New North Central Arkansas Speedway
As a promoter I feel that I need to explain some things that happened this Friday night. I was contacted by a driver, a couple days before Friday night and he asked me if he could run a legal B-mod with A-mods. I told him as long as he put the proper tires on and put a butt plate on the back of his B-mod I did not have a problem because it would be legal. He showed up and signed up to run both B-mods and A-mod in which we do not allow. There was a miscommunication between me and him about this. He had driven several hours to support our track and I made the decision to let him race both classes with the same car simply because him and his crew decided to come support NCAS. He now knows we do not allow 1 car to run both classes in 1 night.
During each drivers meeting I tell the drivers that if they are not on the pad ready to race when it is their time then they go tailback. This happened last Friday night. There was a car that was supposed to be in the first heat race and he did not show up. We started the heat race and he showed up for the second heat race. He asked if he could run the second heat race and I advised the track official that he could run his car but he would not be scored and to stay out of the other driver’s way. I heard there was complaints about that decision. I made that decision because I wanted that driver to make sure his car was ready for the feature race even though he did not make it to his heat race and he would be starting tailback. He did not interfere with any of the drivers in the second heat race and I felt I gave him the opportunity to make sure his car was ready for the feature in which he started tailback because he did not show for his heat race.
I want to make it clear I do not show favoritism to ANYONE! I don’t care if you have to empty the penny jar just to come race each and every Friday night or if you pull in with a huge truck and trailer with $200,000 worth of equipment inside. I want every driver to feel like they are being treated fairly no matter what. You’re not going to influence me to change rules to make you run faster or better. If Scott Bloomquist was to show up and he did not agree with our rules, I would not change them for him or anybody else.
I want to make this track like it was in the late 90’s and early 2000’s when I was coming on a weekly basis with the Cottonwood Racing Team. There has been lack of promoting and lack of rules being enforced. This is changing. You are going to have to give me some time to get this track back to where it use to be. Without everybody’s support it is not possible.
I want to thank each and every fan, driver and sponsor for keeping our Ozark Tradition alive!! If it wasn’t for you guys the track would be a hay field like many other tracks has become. Please support our local track, it is an Ozark Tradition!
-Mike Tramell