All week was hit or miss rain. The forecast for percentages was divided by the number of days until race day with the addition of miles distance to the race track. Multiply that by the number of tracks that had cancelled their Friday activities.
The conclusion…? Why not?
The folks at Oak Level Raceway rolled the dice with the open time that was forecast which looked like enough time to get the program in. It looked good on paper and on radar. It even remained so driving through rain just 8 miles from the track. It looked good for hot laps practice and qualifying. It looked good as the Hornets took the green flag and raced to the checkers.
Then the breeze kicked up a little and there was a noticed drop in temperature. An intermission was called to pack out the track using service vehicle traffic while also, maybe, to sell hot dogs…
Perhaps the intermission with a threat of moisture hanging overhead was ill timed. The Ridge Runners Steel Block Late Models did go green and did race but could not go the distance. Some caution and false starts set the laps a bit but rain over time won out. The only full race in was the Hornets. The Ridge Runners were interrupted by the inevitable weather.
The best variables in the equation still resulted in rain and a couple of hundred bucks in “free” hot dogs.
There were winners. TJ Smith won that Hornets race. The fans on hand, even with rain and caught out half way out, were still winners as the show they were given was a good one. Yes, it was cut short but there was plenty of what was there. Oak Level has some momentum and some controversy and some good racing so do the math.
Photos from Oak Level Raceway, July 24, 2026
