Grudge

    l remember working the pit in/out gate at Vallejo Speedway and watching "Grudge Races" or "Match Races". They started when a couple rival drivers had a few, shall we say, "disagreements" and someone, their crews, owners or the speedway gave them a "heat" race to settle it without causing other drivers to be involved unexpectedly, but it really didn't. Then the fans started voting on who they wanted to see "Match/Grudge", l remember fans taking sides, way cool.
   
  In fact there were several incarnations of the "Grudge/Match", the speedway choosing two drivers that didn't like each other, to fans choosing and their votes contributing to the "roll-over" fund, or the fastest qualifier challenging last weeks "Grudge" winner.

  And I will never forget the many times when starter/flagman "Jumpin" Joe Valente, during intermission leaving the flag-stand, going into the pits and in a few minutes, leaving the pits in some one's hardtop and doing some laps that when timed from the announcers booth would have put him squarely in the main event. Absolutely amazing, what a great memory.

                                                                                                                                       Mike Haney