By Anvil Welch

awelch@joplinglobe.com

Springfield Raceway officials hope to resume stock car racing tonight with a regular show.

Said co-owner Jerry Hoffman on Friday: “It’s our weekly show ... without rain and lots of sunshine before nighttime.”

Then, of course, Hoffman, of Oronogo, laughed to keep from crying.

The life of a promoter/track owner isn’t easy nowadays in these parts. The inclement weather, cost of fuel and economy have combined to produce massive headaches.

Hoffman, Hoffman Race Cars, believes last Saturday night’s rainout was the seventh of the season for the quarter-mile dirt track.

The John Kuntz Memorial — a late model DLRA/MARS event — again was postponed and Hoffman said the new date is at 7 p.m. on Aug. 28 (a Thursday).

Today’s regular 7 p.m. program offers late model, modified, sport mod, factory stock, bomber and hornet classes.

Admission prices are $10 and $5 (ages 6-12). A pit pass is $25.

Lebanon I-44 Speedway

Promoter Randy Mooneyham has put the open late models — the one-time featured class — on hold until the Larry Phillips Memorial scheduled Aug. 29-30.

Mooneyham said it’s too expensive to pay both late model and modified purses lucrative enough to make it worthwhile to the drivers.

“Sometimes you have to make the shoe fit,” Mooneyham said of the scheduling in an interview with Lyndal Scranton of the Springfield News-Leader. “I’m the only one that’s run open late models and (A) modifieds the same night on a weekly show. Those are two big purses and the way the economy has been it’s tough.”

Tonight’s I-44 fare has modified, factory stock, B-modified, bomber, rookie and Legends Cars.