Is it just me or is there something missing this season at Kamp Motor Speedway as well as other short tracks all over the country? Are the car counts smaller as well as the fan counts? The answer is No and Yes, no it’s not just me and yes car and fan counts have been down. Why is that? Oh yeah when I looked outside a bit ago the station next door said regular unleaded $3.99 and diesel $4.59. This doesn’t include the cost of the grocery store, when I went to pick up a few things for just Bob and myself, my groceries came to $148. That was the amount after my savings from scanning my payless card. The total did give me an extra $0.10 off per gallon at the pump. I figured out that I spent $148 to save $2.00 at the pump. That’s about a 1/2 a gallon of fuel. That should get me home and back to the grocery because $148 only made two days worth of meals. In all seriousness I really don’t let the gas prices stop me from going where I want when I want but it does stop a lot of people and they could be drivers as well as fans. I am not quite sure on just how to combat the problem but I have been putting some thought into it.

My mind thought if you make a play area for the kids to play in and provide some supervision for them, parents could have a night out without having to drive to town or pay a sitter to watch them. We have the great entertainment AND the sitter plus if they were under 10 they also got in free. The big plus is that YOU didn’t have too worry about where they were and what they were up to. This would be a win win situation for people in Benton, Newton and Warren County who drive the 25 miles or so to Lafayette for dinner and a movie (that will be on DVD within three months). It would take less than a gallon of gas and the food at KMS is good and not near as much as Texas Road House. You didn’t need to find or pay a sitter because we entertained your kids for free and you got to see some fantastic racing. How can you beat that? The play area is located by the restrooms in the fenced in area. Last week I took the kids on a little field trip out into the pits. There they were able to spend some time with three of the Kamp Motor Speedway Late Model drivers. Kerry Mathew, Ted Loomis and Shawn Negangard were all very gracious about answering questions and letting each and every child sit in their cars (some sat in the cars twice). Who knows what is in store for them this week, maybe a hula hoop contest you never know with the way my mind works.

I’m not sure about what to do about the drivers yet but I would like to take this time to congratulate the drivers who were in the winners circle last week and they were;

In the Late Models it was the #0 of Richie “The Hitman” Hedrick who was holding the trophy and giving the speech in the Allstar Victory Lane for the first time this year. Richie was being followed by the #23 of Ted Loomis who could have used a caution but no caution came out and it was Richie who took home the win. Congratulations Richie on your feature win.

In the Modifieds for the 3rd time this year it was the #7R of Kent Robinson who was giving the victory interview. Kent has been a real power to reckon with this year and he has the trophies to back that up. Kent and his family are a real joy to have here at the track. Congratulations Kent on your feature win.

In the Sportsman class it was the #96 of Dave Rudisill who had raced his way into the Allstar Victory Lane. This was Dave’s first win at Kamp Motor Speedway this season but I am sure it won’t be his last. Congratulations Dave on your feature win.

In the Street Stock class for a 3-peat it was the #99 of Jerrad Krick who was walking away with the trophy and the winners check. Jerrad has been almost unstoppable this season which has put him in the lead for the K-Motion Valve Springs point chase in the Street Stock class. Congratulations Jerrad on your feature win.

If you notice we have a tie for 4th place in the Modified class. There was some controversy on who came in 4th, 5th and 6th in the Modified feature. We watched the feature video on Monday several times and slowed it down frame by frame. JR Coyner and Jim Ransom were so close coming over the finish line none of us watching the video could determine who’s nose came across first. The only thing we thought we could do was give 4th to both JR Coyner and Jim Ransom, both will receive 4th place points. Money for 4th and 5th place will be added together and split between the two drivers. We had showed on the feature finish that #18M of Matt Huddelston had come in 5th but after watching yesterday it was very clear he would have been in 6th place.

This weeks 50/50 drawing worth $284 was won Joe Buyno of Ridge Farm, IL. Joe was holding ticket #203754. Congratulations Joe on your win.

The “Kids Trophy” was won by Nathan Russell age 10 of Lafayette, IN. Congratulations Nathan on your win.

The “Kamp Lucky 5″ drawing worth $500 was won by John Metzinger of Lowell, IN. John was holding stub #002009 drawn out by Sportsman winner #96 Dave Rudisill. Congratulations John on your win. This weeks drawing will be worth $100.

June 7th is Twin City Dodge-Chrysler Double Down night at the speedway and we will have Kamp Motor Speedway drivers who will have their cars at Twin City on Friday evening June 6th. Right now the cars lined up are Late Model driver Rob Starkey, Modified driver JR Coyner, Sportsman driver David Huff, Street Stock driver Jesse Peters and a Modlite car. K105 will also be there to do a radio remote. Please stop out and say hi. Nate Barrett of Twin City Dodge-Chrysler has shown a lot of interest in Kamp Motor Speedway and is sponsoring the double down feature win payout.

There is a lot of good racing coming up in the next several weeks that you won’t want to miss. This weekend is the Street Stock Memorial Special for $1000 to the winner, May 31st is the American Late Model Series Sunoco race for $2000 to the winner. June 7th is Twin City Dodge-Chrysler Double Down night and June 14th is the UMP Late Model summer Nationals. Be sure to mark your calendars for the upcoming great racing at Kamp Motor Speedway.

We would like to send our thoughts and get well quickly wishes to Gerry Gobel who works the lanes at Kamp Motor Speedway. Gerry suffered a heart attack last week and had to have his heart shocked back into rhythm. Fortunately there was no muscle damage to the heart. His doctors have ordered him to do nothing but rest for the next 4 or 5 weeks. Hurry and get well Gerry we miss you.

In closing with the Memorial Day weekend coming up I would again ask you to keep our armed forces serving at home and abroad in your thoughts and prayers. They are spending their holiday as well as everyday fighting to keep our country free of terrorism. I would also ask you to be sure to choose a designated driver if your holiday involves any liquid cheer whether your out on a camp out or at the Indianapolis 500. Choosing a designated driver helps to keep you and those around you safe . With all that said have a safe and happy holiday weekend and be sure to be happy and be safe.

Gayle

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It looks like May has finally arrived and hopefully the rain showers are behind us at least for the weekend anyway. It really hasn’t been very good for the Indy track either so maybe some sunshine will help that also. The sunshine will help but I am afraid that the spiking in gas prices is going to hurt not just for us but for everyone in the entertainment business. Unlike some entertainment facilities though we do have entertainment that the whole family can enjoy for a reasonable price.

Now it’s time to congratulate our last weeks winners and they are;

In the Late Model it was the #25 of Jason Feger who was giving the speech and accepting the trophy in the Allstar Victory Lane. Jason is driving a new Pierce car and he has it figured out as he has already had two KMS wins this year. Congratulations Jason on your win.

In the Modifieds it was the #J16 of Jason Lakey who had wielded his way into Allstar Victory Lane. Jason has been pushing to a win with two second place finishes this year and finally a win. Jason is also our current points leader in the Modified class. Congratulations Jason on your win.

In the Sportsman it was the #00 of Jaret Lueck who was accepting the trophy and giving the interview on Saturday night. It was just a matter of time before Jaret made it to Victory Lane with the qualifying times he has had. Congratulations Jaret on your win.

In the Street Stock class it was the #99 of Jerrad Krick who made his way to the checkered flag first on Saturday night. Jerrad is very competitive in his racing and was the 2007 Street Stock champion. Congratulations Jerrad on your feature win.

The Powderpuff was won by Linda Gregory. Linda was driving son Brent Gregory’s Street Stock car. Congratulations Linda on your win.

This weeks 50/50 drawing worth $202 was won by Francisco Vazque of Lafayette, Indiana. Francisco was holding ticket #039409. Congratulations Francisco on your win.

The kids trophy was won by Taylor McGinley age 10 of Thorntown, Indiana. Congratulations Taylor on your win.

Again no one hit the “Kamp Lucky 5″ drawing. This weeks drawing will be worth $500, if no one hits it this week it will stay at $500 until someone hits it.

This weekend is Armed Forces Night at the speedway and any active military in uniform or with a valid military I.D. will be admitted into the grandstands free of charge.

As I announced on Saturday we are putting together a play area for the little ones at Kamp Motor Speedway. We have put in a sandbox (built by Jim Westfall of Westfall Auto Repair in West Lafayette, Indiana) and some Little Tyke playthings along with a picnic table. It is located behind the grandstands by the restrooms in the fenced in area. There are other things planned to do in there but the rain and cold has hampered the work on that project.

Don’t forget if you are looking to purchase track pictures be sure to go to links on the front of the website and click on TCP Photos. By clicking on the TCP you will go to their website, click on Kamp Motor Speedway pictures. We also have pictures you can view on the Kamp Motor Speedway Myspace page.

In closing I would again ask you to keep our armed forces serving at home and abroad in your thoughts and prayers as they wage the war against terrorism. They do their job so you can be free to do yours. With all that said until next time be happy and be safe.

Gayle

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Just when you think May is finally here and the weather should be nice with sunshine and warm breezes up pops “Old Man Winter” again. The phone at the track was ringing off of the hook with people wanting to know are we racing or is it raining. Heck who was worried about rain we were checking to make sure there wasn’t a snow storm brewing somewhere. The rain and snow did hold off for the evening and we were able to get the races in but it was definitely a cold one. I do want to thank the drivers, their crews and families as well as the fans who came out to support the racing at Kamp Motor Speedway on such a cold evening.

Speaking of drivers I would like to take this time to congratulate the feature winners from May 3rd.

In the Late Model for his first ever Late Model win it was the #14 of Kerry Mathew who was giving the speech and accepting the trophy in the Allstar Victory Lane. It really was just a matter of time for Kerry’s win to come along as he is one of the most improved drivers at Kamp Motor Speedway. Kerry and his family are always a joy to have at Kamp Motor Speedway and we want to applaud Kerry’s Late Model win. Congratulations Kerry on a great job of racing. We would also like to congratulate Rob Starkey on his heat win. Something happened to Rob’s car and he did not start the feature.

In the Modifieds it was the #130 of Chad Osterhoff who had wielded his way into Allstar Victory Lane. Chad won the last Modified feature of the 2007 season and it sure hasn’t taken him long to get back into the swing of things this season. Congratulations Chad on your feature win.

In the Sportsman it was the #27 of Derrick Hufford who was accepting the trophy and giving the interview on Saturday night. Derrick finished just ahead of his dad Scott to take the win and close behind was Grandpa Rick Hufford who finished 4th. Congratulations Derrick on your feature win and congratulations to the whole Hufford team on a great Sportsman race.

In the Street Stock class it was the #99 of Jerrad Krick who made his way to the checkered flag first on Saturday night. Jerrad is very competitive in his racing and was the 2007 Street Stock champion. Congratulations Jerrad on your feature win.

In the Modlites it was the #22 of Brian Menefee who made his way to the Allstar Victory Lane. The Modlites are a fun group to have here at the track and we want to congratulate Brian on his feature win.

Because of the cold the decision was made to postpone the Powderpuff race until this weekend May 10th.

This weeks 50/50 winner was Lee Bender of West Lafayette, Indiana. Lee was holding ticket number 038618 worth $204.50. Congratulations Lee on your win.

This weeks “Kid’s Trophy” winner was Sawyer Laffoon of Sheldon, Illinois. Sawyer is 3 years old. Congratulations Sawyer on your win.

There was no “Kamp Lucky 5″ winner this week. This weeks pot will be worth $400

This weekend is Mother’s Day and we would like to wish all of our Mother’s out there a Happy Mother’s Day. To celebrate Mother’s Day the first 100 mothers through the grandstands will receive a flower as a Happy Mother’s Day wish from us here at Kamp Motor Speedway.

As I announced on Saturday we are putting together a play area for the little ones at Kamp Motor Speedway. We have put in a sandbox (built by Jim Westfall of Westfall Auto Repair in West Lafayette, Indiana) and some Little Tyke playthings along with a picnic table. It is located behind the grandstands by the restrooms in the fenced in area. There are other things planned to do in there but the rain and cold has hampered the work on that project.

We would like to congratulate Mike and Gina Staggs on the birth of their new son. Morgan Wayne Staggs was born sometime last week (I don’t have the particulars on the day and time). Morgan weighed 8 lbs 7 1/2 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. Both mother and baby are doing fine. Morgan is also welcomed home by big brother Michael. Congratulations to the whole Staggs family.

In closing I would again ask you to keep our armed forces serving at home and abroad in your thoughts and prayers as they wage the war against terrorism. They do their job so you can be free to do yours. With all that said until next time be happy and be safe.

Gayle

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April 26th was a very chilly night for this late in the month of April, chilly for my tulips, chilly for the mushrooms that don’t seem to be popping up, chilly for racing and very chilly for the Kamp Motor Speedway fans. They did however brave the chilly temperatures to come out and watch the great night of racing our drivers put on. Maybe we should have called it “The Chilly Bowl of the Midwest.” We did, pardon the pun have plenty of Chili and hot beverages available to help warm the insides even if the outsides were frozen.

As I mentioned the drivers put on a great show on Saturday night even with the chilly weather and I would like to take this time to congratulate all of our feature winners.

In the Late Models for the $2000 to win NALMS race it was our very own Kamp Motor Speedway reigning Late Model champion #25 Jason Feger who took the checkered flag. Jason took the win just ahead of #28 Dennis Erb Jr. and the #5s of Steve Sheppard Jr. The Late Model race was very exciting to watch and Jason’s exciting style of racing is why they call him the High Side Hustler. Congratulations Jason on your feature win.

In the Modifieds for a repeat win it was the #7R of Kent Robinson who was again giving the interview in the Allstar Victory Lane. As I said last week Kent as well as the whole Robinson family are a joy to have here at Kamp Motor Speedway on and off of the track. I do believe (Note* I am laughing as I am typing this, in case you don’t know my sense of humor) the #J16 of Jason Lakey would like to see Kent stay home as he has been the driver right behind the winner when the checkers dropped the past two weeks. Congratulations Kent on your feature win.

In the Sportsman it was the #66B of Jim Bailey who crossed the checkers first to take the Sportman feature win. Jim was starting to be on the top of his game at the close of last years season, it looks like he stayed on top as he wielded his way to the Allstar Victory Lane. Congratulations Jim on your feature win.

In the Street Stocks for his first feature win at Kamp Motor Speedway it was the #21 of Ben Maxson who was holding the feature win trophy in the Allstar Victory Lane. Ben put on a great show to entertain the crowd and his consistent driving paid off with this weeks Street Stock win. Congratulations Ben on your feature win.

The 50/50 drawing worth $265 was won by Scott Murphy of Rensselaer, IN. Scott was holding ticket #246137. Congratulations Scott on your win.

The winner of the kids trophy drawing this week was Stacie Loveless of Lafayette, IN, Stacie is 4 years old. Congratulations Stacie on your win. Stacie was also joined in the Allstar Victory Lane by her twin sister.

There was no winner in the “Kamp Lucky 5″ drawing this week, that purse will be worth $300 on May 3rd.

This Saturday May 3rd will be the return of the U.S. Modified Lites and the first of two Street Stock Powderpuff races. We will watch as the girls take to the track to show off their driving skills. No!! yours truly will stay off of the track and stay in the pit office paying out drivers. I will just stick to speeding on the interstate. One Powderpuff race for me was enough to last a lifetime. We will of course also have our full program of Late Models, Modifieds, Sportsman and Street Stocks putting on the great sport of racing as they do every week.

There is yet another rumor floating around concerning us, Kamp Motor Speedway, Tony Stewart and pit lights. I will stress once again Tony Stewart “DOES NOT” own any part of Kamp Motor Speedway. He did not add the lights in the pits, Bob and I did. He has however purchased an advertising back stretch sign this season. The sign simply says “SMOKE” with his logo . So when you hear the rumor please tell the person repeating it that you know for fact that only Bob and Gayle Kamp own Kamp Motor Speedway not Tony Stewart. You can tell them you got that information directly from the horses mouth.

We are working on a kids area at the track. We are in the process of turning the fenced in area by the restrooms into a play area for the little ones. We have added a sandbox which was built and donated by Jim and Cyrena Westfall of Westfall Auto Repair in West Lafayette, IN. JIm and Cyrena do a lot of things for the track to help out and make things better. If you Late Models drivers take a look at your banquet trophies you will notice they say sponsored by Westfall Auto Repair. Thanks Jim for building the sandbox and providing the sand to go in it(I did help paint it). We have also purchased a couple of picnic tables to put in there along with coloring books and crayons and of course sandbox toys. Brittany Buyno will be in charge of chaperoning the play area. We will be adding and doing more games and activities as we go.

In closing I would again ask you to keep our armed forces in your thoughts and prayers as they serve at home and abroad to ensure our freedom. This year Indiana has a voice in the electoral vote for the presidential nominees. Don’t forget to exercise your Indiana right to place your vote on May 6th. With all that said until next time be happy and be safe.

Gayle

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After a rain soaked night and an “iffy” morning and afternoon Kamp Motor Speedway cars took to the track for some long awaited racing excitement. There were 54 Modifieds, 12 Late Models, 24 Sportsman, 24 Street Stocks and 10 Modified Lites in the house to make the racing awesome. I would like to take this time to congratulate the winners of those classes.

In the Late Models it was the #25 of Dan Walden who reached the checkers first to take the first trophy and win of the 2008 season. Dan did a great job out there and a win for him was long over due. What a great way to start the season congratulations Dan on your feature win.

The Modified race which was a Wolfpack Special was won by the #7R of Kent Robinson. It is always a pleasure to have Kent and his family in the house and Saturday was no different. Congratulations Kent on your feature win.

Wow!!!! did you see all of the Sportsman drivers? We had more than a full field Saturday and leading the way to the checker flags was the #46 of Scott Buchanan. Scott is the “tall quiet one” out there racing and he is always a pleasure to have at Kamp Motor Speedway. Congratulations Scott on your feature win.

The Street Stock feature was won by the #85 of Nate Alexander. Nate lead the 100 lap feature last year until problems arose with his car. I know that was a disappointment to him, but he made up for that loss on Saturday. Congratulations Nate on your feature win.

In the Modified Lites it was the #22 of Brian Menefee who was giving the victory interview and accepting the trophy. The Modlites are always a pleasure to have racing with us and we want to congratulate Brian on his feature win.

Modified driver Chuck Haga broke or should I say shattered the Modified record that was held by Chad Kinder. Chuck turned a qualifying lap time of 14.344. Congratulations Chuck on your record lap.

Racing wasn’t so great for Late Model driver V77 Gut Volk who hit the wall at the track exit. Luckily Guy walked away sore but unscathed, the new car wasn’t so lucky. We are glad your ok Guy and hopefully the car isn’t as bad as it looked.

We had other winners at the track on Saturday night and they were 50/50 winner RT Trinkle from Lafayette, IN. RT won $298.50 with ticket # 245202. The winner of the kids drawing for the trophy in the winners circle was Haylee Adams of Lafayette. Haylee is 4 years old . Congratulations to both RT and Haylee on their wins. No one hit the Kamp Lucky 5 drawing and the pot will rollover to $200 for this Saturdays drawing.

Not everything went as smooth as silk Saturday and we have a few incidents that need to be corrected. We did have a small confrontation between Street Stock drivers. The incident was resolved but we won’t tolerate this kind of behavior from our drivers. The matter will be turned over to UMP. We also had an oil dump in the pits, this also will not be tolerated. We keep a container for used oil in the pits, anyone caught dumping oil or leaving tires will be fined. Another thing is the announcer and scoring booth, only track personnel is allowed in the booth. If you have a gripe you need to find Bob or myself you are not to go to the announcers booth. The driver will be the one to get the penalty from crews and family complaints in the announcers booth. There was also a problem of drivers not making their heat. Bob calls the heats to the lanes once, then gives a last call. Because of it being the first night the flagman also allowed two extra parade laps to give them time to get out there. They did not arrive in time. It is our obligation to get the line-up board posted, it is not our duty to make sure you get to where you need to be when you need to be there. You need to be on your toes and know what heat is running. When one heat is on the track the next should be lined up and ready to go. This is how it has always been and these were not new drivers to KMS.

Back to more pleasant words, I was very pleased with our new announcer Rob Goodman. Rob did an awesome job Saturday and we are pleased to have him aboard.

We want to thank Lane Automotive and Holley for having the Lane/Holley Challenge Night. Lane representative John Berglund was on hand all evening with certificates for the winners and tossing out hats in the grandstands. Thanks John for being here and helping out the drivers with certificates. We also want to thank Bob Applget from Dirt Late Model and Dirt Modified Magazine. Bob is putting together an article for Dirt Modified on Kamp Motor Speedway.

We would like to send our condolences out to Heather Thomas whose grandmother passed away this week. We are saddened by your loss.

In closing I would again ask you to keep our armed forces serving at home and abroad to keep this country free of terrorism. They keep a watch so we can enjoy life as we all know it. With all that said until next time be happy and be safe.

Gayle

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