It's Time to Write About Racing Again

I decided to bring RaceChaser blog back for 2025 after taking the 2024 season off.  I was burned out in the spring of 2024, plus my “real” job status was uncertain. My potato book job at North Dakota State was funded by a grant that was expiring, and I didn’t have anything more secure lined up at that point. With that uncertainty and being burned out, it made sense to take a break.

This year, I have a more secure job at NDSU I’m thankful for (writing about research professors and staff are doing), and I feel the break away from blogging was good.

I was curious what the response would be when I talked about returning, particularly if people still have interest in seeing a blog like this. The response was great. Almost every sponsor I had in 2023 is coming back in 2025.  Some new sponsors have come on board.   I am overwhelmed by the sponsors who are supporting the blog. I’ve received several comments of encouragement as well.

This blog has always been written from a fan’s perspective and not a driver. I am a fan and try and call things like I see them on the track or in racing. My view is different than drivers, and I get that. The blog does feature drivers, whether in profile stories or in racing reports, but is written by a fan.

I have some tracks as sponsors which I am grateful for, and they will get coverage for sure but I’m not going to be confined to one geographical area. There will be sometrips to Jamestown, Watertown and Bemidji and other places, for example. I hope to hit Madison and Montevideo down in my home area as well. One weekend we are staying at a cabin in the Brainerd area, so might be a good chance to hit North Central Speedway for some coverage. I want to feature more than 30 drivers in stories this year and like to do them from different areas. It helps draw different folks to the site. In the end, I just want to cover racing with no real set coverage plan or area. The variety is more fun that way plus there is a lot of stories to tell.

I also plan to cover some races remotely again, particularly if family commitments need me to stay closer to home.

I admit I felt a little lost at the races last year. I was so used to walking around the pits and talking to people for blog notes or just catching up; last year I didn’t honestly know what to do at the track. I did do some evaluations of racing programs – eight to be exact – and that was fun to check things out in different areas. But it wasn’t the same as blogging. Writing is my outlet, and not writing about action on the track felt a little empty.

I may do some stories on drivers who I’ve featured years ago – some have switched classes and made some headlines in those. I may do some more behind the scenes stories as time allows.

In any case, I look forward to a good summer of racing. Lord-willing.

Here is what I am not:

--perfect. I will make mistakes in stories and sometimes in judgment.

--beholden to any sanctioning body or track. I will strive to be fair and not personally attack people but I’m not afraid to speak my opinion when warranted. If I think a sanctioning body or track does something wrong or can do something better operationally or procedurally, I won’t hesitate to say it. Not everyone will agree with me. That’s fine. It’s OK to have different opinions.

--a technical expert. This blog won’t be about technical rules of racing.  When I comment on sanctioning bodies/tracks it will be on procedural and operational things, not on what engines are run or what tires are run.  I don’t know much about those things, and frankly they don’t interest me. The people who write the checks for race teams have every right to worry about those rules; me as a fan, I don’t need to.

--a fan of weekly shows that run way longer than they need to or should. That hasn’t changed in the year away.

--is doing a podcast. It doesn’t interest me, plus there are several out there who cover racing in the region well.

Things I’ve learned:

--there are no perfect drivers or racetracks. People make mistakes. Someone getting into someone and spinning them once in a long while is different than someone who wrecks people on a regular basis. Habitual offenders are the ones I will tend to call out.

--most people in racing work their rear ends off, whether it’s on a race car or a racetrack. There are a lot of unsung heroes who work on race cars and work at weekly shows at racetracks. And a ton of time and money invested by drivers that not all fans understand.

--sponsors are huge in racing. I am so grateful for mine.

--well-prepared racetracks almost always put on a good show. Love multi-lane racing. Fans do as well.

--there are so many good folks in racing, and I need to remember that when the few bad apples attempt to spoil it.

--there are still way too many classes, some of which have zero interest to fans. That, I will never waver on.