It was getting late into the afternoon. I needed a break and sat down in a chair conveniently in the shade of the timing tower next to track owner, “Mountain Mike” Natoli. “How do you like our little slice of Heaven?” he asked me. I don’t remember my answer, but it was all good. I really do like the place and the people there. What I didn’t tell him was what I had been thinking a little earlier on the starting line. If you’ve never been to South Mountain Raceway before, you should know off to the right of the starting line is a well-tended corn field, the corn stalks all tall and a perfect shade of green. As I watched a few very stout Camaros and Barracudas coming up to the line, I started having “Field of Dreams” flashbacks. I was almost expecting the ghosts of Bill Jenkins and Ronnie Sox to come walking out of the cornfield whispering, “If you build it, they will come.” Mike Natoli didn’t build the track, but he did step in and bring it back to life, much like Dr. Frankenstein brought his monster back to life. He shared a few of the challenges he faced in doing so, and I have to say, he’s done a good job of making it all happen for the enjoyment of everyone in attendance.

This was the last of the Labor Day weekend racing, the last day of SBRA points at the track, and some were using it as a tune-up for the upcoming event when J.J. da Boss comes to town. Some pretty amazing cars were running down the track, along with snowmobiles, and a few youngsters making passes. It’s one of the best things in drag racing to see parents teaching their kids how to race safely at such an early age. These little folks are already turning into professionals going down the track!

It’s always a pleasure to walk through the pits and hear what’s going on from the attendees. There was the satisfaction from cars making good passes and being consistent, and on the other hand, the frustrations of others whose cars were running good, but they just couldn’t find the perfect setup to get it consistent. And then there was the agony of that sudden pop on the starting line, resulting in broken parts and a sudden end to the day. No one wants to see that happen, but it’s all part of the game. I heard one instance of breakage resulted in an after-hours transmission change between days. Something you’ll not see matched in any other sport is racers rallying around a broken ride to try to fix it. The number of racers who end up in the winner’s circle is a minority, but everyone is better for the experience of competing in this venue. Thanks to “Mountain Mike” Natoli for bringing this “little slice of Heaven” back to life! Go check it out and show Mike and the whole crew and all the racers some support!