It’s become evident to me that A News Café’s loyal audience enjoys reading about the finer things in life: Fancy restaurants, classically trained musicians, modern art, carbon fiber bicycles, European vacations. And sex. Clearly, you like reading about sex.
My stories about stock car racing, however, do not seem to stir the same level of enthusiasm. I know, I know. When you think of stock car racing, you probably conjure the made-for-TV product that is NASCAR. Hick announcers who shout “boogity, boogity, boogity,” and start every sentence with the admonition “Lemme tell ya what.” Races that last longer than an NBA playoff game. Drivers who, with a straight face, say things like, “The Factory Egg Farms Salmonella Food Poisoning Ford was runnin’ real strong today. It’s a cryin’ shame the motor blowed up on the 8th lap.”
Like a lot of life-long auto racing fans, I find today’s NASCAR nearly insufferable. That’s not the stock car racing I’m talking about. My past stories and today’s are about stock car racing at our local fairgrounds in Anderson.
If an image of destruction derby just popped into your head, you’re mistaken. Destruction derby involves guys and gals ramming heavily reinforced junkers into each other. That sport (sport?) is barely a third cousin to real stock car racing.
All right, I’m getting to the point. Shasta Raceway Park will host honest-to-goodness stock car racing this Saturday night. The Airport Auto Brokers Late Models will be the featured attraction with a 75-lap main event. The term “stock cars” is actually a misnomer. These are purpose-built racecars with major horsepower, and track promoter Rick Faeth expects at least 20 of them to speed around the three-eights-mile asphalt oval on Saturday.
The Lakeport-based late model series provides exactly the sort of highly competitive, regional auto racing that NASCAR used to sanction – before the organization decided to focus all its attention on televised soap operas. Longtime Shasta fans will recall NASCAR’s now-defunct Southwest and Northwest touring series, both of which made popular stops at Shasta in past years. The Airport Auto Brokers Late Models are a similar class of racecar. Expect a whole lot of side-by-side racing as drivers hurry to the front during the relatively short race.
So come on out to the fairgrounds on Saturday for professional auto racing. Tickets are only $10 (cheaper for kids and seniors), and the weather forecast looks delightful. The first race is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
I’ll see you there, right?
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• While we’re on an automobile theme … Caltrans has completed resurfacing 23 miles of Highway 395 from Modoc County to the Lassen County line with recycled tires. The project not only kept a whole bunch of old tires out of garbage dumps, it provides a surface expected to last for seven years. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funded the $2.1 million project.
• The Greater Redding Chamber of Commerce will welcome five newly elected members to its board in January. They are Randall Hempling of Shasta Regional Medical Center, Cher Matthews of Bank of America, Jason Montague of Giles Lock & Security, Mark Vegh of Wells, Small, Fleharty & Well, and Patti Wilson of Hemsted’s Moving & Storage.
Paul Shigley is senior editor of California Planning & Development Report, a frequent contributor to Planning magazine and attended his first auto race a really long time ago. He lives in Centerville. Paul Shigley may be reached at pauls.anewscafe@gmail.com.
