ROOKIE-OF-THE-YEAR (Oh yeah!)

14th in points and Rookie-of-the-Year




Mike was with us in spirit!


The final chapter of the 2010 MTS racing season has been written. The awards banquet took place this evening and we'll let the photos speak for themselves. Many thanks to MTS, Blackford Appraisal Services, Affordable Repair Service, and BarnYard Engineering.

We had a great year, lots of fun, and we couldn't have done it without the help of Mark Strpko, Dave Ockerman, and Mike Berry.

Thank you to Bobbie for providing the helmet, and to Adam Wegner for his help with decking the trailer, and having the welding equipment to help us get to the last race.

A very special thanks to the Irwin family for all the work entailed in running the circuit for the diehard wingless sprints.


Dave Ockerman, Randy (14th in points), and Mike Berry




"Randy Kreple, Michigan Traditional Sprints, 2010 Rookie of the Year"



2010 Season Closes

Saturday night, 9/18, saw the Michigan Traditional Sprints return to Crystal Motor Speedway in Crystal, MI. After a long rain delay, and a lot of time spent packing the track to make it drivable, racing got underway. It was a very big show with seven classes competing.


Dirt trackin', not for the "afraid to get dirty" variety.

This was the site of the "incident" from the same weekend last year, and we're happy to say that it was...um-m-m-m...an "incident-free" evening, for us anyway.



John Watson, Mike Berry, Dave Ockerman



Again, experimenting with set-up, and really tacky track conditions made for another new driving experience. Mike Berry and Dave Ockerman are like sponges, soaking up every bit of information they can. While they are both motorheads, Dave has a hankering to drive.




John Watson #26

Our friends Terri and John Watson were down from Canada, and John offered his input on set-up. While engine guru, Mark Stryko, always adds a little humor, a little excitement, and wise words.

What's a little mud among friends?

Mark is entirely responsible for putting the 5K car together. Without his help and encouragement this season would not have happened. From the #5K team to the #35 team, much love, many thanks, and immense gratitude.

Mark Strpko and Randy



Cherry Raceway, 08/21/10

Cherry Raceway in Fife Lake, MI is a sweet, high-banked 3/8 mile track. We were under threat of a major thunderstorm the entire day. It never did materialize. Temperatures were in the high 70s, with a moderate breeze, which kindly blew the clay dust away from us. Gotta LOVE when that happens.

Having not driven the car at Merritt, Randy dropped from 10th to 15th in the points standings. With only one race left it'll be difficult to make that up, but it was a fun, fun, FUN night.

We had the wonderful fortune to pit next to Chuck Wilson (#31), a veteran driver from Ohio. His son, Chad, who worked with a World of Outlaws team last year, was there to pit for his dad. They shared some very helpful set-up information, which not only increased our bank of knowledge, but helped the car handle better.

Set-up is a major part of racing a sprint car on dirt. Stagger, tire pressure, the spacers on the rear axle, rear end gears, adjustment of the torsion bars all have an impact. Since each track is a little different, and on any given day the same track can be vastly different, it's important to begin to note what set-ups work where, and when.


So-o-o-o, we're in, like, kindergarten. But, what was awesome about being next to Chuck Wilson was that it was like having somebody with a degree in engineering giving the benefit of his wealth of knowledge. Dave, Mike, and Randy absorbing every bit, every word, every thought had a wonderful time. Rand made a decision to lose some air in the right rear, which turned out not to be the best call, but hey, sometimes you're "hooked-up", sometimes you aren't.

Next race is at Crystal. Crystal is the site of  "the incident".

Merritt Speedway, 08/14/10

Randy got to enjoy being a car-owner at the 1/4 mile dirt oval in Lake City.  Dave Ockerman, who usually plays the part of crew chief, jumped into the driver's seat for the MTS Northern 410 Nationals at Merritt Speedway last night.

While this isn't something you can practice just anywhere, Dave did a super job of feeling his way around the track for his first official time in a sprint car. Mike Berry took over the role of crew chief as Randy supervised and filled-in as photographer.

With a new rescue puppy in my care, I wasn't able to travel with them to this weekend's event, but by all accounts, everyone had a wonderful time.

Next week we're at Cherry Raceway in Fife Lake. Prior to last night's race Rand was 10th in points. So, with two races left and yielding the car to Dave last night it's anybody's guess where we'll end up.



Notice Big Bird has been installed as a permanent passenger as Mike and Dave wait for hot laps.

Butler Motor Speedway, 07/17/10

Another beautiful night for racing!!! Hot, hot, HOT, but so much fun, I can still hardly contain myself. There was a slightly smaller field for the nights races, but nonetheless enjoyable. Eighteen cars duked it out on a seriously banked 3/8th mile track. The wind was blowing away from us, so unless you were very near the fence, the dirt wasn't bad. It's been very dry, so there wasn't much mud being thrown. And...Rand is still grinning from ear to ear.

Our two daughters and their families, plus good friends made it an especially "warm and fuzzy" night for Rand. I LOVE the whole tailgating part of it, so he takes care of the garage and I manage the kitchen.

In the feature event Rand got to experience a couple of "firsts", the first one was a serious "about-face" due to getting too high on the cushion. The second was what could have been another machine-wrecking accident. The 58 car got too far around while sliding between turns one and two. Rand was so close behind him that to avoid t-boning him jammed on the brakes, which also turned him sideways. Not for long, tho. He executed a full 360 and kept going. The track official, not having seen the entire incident, sent Rand off the track. MTS (Michigan Traditional Sprints) has a two spinout rule. Two spinouts and you're out. An apology afterwards for the incorrect call on the part of the official, made the sting a little less, but the night was a HUGE success. Rand's comfort in the car is showing with each race.

Randy and "grands", Tommy and Ally at Butler. 

Mike Berry, left, and Dave Ockerman are a huge help. They love pitting for Rand, and we love having them, but I'm nervous. (I think Dave's catching the "bug")

6/26/10 at Thunderbird Raceway

The rain stayed away, it was a beautiful clear night, and fun was had by all. Tommy and Ally Blackford, our grandchildren, travelled with us to the Thunderbird Raceway for the MTS show, sponsored by Lane Automotive.

Again, we made and completed, the feature, and again, there were 21 cars. It was especially fun to watch as Rand experimented with different grooves on the track without causing any "incidents".

Our good friend, Mark Strpko, finished 13th, and Rand 14th. I would say it appeared they were having a wonderful time!! Mark and Rand each spun out once. Mark is usually able to make it a complete 360 and just keep on going, but for whatever reason, didn't. So he caused a caution, and then later Nick Landon spun in front of Randy. Rand's dodge of the spin caused him to do an about-face, but the caution wasn't caused by him. There was much more action including a ride over a right rear tire that caused the orange 58W, to make it's way into the catch-fence in turn four. The driver was fine, and the car didn't appear to have season-ending damage.

Dave and Mike made the trip with us and brought a quad, which made the job of delivering the 5K car to the chute a little easier. I love that they are such a great help to Rand, and both truly great guys.

The track was tacky, and the mud was flying! I could have made a couple of pots with all the clay covering the car!

John Watson, and his wife, Terri, stopped down for a chat. They come from Toronto to race with MTS Sprints, because as he puts it, "The people make it worth the drive."

Rebuilt and Raring to Go

2010 brought a double header for the season opener. Saturday night at Thunderbird and Sunday night at Crystal. Memorial Day weekend was busy, hot and very fun.

Sorry folks, but I asked Randy to promise me he would hang back, stay out of traffic and get used to the car. Mixing it up can come later. He's, of course, good for his word. The weekend was great.

Saturday night at Thunderbird, hotlaps and the heat race come off without a hitch. There was an accident in the feature involving our good friend, Mark Strpko. His car was damaged, but not seriously. Rand left the track without any brakes. Not sure when they left, but when the caution flag came out, they were MIA.

Sunday morning Mark scrambled to repair his car, and then they went to work to fix Rand's brakes. Crystal is the site of the rollover accident and the track is a 3/8 mile with nice banking.

Hotlaps came off without a hitch, heat race, too, and we have completed our first 25 lap feature. Rand, again stayed back, but midway through the race Mark spun out (doing a perfect 360) and Rand passed him. Mark worked his way back. Rand moved over to allow him to pass, but once he's in front, Rand gives him a little love tap on the rear bumper. Later, Mark got to return the favor. We all enjoyed their show and they were having a blast.

It was nice to get this race completed without incident. Next we're back at Thunderbird, and then in July they race at Butler and Merritt. Merritt is the same date as the reunion, so we'll miss that one, but there will be more. Rand is having the time of his life.

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