Michigan State Championships
Kalamazoo, MI - 9/20/03

DON: The majority of racers traveled many miles to come to this event..........only to run into the juggernaut of the Bozell Family. Andy, Jeff and Phil are icons at Kalamazoo Speedway and were not about to take a back seat to the traveling racers. With two feature wins and a third, they would have been hard pressed to do any better. My favorite moment of the event? The wreck in the photo above - the driver was so proud that he posed for a picture, see the photo below.

BEVERLY: Being from the Carolinas, I hear about all the terrible Michigan weather, but boy did we have some great racing weather on Saturday night! The races at Kalamazoo Speedway are always lots of fun but this was a special race.

There were 3 series that were not a normal part of the show at Kalamazoo Speedway. The Allison Legacy Series, US PRO and USA Modifieds. Although some of the local talent did participate and actually win the US PRO and USA Modifieds races.

We started in the pits with the Allison Legacy Series. What a great group of racers. I began by talking with Tony Sommer #67. He has been racing for 8 years in this series. These cars run sealed Mazda 4 cylinder engines. They are an excellent next step choice from Kart racing. Tony introduced me to the director of the series Don Brooks, who went on to explain the series itself. These cars are actually built by the legendary Allison family. This is a traveling series and this particular group travels mostly in the midwest area. You can follow them at GLALSRacing.com and also the main site AllisonLegacy.com. We talked with 15 year old Steven Brooks and also Kelly Keil. These two young racers are gaining experience and enjoying it tremendously.

Here's how Tony's race went; "in our feature I overdrove number four going after the leader and looped the car. Would have been all right because I had enough time and the car to get back to the front but during the spin for some odd reason I had a plug wire pull apart so I had to run the rest of the race on three cylinders."

The US PRO series is only a year old. I spoke with the tire specialist for the Louden team #8. He explained that these cars have crate motors, Ford and Chevy. The cars have a late model body and there are restrictions on everything including how much you can spend for your shocks. The great thing about this traveling series is that it is very economical. They had a great race and local Jeff Bozell took the checkered flag.

Then we moved to the USA Modifieds. These are the open wheel cars. They are also a traveling series and this was the last points race where they crowned Jason Dietch the champion this year. Jason came from Kart racing and has been racing for 8 years. He was second in points the last 2 years. Congratulations Jason!! These guys are very excited about their next race at Winchester Speedway. Local Phil Bozell won the race and did a fantastic burnout. I dare say he was very excited. He jumped out of his car, yelling and arms waving and then a quick shimmy up the fence.

And then the highlight of my night.......I rode in the pace car. The first time we didn't get above 20 mph. The second time was in front of the USA Modifieds A feature and that time we went considerably faster. It's not so much going fast as trying to hang onto the track and then shooting off into the pits to let the cars get up to speed. That was lots of fun!

More at: www.kalamazoospeedway.com
More at: www.usamodifieds.com
More at: www.allisonlegacy.com
More at: www.glalsRacing.com
More at: www.usproRacing.com

Bev talking to Jason Dietch - USA Mods Champ	Andy Bozell talks ARCA racing with Don	Bev talks with Legacy driver and official	15 year old Legacy driver	Young female driver Kelly Keil
She looked a fuzz loose in qualifying	Legacy cars run the Mazda B-2200 engine	This shot gives you a feel for the size of these cars	Legacy points leader during qualifying	Another Legacy
Legacy cars ready for feature	Bev set for her first ride in the pace car	Bev checking her makeup	Happy Girl	Andy Bozell would set fast time - what a shocker
Andy's son Phil had a great night	USA Modified during qualifying	Damon Breedlove's USA Modified	Final adjustments	More than your typical tuneup
You've got to love Saturday night racing	Announcers did a great job	Our shadows even had a good time	Phil Bozell had a real fight on his hands	Points leader Jason Dietch during race
Mandatory stop at lap 50 for fuel	Ahhh, happy juice	General Wesley Clark sponsored a race?	Pace car driver	Bev holds on in the front seat
Moments before Phil Bozell bumped our pace car	Phil held on for the win	Mike Carter during US Pro qualifying	Mike Simons during qualifying	More qualifying
Mark Kortz checking lash after setting fast time	Mark during the feature	US Pro official keeps a sharp eye on tires	The smallest RC cars on the planet	Jeff Bozell would go on to win
Ninja safety crew	Racer knickknacks	A fan pleasing roll over	The proud driver	Jake Louden calls it a night

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