Helms
Shane Helms owns the car driven by his son Caleb Helms. The elder Helms is also the founder of the Renegade Sprints organization, which will hold a couple shows at Grandview Speedway next season. (Jeremy Elliott | jelliott@pennlive.com)
It was time to close the laptop and head home to get ready for the eight-hour trek to the World Finals in Charlotte.
Before I could hit the shut-down button, a press release popped into my inbox. It was more news about the Renegade Sprints.
This release was different. It wasn't the typical announcement of another Ohio driver or track making a commitment. This news hit closer to home and to say there was shock would be a bit of an understatement.
Shane Helms' Renegade Sprints will head to the central Pennsylvania area twice next season and race at Grandview Speedway. This after the original plan for the series was to focus on the Ohio-Indiana-Michigan region.
The official dates have yet to be announced. But according to Helms, there could be more news next week.
"Bob Miller seems like a likable guy," Helms said. "I believe what is going to happen is that we will try and hit Path Valley on a Sunday and then Grandview on Tuesday.
"My hope is to grab another track and make it a three-day weekend. I'm working with Mr. Miller and [Fred] Rahmer to get dates."
A three-day weekend makes sense. You have to make it worthwhile for teams coming in from western Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Still, it's tough to pull off. The All Star Circuit of Champions have been coming east for years and routinely bring four to six cars to a race weekend that includes Williams Grove and Port Royal or Lincoln.
It's hurt the local fans' perception of the All Stars. But Helms isn't worried. He stands behind his product and believes he can bring 10 entrants to the midstate.
"There may be some concern that we are getting too many dates away," Helms said, "but if you can make it make sense with the right amount of tow money and a good point system, guys don't mind going that far.
"I feel pretty safe that there will be 10 and maybe more. Hopefully, we can get some more dates because I think for any series to be legitimate, it needs to track over to central Pennsylvania."
I didn't expect to see the Renegades come this far east this fast. It wasn't in the original mission statement.
Helms' plan was to nail down the Buckeye State and get a foothold in Indiana. But things have progressed faster than expected, and it only made sense to continue that momentum and extend boundaries.
Of course, it helped that Miller, who runs the Thunder on the Hill events at Grandview, was persistent and was one of the first promoters interested in hosting a Renegade Sprints event when the series first developed.
"Yes, we have come a long way," Helms said. "But also, I haven't secured Wayne County and Attica [in Ohio].
"I'm consciously focused on most of Ohio, but I'm getting calls from other areas. So things are going pretty well. I just haven't secured all of the tracks in Ohio."
The potential is there to branch out.
Helms has made contact with National Sprint League founder Tod Quiring. He's also talked to the IRA Sprints.
As for the Big 3 in central Pennsylvania — Williams Grove, Port Royal and Lincoln — there have been minor discussions between track promoters and Renegade Sprints board members. But nothing has been signed.
"We are in the process of formulating our schedule," said Alan Kreitzer, who is part of the management team at Lincoln Speedway.
"We are looking at different things, but I think we have to wait and see what happens. We're not in a hurry. That is an Ohio family feud, and I find it hard to believe that Ohio can support two traveling series."
NOTES
-Greg Hodnett will be competing in this weekend's World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. Hodnett will be testing a Triple XXX Chassis. The Mike Heffner-owned team won 11 races this season using Maxim Chassis.
-There have been a lot of rumors floating around about the Highlands' Tire No. 3. According to Matt Highlands, the team will run a 410 Sprint Car schedule in 2015 with Pat Cannon behind the wheel. Cannon will be a regular at Williams Grove and compete in special shows at Selinsgrove and other tracks.