Night at the Oval is always fun, but each night of track-inspired bike racing is also a bit different.
Part of that is down to who shows up and how many people are racing. Another part is how many races we can fit in and which races we do.
So how does it all work?

Each night racers are divided into groups depending on how many are racing. Often that's just A & B, but we'll see. The groups take turns racing on Hawkeye Downs' 1/2 mile, 1/4 mile, &/or 1/8 mile tracks, allowing for multiple short races with rest periods between.

How many races we fit in and which we do varies from night to night. Here's a rundown on the types of races we might do. But don't study this too hard, as before each race a handsome USA Cycling official* will remind us all of how the race is run. (*Yes, I'm kissing up shamelessly, but NatO would never happen without our handsome USAC officials.)

Another favorite is the points race. Points are awarded to the first three riders on every sprint lap, usually every second or third lap. Riders who score points are placed based on their total. Riders who don't score points are placed behind them in the order they finish the last lap.

Win & out is just what it sounds like: the first rider across the line on each lap wins the lap and retires from the race. The winner of lap #1 wins first place, of lap #2 is second, and so on for however many laps. Riders remaining on the final lap are scored in their order of finish.

Devil take the hindmost isn't quite as grim as it sounds.

In the big C race things start to get a little crazy. Both the 1/2 mile and 1/4 mile ovals are used to create a circuit like an outline of a C. This multiple lap criterium involves the closest thing to turns and elevation change you'll see all night. It's scored by the finish order.

By tradition, the two last 1-lap races of the night don't count in the night's overall results. They're just fun.  Big gear is one lap in ... your biggest gear. Start with both feet on the ground, and it's a rush to clip in and grind up to speed. You're not allowed to shift out or your big gear.

Night at the Oval is an omnium, a track term for a collection of shorter races. Every racer gets points for each race, and the fewest total points wins.
In each race, explained Howe, "the winner gets one point, 2nd place gets two points, all the way down the line, so 34th place gets 34 points."

Night at the Oval has never made a lot of money. Renting Hawkeye Downs isn't exactly cheap (even when they cut us a deal), so many years the event barely broke even. This year, however, NatO has received a lifeline through the generous sponsorship of four area bike shops: Goldfinch Cyclery, Geoff's Bike & Ski, Sugar Bottom Bikes, and Northtowne Cycling & Fitness. If you enjoy racing Night at the Oval, please let them know that you appreciate their support.
Finances aren't the only reason that prizes are a bit tricky here. We're not even sure which groups will race -- A & B? add a Juniors Group? or Women? a C group strictly for beginners? -- and in the past we couldn't finalize results for days afterward (again, working on it).