[Jeff Higgins]

I spent last night at our local dirt track, the Skagit Speedway, watching the Jim Rapier Memorial Dirt Cup. Two classes of cars, Midgets and 360 Sprints. What an incredibly fun, yee-haw kind of a time. It's a 3/10's of a mile dirt oval, banked 15 degrees on the straights and 25 degrees on the corners. The feature event was the 40 lap main for the 360's, with about 25 cars running in it.

Let me tell you, these kids race with a capital "R". Three and four wide on this tiny little track, with a level of aggression that has to be seen live to be appreciated. Watching World of Outlaws on TV simply does not do it justice. It's been a long time since I have been so thoroughly entertained at a motor race.

I watched this through the eyes of a dyed-in-the-wool F1 fan. Last night drove home even more profoundly than ever just what a boring parade of self important pricks F1 has become. I wondered out loud on several occasions if a Lewis Hamilton, a Sebastian Vettel, or any one of those guys would even have the nut sack to climb into a 360 Sprint car with these kids. Maybe Kimi would, if they would let him wear his Santa suit...

These cars are of roughly the same power and weight of an F1 car. Probably far less downforce, even with their massive wings, but it's clear that downforce is of a different nature - they have no problem running nose to tail for lap after lap. And what a glorious noise - cast iron small blocks with aluminum heads, running on methanol, turning 10,000 barely muffled rpm's. Far, far better than the flatulant Subaru blat of the modern F1 car.

If you ever get the chance, you owe it to yourselves to get out to your local dirt track. You won't regret it.