Toxic Cocktail

It was quite night of racing that was served up at the La Crosse Speedway on Saturday night.  After having to postpone the season opener due to a very crabby Mother Nature, we were able to fire up the engines at the track and go racing!  Combine the overwhelming, pent up energy in the drivers together with a full moon hanging overhead in the sky...and well...that's a potentially toxic cocktail.


I was holding my breath and my video camera trying to keep the first laps of the night framed in the viewfinder.  Waiting for the other shoe to drop, we motored through a great portion of the races on the docket without much incident...until we got to the Sportsmen feature.


Cue the dramatic music.


We had a caution every one of the first three laps of that race, with that third one being the most explosive.  Tight, side-by-side racing is always a part of the action at any race track.  There will be some bumping and banging.  It's the nature of the beast.  


From what I could see in my video, Jake Arneson's car was bobbling, coming off of turn four, and he was working the wheel to try to hang onto his machine.  As Arneson slowed and began to chase his car up the track, Randy Humfeld, with the field bearing down behind him, had no where to go.  Contact was made with Humfeld's right front and Arneson's left rear, effectively turning him head-on into the oncoming freight train.


I held my breath and tried to focus my camera on his car, bracing myself for what would likely be a very heinous and injury-filled impact for Arneson.  Oh, there WAS impact.  But thankfully, the injury was primarily to his car and not to him.  It was brutal.  Did I mention that I have it on tape?  It hurts to watch it.  See for yourself.


I suspect Arneson had a cocktail of the non-toxic variety, afterward to nurse his wounds and his emotions.  What a horrible feeling to have to load your once beautiful race car, that is now a big pile of wreckage, back onto the hauler.  I hope he's able to piece it back together and come out again to race at La Crosse.  He sure had one of the better looking rides out there.  And I appreciate a racer who takes that kind of pride in having a good-looking car.


So, let's all raise our glasses and toast to Jake Arneson--that he is personally OK after a horrific accident--and that he may get the financial support to put his car back together and return to the La Crosse Speedway.  It could have been worse.  And it can always get better.  I know a guy who swears every time he's ever had to rebuild a car after a horrific wreck--it has always run BETTER.  Here's to hoping Jake has that same experience!  Good Luck Jake!