Racin'
& Internet Stuff:
By Tom
Avenengo
08/09/2012
First:
I got started on
this column around mid-day on Sunday.
Didn’t get much done due to having company most of the day. Got a little done Sunday
night. Went to
bed around 1:00 AM. Woke up
around 4:00 AM and couldn’t get back to sleep.
Around 6:00 AM, I put the “fan” on, on my A/C. It was shortly thereafter that my A/C decided
to take a sh*t.
Oh, my room is upstairs in a two story house. It’s a little “warm” in my room, now, even
with the A/C out of the window and a window fan in, trying to suck up some of
the cooler air from downstairs. I think
back and still have no idea as to how we survived without A/C. So we have a rather large A/C that’s not in
use, and it was in the garage. Son Eric
came over on Tuesday night and he took the smaller A/C out of our kitchen
window, put it in my room, then put the larger A/C
unit in a window in our dining room.
Second:
I have to imagine that you’ve heard that
Brett Hearn has been hospitalized over this past weekend – with what we’ve been
told is a blood clot – either in his liver or in the arteries/veins that go to
the liver. That news came out Saturday
night. I’m doing this at 1:20 PM on
Monday, and am quite surprised that there haven’t been any up-dates. Two things I had heard, up to now, were:
1: He was all done for the 2012 racing season.
2.
A PR from DIRTcar had him missing only a
couple of races this week.
On Monday night, this was posted on Facebook,
by Tom Czaban:
“*Update* I was able to visit *Brett Hearn* this
evening at the Hospital. Brett is going to be ok!! Brett will probably not be
racing this week, depends on the Dr.'s orders. However he won't be out of
commission very long!! Brett was surrounded by family and thanks everyone for
their thoughts, Prayers and support. Everyone has been asked to respect his
time in the hospital for rest so he can return to normal duties and home as
soon as possible! Brett is in very good spirits and as always had a smile on
his face. Tom~
Tuesday afternoon:
Thank you so much to everyone for the prayers . Lots of good news today.
! Heading out the door of the
Note:
Latest I had heard is that he managed to escape from the “Crash House”
and should be returning to the racing wars next week.
Third:
I have to correct a couple of things from
last weeks column.
1:
“Ninth:
Better hurry on this one! Big race at OVRP’s Dirt Oval:
“
200 Laps of Racing
NASCAR STYLE
August 11, 2012
$500 GUARANTEED to Win
Other Payouts to be Determined by Number of Entries
Heavys – 375 lbs. – 2 person
race teams are allowed
22 Racers Make
it to the Main Event
Top 18 Teams Come Directly
from Qualifying
4 Teams Comes from 15 Lap
Conciliation Race (15 karts maximum)
Total of 3 person Race Teams:
- If 1 Racer, then 2 person Pit Crew
- If 2 Racers, then 1 person Pit Crew
Non-Qualifier Race for Teams
that Don’t Make the Main Event
20 Lap Feature 20 kart
maximum
$100 Goes to the Winner
Entry Fee - $60.00 (does not
include pit pass)
Pre-Register by August 4th
and save $10.00
Pre-Registration Form
Gates Open – 8:00 am
Registration Ends Promptly at
10:00 am
Pre-Registration Recommended
Cut-off August 4th – Save
$10.00
Pre-Tech – 9:00 – 10:00 am
Happy Hour Open Practice –
10:00 – 11:00 am
Qualifying – 11:30 am”
Note: Well, this particular race has been canceled
due to a lack of interest.
2:
“And, another reminder about the Hinchliffe
Stadium Racing Expo to be held on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend:
We are still looking for participants for this years show. We
have an ample amount of space to accommodate anyone that would like to be a part
in the show. If you would like to take part in the show, display a car, or
exhibit please contact Ronny Dennis (718)344-0502. It is FREE to enter the show
This years show will take place on Sunday
September 2, 2012 of Labor Day weekend
Gates open to participants at 10 am
Show starts at 12 noon and runs all day
Admission is FREE
Hinchliffe Stadium is located in Paterson, N.J.,
on the corner of Liberty St. and Maple St. next to the Great Falls.
Come out and show your support for the Stadium.
While your there you can check out the Great Falls Festival. There is something
for everyone. See you at the SHOW!”
Note: I was informed,
while at OCFS on Saturday, that the date will be
changed – more than likely it will be on Sunday, October 7th. More on this later on.
Fourth:
Fifth:
Benefits Victims of Lightning Strike Tragedy
LONG POND, PA (August 7, 2012) – Pocono Raceway has
established the Pennsylvania 400 Memorial Fund to benefit the victims of the
lighting strike tragedy which occurred following the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, August 5, 2012.
Donations will be accepted at any PNC Branch or by mailing
checks/money orders, addressed to “Pennsylvania 400 Memorial Fund” to the
following address:
Pocono Raceway
Attn:
1234 Long
Long
http://www.poconoraceway.com/pennsylvania-400-memorial-fund-established.html
Sixth:
Last weekend I
went to the Accord Speedway on Friday night and OCFS on Saturday. Keep in mind, Accord is a banked ¼ mile track
while OC is a slightly banked 5/8 mile track.
I hate to say this but the Accord track wins, hands down, as far as
competitive and side-by-side racing goes.
To me, what with all the “rules” in racing today, the bigger tracks just
don’t have real good racing anymore.
Sail Panels made their return to Accord in the Modified class, and, yes,
it seems to have made the racing better.
I’ve heard that there was a question (which I can not find) on the OCFS
website – about Sail Panels at OC?
Seventh:
Well, we’re into August already, and the
racing season is dwindling down. What I
find to be extremely sad is that as of this column, there is no Super Dirt
Series (Syracuse Qualifier) scheduled for OCFS.
While on the phone with Tom Deery, a while back, I asked about this and
Mr. Deery said that DIRTcar might have to promote the race, itself, kind of
like how they did with the “Big Show” race last year. Kinda sucks – what with OCFS being a
DIRTcar/WRG sanctioned track, and no SDS race – unless you consider ESW as it,
and still that race ain’t a SDW qualifier.
Eighth:
Roger Penske – Can’t seem to make up his
mind, it seems? Let’s see – Nazareth
Speedway – bought it and walked away.
Ninth:
On Wednesday, we went to
Prior to us going there, we knew that we
would be getting some financial assistance towards the pills and chemo. What was holding things up was that we still
had not heard from our local hospital about getting some financial assistance
where the chemo will be administered. We
received notice on that in the mail on Wednesday – we will have some
assistance.
With this news, I called our oncologist to
see if the wife could start taking the pills tomorrow, Thursday, since the
chemo would be administered some time during the two weeks the wife has to take
the pills. After a short discussion, she
starts on Thursday. One little catch,
though – the paperwork for the surgery for the placement of the “Medi-port”
says no vitamins for at least a week prior to the surgery. The wife is supposed to take Vitamin B-6 with
her chemo pills. We must call the doctor
first thing on Thursday, August 9th, to see what’s what with that.
Tenth:
This past Tuesday night there was a
WRG/DIRTcar SDS race at I-96 Speedway in
Eleventh:
Some in IndyCar say it's time to replace catch fencing on
ovals
Quite an interesting read, I’d say. I’ve said that 4x8 sheets of Lexan, on the
track side of the fencing might work. In
the article they talk of a system of transparent
segments to stop cars from reaching a track's fencing. An existing product such
as SR5096, developed by Dutch company GTC-N, is transparent, does not distort
and is highly impact-resistant—but very expensive.
More on this can be seen
here:
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120731/INDYCAR/120739955
Twelfth:
“Doom & Gloom” time, folks. For my area – the forecast for Friday and
Saturday:
Friday:
Thunderstorms 75% – Severe ones late
Saturday:
Some Thunderstorms.
TV listings:
Mainly
NASCAR stuff.
http://www.jayski.com/pages/tv.htm
Coming up:
Accord:
This coming Friday – Held over
Pure Stock feature from last week, plus Modifieds, Sportsman, Spec Sportsman,
Pro Stocks, Pure Stocks, Lightning Sprints and 4 Cylinders.
OCFS:
This coming Saturday - Modifieds, Sportsman,
Pro Stocks and Street Stocks. Kids Club.
Thurs. Aug. 16th
$17,500 TO WIN “MR. DIRT Track
Plus Budget Sportsman, Gates Open @ 5pm | Racing @ 6pm
Found on Jayski’s website:
Dodge leaving NASCAR?
Dodge
is expected to announce its withdrawal from NASCAR competition following the
2012 season, multiple sources with knowledge of Dodge's plans told ESPN.com.
Dodge is expected to hold a Tuesday press conference to make the announcement.
Attempts to contact multiple Dodge spokespeople for comment were unsuccessful
or resulted in no comment. Dodge was faced with a rebuilding phase beginning in
2013, after Penske Racing -- the lone NASCAR organization to field Dodges since
2009 -- chose to leave the manufacturer in favor of Ford Motor Company
beginning next season. Penske has fielded Dodges since 2003, winning 29 Sprint
Cup races to-date and a Nationwide Series championship with driver Brad
Keselowski. But in March Penske announced the return to Ford, which it had
fielded from 1994 to 2002. This isn't the first time Dodge has chosen to leave
NASCAR. The manufacturer pulled out of the sport in 1977 and didn't return
until 2001. Since that time, Dodge has accumulated 55 Sprint Cup victories.(ESPN)(8-7-2012)
UPDATE:
SRT
Motorsports announced that Dodge will withdraw from NASCAR competition at the
conclusion of the 2012 season. Ralph Gilles, President and
"We've spent an intense five months working
to identify and evaluate all options for our future involvement in
NASCAR," Gilles said. "A number of opportunities emerged, and our
team worked diligently to put a structure together to fit our overall business
and competitive objectives. While we have been pleased and enthused with the
amount of interest from teams and sponsors over that time, in the end, we
simply couldn't develop the right structure."
Dodge has recorded 215 wins in the Sprint Cup
Series, including 55 since 2001, and has been represented in the NASCAR Chase
for the Sprint Cup seven of the eight seasons. In 2010, Brad Keselowski
captured the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship driving a Dodge from Penske
Racing.
"It's an extremely difficult decision to
know that we won't be there for our fans next season," Gilles added.
"It's important to note that we have not lost focus on 2012 or the commitment
to our partnership with Penske Racing in both the Sprint Cup Series and
Nationwide Series this season." Keselowski currently is seventh in the
Sprint Cup Series standings and has three wins in his quest to make the
12-driver Chase field for the second consecutive year. In Nationwide Series
competition, Sam Hornish Jr. is locked in a four-way battle for the season
championship.(SRT Motorsports)(8-7-2012)
UPDATE2 –
Statement From Brian France
about the Departure Of Dodge from NASCAR:
"Dodge
has been a great partner to NASCAR for many years, and they have been part of
numerous memorable moments throughout our history," said NASCAR Chairman
and CEO Brian France. "They made a business decision not to return in
2013, as they did in 1977 before returning in 2001. We wish them well and hope
they again will choose to return to NASCAR at a later date. Our fans have a
passion for cars and emotional connections to particular manufacturers, and
that's why in 2013 we will debut new race car designs that are modeled after
each manufacturer's production cars. This change is a direct result of feedback
from our fans, who are the most brand loyal in all of
sports."(NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)(8-7-2012)
Roush says Penske will use Roush-Yates engines:
Jack
Roush says Penske has decided to run Roush-Yates Ford engines next season.
Penske has said he will not be shutting down the 80-man operation he currently
has, but it would seem unlikely that Ford would care for one of its star new
players to also continue building Dodge engines on the side. A possible sale of
that engine shop to Dodge itself has been speculated as the only logical
solution.
Roush: "Roger and I will cooperate on
things that are in our common interests, and we will compete on things that
reflect our need to be independent and justify our space on the race track.
We've done the bulk of the work on the 2013 car; we did invite them to have a
look at what we've done in concert with Ford, and made sure we had their
blessing, along with the other Ford teams involved. The indication
are -- though I don't know if the papers have been signed yet -- that he
will use our engines. He does have a few things he does different with his cars
and the way the engines are mounted; so we'll respect his experience and his
package preference. Whether we wind up with the same package for all Ford cars
or not is yet to be determined."
Roush, asked about the possibility of Penske
becoming a business partner with Roush and Doug Yates in the engine operations,
said "There is no plan on the table for Roger for any ownership in the
engine program. But I stop short of saying that would never be a consideration
going forward."(MikeMulhern.net)(8-4-201
UPDATE:
Roush
Yates Engines announced that it will provide Ford FR9 engines to Penske Racing
beginning with the 2013 NASCAR season. Penske Racing announced earlier this
year that it would be returning to Ford Racing in 2013 in the Sprint Cup and
Nationwide Series. "It's truly an honor to provide Penske Racing with
Roush Yates Ford engines," said Doug Yates, CEO of Roush Yates. "I
have always admired Roger Penske as a team owner and a respected businessman in
our sport and beyond. I am looking forward to many wins, championships, and
other successes in supporting the Penske organization." Penske Racing
fielded Ford entries from 1991 through 2002. "Ford has been consistent in
its belief that we will be stronger with one engine specification rather than
continuing with an independent approach," said Tim Cindric, President of
Penske Racing. "Roush Yates has a proven record and we are looking forward
to many successes together."(Roush Yates)(8-6-2012)
UPDATE 2:
Penske
Racing will switch to Roush Yates horsepower in its 2013 move to Ford in the
Sprint Cup Series, but the team still is exploring ways to keep its 63 engine
employees. Penske President Tim Cindric told USA Today Sports that still
building motors for Dodge teams in NASCAR's premier series wouldn't be an
option, though. "Relative to us, they said they're going in a different
direction," Cindric said. "We don't see there being any more
potential on the NASCAR side with Dodge." Cindric said Penske has explored
sending some of its engine staff to Roush Yates, reassigning others within
Penske Racing and perhaps pursuing engine projects in other series with the
rest of the employees in a scaled-down engine room. "We feel our biggest
asset wasn't the (horsepower) but the people," Cindric said. "That's
a strong group of people we didn't want to break up."(USA Today)(8-7-2012)
Fans struck by lightning after race:
Three
fans were struck by lightning following the rain-shortened NASCAR Sprint Cup
race Sunday at Pocono Raceway. According to a witness, they were struck outside
the track. Track spokesman Bob Pleban confirmed that three people were injured
and two were transported to a local hospital. One was treated at the track care
center and released. Pleban said he could not release the names nor the
condition of those injured, who were hit during a massive thunderstorm that
forced the race to be halted after 98 of 160 laps.(Sporting News)(8-5-2012)
UPDATE:
Officials
at Pocono Raceway say 10 people attending Sunday's NASCAR race were injured in
a lightning strike in the parking lot behind the grandstand, and two are in
critical condition. Pocono spokesman Bob Pleban says it's not clear if all 10
were actually struck by lightning. It's unknown whether one or multiple lightning
strikes occurred. Pleban says five people were treated at the scene. He says
one person was taken to
UPDATE 2:
One
fan was killed and nine others were injured as a result of lightning strikes
following Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway. Track officials said the
name or gender of the fan killed could not be released until family members
were notified. They said the fan was pronounced dead on arrival at
UPDATE 3 –
Pocono Statement:
As
reported yesterday, a long time member of our Pocono Raceway family, a
spectator has passed away following a lightning strike. According to Monroe
County Coroner Robert Allen the name of the deceased is 41 year old Moosic,
At approximately 5:01 p.m. Eastern Time, the
first lightning strike occurred on property inside our Grandstand Parking area,
located near Gate 5A. A Pocono Raceway Grandstand Fire unit was stationed in
the vicinity and witnessed the actual strike. The response was immediate as the
unit reported the incident to our control tower and advised spectators were
injured. CPR was started immediately to Mr. Zimmerman by a friend on the scene.
Within
a matter of 3 minutes, medical personnel and additional emergency services
reported on the scene and took control of treatment to individuals. EMT
responders were approached by additional individuals who reported symptoms
related to the lightning strike. Those affected were taken to the Raceway
Medical Centers, where they were examined and transported to local area
hospitals for treatment and further evaluation. A total of nine individuals
were treated as a result of the initial lightning strike.
At approximately 6:35 p.m. Eastern Time, the
control tower was notified of a second possible lightning strike in the
vicinity near Gate 3. The individual was immediately transported to Pocono
Raceway's
At this point in time, the one individual that
was in critical condition has now been upgraded to stable. Some have been
treated and released. Others involved are pending release as early as today and
all are in good spirits. The safety of all guests to Pocono Raceway is of the
utmost importance to our entire staff. This tragic event is at the forefront of
all of our thoughts and prayers. We will learn from the incident and continue
to implement strategies to help ensure the safety of fans and all attendees at
future events at Pocono Raceway.
(Pocono Raceway)(8-6-2012)
Sad News - Brian Zimmerman:
The
man killed by lightning Sunday during the
AND:
Brian
Franklin Zimmerman, age 41, of Moosic, PA, died tragically and unexpectedly
Sunday evening at Pocono Raceway. He is survived by his loving wife, the former
Marion Jones. The couple would have celebrated their 6th wedding anniversary on
August 12th. He is also survived by his three children, two sons, Cole Patrick
and Chase Randolph, and daughter, Lana Christine, all at home. In lieu of
flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Brian's name to a trust to Benefit the Family of Brian Zimmerman, care of Fidelity
Banks of Northeastern Pennsylvania. See the full obituary for info and services
at kearneyfuneralhome.com.(8-8-2012)
Pennsylvania 400 Memorial Fund set up:
Pocono Raceway has established the Pennsylvania 400 Memorial Fund
to benefit the victims of the lighting strike tragedy which occurred following
the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, August 5, 2012.
Donations will be accepted at any PNC Branch or by mailing checks/money orders,
addressed to "Pennsylvania 400 Memorial Fund" to the following
address:
Pocono Raceway
Attn: Pennsylvania 400 Memorial Fund
1234 Long Pond Road
Long Pond, PA 18334
(Pocono Raceway)
NASCAR evaluating weather policy:
NASCAR
and Pocono Raceway officials are investigating whether there is a need for
emergency reaction policy changes to weather-related events following Sunday's
tragedy at the 2.5-mile track. A 41-year-old man was killed and nine others
were injured as a result of lightning strikes within minutes of the Sprint Cup
race being called for severe weather. The incident raised the question of
whether the race should have been called earlier to give the track time to
evacuate the stands and everyone enough time to reach the safety of their cars
or shelter. NASCAR spokesman David Higdon said NASCAR's attention to severe
weather will be on "hyper alert" heading to this week's race at
Watkins Glen. "But I will add we're always in that situation," he
said. "Nobody had their guard down (at Pocono)." NASCAR doesn't have
a hard and fast rule on how to react to severe weather. Higdon said that is
left up to the individual tracks, and most don't have rules such as evacuating
the track if lightning is within a certain radius of the facility. NASCAR officials
made it clear that the safety of the fans in these situations ultimately is the
responsibility of the tracks. The dilemma for tracks is they can have the best
emergency plan, but the decision on when to stop the race is NASCAR's. As Ed
Klima, the director of emergency services at Dover International Raceway, told
the Associated Press, "it's very difficult to get people to leave if
there's still cars going around the racetrack." The initial severe weather
warning was issued to fans at Pocono at 4:12 p.m. NASCAR called the race and
declared Jeff Gordon the winner at 4:54 p.m. The lightning strike that took the
life of Brian F. Zimmerman of Moosic,
Johnson says flat tire led to wreck:
A WILD RESTART TELL US WHAT HAPPENED DOWN IN TURN ONE?
"When I
was cooling my tires down through the tunnel coming to the green I noticed that
something didn't feel right. I kept trying to clean the tires off and it got a
little better so I just assumed I had trash on my tires, but when I got down
into turn one I realized that I had a right-rear (tire) flat. Unfortunate that
we lost the lead there and we got a couple of cars in the process. I shouldn't
feel bad about that but not much you can do with a right-rear flat."(Chevy
PR)(8-6-2012)
Furniture Row to buy Penske engine
program? Kurt Busch in second FRR
car?
UPDATE:
Nobody
is talking on the record, still, but unofficial word from the NASCAR engine
building world Sunday morning is that Barney Visser [#78 Furniture Row Racing],
the Denver, Col., businessman is considering buying the Dodge engine department
from Roger Penske. With Penske moving to Fords for 2013, and with Penske --
according to Jack Roush -- agreeing to run Roush-Yates Ford FR9s next season,
the future of Penske's huge engine department has been the subject of much
debate. Now word is that some of Penske's top engine men will be moving to the
Roush-Yates engine department, and that Visser will be
taking many of the rest, along with Penske's engine building equipment, and
Visser will thus be switching from Chevy to Dodge. And -- though again no one
is talking on the record -- it appears that Visser is very interested in hiring
Kurt Busch to team with Smith next season.(MikeMulhern.net)(8-5-2012)
UPDATE:
Furniture
Row Racing is prepared to switch from Chevy to Dodge in 2013 if the
manufacturer chooses to go in that direction. Furniture Row general manager Joe
Garone said Sunday at Pocono Raceway that there have been initial talks with
Dodge about making a switch and adding a second team, potentially with 2004
Sprint Cup champion Kurt Busch. "If Dodge comes to us and says here's the
right deal, we would do it," Garone said. "They're trying to figure
out who they're going to do it with and how they're going to do it."
Furniture Row currently gets its chassis from Richard Childress Racing and
engines from Earnhardt Childress Racing. Everything else is built in the
organization's
UPDATE 2:
Dodge
put out feelers to potential new teams in February, and one of the teams
negotiating with Dodge was Furniture Row Racing, the Colorado-based team that
currently fields the #78 Chevy for driver Regan Smith. Furniture Row General
Manager Joe Garone said as recently as Saturday at Pocono Raceway that his team
was waiting to hear from Dodge on their plans for 2013. "We made a
proposal to Dodge, telling them what we would need and what we had to
offer," said Garone. "We expected that they would evaluate the
proposals they received from various teams and get back to us, but it simply
didn't happen. Weeks turned into months with no response, and eventually, it
became the old joke about, `Free Beer Tomorrow' "Tomorrow never
came." Garone said there were at least three teams interested in joining
the Dodge camp next season. He declined to name them, but numerous reports had
Richard Petty Motorsports and Phoenix Racing involved in talks with the
automaker.(Godfather Motorsports)(8-7-2012)
Keselowski
would like input on teammate for the #22:
#2-Brad
Keselowski has three Sprint Cup wins for Roger Penske this season. He also hopes
he has his boss's ear when it comes to finding a replacement for
recently-dismissed teammate AJ Allmendinger. "I hope that we can secure a
teammate that is an elite talent that I can work with -- and certainly some of
that responsibility is mine to communicate," Keselowski said. "I
think that's something that Mr. Penske takes very seriously." Keselowski,
currently ninth in the point standings, wants to be part of the decision-making
process. Last season's pairing with Kurt Busch demonstrated to him how
important positive give-and-take with a teammate can be. Both he and Busch
qualified for the Chase, finishing fifth and 11th, respectively. "I told
Roger from Day One, when I came to Penske Racing, I didn't want to be just a
driver," Keselowski said. "I wanted to be part of a team and part of
making Penske Racing as strong as possible. [A replacement for Allmendinger] is
something we've discussed. But I can't say that we've come up with an
answer."(NASCAR.com)(8-5-2012)
Newman
focused on staying with Stewart Haas:
Ryan
Newman says he is 100 percent focused on staying at Stewart-Haas Racing in
2013, not returning to Penske Racing. The #22 at Penske Racing became available
for next season on Tuesday when the team released suspended driver AJ
Allmendinger. Newman, who drove for Penske Racing from 2002 until 2008, said he
has not contacted his former team about a possible return if sponsorship can't
be found for him at SHR. SHR owner Tony Stewart has said he wants Newman back
as long as sponsorship can be found. "There's potential for absolutely
anything,'' Newman said after Saturday's qualifying at Pocono Raceway. "My goal is to stay at Stewart-Haas and continue what
we're doing. We're working on that.'' Asked to define the odds of his staying
at SHR, Newman added, "Right now, 100 percent, I
hope."(ESPN.com)(8-4-2012)
Allmendinger tested
positive for Adderall:
AJ
Allmendinger tested positive for prescription Adderall, the suspended NASCAR
driver told ESPN in an exclusive sit down interview Tuesday. Adderall is
typically prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Allmendinger
said. He does not have ADHD and therefore had no prescription. He explained
that he had been out in
Going back, in time – in
racing history:
Note# 1: Most of the following information was found
here:
http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/history.html
Unfortunately
the Wheels of Speed’s calendar hasn’t been up-dated for quite some time
now. Things that I’ve posted over these
last several columns have been posted previously – like a year ago. I could basically copy and paste what I had
last year, and let it ride, but I’ve decided to wait for a while and see how the website gets, as
far as being up-dated to some more current years.
Going back, in time at OVRP’s Dirt Oval:
From
August 10, 2002:
http://www.whowon.com/Results.asp?TrackID=1904&StoryID=70432
1940
Opened
with AAA Midgets
June 1 1. Lee Wallard 2. Joe Garson 3. Pappy Hough
June 8 1. Dave Randolph 2. Pappy Hough 3. Ray Nestor
June 15 1. Jim Forte 2. Ray Nestor 3. Dave Randolph
June 22 1. Joe Garson 2. Ray Nestor 3. Ben Emerick
ARDC
takes over sanctioning
July 2 1. Ernie Gesell 2. Bill Schindler 3. Walt Fusco
July 5 1. Mike Josephs 2. Ernie Gesell 3. Bill Schindler
July
12 rain
July 19 1. Bill Schindler 2. Ted Tappett 3. Len Golen
July 26 1. Ted Tappett 2. Bill Schindler 3. Mike Josephs 50 laps
Aug. 2 1. Ted Tappett 2. Ernie Gesell 3. George Rice
Aug. 9 1. Bill Baker 2. Mike Josephs 3. Bill Schindler 40 laps
Aug. 16 1. Harry Felton 2. Johnny Sweir 3. Bill Schindler
Aug. 23 1. Bill Schindler 2. Mike Josephs 3. Ted Tappett 50 laps
Aug.
30 rain
Sept. 6 1. Ted Tappett 2. Ernie Gesell 3. Mike Josephs 40 laps
Sept. 13 1. Bill Holmes 2. Al Duffy 3. Ernie Gesell
Sept. 20 1. Bill Schindler 2. Harry Felton 3. Dutch Schaefer 75 laps
Oct. 12 1. Ernie Gesell 2. Ray Nestor 3. Henry Steiger
Champion:
Bill Schindler
1941
May 4 1. Johnny Ringger 2. Mike Josephs 3. Henry Banks
May 11 1. Henry Banks 2. Bill Schindler 3. Johnny Sweir
May 18 1. George Rice 2. Ted Tappett 3. Bill Holmes
May
23 rain
May 30 1. Bill Holmes 2. Len Duncan 3. Ted Tappett 40 laps
June 6 1. Mike Joseph 2. Bill Holmes 3. Len Duncan
June
13 rain
June 20 1. Len Duncan 2. Mike Josephs 3. Bill Holmes
June 27 1. George Rice 2. Ernie Gesell 3. Bill Holmes
July
4 rain
July 11 1. Bill Schindler 2. Mike Josephs 3. Pop DeVercelly
July
18 rain
Track
began running split features, 14 started first race of 20 laps. 6 drivers were
eliminated and an additional 20 lap race was run with field inverted.
July 25 1. Len Duncan 2. Ted Tappett 3. Bill Schindler
1.
Ted Tappett 2. Len Duncan 3. Bill Schindler
Aug. 1 1. Len Duncan 2. Mike Josephs 3. Ted Tappett
1.
Lyle Dickey 2. Ted Tappett 3. Len Duncan
Aug. 8 1. Ted Tappett 2. Mike Josephs 3. Johnny Ringger 30 laps
Aug.
15 rain
Aug. 22 1. Ted Tappett 2. Bill Schindler 3. Johnny Ringger 50 laps
Tappetts
15th win in the Carlheim #12
Aug. 29 1. Bill Schindler 2. Len Golen 3. Mike Josephs 30 laps
split features
Sept. 5 1. Bill Schindler 2. Mike Josephs 3. Len Duncan
1.
Bill Holmes 2. Mike Josephs 3. Don Morris
Sept. 12 1. Ted Tappett 2. Bill Holmes 3. Bill Schindler
Sept. 19 1. Henry Steiger 2. Len Duncan 3. Bill Schindler 60 laps
split features, Fair races
Oct. 5 1. Mike Josephs 2. Johnny Sweir 3. Tony Bonadies
1.
Bill Schindler 2. Dutch Schaefer 3. Len Duncan
Oct. 11 1. Tony Bonadies 2. Jack Duffy 3. Dutch Schaefer
30
laps, halted at 27
1.
Tony Bonadies 2. Henry Banks 3. Henry Steiger
20
laps, Race of Champions
1942
May 3 1. Dutch Schaefer 2. Ray Nestor 3. George Rice
May 9 1. Dutch Schaefer 2. George Rice 3. Johnny
Ringger
racing ended until after the war
1945
Sept. 8 1. Bill Schindler 2. Dee Toran 3. Ray Nestor
Sept. 15 1. Ray Nestor 2. Bill Holmes 3. Dutch Schaefer
Sept. 22 1. Dutch Schaefer 2. Ray Nestor 3. Johnny Sweir
Sept. 29 1. Dutch Schaefer 2. Andy DeVercelly 3. Ray
Nestor
Oct.
6 rain
Oct.
7 rain after semi-finals
Oct. 13 1. Bill Holmes 2. Dutch Schaefer 3. Dee Toran
Oct. 7 feature
Oct. 13 1. Dutch Schaefer 2. Bill Schindler 3. Rex
Records
Oct. 20 1. Jeep Colkitt 2. Bill Schindler 3. Rex Records
Oct. 27 1. Dutch Schaefer 2. Bill Holmes 3. Bill
Schindler
Nov.
4 rain
Nov.
11 rain
News
from the AARN:
From
the July 31st issue:
Lenny
Sammons:
Mr.
Sammons heard from Jim Kelly, regional manager for VP Racing Fuels, and he
reminded Mr. Sammons that VP also has been making traction compounds for
asphalt tracks. (Mr. Sammons made
mention of that a week ago when talking about Bob Lutz and the track in
Ernie
Saxton:
Ernie
makes mention in his column that the NBA will allow advertising on the player
uniforms – 2.5 in x 2.5 in patch on the left shoulder of their jerseys,
beginning in 2013. It’s being said that
it could possible bring in 100 million green ones. Each team is responsible for selling their own advertising.
Soccer
star Ronaldinho had sponsorship with Coke – worth 750,000. At a recent press conference, Ronaldinho
happened to drink a Pepsi. Uh huh – Coke
canceled the contract with Ronaldinho.
Earl
Krause:
Earl
had quite a bit about George Stevens, who, after that health problem he had a
while back, is now paralyzed from the chest down. The original culprit in his health problems,
his heart, is now fine, after some angioplasty.
He was sent from the
If
you’d like to drop Mr. Stevens a note or card, it can be sent to him at
Brett
Deyo:
Another
tack is going to re-open – Georgetown Speedway – due to re-open later in
2012. A group consisting of Bob
D’Alessio (PA businessman), Lou Johnson, Deron and Duane Rust, signed papers
and they’ll have at least five races this fall.
Other
news:
Keith
Rocco broke his wrist during a practice crash at Thompson.
Indoor
races for
There
is also mention made of a possible third Indoor race, and, sad to say, I can’t
find anything on that on the AARN’s website.
Check out their website for ticket info for the
In
AARN
This
Week:
Brett
Hearn Hospitalized
With
Health Issues
Tony
Stewart
Defeats
Woo In Canada;
URC At
Williams Grove
Coby's
NASCAR WMT Dream Season
Continues
At Stafford
Rich
Port Royal Win
For
Heimbach
Worth
Over 12 Grand
Classic
Delaware
International
Mod
Showdown:
Mills
Vs. Bunting
Pocono's
Rainy Cup Race
Is
Perfect For Gordon Season
Jump
Start
Goodyear
Tire Shortage
Has
Sprint Teams Scrambling
Lucas
Wolfe Breaks Through
With
Huge WoO Win In Indiana
Mahoning
Valley Announces
New
Rich Post-Season Race
Kody
Graham Is Oswego's
"Mr.
Supermodified"
Former
Last week I missed Molly Chambers winning the
wingless 600 Micro Sprint feature at Kutztown, last Wednesday.
Johnny Guarino was 11th in the Modified
feature at New Egypt.
Danny Creeden was 4th in the Modified
feature at Five Mile Point.
Charlie Lawrence was 5th and Wyatt Clark
23rd in the Slingshot feature at Hamlin. Rick Casario was 9th in the 270
Micro Sprint feature. Kyle Rohner was 8th
and Jacob Hendershot was 16th in the wingless 600 Micro Sprint
feature.
Nick Pecko was 5th in the Sport Modified
feature at Mountain Speedway.
Kyle Rohner was 1st in the Sportsman
feature at Penn Can.
Davie Franek was 5th in the 358/360
Sprint Car feature at Williams Grove.
At OCFS, in the Modified feature, Billy VanInwegen was 2nd,
Mike Ruggiero 9th, Clnton Mills 10th, Tim Hindley 11th
while Matt Hitchcock was a DNQ. Anthony
Perrego won the Sportsman feature, with Brian Krummel 2nd, Tyler
Dippel 3rd, Joe Conklin 12th, LJ Lombardo 16th,
Matt Janiak 20th, with Zack Vavricka and Mike Traver both
DNQ’s. Joe Falanga was 4th in
the Rookie Sportsman feature while Seth Pacella was a DNQ.
Danny Creeden won the Modified feature at the Accord
Speedway, with Tyler Boniface 11th and Brian Krummel 17th. Anthony Perrego was 5th, Tyler
Dippel 22nd and Brad Szulewski 23rd in the Sportsman
feature. Kyle VanDuser won the Spec
Sportsman feature, with Mike Traver 9th, Andrew Reeves 12th
and Tyler Dippel 14th. Jason
Roe was 16th in the Lightning Sprint feature.
Kyle Armstrong was 6th and Kolby Schroder
11th in the Modified feature at
Michael Storms, filling in for the hospitalized
Brett Hearn, was 26th in the Modified feature at
Albany/Saratoga. Bobby Hackel, IV, was 2nd
in the Budget Sportsman “A” main.
There were two 20 lap Modified features at Devils’
Bowl. Alex Bell was 8th in
the first one, and first in the second feature.
This past Tuesday, in the RoC Sportsman feature at
Penn Can, Anthony Perrego was 4th.
In the 602 Sportsman feature, Tyler Dippel was 14th.
I imagine I could very well have missed some!
http://empaonline.org/Eddie%20Sachs%20bio.html
Press Releases:
NEWS FROM
Orange County Fair
CONTACT
Mike Gurda
845-342-2573
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HOT WEATHER AND HOT RACES AT
ORANGE COUNTY FAIR
August stretch drive towards
track point championships
MIDDLETOWN, NY (Aug.
05)……..Like August weather, racing at Orange County Fair Speedway in
Middletown, New York is heating up as drivers and their teams battle each o the
r for supremacy at the historic five-eighths-mile Hard Clay oval. Just five
Saturday nights of racing remain to settle this year’s track point
championships. Round one of the stretch drive is on tap this coming Saturday,
August 11 as Goldenarena Furniture and The Beer King present the evening’s
racing excitement.
In addition to the Mighty
Modifieds with their 800 horse power earth-shaking engines,
With point races in all
divisions still to be settled, drivers will be fighting for every position in
their respective feature races. And no
doubt, sparks will fly!
The point season ends on
“Champions’ Night,” Saturday, September 8.
Admission prices for the
August 11 race meet remain at $14 adults, $12 seniors, and free for children 12
and under. The full night of racing begins promptly at 6:30 pm.
Advance ticket sales and
track information for all remaining Orange County Fair Speedway race dates,
including the 51st Annual Eastern States Weekend, can be found at the
BORGERS 2012 SCHEDULE.
Regular Show consists of Wingless Dirt
600 Sprints, TQ/Asphalt 600 Sprints, All Star and Junior Slingshots, Karts, and Micro Stocks.
Schedule Subject To Change.
August 11 Regular show. Plus XCEL 600 Modifieds. Plus
Make Up Open
Wheel Heats and Features from August 4.
August
18 Regular
Show. Plus XCEL 600 Modifieds.
August 25 Regular
show.
September 1 Regular show. Plus XCEL
600 Modifieds. End Of Points.
September 8 Regular show. Plus XCEL
600 Modifieds.
September 15 Regular show. Plus XCEL 600 Modifieds.
Start Of Fall Spectacular.
September 22 Regular show. Plus
Start Of 6 Week Fall Spectacular Series. Week 1.
September 29 Regular show. Plus Fall Spectacular Week 2.
October 6 Regular show. Plus XCEL 600 Modifieds. Plus Fall Spectacular Week 3.
October 13 Regular show. Plus Fall Spectacular Week 4. MA Silver All Star Slingshot Tour and Junior Slingshot National Tour.
October 20 Regular show. Plus Fall Spectacular Week 5. and XCEL 600 Modifieds.
October 27 Regular show. Plus Spectacular Week 6.
Fall Spectacular schedule of events and details to be announced shortly.
November schedule to be announced. Borgers Speedway
plans to run until the snow flies if the cars and fans keep coming out.
Depending on when our season ends and if
the weather holds out we may schedule a practice session for those wishing to
get ready for the December Indoor Races.
BORGERS 2013
Borgers Speedway will be running paid practice
sessions for those wishing to tune for
Saturday January 12. 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday January 26. 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
March 23 Borgers Practice. 1:00 p.m.
March 30 Borgers Practice. 1:00 p.m.
April 6 Borgers Season Opener. Tentative 4:00 p.m. Starting
time.
I
get e-mails:
It would be great if what follows could actually
happen!
Hi There,
I don't send very many things like this around and this has been
around before but... if it makes one person become aware of a possible
solution to our debt ceiling then it is worth it. Just getting it to pass
is another story. No one ever wants to take a pay cut or lose any benefits
but I know NASA changed their retirement and the new people being hired into
civil service jobs at the Space Center are paying into a 401 and will be on
social security instead of the old civil service retirement they use to
have. So, it can be done in the jobs at Washington D C and other
Government jobs around the United States .
Take care and God Bless our United States .
Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the
best quotes about the debt ceiling:
"I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just
pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more
than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible
for re-election.
The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18
year-olds)
took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple!
The people demanded it. That was in 1971 - before computers,
e-mail,
cell phones, etc.
Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took one
(1) year
or less to become the law of the land - all because of public
pressure.
Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to
a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask
each of those to do likewise.
In three days, most people in The United States of America will
have the message. This is one idea that really should be
passed
around.
Congressional Reform Act of 2012
1. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and
receives no
pay when they're out of office.
2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social
Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the
Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into
the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the
American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.
3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as
all
Americans do.
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.
Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
5. Congress loses their current health care system and
participates in the same health care system as the American
people.
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the
American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void
effective 12/1/12. The American people did not make this
contract with Congressmen/women.
Congress made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in
Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their
term(s), then go home and back to work.
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will
only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive
the message. Don't you think it's time?
THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!
If you agree, pass it on. If not, delete but I hope you keep it
going.
Thanks
Just wondering:
I
have to figure that just about everyone that reads my columns has watched the
Olympics over these last couple of weeks?
And, when a
Some non-racing stuff:
About 56 million
people receive monthly Social Security benefits. Who they are, and
how much they get:
—36 million retired workers. Average
monthly benefit: $1,235.
—8.7 million disabled workers. Average
benefit: $1,111.
—2.5 million spouses. Average benefit: $590.
—4.3 million children. Average benefit:
$564.
—4.4 million widows and widowers. Average
benefit: $1,152.
___
Source: Social Security Administration.
The first person
to get a monthly retirement check from Social Security certainly got her money's worth. Ida May Fuller, a retired legal
secretary from
___
Social Security taxes paid by Fuller
during her career: $24.75.
Fuller's first monthly benefit
check: $22.54.
Fuller's lifetime benefits: $22,888.92.
___
Source: Social Security Administration.
In part:
“Medicare participants enrolled in the health insurance
program's prescription drug benefit should see their premium cost remain steady
next year, health officials said.
The Department of Health and Human Service on Monday forecast a
$30 average monthly premium for Medicare Part D, similar to the cost in 2012.
In 2011, premiums were $30.76.
HHS attributed the low premiums to President Barack Obama's
healthcare reform law, known as the Affordable Care Act, which includes some
measures to lower the cost of medications for seniors. Last year, HHS also
attributed the low premiums to increased competition and greater use of cheaper
generic drugs.”
More can be seen here:
http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/nm/no-increase-in-medicare-drug-costs-for-seniors
Note: Just wondering – what if the healthcare
reform bill gets rescinded?
Kiss
Off: Networks Spike Coverage of Chick-fil-A Kiss-in After Poor Turnout
As many as 1.76
million young illegal immigrants could qualify for temporary legal status under President
Obama's deferred action program, says a new report from the
Migration Policy Institute. That's more than double the Obama administration's
initial estimate of 800,000 people who would benefit from the program.
The new number reflects the Obama
administration's updated guidelines released last Friday depicting who
qualifies for the temporary legal status. Initially, only young illegal
immigrants under 30 who entered the country as children,
graduated from high school and had no criminal record would make the cut. Now,
young people who didn't graduate or receive their G.E.D. can still apply for
the legal status as long as they re-enroll in high school by the time they
apply.”
More can be found here:
Video time:
How
are we doing as a country? Might you
believe this video?
http://www.westernjournalism.com/land-of-the-freebies-home-of-the-enslaved/
Photos:
The restored # 25 Bill Cheesman Sprint Car that was
driven by the late Eddie Sachs. Quite a
beautiful piece of machinery! If only
they still looked similar to this, today!
Those four injector tubes helped feed the fuel to the 220 cubic inch
Offenhauser engine. I have no idea as to
who the photographer of this photo is.
Note: The photos are not available on Dirt Track
Digest, only on New England Tractor - http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/
Closing with these:
These are actual
comments made by South Carolina Troopers that were taken off their car videos:
1. "You know, stop lights don't come any redder
than the one you just went through."
2. "Relax, the handcuffs are tight because they're new. They'll stretch
after you wear them a while."
3. "If you take your hands off the car, I'll make your birth certificate a
worthless document." (My Favorite)
4. "If you run, you'll only go to jail tired."
5. "Can you run faster than 1200 feet per second? Because
that's the speed of the bullet that'll be chasing you." (LOVE IT)
6. "You don't know how fast you were going? I guess that means I can write
anything I want to on the ticket, huh?"
7. "Yes, sir, you can talk to the shift supervisor, but I don't think it
will help. Oh, did I mention that I'm the shift supervisor?"
8. "Warning! You want a warning? O.K, I'm warning you not to do that again
or I'll give you another ticket."
9. "The answer to this last question will determine whether you are drunk
or not. Was Mickey Mouse a cat or a dog?"
10. "Fair? You want me to be fair? Listen, fair is a place where you go to
ride on rides, eat cotton candy and corn dogs and step in monkey poop."
11. "Yeah, we have a quota. Two more tickets and my wife gets a toaster oven."
12. "In God we trust; all others we run through NCIC." (
13. "Just how big were those 'two beers' you say you had?"
14. "No sir, we don't have quotas anymore. We used to, but now we're
allowed to write as many tickets as we can."
15. "I'm glad to hear that the Chief (of Police) is a personal friend of
yours. So you know someone who can post your bail."
AND THE WINNER IS....
16. "You didn't think we give
pretty women tickets? You're right, we don't. Sign here."
May “Guardian Angels” sit on the shoulders of all of our race drivers and race fans, and guide them safely around the tracks!
Drive safe!
As usual, you can reach me
at: ygordad@yahoo.com