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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

New ownership upgrades Bloomington Speedway

Bloomington Speedway USAC Larry Rice Classic Race

Jon Stanbrough emerges from the cool air of his trailer, his eyes zeroing in on the racecar parked several feet ahead at the base of the ramp. In one swift move, Stanbrough’s three-layer, fire-resistant suit is zipped to his chin, and his body is perched atop his sprint car, sliding down into its cramped roll cage.

Then, his routine begins: the seatbelt; the one-way radio earplugs; the alarm-red, fireproof head sock; the bulky helmet painted with patriotic stars and stripes; then thick, fire-resistant gloves.

“And then I’m just kind of trying to stay, I know it sounds funny, but trying to stay blank, not thinking about anything, especially the racing because you can’t, you never know what’s going to happen when you get on the racetrack,” Stanbrough says. “So, I don’t try to make any kind of plan.”

It’s about 80 degrees outside, and sitting right above the car’s engine, padded with layers of thick clothing, Stanbrough says it feels like its 100 degrees. But in sprint car 21x he remains focused.

In complete silence, Stanbrough’s pit crew gives the car’s chassis and aluminum outer body a final rundown before top mechanic Daryl Tate, in a cart attached to the rear of the sprint car, drives Stanbrough out to the lineup.

“Once I get fired up and I get lined up, and until they bring up the green flag, I’m not really thinking about anything other than getting a good start and making sure that I don’t make any contact with anybody and take myself out, or cause someone else to wreck,” Stanbrough says. “You got to be consistent. Stay out of trouble and finish races the highest position as
you possibly can.”

***

Stanbrough  was competing with 37 other sprint car racers Friday in the United States Auto Club Larry Rice Classic at the Bloomington Speedway.

The USAC is part of a handful of auto racing sanctioning bodies in the U.S. and has come to run one of the premier sprint car race seasons in the country. Entry-level and professional drivers travel to all parts of the country to participate in the championship. So far, sprint car drivers in this year’s USAC season have raced in various cities in Florida, Ohio and Indiana. 

As current point leader in this year’s season, Stanbrough was the only driver in a Leer Motorsports sprint car Friday. Leer Motorsports is owned by Bruce Leer, one of four partners who took over Bloomington Speedway two months and five races ago.

“Bloomington (Speedway) has a rich history — I think 80, 90 years of continuous operation,” says Dale Dillon, co-owner and principal of Dillon Racing, who races another Leer Motorsports sprint car and, along with the other partners, has been a long-time racing enthusiast. “The couple that operated before was ready to retire and get away from it. We thought it’d be a great opportunity for us to give it a go.”

The team signed a contract with Stanbrough at the start of this year’s season and has provided him with mechanics and resources connected to Leer Motorsports.

Dillon says Stanbrough, a 44-year old Avon, Ind., native, was chosen in part for his 32-year experience, as well as his status as a local fan favorite.

***

Like the rest of the teams supporting their drivers, three mechanics, as well as Tate’s wife and daughter, watch intently as 21x pounds the dirt track, drifting and gliding through laps.

“Any kind of racing, everyone loves racing around Indiana,” says Tate’s wife, Lisa, who handles the marketing and social media aspect of the business. “It’s more of a family thing. I remember coming as a kid, you know. My mom would drive all four of us to the races.”

It is this spirit and tradition as a family sport that Bloomington Speedway Partners LLC is aiming for as it works toward improving the track.

Minor changes have been made so far. An extra section of seating has been added in the pit, and a playground has been built on the other side of the oval track. 

“If we can get the entire family coming to the event, versus just the dad, you know, include the mom and children, you’re more likely to get them coming back because there’s stuff there for everybody to do at the track,” Dillon says. “It becomes more of an event than just a race.”

The new owners have already installed more lights within the arena. They are also looking into requests to widen the track, a change Dillon says would be implemented sometime next year. The team is currently sourcing for a large-screen LED monitor above the track to screen replays, as well as videos for entertainment between races.

“Yeah, it’s mostly been favorable things,” says Jeff Rihm, who has worked at the track for the past five years handling retail and providence of spare parts, tires and methanol to the various teams. “But I guess there’s always a learning curve. (The new owners) seem to be a lot more fan-friendly. There’re a lot more people coming in.”

***

21x drifts into the midst of the small crowd of Stanbrough’s family and friends gathered in front of the Roberts-Tate trailer. Stanbrough has come in sixth, losing to the champion of the night — Bobby East from Brownsburg, Ind.

As Stanbrough’s pit crew and Tate’s teenage daughter Erica rally around the car and begin to wipe off the mud and dirt that has gathered on its body and tires during the past five hours, the driver and his top mechanic retire to the corner to further discuss the race and track.

“Depending on what the track does, mechanics will try to read the track, see what it’s going to do, change tires, gears, anything that they need to do to change and adjust the car for the track,” said Lisa Tate.

Stanbrough’s loss has brought about a tinge of sadness, yet sentiments far from impressions of ultimate defeat.

“I’m better off in my chance in the championship chase, in finishing sixth ... than taking the chance, crash and finish last,” Stanbrough says about how points are given based on consistency throughout the season, rather than on the number of individual races a driver wins. “I’m more of the type of driver that wants to go out and win every race, but I’m pretty far along in my career and I would really like to have that USAC championship at least once before I retire.”

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