Racin' & Different Stuff:

                                      By Tom Avenengo

                                         Volume # 117

                                                   11/21/2012

 

First:

There will be no column next week, and columns will be every other week, for a while.

 

 

Second:

As you more than likely know, my column comes out on two websites – Dirt Track Digest and New England Tractor Race Report.  Well, for this week, due to Jeff Johnson (New England Tractor) being away from Thursday on, this column will be out one day earlier, so Jeff can post it on his website.  I have no problem with DTD, since I post the column myself.

 

Third:

Last column came out ok on both websites.  Why?  I have no idea.  Everything was basically done the same except for the headings of various section, like “Third” for this section being in regular type and not bold face.

 

Fourth:

On this past Sunday, I received the following, via an e-mail from John Snyder:

“Barbara Lupis Snyder passed away early today at her home in Lake Carmel,  New York .  Her 12-year battle with cancer is over.”

 

Condolences go out to Mr. Snyder and his family on their loss.

 

 

 

Fifth:

 

What with the racing season dwindling down, there really isn’t much to report on.  One thing that was great was seeing Johnny Heydenreich at the Lobitz party last Sunday.  If you recall, Johnny was in a serious road accident a while back, having fallen asleep while driving, and having some serious injuries.  The latest from Johnny, via Facebook:

Wish I had better news, but it looks like I have to go back for one more surgery. Scheduled for Nov. 21 st in NYC. I am really looking forward to using two legs again.
On another note, I had a chance to get back to my old stomping grounds and join in the ARDC gathering at Lobitz' catering last week. Was great to see some old friends and enjoyed the food. Will post after the surgery.”

 

 

 

Sixth:

 

NASCAR: Brad Keselowski's phone OK

Updated: February 28, 2012, 8:37 PM ET

 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NASCAR said Tuesday Brad Keselowski can keep his cellphone in his race car during events, and all drivers are encouraged to use social media.

 

 

Keselowski drew worldwide attention for posting on Twitter during a red-flag period in Monday night's season-opening Daytona 500. He posted pictures, answered questions and kept fans informed of what was happening during the stoppage that lasted just over two hours.

The tweeting gained Keselowski roughly 140,000 followers during the race.

But there was concern having a phone violated NASCAR rules. Teams are prohibited from having recording devices in the car that are not for competition purposes, and two-way communication devices are supposed to be analog only.

NASCAR said Keselowski had not violated any rules and can keep his phone.

"NASCAR will not penalize Brad Keselowski for his use of Twitter during last night's Daytona 500," NASCAR said in a statement. "Nothing we've seen from Brad violates any current rules pertaining to the use of social media during races. As such, he won't be penalized. We encourage our drivers to use social media to express themselves as long as they do so without risking their safety or that of others."

But – from Jayski:

Reason why Keselowski was fined for cell phone: 

#2-Brad Keselowski was fined $25,000 on Monday for tweeting during the red flag at Phoenix International Raceway. The punishment was confusing to fans who vented on Twitter, of course, wondering why Keselowski was punished for Sunday's tweets when he was celebrated by NASCAR for doing the exact same thing in February's season-opening race. Some alleged the Sprint Cup Series points leader was actually being disciplined for his profanity-laced outburst after Sunday's crash- and fight-marred race. NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp on Tuesday dismissed the conspiracy theories, and said drivers had been told after the Daytona 500 that electronic devices - including cellphones - could not be carried inside the race cars going forward. "Brad's tweeting at the Daytona 500 was really our first introduction to the magnitude of the social media phenomenon at the race track, especially how we saw it unfold that evening," Tharp said. "We encourage our drivers to participate in social media. We feel we have the most liberal social media policy in all of sports, and the access we provide is the best in all of sports. But we also have rules that pertain to competition that need to be enforced and abided by. Once the 500 took place, and in the days and weeks following the 500, NASCAR communicated to the drivers and teams that while social media was encouraged and we promoted it, the language in the rule book was clear and that drivers couldn't carry onboard their cars electronic devices, like a phone." NASCAR did not issue a technical bulletin to clarify phones could no longer be inside cars, and the clarification to drivers was apparently done quietly. In fact, Keselowski tweeted from Victory Lane at Bristol in March, and from inside his car parked on pit road during a rain delay at Richmond in September. It's possible someone could have handed him his phone both times.(in part from theAssociated Press

)(11-14-2012)

Note:  My thoughts:  Brad came across a tad too strong, word wise, in the press conference following the Phoenix race, with some “adult” words thrown in his talk.  That, to me, is part of the reason for this fine.

 

 

Seventh:

A week ago, while out on the road, I was behind some Kia model car.  At first, I thought the driver had his foot on the brake pedal, since there was a bright “bar” of lights across the trunk deck.  He didn’t have his foot on the brake, though, because when he hit the brakes, the light in the rear window came on, along with the two brake lights in the tail lights.  However, that “bar” of lights did go into a blinking mode that really caught my attention.  More cars should have that!

 

 

Eighth:

And prior to the above, I was in Walmart shopping and picking up a prescription.  The wife asked me to check on some frozen vegetables, which I did.  It seems the large bag of frozen cauliflower, the Walmart brand, comes from – uh huh – CHINA!  Broccoli, too!  What the hell?  And we have farmers in our country not able to keep their farms?

 

 

Ninth:

Over time, I’ll keep posting this, below.  A bus trip to the 2013 Spring Dover Cup race:

NASCAR Dover Bus Trip


R/T Deluxe Motorcoach
Reserved Race Ticket $84 Value Turn #1 
Barbecue Catered Lunch by J and A Caterers
Entertainment provided by Broken Dice from Americas Got Talent 
Tent.
Special Driver Appearance TBA 
Raffles , Door Prizes 


Cost $165 per person 
Busses depart 4 am Middletown Wal Mart 
430 am Monroe Wal Mart 

Proceeds to benefit local charities TBA 

Incentives for small groups to join the trip 

PM me here or at benzee95@hotmail.com for more info 

Benzee

Note:

Our entertainment is Tentatively scheduled to be the duo Broken Dice who have performed locally in the Hudson Valley for yrs and have tried out for Americas Got Talent TV Show . They will play from 1000am to Noon at the Motorcoach during the all you can eat barbecue and pre race activities

 

 

 

Tenth:

 

Hey, before you know it, it will be December 25th.  Here are some links to various websites where you might find some interesting things, gift-wise, for family and friends.

 

http://www.aarn.com/ (subscription)

 

http://www.coastal181.com/

 

http://www.davesracing.com/

 

http://www.emmr.org/

 

http://www.hotlapsracin.com/hotparts.htm

 

http://www.modelroundup.com/category-s/94.htm

 

http://www.ssspeedways.com/

 

http://www.pitstopbooks.com/videos-snyder.html

 

http://www.tbrwins.com/ (Kart items)

 

http://www.racerspreferredmodels.com/

 

 

 

Eleventh:

 

PICKET: Companies plan massive layoffs as Obamacare becomes reality (Boston Scientific)

 

http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2012/nov/8/picket-companies-plan-massive-layoffs-obamacare-be/

 

Note:  Why do I have “Boston Scientific” mentioned?  They are the people that have their pacemaker/defibrillator implanted on my left upper chest area.

 

 

 

Twelfth:

 

Are you an Indy Car fan?  How about the Indy 500?  If you were to pick out the best Indy 500 drivers, who would you pick?

 

Check these out:

 

http://www.thegreatest33.com/default.aspx#home

 

http://www.thegreatest33.com/default.aspx#selecteddrivers

 

 

Note:  Personally, I don’t go along with some of those picks.

 

 

 

Thirteenth:

 

Condolences going out to John Snyder on the passing of his wife, Barbara, who lost her eight year fight with cancer, this past Sunday.  For anyone wishing to send cards, etc etc, his address is:

 

John Snyder

21 Sedgwick Road

Carmel, N.Y. 10512

 

 

 

 

Fourteenth:

 

I see that OCFS has started work on the new pit area outside of turns 3 & 4.

Photos can be seen, here:  http://nepart.smugmug.com/2012/Bob-Armbruster-Racing-Photos/ocfs-new-pit-area-november-14/26524851_RGp4zB#!i=2215847511&k=3fsbD5Z

 

 

 

 

Fifteenth:

 

“Twinkie” news:

 

While the company was filing for bankruptcy, for the second time, earlier this year, it actually tripled its CEO’s pay, and increased other executives’ compensation by as much as 80 percent.

 

That also follows a trend of rising CEO pay in times of economic difficulty. At the manufacturing company Caterpillar, for example, they froze workers’ pay while boosting their CEO’s pay to $17 million. And at Citigroup, CEO Vikram Pandit received $6.7 million for crashing his company, walking off with $260 million after the business lost 88 percent of its value.

 

Salary Increases at Hostess. 

Some creditors question Hostess pay raises approved in late July. 

Brian Driscoll, CEO, around $750,000 to $2,550,000. 
Gary Wandschneider, EVP, $500,000 to $900,000. 
John Stewart, EVP, $400,000 to $700,000. 
David Loeser, EVP, $375,000 to $656,256. 
Kent Magill, EVP, $375,000 to $656,256. 
Richard Seban, EVP, $375,000 to $656,256. 
John Akeson, SVP, $300,000 to $480,000. 
Steven Birgfeld, SVP, $240,000 to $360,000. 
Martha Ross, SVP, $240,000 to $360,000. 
Rob Kissick, SVP, $182,000 to $273,008.

 

Note:  Don’t ya just love this sh*t?

 

 

 

Sixteenth:

 

This past Tuesday morning I received a notice in my e-mail of a failed message sent.  Funny, but I did not send such a message!

 

It was:  take a look, see what you think http://msnbc.msn.com-news9.net/jobs

 

Next, I went into my “Sent” folder.  Sure as sh*t, someone got into my e-mail and started with the very first name in my address book and sent the same message out to quite a few of my contacts.  Needless to say, I had to change my password.

 

 

 

Seventeenth:

 

Susan Rice for Secretary of State? I think not!

 

November 20, 2012

By Todd Cefaratti
Editor of TPNN

Yesterday, Republican Congressman Jeff Duncan sent a letter to President Obama, warning him of fierce Republican opposition to a nomination of Ambassador Susan Rice to Secretary of State. The letter, which claims Rice “either willfully or incompetently misled the American public in the Benghazi matter,” was signed by 97 members of Congress.

The letter is the most recent outcry by the GOP regarding Rice’s possible nomination to the Secretary of State position, and it is satisfying to see that our representatives are fighting to keep a liar and propagandist out of the high position. Of course, with the disgraceful Senator John Kerry being the other option, maybe we might have another fight on our hands soon. But we will cross that bridge when we come to it…

The letter states,

“Her actions plausibly give U.S. allies (and rivals) abroad reason to question U.S. commitment and credibility when needed. Thus, we believe that making her the face of U.S. foreign policy in your second term would greatly undermine your desire to improve U.S. relations with the world and continue to build trust with the American people.”

Rep. Duncan later stated,

“President Obama is sadly mistaken if he thinks that the House of Representatives won’t get to the bottom of the Benghazi tragedy and hold him responsible if the evidence points to the White House. In the mean time, I think it’s important for the President to know that Ambassador Rice’s role in this situation has made her unfit to potentially lead our country’s diplomatic efforts as Secretary of State.”

What was it that they said about Watergate? It’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up. So, too, is the case of Benghazi.

It’s indefensible that our government should have fallen down on the job so badly as to allow our consulate to remain so unprotected, despite security requests and intelligence that suggested an attack was a possibility. However, what makes this already tragic story infinitely more enraging is the lies and constant attempts to cover up the details of the attack and continually dishonor those that died by pushing lame stories to try and sell to the American people.

As we trace the cord back to the wall and get to the bottom of this scandal, we will soon get to Obama. But for now, what we have is an ambassador who worked very hard to sell Americans a story that didn’t fit, and now we are told that she didn’t know what the details were. The State Department needs to either commit to the story that Ambassador Rice is incompetent or that she’s a liar. In either case, she’s unfit to be appointed to any office in the State Department, much less the Secretary of State.

 

Eighteen:

Danica Patrick divorcing

 

http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/8656901/danica-patrick-divorcing-husband-7-years

 

 

 

 

Found on Jayski’s website:

http://www.jayski.com/

 

Budweiser and Jimmy Johns to follow Harvick to SHR: 

 

When #29-Kevin Harvick leaves Richard Childress Racing at the end of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, he will take major sponsors Budweiser and Jimmy Johns along with him. Reports surfaced last week that Harvick will bolt RCR at the conclusion of his current contract to race full-time for Stewart Haas Racing in 2014. Multiple sources speaking on the condition of anonymity say that when the move comes, it will also include the sponsors that backed the #29 team in a combined 26 races this season; 20 for Budweiser and six for Jimmy John's.(Godfather Motorsports)(11-16-2012)

 

A Final Thank You and Farewell to the U.S. Army: 

 

This weekend will mark the final race for the U.S. Army as sponsor of the #39 Chevy of Ryan Newman. The U.S. Army announced in July that it would not return to Stewart Haas Racing or the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the 2013 season. The U.S. Army was the first partner announced for Newman's #39 entry when SHR was formed in 2009.(SHR)(11-16-2012)

 

 

Harvick to leave RCR after 2013 and head to SHR: 

 

For each of his 12 seasons in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Kevin Harvick has driven for Richard Childress Racing. That will change in 2014. Multiple NASCAR industry sources confirmed to ESPN.com Friday that Harvick has signed a multiyear agreement to drive for Stewart-Haas Racing beginning with the 2014 season. Harvick will remain at RCR in the #29 Chevy for the 2013 campaign, sources said. "I'm looking forward to finishing out this season on a strong note with RCR and continuing to build our program going into the 2013 season with the ultimate goal of winning a championship," Harvick told ESPN.com Friday at Phoenix International Raceway, when he was asked about his future. "Anything beyond that, once I know what my future plans are set, I'll let you know." Under Stewart-Haas' current plan, sources said, Harvick will drive a fourth SHR Chevrolet, teaming with #14-Tony Stewart, #39-Ryan Newman and #10-Danica Patrick to form a four-car stable. "Stewart-Haas Racing's driver lineup is all set for 2013, but if you're talking about 2014 and if Kevin Harvick is available, that's something the team would have to look at," SHR team spokesman Mike Arning said. "Any team in this garage would do the same. From the moment Stewart-Haas Racing was formed, becoming a four-car team is something it's been striving for. They have the infrastructure to accommodate a fourth team, and if everything aligns properly, it's something they'll do. So, if a driver the caliber of Kevin Harvick is available, it's something they would pursue."(ESPN)(11-9-2012)

 

Stewart comments on Harvick rumor: 

 

#14-Tony Stewart, met with members of the media at Phoenix International Raceway and discussed future plans for SHR, the transcript in part:
Q) DO YOU HAVE A RESPONSE TO THE STORY THAT KEVIN HARVICK WILL JOIN STEWART-HAAS RACING IN 2014?


Tony Stewart: "Well, it's actually Dale, Jr. (SMILES BROADLY). And Marty Smith (ESPN Television personality and website reporter) is actually going to be in the fourth car. Yes, that's where we are at. (SMILES BROADLY) I will tell you this, when we have something to tell you guys, we'll tell you. I've always said that. You guys can throw darts, but when we have something to tell you that's different than what we've got going on, we'll obviously tell you."(Team Chevy)(11-9-2012)

 

Austin Dillon to run the Daytona 500: 

 

Richard Childress Racing has partnered with General Mills for NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Austin Dillon to make his Daytona 500 debut driving the #33 Honey Nut Cheerios Chevy on February 24, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway. The paint scheme for the 55th running of the Great American Race will also mark the NASCAR debut of Buzz, the official SpokesBee of Honey Nut Cheerios. "My family has so many memories of racing in the Daytona 500 so it is really special to me to be able to make my first Daytona 500 start," said Dillon. "With the support of General Mills and America's Favorite Cereal, Honey Nut Cheerios, I hope to continue RCR's winning tradition on restrictor plate tracks with my pal Buzz on the hood of the #33 Honey Nut Cheerios Chevrolet."
"General Mills is thrilled to be partnering with RCR and Austin Dillon for his Daytona 500 debut," said Gregg Dorazio, Manager of Shopper Marketing and Motorsports at General Mills. "Race fans will certainly be buzzing about Austin's appearance in The Great American Race. Austin adds even more excitement and opportunity to our 2013 Cheerios® Racing team and marketing plans."

The 2013 season will mark the fifth year of partnership between the Welcome, N.C.-based racing organization and General Mills, which is a major associate sponsor throughout the year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on the #31 Cheerios Chevrolet and driver Jeff Burton.

"Competing in the Daytona 500 is a major step in Austin's career and we couldn't be more proud than to have General Mills expand its program with RCR for a second year on the #33 Chevrolet SS," said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. "Austin has made a number of Sprint Cup Series starts so he understands the pressures at NASCAR's highest level but his first start in The Great American Race will be a special one."(
RCR)(11-9-2012)

 

Danica Patrick to appear in two Go Daddy ads: 

 

GoDaddy.com founder Bob Parsons announced Thursday that #10-Danica Patrick will appear in both of the company's Super Bowl advertising spots in the broadcast of the Feb. 3 game in New Orleans. Parsons also said GoDaddy's relationship with Patrick in NASCAR will continue for at least the foreseeable future as she begins her first full season in the Sprint Cup Series in 2013. It also was announced that GoDaddy would match up to $1 million in donations to the Semper Fi Fund, which benefits those injured while serving in the armed forces. The Super Bowl announcement ended speculation that Patrick, whose 10 appearances in Super Bowl commercials are more than any celebrity, would see her streak end after the company hired an outside agency -- Deutsch Inc. of New York -- to produce its two 30-second spots. Patrick will carry the Semper Fi Fund logo on the hood of her car in Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway (ESPN)(11-9-2012)

 

 

Possible Truck Series race on the dirt at Eldora: 

 

NASCAR may be considering adding a dirt race at Eldora Speedway to its Truck Series schedule. Multiple sources within the series said they've been told a dirt track could be added to the schedule in 2013. Sources also said a Richard Childress Racing truck was prepared for a test at Eldora, owned by three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart. The test was scheduled to take place Monday or Tuesday, the sources said. Officials at Eldora could not be reached for comment. Stewart has been asking NASCAR to add a race at his half-mile track in Rossburg, Ohio, for several years. It is the site of his annual Prelude to the Dream charity event. NASCAR officials declined to address specifically whether Eldora was under consideration for a truck race, but the series is looking at potential venues it hasn't been to before. "We've made several site visits over the past few months to look at possible future venues for our Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series," spokesman Kerry Tharp said on Tuesday. "We expect the 2013 schedules for both of those series to be finished up and released within the next couple of weeks."(ESPN.com)(10-17-2012) 

 

UPDATE: 

 

Stewart comments: "The rumor about the Trucks, trust me I would be ecstatic if we could get any NASCAR race at Eldora that would be great. I have talked to NASCAR they have been looking at all kinds of different tracks. It has been brought up in conversation but that is about as far as it has come right now."(Team Chevy Racing PR)(10-19-2012)


UPDATE2: 

 

The NASCAR Truck Series will race next season on the half-mile dirt track at Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio, multiple sources confirmed. An official announcement of the move could come as early as Wednesday. The race would be the first on dirt for any of NASCAR's three national series  Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Trucks - in its "modern era." The track, owned by Cup driver #14-Tony Stewart, does not have energy-absorbing SAFER barriers installed and no permanent medical facility on property. Sources said NASCAR is expected to waive its policy  adapted beginning in 2005  that SAFER barriers be installed at all oval tracks hosting its three national series. Why NASCAR is willing to make an exception in this case is unclear.(Charlotte Observer)(11-13-2012)

 

Note:  Can the Nationwide Series be next?

 

 

Brad Keselowski Wins 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship: 

 

#2-Brad Keselowski won the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship today at Homestead-Miami Speedway, earning owner Roger Penske's first title in NASCAR's premier series. For owner Penske, the wait that began before Keselowski was born (1984) finally is over. Penske Racing, which entered the NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 1972, ended the longest non-championship streak among current ownership. Penske's best previous finish was second in 1993 with NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Rusty Wallace. To be the best, Keselowski had to beat the best  #48-Jimmie Johnson. The pair traded the lead of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup five times, the last on Nov. 11 at Phoenix International Raceway where Keselowski finished sixth and Johnson  the victim of an accident  placed 32nd.
Keselowski's 15th-place finish in Sunday's Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway was all it took to apply the finishing touches to a stellar championship season. Keselowski's championship came in his 125th start, the fewest since Jeff Gordon captured his first of four titles in 1995 in 93 starts.

At age 28, Keselowski is the eighth-youngest competitor to win a first NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. Keselowski previously won the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series title, owner Penske's first in NASCAR. He joins Bobby Labonte as the only drivers to win both a NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. After experiencing mechanical problems in two of the first three regular season races, Keselowski's #2 Penske Racing Dodge won at Bristol Motor Speedway to begin a steady march toward the top 10. Backed by championship crew chief Paul Wolfe, Keselowski won three times during the regular season and entered the Chase seeded fourth. A victory at the Chase-opening Chicagoland Speedway race, followed by another at Dover International Speedway, boosted Keselowski from contender to co-favorite with Johnson. Dodge won its fifth series championship, and first since 1975 with Richard Petty.(NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)(11-18-2012)

 

 

Latest on JGR extension with Busch:

 

Joe Gibbs Racing is hoping to re-sign #18-Kyle Busch before the end of the year. Coach Gibbs said Saturday that his company is working on a long-term deal to secure both the M&M's sponsorship and the driver, whose contract runs through 2013. "We're working really hard on that. We want to do that early so we're not going into the last year," Gibbs said. "M&M's is on board, but their contract is still extended into the future. Hopefully, we get everything clarified in the next two weeks. I'm expecting everything to kind of be in place in the next two weeks. That would be a game plan for us if we could. That would be exciting." Monster Energy is expected to join Busch in the Nationwide Series at JGR. Kyle Busch Motorsports will continue to campaign in trucks and perhaps a NNS entry as well.(FoxSports)(11-19-2012)

 

 

No poles for first two drivers in points, 1st time ever: For the first time in the history of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, both the champion and second in points failed to win a pole during the season. Neither #2-Brad Keselowski nor #15-Clint Bowyer won a pole in 2012. Keselowski is the eighth driver to win the championship without scoring a pole. The last was Matt Kenseth in 2003.(11-19-2012)

 

 

France holds press conference to discuss the future of the sport and more: 

 

NASCAR chairman Brian France held a press conference at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, November 17, 2012, some of the plans for 2013 and beyond include:
" The 2013 car will have more brand identity for manufacturers with the vehicle looking more like those on the showroom floor.

" NASCAR is addressing changes in the car to improve competition as far as more passing and tighter racing.

" The driver's last name will be placed on the windshield so fans can better identify their driver in an era when paint schemes change frequently.

" Sponsor logos will be allowed on the roof for more exposure from television.

" The average age for drivers in the Truck Series will be dropped from 18 to 16 for road courses and any tracks 1.1 mile or less.

" A digital cockpit is coming in 2014 that will offer new social media possibilities.

(
ESPN)....see full transcript at the Brian France Press Conference, November 17, 2012 Transcript page.(11-18-2012)

 

 

Brian France Press Conference, November 17, 2012

 

An Interview With:

BRIAN FRANCE

 

DAVID HIGDON:

Steve O'Donnell, vice president of racing operations for NASCAR has a couple of announcements to make. He will be available afterwards to talk, as well. Steve?

STEVE O'DONNELL:

Thanks, David. As David talked about, certainly saw a terrific race last night. One of the things I think that was evident to everybody was the influx of young talent that we've got coming up through the ranks. We announced previously an age limit change in the tours where we went to 15, and based on the opportunities for a lot of young drivers out there that are coming up through our system faster and faster, you're seeing it in the tours, you're seeing it in our DForD program. We're going to move the age restrictions that currently exists for the trucks from 18 down to 16, and that rule will be in place for road courses and any tracks 1.1 mile or less.

We announced yesterday the addition of Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. Great addition for us. Keeps our national series presence in Canada, which we said was important to us and we wanted to do, and as for the schedule, in its totality, we're working on a couple of new facilities. I can assure you that wherever we go, the proper safety measures will be in place. There's some exciting opportunities still out there, and we expect to announce that very shortly. Proud to have Canadian Tire on board and more importantly happy to see the path for younger drivers to come from the tours up to trucks at the age of 16 next year.

Second I want to talk about our Gen 6 race car, and you're going to hear our chairman Brian France come up in a minute and talk about that, but one of the things we're proud of is the collaboration that you've heard throughout the industry with NASCAR, the race teams, the manufacturers, and ultimately everything we do is for the race fans. What you're seeing up here today are some changes to the look of the car, and this comes about from a working relationship with the race teams. We know that we needed to offer them some additional space, some additional things for sponsors in this day and age, so you're going to see some different areas where the sponsor will be able to put their logo, particularly on the roof that has not happened in the past.

One of the other additions that we've looked at that we're proud of, especially as we look to younger drivers coming up in the series is the driver's last name on the windshield. So starting in Daytona you'll see that as an addition to every car, as we said, into the 2013 season.

And then last but not least is certainly the manufacturer presence. It's important for us to make that car look as much as we can like the production vehicle you see on the streets, so moving some logos around with the manufacturers, moving some numbers off the headlights and taillights, again, all in an effort to have that car reflect what's on the street and most importantly make it easier for our fans to identify who's in that car race in and race out.

With that, as David said, I'll turn it back over to David Higdon and then our chairman Brian France. Thanks.

DAVID HIGDON: 

Thanks, Steve. We're going to circulate a zip drive to every one of you. That will include all the graphics that you see up here if you want them for your sites, for your publications. We'll also have a graphic which will show the Six Generations of Speed and the evolution of the stock car that Steve just referenced. So that will be on the zip drive, as well, for you. This poster I'm going to keep for myself, though.

So again, welcome, everyone. We're really pleased that you're all here. It's been a great media turnout so far and we know we have a great race ahead of us with the Nationwide race. Without further ado, our chairman, Brian France.

BRIAN FRANCE:

Thank you, David, and good morning, everyone. Let me just start off by thanking or congratulating James Buescher and his Turner Motorsports team for their championship that they won last night. Also certainly going to settle the Nationwide Series later on this afternoon, three drivers in contention for that series, looking for hopefully an exciting conclusion.

And of course tomorrow on Sunday we'll settle the Sprint Cup championship, and much like last year, there's two drivers that are set to really go chase that championship. And it's an interesting contrast because you've got a five-time proven champion, you've got a young driver, a team that hasn't been together all that long. One is the underdog in terms of the points situation, and the other is chasing but with a lot of experience, which should be a great, exciting conclusion to a really good year.

And as Steve mentioned, while this is a time to certainly celebrate 2012, it's also my time with you to talk about, A, what's happened a little bit in this season and look ahead to what's going to happen in 2013, in particular since what we're now calling the Gen 6 car is in play in terms of it's getting an amazing amount of acceptance, and there's been an unprecedented amount, as you well know, of collaboration to get here, to get that car in step with what the manufacturers believe is what the best-looking race car, having enough technology in that race car.

But the missing and final piece, which we're working on now, is to improve on the quality of racing, which as everyone knows is a stated goal of ours, to have the closest, most competitive, tightest racing that we can, and that's what we're testing now. Those are the rules packages that we'll be building around the car that I'm seeing the kind of things that I was hoping to hear in terms of the performance of these cars and how that's going to help us achieve our goal.

We're excited about that. We're excited about concluding the season. We're excited about a number of things from a business standpoint, which is our television agreements with FOX have been, as you know, secured. We'll be talking to our other partners as we go down in the coming weeks and months. Plenty of encouraging signs there.

The tracks, economy still is what it is. We're still disproportionately affected by sponsorship; in particular most of the other sports leagues don't have nearly the reliance on that, and obviously that's still under a lot of pressure. Teams will tell you, we will tell you, we're working to do all the things that we can to make that challenge, to get through that challenge as best we can.

So with that, I'm happy to open it up to any questions.

Q. Can you just talk a little bit about your vision, the opportunity, the possibility of NASCAR racing on dirt in the future? I understand that's one of the possibilities for the Truck Series next year.

BRIAN FRANCE:

Well, you know, it's part of our history at a high level. It still is at the weekly level. And that hasn't been completely worked out, but that's a possibility. That would put a unique twist on the Truck Series if that is able to be worked out. But it's a part of our history. We have a lot of fans that that's what they grew up watching and seeing at their local short tracks. I ran a short track, a dirt track in Arizona when I first got there; it was a dirt track. I've got a little experience at knowing how to get the track surface in some order, especially in a hot, dusty place like Arizona, very difficult. So it would be fun, fun to see if it happens.

Q. After going more than a decade, or at least talking about going to common templates, when Dodge came back into the sport the first time, what took so long in the evolution to get back to having cars look more like they're from the showroom rather than just strictly a combination of four manufacturers and losing that identity? Why the push now?

BRIAN FRANCE:

Well, we've been at this for a couple years. It takes a while. It takes a long while, in particular if you're going to solicit the interest of an-- the input rather of the car manufacturers, the teams and everybody else that's affected. It just takes time.

We've been hearing for a long time that our fans like rivalries within the manufacturer group. Obviously the car manufacturers like more identification the better, and that's good for them. And then if we can have a Trifecta where we can do all those things and then really put a rules package together that I've said recently uses a lot more science than art to get closer, tighter competition, then we've got a home run package, and that's what we're planning to have.

Q. With the changes forthcoming in SPEED and the dot-com of NASCAR.com changing and the TV deal partially done and the different ways that fans are watching the races, what do you envision leading into the future with the television side of things and the media side of fans watching? What do you see as the innovation to continue the coverage of our sport to increase the ratings?

BRIAN FRANCE:

Well, we're going to be working together with all of our television partners and all of our media partners to do two things: To continue to present our sport in innovative and broader ways than they currently do now, and they want to do that. And then we're going to be talking about all the places that sports content is going to be consumed by race fans and potential race fans, both digitally and otherwise, and how all that sort of marries up with building our fan base and satisfying and interacting with our fans, and it's an exciting time. It's an exciting time for anybody that has high-end, valuable sport content to be in that position to look at all the things that are coming and make the right decisions hopefully to make sure we don't miss one of those opportunities that goes by.

Q. Two questions about things that happened this week: The incident with Jeff and Bowyer, kind of a fine line; you can't really have guys using cars as weapons, but it did generate massive amounts of attention for NASCAR, so you're walking a fine line, I guess, in what is and isn't allowed. It's sport but it's entertainment. So what do you do? How do you sort of handle that because you've got the boys-have-at-it policy?

BRIAN FRANCE:

Yeah.

 

Q. So what does NASCAR do? And the Keselowski thing, I understand the rule, it's not tweeting, you can't have-- it's not the phone itself, but it's great for the fans that he can provide that access in the car. Is that something that NASCAR can do going forward?

BRIAN FRANCE:

Sure. First part of the question, really not that fine a line. We have a stated approach that this is a contact sport. We expect contact, especially late in the race. But I always say there are limits. Drivers know what those limits are, and you can cross those limits, and that's exactly what happened on Sunday. It was very obvious and very easy for us to figure that out and for everybody to figure that out, and so we deal with it. That doesn't change the idea that we're not going to walk away from-- including Sunday, we expect there is going to be-- there was contact last night at a pretty significant level late in the race. That's the history of this sport, and we're going-- there will be limits, the drivers know where the limits are. If they have any confusion on that, they can certainly talk to us directly or look at our calls and how we've dealt with-- when we think that those limits have been broken, and that will be that.

The second part of your question, we are the most aggressive in social and digital media in terms of our drivers and teams and tracks taking part in that. The trick is that in the cars today, and particularly in the future, now with fuel injection, we'll soon be talking to you about a digital cockpit that will be coming down the road as early as 2014, and smart devices and smartphones and other devices can have an effect on manipulating the technology that is now going to be in the cars, and we have to be careful with that. And so that's why our policy is that you're simply not going to be able to take a device into the car with you.

It doesn't mean that we're not going to be the most aggressive at hoping, pushing that they have big social media plans and they take full advantage of it, and Brad is one of the leaders of that with 300,000-some Twitter followers, and so we're going to keep pushing for them to do just that.

Q. In the '50s and '60s there was a lot of concentration on the cars in this series, manufacturer rivalries, Ford versus Chevy fans fighting in the grandstands, etcetera. Then we kind of moved into more of a driver personality focus. Now it seems like we're moving more toward emphasizing the cars and trying to bring fans in through that gateway. How do you see the balance now between those two things? Are cars more important than drivers now?

BRIAN FRANCE:

No, we don't look at it that way. I think we arguably -- by the new car in 2007, arguably we didn't help ourselves with the manufacturer rivalries that are always important, and so we want to try to elevate that back up to where it traditionally is. That's number one.

The drivers are always going to be, as my dad used to say, the actors on the stage or the stars on the stage and so on, and that's-- we're doing a lot of things to elevate their star power, and that's the number one connection to our fan base and always will be, and we're going to do everything we can to make sure that our drivers get the right attention and accolades, and not only in NASCAR but throughout all of sports.

There are no competing goals here.

Q. Go back to the cell phone thing. After Daytona when Brad tweeted during the red flag, NASCAR was pretty forthright about like this is a really good thing, and this is something we want to see more of, and then this week the message kind of changed a little bit. For fans that you're trying to reach through digital media, when you talk about being tricky, is that where it's a difficult line to balance?

BRIAN FRANCE:

No, it didn't change a bit. It evolved. That was the first time at Daytona that we had seen somebody in real-time tweeting during a red flag at that point. We love that. We just know now that we have things in the car that could be affected by devices, smartphones and the like, that we have to make sure that we don't interfere with that and give somebody an opportunity to-- even if it was unintentional, to manipulate some portion of digital devices that we're going to have in the car. And now with electronic fuel injection.

And so we immediately loved the idea, loved the attention that brought to the sport, encourage it but have to balance it in the competition end to make sure nobody gains an advantage.

Q. When you talk about digital cockpits and the glass dashboards that you've mentioned in the past, is there going to be an opportunity for social media through that?

BRIAN FRANCE:

I fully expect thatwe have one of the real incredible opportunities because of how information, telemetry and all kind of things that are integral to the running of each race, and for us to be able to share that information down the road in very, very interesting ways with our fans, we are in the best position in sports, just because we have so much of that information, that is so relevant. So I fully expect that to be a part of it, sure.

Q. You mentioned earlier, talking about the new car, one of the goals is obviously going to be better competition, if you guys are able to give the teams the tools to provide that. If you look at the view of the Car of Tomorrow, it took a while for teams to get comfortable with that and to really make improvements on it so that the competition could grow, get closer. Are you concerned that there's going to be that period of learning and that the competition is not going to be what fans are going to expect when the new car hits the track?

BRIAN FRANCE:

You know, I'll tell you, we learned a lot and I learned a lot personally on that particular debut of that car, and the collaboration-- I thought it was fairly high at the time, it wasn't as high as it needed to be. The testing, the way we're doing it, manufacturer sport, I thought it was pretty high. It wasn't high enough, it wasn't even close to high enough. Today that's totally changed, and I expect the drivers to have a lot more time under their belt-- we're also not phasing it in as we did as you recall in '07, which made it more difficult. One week they're running one thing, next week they're trying to adjust back. That made it more difficult.

So it's fair to say as we are going down the road today, we want to change that. But don't underscore, there's one more thing on that car that we did not attempt to do with the '07 car. You're talking about body style, safety innovations, those are all good things. Common templates, we can all debate that a little bit. But the emphasis on the cars driving better differently, and the ability to have hallmark close competition and particularly on the mile and a half is what we're really seeking here, and we're going to make-- I've told the team owners and we've talked to obviously everybody, that these are going to be pretty significant things. Whatever the collection of things that we're going to put on the car, they will be designed to have tighter competition. It's as simple as that. Not every driver will like that per se, because some drivers like the exact rules packages, notwithstanding the look of the car that they have today.

And I hope we'll be very successful at that. I know we will be over time. I hope we are earlier than that.

Q. You noted in your opening statement how much more NASCAR as an industry is dependent on the economy, and the owners out here assume so much risk. Judging by what I see on this new car, it seems like there is a push being made to offer a greater platform for the sponsor. What else can NASCAR do or what responsibility does the sanctioning body have to make sure that the owners have that platform that they can sell to corporate America?

BRIAN FRANCE:

Well, we have traditional things that you would think we would have at our disposal, making the space available differently and smarter on the car. That's one thing. There's being ever mindful of the cost issue being another. But we're not going to be in a position to change the economy, how just about every company is being much more judicious and careful with their advertising expense, no matter how well they work. They're not in a position as they were a few years ago to make big bets out over long periods of time at the level that they were. It's understandable.

And then you throw in from an economy standpoint that our fans, the best in the world, drive the furthest, they stay the longest, they often as you guys know build their race weekends around family vacations and all kinds of things. Well, the cost to do that and the unemployment, when you don't have a job and the costs are still going up, it isn't hard to understand why we will be in a little bit different position. So we're working on all those things, and we're doing everything we can. Things will get better on that, and they have gotten better in some areas.

We've put a lot of new companies into the sport. We'll always have some attrition, too, so a lot of these companies are starting to get early good results, like 5-hour Energy drink being one, and there are a number of companies that we have. But we're more reliant, there's no doubt about that, on corporate sponsorship.

Q. You've talked a lot about the science and technology going into the new car, digital cockpit. Brad's incident sort of brought that to light, as well. With the development of the new car, do you ever see a future where NASCAR may allow real-time telemetry during practice on competition weekend in order to hasten the development of the new car?

BRIAN FRANCE:

You know, that's obviously something that-- that and more in terms of how information flows throughout the event and how that affects competition, cost and the like. But I think we're going to try to figure all that out. You're seeing it with fuel injection, you're seeing it with, as I said, a digital cockpit. We have Sprint as our lead partner in the wireless business, so they're helping us figure that out. So we'll manage that differently than we did in the past, but we'll still have to be careful of if we don't get some unintended consequences with-- we're still race team versus race team and we don't disturb that competitive balance.

Q. In the wake of Dale Earnhardt Jr. having to sit out two races because of concussions, are you considering and/or implementing any changes in your medical procedures as it relates to the diagnosis or treatment of head injuries?

BRIAN FRANCE:

Yeah. Well, we do look at that policy, head injuries and obviously concussions which are a pretty big topic in a few different sports currently.

I was very pleased the way Dale handled that. Obviously we've said that. There's a personal responsibility if you feel like you're not yourself and there's some things that your body is telling you that you just don't play on and race on, and it starts there. So I think he took a big lead example. We have independent doctors that do review, and we have a very clear policy that if you're not feeling like yourself, in particular if you've had a hard crash, that that's-- follow Dale Earnhardt's exact plan. He's in the Chase, he's Dale Earnhardt, he could have taken all kinds of different approaches, but he took the right one, and so we're going to continue to look at it, but it's obviously an individual driver or team that must figure out those early symptoms.

Q. Before the common template, you'll remember that manufacturers and drivers would come and lobby your officials, and when they didn't get satisfaction they'd come here to us and lobby us.

BRIAN FRANCE:

Thanks a lot. I forgot to criticize you for that years ago. (Laughter.)

Q. What procedures-- everybody is nice and playing well now, but what happens when the competition starts after Daytona and they want changes? What procedures are in place to make sure that there will not be that similar type of lobbying?

BRIAN FRANCE:

You know, I bet it's exactly what happened in the past, and that'll be fine. We're going to-- we have an R & D Center that we didn't have years ago to examine who's ahead or behind in terms of aero and every other conceivable thing, so we'll have a much better handle on, A, getting it right in the first place, and B, correcting things that go wrong. We're okay with that. That's part of the sport. We're not going to run around and complain that somebody has grabbed a media member and doesn't like a certain situation.

As long as our drivers and our teams don't criticize the integrity of the sport, they may not like certain things, they may think we're running a little slower or may make a bad call or two, we certainly will do that, but as long as that's not the case, we fully expect there to be lots of back and forth.

Q. What's good tomorrow for NASCAR, a Brad win or a Jimmie winning a sixth championship? And who do you think will win at the end of the day?

BRIAN FRANCE:

Do you really expect me to answer both those questions? I'll say this: Look, Roger Penske is an unbelievable owner and person, and what's surprising is he hasn't won more championships, multiple championships so far, and this would be obviously his first, so that would be a tremendous thing. Brad would be-- I can say that it'll be earned no matter what because both drivers, what we're finding out in the Chase, what always happens is that certain drivers, Tony and Carl did it and Tony to a little higher level, elevate their game, and if you remember, there was a lot of discussion, well, that really doesn't happen in motorsports and it really can't happen, and everybody is trying as hard as they can and you can do anything you want and that really wouldn't get better performances, and we now know better than that.

So tomorrow whoever is on their game, both teams, one mistake, we all know what happened last week, there's going to be some contact out there going on, and you know, we'll just have to see.

Q. Statistics currently show right now that only 16 percent of chairmen and CEOs are currently utilizing social media. Do you have plans to aggressively start to interact on Twitter with fans, drivers, etcetera?

BRIAN FRANCE:

Well, you know, we do. NASCAR has lots of ways that we communicate with our fans. I'll be careful myself of how I want to do that directly, but I fully expect to have lots of ways that I'm going to be interacting with our fans in a digital way.

Q. What's the time frame currently to be able to have a digital integration in the cars for social media?

BRIAN FRANCE:

Well, we don't have a timeline.

Q. I was at the SEMA show recently where O'Donnell was on a panel of motorsports--

BRIAN FRANCE:

How did he do?

 

Q. He did well. But the whole talk was about the future of motorsports, and it seemed-- and things you've mentioned here with the dashboard and the digital and all, the thing that came out of it is NASCAR has kind of lost its cool factor, especially trying to bring in the younger audience, and they're talking about shorter races, shorter schedules and things like that. Are you looking at things like that to try to bring back that cool factor, and does a driver such as Brad Keselowski, who whether he wins it or not because he does some of these things with the phone and all that, does that bring some of the cool factor back?

BRIAN FRANCE:

You know, I think, sure, young people today, young potential fans, the younger you go, I tell our guys all the time we're in the middle of a conference room and the computer breaks, go call a 12 year old. That's who can get us back online.

The idea that young fans are digitally engaged and getting excited about things much differently than they used to, not just plopping by the TV watching sports and other entertainment, sure, that's all changing at a rapid clip, and we're going to do everything we can to stay apace with that and take advantage of it. It's a great opportunity for us.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about the objective of putting the driver's last name on the windshield of the car and what you're looking to accomplish with that?

BRIAN FRANCE:

Yeah, it's just-- we are striving for raising their awareness all the time and every time, and we're striving for continuity. As these paint schemes have had to change more frequently than they used to, the continuity of Jeff Gordon in a flamed 24 DUPONT is a little different now, and so we're trying to do things that will build their star power and at the same time have a little continuity for our fans to follow their favorite drivers.

 

 

Going back, in time:

 

This past weekend, George Rice was inducted into the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

 

Here is part of his win list from when he drove Midgets here in the Northeast.  The rest of his wins will be in my next column.

 

The following information was sent to me from John DaDalt.

 

George Rice

 

1939:

Feature wins:

West Haven Speedway; West Haven, CT-6/22

Newfield Park; Bridgeport, CT- 6/12  6/26  7/3

 

Notes: June 26 Bridgeport, CT set 1 lap, 5 lap and 25 lap track records

 

1940:

Feature wins:

West Haven Speedway; West Haven, CT-6/13

Cedarhurst Speedway; Cedarhurst, NY- 8/7

Bronx Coliseum; Bronx, NY- 3/17

 

1941:

Feature wins:

West Haven Speedway; West Haven, CT-6/19  6/26  8/7

Danbury Speedway; Danbury, CT- 5/18  6/27

Bronx Coliseum; Bronx, NY- 1/19  3/16  4/6  4/27-60 laps 

 

Notes: Champion at Bronx, NY Coliseum indoor racing series held during the winter/spring.

Drove Bourgnon #11 to Bronx Coliseum title.

 

 

1946:

Feature wins:

West Haven Speedway; West Haven, CT-6/13  6/27  8/18  9/2  9/19-50 laps

Cherry Park Speedway; Avon, CT: 9/15

Thompson Speedway; Thompson, CT-5/19

Springfield Speedway; West Springfield, MA- 5/25 6/18 6/22 6/29  7/6

                                                          7/13  7/27  9/7 10/5-100 laps

Hatfield, PA-6/16-2 laps

 

Notes: Champion at West Haven, CT and West Springfield, MA

May 19 Thompson, CT-set 50 lap track record in 1st race after the war (not confirmed)

won 5 straight features at West Springfield, MA

June 16 won at the Montgomery County Fair in Hatfield, PA in a race halted after 2 laps,

had set a 1 lap track record in time trials.

Set 25 lap track record at Avon on Sept. 15th, 6:30.20

 

 

1947:          ARDC Champion

Feature wins:

Cherry Park Speedway; Avon, CT: 5/14  6/1  9/21

Springfield Speedway; West Springfield, MA- 7/12  9/13  9/17-50 laps for V-8    9/27

West Haven Speedway; West Haven, CT- 5/8 6/19 6/26 7/10 7/17 9/4 9/11 9/18 9/25-75 laps

Danbury Fairgrounds; Danbury, CT- 8/30  9/20  10/5  10/11-100 laps

Candlelite Stadium; Bridgeport, CT-6/30  7/7  7/28  8/18 9/1 9/22  10/6-100 laps

Deer Park Speedway; Deer Park, NY- 4/6

Hinchliffe Stadium; Paterson, NJ- 7/18  7/25-50 laps  8/12  9/5  9/23

 

Notes: Champion: West Haven, CT  Bridgeport, CT Danbury, CT  Deer Park, NY

won 39 feature races  and 4 track championships

Started season in the Curtis Offy, switched to Bourgnon cycle powered car in July, Bourgnon installed an Offy in August.

Drove Bourgnon cycle powered car, one of the lightest in the country 525 lbs.

Oct. 12 - Langhorne, PA ARDC race 100 laps- started 23rd, took the lead on lap

24 and lead until lap 49 when he ran out of fuel. He returned to the race in 4th and worked his way

back to 2nd and was challenging for the lead with 2 laps to go when he had to pit for more fuel.

Danbury, CT- set 25 lap track record on August 30th, broke his own record on Sept. 20th.

Bridgeport, CT set the 25 lap track record 4 times that year, won races at Bridgeport in a cycle powered car, a Ford V-8

and an Offenhauser in 1947.

 

 

 

 

 

News from the AARN:

http://www.aarn.com/

Covering just one week here, this week, and not as in depth as what has been done in the past, since the 2012 racing season has just about run it’s course.

The November 13th issue had their car builders guide in it – 36 pages, easily pulled out.

If you’re a subscriber to the AARN, here’s some great news:

Subscribers will be able to enjoy both print and digital issues as of January 8, 2013!  Digital will be available on Tuesday mornings, while the paper will still arrive (hopefully!) later in the week at your home.  Due to cost increases, the AARN has been forced to increase their charge for a years subscription to $51.00 for the 50 issues.  Current subscribers will continue to be charged the $49.00, however.

To subscribe to the digital service, you have to send an e-mail to the AARN at:  sub@aarn.com  You must include your name, complete postal address and your e-mail address.

There was a full page about the DIRTcar banquet.  In it, it made mention that DIRTcar handed out over $800,000.00 in prize monies for the 2012 season.  No mention as to what monies were handed out at the banquet, however.

It seems that Duane Howard was not too happy with late race contact from Ryan Godown and Kevin Hirthler at Bridgeport, the last time they raced there.

*Spencer Speedway had their banquet – Rusty Smith the Modified champion.

*Big Diamond had their banquet – Craig Von Dohren the 358 Modified champion.

*Airborne had their banquet – Nick Heywood the Sportsman/Modified champion.

*Oswego Speedway had their banquet – Otto Sitterly the Super Modified champion and Kreig Heroth the Small Block Super Modified champion.

*Holland Speedway had their banquet – Andy Jankowiak the NASCAR Pro Modified champion. 

*Potomac Speedway had their banquet – Kenny Moreland the Late Model champion.  No Modifieds at Potomac in 2013.

Bryan Sebetto was the F.A.S.T Kistler Cup 410 Sprint Car champion, and got $10,500.00.  DJ Foos was the F.A.S.T. 305 Sprint Car champion and he got $2,205.00

Stewart Friesen was the Utica/Rome Speedway Modified champion, and at their banquet he got $10,000.00

*- None of those above made mention of any monies won, or how much, for their champions.

At Path Valley a couple of weeks ago, for the Tobias SpeedSTR’s feature event that would decide the SpeedSTR national champions, Toby came out with a “Revenge Draw”.  They re-drew for the top six.  First to pick was Dale Plank, and he picked # 6.  He gave that starting spot to Rick Eckert.  Eckert piced and drew # 4, which he, in turn gave to Plank.  Sinion Egan was the lucky one to end up with the pole position, that was picked by Travis Bicher.  Ending up with the championship was Maxime Plant, from St. Hyacinth, Canada.  For that, he got $5,000.00.  Maxime is still in his teens and does not speak English.

There will be  fund raiser for George Stevens this coming Saturday, November 24th, at the Belvidere (NJ) Manor, from 7:00 to 11:0 PM.  $25.00 admission, with all proceeds going to George and his family.  Info and tickets can be had by calling Linda Macomber at:  (908) 453-4215 and/or (908) 319-3270.  George is at home, but is still paralyzed from the waist down.

15 year old Matt Pappa will be a “team mate” to Brett Hearn in 2013, running a Brett Hearn Sportsman car at Lebanon Valley and possible big races at the end of the season.  Pappa is the 2012 US Legends Pro Points and Touring Champion, as well as the Chemung Speedrome champion, having won 45 races in 2012.

Notices on the passing of Indy Car engineer Tim Wardrop, and Gaston “Gus” Andrey, 86, a multi-time SCCA driving champion made this weeks issue.

Lenny Sammons:

In his column, he makes mention that Joe Skotnicki says that Rolling Wheels is still for sale, but it is still on their 2013 schedule.  Cayuga County Fair Speedway ran only one DIRTcar 358 Modified Series race in 2012, during SDW, and it was very successful.  Reports are that crews were recently stopped from dismantling the Speedway.  Maybe the track still has a future?

Ernie Saxton:

Ernie was questioning whether people wearing “flip flops” in the pits, and working on race cars could be a safety issue.  He makes mention that it cost 50-70 thousand dollars a day for an Indy Car team to test at a track.  Indy Car will be eliminating some testing in 2013.  Robby Gordon’s Stadium Super Trucks will be seen on NBC and NBC Sports Network.  Look for NBC and NASCAR for some possible future telecasting.

And from the issue due out this week – November 20th:

In AARN 
This Week:

RUSH Crate 
Late Model Group Formed; 
Will Battle FASTRAK


Brad Keselowski 
Wins First NASCAR 
Sprint Cup Championship


Lingo Triumphs In Georgetown; 
Purse Reduced, Drivers Race In Support


SEMA Joins PRI & IMIS 
In Mega Trade Show Merger


Wall Stadium's Turkey Derby 
Takes Green Flag This Weekend


North-South Shootout Winning Team 
Fined Four Grand A Day After Victory


New Smyrna's Governor's Cup 
To First Time Starter Augie Grill


National Parts Peddler 
High Bidders Save Big 
On Race Car Chassis

 

Former Oakland Valley Speedway (Dirt Oval) runners:

 

A week ago – plus, at Bridgeport, in the Modified feature, Mike Mammana was 13th.  Luke Schostkewitz was 20th in the Crate Sportsman feature.

 

Last weekend, some of those that ran at the Dirt Oval in the past, returned to run the Novemberfest event.

BK Rizzo was 1st overall in the KT 100’s.  He had a 1st and 2nd on Saturday and a 3rd on Sunday. 

Wyatt Clark was 1st overall in the Senior Slingshots.  On Saturday he had two first place finishes and on Sunday a 2nd.

Brian Krummel, in Mediums, had a 10th and 4th on Saturday and a DNS on Sunday.

Keith Leonard, in Mediums, had a 7th and 8th on Saturday and a DNS on Sunday.

Jason Roe was 14th & 13th in the Lights on Saturday and a DNS on Sunday.

 

Novemberfest links:

 

Saturday race 1:  http://karting.4cycle.com/showthread.php?t=460193

 

Saturday race 2:  http://karting.4cycle.com/showthread.php?t=460196

 

Sunday race 3:  http://karting.4cycle.com/showthread.php?t=460327

 

Overall:  http://karting.4cycle.com/showthread.php?t=460336

 

 

 

Press Releases:

Perris Auto Speedway

18700 Lake Perris Drive

Perris, CA  92571

(951) 940-0134

http://perrisautospeedway.com/

 

For further information contact Scott Daloisio (909) 226-7768 or mailto:racesatthepas@aol.com

 

Note:  This is mentioned in the PR, below:

 

“For those who live more than 100-miles away, the race will stream live at the following link for $14.95. http://circletracknetwork.com/. Interested fans can purchase their online ticket beginning Wednesday morning.”

Maybe one of these years, it will be on live TV.

 

For Immediate Release

 

72ND RUNNING OF THE TURKEY NIGHT GRAND PRIX ENTRIES!

 

(Perris, CA, November 18)   The 72nd running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix for the Mopar USAC National and Western States Midgets at Perris Auto Speedway is four days away.  Sixty-three drivers have confirmed their intention of participating in what is Midget racing's longest running and most prestigious event. 

 

As it stands now drivers from four countries (USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) and 13 different states have already entered.

 

Car # Driver                    Hometown             Owner                             Chassis/Engine

0        Johnny Murdock    Dallas, TX              Zero Motorsports

0        Cameron Beard      Atwater, CA           Dave Lamott                                        Stealth Honda

05      Jake Swanson        Anaheim, CA         Swanson Motorsports          Stealth/Honda

2        Levi Roberts          Broomfield, CO     Dave Roberts                   Spike/Esslinger

2G      Terry Goodwin      Belleville, KS         Misty Goodwin

2X      Robby Josett          Santa Clarita, CA   Ron Josett

          Spike Esslinger

3        Darren Hagen         Riverside, CA        RFMS Racing                  DRC/Esslinger

3F      Dave Darland         Lincoln, IN            RFMS Racing                  DRC/Esslinger

4        Bobby East             Brownsburg, IN     Klatt Enterprises               Beast/Chevy

5        Danny Ebberts       Canyon Lake, CA  Tres Van Dyne                 Edmunds/Van Dyne

5D      Zach Daum            Pocahontas, IL       Don Daum                       Eagle/Fontana

7        Shannon McQueen Bakersfield, CA     McQueen-Eskesen-Rescino           Spike/Esslinger

7A      Dalton Armstrong  New Castle, IN       C&A Motorsports            Spike/Toyota

7C      Caleb Armstrong    New Castle, IN       C&A Motorsports            Spike/Toyota

8        Randi Pankratz       Atascacadero, CA  Wally Pankratz                 Edmunds/Fontana

9        TBA                                                     Sean Dodenhoff               Spike/Fontana

9D      Sean Dodenhoff     Bakersfield, CA     Sean Dodenhoff               Spike/Fontana

9E      Wink Schweitzer    Bakersfield, CA     Sean Dodenhoff               Spike/Fontana

10      Brad Kuhn             Avon, IN               Mason Cook

11      Brady Bacon          Broken Arrow, OK  Wilke-Pak Racers Stanton/Toyota

 

11X    Greg Bragg             Visalia, CA            Dave Thurston                 Spike/Esslinger

12      Riley Emmel          Estavan, SK, Canada        Dave Ray               Spike/Mopar         

12JR  Chad Boat              Phoenix, AZ           Robbie & Gaye Allen          Spike/Esslinger

12      Josh Pelkey            Peoria, AZ             Robbie & Gaye Allen          Spike/Esslinger

12X    Rick Hendrix          Palmdale, CA         Rick Hendrix                    TCR/Van Dyne

15      David Pickett         Fresno, CA            Neverlift Motorsports          Spike/Van Dyne

17K    Nathan Smee          Sydney, Australia   Kruseman Motorsports          Spike/Esslinger

19      Richard Vander Weerd  Visalia, CA     Mike Sala                         Spike/Chevy

19W   Jonathon Henry      San Luis Obispo, CA  Mike Sala                    Spike/Chevy

21      Jimmy Voitel         Covina, CA            Jimmy Voitel

21K    Cory Kruseman      Ventura, CA           Kruseman Motorsports          Spike/Esslinger

22AZ  Rick Shuman         Gilbert, AZ             Rick Shuman

          Cobra/Fontana

24      Tracy Hines            New Castle, IN       Bob Parker                       Spike/Toyota

25      Danny Stratton       Riverside, CA        Jerome Rodella                Toyota

26      Shane Golobic       Freemont, CA        Doug Bock

27      Nick Chivello         Manteca, CA          Paul Chivello                   Spike/Esslinger

27      Casey Shuman       Mesa, AZ               Calvin Martens                 TCR/Mopar

33      Davey Raye            Davenport, IA        Team RayPro                   Spike/Speedway Toyota      

35      Scott Pierovich      Alamo, CA             Lance Pierovich               Spike Mopar

39      Dillon Welch          Carmel, IN             Tucker-BCI-Curb-Agajanian          Spike/Esslinger

39K    Kyle Edwards        Fountain Valley, CA  Gordon Edwards          Ellis/Van Dyne           

47      Damion Gardner    Concord, CA         Andy Bondio                   Bondio Barnes

50      Evan Margeson      Tacoma, WA          Evan Margeson                Beast/VDS

51      R.J. Johnson                    Phoenix, AZ           Bobby Martin                   Spike/Fontana

55      Taylor Ferns                    Shelby Township, MI  Jim Ferns                   Spike/Stanton Mopar

56      Jason Leffler          Long Beach, CA     5IVE-61X, Inc.                Beast/Esslinger

57      Andrew Felker       Carls Junction, MO  Bill Eckert                      Spike/Fontana

57S    Mike Spencer         Temecula, CA        Bill Eckert

62      Britton Bock Angwin, CA           Doug Bock

          Spike Esslinger

63      Jerry Coons, Jr.      Tucson, AZ            Joe Dooling                     Spike/Esslinger

67      Bryan Clauson       Noblesville, IN       Kunz-Curb-Agajanian          Bullet/Speedway Toyota

67K    Rico Abreau           Rutherford, CA      Keith Kunz Motorsports          Bullet/Speedway Toyota

67X    Brad Sweet            Grass Valley, CA   Willie Khane           Speedway/Toyota

68      Ronnie Gardner     Norco, Ca              Mitchell Johnson              Stewart/Esslinger

71      Kyle Larsen            Elk Grove, CA       Kunz-Curb- Agajanian          Bullet/Speedway/Toyota

71K    Trevor Cooper       Auckland, NZ        Kruseman Motorsports    Spike Esslinger

71X    Cody Swanson       Norco, CA             Kirk Swanson                  Edmunds/Van Dyne

72      Nic Faas                 Huntington Beach, CA   Keith Ford               Spike/Wirth Fontana

73      Michael Pickens     Auckland, NZ        Keith Ford                       Spike/Esslinger

73X    Ryan Bernal           Hollister, CA          Keith Ford                       Spike/Wirth Fontana

86      Troy Rutherford    Ojai, CA                Calvin Martens                 TCR/Mopar

115     Connor Kassik       Lake Havasu, AZ   Neverlift Motorsports          Spike/Van Dyne

151     Jim Waters   Salt Lake City, UT            Neverlift Motorsports          Spike/Van Dyne

 

Thank you to Kirk Spridgeon from USAC for comprising the above list.

 

 

Fans can come out and watch practice for the Turkey Night Grand Prix and the inaugural 1-800LoanMart Street Stock Turkey Bowl for free on Wednesday night, November 21st.

 

The two nights following the 72 Running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix, The PAS will host the inaugural 1-800LoanMart Street Stock Turkey Bowl with a purse of $22,500.  Thus far. the Turkey Bowl has drawn entries from as far away as Iowa (a separate release on the Turkey Bowl will be coming within the next few days).

 

Advance tickets for the Turkey Night Grand Prix and the 1-800LoanMart Street Stock Turkey Bowl are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling: 1-800-595-4849.  You can also order tickets online at:http://www.perrisautospeedway.com/ or http://pas.tix.com/Schedule.aspx?OrgNum=7

 

For those who live more than 100-miles away, the race will stream live at the following link for $14.95. http://circletracknetwork.com/. Interested fans can purchase their online ticket beginning Wednesday morning.

 

The remaining 2012 PAS schedule is listed at the end of this release.

 

To keep up with all of the latest Perris Auto Speedway news, photos, gossip and receive special offers, sign up at The PAS Facebook site at:  http://www.facebook.com/home.php - !/pages/Perris-Auto-Speedway/11387679868

 

You can also keep up with the latest news and receive special offers from The PAS Twitter site: http://twitter.com/perrisautospdwy.

 

Perris Auto Speedway wants to thank its corporate sponsors for the 2012 season. 1-800LoanMart, 777 Racecars, Aaron's, Ahern Rentals, All Coast Construction, Amsoil, Ayers Hotel and Spa, Budweiser, Champion Towing, City of Perris, Comfort Inn, Day Construction, Daytona Boat & RV Storage, Frazee Paint, Hoosier Tires, K&N Engineering, P.I.P.E., Pepsi-Cola, Pick-A-Part Auto Salvage, Prolong Super Lubricants, Scott Sales, Snap-on, Soboba Casino, Square H, Swedish Speed, Temecula Valley Pipe & Supply, Trench Shoring, US Foods, Valley Auto Salvage, White Nuckl USA and Zanzabuku Sports Lounge.

 

Video and DVD productions of all racing events at Perris Auto Speedway are available from Loudpedal Productions. For more information on these productions you can contact them by calling (805) 844-3854, E-mailingmailto:trtruex@gmail.com or you can visit the web site http://www.loudpedalvideo.com/


For more information call The PAS at: (951) 940-0134.

Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds (home of October’s Southern California Fair), approximately one hour east of Los Angeles and one hour North of San Diego. To get to the track, take the 215 freeway, exit on the Ramona Expressway and go three miles east to the fairgrounds.

racesatthepas@aol.com is the only authorized Internet address to issue official media news released from The Perris Auto Speedway or Oval Entertainment

 

2012 PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY SCHEDULE

 

November 21st - Practice for the Turkey Night Grand Prix - free for fans in the stands

 

November 22nd - 72 Running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix for the Mopar USAC National and Western Midgets.

 

November 23rd & 24th - 1-800LoanMart Street Stock Turkey Bowl -  $1,500.00 to win on Friday and $4,000.00 to win on Saturday.

 

 

I get e-mails:

 

Actually, from a week ago:

 

Just confirmed yesterday with Fairgrounds Square Mall management, the 2013 Racing Legends Reunion & Car Show dates are set for Feb. 24-March 2. Registration begins mid-November and there will be entry forms at the Grandview Speedway Awards Banquet Nov. 17. The form will be posted online at www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com and www.thunderonthehillracingseries.com among other sites.

Also, there will be gas card incentives for early registrants this year. The show is moved a week later to get away from the Florida dirt-track racing which had been adjusted last year. Thanks!

 

 

 

Found on Facebook:

 

From Facebook - started on Nov 12th:

 

Ocfs Sportsman
What would YOU like to see different at the Orange County Fair Speedway in 2013? From classes, to rules, to the race track. Lets hear some idea's!

 

Some responses:

 

pack the stands nights, $3.00 admission nights.. and 5.00 a carload in the drive in

 

open sportsman motor, with the latest rules cost to much money. go back to the 1990's motor rules. or just run crates with a 11" tire. no gear rule. and handicapping. hoosier or american racer designate compound hardness, maybe tire cost will come down with some competition.

 

Is this page ran by someone who has any authority at OCFS? Just curious because if not, all ideas are just like talking to walls.

 

Open and creat motor in different classes so its fare and the track in better condishions

 

Def . The a. Racer and hosier comp will bring tire cost down do something with the track for better tire wear and maybe some paint and landscaping make the place look nice like it use to be I been going there 40 years they use to take pride in there place they dont no more and that's a shame

 

Get rid of Maxwell !!!!

 

 Lets see.. To start- I agree with most on this post- BRING BACK THE SMALL BLOCKS!! I have heard it said a couple times over- Running 358's and Big Block Modifieds every Saturday is financial suicide. Well, OCFS did this for how many years?? The place was packed and people were spending $$. That is why it was affordable. The track (or Cagle) made their $$ off quantity! When the stands are packed, you can afford the payout for both classes. But, when there are so many open seats on a given Sat. Night, I am surprised the place hasn't gone belly up. We will never be able to re-create the "Brett and Danny Shows" of the 90's, but it would be nice to see some of the premier teams in DIRT call OCFS home on Sat. Nights. Running both classes just may do this, also it just may put some asses in the stands. Also, they need to talk to "Maxwell". His food prices are highway robbery for the "shit" he is selling. Did you ever wonder why the drive-in draws a bigger crowd than the stands? The food, concession and bar prices are outta control. Don't even get me started about fair week. NEXT!!- Put a new skirt on the ole whore!! Clean her up, buy some paint and some sprayers and have a painting party!! ]

 

Just wondering - Might the "Powers that be" read this, and if so, how about some feed back?

 

You guys need to friend request gurda and put all of this on his page.

 

One Simple answer bring Jay back to run the place period...

 

after a few rainouts make a makeup date for any additional rainouts

 

small blocks more times than not best race of the night when they ran em on a regulaer basis!

 

More concession stands......bring back someone like jp.....better food and prices when that snack bar was open .

 

bring back 358 Mod's and do away with street stocks (pure stocks)

 

What would happen if you ran ROOKIE Crate Sportsman with a 2 barrel and PRO Crate Sportsman with a 4 barrel?Crates only for those 2 classes, if you want to run an Open Sportsman class so be it but give them their own division.Sounds like a lot of divisions but the show is lacking right now.Without 358's and a struggling field of fender cars you need to add classes/cars.

 

they got rid of the open class. just got confirmed at the show in syracuse. there keeping the crate class every week. and the 358s and rookie sportsman will alternate every other week

 

358's every other week?

 

yea. they were suppose to make it a knock off 358 class so only sportsman drivers would be moving up. but now apparently its a open 358 class. so hearn and everyone can come and sweep up every other week in big blocks and small block. so anyone with a open motor has to decide either move down to crates. or go 358 every other week against the big boys

 

Claimer rules fix cheating.No intelligent person will dump 8 grand into a crate if they know it can get claimed.

 

ALL THE RULES that you may have, do not work, unless you have a tech person who knows how to enforce the RULES.....

 

I agree but a claimer rule transcends tech altogether.The thought "I might get caught" does not scare people more than "I will get claimed".

 

Note:  Hmm, a return of 358’s – every other week?  I wonder if there are enough of them left in this area?  How many of the “Open” Sportsman will move up to the 358 class, and be satisfied with racing every other week?

 

 

Some non-racing stuff:

 

White House Announces $6 Billion to Promote Clean Energy – in Asia

 

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/white-house-announces-6-billion-promote-clean-energy-asia

 

 

 

Republicans say Rice must testify on Benghazi statements

http://news.yahoo.com/republicans-rice-must-testify-benghazi-statements-183752476.html

 

 

McCain: Rice still has explaining to do

 

http://news.yahoo.com/video/mccain-rice-still-explaining-172508590.html

 

 

Congress to investigate Benghazi 'talking points'

http://news.yahoo.com/congress-investigate-benghazi-talking-points-152953594--politics.html

 

 

Another Version of the Benghazi Talking Points Story

 

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/another-version-benghazi-talking-points-story_663737.html

 

Note:  It will take some time to get a more complete picture, but Mike Rogers' office says the new version doesn't match what the House Intelligence Committee was told behind closed doors:

 

So who was it that changed the wording?   James R. Clapper, Director of National Intelligence – at least he came out and said it was he, on Tuesday.  This, after he was in a room with other government officials a week ago, and never spoke up when it was asked who changed the wording.

 

 

 

House Republicans: Rice unfit to head State Dept.

http://news.yahoo.com/house-republicans-rice-unfit-head-state-dept-203525367.html

 

 

Medicare premiums going up $5 a month for 2013

http://news.yahoo.com/medicare-premiums-going-5-month-2013-163708298.html

 

How the Fiscal Cliff May Affect Your Taxes

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/how-the-fiscal-cliff-may-affect-your-taxes.html

Comments under the article are pretty interesting!

 

 

Obamacare Will Become Reality: What Does it Mean for You?

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/obamacare-become-reality-does-mean-130500698.html?l=1

 

Politics: Left goes bonkers as ObamaCare actually starts destroying jobs

 

http://www.caintv.com/left-goes-bonkers-as-obamacare

Comments, like these below, can be found under the article:

“They will try to spin the timing as a deliberate attack on Obama. We need to get the message out that the companies hung on to employees as long as possible, hoping for a Republican victory and a repeal of the worst parts of Obamacare. With that possibility dead, the cuts couldn't be prolonged any further.”

 

“It's going to get real ugly in the inner cities. A lot of fast food chains are pulling out, a lot of food markets are pulling out and a lot of service businesses are closing. The inner cities will have no jobs and no food. Welcome to Detroit USA. I predict Chicago and New York will start imploding within a year. When that happens, there will be a mass exodus. But, where will they go? Florida is going to get swamped with people who have no money, no job, no home and no way to leave. The rest of the South will not be very receptive to people from NYC and NJ who beat up folks that came up there to help repair damage. We may see the construction of huge refugee camps to house and feed these idiots.”

 

“I predict there will be some sort of sticker or indicator on business doors that says they've had to pass on obama taxes to their employees or customers. Sympathetics could patronize those businesses.”

 

 

Some Conservatives Voice Petraeus Conspiracy Theories

http://news.yahoo.com/start-voice-petraeus-affair-conspiracy-theory-232314516.html

 

White House says didn't heavily edit Benghazi talking points

http://news.yahoo.com/white-house-says-did-not-heavily-edit-talking-162506060.html

Comments under this article also quite interesting.

 

Wal-Mart Workers' Black Friday Strike

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/wal-mart-workers-black-friday-110048819.html?l=1

 

 

Wal-Mart Seeks to Head Off Worker Protests

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/wal-mart-seeks-head-off-033600803.html

 

 

 

Are you responsible for Mom's nursing home bill?

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/responsible-moms-nursing-home-bill-080045548.html

 

 

Hostess to wind down operations, lay off 18,000 workers and sell brands following labor strike

http://news.yahoo.com/hostess-wind-down-operations-lay-off-18-000-124246276.html

 

Hostess Blames Union For Bankruptcy After Tripling CEO’s Pay

 

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/11/16/1203151/why-unions-dont-shoulder-the-blame-for-hostesss-downfall/?mobile=nc

 

 

Judge asks Hostess to mediate with union

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/judge-asks-hostess-mediate-union-203749038.html

 

 

 

Hostess, union fail to reach deal in mediation

http://news.yahoo.com/hostess-union-fail-reach-deal-mediation-002101478--finance.html

 

 

 

 

Secession petitions filed in 20 states

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/secission-petitions-filed-20-states-190210006.html

Note:  Since I put that link up, it seems that all 50 states have now got some kind of petitions to secede.

 

 

In 59 Philadelphia voting divisions, Mitt Romney got zero votes

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20121112_In_59_Philadelphia_voting_wards__Mitt_Romney_got_zero_votes.html?jCount=13&

 

Note:  It’s being said the same happened in Cleveland, too.

 

Video time:

 

Something different this week, folks.  Not racing related at all, but goes to show you what kind of people we have today, what they expect, etc etc.  Problem:  Dumb azz people like this tend to multiply and vote.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DL-a-r7iJIU

 

 

Photos:

Note:  The photos are not available on Dirt Track Digest, only on New England Tractor - http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/

Since I went back in time with George Rice, I thought it would be ok to put a photo of him in this week’s column.  He’s sitting in the Ed Bourgnon # 24 Cycle powered Midget.

 

Closing with these:

Subject:  Football Humor

 

Ohio State's Urban Meyer on one of his players: "He doesn't know the meaning of the word fear. In fact, I just saw his grades and he doesn't know the meaning of a lot of words."

 

Why do Tennessee fans wear orange?

So they can dress that way for the game on Saturday, go hunting on Sunday, and pick up trash on Monday.

 

What does the average Alabama player get on his SATs?

Drool.

 

How many Michigan freshmen football players does it take to change a light bulb? 

None. That's a sophomore course.

 

 

How did the Georgia football player die from drinking milk? 

The cow fell on him.

 

A University of Cincinnati football player was almost killed yesterday in a tragic horseback-riding accident. 

He fell from a horse and was nearly trampled to death. 

Luckily, the manager of the Wal-Mart came out and unplugged the horse.

 

What do you say to a University of Miami Hurricane football player dressed in a three-piece suit? "

"Will the defendant please rise."

 

If three Florida State football players are in the same car, who is driving?

The police officer.

 

How can you tell if an Auburn football player has a girlfriend?

There's tobacco juice on both sides of the pickup truck.

 

What do you get when you put 32 Arkansas cheerleaders in one room?

A full set of teeth.

 

University of Michigan Coach Brady Hoke is only going to dress half of his players for the game this week;

The other half will have to dress themselves.

 

How is the Indiana football team like an opossum?

They play dead at home and get killed on the road.

 

Why did the Nebraska linebacker steal a police car?

He saw "911" on the side and thought it was a Porsche.

 

How do you get a former Illinois football player off your porch?

Pay him for the pizza.

 

What are the longest three years of a University of Kentucky football player s life?

Freshman I, Freshman II, and Freshman III.

 

 

Here’s wishing all my readers a Happy Thanksgiving.  May you eat too much like I plan on doing!

 

Again - Special notice:  There will be no column next week.  And columns will be every other week, for a while.

 

Wishing all race fans, drivers, teams, team owners and sponsors to remain safe and out of harms way!

 

As usual, you can reach me at:  ygordad@yahoo.com