Wife's view from the pits - by Lynda Makinson (August 2017)
Disclaimer: This is my view and opinion, not the view or opinion of Bruce Makinson or anyone else.
August 25, 2017
Hi Everybody,
This past Friday night was a great night of racing.
For the Heat race, Bruce started on the pole but was eventually outrun by the second-place car to finish in second himself. The car was fast, and faster then most, but just not faster than one.
Not a problem. The car was looking good and Bruce was o-k…wink-nudge (that’s for you honey).
In the Feature, Bruce started 3rd. And I hope I can help you envision the race but you might have had to be there. It was an exciting one. I do have a video online but it’s password protected, if you didn’t get the password, send me an email and I’ll send it to you.
Our friend Billy Cook was on the pole and was doing a great job holding everyone off. I was truly hoping for another 1, 2 between Bruce and Billy; I even didn’t mind if it was Billy then Bruce, it would have been nice to have the old guys show them young’un’s a thing or two again.
But Bruce and another car were nipping at his heels to get into first. At around the 6-7th lap the three of them came off corner 4 three-wide and continued down the front stretch that way (see Rick at the Races pic in the gallery). A car on the inside, Billy in the middle and Bruce on the outside. I’m sure I heard gasps and cheers from the fans. It was racing at it’s best. Then on turn two, to no one’s fault, Billy’s car pushed high and which in turn Bruce had to back off to avoid hitting Billy (yeah Billy, Bruce does drive a clean race sometimes - private joke). This allowed a few cars to pass Bruce. After a couple of laps Bruce was back to 7th. But Bruce kept the car on the outside to my temporary dismay.
I have to admit I was wondering what the heck he was doing on the outside. But slowly he passed a car…than another…then the car just took off. It was around lap 20 that the car just seemed to hook up on the outside and Bruce was off and running. Before we knew it, Bruce pasted Billy for second and was on the hunt. Of course, there were the lap traffic that we don’t like to see and unfortunately time was running out and the leader had too much of a lead at this point to make a win happen. But in my books, it was a win, the car and Bruce have never looked better. As Bobby put it, this was the best the car and Bruce looked even with his wins. It was nice to see Bruce passing cars to get to a top finish. I think we were all pretty excited with the outcome. I know next week could be a whole different story but this past week was one for the memory hard drive J.
Remember this isn’t just driving with your signal light on on the highway, he really had to work for second and it was beautiful.
What would have happened if Bruce had won that 3-wide battle on lap 6?? I’m sure it would have been a completely different story as his times were very close with the car that won. Maybe that car would have been held back by others giving Bruce the distance and lap cars to slow the on-coming rush of cars behind him. I know hind sight is 20/20 but boy it is nice to fantasize about it, isn’t it?
Bruce keeps watching the video to see what he could have done differently. But as we all can imagine, in the heat of the moment you do your best and us sitting in the stands have all the answers :)
Either way, it was a great show. MIR doesn’t do justice of the battle for second in the Sportsman class but they sure do a good job on reporting on the Modifieds (no bitter feelings there).
Wish you were all there to see it. You would have been proud of your driver and team.
Side Note: the one, two combination for Bruce’s heat and the Feature were incidentally the same.
Well, this coming Friday is the last regular season race for MIR. Let’s hope it’s even more exciting and memorable.
That’s it for this week’s report.
Hope to see you at the races,
Lynda
This past Friday night was a great night of racing.
For the Heat race, Bruce started on the pole but was eventually outrun by the second-place car to finish in second himself. The car was fast, and faster then most, but just not faster than one.
Not a problem. The car was looking good and Bruce was o-k…wink-nudge (that’s for you honey).
In the Feature, Bruce started 3rd. And I hope I can help you envision the race but you might have had to be there. It was an exciting one. I do have a video online but it’s password protected, if you didn’t get the password, send me an email and I’ll send it to you.
Our friend Billy Cook was on the pole and was doing a great job holding everyone off. I was truly hoping for another 1, 2 between Bruce and Billy; I even didn’t mind if it was Billy then Bruce, it would have been nice to have the old guys show them young’un’s a thing or two again.
But Bruce and another car were nipping at his heels to get into first. At around the 6-7th lap the three of them came off corner 4 three-wide and continued down the front stretch that way (see Rick at the Races pic in the gallery). A car on the inside, Billy in the middle and Bruce on the outside. I’m sure I heard gasps and cheers from the fans. It was racing at it’s best. Then on turn two, to no one’s fault, Billy’s car pushed high and which in turn Bruce had to back off to avoid hitting Billy (yeah Billy, Bruce does drive a clean race sometimes - private joke). This allowed a few cars to pass Bruce. After a couple of laps Bruce was back to 7th. But Bruce kept the car on the outside to my temporary dismay.
I have to admit I was wondering what the heck he was doing on the outside. But slowly he passed a car…than another…then the car just took off. It was around lap 20 that the car just seemed to hook up on the outside and Bruce was off and running. Before we knew it, Bruce pasted Billy for second and was on the hunt. Of course, there were the lap traffic that we don’t like to see and unfortunately time was running out and the leader had too much of a lead at this point to make a win happen. But in my books, it was a win, the car and Bruce have never looked better. As Bobby put it, this was the best the car and Bruce looked even with his wins. It was nice to see Bruce passing cars to get to a top finish. I think we were all pretty excited with the outcome. I know next week could be a whole different story but this past week was one for the memory hard drive J.
Remember this isn’t just driving with your signal light on on the highway, he really had to work for second and it was beautiful.
What would have happened if Bruce had won that 3-wide battle on lap 6?? I’m sure it would have been a completely different story as his times were very close with the car that won. Maybe that car would have been held back by others giving Bruce the distance and lap cars to slow the on-coming rush of cars behind him. I know hind sight is 20/20 but boy it is nice to fantasize about it, isn’t it?
Bruce keeps watching the video to see what he could have done differently. But as we all can imagine, in the heat of the moment you do your best and us sitting in the stands have all the answers :)
Either way, it was a great show. MIR doesn’t do justice of the battle for second in the Sportsman class but they sure do a good job on reporting on the Modifieds (no bitter feelings there).
Wish you were all there to see it. You would have been proud of your driver and team.
Side Note: the one, two combination for Bruce’s heat and the Feature were incidentally the same.
Well, this coming Friday is the last regular season race for MIR. Let’s hope it’s even more exciting and memorable.
That’s it for this week’s report.
Hope to see you at the races,
Lynda
August 19, 2017
Hi Everybody,
This past weekend we had decided not to go to MIR but to go to Airborne Park Speedway.
I guess we made the right decisions, MIR cancelled due to track conditions and Airborne had beautiful weather.
Now for the update on our weekend at Airborne Speedway in Plattsburg, NY.
It was a four hour drive down with sun and cloud, the weather seemed threatening here and there but when we arrived it was sunny.
I have to say, it’s a beautiful facility and seems to be well run. The pit area is paved, the food was good and the officials and staff are friendly and helpful. At one point the transponder on the car wasn’t working, they informed Bruce on the radio and then came over to the car to check on it…and apologized for being a bother!?!? Also, the track promoter, John Walker, came over to welcome Bruce personally. Wow, what a great bunch of people.
The track was nicely prepared but very dusty early (I can say that because I was video taping in the pit stands and I was getting a free sandblast facial). Bruce started 7th out of 8 in his Heat race and he finished 5th.
For the Feature, he started 14th. It was a good race and he had at one point moved up to around 10th but in the end, he finished 14th. Overall, it was a good clean race. There were no maroons that I could spot and we really enjoyed the race. Bruce did a great job considering it was his first time there. I’m sure getting to know a new track with new drivers to race can be challenging on its own.
Now for what you’ve all been waiting for…the Dump Truck races.
Let’s just start off with saying it was a good idea in theory. They had Heat races and the Feature race mixed in with the regular line ups. This was not so good of an idea. During the Heat race one truck hit another truck and spilt a line of diesel fuel down almost half the length of the track. So, that put a stop to all racing for around an hour while they tried different methods to clean it up. See the pics to see one method that didn’t really work but was fun to look at.
During the “time-out” we all sat around chatting, eating burgers (which were very good) and some people took a nap…right Billy.
After the track was made race ready we got back at it. It didn’t take long to get the races going, they are quite efficient there and try to keep the drivers updated as to what’s going on. The Mods went out and soon after the Sportsman race was up. The Dump Trucks were supposed to be after the Sportsman but instead they ran them later in the night (now that’s a better idea).
While the dump trucks were in the line up waiting to go out they seemed to get bored and they all began to rev their engines and honk their horns, it made us LOAO. But hey finally got out there to race (I don't think the horns made a difference..lol).
The Feature was a good one, it had us laughing and rooting them on. It was a good race and pretty much clean driving…I think. I do believe there was a lot of mirror driving because first and second place really dueled it out. At one point the second-place truck brushed up against the front stretch wall, not sure how the wall looked after the race. There was one pretty truck that stayed clear of the others but did become lap traffic, I'm sure he didn't feel comfortable having the "racing" trucks coming along side him.
Overall, this track is one we would love to race at more often but the 4 hr drive just isn’t a viable possibility. I’m sure we will make a special trip or two next year. They made us feel welcomed and so did the other campers. We ended up crashing the Sportsman 29 Heywood team campfire. What a great bunch of people. We had a few beverages and shot the news with them into the wee hours of the morning (remember me…”Hi, I’m Canadian!”).
Thank you Airborne Park Speedway for a great night of racing! We had a blast. If anyone has time for a long drive you have to check them out.
This coming Friday is the second last regular nights racing at MIR. We plan on being there and hope the weather gives them a break.
Have a great week Everybody,
Lynda
This past weekend we had decided not to go to MIR but to go to Airborne Park Speedway.
I guess we made the right decisions, MIR cancelled due to track conditions and Airborne had beautiful weather.
Now for the update on our weekend at Airborne Speedway in Plattsburg, NY.
It was a four hour drive down with sun and cloud, the weather seemed threatening here and there but when we arrived it was sunny.
I have to say, it’s a beautiful facility and seems to be well run. The pit area is paved, the food was good and the officials and staff are friendly and helpful. At one point the transponder on the car wasn’t working, they informed Bruce on the radio and then came over to the car to check on it…and apologized for being a bother!?!? Also, the track promoter, John Walker, came over to welcome Bruce personally. Wow, what a great bunch of people.
The track was nicely prepared but very dusty early (I can say that because I was video taping in the pit stands and I was getting a free sandblast facial). Bruce started 7th out of 8 in his Heat race and he finished 5th.
For the Feature, he started 14th. It was a good race and he had at one point moved up to around 10th but in the end, he finished 14th. Overall, it was a good clean race. There were no maroons that I could spot and we really enjoyed the race. Bruce did a great job considering it was his first time there. I’m sure getting to know a new track with new drivers to race can be challenging on its own.
Now for what you’ve all been waiting for…the Dump Truck races.
Let’s just start off with saying it was a good idea in theory. They had Heat races and the Feature race mixed in with the regular line ups. This was not so good of an idea. During the Heat race one truck hit another truck and spilt a line of diesel fuel down almost half the length of the track. So, that put a stop to all racing for around an hour while they tried different methods to clean it up. See the pics to see one method that didn’t really work but was fun to look at.
During the “time-out” we all sat around chatting, eating burgers (which were very good) and some people took a nap…right Billy.
After the track was made race ready we got back at it. It didn’t take long to get the races going, they are quite efficient there and try to keep the drivers updated as to what’s going on. The Mods went out and soon after the Sportsman race was up. The Dump Trucks were supposed to be after the Sportsman but instead they ran them later in the night (now that’s a better idea).
While the dump trucks were in the line up waiting to go out they seemed to get bored and they all began to rev their engines and honk their horns, it made us LOAO. But hey finally got out there to race (I don't think the horns made a difference..lol).
The Feature was a good one, it had us laughing and rooting them on. It was a good race and pretty much clean driving…I think. I do believe there was a lot of mirror driving because first and second place really dueled it out. At one point the second-place truck brushed up against the front stretch wall, not sure how the wall looked after the race. There was one pretty truck that stayed clear of the others but did become lap traffic, I'm sure he didn't feel comfortable having the "racing" trucks coming along side him.
Overall, this track is one we would love to race at more often but the 4 hr drive just isn’t a viable possibility. I’m sure we will make a special trip or two next year. They made us feel welcomed and so did the other campers. We ended up crashing the Sportsman 29 Heywood team campfire. What a great bunch of people. We had a few beverages and shot the news with them into the wee hours of the morning (remember me…”Hi, I’m Canadian!”).
Thank you Airborne Park Speedway for a great night of racing! We had a blast. If anyone has time for a long drive you have to check them out.
This coming Friday is the second last regular nights racing at MIR. We plan on being there and hope the weather gives them a break.
Have a great week Everybody,
Lynda
August 18, 2017
Hi Everybody,
It’s Friday and of course it’s rainy out.
We don’t know what the weather is going to bring this afternoon but a decision has been made on our part. We will not be racing at Mohawak Speedway tonight but will be racing at Airbourne Speedway tomorrow night.
Bruce has been wanting to try out the track in Plattsburgh, NY so we thought we’d do it this weekend.
This Saturday night they seem to have an interesting line up planned. They have the regular show plus Spectator races (which, from what I hear can be a hoot) and Dump Truck races...yes, Dump Truck races! Now doesn’t that sound like a great night of racing??
So, sorry to anyone hoping to see us at MIR tonight but if you’re down Plattsburg way stop in and see us at Airbourne Speedway.
Talk Monday, have a great weekend.
Cheers,
Lynda
It’s Friday and of course it’s rainy out.
We don’t know what the weather is going to bring this afternoon but a decision has been made on our part. We will not be racing at Mohawak Speedway tonight but will be racing at Airbourne Speedway tomorrow night.
Bruce has been wanting to try out the track in Plattsburgh, NY so we thought we’d do it this weekend.
This Saturday night they seem to have an interesting line up planned. They have the regular show plus Spectator races (which, from what I hear can be a hoot) and Dump Truck races...yes, Dump Truck races! Now doesn’t that sound like a great night of racing??
So, sorry to anyone hoping to see us at MIR tonight but if you’re down Plattsburg way stop in and see us at Airbourne Speedway.
Talk Monday, have a great weekend.
Cheers,
Lynda
August 10 and 11, 2017
Hi Everybody,
We had two nights of racing last week, Thursday night at Mohawk International Raceway and Friday night at Maniwaki Speedway.
Thursday night was a nice night for racing. Bruce started 2nd in the 4th Heat race and finished 2nd. The car looked good.
For Thursday nights Feature race, we had to wait for the 50-Lap Modifieds to finish. Which did change the track a bit but there was still bite in it (so I heard…lol). Bruce was starting 6th but unfortunately in a line that we knew could cause problems. And in keeping of what I was expecting it did, the start wasn’t as good as we would have liked and it pushed Bruce back in positions. The funny thing is his times were better then last week yet in the end he finished 14th.
The race was uneventful for us but I wasn’t disappointed with my Maroon...lol. I’ve had this guy on my Maroon list in the past. He started on the pole and took off with a vengeance. He led the race with a large margin between him and 2nd then here’s where he didn’t disappoint me…all by himself he spun the car on corner 4, all he needed to do is keep it in cruise control and he would have won. But he didn’t only spin out once, he did it again later on. I know sh*t can happen but I could see he was starting to get squirrely. He was starting to push it too hard in the corners, it was one of those “what the heck is he doing” sightings. Sorry, I just had to report on this one because I know some of you enjoy my recounts of what happened. Our race was good, uneventful and not exactly what we would have liked but the Maroon kept me entertained.
Now for Friday night. We did the 2.5 hr drive out to Maniwaki Speedway to check out the Sportsman Invitational race. I was quite surprised that none of the storms circling us hit the track. We did get sprinkles of rain occasionally but nothing worth stopping for.
The track hasn’t been open long and the people are great there. The fans were very appreciative of the 3 Sportsman that showed. Yeah, only 3 of us. That’s too bad, it was a good payout and they were very welcoming.
Now for the race. Bruce started on the pole in the Heat race and finished first. Then he started on the pole in the Feature but due to a minor technical difficulty he lost 1st place but battled very hard to get it back. I think the fans really loved it. On corners one and two Bruce was almost always beside the 1st place car, I could hear them wooing and awing from the pits. It was great. I think our guys really put on a good show. In the end, Bruce settled for 2nd.
Now for the technically difficulty…yes Bruce I’m going to say it. At one point coming into the corner, Bruce’s’ right glove got hooked onto something sticking out on the inside of the car and this has happened before, so we were told Friday night.
Yeahh, he lost a race because he forgot to mention this to Bobby so he could take care of it…. can you imagine. We were razing him Friday night about how he threw a race…lol...still love ya babe.
But despite only 3 cars showing up they honored their pay outs and it was $800 to win. So, having finished 2nd we did receive a good payout.
Now for the track. I understand they are still improving on it. It’s not quite wide enough for easy/safe passing. Turn 3 isn’t lite very well and the pits are not great. I know they will improve over time and maybe with support from other race teams it will happen sooner than later.
But I do want to say again that the management and fans were great! Thank you for a great night of racing.
Also, you must check them out for their ATV racing. Those guys are nuts! They have two classes of them, Modified and Stock. It’s quite a sight to see. Let’s just say I’m glad Bruce races a safe enclosed race car.
Well, that’s it for this past week.
Coming this Friday is a regular night of racing for us and the Vintage class will be there but no Mod-Lites. That’s three more nights of regular races before the September weekend show.
If you’ve been putting off coming out this season, you might want to consider coming out soon.
Have a good week and hope to see you at the races,
Lynda
See the gallery for some pics from Maniwaki Speedway.
We had two nights of racing last week, Thursday night at Mohawk International Raceway and Friday night at Maniwaki Speedway.
Thursday night was a nice night for racing. Bruce started 2nd in the 4th Heat race and finished 2nd. The car looked good.
For Thursday nights Feature race, we had to wait for the 50-Lap Modifieds to finish. Which did change the track a bit but there was still bite in it (so I heard…lol). Bruce was starting 6th but unfortunately in a line that we knew could cause problems. And in keeping of what I was expecting it did, the start wasn’t as good as we would have liked and it pushed Bruce back in positions. The funny thing is his times were better then last week yet in the end he finished 14th.
The race was uneventful for us but I wasn’t disappointed with my Maroon...lol. I’ve had this guy on my Maroon list in the past. He started on the pole and took off with a vengeance. He led the race with a large margin between him and 2nd then here’s where he didn’t disappoint me…all by himself he spun the car on corner 4, all he needed to do is keep it in cruise control and he would have won. But he didn’t only spin out once, he did it again later on. I know sh*t can happen but I could see he was starting to get squirrely. He was starting to push it too hard in the corners, it was one of those “what the heck is he doing” sightings. Sorry, I just had to report on this one because I know some of you enjoy my recounts of what happened. Our race was good, uneventful and not exactly what we would have liked but the Maroon kept me entertained.
Now for Friday night. We did the 2.5 hr drive out to Maniwaki Speedway to check out the Sportsman Invitational race. I was quite surprised that none of the storms circling us hit the track. We did get sprinkles of rain occasionally but nothing worth stopping for.
The track hasn’t been open long and the people are great there. The fans were very appreciative of the 3 Sportsman that showed. Yeah, only 3 of us. That’s too bad, it was a good payout and they were very welcoming.
Now for the race. Bruce started on the pole in the Heat race and finished first. Then he started on the pole in the Feature but due to a minor technical difficulty he lost 1st place but battled very hard to get it back. I think the fans really loved it. On corners one and two Bruce was almost always beside the 1st place car, I could hear them wooing and awing from the pits. It was great. I think our guys really put on a good show. In the end, Bruce settled for 2nd.
Now for the technically difficulty…yes Bruce I’m going to say it. At one point coming into the corner, Bruce’s’ right glove got hooked onto something sticking out on the inside of the car and this has happened before, so we were told Friday night.
Yeahh, he lost a race because he forgot to mention this to Bobby so he could take care of it…. can you imagine. We were razing him Friday night about how he threw a race…lol...still love ya babe.
But despite only 3 cars showing up they honored their pay outs and it was $800 to win. So, having finished 2nd we did receive a good payout.
Now for the track. I understand they are still improving on it. It’s not quite wide enough for easy/safe passing. Turn 3 isn’t lite very well and the pits are not great. I know they will improve over time and maybe with support from other race teams it will happen sooner than later.
But I do want to say again that the management and fans were great! Thank you for a great night of racing.
Also, you must check them out for their ATV racing. Those guys are nuts! They have two classes of them, Modified and Stock. It’s quite a sight to see. Let’s just say I’m glad Bruce races a safe enclosed race car.
Well, that’s it for this past week.
Coming this Friday is a regular night of racing for us and the Vintage class will be there but no Mod-Lites. That’s three more nights of regular races before the September weekend show.
If you’ve been putting off coming out this season, you might want to consider coming out soon.
Have a good week and hope to see you at the races,
Lynda
See the gallery for some pics from Maniwaki Speedway.
August 8, 2017
Hi Everybody,
This past Friday we made a team decision not to chance going because of the weather. And we made the right choice as the races got rained out around 8:00 p.m.
This coming Thursday night there will be racing at MIR. Friday night was not on the schedule so they are trying to fit in the missed Modified E-Cigs 50-lap Memorial Cup race. Plus double features for Bandits and Novice Sportsman (from August 4th), and the regular show.
The weather is looking good so far…keep your fingers crossed.
We are hoping to attend the Sportsman Invitational race at the Maniwaki Speedway this coming Friday night (August 11th)…weather permitting but that isn’t looking too promising so far.
The season is winding down, including this week, there are only 4 regular races left.
I must say this season has sucked both for the drivers and the track. Hopefully we can finish off the season in style.
Have a good short week,
Lynda
This past Friday we made a team decision not to chance going because of the weather. And we made the right choice as the races got rained out around 8:00 p.m.
This coming Thursday night there will be racing at MIR. Friday night was not on the schedule so they are trying to fit in the missed Modified E-Cigs 50-lap Memorial Cup race. Plus double features for Bandits and Novice Sportsman (from August 4th), and the regular show.
The weather is looking good so far…keep your fingers crossed.
We are hoping to attend the Sportsman Invitational race at the Maniwaki Speedway this coming Friday night (August 11th)…weather permitting but that isn’t looking too promising so far.
The season is winding down, including this week, there are only 4 regular races left.
I must say this season has sucked both for the drivers and the track. Hopefully we can finish off the season in style.
Have a good short week,
Lynda
August 4, 2017
Hi Everybody,
It looks like another if-y race day.
We plan on attending, let's hope that if it is going to rain on our parade that it does it before we travel the distance.
If you plan on attending, please check out either MOHAWK INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY website or Facebook page. They are very good at keeping Facebook updated as to the race status.
Have a good and safe long weekend,
Lynda
It looks like another if-y race day.
We plan on attending, let's hope that if it is going to rain on our parade that it does it before we travel the distance.
If you plan on attending, please check out either MOHAWK INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY website or Facebook page. They are very good at keeping Facebook updated as to the race status.
Have a good and safe long weekend,
Lynda