“Drivers, start your engines.”
That was the call last Sunday afternoon in Callaway as the Franklin County Speedway had its season opening card with the Racing Dynamiks 200.
A picture-perfect afternoon brought out the race fans in large numbers and FCS didn’t disappoint.
Admittedly, I was on pins and needles expecting The Chief would suddenly emerge from the pits to debut The Star race car. But, no such luck. The word around the sports department is there may have been a carburetor problem.
Eighteen-year-old Brittany Cockram showed ’em the girls can rule with her win in the Mod-4 Mini, and Danny Bush took the checkered flag in the survival of the fittest Street Stock, where rough-and-tumble racing left cars in the wall and one heading to the pits while one of its tires continued around the FCS oval.
That brought up the 100-lap feature Late Model Stock finale, and what better way to get the drivers revved up than by putting Wild Bill in the shotgun seat of the pace car, clad in Loudmouth “Red Tarzan” pants. From the reaction of the throng, definitely a crowd pleaser.
Thanks go out to Chris Pacetti of Pacetti’s Pilot Car, for luring me into the Pacetti pace car for the 5-lap run-up to the green flag. Things got a little testy when I noticed we were only going 35 mph after the third lap, so I casually informed Chris that the cars behind us wanted to be hitting 80 when the flag dropped. He got the cue. It was pedal-to-the-metal to avoid being run over in that last lap, and Chris took us into pit row sideways as the fourteen entrants streaked by our rear bumper.
Two observations: I’m glad race cars don’t have horns, and my Loudmouth “Red Tarzans” should be back from the cleaners this Friday. That gives me plenty of time for the next FCS race on Sunday, April 27th.
On to slower sports, where high school baseball and softball head into spring break layoff.
The Wild Bill ” Big-11 ” Baseball Top-3 remains unchanged.
#1)Hidden Valley- The Titans avoided an upset bid last Saturday when they survived in extra innings at William Byrd. Hidden Valley sits at 6-0 on the season. The Titans take on #2 Northside on April 25th.
#2)Northside- The one-loss Vikings have established themselves as one of the best pitching staffs in the ” Big-11 “. Northside is waiting for a Hidden Valley misstep to move into first.
#3) Salem- The Spartans stay at third despite three teams equally qualified to grab the final toss-up spot. Salem hits a tough River Ridge stretch in upcoming games.
And, the Wild Bill ” Big-11 ” Softball Top-3 makes its debut.
#1) Cave Spring- The Knights check in at an impressive 10-1. Cave Spring has strong hitting to match strong pitching. The defending state champs look solid.
#2)Northside- Lynn Richmond’s Vikings are strong at every position. They split with Cave Spring in 2 games this spring. Upcoming Blue Ridge competition will be tough.
#3) Lord Botetourt- The Lady Cavs have had some big run-scoring games with a potent offense. Key Blue Ridge match ups are on the horizon.
The Salem Red Sox are currently in the midst of a week-long road trip in the Carolinas. The Sox, after sweeping Myrtle Beach in a four-game set to start the season at the beach, returned the favor by losing four straight to the Pelicans in Salem. The Sox return home Wednesday the 23rd for a 7-game stand against Lynchburg and Winston-Salem.
Until next week, someone get the word to Whitey Taylor we’ve numbered our car. The Chief said to just pull a number out of a hat.
Meanwhile, send your comments to [email protected]. Oh, yea- looks like we’ll be # 6 7/8.
– Bill Turner
