Weather-Whether We Like It Or Not

You know who likes to cancel my plans?  Mother nature.

 

The AllStar Sprint Race at Sharon Speedway scheduled for last Tuesday to kick off Ohio Speedweeks was cancelled due to rain.  What did I do?  Threw a fit, like a little child.  Hey: nobody ever said I was mature.

 

The silver lining is that I got some perspective and I had some time to prepare for my trip to Lernerville Speedway for the opening night of the World of Outlaw Late Model Series Firecracker weekend.  Kaytlyn and I played follow-the-leader the whole way to Sarver, PA where we promptly parked the cars near our friends’ camp site and CRACKED OPEN SOME COLD BEERS. 

 

 

Miss Lernerville Mindy Norris 

Me and Tyler Altmeyer of Fully Injected Brand

Kayt and me. We are sweaty. 

Over the course of the evening, I got to meet Mindy Norris (Miss Lernerville) and save the day with some pins for her sash, got to see my good friend Tyler Altmeyer of Fully Injected, and even laid eyes on a few other familiar faces as well.  I got to meet Eric O, the PR guy for the track, and got invited to the press box for some air conditioning and a phenomenal view of intermission activities!  We chatted a bit and he told me to cancel my plans for July 15^th, because I’m invited to crown around for the Don Martin Memorial Twin Silvers Sprint Show!!  I went to this race two years ago with Red Farmer and Luke Hoffner--- really a great show and I’m SOOO looking forward to it.

 

In other news, it’s possible that I might be announcing a last minute appearance for Thursday night this week (BEDFORD??)—look for another blog post confirming!

By the way, here is my attempt at Independance Day nails.  I'm certain I'll change them at least once more before the weekend. 

 

Until then: I just wanted to say thank you for following along and for all of your support.  I’m so grateful to AARN and all of the tracks I’ve visited for the opportunities I’ve been given thus far and can’t wait to see what the rest of the season has to offer.  I love you all and I can’t wait to see you at your local dirt track! 

 

<3 Miss AARN

 

(If you’re reading this and your local promoter would like to book me for an appearance, have them contact Tim at AARN)

 

I Have The Coolest Job (pics!)

I Have The Coolest Job

And no, I don’t mean my job as a senior account manager at a leading industrial manufacturing facility.  I mean, that job is cool too, but that’s not the job I’m talking about.  I’m also not talking about my bartending job one night a week.  THAT job is cool… but not as cool as being a dirt track trophy queen.

Last Sunday I made an appearance as Miss AARN at Sportsman’s Speedway in Knox.  This facility, run by the Colwell’s for as many years as I can remember, is kind-of like taking a trip back in time.  A time when people were kind and thoughtful, a time when kids were carefree… it was a total flashback to my childhood.  It’s safe to say it’s going to be one of my favorite trips of the summer, I can tell already.

I took the lovely miss Kaytlyn and we also took our new wolf-pack member, Becky.  Becky is a grown-up like us, and she’s smart like us, and she enjoys having fun like us…. But one thing sets Becky apart: Becky had (before Sunday) never been to a race.  Of any kind.  EVER.  So we popped her dirt track cherry and had ourselves a good, old-fashioned blasty-blast!  So maybe Kayt got trapped in the bathroom in the pits... but even considering that: BLASTY BLAST.

Having been a part of racing my entire life and spending Sunday afternoons watching NASCAR, I took for granted all of the fundamental racing knowledge that just comes as second nature to me. I realized once that Becky was cheering like crazy after the second place guy passed the first place guy… AFTER the checkered flag.  So we explained the flagging system.  We explained restarts.  We explained heats and a-main features.  And by the end of the night, she could tell (just by the sound of the car) if someone was having carburetor issues.  Proud mama, right here.

At intermission, Louise Colwell came up to me and introduced herself and thanked me for coming.  At the conclusion of the race, Joe the announcer (the same guy who has been announcing since my childhood!) came over and introduced himself to me and thanked me for coming.  When people started leaving, I started handing out autographed pictures to the kids who wanted them. And after it was all said and done, Les Myers (a gentleman who raced against my Uncle Gerry) took his vintage classic modified out on the track for a few laps.  My wolf pack were the only people still sitting there—and we cheered like there was no tomorrow.

Les Myers

I think my favorite part of the whole night was watching the kids.  Sportsman’s has a really cool victory lane area that is super accessible to the fans.  After Billy (the flagman) interviews the drivers, they open the gates and all the fans can come in and get their picture taken with the feature winner.  And every single feature, that gate area is packed with kids between the ages of 2 and 16.  I signed shirts, I took pictures, I had…. I had a downright fun time.  One little girl came up to me and pointed at my crown and said “I know where you got that…. a PAGEANT!” …. Her eyes were LIT UP.  The next feature, a little boy walked up to me and said “why are you wearing a king hat???”…. HAHA.. it’s all about perspective.  

Victory Lane Stampede of Kids

All I know is that it reminded me of my sister and I, waiting to get in to get our picture taken, getting our checkered flags signed by drivers.... fingers curled around a chain link fence—eyes glued to the track.  I’ll never forget how I felt as a child at a dirt race track—and I hope dirt track racing is around for a long, long time so that the kids I met on Sunday can continue on in this sport as well.

After the race, us three wolves went to applebees for a cocktail and appetizers… and that concluded my AWESOME Sunday Funday with two very good friends at one of my favorite race tracks of all time. 

Up next: CANCEL YOUR PLANS FOR TUESDAY--- because we’re going to Sharon Speedway for the UNOH All Star Sprint Show for OHIO SPRINT SPEEDWEEKS!!!

I love you all, keep calm and race on.
<3 Miss AARN

358 Modified Feature Winner: Carl Weatherby

305 Western PA Sprint Car Feature Winner: Ralph Engel

Pure Stock Feature Winner: Johnny MacCormac

Front Wheel Drive Four Cylinder Feature Winner: Brian Felmlee

Microsprint Feature Winner: Dave Hawkins

Summer Is Just Heating Up

This is going to be a big update. We’re going to talk about where I’m racing, what’s going on in my life, and what I have planned for Labor Day weekend. By the way, Kaytlyn made it back from Las Vegas, alive and well, and really no worse for the wear (except the sunburn).  Thanks for your thoughts during that difficult time, haha.

This weekend, I’m booked for Sunday afternoon at the track where it all began for me: Sportsman’s Speedway in Knox, PA.  I am BEYOND excited!  Small track, fast 1/3 mile.  When I was a young girl, this is where we would go most Sundays to watch my uncle Gerry Bruce.  He raced all the way up through from the stock classes to small then big block modifieds and eventually a late model.  I can vividly remember his outlaw stock days, the hot summer nights when we were in victory lane more times than not.  He was fast, he had a fast team, a fast car, and he was a hell of a wheelman.  He fostered in me my love for dirt track racing…. and I can’t wait to stand there and watch as other racecar drivers live their own glory days on Sunday afternoon.   OF COURSE: the lovely miss Kaytlyn will be in tow as well.  (Every blondie needs a brownie!)

Tuesday, June 24th, is the Ohio All Star Sprint show at Sharon Speedway and they have graciously requested my presence so…. CANCEL YOUR PLANS FOR TUESDAY 6/24 BECAUSE WE’RE GOING RACING.  A little birdy told me that Dale Blaney will be in the house!!!!  Last year at Charlotte, while Kayt and I were standing at Danny Holtgraver’s pit, Dale happened to walk by me and yelled VERY loudly at someone RIGHT next to my ear… damn near scared me to death.  He later signed my beer coozy with “Sorry!”… one of my favorite memories of that trip.  Kaytlyn, will obviously, be coming with me to Sharon provided that she doesn’t have to work.  (By the way if you see my bestie, congratulate her on her new job!!)

Now onto some other news: this year I am promoting (for the second year in a row) my volunteer fire company’s annual demolition derby.  Small show, 3 classes, we do it to raise money for equipment for my fire department.  Every year, on Labor Day weekend, our group of volunteers puts on a 4 day fundraising event which includes super bingo, a weekend-long softball tournament, a gun bash, a chicken barbecue, and a demolition derby (among a million other things—like drinking and camping!).  I’ve been involved in this weekend every year of my life.  27 years. 

Over the past five years I’ve gotten more involved as a member of the fire company and it’s been an awesome experience.  As the junior treasurer, and daughter of the fire chief (my dad is awesome—he deserves a blog post all of his own and he’ll probably get one next week in honor of father’s day), it’s been a fantastic way for me to be directly involved with how the fire company can afford to serve our community. 

THE DERBY IS SUNDAY AUGUST 31st AT 3PM!!  Last year we raised a lot of money, and I hope to do even better this year.  With the help of Brent Lee from Extreme Lee Racing as my head inspector, I’m hoping we get even more cars than last year.  I feature a “run what you brung” class for welded up, leftover cars from bigger shows and I’m hoping to pull some from the Keystone Nationals and the Clarion County Wreckoning that are slated for July.  If you are interested in running in my show, you can find details on wecrash.com (rules and prizes to be posted as they’re finalized!) or you can contact me and I’ll get you a registration form.  I feel like as this show grows, so will my love for promoting motorsports--- I’m still just a baby at it, and I’m lucky that everyone is so patient with me.


Okay…. I think that’s it.  OH! I’ve ordered some posters to hang up at my bar and to give to the tracks I visit.  If they’re a hit, I believe I’ll start having them available for sale. 

Don’t forget, I LOVE YOU ALL!!!  And since my booking for Sportsman’s was so last minute, don’t forget to cancel YOUR plans and come racing with me. 

Xoxo <3 Miss AARN