Funfest 2006 At Lawrenceburg Speedway

The format gave racers a chance to run and gauge their equipment against similar cars from other tracks, and sometimes from other states, for the first time. The fact that the temperatures were in the high-20s and low-30s during the evening hours certainly didn't slow the flow of fans and racing teams, as each appeared in large numbers. It had the aura of a campground, with the campfires and the smell of chicken and ribs.

The Funfest has a close association with a local radio station, WSCH, where Marty Priarett provided publicity for the event. Eaglin says that Tom Weick, promoter at Lawrenceburg Speedway, helps make the event possible, as does Bryce Kendrick at the Grand Victoria.

Starting in 2004, Eaglin and Weick decided to come up with the Legend Driver Award at Funfest. The '04 and '06 award winners are two of the big names in stock car racing.

Jack Hewitt is one of the top names in dirt racing, best known for his open wheel exploits, but he's also a great full-body race car driver. He was known as an excellent driver in Dirt Late Models and UMP Modifieds, but several serious accidents brought his career to an end. Hewitt wanted one last time to sit behind the wheel, and he selected Lawrenceburg Speedway and Funfest 2004 as the place to do it.

For Funfest 2006, the Legend Driver Award went to C.J. Rayburn, a noted designer and builder of Dirt Late Model stock cars. Rayburn is credited with bringing more innovative ideas to the Late Model sport than anyone in dirt racing. From engines to chassis developments, he's been honored by a number of professional organizations.

Rayburn brought one of his one-off creations, a wild Dirt Late Model stocker carrying a number of massive vertical panels mounted on the car, to allow it to traverse an oval track without lifting.

Competing at Funfest has always been a very economical situation for the drivers, with an entry fee for all classes of just $20. Rules stipulate only one car per class, but racers can enter as many classes as desired for the $20 fee.

For the stock car classes, there was something for just about every taste. Here's the list of classes: Late Models, UMP Modifieds, Indiana Street Stocks, Bombers, Chevettes, Mini-Stocks, Cruisers, Enduro cars, Powder Puff cars, and Pure Stocks. Also, there were stock cars to support the demolition derby and the rollover contest.

The event attracted a number of pavement stock car racers who also wanted to join the fun. They just put on dirt tires and had a ball with everyone else.

The range of towing equipment was just about as diverse as the cars themselves. Starting at the top, there were a sufficient number of NASCAR-style semi haulers and snazzy motorhome pullers. From that point, it moved downward to more economical haulers. For the low-budget teams, open trailers became the norm, with some of the homemade variety. Some events had enough interesting twists to keep the fans hopping. The Cruisers, which used older large American sedans, had two drivers: one operating the steering and the other the brakes. It made for interesting action.

The demolition derby was also a hit. "We had 66 cars in the event and we let them all compete at the same time all over the track and infield," says Eaglin. "It was total chaos!"

But not every race car had a full body, as there were a number of open wheel classes, including non-winged Sprint Cars and Mini-Sprints. Also, there was Quad Runner drag racing on the front stretch of the track.

Then there was the crazy rollover contest in which the cars flipped off a ramp and tried to roll as many times as possible. Amazingly, some of those cars have returned as many as five years to compete.

Eaglin says that staging an event such as Funfest requires lots of cars and drivers. And to have that situation, you can't have tracks in the three-state area running against you. "Hardly any track scheduled against me, and I sure want to thank them for that," he says.

It also takes key people in key locations to keep things moving without total confusion during an event of this size. Eaglin says Steve Lovens, Junior Clarke, Tony Moore, personnel at Lawrenceburg Speedway, and the people who work for him all provide invaluable service during Funfest.

As this was the season's final event for a vast majority of the teams, and probably most would be installing new bodies over the winter, there wasn't much concern if there was a little rubbing of doors and fenders on the track. That situation helped make for some very competitive and crowd-pleasing racing.