20 years ago, speedway was the place to be

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Every young sportswriter has dreams of covering major league baseball, the NFL and major college football. Around these parts, as a 22-year-old intern at The Forum, the summer auto racing beat was the biggest deal crowd-wise outside of Bison football.

That was me 20 years ago, and my knowledge of auto racing extended to a couple of trips to the local quarter-mile track as a kid in Princeton, Minn.

So my first few trips out to the then-half mile dirt track in West Fargo in 1993 was an entirely different experience. First, it was more popular than I imagined. Secondly, it was louder than I imagined. To prove my point, I typically stood about 5 feet away from the legend of area auto racing announcing, Rod Miller. And EVEN I COULDN’T HEAR HIM.

Its not that I didn’t enjoy the Friday night trips out to the fairgrounds. I eventually looked forward to it. The big reason was the drivers and Miller dazzling me with his racing statistics going back to the early 1900s that he kept in his well-worn spiral notebook.

But the drivers were the characters.

Bob Sagen, Mike Sitzmann, Troy Olson, Mike Bruns, Corky Thomas, Barry Robertson and a young 15-year-old former go-kart racer who eventually got his real driver’s license, Donny Schatz.

If memory serves me correctly, that kid has had pretty decent career and made friends with some no-name big-time NASCAR star Tony Stewart.

Schatz wowed the crowd of 5,600 and other drivers almost 20 years ago to this day, May 1. He took first in his heat, beating the veteran Sitzmann to the line. Although Sitzmann eventually won the feature that night, Schatz’s night sparked his career.

Soon, he was running full time with the World of Outlaws.

Going to the races was the thing to do, and maybe perhaps, one of the only things to do in the summer. There were no RedHawks games or other entertainment options that truly competed with racing. And racing back then was simple. Late models, street stocks, Wissota modifieds and the rough (and sometimes tumble) sprint cars. It was good variety for the price of admission.

How big was local racing? The Forum even sold t-shirts with various racing stories and photos printed on them that year. I still have a couple in a sealed plastic bag.

And that’s how RRVS memories should be kept. Bottled and sealed up. While its doubtful anyone can make a go of it anymore promoting the track as a full-time race facility, anyone who took the checkered flag there will remember those steamy summer nights with packed grandstands and Miller’s voice carrying across the infield.

 

Tough weekend for reporters

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First, Mrs. Christian Ponder (the former Samantha Steele) gets a lift from Notre Dame players Saturday. From the looks of things, Sam won’t be picked up by Mr. Ponder anytime soon.

Notre Dame players lift up television reporter Samantha Ponder during Media Day for the BCS National Championship college football game Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013, in Miami. Notre Dame faces Alabama in Monday’s championship game.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Then a Minneapolis TV reporter gets bulldozed.

Then TXA21 reporter Jeff Jamison has a live shot get a bit out of hand at the Cotton Bowl.

 

Weather photos always welcomed

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The hail that fell around Detroit Lakes and the intense flooding in Duluth, Minn., the past few days reminds us to remind you to send us your weather photos.

The Duluth News Tribune highlighted several photos Wednesday shot by residents. Those photos were also posted on Twitter, Facebook and various other web and social media sites.

We also extend the invitation for videos, too.

While inforum.com and areavoices.com can handle smaller file sizes, the larger the photo you send, the better the quality. That also increases the chance we’ll consider it for the print edition of The Forum.

As usual, we’ll give credit where credit is due. So please include your name and phone number if you send in images, as well as a description of the photo. You know, the time, date, place sort of thing. Once in a while, we’ll need to contact the photographer for additional information.

And remember, if you’re out during severe weather, please stay safe.

Unless otherwise directed on our website, you can send images to web@forumcomm.com.

From the archives: Driver, 15, gets RRV thrill

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Story originally published May 1, 1993

By Rob Beer

The Forum

There were some thrills, chills and spills on opening night at the Red River Valley Speedway Friday:

Some chills as in a temperature of 50 degrees at the first green flag.

Some spills as in what Jason Geringer from West Fargo and Chad Chenoweth from Huron, S.D., had in the Wissota modifieds.

Sonny Mack from East Grand Forks, Minn., provided even more spills when his sprint car rolled six times in front of the grandstand on the second lap.

Some thrills as in what Donny Schatz from Minot, N.D., had driving in his first sprint car race.

Schatz is a 15-year-old rookie who finished first in his heat and sixth in the feature.

“Age has nothing to do with that guy,” said Fargo’s Mike Sitzman, the feature winner. He runs a really straight line.”

Schatz drove bumper-to-bumper with drivers twice his age. Even a capacity crowd didn’t seem to faze him.

“The people don’t bother me, its the speeds and quicker reactions you have to have,” Schatz said. “It makes you nervous every once in a while, but once I get strapped down, I settle down.”

“If I was 15 years old, I’d be scared,” said veteran driver Chuck Swenson of Watertown, S.D.

But Schatz is not a stranger to driving. He got his drivers permit when he was 14 and his license when he was 15.

Schatz grew up driving go-karts. He won numerous championships in Minot. But it was the bigger sprint cars his father, Danny, drove that started his interest.

“He used to race ever since I was little,” Schatz said. “I always wanted to race cars.”

Though he may lack some experience, he said he has a lot of drive to perform well.

“I tried,” he said. “I’m just getting used to the strength it takes to drive a car. It takes a lot of endurance. I just did the best I could.”

Despite the cool temperatures, a packed house of 5,600 turned out of the season opener. With cancellations at the track in Grand Forks, N.D., and Rapid City, S.D., manager Bruce Olson expected 15 to 20 more cars at Red River Valley Speedway.

Sprint results

Heat 1 – Donny Schatz, Minot. 2, Mike Sitzman, Fargo. 3, Loren Langerud, Fargo. 4, Raleigh Sandberg, Long Prairie, Minn. 5, Tim Mulvey, Northwood.

Heat 2 – Lou Kennedy, Jr., Winnipeg. 2, Chuck Swenson, Watertown. 3, Randy Nygaard, Hartford, 4, Fran Bruns, Madison. 5, Rick Aukland, Fargo.

Feature – 1, Sitzman. 2, Swenson. 3, Bruns, 4, Kennedy. 5, Aukland.