2002danville

THERE’LL BE SOME CHANGES MADE
By Jack Taylor

Early on, in the infancy of MidwestDirtTrackFacts.com, a senior citizen and his understanding spouse made the decision to embark upon a journey to the world of cyberspace and the dotcom age with a website consisting of dirt track racing news dedicated to the thousands of Midwest drivers and fans, many of whom we have had the ultimate pleasure of meeting and calling them friends over the years.

The adventure, although the road has been rocky, similar to a bad asphalt racetrack in need of some patching occasionally, has been a rewarding ride. 1999 was the year of birth when, after returning home following an evening of racing at Benton County Speedway in Central Indiana, the clock began to register some bad signals and surgery was needed to put the ticker back into some kind of sequence pointed towards the future.

The days of covering racing for the print media were replaced with a gift from our daughter, Kathy, and our grandson, Adam. Those two, with Adam holding the expertise in computers, guided me into an unknown area of racing news by setting up a website and allowing me to continue with my race reporting.

Countless hours devoted by my family allowed me to build the website into an established and respected site to visit as fans helped to project it to the acknowledged place it holds to this day.

About a year ago, I asked a friend to join me and help get the site into the new ages, knowing his racing expertise would add stimulation to a fluttering time clock. His help, through many hours, has prompted me to turn over the reins and allow him to become the sole proprietor of Midwest Dirt Track Facts.

Dan Stewart, aka 1Racenut on 4M, will officially be the man in charge as of December 1,2002, and I truly know that the quality of the website will continue in the racing for years to come. If we were to thank any of our friends in the racing community, we would surely leave out many important deserving people, so the message is we salute you and are better to have known you all.

Midwestdirttrackfacts.com has a reputation for providing race fans with information and Dan will continue spend endless hours at the electronic keyboard serving you.
Carolyn and I will continue our support of our local tracks and maintain the website for Vermilion County Speedway in Danville, IL. And Dan says he may let me write a story once in a while.

Thank you all and please keep MidwestDirtTrackFacts.com on your favorites list.
Jack and Carolyn Taylor
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A note from the new webmaster in town:

Thank You, Jack and Carolyn for your trust in me. My son, Darin will be helping me in this new venture. And if anyone thinks that Jack will disappear, THAT will not happen. I plan to find something for the kindly curmudgeon with the friendly smile to keep busy with. There are areas of this site that will change. And other areas that will not change. Jack will still be very much involved in many areas, all that he chooses to help with.
Look for some streamlining to happen over the winter, some visible, some not so visible. All changes that will be made will be for the benefit of the great race fans of the midwest. Hopefully, most of the coming changes will allow this webmaster to keep this site updated on a regular basis, with a minimum of extra work on my part. As anyone knows, a website not updated regularly has lost it's appeal for those who visit. It is my goal to keep up the high standards for which this site has become known.

The new contact point for this website is:[email protected]
Please contact me with ANY concerns.
Thank You....Dan Stewart

VCS PART TWO

By Jack Taylor

In a preceding article regarding the new promoter at Vermilion County Speedway, the subject dealt with the energy expended by Bill Marietta as he strived to bring the racetrack back into the respectability of fans and drivers after a long period of unstable racing venues at the fairground speedway. Nothing was spared in describing the constant, continuing, hard work that was put into this rebuilding project by Bill and his band of volunteers. The accolades were well deserved.

With his decision to surrender the reins as VCS leader, the County Fair Board inked a new contract with promoter, Jamie Reed of the Terre Haute Action Track in Terre Haute, IN. Reed previously had promoted racing at Sullivan, IN. before trying his hand at Terre Haute. His announced partner at Terre Haute Motorsports is probably Bob Sargent, who has promoted several races at that track in the past two years.

So let’s see where this leads us. After speaking with several drivers and fans of VCS, who had been told by Marietta that the new regime would not change any plans for the future of great racing at VCS, including the UMP Late Model Summernational $10,000 show, the $10,000 Battle of the Borders Late Model show, or the Richardson Memorial and Labor Day Classic Modified shows which have gained notoriety nationally, all of us breathed a sigh of relief as we looked forward to a continuation of exciting programs at VCS.

The first stumbling block to appear for VCS fans is the loss of a Sunday night UMP Summernational race, a perennial crowd pleaser and a drawing card of nearly seventy drivers in 2002. VCS is now penciled in for a Tuesday night race and a predictable loss of fans and drivers. One would think someone connected to UMP could have saved this yearly Sunday appearance. This should not have happened after Memmer was witness to the traffic jams, overflow crowds, and the spectacular show put on by the drivers in 2002. But it happened because nobody cared.

The second stumbling block this writer foresees is the second running of the Battle of the Borders. A 2003 schedule for the speedway will tell that tale when it arrives, but there might not be another running of that great $10,000 show. What a shame.

Time will tell as to the outcome of great Modified racing at VCS. A visionary with the 10th Annual Richardson Memorial in his crystal ball had predicted a $10,000 to win race for the UMP Modifieds this coming May, but it probably will not happen.

Some thought this could be the highest paying Modified race in history. Nationally famous drivers have continually journeyed to VCS on Memorial Day weekend to battle for the crown. One might wonder if the new promoters have ever witnessed a Modified championship race at VCS or any racing that has been held there.

The gate receipts for special events at VCS were probably enticing, but there has been nothing in the past on regular race nights to attract a new party to the mix. All of this past success on special programs has been solely due to hard work and publicity by people interested in the VCS program.

The following is a published letter from Jamie Reed………..

I've read about the concerns some people have about the new promotership at the VCS. My partner and I of Terre Haute Motorsports, Inc. have taken over VCS with many plans to continue what Bill Marietta had started in making it one of the best tracks in the Midwest. I will be handling the every day operations as well as Sunday night racing and special events. I have no intention of changing divisions or rules. I have noticed several areas for improvement which you will see developing thoughout the '03 season. If any one has any questions or concerns that they would like to discuss, please contact me. I can be reached at 812/234-6868 or [email][email protected][/email].

Jamie Reed-President
Terre Haute Motorsports, Inc.
Terre Haute Action Track
Vermilion County Speedway

Also in the previous article, there were critics when the fair board was mentioned as never bending in their co-operation with promoters in the past. Well, they have now bent. It has been rumored that new members have been appointed to the board, namely Mr. Marietta and three of his hard-working volunteers. Not sure what this accomplishes now, after the struggles in the past, but maybe it’s a reward. No one did more to enhance racing at VCS than those three. Few board members understood the plight of the promoters, so maybe this will help the situation.

Former promoters such as Phil Richardson, Mike Petersak, Steve Cannon, and Marietta have all been local residents who were known by the board. Only Roger Williams was an outsider and that ended in a battle.

As this column is released on Christmas Eve of 2002, maybe it should be titled as ”The Grinch Who Stole Quality Racing From VCS Fans.” If my loyalty to VCS is questioned after this writing, I can only reply that I have served the track and fans to the best of my ability. In return, I was always treated with respect and dignity as a dedicated VCS booster. For the last four years, VCS has shown a harmony in the pits, grandstands, and track workers, unseen in the past, which testifies that things were being done the right way for a change. I will miss that and so will most VCS followers.

So, VCS fans, here is what you should prepare for in 2003. Possibly less hassle getting to your seat because of the smaller crowd, fewer cars in the pits, a smaller Tuesday night Summernational race, probably no Battle of the Borders race, little hype on a 10^th Annual Richardson Memorial, and a predictable collapse of all that was built in the last four years.

Happy Holidays to all from the old man in the pits of the best Modified track in the country. I will always think that is true.

WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR VCS?
By Jack Taylor

(11/1/02) Just when local VCS fans and drivers were beginning to feel a whole lot better about the racing programs provided for them at Danville’s county fairgrounds track, a huge turn of events is taking shape behind the scenes. And the future outlook for racing at the popular speedway has prompted this writer to share his views with the die-hard loyal fans of this track.

Those who have supported racing at this dirt oval can only feel a sense of shock as this tale unfolds. And first let me say that as a loyal follower of racing at this arena, I too, am deeply affected.

Vermilion County Speedway has struggled throughout the past ten years or more with different enthusiastic promoters attempting to turn back the tide of critics All have struggled in the past and the last four years have seen a quelling of the flood gates of non-believers who bombarded any attempt to make the track successful.

When local businessman, Bill Marietta, took over the helm, the track had little to offer except for a chance to make a change in the future plans and improve that goal bit by bit. Deteriorating conditions, including the track itself, a meager Sunday following of local fans and drivers, and a snub by the sanctioning UMP Summernational tour declining a long-standing profitable Sunday date for VCS and replacing it with a non-productive Tuesday slot. Of course, Marietta refused the new date and local fans were without an important event that had always filled the summer

Looking back, it is hard to recall whether rainouts, chilly weather, lack of cars, or what other obstacles might have affected gate receipts that year, but all who were close to Marietta as friends and workers knew this struggle to survive was a dominate economical factor on his mind. The rumor mill ran rampant at the close of the season. Would someone else be promoting the next season? Would the never-bending Fair Board listen to Marietta’s plea for levity so that he could continue his future plans? Even the word was out that another promoter in the immediate area was considering a Sunday night track.

In the 2000 season, after making the decision in the off months to continue his fight, Marietta made peace with UMP, added a strong Northern All Star schedule and a few UMP Hoosier Series dates to supply fans with some Late Model events The addition of some key friends as co-workers and productive gates on special races energized the momentum as VCS regained some of it’s prominence in Midwest racing.

Though the road was rocky and financial recovery from the previous two years remained a burden, the 2001 racing season saw VCS advance farther along Marietta’s vision of respectability.

And as 2002 approached, the excitement generated by Marietta and his band of followers was loud and clear that there would be some sensational moves made in the coming season. The first announcement coming from the track was that a $10,000 to win Late Model event would be run in the summer season. The Fair Board, sensing that things were looking better for everyone concerned, landed a grant from the State of Illinois and spent some of the grant money to rebuild the fencing around the racetrack. This improvement opened the eyes of fans and drivers to the energy that Marietta and his co-workers poured into it. A lap-time clock was added to the infield and fans were rewarded with an additional $10,000 Battle of the Borders Late Model show. These two events, along with the Ninth Annual Richardson Memorial race for UMP Modifieds and the Fourth Annual Labor Day Classic for UMP Modifieds, sent fans away at seasons end with visions of more great things to come in 2003

Vermilion County Speedway had come all the back from the despair and frustration previous promoters, fans, and drivers had endured throughout those dry years Respect had been regained and the credit belongs to Bill Marietta and his band of volunteers for long hours of endurance.

Vermilion County Speedway will probably have a new promoter for 2003. Negotiations are under way with a new promoter who, after having kept a vigil eye on the recent jump back into fame for VCS through the hard and stressful work of many, will soon be turning his attention to racing at VCS.

”If this does not work out in negotiations, I will not let the fans and drivers be left out in the cold,” Marietta said, “I’ll hang on another year”. A representative of Track Enterprises has met initially with Marietta and will meet again on Monday, November 10 with him.

If this evolves over the next few days, Bob Sargent, successful promoter at Farmer City Raceway, Illinois State Fair Mile, DuQuoin State Fair Mile, Terre Haute, and others will be trying his hand at continuing the up-hill climb for VCS to respectability.

Those of you who have witnessed this rise from the depths of scorn and scrutiny, engineered by Bill and Judy Marietta, at VCS can only feel an emptiness as this news emerges.

And as one who has been close to the every day and every year happenings at VCS, I also feel that sadness. This story will be continued.

As the Marietta’s move into a new business adventure, which has already been purchased, we wish them well and extend a thank you for all they have done.