The final checkered flag has fallen on the 1995 Ohio Valley Dwarf Car season. All things considered, the season has been very successful for the OVDCA, with strong car counts consistently throughout the season, competitive racing, and a greater awareness of dwarf car racing by the area tracks and race fans.
Once again this year, the dwarfs have made a valuable contribution to the race program at 35 Raceway. In return, the track sponsored our first $1,000 to win show, with a strong payback throughout the twenty-car field, even though the entries dropped below the anticipated forty-car field. Weekly car counts continued to grow, providing an opportunity close racing for the experienced drivers, and plenty of track time for the newcomers. As always, the efforts of Keith Putnam, Bob Bowdle, and the many others who contribute to the operations at the track are appreciated.
The OVDCA also aggressively pursued race dates at a number of other race facilities for the 1995 season. Included in the schedule were Midway (two dates), Muskingum, R & R, Buckeye, and Attica. Originally scheduled as alternatives on the dates the Ohio Legend's series was scheduled at 35 Raceway, these events provided an opportunity to expose a greater number of fans and racers to dwarf car racing. This has proven to be very successful, with each of these facilities expressing interest in scheduling the OVDCA in '96. A major concern by all the promoters contacted was the quality of the show that the OVDCA could provide. Everyone who participated deserves a big thanks for their effort. The racing was fast but close, the show moved along smoothly and the drivers and crews made a good impression on all involved.
Given that we had no track record, a reasonable purse structure was requested for these events. Most of the promoters were not willing to pay out more than the street stock purse for an unproven division. We elected to structure this payout to spread more of the money to the entire field, as opposed to putting it all up front, as is the practice at many tracks. Now that we have proven ourselves, efforts will be made to increase these payouts for 1996.
As with any growing organization, there were growing pains in connection to rule enforcement, sportsmanship and scheduling. While the right decision may not have always been made, an effort was always made to do what was best for the OVDCA as a whole. A lot of lessons were learned.
In an effort to get an early start on the 1996 season, a meeting has been scheduled for October 29th. Issues to be discussed include scheduling for '96, rules, corporate sponsorship, election of committee members and anything else that the group feels is important. Additional details on the meeting follow in the newsletter.
