For the folks at Family Events, the Indy Jamboree is the culmination of a summer tour that goes across the northern tier as well as central America. Four shows over the summer months have given great action and close battles.
But, nothing that happened in Springfield, Lima, or Bloomsburg could compare to what was brought to the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Saturday. A field of 12 trucks made the journey to Indiana, as many folks were still recovering from the tragedy that happened at the Sugarland concert weeks ago. It was the first event at the Indiana State Fairgrounds since that night, and the main grandstands were closed off, as the investigation is still ongoing.
But, the fans came to see action, and they got not only that, but a bit of a scare.
Saturday afternoon's racing program had eight trucks compete on the unique S-course. This year's track was unique as due to the smaller area, the entire race course was on dirt. In years past, the course would either be a combination of dirt and pavement, or all pavement with just dirt ramps.
The first event of the day saw an all-Ram final as teammates Mark Hall and Mat Dishman met up for the first racing trophy of the weekend. At the finish line, the camoflague Rammunition saw victory as Dishman beat his more experienced teammate.
The runner-up finish brought Hall to within 40 points of leader Dan Runte in Bigfoot heading into the evening program. But Runte was gunning to knock down the big Dodge, and take away the title Hall has held for many years.
Runte would meet Hall in the semi-finals of the evening program, and thanks to a tight turn he would win and move to the finals.
But, it was the final round that got everyone's attention. Runte lined up against Dishman, who in early July beat Runte on three different occasions. Runte had lane choice, opting for the left lane. It payed dividends as he would cut a tight final corner with Dishman pouring on the horsepower.
Runte took the win, but all the chaos ensued after the final jump.
The Bigfoot Ford was cockeyed when it landed, and while Runte was gathering it up, Dishman had so much speed over the last jump that he went side-to-side with Runte. The two trucks ended up tangling, as the left-rear tire of Rammunition crawled up the right-front of Runte. This caused Bigfoot to turn hard left, and actually barrel roll the truck.
It landed on all four tires, with the left-rear off the bead. Meanwhile, Dishman was trying to gather his truck up but ended up rolling onto his drivers side, sliding across the pavement.
Both drivers would get out of their trucks unhurt. However it was reported that Runte was pretty shook up after the wreck and went back to the Bigfoot hauler to collect himself.
The damage to Bigfoot seemed minor for the most part. The body was beat down, as fiberglass pieces were broke off and lexan was cracked. The right side had a tire mark that would remind race fans of an event at Bristol, and finally there was a broken sway bar end.
The worst damage was to the actual chassis as there was a crack in the roll cage. After the event, the Bigfoot team and others were already thrashing on the truck to get repairs done for Sunday's festivities.
Meanwhile, the Rammunition Dodge had body damage to the left side, as well as a flat left-rear tire and possible bent tubes in the chassis. Dishman didn't sound confident after the wreck that his crew would have all the repairs ready for Sunday, which could be huge for the points battle.
Runte, meanwhile, now holds a 120-point lead over Hall in the Raminator heading into Sunday.
If Runte cannot make the call for Sunday's finale, Hall must win three rounds of racing to tie for the points lead. However, if Runte makes the call and is able to race, all he has to do is win the first round of competition. Should he accomplish that, it will not matter what Hall does in the rounds that follow as Runte will have enough of a lead to hold onto the championship.
But, the truck will need to be ready and safe in order to make that charge.
Sunday's final at the 4-Wheel Jamboree in Indianapolis is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.
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