Midwest Racing Roundup by Tom Botos.
Hello everyone out there in the Midwest Racing world. I was a columnist and writer covering short track racing here in the Midwest for various racing publications and websites from 2008 until about 2011. I have decided to write this column again to promote our local short tracks and drivers that have entertained me for most of my life. I grew up going to Indianapolis Speedrome on Fridays and Saturdays back in the mid to late 70s and 80s. I really want to help our local tracks and drivers get the promotion and exposure that they deserve.
I love auto racing mainly short track racing on dirt and pavement. I can remember packed grand stands and bleachers with a roaring crowd after the national anthem. I want to do all I can to promote all types of racing to the best of my ability. I have fond memories of getting Mid American Auto Racing News and other racing papers every Friday here in Indianapolis. I wish there was some way we could bring back the racing papers at least at our local tracks. It is so much fun reading columns,results, and viewing racing photos during idle time and intermission.
I ask myself what can I do to help the tracks and drivers succeed in not only entertaining us the race fan but also be a successful business and make enough money to keep our tracks open.
I met Ron Verash several years ago at either Plymouth Speedway or New Paris Speedway. I am really impressed with Oval Track News and I think I have finally found a home for my racing column again. I hope everyone can bear with my misspellings and punctuation errors. My love for racing has never wavered in my 49 year’s of existence. When I pay and walk into the track gates it’s like reliving my childhood dream of being a columnist and writer asking myself can I do this and do the racing world justice?
I wish I could be half as good as Jerry Wahl with his column Dayton Chatter in Mid American Auto Racing News. He is a great guy doing an awesome job helping keep us fans informed on tracks like Kilkare (Oh) Speedway and Shady Bowl (OH) Speedway.
I would love to hear your racing stories growing up. Getting emails from fan’s going to both dirt and pavement tracks. I could sit and read racing history for hours at work on my lunch hour and break times. Race fans please email your racing stories,photos and pictures. We all have racing stories in us just waiting to get out. To me all of our experiences at tracks growing can be fun to read and tell other fan’s about. I do this because I love racing and I really want to give back to the racing community and be a positive thinker and role model for other kids that might have racing passion burning inside them! Race fans, drivers please email me at indybear3784@gmail.com or you can hit me up on Facebook messenger. We all have racing stories to tell and I really want to hear yours. Thanks everyone for listening and reading this.
Tom Botos
Midwest Racing Roundup
Indianapolis, IN
