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Topic: An update on gotomn.com and this message board
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Page 1 of 1 of 2 replies
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March 29, 2016 at
05:45:24 PM
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11/07/2006
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5580
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This message was edited on
March 29, 2016 at
05:47:30 PM by StanM
The past few seasons I have been gradually scaled back to the point where last year I only made it to eight nights of racing. I will be turning 65 in six months and am reeling things in to prepare for retirement. In addition to working to pay down some debt the past couple years I have hit a wall physically where it's harder to work on the yard all day then drag myself out to the races. Consequently I made the decision to stop writing and shooting for the publications, give up the media passes and attend a handful of races on my own dime. My schedule this year consists of four nights of racing, the final night of the Triple, both nights of the World of Outlaws and the Jerry Richert Sr. Memorial. I've still got the camera and I still don't like sitting in the stands so when I'm at the races I'll still do what I have always done, walk the pits for a few hours in the afternoon and take photos during the races. There will likely be some Saturday nights opening up unexpectedly this summer so if I've got enough extra cash on that particular weekend I'll run out and take in an extra race or two or three. I've got a few more Street Rod shows planned than I have been doing as in the past as admission to those ranges from free to around $12 tops and are more in line with what I'm able to spend.
I had a good time and met a lot of people doing the racing thing all those years. I suppose a lot of folks will think I'm crazy for walking away from the opportunity to get into any race I want to. On the surface that might appear unwise but there is a lot of work and expense involved and I'm not in a position to do that anymore. Another thing I will be eliminating at the conclusion of this season is the Minnesota Dirt Track Racing website and this message board. Today with social media and all the other sites out there covering racing my website and board have outlived their usefulness and I have to eliminate that expense before I retire. If you used to check out www.gotomn.com or you got online after it's heyday and don't know it's out there I encourage you to check it out. It's got an extensive history section and I will post photos from any races I am able to attend this season. It was a difficult decision to do this because the site, photography and writing have been such a huge part of my life for the past seventeen years but time moves on.
In the words of the song "I'm not running anymore" by John Mellencamp:
"Well I look in the mirror - what the hell happened to me? Whatever I had has gone away I'm not the young kid that I used to be So I push the hair back out of my face That's O.K., I knew this would happen But I was hopin' not today"
Thanks to everyone starting way back in 1999 who helped make the MDTR page a cool deal over the years. All the racing people and fans I got to know, it was a lot of fun while it lasted.
Stan Meissner
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April 01, 2016 at
07:03:40 AM
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Joined:
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11/18/2013
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Posts:
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8
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Reply to:
Posted By: StanM on March 29 2016 at 05:45:24 PM
The past few seasons I have been gradually scaled back to the point where last year I only made it to eight nights of racing. I will be turning 65 in six months and am reeling things in to prepare for retirement. In addition to working to pay down some debt the past couple years I have hit a wall physically where it's harder to work on the yard all day then drag myself out to the races. Consequently I made the decision to stop writing and shooting for the publications, give up the media passes and attend a handful of races on my own dime. My schedule this year consists of four nights of racing, the final night of the Triple, both nights of the World of Outlaws and the Jerry Richert Sr. Memorial. I've still got the camera and I still don't like sitting in the stands so when I'm at the races I'll still do what I have always done, walk the pits for a few hours in the afternoon and take photos during the races. There will likely be some Saturday nights opening up unexpectedly this summer so if I've got enough extra cash on that particular weekend I'll run out and take in an extra race or two or three. I've got a few more Street Rod shows planned than I have been doing as in the past as admission to those ranges from free to around $12 tops and are more in line with what I'm able to spend.
I had a good time and met a lot of people doing the racing thing all those years. I suppose a lot of folks will think I'm crazy for walking away from the opportunity to get into any race I want to. On the surface that might appear unwise but there is a lot of work and expense involved and I'm not in a position to do that anymore. Another thing I will be eliminating at the conclusion of this season is the Minnesota Dirt Track Racing website and this message board. Today with social media and all the other sites out there covering racing my website and board have outlived their usefulness and I have to eliminate that expense before I retire. If you used to check out www.gotomn.com or you got online after it's heyday and don't know it's out there I encourage you to check it out. It's got an extensive history section and I will post photos from any races I am able to attend this season. It was a difficult decision to do this because the site, photography and writing have been such a huge part of my life for the past seventeen years but time moves on.
In the words of the song "I'm not running anymore" by John Mellencamp:
"Well I look in the mirror - what the hell happened to me? Whatever I had has gone away I'm not the young kid that I used to be So I push the hair back out of my face That's O.K., I knew this would happen But I was hopin' not today"
Thanks to everyone starting way back in 1999 who helped make the MDTR page a cool deal over the years. All the racing people and fans I got to know, it was a lot of fun while it lasted.
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Thank you, Stan. Your site and your efforts to publicize racing were a part of bringing sprint car racing back to this area.
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April 02, 2016 at
08:21:15 AM
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Joined:
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11/07/2006
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Posts:
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5580
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This message was edited on
April 02, 2016 at
08:25:21 AM by StanM
Reply to:
Posted By: dr117 on April 01 2016 at 07:03:40 AM
Thank you, Stan. Your site and your efforts to publicize racing were a part of bringing sprint car racing back to this area.
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You're welcome and thanks for the kind words. It was a great run while I had the means and the stamina to chase my dream of being a racing reporter. Thinking back to the 80's I used to look at Open Wheel and admire the writers and photographers and machines as much as the drivers they wrote about. I got to do that and now I have hundreds of my photos and articles to hang on the walls. I hope to add a few more pictures and might even be motivated to compose a blog post or two in the future. Only difference is they'll be few and far between and will be done simply for the sake of doing them.
Meanwhile I'm enjoying my new/old hobby of writing, performing and recording rock songs. I'm doing a collaboration with an old friend where I write the songs, play rhythm, bass, and keys, record, mix and master and he adds lead guitar. It's not pro and my singing is along the lines of Lemmy from Motorhead but I'm having fun without having to travel every weekend or invest thousands in camera equipment that gets wiped out by dust every few years. My writing and photography and music are the same but different, same purpose for shits and giggles and to have fun but entirely different persuits.
https://www.reverbnation.com/skmeissner/song/24072519-is-this-a-dream-asylum-of-fear
Stan Meissner
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