Will Weaver's "Motor Novels" are all about dirt track racing. SATURDAY NIGHT DIRT kicks off the series.
SUPER STOCK ROOKIE is book #2. CHECKERED FLAG CHEATER is # book 3. And follow the real [. . . . .] Team Weaver Racing here.
Dirt track racing
Race Reports, July 30 and Aug 2
Grand Rapids on Thursday night: I was unable to attend, and Skyler finished 11th in the feature. Said he tried a maneuver the car didn't approve of, and he ended up with his rear wheels over the top of the crest on turn three. Came back down onto the track, and spun out....
Bemidji Speedway Sunday night: rained out....
In other words, we've had no luck at all lately. So, like an owner of a baseball club at mid-season, I'm making a team move. I'm buying a pro-built engine, probably from a speedshop in Brainerd MN. The motor was all built up and ready, but some other driver never picked it up. The builder is Trevor Hoffman, who teaches at Northwest Technical College in Bemidji. We also have a pitch into Adams Racing Engine out of Cameron, WI. One of those sources is going to put a top o' the line engine in our car. Bill will make the swap this week, and do the engine break-in so we're reading for a big night at Rivers City Speedway in Grand Forks, ND on Friday, August 7th. It's "Family Night" at the speedway, and I'll be a Special Guest with my racing novels. Be there....
Or tune into the race report which will be posted late Friday night. (I'm talking to you, Jerry, hehe....)
Bemidji Speedway Sunday night: rained out....
In other words, we've had no luck at all lately. So, like an owner of a baseball club at mid-season, I'm making a team move. I'm buying a pro-built engine, probably from a speedshop in Brainerd MN. The motor was all built up and ready, but some other driver never picked it up. The builder is Trevor Hoffman, who teaches at Northwest Technical College in Bemidji. We also have a pitch into Adams Racing Engine out of Cameron, WI. One of those sources is going to put a top o' the line engine in our car. Bill will make the swap this week, and do the engine break-in so we're reading for a big night at Rivers City Speedway in Grand Forks, ND on Friday, August 7th. It's "Family Night" at the speedway, and I'll be a Special Guest with my racing novels. Be there....
Or tune into the race report which will be posted late Friday night. (I'm talking to you, Jerry, hehe....)
Race Report July 28
Tuesday Night Special Race, North Central Speedway in Brainerd, MN.
In a large field of 40 Midwest Mods ($1000 to win), Skyler started in the 3rd row, inside. The car looked a bit short on top end power, and though Skyler drove well, he finished 6th of 8th cars. This put us in one of three, B mini-mains, from which the top three cars transferred.
Again, while Skyler looked great in the corners, hitting his spots and pitching it sideways, we lost ground on the straightaways and finished our B Main about 7th of 10 cars--not enough to get us into the A Main.
Still, it was a fun night of racing at a great track.....
Next Race: thursday July 30 at Grand Rapids Speedway, a rain-out make-up race.
Race Report July 26
Bemidji Speedway: Skyler finished 2nd in his heat and 4th in the feature. . . .
Returning to our home track after racing at BRRP in Glyndon, MN, last Sunday night (and getting rained out at Grand Rapids on Thursday night), Skyler started on the pole position in heat number 2, and in the fast-moving prelim race moved in and out of the lead, eventually settling for second.
After the intermission, Skyler started the feature in the third spot (second row inside) in the 11 car field. After some bumping and banging in the first couple of laps, Skyler slipped to fifth--and then made contact with another car in turn one. The impact tore off his front bumper and left it lying on the track. A couple of other cars spun out in the same incident, and out came the yellow flag. As the cars came around and idled in front the grandstand while awaiting the restart, the 911 Midwest Mod, driven by Skyler's brother, Brandon, caught on fire. The track officials didn't see it right away, but quick action by the Barrett family in the pits put out the fire. Leon Barrett (Ev's father) ran out with a fire extinguisher and prevented a possible very bad situation situation. Brandon escaped out his window and waved to the crowd, signaling that he was alright.
On the restart, Skyler was sent to the rear. However, he pressed hard, picking off two cars until another pile-up resulted in the loss of two more cars and a caution flag. On the next restart, Skyler was in 6th place, and gradually worked his way back to 4th. His battle with nemesis Gary Nelson, Jr. was exciting, with Skyler finally making the pass in the turn two of the white flag lap.
So no serious damage, and a 4th place finish. We'll take it. Ev Barrett was under the weather and did not race tonight.
Next race: we're looking closely at the calendar, and at a special event race at North Central Speedway in Brainerd on Tuesday night, July 28. It's pretty certain that we'll be there. If not, you'll see us in Grand Rapids on Thursday, July 30.
Race Report July 22
Grand Rapids MN Speedway: rained out....
Well, not exactly. We got in our heat race but the feature was rained out. After a high draw, Skyler started in the 4th row inside in the first of two heats. He gained some ground, but eventually finished where he started. The track was in great shape due to some rain earlier in the day, but lightning and more rain eventually came in from the west and drove off both teams and spectator.
We'll likely do the race make-up feature next Thursday night, July 30, at Grand Rapids. Check back here for a schedule update.
Next race: Sunday, July 26, Bemidji Speedway.
Race Report July 19
Buffalo River Race Park, Glyndon MN: Skyler finished 4th in his heat, started 13th in the feature, worked his way up to 9th place--then got called for a "traffic jam" and was sent to rear. From there he found his way back to 12th or 13th--must wait for the final results.
A fun night of racing, no wrecks or damage, and a welcoming bunch of BRRP from top to bottom. I filmed Skyler's heat race from the announcer's booth. You can see a clip of that and other racing at Youtube.com
Race Report July 16
Norman County Raceway, Ada, Minnesota: 4th in the first of three heats; 14th in the 18 car feature. . . .
Team Weaver rolled west-southwest 100 miles through green, pine and farm country to the edge of the prairie. Ada MN has a great small town, fair grounds speedway. NCR is a long 1/3 mile--the biggest track we've raced on--with a firm, sticky black dirt surface. Skyler said it was "the fastest" he's ever gone. He said the straightaways felt "really long" compared to some of the bowl-type short tracks we usually race on.
As it turned out, we were geared slightly low (6:33 for you motorheads) for this longer track, and so were maxed out in terms of rpm by the time we got to the next corner. Starting fifth row outside, we could see the issue fairly quickly, as Skyler ran a great race but continued to fade as the laps went on. No fault of his, but rather a technical issue to address next time we venture to Ada. And we'll definitely come back. It was a well-run operation with friendly people and excellent concession food--including a grilled burgers where you line up and get them right off the free-standing smoker.
Ev Barrett and the Mod-Four came with us, but some bad luck on a new starter kept her out of the race. Bill and the crew worked right up until her feature, but couldn't get it running. That's a part of racing, and Ev took it well.
Next race: Sunday July 19, Buffalo River Speedway at Glyndon, MN (just east of Moorhead).
Race Report July 12
Bemidji Speedway was the site of tonight's make-up race. Last week's Midwest Mod feature was cancelled two laps in because of dusty conditions. Tonight's make-up feature was much the same, with an overly dry track. Skyler started well back in the 24 car make-up race, and crashed not long into it. Two cars spun out in front, and Skyler slid backwards in one of them, and had to be towed to the pits.
From my vantage point in the stands, I could see the crew working rapidly to get the car back for the regular heat and feature, but I wasn't optimistic. Turns out we had a broken shock, flat tire, bent rim, and damage to the "bird cage" suspension. This required serious work, including removing the driveshaft. But Bill, Skyler and crew members from other teams (thanks, Davey Mills team) got Skyler back on the track for the third heat of the Midwest Mods.
He placed 5th of 8 cars in his heat, and started the feature in 12th place. The dusty conditions returned--bringing out the red flag. The cars were waved into the infield, and the watering truck attempted to lay down some moisture. But Bemidji Speedway suffers from a lack of clay, and the water is quickly burned off. ...
Racing resumed, with single file action in the growing dusty. Skyler got as high as 9th, and eventually settled for 10th place of the 24 cars. It was a hold-your-breath race, and Team Weaver decided it won't race at Bemidji Speedway, aka "The Dust Bowl", with any regularity. Our options for Sunday night include Buffalo River Speedway in Glyndon--which has that sticky black, dust-free clay. Check our schedule, as we have some more repairs to do....
Enough for tonight.
Team Weaver Schedule
Team Weaver RacingSchedule
(Updated July 12th)
July 16 Norman County Raceway, Ada MN--pending repairs completed from July 12 crash)
July 22 (Weds) Grand Rapids Speedway.
All dates subject tochange due to rain-outs, mechanical issues, wrecks and general acts of God.... August schedule TBA.)
Race Report July 5
Bemidji Speedway. Just when you thought you've seen it all. . . .
Tonight's feature race was cancelled only a few laps in because of dust. The watering truck broke down earlier in the evening, and the dust--and visibility--got increasingly worse. Ev Barrett in the Team Weaver Mod-Four had a bad crash (no injuries) resulting in another driver having to be cut out of his car, plus lots of damage to the front end of the Mod-Four. It's unlikely that she'll be racing for a few weeks--at least not in the Team Weaver Mod-four. We have to have a meeting and decide what to do, and how to get her back on the dirt track. Maybe we'll rustle up a loaner car.... Anyway, that all will be revealed, and solved according to budget and time.
During his very dusty feature, Skyler experienced brown-out conditions. While stopped during a yellow flag he signaled to the Bill (who always watches from a particular spot along the fence) that he couldn't see. Bill was ready to wave him off the track when the officials called the race, "The best decision they've ever done," Bill said later, of the officials. It most certainly prevented more bad crashes.
So we escaped without damage to the Midwest Mod, but Ev was not so lucky. The frame is twisted, and the front end will have to be cut off and reworked. Oh well, such is racing. It's part of the territory.
Late-breaking news: Ev did go to the hospital last night to get checked out after her crash. She has a mighty sore shoulder. More news on that as it comes available.
Next race: July 12, Bemidji Speedway.
Race Report July 3
Rivers City Speedway, Grand Forks NC short report: 5th in heat, 11th in feature....
With car placement according to midseason points, Skyler came onto the track in heat number two, middle of the pack– then went off after one lap. From my view in stands (among 5,000 fans), I thought we had mechanical trouble. I hurried back to the pits. Turns out the officials --not us-had screwed up, and Skyler was moved to the third heat. This happened to a couple of other drivers as well.
But that's racing, and Skyler came back strong in third heat, starting in 8th position and working forward. The steeply banked, sticky gumbo track is alway is great shape, and the No. 16 Bookmobile had such good torque and bite that Skyler lifted his inside left tire for long stretches as he powered out of the corners. He slingshot No. 16 from the corners, dangled his tire with a good six inches of daylight beneath, touched down on the straightaway, then lifted it again. I had not seen our car do this before. Back in the pits after his 5th place finish in the heat, Skyler was pleased at his finish but concerned at the different "feel". "Something is changed," he said. Bill Smith and Skyler started looking over the suspension. They found a serious issue with the right rear shock--actually the "birdcage" area of the four-link suspension. A bolt had come lose, stripped its threads, and the coil spring was not doing its job--hence the lift on the opposite corner's tire. A race car's suspension is like pool balls on a table; change one thing (roll the cue ball), and other balls move somewhere else.
After Bill and crew did some rapid work in the pits, Skyler started the A main feature in the 8th row, inside (in racing terms, the 15th position). There were 24 cars total. The car handled differently (no daylight under his inside front tire). With smooth moves highs and low, gradually Skyler worked his way, late in the race to 9th place. He finished a very respectable 11th place. Bemidji's Dustin Strand was the feature winner.
After watching the sprint car feature, Team Weaver buttoned up the car and trailer, and headed back to Minnesota under a nearly full moon, arriving home at 2:30 a.m. Happy Independence Day everybody.
p.s. A photographer at RCS caught Skyler in action with his front wheel off the ground. Also notice the wrinkle in the rear tire; that shows you the tremendous bite we're getting off the sticky clay. Take a look at : ornesscreations.smugmug.com/gallery/8786147_zzpZq#P-14-15
