Karefully Kraffted promotions are upcoming in the midrust. Route 66, the ubervenue outside Chicago, is filling in the calander on 5/19 with a verigated match racing 'show' presented by fuel alt. vet Rick Krafft. Krafft also has a similar deal forthcoming at Beech Bend. The "show" aspect does bring in an exercise in nostalgia with a rare Jim Fuerer vs. Arnie Beswick exhibition match. The whole feel of the bought in program seems booked sans the free range element that gives spontaneous summit meetings their drama. An entire pre-packaged caravan of match racers in a variety of classes can best serve those who have, perhaps, never witnessed a representation of the participants; ie Gassers, AA/FA, the rare doorslammer match racing thinger Farmer and Animal have goin on. Even the Coke circuit with Roger Lindamood in the early '70's looked less scripted than this. Control, in the name of a well-regulated and predictable show for promoters, seems to be the primary goal. Which seems to speak more to the corporate pressures put upon track promoters, than anything.....

Car counts go up...car counts go down.....
IHRA PM is running a hair UNDER two dozen entries for 16 car open national circuit events. Meanwhile, Top slammer and digger/alt. local entries are popping up all over the country with the remains of the subprime mortgage money available to them. A near-swamp of slammers will provide small tracks with high mph feature fodder this summer...at the expense of a nearly empty field of personalities standing out that can capture the imagination and provide a career-length focal point. Enjoy the machines; those drivers that do manage some ink will be too busy pushing sponsor products to define themselves....