By Dean
Reller
The Snow is
gone, racing season is almost here.
If that isn’t enough to get anyone’s motor running, I don’t know what
will. This year brings a new racing
opportunity for me as I will be taking on the announcing duties at the Princeton
Speedway on Fridays this summer.
Though announcing is something I’ve done in the past, this new
opportunity comes as a part of many changes at the ¼ mile track located just off
Highway 169 in Princeton.
The biggest
change is the switch in sanctioning bodies from WISSOTA to IMCA. Previously, IMCA has been a fixture in
Iowa and southern Minnesota along with other parts of the country. The addition of Princeton and North
Central Speedway in Brainerd marks some new territory for the sanctioning
body. What’s that mean for race
fans? It’s nothing noticeably
different for the casual race fan.
All the classes that ran previously will return albeit with some slightly
different names and a few rule changes.
That being said, one thing that will probably be noticed is the
competition level will be much more even.
The IMCA rules, specifically the tires, allow for more consistency in the
cars and should produce a greater number of winners, rather than seeing just a
few cars dominate week in and week out.
Another
change at the Princeton Speedway is the new Promoter will be Mary Beth
Cripe. I’ve had the opportunity to
work with Mary Beth in the past at I-94 in Sauk Centre and so I look forward to
working with her again. Also coming
on board will be Buzz Cripe, a former Track Champion at the Princeton
Speedway. Buzz will be handling the
flagging duties. I like to refer to
members of the racing community as family and Mary Beth and Buzz are two family
members that are highly dedicated and very committed to putting on a great
running show. Race fans will enjoy
their contributions to the track.
The
Princeton Speedway has a long history and part of that involves Sprint
Cars. If Sprints are your thing,
then this season will be really special as the IMCA Winged Sprints are scheduled
for 4 events, plus the UMSS Sprints will visit twice this season as well. The ¼ mile high banks produce some great
Sprint Car racing and if past shows indicate, this year’s Sprint Car shows
should be as exciting as ever.
As I
anxiously await the start of the season, I realize it will be a big learning
curve for me as I jump back into the announcer’s seat. There are a lot of names I need to learn
how to pronounce and I apologize in advance for the names that I will botch,
especially in the first few weeks.
I look forward to working the pits beforehand and getting to know the
drivers and to share their stories with everyone. So, let’s get this season started, I’m
ready to roll.
