(May 16, 2016) There should have been lots to write about after last weekend’s season opener, but this is the Maritimes and it is May, so the weather is unpredictable and it got the better of us. So now, moving right along, we’re going to have the pre-season practice, the Riverview Ford Season Opener and Kids Day this weekend! 

Sunshine on my Shoulders

Let’s hope we can sing that old John Denver song this weekend!  And let’s hope we can get the 2016 racing season off to a rip-roaring start. The extra week will give everyone a chance to do a little more work on their cars and those teams that were not quite ready last weekend should be all set to race.

This Saturday there’ll be the pre-season technical inspection and practice, followed by the Riverview Ford Season Opener and Kid’s Day on Sunday. It’ll be a jammed packed weekend of excitement in the Geary Woods. Sunday will be particularly busy with the combination of the opener and Kid’s Day. There’ll be lots of activities for our youngest race fans, including the candy scramble at intermission.If you think the race cars are quick, you should see how fast our youngest race fans pick up their treats during their time on the track at intermission!

Had we raced last weekend there would have been lots of storylines for this edition of the “weekly”, but because the Geary Woods remained silent in the rain, I’m left without a lot of new news! But over the weekend I was thinking about how racing has changed over the years.

When I was a kid (back in the sixties) we’d go to Riverglade Speedway every Saturday night. During the week, we’d work in the barn,  hay field and vegetable garden on our dairy farm. My Dad and a couple of his friends (we didn’t call them  a pit crew in those days) would get together on Friday nights to “work on the race car” and have a couple of quarts of beer!My Dad (Ross) and legendary flagman Ken Brace at Riverglade Speedway back in 1967. Those were the days!

Fast forward five decades and everything has changed. Race teams work on their cars almost every night of the week. Team members finish their day jobs, rush home and have a bite of supper and head to the shop. It seems like there’s always something that needs to be done to a race car.

There was competition back in the day, but certainly not to the extent that we see today. Teams are constantly working and trying to figure out how to shave a tenth of a second off their lap times. This is true in every division of racing. I’m always amazed at how innovative racers are and even the guys and girls in our Sharp Shooter division are doing whatever it takes to make their little front wheel drive, four cylinder cars go faster.You don’t have to go too far in the Speedway 660 pit area before you find someone up to his or her elbows in a race car! Is that you Papa Greenlaw?

So this weekend when you head down to Speedway 660 for opening weekend, I hope you take a moment to realize and appreciate just how much work has gone into preparing all of the cars for the 2016 racing season. And if you visit the pit area, keep your eyes open and watch the dedicated team members go about their business.

I know the drivers get most of the credit and they deserve it, but they all have a lot of support in the pits, in their race shops and in their homes. The unsung heroes of our sport are the pit crew members, families and friends of the person who gets to turn the wheel.It’s not all work and no play in the pits. Sometimes you get to hang out with some of your favourite people before climbing into a race car and putting on a show for the Speedway 660 fans. We’ll see you on the weekend Ricky!

On a sad note, we would like to send our condolences to the family and friends of Stan Leslie.   His funeral was held on the weekend on Deer Island. Stan was a great fan of racing and loved to support the boys from Charlotte County.  Stan attended his last race in 2014, but illness kept him away from the Geary Woods last season. Stan Leslie was 88.  Stan Leslie sure loved racing and  helped out several drivers from Charlotte County including Wade Harris, who was one of our top Sportsman drivers for over 15 years. 

Let’s hope the weather co-operates and let’s hope we get to watch some awesome racing on the weekend. It’s the Riverview Ford Season Opener and Kid’s Day this coming Sunday afternoon. And don’t forget the pre-season tech inspection and practice on Saturday. Everyone is more than a little anxious to get the 2016 season underway.

BTW – all youngsters 15 and under will be admitted free of charge on Sunday! The races start at 2PM but come early, because everyone including the kids are invited to a pre-race autograph session in the pits from 1 to 1:45PM.

We’ll see you at the races!