Idaho Racing News

Wow, three big days of racing for the badbasco racing team this weekend. After announcing at Meridian Speedway Friday and Saturday nights, watching SRP's Brandon Johnson race his way to his first Diamond Cup Victory, it was up bright and early for a day of action at SRP. The younger bad basco is in his third year of boxstock racing at Sandhollow, Brock Arte--my boy!. Now I LOVE being a fan and a part of Meridian Speedway, but i thoroughly enjoy the family atmosphere that Ron rateree and the gang have at SRP. The second sUNDAY AT srp FOR 2008 BROUGHT WARM WEATHER early as the days events got started. Another huge kart turnout for SRP as usual. The thing about SRP is that it is like a family reunion--where else can the littlest racers rub elbows with thier idols. The first thing my son wanted to do was to go see Brandon Johnson and his new Diamond ring. Brandon helped usout this year and handles his success very well around his extended family at the track. Brock reminds me everytime he watches Brandon at the track that if it wasn't for him and the Stirms along with Les and Deeann, , benny and Leanne, and grandma and grandpa we wouldn't be there racing with the newly formed ABC racing team of Ali Norton, Brock Arte, and CJ Stirm. The funny thing is that I have been around racing of some sort in the valley for the better part of my life. As a fan, tried to be a drive(we will save that for another time)an official, and now as announcer at Meridian Speedway. But what I learned in the last few years is how much of a family racers are--from the regulars at my radio show, to the friendships gained at the track, to me now watching my son not only have an idol like Brandon, but to be able to hang out and BS with him and all the families at SRP--the majority of the folks I talk with at meridian on a highly competitive night like last weekend, i see again on sundays and see they too are passing their love offracing on to their young kids--they are regular people just like me and Brock who have been on the outside looking up to them, and now i am proud to say we are them--moms and dads, friends, competitors--i try to cross promote the speedway at meridian and the speedway at Sandohollow in my positions as announcer, columnist, and someday aa radio host again--in the begining i remember refering to SRP as the small proving grounds that the johnsons, lockwoods, and hagers of today got there start at--but now i realize it is just a place they all come back to and get back to regular life--racing life---there are just as many champions at SRP as there are at Meridian or at any other track in th nation--i am just lucky enough to have ties at two of the best! I could write a whole page of the people who keep me coming back to either track each weekend, but you know who you are--friends, family----RACERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!