Introduction to RacerDan’s Ramblings

I have always wanted to write a book about my life but I think it would probably only be interesting to me. I have also always wanted to have my own website, http://www.RacerDan.com as that is what I have been know as since I worked at Hydrick Ford in Union Grove, WI in about 1986 thanks to my good friend Ron Franks. Thirdly, I have struggled recently with Social Media and how it is utilized (which will be a whole separate blog one day).

With those three thoughts in mind and with recent inspiration from seeing my friend Brad Loyet create his own blog site at http://www.BLoyet.com, I decided to start my own blog where I can convey my own thoughts, capture my own memories, and hopefully offer some insight on many topics from my point of view without having to log into 14 different social media sites that I don’t care that much about. I’ll randomly pick topics about my history, current events, interesting experiences, and highs and lows of the motorsports industry. I will likely make you laugh, make you cry and make you mad at some point but I will be real and tell it like it is good or bad.

A little about me if you don’t know……..

My wife Dee Ann have been married for 23 years and reside in Bolivar, Missouri. I have two children, a daughter Denae and son Dylan. Denae recently graduated from Southwest Baptist University with a major in Public Relations/Business and works full time for Phillips Media. Denae lives in Bolivar and is a 3-cat Mom to Sammy, Erma and Broseph. She’s married to a wonderful man, Dylan Allen, who is a Product Analyst for O’Reilly Automotive. Dylan Robinson is a single Cat Dad to Amber and is currently a student at SBU majoring in Sports Management and lives at home with us in Bolivar. Dylan works at Silo Ridge Golf Course in Bolivar and we have a golf membership there. I love to golf although I am terrible and don’t get to play much. I myself have a the sweetest fat cat named Archie that can usually be found sleeping on my lap or eating. My Sister Jennifer and her husband Tony Schwartz graduated from UW-Platteville in WI and they jointly own and operate Advanced Automotive Repair in Bolivar. My Mom Barbara Streid is a Speech Language Pathologist and a recent breast cancer survivor. She and her husband Jim live in Needmore, Missouri. My Dad Wayne Robinson, Stepmom Penny Robinson and Sister Shanna along with her two children still live in Wisconsin although my Dad and I talk weekly.

I love all things Wisconsin (except the cold weather and high taxes); Brewers, Packers, Bucks, Badgers, Beer, Brats, Cheese. I am still best friends with my childhood friend since 5th Grade, Tom Zillmer who got me into the racing business.

Racing has been a lifelong passion for me since my childhood days of watching the sport on the short tracks in my native Wisconsin. My love of racing began as a crew member of a Dirt Late Model team at Wilmot Speedway at the age of 13 before I later moved to southwest Missouri where I ended up working for five-time NASCAR Weekly Racing Series champion Larry Phillips and son Terry Phillips. I also worked with the late Mike Mittler and the Mittler Brothers NASCAR Truck team, along with being mentored in track operations by the late Bill Willard and Gregg McKarns at Lebanon I-44 Speedway.

I was named General Manager at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri in 2009 and along with a fantastic team have overseen significant growth of the facility into one of the nation’s showcase racing complexes with an oval dirt track, drag-boat racing lake and off-road track.

I was awarded the 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016 Racing Promotion Monthly Great Plains Region Auto Racing Promoter of the Year and the 2015 “Innovator of the Year” at the Race Track Business Conference in Indianapolis. In February 2017, I received the 41st Auto Racing Promoter of the Year Award, sponsored by Racing Promotion Monthly and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Lucas Oil Speedway’s signature event, the Show-Me 100 was named the 2015 Most Outstanding Short Track Event by Racing Promotion Monthly.

In late 2018, I was promoted to Director of Racing Operations for Lucas Oil Products encompassing Lucas Oil Speedway, Lucas Oil MLRA, and the Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League while Danny Lorton took over the day to day reins at Lucas Oil Speedway. I work closely with Lucas Oil’s other Director of Racing Operations and one of my best friends, Ritchie Lewis as he handles the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

What I post may not be interesting to anyone but me although I am fortunate to see and do a lot of neat things. I have believed in working hard and playing hard and that’s what I do.

Stay tuned for daily, weekly, or monthly updates depending on what is going on, how much time I have and how much I feel like writing.

DR