I-37 Raceway’s “Thousand Dollar Shootout” to end season on a high note this weekend
November 5, 2009
The final night of championship racing at I-37 Raceway featured a full moon, the second largest crowd of the season (which sang the national anthem after the CD had a glitch), and a hard but clean night of racing that made everyone hungry for more next season.
There is one more event left on the schedule, though, and it’s a big one: the second annual Hill Country Satellite “Thousand Buck Shootout” on Friday and Saturday, November 6-7, 2009. This will be the final race until the 2010 season kicks off in mid-March, and each class will have its own sponsor and the newest class, the already popular with fans and drivers front drive “Front Runner” class, will run two races, a normal race on Friday and an enduro on Saturday that is attracting cars from all over south Texas. The Front Runners will be racing in the “Tator Plumbing Front Runner” feature, backed by the San Antonio company.
Boerne’s Robert Barker, winner of the last Texas Super Racing Series race on the asphalt at Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle, will try dirt racing for the first time, jumping into fellow Boerne resident (and I-37 Race Director) Eric Knudtson’s Chevrolet Camaro to run the “BPTI Street Stock” race. For the fans, the night’s excitement will include a drawing for a new flat screen television set.
Kerrville’s Moe VanKirk started last season a little late but still managed to win the title. This year he blew away the field and won more than two-thirds of the Limited Late Model races despite having to start nearly every race from the back as the points leader. With no points on the line at the “Shootout,” just money, the Limited Lates will likely let it all hang out in the “C-D Electric Limited Late Model” feature.
San Antonio’s Mark McGahey worked speed and consistency into a formula good enough to win his first IMCA Southern Sports Modified championship at I-37 Raceway. The “Sports Mods” will run the “Manning Safety Services Sports Modified” feature, backed by the suppliers of oil-field safety equipment, and the big Modifieds will be back for the “3-D Landscaping Modified” feature.
The Street Stocks saw a season-long battle among four drivers who should (and probably will) move up in class next year. Though last year’s rookie of the year Wade Jones of Jourdanton had the title locked up early, he also had Floresville’s A. J. Wernette and San Antonio driver Tommy Casey on his tail every week and all year.
They’ll be racing for “BPTI Street Stock” purse with no worries about fixing the car before next season, but they will be dealing with an experienced and high-profile “rookie” in Robert Barker, a former winner at San Antonio Speedway, Thunderhill Raceway and Houston Motorsports Park.. This one is likely to get interesting in a hurry.
The Pure Stock class was a battle among several drivers including former track and class champion Janel Hilla, former track photographer Marc Roy, Sean Terry (forced to miss several races due to his work on an oil rig) and rookie William “Heat” Saunders. It came down to the last night, with Hilla winning her heat race to close to within three points of Roy as they started the feature.
Roy had problems of his own, and was forced to use a car borrowed from his teammate Lynn Hardy for the final two races following damage to his car, while Mike Brown, who hadn’t won a race all year, came through to win on the last night. Roy flashed across the line just behind him with Hilla on his tail, but Roy had the Pure Stock title. Still, Hilla has finished first, third and second in the last three championships and will be back next season.
They’ll be running in the “Douglass Glass Pure Stock” feature, with Dennis “Loco Ocho” Jasik of Douglass Glass probably out there in his number 8 Pure Stock trying to keep some of the money in the company.
Cars are expected from Austin, Houston, Goliad and perhaps Killeen with added cash on the line, Overall title sponsor Hill Country Satellite handles everything from Direct TV to security systems and even supplies racing radios.
Racing will start on Friday at 7:30 pm and on Saturday at 7:00 pm. The full schedule for the special Friday-Saturday event will be posted in advance on the I-37 Raceway web site. (www.i37raceway.com) or call (210) 478-0111.
by TQ Jones
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