Monday, August 30, 2010

AFL moves to 18-game regular season schedule for 2011

AFL Press Release

AFL moves to 18-game regular season schedule for 2011


TULSA- The 2011 Arena Football League regular season has been extended from 16 games to 18, Commissioner Jerry Kurz announced today. The league will consist of 19 teams and each will play 18 regular season games, with the option of two preseason games (one home and one away). The change was passed in an ownership vote last week during the league’s Board of Directors meeting in Phoenix, AZ.

“There has never been a better time for the Arena Football League,” said Commissioner Jerry Kurz. “The product is exciting, our economic model is sound and fans are demanding affordable family entertainment. Extending our season is a great decision, both from a business and fan perspective,”

Read more here.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

The Iowa Crush Want you!

Are you a female and love football? Have you ever wanted to play football but the boys wouldn't let you? Well now you can! The Iowa Crush of the Independent Womens Football League are holding tryouts!

theiowacrush.com

The Crush are currently looking to expand our team. We are looking for individuals interested in being part of a great organization with the desire to help the team continue to grow.

If you are interested in joining the team as a player, coach, or volunteer please visit the Join the Crush link and fill out the form. A member of the team will then contact you. The team is looking for volunteers to join the public relations team, the medical team, the fundraising and community service teams, 2011 game day operations team, and other areas. If you would like to help in some venue and don't know exactly where you would fit in, fill out a form or directly email theiowacrush@hotmail.com. If you are interested in joining the team as a sponsor, please contact Kenn at 515-289-6701. For those interested in playing, here are the tryout dates for this summer:

August 21 in Iowa City at City Park (200 E. Park Road) 11 am - 1 pm
August 28 in Ames at Oneal Park (300 S. Maple Ave.) 12 pm - 2 pm
September 18 in Des Moines at Stilwell Junior High School (1601 Vine St) 10 am - 12 pm

(If those dates do not work, email theiowacrush@hotmail.com to set up a time and date to tryout individually. We do not want anyone to lose out on this amazing opportunity to play football because their summer/ fall is busy!)

Friday, August 20, 2010

Arena Bowl XXIII goes to the Spokane Shock

The Spokane Shock had little difficulty in defeating the Tampa Bay Storm 69-57 in Arena Bowl XXIII.

The Storm had no answer for Shock QB Kyle Rowley, who threw 9 touchdown passes against highly rated Tampa Bay defense. The Shock scored on 9 out of 10 possessions and Rowley was named Arena Bowl MVP.

Congratulations Spokane Shock

Arena Bowl XXIII to be played despite the lack of Iowa Barnstormers

Arena Bowl XXIII to be played despite the lack of Iowa Barnstormers

Iowa Barnstormers Examiner

Hey Stormer fans! The Barnstormers season may be over, but there is still one more game left to be played in the 2010 Arena Football League season. The Spokane Shock and the Tampa Bay Storm take the field Friday night for an epic battle known as Arena Bowl XXIII.

It’s only fitting. These two teams took turns at the top of the coaches’ polls all season long, and in the end, proved to be the two best teams in the league this season. The Shock, rocking the league’s best record at 13-3, will host the game at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. According to the Tampa Bay Storm Facebook page, “Arena Bowl XXIII is a sellout. The building in Spokane holds 10,800 and 11 thousand tickets have been sold.”

The Tampa Bay Storm are no strangers to the Arena Bowl, having appeared in the championship game five times before. In 1996 they squeaked out a 42-38 win over our beloved Barnstormers at Veterans Memorial Auditorium to grab the title. They also won championships in 1991, 1993, 1995, and 2003, making them one of the most successful organizations in AFL history. A victory in Arena Bowl XXIII would give the Storm an unprecedented sixth championship.

The Spokane Shock, on the other hand, are in just their first season at the top level of arena football, having previously been part of the AF2. They have two AF2 Arena Cup titles, but this will be their first appearance in the title game of the Arena Football League. First-time head coach and former Shock player Rob Keefe appeared in the championship game twice during his time in the old AF2, once as a player and once as a coach. He also competed in Arena Bowl XXII as a player with the Philadelphia Soul in 2008. The mayor of Spokane, Mary Verner, has proclaimed Friday, August 20, 2010 as “Paint the Town Orange Day” in honor of the Spokane Shock hosting Arena Bowl XXIII. In addition to the city proclamation, Gov. Christine Gregoire has proclaimed August 20, 2010 as “Spokane Shock Day” throughout the entire state of Washington.

Nerds.

The game will be televised on the NFL Network at 8:00pm Eastern time. Iowa Barnstormer hall of famer and “greatest player in Arena Football League history” Kurt Warner will call the game along side former Iowa Hawkeye quarterback Paul Burmeister, who will be handling the play-by-play and sideline reporters Anthony Herron and Ari Wolfe.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Iowa Pro Sports Fantasy Football League on NFL.com!

Wanna play some fantasy football? I've created a FREE league to play in at NFL.com. There is no money involved, it's just for fun and bragging rights. Feel free to join and have some fun! It's a 12-team league. First come, first served.

The password is..... iowa.
http://iowaprosports.league.fantasy.nfl.com

And here's a little more info about the Iowa Pro Sports fantasy football league.

http://fantasy.nfl.com/league/153800/settings

It's an automated draft set for September 3, so all you need to do is pre-rank your players before then, if you choose to, and the computer does the rest.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

It's official! Iowa Speedway to get a second NASCAR Nationwide race date in 2011!

Iowaspeedway.com

TWO NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES RACES CONFIRMED FOR IOWA SPEEDWAY IN 2011


(NEWTON, Iowa) Iowa Speedway officials have confirmed that the Newton oval track facility will host two NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2011. The highly-anticipated events will ‘bookend’ the track’s racing season next year, with the first 250-lap contest scheduled for Sunday afternoon May 22, and the second 250-lapper slated on Saturday evening, August 6.


“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have a second NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Iowa Speedway,” said Jerry Jauron, President and CFO of the four-year-old speedplant. “NASCAR has expressed a lot of faith in our ability to both draw huge crowds for their NASCAR Nationwide events, as well as to attract significant corporate partnerships to support the NASCAR Nationwide race weekends, and we will work very hard to prove that their trust is well-placed.”


U.S. Cellular, the title sponsor for Iowa Speedway’s first two NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2009 and 2010, will continue with entitlement for the August 6 event, while a new corporate partner is sought for the May 22 show.


“The support of great Iowa companies, and those based in the Midwest who do business in Iowa, make it possible for us to host national caliber events like the NASCAR Nationwide Series ” said Iowa Speedway Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Chuck Spicer. “We are confident that we will find the right ‘entitlement partner’ for our new NASCAR Nationwide race in May, and that our current marketing partners will fully support the addition of this very important event for the track.”


“Iowa Speedway has done a great job hosting NASCAR events, and the fans have shown tremendous support of those races,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Racing Operations. “We’re excited to have a second NASCAR Nationwide Series date at Iowa in 2011.”


Iowa Speedway is located 30 miles east of Des Moines on Interstate 80, just south of Exit 168 in Newton. Information about specific events and schedules may be accessed on the track’s official website, www.iowaspeedway.com. Season Tickets for 2011, which will include both NASCAR Nationwide Series dates, plus the Camping World Truck Series, IZOD IndyCar Series and four premier supporting series events, are scheduled to go on sale by mid September.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Play the Iowa Pro Sports fantasy football league on NFL.com!

Wanna play some fantasy football? I've created a FREE league to play in at NFL.com. There is no money involved, it's just for fun and bragging rights. Feel free to join and have some fun! It's a 12-team league. First come, first served.

The password is..... iowa.
http://iowaprosports.league.fantasy.nfl.com

And here's a little more info about the Iowa Pro Sports fantasy football league.

http://fantasy.nfl.com/league/153800/settings

It's an automated draft set for September 3, so all you need to do is pre-rank your players before then, if you choose to, and the computer does the rest.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Tim Shaffer wins 50th Annual Knoxville Nationals

Tim Shaffer wins in dramatic fashion as race leader Sammy Swindell blew a tire with three laps left. Shaffer grabbed the lead on the white flag lap from Donny Shatz, whose machine began to smoke on lap 48, and ran away for the checkered flag.

The win is worth $150,000, and marks the first time since 2006 that somebody other than Donny Shatz won the annual Knoxville Nationals championship.

For the first time in the history of the Nationals, the race distance was 50 laps and included a full pit stop. Previous years' championships had been 30 laps, and more recently 40 laps.

More here.

E-Main winner: Greg Nikitenko Minot, ND
D-Main winner: Jonathan Cornell Sedalia, MO
C-Main winner: Danny Lasoski Dover, MO
B-Main winner: Stevie Smith Broken Arrow, OK
A-Main winner: Tim Shaffer Aliquippa, PA

Full Results

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Kraig Kinser wins qualifying feature

Kraig Kinser won the qualifying feature from Friday's rained out show and Jason Meyers took second, putting both drivers in the middle of the C-Main for Saturday night's main event in the 2010 Knoxville Nationals.

Craig Dolansky took the checkered flag in the 17th annual Premier Chevy Dealers Knoxville World Challenge invitational, a 20-lap race featuring drivers representing the United States, Canada, and Australia. The win is worth $10,000.

Full results can be seen here.


With the cancellation of the scrambles due to Friday's rain, this sets up the field for Saturday night's racing action to determine the 2010 Knoxville Nationals champion.

Knoxville Nationals Friday results: Rain

knoxvilleraceway.com

The Friday night Knoxville Nationals event fell victim to rain. The show will be made up starting Saturday at Noon. There will be no Scrambles. The Friday Qualifier Program and the Premier Chevy Dealers World Challenge will be run. The ticket office will open at 9:00 a.m.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Knoxville Nationals: Wed. & Thurs. points plus Friday night action and qualifiers!

Wednesday and Thursday Point Totals!

knoxvilleraceway.com

A main

1. 21 Brian Brown 484
2. 1s Sammy Swindell 482
3. 22 Greg Hodnett 477
4. 15 Donny Schatz 477
5. 11 Steve Kinser 474
6. 13x Daryn Pittman 473
7. 83 Tim Shaffer 470
8. 57 Shane Stewart 470
9. 41 Jason Johnson 468
10. 2B Dale Blaney 468
11. 3 Kerry Madsen 464
12. 2 Skip Jackson 463
13. 12 Lynton Jeffrey 461
14. 7s Jason Sides 461
15. 91 Dusty Zomer 455
16. 56 Davey Heskin 452
17. 63 Chad Kemenah 452
18. 9 Joey Saldana 447
19. 98 Erin Crocker 445
20. 7TW Brandon Wimmer 442

B main

1. 91x Paul McMahan 441
2. 1z Stevie Smith 441
3. 7 Craig Dollansky 437
4. R19 Jac Haudenschild 432
5. 49 Josh Schneiderman 426
6. 55 Ian Madsen 425
7. 55x Dave Blaney 423
8. 17A Austin McCarl 423
9. 4H Chad Meyer 421
10. 30c Lance Dewease 420
11. 02 Mike Reinke 416
12. 89G David Gravel 413
13. 3c Cale Conley 412
14. 1x Randy Hannagan 411
15. 10a Ricky Logan 410
16. 2L Ed Lynch Jr. 407
17. 97x Dean Jacobs 404
18. 27 Keith Bloom Jr. 402
19. 49s Brad Sweet 402
20. 9x Gary Wright 401

C main

1. 1 Bronson Maeschen 400
2. 6 Danny Lasoski 399
3. 0 Jonathan Allard 399
4. 17 Tyler Walker 399
5. 51s Lee Sowell 397
6. 13v Seth Brahmer 397
7. 5V Max Dumesny 396
8. 23w Scott Winters 396
9. 13 Mark Dobmeier 394
10. 83JR Tim Kaeding 393

Friday Qualifiers

51. 69 Mike Moore 393
52. 14 Jason Meyers 392
53. 5w Lucas Wolfe 392
54. 4 Trevor Green 392
55. 10 Rager Phillips 388
56. 2w Johnny Herrera 387
57. 18 Tony Bruce Jr. 387
58.. 40 Clint Garner 387
59. 11K Kraig Kinser 380
60. 3x Mark Shirshekan 378
61. 34 Luke Hall 375
62. 94 Zach Zimmerly 374
63. 44G Kaley Gharst 374
64. 4x Toni Lutar 367
65. 77AU Mitchell Dumesny 367
66. 59 Brooke Tatnell 366
67. 35AU Jamie Veal 364
68. 81 Brent Antill 364
69. 44w Austen Wheatley 349
70. 2BG Ben Gregg 343
71. 28 Jonathan Cornell 339
72. 7K Robby Wolfgang 338
73. 47 Don Droud Jr. 336
74. 51 Fred Rahmer 336
75. 15H Sam Hafertepe Jr. 336
76. 1mx Jim Moughan Jr. 328
77. 35 Justin Henderson 327
78. 20AU Domain Ramsay 326
79. 12AU Paul Jeffrey 324
80. 65 Jordan Goldesberry 317
81. 93 Dustin Morgan 314
82. 97 Todd King 305
83. 53 Jack Dover 301
84. 2K Kevin Ingle 301
85. 46 Ty Bartz 301
86. 6x Bill Rose 298
87. 6N Greg Nikitenko 297
88. 96AU Bruce White 291
89. 57c Chris Schmelzle 290
90. 1K Chris Shirek 286
91. 1m Phillip Mock 284
92. 19 Bob Weuve 283
93. 19L Rob Kubli 282
94. 12x Jared Ridge 277
95. 24H Lee Jacobs 276
96. 2T Colin Entwisle 273
97. 4w Matt Wasmund 272
98. w20 Greg Wilson 269
99. 20PK Ron Krysl 263
100. 23 Kim Mock 259

Sammy Swindell Wins Thursday night feature at Knoxville Nationals

Thursday's A-main feature results (25 laps, $1,200 to win)


1. Sammy Swindell, Germantown TN; 2. Brian Brown, Grain Valley MO; 3. Skip Jackson, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ; 4. Stevie Smith, Broken Arrow OK; 5. Donny Schatz, Fargo ND; 6. Dale Blaney, Fowler OH; 7. Paul McMahan, Nashville TN; 8. Dusty Zomer, Sioux Falls SD; 9. Greg Hodnett, Thomasville PA; 10. Daryn Pittman, Owasso OK; 11. Steve Kinser, Bloomington IN; 12. Jac Haudenschild, Wooster OH; 13. Josh Schneiderman, West Burlington IA; 14. Lance Dewease, Fayetteville PA; 15. Dean Jacobs, Wooster OH; 16. Ricky Logan, Little Rock AR; 17. Rager Phillips, Pleasantville IA; 18. Clint Garner, Sioux Falls SD; 19. Seth Brahmer, Wisner NE; 20. Chad Meyer, Sioux Falls SD; 21. Mark Shirshekan, Farmington MO; 22. Mike Moore, Des Moines IA; 23. Luke Hall, Ludlow Falls OH; 24. Ian Madsen, (R) St. Marys, NSW, Aust.

Lap Leader: Swindell 1-25

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Knoxville Nationals Thursday Qualifiers!

Thursday night's qualifying action includes some of the heavy weights in sprint car racing, including Sammy Swindell, Danny Lasoski, and defending Nationals champion Donny Shatz


Thursday Qualifiers

1K Chris Shirek - Thompson, ND
1MX Jim Moughan Jr. - Springfield, IL
1s Sammy Swindell - Germantown, TN
1z Stevie Smith - Broken Arrow, OK
2 Skip Jackson - Knoxville, IA
2B Dale Blaney - Hartford, OH
2M Joey Moughan - Springfield, IL
2x Josh Higday - Grinnell, IA
3x Mark Shirshekan - Farmington, MO
4E TBA
4H Chad Meyer - Harrisburg, SD
4w Matt Wasmund - Jackson, MN
4x Toni Lutar - White Rock, BC CAN
6 Danny Lasoski - Dover, MO
6N Greg Nikitenko - Minot, ND
6R Ryan Bunton - Morton, IL
6x Bill Rose - Plainfield, IN
7K - Robby Wolfgang - Sioux Falls, SD
10 Rager Phillips - Pleasantville, IA
10A Ricky Logan - Little Rock, AR
10c Jeremy Campbell - Monroe, MI
11 Steve Kinser - Bloomington, IN
12AU Paul Jeffrey - Kellyville, NSW, Aust.
12x Jared Ridge - Snohomish, WA
13V Seth Brahmer - Wisner, NE
13x Daryn Pittman - Owasso, OK
15 Donny Schatz - Indianapolis, IN
15x Adam Wilt - York, PA
17 Tyler Walker - Los Angeles, CA
R19 Jac Haudenschild - Wooster, OH
W20 Greg Wilson - Benton Ridge, OH
21 Brian Brown - Grain Valley, MO
22 Greg Hodnett - Thomasville, PA
22A Billy Alley - Lincoln, NE
23 Kim Mock - Pleasant Prairie, WI
23W Scott Winters - Butterfield, MN
24H Lee Jacobs - Dalton, OH
28 Jonathan Cornell - Sedalia, MO
30c Lance Dewease - Fayetteville, PA
34 Luke Hall - Ludlow Falls, OH
40 Clint Garner - Sioux Falls, SD
44W Austen Wheatley - Lake Stevens, WA
49 Josh Schneiderman - West Burlington, IA
55 Ian Madsen - St. Mary's, NSW, AUS
59 Brooke Tatnell - Sans Souci, NSW, Aust.
66 Barry Martinez - Burlington, WA
69 Mike Moore - Des Moines, IA
71R Ryan Anderson - Deloit, IA
77AU Mitchell Dumesny - Nelson, NSW, Aust.
81 Brent Antill - Ankeny, IA
83x Tim Kaeding - San Jose, CA
91 Dusty Zomer - Brandon, SD
91E Paul McMahan - Hendersonville, TN
93 Dustin Morgan - Tulsa, OK
97 Todd King - Sheboygan Falls, WI
97x Dean Jacobs - Wooster, OH
98m Mitch Olson - Tacoma, WA

Shane Stewart wins Wednesday Feature at Knoxville Nationals

Here are the results from Wednesday night's feature event:

(25 laps, $12,000 to win)
1. Shane Stewart, Bixby OK; 2. Craig Dollansky, Elk River MN; 3. Chad Kemenah, Findlay OH; 4. Davey Heskin, St. Michael MN; 5. Jason Sides, Bartlett TN; 6. Brandon Wimmer, Fairmount IN; 7. Kerry Madsen, Sydney, NSW, Aust. ; 8. Lynton Jeffrey, Prairie City IA; 9. Jason Johnson, Eunice LA; 10. Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa PA; 11. Austin McCarl, Altoona IA; 12. Brad Sweet, Grass Valley CA; 13. Joey Saldana, Brownsburg IN; 14. Gary Wright, Hooks TX; 15. Mark Dobmeier, Grand Forks ND; 16. Erin Crocker, Wilbraham MA; 17. Trevor Green, Two Wells, SA, Aust. ; 18. Mike Reinke, Howards Grove WI; 19. Tony Bruce Jr., Liberal KS; 20. David Gravel, Waterford CT; 21. Lee Sowell, Nesbit MS; 22. Max Dumesny, Nelson, NSW, Aust. ; 23. Ed Lynch Jr., Apollo PA; 24. Bronson Maeschen, Pleasantville IA.

Lap Leaders--Wimmer 1-4; Kemenah 5-20; Stewart 21-25.


Wednesday Points!

8/11/2010 - Wednesday Point Totals!

1. 83 Tim Shaffer 470
2. 57 Shane Stewart 470
3. 41 Jason Johnson 468
4. 3 Kerry Madsen 464
5. 12 Lynton Jeffrey 461
6. 7s Jason Sides 461
7. 56 Davey Heskin 452
8. 63 Chad Kemenah 452
9. 9 Joey Saldana 447
10. 98 Erin Crocker 445
11. 7TW Brandon Wimmer 442
12. 7 Craig Dollansky 437
13. 55x Dave Blaney 423
14. 17A Austin McCarl 423
15. 02 Mike Reinke 416
16. 89G David Gravel 413
17. 3c Cale Conley 412
18. 1x Randy Hannagan 411
19. 2L Ed Lynch Jr. 407
20. 49s Brad Sweet 402
21. 9x Gary Wright 401
22. 1 Bronson Maeschen 400
23. 0 Jonathan Allard 399
24. 51s Lee Sowell 397
25. 5V Max Dumesny 396
26. 13 Mark Dobmeier 394
27. 14 Jason Meyers 392
28. 5w Lucas Wolfe 392
29. 4 Trevor Green 392
30. 2w Johnny Herrera 387
31. 18 Tony Bruce Jr. 387
32. 11K Kraig Kinser 380
33. 94 Zach Zimmerly 374
34. 35AU Jamie Veal 364
35. 2BG Ben Gregg 343
36. 47 Don Droud Jr. 336
37. 51 Fred Rahmer 336
38. 35 Justin Henderson 327
39. 20AU Domain Ramsay 326
40. 65 Jordan Goldesberry 317
41. 53 Jack Dover 301
42. 2K Kevin Ingle 301
43. 46 Ty Bartz 301
44. 96AU Bruce White 291
45. 57c Chris Schmelzle 290
46. 1m Phillip Mock 284
47. 19 Bob Weuve 283
48. 19L Rob Kubli 282
49. 2T Colin Entwisle 273
50. 20PK Ron Krysl 263

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Knoxville Nationals Wednesday Qualifiers!

Knoxvilleraceway.com
8/11/2010 - Wednesday Qualifiers

0 Jonathan Allard - Chico, CA
1 Bronson Maeschen - Pleasantville, IA
1M Phillip Mock - Pleasant Prairie, WI
1x Randy Hannagan - Pittsboro, IN
02 Mike Reinke - Howards Grove, WI
2K Kevin Ingle - Huron, SD
2L Ed Lynch Jr. - Apollo, PA
2T Colin Entwisle -Baypark, NZ
2W Johnny Herrera - Albuquerque, NM
3 Kerry Madsen - St. Mary's, NSW, Aust.
3c Cale Conley - Vienna, WV
4 Trevor Green - Two Wells, SA, Aust.
4Q Randi Turner - Manteca, CA
5V Max Dumesny - Nelson, NSW, Aust.
5W Lucas Wolfe - Mechanicsburg, PA
6K Kyle Hirst - Warsaw, MO
7 Craig Dollansky - Elk River, MN
7S Jason Sides - Bartlett, TN
7TW Brandon Wimmer - Fairmount, IN
9 Joey Saldana - Brownsburg, IN
9x Gary Wright - Hooks, TX
11K Kraig Kinser - Bloomington, IN
12 Lynton Jeffrey - Prairie City, IA
13 Mark Dobmeier - Grand Forks, ND
14 Jason Meyers - Fresno, CA
17A Austin McCarl - Altoona, IA
18 Tony Bruce Jr. - Liberal, KS
19 Bob Weuve - Newton, IA
19L Rob Kubli - Milo, IA
20AU Domain Ramsay - Newtown, VIC, Aust.
20PK Ron Krysl - Atkinson, NE
22B Ben Gregg - Glendale, AZ
27 Keith Bloom Jr. - Anderson, CA
35 Justin Henderson - Indianapolis, IN
35AU Jamie Veal - Warrnambool, VIC, Aust.
41 Jason Johnson - Quinlan, TX
46 Ty Bartz – Sheboygan Falls, WI
47 Don Droud Jr. - Lincoln, NE
49E Brad Sweet - Grass Valley, CA
51 Fred Rahmer - Salfordville, PA
51s Lee Sowell - Lake Cormorant, MS
53 Jack Dover - Springfield, NE
55x Dave Blaney - High Point, NC
56 Davey Heskin - St. Michael, MN
57 Shane Stewart - Bixby, OK
57c Chris Schmelzle - Victoria, BC, Can.
63 Chad Kemenah - Alvada, OH
65 Jordan Goldesberry - Springfield, IL
83 Tim Shaffer - Aliquippa, PA
89G David Gravel - Watertown, CT
94 Zach Zimmerly - Ridgefield, WA
96AU Bruce White - Merrylands West, NSW, Aust
98 Erin Crocker - Wilbraham, MA

Iowa Speedway might get two NASCAR Nationwide races in 2011?

Keep in mind that this is not a done deal. But Iowa Speedway is new facility and a high quality race track with terrific fan support, so there is good reason to be optimistic.

Des Moines Register

Charlotte, N.C. — The Associated Press has reported that Iowa Speedway is on schedule to host two Nationwide Series races in 2011.

NASCAR sent a copy of the 2011 Nationwide schedule, which was obtained by The Associated Press, to its teams last week. It shows the Newton track hosting the second-tier series on May 22 and July 23.

Iowa has hosted just one race a year since it received its first NASCAR-sanctioned event last season.

Iowa Speedway vice president and general manager Craig Armstrong said track officials are in discussions with NASCAR about the 2011 schedule, but nothing has been finalized.

“The concept has been offered to us — having a second date has been offered to us, and we are definitely talking with them,” Armstrong said. “Dates are being discussed.
No agreement has been made and no date has been finalized. So it’s just way preliminary here.”

Armstrong said the track’s success with NASCAR — and whether one or two Nationwide Series races will be at Newton in 2011 — is firmly rooted in fan support.
The track’s July 31 Nationwide race drew a sellout crowd of 55,988.

“It is due to the fan response to what we are offering currently that makes it even possible or feasible to think about adding another Nationwide race, or anything else for that matter,” Armstrong said. “It’s just a matter of how well does your fan base support your events? ... There’s no question if we couldn’t, in their opinion, sustain a second race, we wouldn’t even be having these discussions at all. So I guess it’s a tribute to not just the race track but to the fans of Iowa Speedway — the folks who support the race track by buying tickets and coming out here — that we would be even under consideration.”


A NASCAR spokesman described the schedule that was sent out as "tentative." It shows two open spots where NASCAR is still trying to schedule events to make it a 35-race season.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Knoxville Nationals cranking up on Wednesday

Let's goooooo racing!!

knoxvilleraceway.com


The 50th annual Knoxville Nationals will get cranked up on Wednesday at the world famous Knoxville Raceway with day one of 410 qualifying. Among those scheduled to qualify on Wednesday are Joey Saldana, Dave Blaney, and former Nationals winner Kraig Kinser. You can see the full list here.

Also on the slate for Wednesday is Outlaw Dirt Kart Racing at English Creek Speedway and Fan Fest. Check out the full list of activities here.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Iowa Thunder preparing for 2011 season

Have you ever been told you play football like a girl? Well, I bet they never saw these girls play!

The Front Office of the Iowa Thunder is pleased to announce their Fall Combine (Tryout) dates for the 2011 season. The Iowa Thunder gives women in the State of Iowa the oppurtunity to play full contact 11 vs 11 football coached by a coaching staff with over 100 years of coaching experience for an organization that is committed to winning. If you are looking for a competitive team with a "No Drama" attitude then the Thunder is the place for you.

There are no player fees charged by the Iowa Thunder.

The Iowa Thunder coaching staff evaluates players during each combine in the following areas:

40/10 Yard Dash
Bench Press
Four Corner Drill
3 Cone Drill
Position Specific Drills
The Iowa Thunder Combine Dates are all held on Saturday and the time and locations will be added to the team calander link at the top of the home page:

Iowa Thunder Homepage

August 7th, 2010
August 28th, 2010
September 18th, 2010
October 9th, 2010

Field of Dreams Ghost Players coming to Des Moines

"If you build it, they will come."

Mid-Iowa Baseball League

August 15, 2010 - 06:00 PM
The Kiwanis Miracle League is thrilled to announce that the Field of Dreams Ghost Players will come to Des Moines for an evening of baseball fun on Sunday, August 15th. The festivities will begin with a Home Run Derby open to 18+ at 6pm followed by a comedy performance by the Ghost Players. An abbreviated game between the Iowa Redbirds of the Mid-Iowa Baseball League and the Ghost Players will follow.
Events will take place at the James Cownie Baseball Complex, Field #8. 2050 SE 22nd St. Des Moines.
Concessions will be available from the South Des Moines Little League.
Admission is free for 12 & under, 13+ is $5.00 with proceeds benefiting the Kiwanis Miracle League. The first 100 children accompanied by a paying adult will receive a free gift. Cost for entering the Home Run Derby is $5.00 and there will be prizes.