If Estevan Motor Speedway had any making up to do with its fans and drivers after losing some early-season battles with Mother Nature, two epic race programs this past week did more than enough to fill the void.Saturday saw two spectacular crashes, some late-race drama in the modified feature, and a new Speedway record set as Dana Brandt won his sixth consecutive race.Monday's stop on the Dakota Classic Modified Tour was almost as entertaining thanks to a tight race in the hobby stock feature, a late caution in the mod feature, and the sheer volume of competition.Oh yeah, and Brandt won again too.All this came at the perfect time for the track, as many people were still lamenting the loss of two race dates in May to poor weather.The original plan had been to capitalize on renovations at Minot's Nodak Speedway by holding seven races from May 1-June 20 and another three from July 2-12. (A more standard schedule at EMS would include six to seven races through the middle of July.)If there's a downside to all of this, it's that there probably won't be a more entertaining program all year.But don't be dissuaded. Even on a merely average night, the Speedway has a pretty good track record of converting the doubters into believers.***That buzz in the air you felt Sunday at Lynn Prime Park had surprisingly little to do with the local mosquito population.Instead, thank the supporters of the Lampman Legends who cheered their team on to the over-35 provincial baseball title with wins over the Coteau Hills Cardinals and Lockwood Braves.The games themselves were no slouches, but it was the Legends' fans who made the games memorable.They cheered loudly, used their noise-makers freely, started the wave, and even got a few chants going for their hometown players -not exactly standard fare at this kind of tournament.It was a fitting atmosphere to cap off what many players called one of the best Maxi Twiliter Tournaments they'd attended.And the credit for that begins and ends with the fantastic support from the people of Lampman.Brad Brown was just glad to hear that none of the oil from last week's battery fire near Stoughton leaked into the Gulf of Estevan. Brad can be reached by phone at 634-2654 or by e-mail at [email protected].
