LIVE from the Auto Meter Northern Class Nationals!

[Michael Beard]

At least 43 stick cars... They put on a great show! I'm still thinking about an all-stick Combo for next year, just because I want to watch it! I think Junior Stock was a really great show with some close racing, and the sponsors enjoyed it too. I had been hinting around at some heads-up Factory Pro Stock and Factory Stock shootouts, but I need to hear from the people with those cars, as there was a shockingly low turnout of COPO, Cobra Jet, and DragPak cars.

I think it's worth noting the great job Redman did heading up the starting line team. He was able to identify how the track was reacting to what they and the cars were doing, and made the call on the fly to change up the run order for Class Eliminations. Every track, set of weather conditions and the type of cars running is a big set of variables for track prep, and Redman's experience shined through.

On a somewhat related note, when we were doing some pre-settleup stuff with the track, they told us the track prep costs came in way over the estimate... We used like 4-4.5 drums of VHT! I said, nope, that's ok! I kinda of expected that. I told Redman over a year ago, "Whatever you need, don't ask. Just do it! You can *tell* me what you're doing, or send me a bill, but you don't have to ask! Starting line is priority #1, and you're in charge."

We've already had several sponsors approach *us* to say they're all in again for next year.