By Tom Stephenson – May 19, 2010 – There was a good turnout at the drivers meetings this week.  All divisions have many familiar faces returning, and a few new ones.  The consensus was to postpone the season opener by one week to allow drivers additional time for car preparation.  So our season opener will now be on Tuesday June 1st.

Of greatest concern before the meetings was the number of cars in the Factory Stock division.  Fans that were in attendance last year will remember the division started off slowly with only a handful of cars attending on any given night at the beginning of the season.  At the driver meeting this week there were a dozen drivers in attendance, and there were a couple others that were unable to make it.  It looks like the Factory Stock division is alive and well.

The complement of Late Models is about a dozen as well. It should be a good division to watch.  In attendance were favourites like Michael Gold, George Wilson, Jeremy Van Hoek, Rick Leonard, Rob Hiiemma, and more.

The modified division is also doing well.  Many familiar drivers are returning in that division too.  Of particular interest is that there will be some “Outlaw Modified” races this season.  These are the mods that run under the Michigan rules. This isn’t being considered as a new division at LIR, rather it is more of an invitational divsion.  The Outlaw cars will run when there are 8 or more drivers attending.

There are also some changes in how the races will be run and officiated this year.  All drivers will be using a “Raceceiver”, a small radio that is used for one way communication only.  This will allow track officials to communicate with the drivers to inform them of proper lineups, and to advise when there is a hazard on the track, such as a caution, and in some situations to provide warnings to drivers that are not racing properly.  The radio system will allow the program to run more smoothly. 

Also being implemented is a new “Race Director” position.  The race director will oversee all races, looking for infractions and driver issues.  The race director will be making the official calls instead of the flagman.  The flagman will now be able to concentrate more closely on the job of flagging and light control.

The spin to win derbies were a hit last year. Most fans found they had much more action than the regular demolition derbys.  The also advantage is that the cars can usually be used through multiple races, and are not destroyed in one run.  Also to be run again this year is the Race for the Cure, to benefit he Cancer Society.  Last year the ladies racing raised over $12,000 for the cause.  Laird is looking for cars suitable for these spin to win races, and for the Race for the Cure.  If you have an old car you want to part with, that is in running condition, LIR will pay you $200 for it and pick it up, or $250 if you bring it to Lakeway Truck.  Contact JoAnn at 759-5149.

Courtesy LairdRaceway.com – Another race season is almost upon us, and it’s time for our annual swap meet. It will run the same as last year’s. So whether you’re looking for parts or have extra parts to sell, we hope to see you there. We invite everyone to come out and enjoy the day.  Also come and visit the new Race Parts Store located at Lakeway Truck.  The store has 799 parts in stock!

When:       Saturday May 1st 2010  10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Location:    Lakeway Truck Centre – Great Northern Rd.

A NOTE REGARDING THIS SEASON:

We arelooking for events for intermissions during the season.  Perhaps Go-Cart Racing, BMX Races, a Soap Box Race, or even model cars can be raced on the track.  If you have a suggestion please pass it on to us.

If you are a driver or a team, please drop us a note to tell us about your recent activities and plans for this season.  We are looking for stories for our web site.

By Tom Stephenson – Can you believe it, it’s 2010 already.  Where did that last decade go.  It seems like only a short while ago we were celebrating the change to a new millennium. I spoke with the Laird International Raceway track owner, Donnie Varcoe last week to find out what might be in store for the track during the 2010 season.  This will be LIR’s 12 season of operation.

Donnie told me that the season will be a lot like past seasons, with some minor modifications.  For those of you that know how he works, we can also expect Donnie to throw a couple of “curves” during the season. 

There are 17 race nights scheduled for this year’s season.  Last year we tried to get an early start on the season by having races on Saturday afternoons, instead of evenings.  The thought was that afternoons are warmer earlier in the season.  The Saturday racing certainly provided warmer temperatures, but the fans weren’t there in the required numbers.  Donnie kind of thought that the crowds might be a bit thin for the Saturday racing, but gave it a try just to find out.  Sure enough, it seems that the race fans in our area would rather be at camp, or doing other things on Saturdays and the crowd of fans was weak for the first few race days.

In late June, we reverted to evening racing and the crowds grew again.  So with that in mind, Donnie has scheduled all race nights this year for Tuesday evenings, with a Thursday rain date.  The only exception is the race scheduled for Sept 6, which is the Labour Day Monday.  Besides leaving the weekend free for fans and teams, the Tuesday evening also works well for racers that like to race at the Kinross track, giving them some time to work on or fix their cars.

Last year we also tried to shorten down the program a bit to avoid hitting the 11:00 curfew.  Most nights we were done by about 10:00 pm, or 10:30.  This was also appreciated by fans with small kids.  We mixed the show up a bit too, to put the Late Model Feature a bit earlier in the program to allow those that didn’t want to stay for the Stock Four features to leave a bit earlier.  This year staff will work to maintain the speed of the show.  Varcoe mentioned that we will have a continued time limit for most races, but that might get shortened a bit too. 

Our schedule for this year is up on our website.  If you have questions or comments about the LIR schedule, please drop us your comments on our fan forums.  The schedule is also available on this year’s Laird Calendar, copies of which are available at Lakeway Truck, just drop in and ask for one.  The calendar is a single 11 x 18” sheet, with a number of photos around it.  It is perfect for covering a small hole in the wall in your garage.

Donnie advises that there will be no major rule changes this year.  About the only thing that is being looked at by track Tech Official Donnie Wierzbicki is the tires for the Stock Four’s.  He would like to have the teams run on a standard tire, that is economical and which can be supplied locally.  Mr. Wierzbicki will likely be making an announcement within the next couple months about what might be done.  As a driver or team, if you have comments or concerns, you can leave them in the “drivers” section in the LIR website forums.

Last year we replaced the standard demo derby with a “Spin to Win” derby.  They were a big hit with fans and drivers alike.  Fans see a lot more action around the track, with drivers having the ability to reuse cars (in most cases).  We’ll be doing this again twice this year so hang on to your old junkers and get them ready for some fun.  Varcoe has indicated that he might try doing a Tandem Car Race this year too.  This is where two cars are chained together.  Generally, the driver in the front car works the accelerator; the driver in the back takes care of the braking.    If this goes ahead look for it from mid to late season.

School busses were added to the mix last year too.   We had bus rides and giveaways for the kids at many intermissions, plus a couple of school bus races.  These were fun for fans to watch and will be repeated this year.  Spectator Drags are scheduled for three nights this season, as well as a Hot Dawg Race.

The second annual Northern Stars Modified Invitational Race will be held on the Labour Day Monday race night.  We expect this event to grow year by year as word gets out.

We are also looking for other events for the season.  Perhaps Go-Cart Racing, BMX Races, a Soap Box Race, or even model cars can be raced on the track.  If you have a suggestion please pass it on to us.

If you are a driver or a team, please drop us a note to tell us about your off season activities.  We are looking for stories for our web site.