overall layout and upkeep of the facility, along with the fan-friendly sightlines from every seat and below-grandstand causeway loaded with concession stands and souvenir vendors a super track in anyone’s opinion.

And there have been many performance records and milestones recorded there, giving it the nickname, “The Record Breaking Drag Strip”.

Back to Ashley.

Her runner-up finish on Sunday has now moved her to within two points of Tony Pedregon for third place in the Full Throttle standings and only 58 points behind Ron Capps who has won four races this year—which proves my point about winning rounds. Ron lost in the first round on Sunday and despite those four victories, his round-win total has made him vulnerable to getting overhauled by either Tony or Ashley. As soon as the next race in Englishtown, NJ next weekend.

I won’t be able to attend the E-town event, however I know that there will be many people heading for Old Bridge Township Raceway Park who have not returned to that facility since Scott Kalitta’s fatal accident there last June. I’m sure there will be a lot of flashbacks and shared memories from racers and fans alike about that tragic Sunday afternoon in 2008.

But the kicker for me is that I WILL be in New Jersey covering a race, except it won’t be drag racing but three different categories of open-wheel and sports car racing in Millville, NY at New Jersey Motorsports Park. I’ll be working the pits for HD Network which will be televising the Atlantic Championship open-wheel events on Saturday and Sunday, plus the Star Mazda Series and Mazda Miata MX-5 races on Saturday.

One of the really enjoyable aspects of my job is the great variety of television shows I have the privilege of working on and getting to know a very broad spectrum of racing personalities. Whether it’s drag racing, stock car racing, open-wheel racing, or sports car racing, there are so many interesting stories, terrific on-track surprises, and intriguing characters in the cars or working on the cars which make my job so unpredictable.

That was something the late, great Steve Evans used to speak about all the time. There was never a more versatile motorsports announcer in the business and no matter what kind of racing event he covered; he could do so with insight, credibility, and style that couldn’t be equaled. I feel fortunate to be able to combine my passion for TV with my lifelong love affair with cars and motorsports—just the way Steve did and I hope Steve would approve of how I handle my assignments.

Oh, did I mention I’ll be one of the collector car expert commentators on the next televised Mecum Muscle Car Auction on Discovery HD Theater from Bloomington Gold in St. Charles, IL on June 26th and 27th?

Like I said, I have a great job!

But I’m not going to let my crazy schedule get in the way of the next “In the Groove”, which will be right hear the same place following next week’s race in E-town. So until then, everyone at JFR reminds you to buckle up and drive safely!