Big Money Racing

"I don't think you race it any differently," says racer Ricky Weeks, "because no matter how much a race pays, you want to win it. If doesn't matter if they are paying you in popcorn-you race to win. I always give everything I've got, so I don't think it's possible for me to race a big-money race any differently than I do a weekly event."

Unfortunately, the track had trouble handling the extreme horsepower put down by the many cars competing. It rutted up pretty badly on both Friday and Saturday nights. The rain didn't help, but the track's management also watered the racing surface quite a bit on Friday night. Many racers wondered aloud why the dirt was never given a chance to glaze over.

"We've really struggled with this dirt, but we are learning more and making great strides," Slack explains. "We finally hit on it last fall and the track held up beautifully in our World Short Track Championships, but all the rain hurt us. We have to keep the dust down because of our location. We have the highway (just beyond Turns 1 and 2), and there is a neighborhood on the other side. The dirt here can get black and slick up, but the problem is it takes about an hour and a half of just an unbearable dust storm before it will do it. That's why we can't do it. We just don't have the materials to do that yet, but we are working on it."

Thirty-six cars started the A-main on Saturday night, but the track-which had been resurfaced after the B and C transfers-quickly deteriorated and began taking its toll on the cars. The ruts were consistently knocking tires off the beads, and a yellow flag flying from the flag stand was a common sight. Still, the drivers raced hard and managed to put on a good show as they tried to dodge the roughest areas on the track. Unfortunately, only 12 cars were still on the track when the checkered flag flew.

The winner was Scott Bloomquist, a driver who always seems to shine when the stakes are the highest. After starting the feature in the fourth position, Bloomquist took the lead on the 51st lap and didn't relinquish it the rest of the way. By staying out front he managed to avoid other cars having trouble and kept his ride relatively clean.

"I'll tell you what, I'm worn out," Bloomquist said after battling both the competition and the dirt. Still, despite the troubles, he was quick to say he's rooting for the Colossal to be a continued success. "I think this is a heck of a sign of what's to come. With the weather they had and the crowd they had (estimated around 7,000) despite the weather, this is going to be a helluva event annually."

Before Bloomquist even left Victory Lane, the track announced that the second edition of the Colossal 100 would be held in April 2007. Here's to hoping Mother Nature cooperates.