RICK @ the RACES (6 to 10 May 2006)
Sat 6 May Fulton Speedway NY
Sun 7 May Rolling Wheels Speedway Park NY
Wed 10 May Capital Speedway ,Ottawa, Ont.
If you`re a race chaser living in the UK, weather conditions are not a major factor, because very few events are cancelled due to rain, ( race fans take umbrellas, and the race drivers, use wet weather tires) but here in North America, things are different.
Wet tracks, rain or uncertain conditions cause many promoters to cancel , sometimes at the last minute , so , I’ve quickly learned to have back up plans ready.
My original plan for this past weekend, was to drive about seven hours to the South Buxton Speedway in Ontario ( a track I’ve never visited before ) on Saturday, then sleep out overnight , and go to the Rolling Wheels (Elbridge NY) SUPER DIRT SERIES race on Sunday.
As the weekend got closer, things became busy at my place of work , and I was asked to do a Saturday morning shift, so the trip had to be scrapped forcing Plan “B” to be put into action.
After working Saturday morning I decided I would drive down to the Can Am Speedway at Lafargeville NY for their evening show, then onto the ‘Wheels’.
My next problem came , when persistent rain put this idea into jeopardy, but after phoning Can Am at 3-00 pm and hearing it was still on, I decided to set off.
I arrived at a damp Can Am at 5-20pm to find it had just been cancelled due to a power outage. so a quick phone call was made to some friends who`d gone to the Fulton Speedway NY, to see if that was still running.
After they assured me everything looked good , I decided to activate Plan “C” , involving a quick dash down Interstate 81 to Fulton.
After a walkabout the pits I spotted the Chris Raabe Team from Napanee , Ontario.
There was no sign of rain at Fulton, if not a little chilly for a night that had Big Block DIRT Modifieds and ESS Sprint Cars topping the bill.
As, is quite often the case , when sprints visits a raceway, they tend to make the show go on later, with the unfortunate Street Stocks guys having to wait until past midnight before they ran their feature.
Sprints are OK when they are racing, but so much ‘down time’ is wasted clearing up after their frequent mishaps and of course the need for them to be push started.
Their Feature was won by Bryan Howland where as Tim Fuller, made it two in a row in the Modifieds, after he`d won the previous night at the Brewerton Speedway.
After sleeping the night at the track in my friend, Roger Aubin’s Motor Home, I awoke to a glorious warm and sunny day, so moved on to the nearby Rolling Wheels for the SUPER DIRT SERIES . 
This was run a little different from the usual 100 or 200 lap epics we are used to, and instead it , had two 50 lap features.
It turned out to be a great day of racing.
The first of the 50 lappers, being won by Billy Decker. 
Russ Hefti was the Sportsman winner.
When the checkers dropped for the second of the 50 lappers , it was that man Fuller, once more, making a perfect triple for the weekend.
I had two days rest (well not really, I went back to work for a 26 hour shift ! ) before my next racing event, at the Capital Speedway situated close to Ottawa, the national capital of Canada.
When I first crossed the Atlantic to live in Canada , 12 years ago, Capital City Speedway was the second track that I visited, the first being the now defunct Golden Lake Speedway (Ont) . Although I`m not a great fan of asphalt racing, the paved facility had quite a healthy following back then, for the CASCAR Late Models and I’ve returned now and again to check things out.
Situated in a part of the country where dirt racing is very popular, it has struggled over the years , changed ownership, and even got renamed the Ottadrome. I returned there in 2004 when I helped organize the SHORT CIRCUIT / TEAM FOSKETT Canadian Tour when UK driver Malcolm Foskett was guest driving ( The other tracks the tour visited were Oshweken Speedway,Merrittville Speedway, Autodrome Edelweiss and the Cornwall Motor Speedway)
Late in 2005 a new era began with another change of ownership, and now with Arnie Malcolm in control and big plans to bring the place back to it`s former glory, it has reverted back to its former title, The CAPITAL CITY SPEEDWAY. 
I went along on the opening night to see for myself. and I have to say I was very impressed, with all the hard work and effort put in by all concerned.
The place looked really tidy, with fresh paint , smartly dressed staff and a pits full of over 60 cars.
The crowd attendance was good too, the best I’ve seen there in about 10 years, even better when you consider an important NHL Ottawa Senators game for the Stanley Cup was on TV.
It was good to meet up with my friend ‘Dent Man’ Dave Watchorn in the pits
There were 5 divisions racing, Four for Fun, Ministocks, Legends, Thunder cars, and Limited Late Models in which Brian Copps won the Feature.
Kevin Foisy won the Legend Feature
