The only winner at the Speedbowl last weekend was the weatherman, as the much-anticipated “Double Down Shootout” was cancelled due to soggy conditions. Although the day of the race bought good weather conditions to the area, the previous monsoon-like conditions left the infield more suitable for boat races rather than a stock car event. Though every effort was made to dry out the infield, track management wisely pulled the plug early Sunday morning allowing competitors & fans the chance to make alternate plans for the weekend. 
 
The rescheduled “Double-Down Shootout” will take place this Saturday afternoon and everything that’s been heard about the event promises that it’s going to be a good one – be there!
 
When the New England Antique Racers Hall Of Fame celebration rolls around this year, the 2007 class will include none other than Bob Potter, a favorite Speedbowl son if there ever was one. Bob will be joining several Waterford Alumni in accepting his lofty award, including The Great Don Collins and Billy Harmon among others. Check the clubs website to find out more about the event and to secure tickets, as it’s sure to be a sell-out again.
 
SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS ON THE 2006 SEASON:
 
Contrary to what the racing railbirds were singing about during the post-season, Waterford did indeed run in 2006. If you were to listen to some of the early rumors, you’d have thought that there was going to be no racing at all….
 
Count on the roar of stock car motors being heard again in 2007. So there.
 
The “Wacky Wednesday” shows were really strong in 2006. Seems that there are a lot of folks out there that like their racing mid-week style…..
 
It was cool to see Bubby Brouwer back in a race car.
 
However, it wasn’t cool to hear of “Joltin’ Johnny" Brouwer’s retirement. The Brouwer name is synonymous with Waterford, and John’s flair for fun is going to be sorely missed.
 
And how bout’ that Frank Mucciacciaro? I take a couple of years off from the sport and when come I back, the guy has turned into a legitimate threat to win on any given Saturday night. It’s always neat to see the “little guys” of the sport do well…..
 
The Late Model Division got just plain violent for a time during the season. What was once some of the closest racing at the Bowl’ had suddenly degenerated into a weekly wreckfest. Fortunately for all of us, things got much better toward the end of the year….
 
One of the nicest stories of the year? Veteran Donnie Fowler bouncing back from health-related issues suffered mid-season to once again become one of the top-runners in the SK’s.
 
As always, it was great to see all the veterans of the sport show up on “Nostalgia Weekend”. Shooting the breeze with former Modified Great & Indy 500 veteran Dennis Zimmerman on a sunny summer afternoon in the Waterford pits remains one of the highlights of my season…
 
Former Speedbowl program columnist, the honorable Alan B. Coull is a regular at the races again, and that’s neat. Alan always had a way with words, and his bit in the program each week is certainly sorely missed.
 
Ever notice that low-bucker Rich Duranti seems to be having more fun than teams that spend twice the amount on their operations? And get this, Rich runs TWO classes each week….
 
Seems like as long as there’s been a Speedbowl, there’s been a Gada involved. Mike was back in 2006, and that’s OK in my book….
 
The Speedbowl retirement of PR Guru Pete Zanardi is going to leave a void, no doubt about it (esp. for yours truly). However, ya’ gotta’ be happy for a guy that’s going to be able to spend more time with his family after dedicating most of his life to writing about this thing we call “racing”. A lot of us learned what the Speedbowl game was really about from reading Zanardi stuff, and it’s going to be a huge set of shoes to fill. The good thing is that Pete’s not entirely retiring from the scene, and will still be writing racing.
 
“Sid’s Vault” on the Jeff Pearl website is an invaluable asset to both modern-day fans and also us “Old Timers”. Waterford stats are particularly hard to document because of all different parties involved with the track over the last 5+ decades, and this guy should be commended for his efforts….
 
Speedway Scene, once the “Bible” of the New England racing scene ran into some issues this season, ceasing weekly publication. That’s just a plain shame. Let’s hope that Val & company get back on track soon. The Scene’ is sorely missed…….
 
Speedbowl General Manager Bill Roth might just be the hardest working man in racing. The guy’s work ethic and dedication to the sport is just amazing….. 
 
We need to get Ed Reed Jr. back in the seat of a regular weekly ride.
 
And with that, it’s time to sign-off for another week. Contact me at ddykes@originnet.net 
 
 
Has anyone seen Tucker Reynolds Jr. ?