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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
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GONE TO THE FAIR, August 1 & 2, 2007 by Norm Bogan |
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Summertime is Fair time throughout the
heartland of America. From
major metropolitan areas to rural farming communities, the county
fair is a rite of summer. Passing
through the turnstiles, you soon become aware of the plethora of
aromas wafting across the midway.
Mix Kettle Korn, candied apples, barbeque and corn on the cob
with the somewhat less desirable scents emanating from the livestock
barns. The Midway is
ablaze in neon lights and the skyline is spotted with Ferris wheels,
bungee jumps, roller coasters, while in the various exhibit halls,
displays of home made baked goods, prize-winning vegetables and
fruits, quilts and clothing, represent the labors of many of the
local gentry. Another item found, is the area of
entertainment, where a number of concerts may be scheduled, maybe a
rodeo and usually some form of motor sports, such as a tractor pull
or destruction derby and maybe, if you’re lucky some sort of
legitimate racing action. Ventura, California offers the same bang for
your buck as fairs in Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Oklahoma, the
Carolinas and the Northwest, but as one fan stated, Ventura
doesn’t have the humidity or the lightning bugs. There were two nights of auto racing presenting
a smorgasbord of racecars to please the fancy of nearly all fans. Wednesday offered the Junior Dwarf Cars and regular Dwarf
Cars, plus Sport Compacts and T.Q. Midgets and the evening ending
Destruction Derby. Since
admission to all events was covered by the fair admission,
especially those who took advantage of the opening day $1 dollar
deal, the grandstands for racing were packed. Thursday found another group of enthusiasts
filling the stands for an evening of Junior Focus and Ford Focus
racing, plus the IMCA Modifieds, forty-one strong.
Modified racing is synonymous with fairgrounds as this
grass-roots group appears weekly at fair venues from Minnesota to
Alabama, New Hampshire to Texas, Idaho to Delaware.
Again the evening was closed out with a crowd favorite
Destruction Derby. Hopefully, some fair-goers liked what they saw
and will return for a regular racing show on Saturday evening. With exposure of junior racers both nights, some families may
want to join the fray or at least come back for more action.
Dad may have rekindled old fires of being the next Parnelli
Jones and is now trying to persuade Mom to let him invest in a Sport
Compact or Modified. Young
girls forsake their Barbie Dolls for a Junior Midget or Dwarf and
many young boys have been ingrained with new sounds pilfered from
the racecars and dream of expressing+ their exhibitions of speed. Fair time comes only once a year, but the racing continues from April through November on a near weekly basis. After the thrill rides have disappeared, come visit Ventura Raceway where you can witness Para-Surfing right over your shoulder from the stands. The powerful Sprint Cars will take your breath away as they skate into the turns at blinding speed, daring the walls to reach out and grab them. If the scents of the Fair are what attracted you, every week at the races you can experience the aroma of a mocha latte, popcorn or a Jumbo Hot Dog. |
