The more promising changes this year come from Tyler and the gang at Hilltop Speedway. New track ownership always makes plenty of us old timers a bit nervous, and for good reason, but so far I'm pretty damn impressed with the fresh new ideas that Tyler and Beth have brought to Hilltop. They showcased their dedication last season in just the couple shows they had since taking over. Different divisions and a kickass racing surface were the most obvious. While Mother Nature hasn't been kind to their Winter Enduro Series, ya gotta give them credit for thinking outside the box in such a way. Below is the 2023 schedule they've put together and it's easy to see some major changes. In what I consider a bold move, you'll find Sprints taking to the track fairly often this year. 410 Sprints, 305 Sprints, Micro Sprints, Winged Sprints, and even Wingless Sprints. What the hell is going on? ;-) While it's probably no secret that I'm not a big fan of the "tumble buggies", I welcome and fully understand the changes. Racers and fans have asked for more Sprint action for years and Tyler has decided to give them the opportunity to prove their support by adding them to the schedule. Hopefully the Sprint folks respect that and make this a successful change. The most important thing to me on the schedule was seeing that the Jeff Norris Memorial will continue. THANKS Tyler! There certainly will be tweaks and changes made to the schedule throughout the season as always but it's pretty impressive so far. DFC Racing Carburetors may have to work on some different ideas this season for bonuses and such but I'll be happy to Support Hilltop any way that I can.

On a more personal note, 2023 will bring other changes around here at DFC Racing Carburetors. My all-time favorite carburetor builder, my granddaughter will turn 16 in a matter of days. Her time in the shop has been limited a bit lately as she chases her other dreams, but Grumpa couldn't be more proud. She busted her ass for years to make the majorette line and she nailed that the first year she was eligible in 2022. She still found time to help with carbs and even pass out some bonus money last year and I figure that will continue, but I know my Munchkin will be busy with other obligations as she grows up even more. She's been my side-kick in and out of the shop for many years now and certainly cherish every moment of that time. This young lady doesn't just build racing carbs, she's built winning carbs, and even championship winning carbs, while getting to know some pretty cool racers along the way. Those memories will be with both of us forever. Oh, and she's pretty damn good with a baton too. ;-) Happy Birthday kiddo!!

The racing world was surely wondering how the new ownership at Hilltop would handle a 2 day show for their first ever events. Even I had several concerns but Tyler, Beth, and the entire staff stepped up to put those concerns to rest. Did everything go perfectly? Of course not, and that's never happened at any track anywhere. It did go better than many shows I've been to that were put on by veteran track owners.

I'm not a Sprint car guy but I made the trip Friday night to take in the show and partially to see how things went. I can describe the track conditions on Friday night in just 2 words. Fuggin WOW! Ok, I coulda probably got it down to 1 word but that wouldn't be fair. Apparently when you actually put moisture INTO the track, instead of on top of it, it makes for great multi-groove racing without the dust, even with Sprint cars punishing it all night. Many of us already knew that, and remember days gone by when all tracks did this, including Hilltop. Doing this isn't always easy and it's pretty hard to get perfect but they pulled it off Friday night for sure. Every driver I talked to was very impressed and thankful for the effort put into it. The surface may not have been perfect on Saturday night but it was pretty damn close. 26 Late Models, 30 Modifieds, and the rest of the strong fields would work it hard all night resulting in still almost no dust and just a couple dry spots at the end of the long night. It's been a very long time since I've witnessed an entire 40 lap Late Model show where you could see the action without a dust storm. The Sprints went 30 laps (26 straight green flag laps) without a dust cloud to be found. Both nights allowed the 3 (and more) wide battles this place has been known for in the past. Hats off to everybody that helped to make this possible!!

One of the new changes for this weekend was double file restarts in Late Models and Modifieds. I gotta tell you the racer in me doesn't always like the idea, but maybe if the leader was given lane choice it would win me over. The fans sure seemed to love it and were treated to some awesome action because of this new idea. I reckon that putting on a more entertaining show for the fans is the whole idea after all, and it sure as hell did that. The Late Model Feature showcased this very well. While Conley, Markham, Carpenter, and Drown put on one hell of a show fighting for the lead, there was no way to pick a winner until the final couple of laps. They used the entire surface to trade slide jobs the entire race, including Drown wheeling his ride from the tail to finish second. In the final laps Freddie Carpenter turned up the wick a bit and finally secured the lead in his new Kryptonite Vision chassis. Yes, a budget chassis running Sport Mod springs and shocks took home the $5000! It was even more impressive to me since we had a chat right before he strapped in for the Feature. He told me that they got the car mostly straightened out after some ugliness at Eldora but it still should have a new front clip to make it right. Well, it was "right enough" on Saturday night. CONGRATS to ya Freddie and thanks to the rest of the drivers that put on such a thrilling show, with the exception of Corey "The Crying Ace" Conley. We've seen this guy whine and bitch about any track surface that allows for real racing action, even if he wins, so it was no surprise to see him show his lack of class after losing. What a dickhead! In case Corey couldn't hear the crowd, his bullshit isn't welcome at Hilltop. My tip for him would be to try to find another track that will pay him to show up and bash that place. Just in case he does return, I'll keep a box of tissues in my car for his next hissy fit. ;-)

CONGRATS to Cody Scott for picking up DFC Racing Carburetors fast qualifier bonus. He was gonna be my pick for the feature win but mechanical demons ruined that dammit.

Let's not forget to thank Buck for all the years of hard work he and his family put into keeping the action alive at Hilltop. Hats off to him for turning the Jeff Norris Memorial race into not just the biggest show that Hilltop has ever pulled off, but one of the best shows anywhere on dirt in recent years. It was awesome to see the racers, fans, and staff send Buck out in a big way. The 4 wide salute from the Late Models was almost the icing on the cake but the outcome of the Feature may have topped it. None other than George "The General" Lee would pick up the Dash win before putting on a clinic in the Feature race. George once dominated this place but has struggled a bit in recent years. Not on this night. George was back to his old ways squeezing every pony from his ride while using every inch of the track to show that the ol' fella still has what it takes to run out front. It sure brought back some great memories of when we were almost tired of seeing him kickin' ass every week ;-) That smile on his face was just plain priceless. I hope Buck enjoyed his final night as track owner and he takes a deep breath before moving onto any future adventures. He sure as hell earned a break from the madness!

The racing action all night was awesome and the show was very well run. I didn't expect to get home before sunrise after such a show, but that was far from the case Friday night. It probably helped that the 50 lap Late Model feature went totally caution free. WOW! Another huge time saver was not having to deal with what had become the Jerry Springer Show with fighting and much worse now that the source of the drama has been removed. What a refreshing change to enjoy an entire night of racing without the shit show that had turned many of us away recently. We were treated to good clean side by side racing and fun between teams all night, just like it used to be. In the end Devon Moran would take home the $10,000 win and Dave Hess would pick up the $1200 Modified feature win. Hats off to all the teams and to the entire Hilltop staff for making this a night that will be remembered for a very long time!

It was also a special night for me personally as I got to bring my granddaughter Angelena with me to not only meet some of her carburetor customers in person but to also hand out our qualifying bonus money. Picking up the bonus in Late Models was Drake Troutman. In recent weeks the ugliness has finally been removed from the pits so she also got to hand out a bonus for the fast qualifier in the Modified division, picked up by Dave Hess. (If only we would have had another one of those giant checks printed in advance for the Modifieds;-)) That smile you see on her face in the pictures was still there the next day and mostly thanks to the drivers and crew at Hilltop that made her feel right at home on race night. For the first time in her life she finally felt like more than a spectator or just a kid, she was honestly one of the rest of us crazy people that are hooked on this sport. When we got stuck in the infield waiting to give out the awards, she was more than happy to witness the show from there and would probably still be there today if we wouldn't have had to go home. She got some good pictures from there but I'm pretty sure the memories of that night will last much longer, and that's all I could ever ask for. THANKS to all of you that helped welcome her to our world of racing and for making racing fun again for this old fart. Oh and to Ed Fredrick,,, she's still laughing about her "conversation" with you.

She showed alot of interest in it from the start and she was very eager to learn anything I'd show her. That eagerness really grew when she starting working on carbs for racers that she not only knew, but loved to see doing well. She had been helping with various carbs for a while before an aerosol style carb came in from one of her early heroes, Rory Reed. Racers are often intimidated by an aerosol carb, but her only reaction was to ask if she could could do this one on her own. It seemed to mean alot to her so I turned her loose on it with limited supervision from me. It's a damn shame Rory doesn't race much in recent years because she turned out a kickass carb on her first try. I'm not sure who was more proud to see her name on that data sheet, her or me. As I had promised her, I made her a custom shirt to celebrate her first complete racing carburetor. It reads "Not All Girls Are Scared Of Carbs". Since that day she's built several more winning carbs for dirt and asphalt in all divisions. In just the past couple of years racers such as Dwayne (Dewey) Powell, and Sam Bigham have been winning everywhere they go with carbs built by this awesome young lady who turned just 14 years old a couple months before the magazine article. The 2021 season began with a carb from another one of her heroes, George The General Lee. She couldn't wait to get started on that one as soon as it hit the bench. She was even nice enough to autograph that data sheet for him since she'd gotten his in the past ;-) George got caught up in some ugliness the first couple nights out but has since set fast time and ran off with a Dash win at Hilltop in recent weeks. Grumpa couldn't be more proud!

News of the plans for 2020 has been trickling out in recent weeks and things are looking great so far. Hilltop has released their tentative schedule already and announced the date for the 2nd Annual Jeff Norris Memorial event. This show brought out the biggest field of Late Models of the 2019 season even though it wasn't the highest paying event. This year should be even better with the announcement that this show will now be a qualifier race for the $10,000 to win 38th Annual Jim Dunn Memorial race that will be held on May 23rd at Muskingum County Speedway. Let's just see who shows up this year on "The Hill" thinking they'll "cherry pick" an easy one. Ummm,, good luck with that drivers! ;-)

The highlight of the off season so far for me though is the news that Deerfield Raceway is finally on track to return to action. At the end of the 2017 season Paul Miller decided to step away from owning this great facility that he and his family brought back from the dead years earlier. Tell me if you heard this story before.... the track was sold to a fella with big dreams and no means or brains to make those dreams a reality. Meanwhile he sold off and/or destroyed much of what was once a historic race track. It sat silently while Paul fought to regain ownership of what he already owned since the buyer never paid him for it. Finally he prevailed and a sheriffs sale. He wasn't exactly wild about running a track again, but at least the place had been saved from being leveled and it was given another chance at life. In recent days the paperwork was completed to transfer ownership to a man well known to Deerfield racers and fans. Jim Good has stepped up once again to support the Deerfield racers with plans to get the gates open this season. Jim stepped up for many racers while Deerfield was closed by finding places for some of their drivers to race, including Hilltop. I talked to Jim and Paul last season to bring their cars to Hilltop and their dedication to the racers was more than clear. The name of the track has been changed but I'm very much looking forward to the same great family friendly atmosphere that this place has been known for. Let's all wish the best for the future of Good's Raceway. I'm all in to help in any way that I can for sure! Good's Raceway tentative schedule is also posted below

Mother Nature may have delayed the Jeff Norris Memorial race but she more than made up for it this Friday night. We were treated to beautiful weather, a great track surface, huge crowd, awesome car count, and of course plenty of side by side action. Getting this show put together was a dream come true for me, but it wouldn't have been possible without Buck, Jesse, Chuck, and the whole staff at Hilltop Speedway. Shucks, even Ed Fredrick showed up to flag the Late Model Spectacular. HUGE THANKS goes out to the entire Hilltop gang, the fans, and all the racers that put on a kickass night of racing in honor of the man that brought us Hilltop Speedway. The Norris family is extremely grateful to all of you that made this event possible. Not only was it a great show on the track, it was wonderful to get together again with the Norris family along with others from the "Original Hilltop Gang". Many old memories were shared and new ones were created on this very special night. I couldn't help thinking to myself as we witnessed the 3 and 4 wide action in the early heat races that this is exactly what Jeff envisioned for this place when he decided to turn a junkyard into a racetrack. I could just about see that shit eatin' grin of his knowing he was watching this show from a better seat than mine.

Folks, you don't want to miss this show. Mother Nature caused Hilltop Speedway to reschedule the Jeff Norris Memorial event for Friday, May 31st. Late Models will be racing 27 laps for a shot at $2000 to win, and $200 just to start the feature. DFC Racing Carburetors has also stepped up the bonus for the Late Model top qualifier to $100 for this show. McKenzie Concrete will also give $50 to all Late Model Heat Race winners, and $25 to the top qualifier in the Modified division. For the original scheduled date we had commitments from some heavy hitters that planned to take on the strong weekly field of Late Models. Let's hope they can make it this time and bring even more outsiders to join the show. Racers or fans, this is your opportunity to not only take part in a great show, but to honor the man responsible for the very existence of this track known for the best side by side racing in the area. Without the dream of this "crazy bastard" we would have to watch the parades seen at the "motor tracks" around here. That would be a damn shame.

Once again, A HUGE congrats goes out to Dwayne Powell for picking up the $500 to win Mini Truck feature win at Hilltop. He sure seems to be enjoying his DFC Racing carburetor alot lately. Awesome job Dwayne, or as the crowd chanted, "Dewey Dewey Dewey!!!" Certainly a fan favorite and we all enjoy seeing this guy woopin some ass. ;-)

Now that Hilltop Speedway has put 2 nights of kickass racing in the books for 2019, it's time to salute the man that made this all possible. Without Jeff Norris and his crazy dream to bring back a track that had been dormant for 30 years, Hilltop Speedway simply wouldn't exist today. This Friday night April 19th we will do our very best to honor the man and his dream. If you weren't around back when Jeff turned an overgrown junk yard into the best place to see side by side dirt racing, come on down to Hilltop this week to learn a little history. If you were lucky enough to be around to witness the transformation from the start, please come to honor Jeff and his family on this very special night. Either way you will be treated to a full night of awesome racing, just as Jeff had envisioned. All divisions except Mini-Wedges will be in action and the spotlight will be on the Late Models. They will be chasing $2000 to win the 27 lap Feature. McKenzie Concrete will give $50 to all Late Model Heat Race winners, and DFC Racing Carburetors will hand over $100 to the fastest qualifier. McKenzie Concrete will also give $25 to the fastest qualifier in the Modified division. You won't want to miss this show folks!

While I'm passing out salutes, I'd like to send out congrats to the first 2 winners of the fast qualifier bonus money from DFC Racing Carburetors. On opening night it was Tyler Carpenter and on week 2 it was Larry Bellman. Congrats guys!

A HUGE congrats also goes out to Dwayne Powell for picking up the Mini Truck feature win this week on his very first night out with his DFC Racing carburetor. Awesome job Dwayne!!!

Hilltop Speedway only exists today due to the dreams and determination of a man I called the "Crazy Bastard" from the first time I met him. Way back in 2005 the rumor mill was going wild about a former racer not only opening up a new dirt track in the area, but bringing one back from the dead after more than 30 years. I certainly wasn't alone in thinking this was probably just a wild dream that would fizzle out before completion. Curiosity got the best of me so I made the trip to see the place and meet this man that insisted he'd make this dream come true. When I saw the property I was even more skeptical than before. The faint outline of the track could barely be seen through the trees, weeds and debris. The infield was now an overgrown swamp and the area outside the track was now a junkyard filled with tons and tons of scrap vehicles from the past 3 decades. The only buildings to be found were falling apart and totally worthless. I remember thinking just how the hell was this place ever going to be a racetrack again, and who was crazy enough to think they could do it in just months instead of years. Then I met Jeff Norris. He wasn't some millionaire looking to throw cash at an idea hoping for the best. He was a simple, down to earth, hard working man that had racing running through his blood. Since I'm not exactly known to sugar coat things I started that first conversation by asking him why the hell he'd even think of taking on such a project just to own a racetrack. His reply will always stick with me. He simply said "Why not, nobody else was gonna do it and it's something I really want to do." His determination and realistic attitude was obvious the more we talked, and just what it took for me to jump aboard the "crazy train" along with him from that day forward. There were others from the racing community that did exactly the same as I did after meeting Jeff. You just couldn't help liking the man and getting excited about seeing this dream come true. We would all give our best towards getting this project done successfully, but one fact is simply undeniable. There would be no Hilltop Speedway today without Jeff Norris and his family.

From the first time I met Jeff we became good friends and we shared some great conversations even after he left the track. Some of those conversations were hilarious, and others were very serious. It was never made public but we even took a tour of another overgrown and closed down racetrack after some discussions with someone about securing finances to make yet another dream come true. Those plans ended up falling apart after the seller got too greedy and jacked up the selling price. What a damn shame. I would have loved another opportunity to work with Jeff once again. It simply wasn't meant to be I guess. One of our conversations after that really struck me in a very serious way. Jeff joked that maybe someday after he was gone somebody would hold a memorial race in his name. I remember telling him that if anybody in the whole racing world deserved such an honor, it would surely be a man that had accomplished what he had done. We honor great racers so honoring a guy responsible for the very existence of a great track should be an obvious move. He may have been joking but I knew then that this was something that needed to be done in the event of his passing. Sadly we lost Jeff in July of 2017. Hilltop honored the family on a special night that year and I hoped for a memorial race in 2018. Unfortunately that didn't happen. Talking with Buck recently I brought it up again since the schedule wasn't quite complete yet. Buck was eager to make this happen this year as long as the Norris family was onboard. When I contacted them it was clear that they were behind this idea. So I'm very happy to announce that on Friday, April 19th, Hilltop Speedway and Holmes Tire will bring you the Jeff Norris Memorial Race paying the Late Models $2,000 to win. DFC Racing Carburetors will also bump up their Late Model fast qualifier bonus to a cool $100 for this event. All other divisions except Mini-Wedges will also be in action on that night. I'd love to see this become an annual event so let's pack the house folks. Let's show some support for a great man that gave so much just to make his dreams and our dreams come true to bring us the best place for side by side racing in the area. It's the very least we can do and we'll get to see a kickass show while we're there. Jeff may be gone but he will never be forgotten. His dream will live on as we witness and remember the sounds and smells of race cars at a place that many never thought would ever experience them again. We salute ya Jeff and the entire Norris family!

I've created a slideshow as a tribute to Jeff Norris and posted it on Youtube. Huge THANKS goes to Ken Cunningham for the use of his pictures that he took years ago to capture a very special time for our racing community. Click the link provided to see the slideshow and I hope you enjoy it.

It may be hard to believe now, but the 2019 racing season will be here before too long. Hilltop Speedway has always kicked off the action early, and this year is no exception. You never want to miss a night of racing at Hilltop and you may need to dress warm for some of the early events but it will be worth it. The entire schedule will have plenty of great shows as always, but I'll cover some highlights here. They will start the racing on March 16th with an Enduro event at 2:00pm. The following week on March 23rd will be an open test and tune day from noon til 4pm. This practice is open to all race cars of course. Things will really heat up on March 29th when the official season will begin with all divisions except Mini-Wedges taking to the track. Then on April 5th the Renegades Of Dirt Modifieds come to town for the King Of The Hill show. The Modifieds will be chasing $2,000 to win on that night. You sure as hell don't want to miss the show on April 19th as Holmes Tire brings you the Jeff Norris Memorial Race where they honor the man that turned an overgrown junkyard into the Hilltop Speedway we enjoy today. Late Models will be racing for $2,000 and with some extra talent in the area that week this should be an awesome show. On July 12th New Fast Motorsports will present the Mini Stock Nationals with a HUGE payout yet to be announced. Last year this show paid $5,000 to win! On July 26th The Buckeye Late Model Dirt Week event will pay $3,000 to win and $400 to start the 30 lap feature. Fast qualifier will pick up an extra $100 for the efforts that night also. There's plenty more great shows on the schedule and some others still being planned so stay tuned folks. Hilltop is the place to be for the very best door to door action in the area without a doubt. Now is the time to make your plans to make the trip to Millersburg every Friday night. As a nice bonus you're bound to see my smiling face there.