Before the birds get up on a Saturday - when only the neighboring farmers are out and about - the final track preparation begins. Saturday 'man' hours alone total a mighty thirty - and that's just time spent going around the track! First there is some watering - let it sit - water some more - let it sit - a little more water - hand water the moat and the apron - very exciting stuff. Four o'clock is the crucial time to determine the program for final watering and packing - it's a straight 3 hours of packing time to get the track race-ready. Packers are old junkers of cars that have fat back tires on them - 3 to 4 packers work the track for the 3 hours before racing begins. I know - you've seen the packers out there - and everybody wants to drive one - I'm told it's not that easy. It's actually a very tricky business - sort of like driving on ice - drive too slow in the mud and you'll get stuck - drive too fast and you'll spin out. And you have to concentrate - no daydream's here - you've got to pay attention to puddles and dry spots - and you don't want to burn the track out in the middle groove. Who knew the track surface could be completely destroyed by improper packing.

   Keep in mind that this process is completely a judgment call - made by guys with lots of experience - it should be also noted that unless Mother Nature cooperates during the week and lets the guys with the machines out onto the track - the whole process has to be crammed into whatever time is left until the first green flag flies. The track preparation staff works hard to make a good surface for racing - they are working on the dust - but keep in mind that dust makes for a great racing surface - there are no ruts and no potholes and remember if you don't look like a raccoon by the end of the night - it couldn't have been good racing right down to the last lap!

• Rubber burned from tires is absorbed into the track - if we could somehow get it out we'd have the biggest Hoosier tire in Canada.
• Vehicle maintenance could be a full time job.
• 8 hours a week spent making sure packers will work for 3 hours!
• Burn through about 12 fat tires per season.
• Water - lots of water - supplied by the pond in the pits - the well pump keeps running all summer long to make sure the pond is full of water.
• There is at least one mile of drainage pipe underneath the track.
• One ton (that's 2000 pounds) of mud is scraped off tires on a race night - it's all picked up with the back hoe and worked back into the track.

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