OHIO! The Heart of it All? - Part #1 - By: Jeff Cornes

Posted Jody Shannon on December 31st, 2007 | Filed under Articles, Cast Iron Junkie, Jeff Cornes

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Article 1. “OHIO! The Heart of it All?”

Written By: Jeffrey Cornes, aka,
“The Cast Iron Junkie”

When we wake in the morning, and begin our normal days activities, it will be the first time we do such, in a brand New Year! This time of year, people tend to reflect on the past year, and all the other years gone by, vow to make changes to better their lives “from this day forward”! We, as race fans, are no different! So, on that note, we here at www.thedrc.net, wish all of our fans and readers, Health, Wealth, and Happiness all around! With each passing year we grow from things we’ve learned and the new relationships we’ve built. For myself, aspiring to be the best writer I can, those relationships have gave me inspiration, and a desire to use my passion to help better the sport,in some small way, by doing all I can at ensure our Children and Grandchildren will be able to enjoy the great sport of Dirt Track Racing!

With everyone feeling the economy in our wallets, the questions start swirling about. Who it will effect, and what impact it will have on the local dirt tracks, the teams who race there, and the fans that pay the bills? The simple answer to that question is EVERYONE! Last season, on the average, car counts were down a bit, comparitive to years past, but fans came out in record numbers! From our view point, it sure isn’t because the promoters are doing a great job, but rather the sport itself is infectious! Once anyone sees a good quality DLM race, and they are a motorsports fan of any kind, they can’t help but become fans! Then, add to that, the tens of thousands of us hard core DLM fans who would go to a Wal-Mart parking lot, if that’s where the DLM were racing, we’d have to say DLM racing is stronger than ever! With that in mind, I’d like to say we are truly blessed to live in the Great State of Ohio!

We’ll start with The World 100, DTWC, and The Dream, ! Arguably, the three Biggest DLM Events in the World, all right here, in “The Heart of it All”! Ohio and EVERY surrounding state, are part of this “Hot Bed” of DLM racing! It’s tracks like Oakshade, K-C, Portsmouth, Muskingum County, Limaland, Attica, Midway, Skyline, Sharon, Raceway 7, Fremont, Moler, Brush Creek, Brown County, Wayne County, Lakeville, and two newer tracks Waynesfield and Hilltop, that make “The Heart of it All” just that! After writing that, it set in even more, just how PHENOMENAL this “Region” really is! Can it get any better? ABSOLUTELY!

As the 2008 Series Schedules are being released it is crystal clear, any decent DLM race team could stay in the State of Ohio, and race for $5000, or more, in the neighborhood of 40+ nights! It’s ridiculous! The IRS Series has fourteen of those, alone! Oakshade has four ALMS dates, The $4400 to win Barney Oldfield Memorial, and the $10,000 to win UMP Summernational Finale! Hilltop has two IRS events, a Lucas Oil show, and they are finalizing the MACS event as we speak! Muskingum’s got Big Shows scheduled, Cannonball is making a come back, Skyline, Portsmouth, Moler, all with Big Shows scheduled! Devoted Sprint Car Track, Attica Raceway is even hosting a World of Outlaws DLM event! I could go on and on, but you get the point!

As my new friend, the super talented writer, and DLM insider, Marcus Mackey said “Lets set the bar high in 08″! I know, we here in Ohio, some of the craziest DLM fans on Earth, will be out in full force in 08! With outstanding groups like the DRC and T3G displaying “Redneck Buckeye” hospitality, new comer’s to “The Heart of it All” will enjoy the experience more than ever before, and better than ever before! These are the very relationships, and the generous, caring people, are the foundation that the Weekly Dirt Racing stands on! I’m absolutley Proud to be a part of it, and vow to do more than ever before to add to the enjoyment of the Dirt racing experience!

That’s gonna wrap up Part 1 of “OHIO! The Heart of it All?”, and I’ll leave you with this. Without the PEOPLE , Dirt Track Racing wouldn’t exist!

Check back as often as possible, and we’ll try to bring you Top Quality Material, and innovative racing related stuff you won’t find anywhere but here!

Thanks for taking the time to read our stories, view our video clips, and stay tuned for some new audio interviews in the very near future! We’re going to try to bring you some things you’ve never seen, heard, or read before, and give you some inside looks into the touring DLM teams, that noone else is doing!

Have a Safe and Happy Holidays!

See you at the races,

Jeff Cornes, “The Cast Iron Junkie”