As I pulled into the pits the parking lot looked rather bare and the rider count was down. Charlie (always a threat) Venegras and Russel Green were absent in first division. Second and Third had six riders each on the program and then to smooth out the program four second division riders were put in with the first division and five riders started at the tapes instead of four as listed on the program.
An additional change was made for second and third divisions where as each race was scored: 3,2,1,0 and the four highest scores went to the main. This made ever race count and didn't give anybody a free ride to the main when in the past seven rider were placed in the main without any eliminations or real heat competitions.
It is extremely difficult to put on a race program when you have a shortage of riders. Motors break, bodies take time to heals after crashing and wallets take even longer with so many out of work or working only parts time. 
Please understand I am not shaking my finger at the decision to put some second division rider in with the much faster ones as the slower ones will be back at the rear very quickly but it now become a motor version of dodge ball.
The track surface at Industry varies every week depending on what other events take place there during the week. Cleaning my tires after the first race I noticed some hay material stuck to the tires so I am guessing from the steel calf chutes lying outside they must have had a rodeo there. A combination of cooler temperatures, too much watering, created a sluice like slip and slide. I watched the juniors before me and when two young lads on two-fifties repeatedly fell in the same bend I knew it was slick.
Knowing that the track was going to be slick in the corner is good to know but you have to try and beat everybody to the first turn and I got the jump at the tapes and slid through the corners without going down and stayed in front for all of the remaining laps winning going away as out brilliant announcer said. As long as he says nice things about Sugar Daddy he remains brilliant in my eyes.
Tyson Talkington showed up with a new number on the back of his leathers.
Kevin Johnson blew up his motor before the races started when he chucked half a bearing while warming his bike up. That can be costly as I did something similar a few weeks back.
Brandi McElroy, who rides the rear of the number 2 sidecar went down hard last week in a crash where the wall remained standing. Her and Brian Motis were back again for more punishment and won the crazy sidecar main event.
One reason there was a shortage of second division riders was the Tim McGrath was hurt Saturday night at Victorville and required an operation on his knee. After the races I offered to sell him my knee but he politely declined saying he didn't want an old worn out one.
Last Saturday night there were two separate track running on the same night here in Southern California. Now one could wonder about the reasoning of this happening with an acute shortage of riders here but I will not dwell on it. 
Last Saturday my lap top quit and now is getting well in a repair shop in San Pedro. So I started to use my son's super duper Dell that he abandoned when he switched to an Apple for editing his bmx videos and it when down in flames with the dreaded blue screen after getting hit with a virus. So the pictures included in this blog were not adjusted for exposure.
Buck Blair left his cell phone charger in my Nissan last week and the charger has wound up missing. Anyone who knows the whereabouts of it please let us know. Bucky has won three main events in the last six days: Friday at Costa Mesa at the Fair Derby, Saturday at Victorville and last night at Industry but his lovely wife still would like her phone charger back
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