Racin'
& Different Stuff:
By Tom
Avenengo
Volume # 124
01/31/2013
First:
Started setting
up this weeks column on Sunday, as usual.
However, not much done on it. This week, will be a busy one for the first
couple of days with the wife having to have some blood work done and then a
visit to her Oncologist, both on Monday.
Tuesday, it’s what is supposed to be the last IV Chemo treatment. I’m doing this part on Monday – and it’s been
snowing, with sleet and freezing rain being forecast. Nice!
At least the bitter cold has left us.
Had a few close calls with the car not wanting to
start.
Second:
From Jayski’s
website:
Ganassi team wins Rolex 24 At Daytona:
Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates was clearly the team
to beat throughout the 51st running of the Rolex 24 At
Daytona. A couple teams, however, came close to doing just that over the final
few hours of the twice-around-the-clock race around the 3.56-mile Daytona
International Speedway road course. In the end, however, the #01 TELMEX/Target
BMW/Riley team of Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, Juan Pablo Montoya and Charlie
Kimball gave CGRFS its fifth victory in 10 attempts at the Rolex 24. In the
process, Pruett joined Hurley Haywood who served as the event's grand
marshal as the only drivers to claim five overall Rolex 24 victories.
Finishng 2nd was Max Angelelli/Jordan Taylor/Ryan Hunter-Reay and 3rd was John
Pew/Ozz Negri/AJ Allmendinger/Justin
Wilson/Marcos Ambrose. Other
NASCAR drivers finishes: Nelson Piquet Jr. was 8th overall, 8th in class(DP);
Clint Bowyer and Michael Waltrip were 18th, 8th(GT); Boris Said was 28th, 18th;
Max Papis was 31st, 21st; Jamie McMurray 37th, 11th; Former NASCAR driver David
Donohue was part of a team that won the GX Class.(more at Grand-Am.com)(1-28-2013)
Note: What I find kind
of disturbing about this event is that in our local paper, as far as sports on
TV went, the extended hours of coverage on SPEED was never listed. Isn’t this one of the worlds bigger auto
races? Nothing in my local paper until
Monday, then a small article about the Ganassi team win. Yes, I know – it ain’t NASCAR,
still there were some NASCAR drivers in the show.
Third:
Rolex 24 results:
Fourth:
Found on Facebook:
JOE MATTIOLI, III LEAVES POCONO RACEWAY TO
PURSUE NEW ENDEAVORS
Long Pond, PA (January 28, 2013) ―
Joseph R. Mattioli, III, the son of Dr. Rose Mattioli and the late Dr. Joseph
Mattioli, announced today that he is stepping down as a member of Pocono
Raceway’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
Mattioli’s tenure at Pocono started in 1974
following his graduation from
“After college, Joe was heading to law
school, but his father asked him to take a year off and help us at the track,” remembered
Joe’s mother and Pocono’s current Chairman of the Board, Dr. Rose Mattioli. “We
were still practicing medicine in
Joe Mattioli is especially proud of Pocono’s
success through the 70’s and 80’s, when debt service, a hurricane, a recession,
an oil crisis and two sanctioning body boycotts during the USAC – CART wars
threatened to shut the track down. “This was a family business, so failure was
not an option. With a lot of help, including major assistance from the France
and Hulman families, somehow we fought our way to success,” Mattioli concluded.
According to Mattioli, it makes a lot of
sense to leave Pocono Raceway’s management structure at this point in his life.
“My dad told me that the secret to happiness is to completely change directions
about every 15 years, and with the track now in the very capable hands of our
next generation, I feel free to do just that,” Mattioli commented. “My nephews,
nieces and sons are the future of Pocono Raceway, and I have no doubt they will
continue to provide leadership, meet the challenges and guide Pocono Raceway
into the future as my Dad’s legacy had always intended.”
Mattioli’s future plans include focusing more
time on non-profit and veterans’ organizations that he supports, such as the
Military Warriors Support Foundation, which provides housing assistance to
returning veterans, and the Motor Sports Institute, which promotes academic
success through engagement with motor racing. He also plans to develop Group
341, a consulting business he began 2011. With offices in
The entire Mattioli family, the Board of
Directors and the Executive Committee wish to thank Joe for all he has done for
the Raceway over the past 40 years and wish him well as he begins the next
chapter in his life.
Contact: Bob Pleban, 570-646-2300, bpleban@poconoraceway.com
Fifth:
More found on Facebook – this from Monday:
Accord
Plans are underway to make 2013 a banner year
at the speedway. The new racing season is quickly approaching and Promoter Gary
Palmer is busy finalizing the schedule, contacting sponsors and making changes
in some key positions.
After five seasons as head announcer Steve
Pados will be unable to continue his role due to personal reasons, Joel Murns
who was Steve’s assistant has agreed to take over the responsibilities of head
announcer. “We will miss Steve but wish him well in his future endeavors, I am
very confident that Joel will be excellent and I know he will continue the same
high level of announcing that our fans have come to expect” said Palmer
Palmer will also welcome Steve Otten as head
flagger. Steve worked in previous years as an assistant flagger at the speedway
and has a tremendous amount of racing experience. Friday nights will find Steve
on the flag stand at Accord and on Saturdays he will continue his Pit Steward
duties at Orange County Fair Speedway. “I’ve known Steve for many years and I
am confident that with his background in racing he will be excellent as the
head flagger” added Palmer.
Frank Catizone will be writing all the race
result articles for the speedway this year. Frank presently works at the
speedway in the scoring tower and will add his skill as a writer to his list of
duties. He currently writes for Area Auto Racing News and has submitted racing
articles to the Times Herald Record.
There will also be a new man behind the video
camera. Beginning in April Jim Liegoat of Northeast Racing Videos will be
taking over the speedway video job. Jim can be contacted through his website,
www.northeastvideos.com, or his facebook page. Check out his videos on Youtube.
The speedway will kick off the 2013 season
with a practice and safety inspection on April 5th, rain date of April 6th if
needed. Opening night is April 12th with the Scott Harvey Memorial race
sponsored by William’s Lumber. All divisions will be returning to the speedway.
Competing weekly will be modifieds, sportsman, spec sportsman, pro stock and
pure stock. The Lightning Sprints and the Fireball 4 Cylinders will be
alternating weekly with the Lightning Sprints starting their season on opening
night.
Mid Week Madness sponsored by Hudson Valley
Cycles will begin June 5th with racing every Wednesday until August 28th.
Scheduled to compete on the quarter mile are Karts, Quads, Slingshots, 4
Cylinders and this season a Rookie Spec Sportsman class has been added. Palmer
is excited about the Rookie Spec Sportsman racing on Wednesdays,
he feels it is an opportunity for new drivers to get seat time and to sharpen
their driving skills. Rookie drivers are still eligible to compete on Fridays
but the Mid Week Madness division will be exclusively for the division rookies.
As the countdown to opening day continues
it’s time to send in membership and driver info forms as well as reserving your
parking spot. All forms can be found on the speedway website.
The 2012 Award Banquet is being held on March
23rd at the Hillside Manor in
Sixth:
Might you be going
to
Here ya go:
http://www.aarn.com/acindoorrace2013/acentrylists2013.html
Seventh:
Coming up at
Local tracks:
OCFS:
OCFS Awards Banquet Saturday,
March 9, 2013 - OC Fair Arena
OCFS Motorsports
Show | March 23 & 24, 2013 - OC Fair Arena
OCFS Opening
Night | Saturday, April 13, 2013
Accord:
Accord
March 23, 2013,
6:30pm
Hillside Manor
in
Buffet dinner
with dessert and cash bar
$45 for adults
$40 for children under 10
Practice
and safety inspection on April 5th, rain date of April 6th if needed.
Opening Night
April 12th
Scott Harvey
Memorial
Racing all
divisions plus the Lightning Sprints
April 13 Open
Practice for all divisions
INEX Points
Races for Legends and Bandoleros
FREE grandstand
admission!
April 20
(Rain
date: April 21)
Open Practice
for all divisions
INEX Points
Races for Legends and Bandoleros
FREE grandstand
admission!
April 27
(Rain date: April28)
Opening Night
Points Begin
Sportsman,
Legends, Bandoleros, Pro Stock,
Street Stock,
BMS Modified, 4 Cylinder
The Hamlin
http://www.hamlinspeedway.com/page3.php
February
Sun 2/17/13 Hamlin
Pit Spot
Reservations begin at Noon with Ron Brown
April
Sat 4/13/13 BUG DAY - Gate opens 1pm, practice from 2-6pm,
$15 per pit pass - No Entry Fee!
Sat 4/20/13 OPENING DAY! POINTS BEGIN - ALL DIVISIONS -
REGULAR SHOW - RRTT:ALL
Eighth:
Injured Winter X
snowmobiler Caleb Moore critical, 'prognosis not good'
Ninth:
High school offers class on go kart racing
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/high-school-offers-class-kart-racing-014834984.html
Tenth:
I’m trying to think back as to when was the last time I attended a race with my two sons, Tom,
Jr. and Eric. I’m pretty sure it was a
few years ago at OCFS. We’d been hashing
it out about maybe going to the indoor races this coming Saturday night in
Eleventh:
While finishing up this weeks column, I
had a slight problem looking for a photo to put in the photo section. I came across a story that was posted on the
Internet – a story about one of the most famous Indy (Champ) Cars ever run –
“Basement Bessie”.
Posted
15 January 2008 - 08:24 PM by a Chuck Painter.
Paul Russo and
Ray Nichels constructed this car in the basement of Russo's
As good as 1950
was 1951 started out with Bessie being too slow to make the 500 field as it
appears the year old car was a bit outdated. As the season went on though
Bessie performed and won at the Detroit Mile at the State Fairgrounds and
finished 2nd, 3rd and 4th and collected 700 points for the season. Far behind
the Belanger #99 that carried Lee Wallard to victory at Indy and Tony
Bettenhausen to the National Title.
In 1952, Russo
did not enter Bessie at the 500 and missed the show in Lutes Truck Parts Kurtis
4000 Dirt Offy. The car was sold to H. A. Chapman and was known as the Chapman
Special at Milwaukee with his driver, one legged Midget star Bill Schindler
driving Bessie to 3rd ,finishing behind winner Mike Nazaruk and Russo in the
Lutes car in second after Bill started 18th out of 18 cars that started. There
were 18 cars also missing the show including the previous race's winner, Troy
Ruttman in the 500 winning car and the outstanding Johnny McDowell crashing his
Kurtis Offy in the north end when his spindle broke and being thrown from the
car. Schindler qualified 2nd at the
In 1953 East
Coast veteran Midget racer, Ernie McCoy put Bessie in her second 500 and the
finished the "hottest 500" ever in 8th finishing all 500 miles at
123.404MPH. He drove to 5th behind Jack McGrath, Jimmy Bryan, Jerry Hoyt and
Bessie's father, Paul Russo at
Now for 1954 bring
in another East Coast star, Johnny Thomson and Johnny put Bessie in the inside
of row two at the Greatest Spectacle but had the steering freeze up on lap 165
and was credited with 24th place in the low attrition race. Interesting that
Johnny Thomson would die at
In 1955 the
combo of Tony Bettenhausen and Paul Russo drove the Chapman #10 to second,
unfortunately the car was a Kurtis 500. Tony drove Bessie at
She won
USAC YEARS----10
more Seasons.
A bit misleading
as Bessie raced some and sat in the garage other times so 1956 after Indy she
was now in the hands of the very capable Andy Linden. The big problem was that Bessie did not
perform as usual. She was first Alternate at the Rex Mays Milwaukee deal after
finishing third in the consolation race. This cause
In 1957 the new
driver was one time attempter Jimmy Reece. Jimmy got flagged 10 laps down at Langhorne
in 14th, 12th at the Milwaukee Mays after getting in by winning the consolation
race beating 1952 500 winner Troy Ruttman and eventual first alternate Ed
Elisian. Jimmy got Bessie up to 9th at the Detroit Mile but Jimmy was gone from
the car and after not towing to
At DuQuoin
another driver made his second attempt at Championship Racing and put Bessie in
the field,
The car was sold
and delivered to
The 1959 Season
started at Daytona on April 4th and after Marshall Teague was killed in World
Record Attempt in February, many owners thought the place too fast for
Indy/Champ cars. Joe must have been one of those as he kept Bessie home. This
100 mile race was over in 35 minutes and 14 seconds but killed George Amick on
lap 40. The last time Indy Type equipment would run there. 15 days later Joe
showed up at
Joe and the
Harden team passed on Indy as Rookie Bob Cortner and Veteran Jerry Unser did
not survive practice although the race was safe. Joe failed to qualify at the
Joe failed to
qualify at Langhorne and rooted Van Johnson home to victory in the Jake Vargo
Kurtis 4000 Dirt car. The next race
would be a month away and a non point race at Williams Grove. Joe was there but
not in Bessie but Peter Wale’s Kurtis 4000. Unfortunately on lap 3 in turn 3
Joe and Van Johnson in the Vargo car tangled and the end results were Vargo
lost another driver, Joe lost a close friend, Van became the 5th driver to have
driven Bessie and crashed to his death and Joe called it quits. The next time
Bessie would be seen was
The #33 Harden
Special started the season with East Coast Veteran Len Duncan and qualified
14th but suffered some problems and came home 15th. The car was now an official
East Coast car as the next race for her was Langhorne with East Coast great,
Jiggs Peters in the car. Jiggs scores the only points that Bessie would get
with a 12th place drive 15 laps in arrears in the race that Jimmy Bryan was
lost in. Jiggs did go to the
So a new season
and Bruce Jacobi would finish 14th at
Bruce ran 10th
at Langhorne and scored her only points for the season finishing 82 laps when
flagged with broken hood straps on the rough oiled dirt surface. Next Bruce and
Bessie went to the three fair shows and missed all the races,
Not until
DuQuoin and Jacobi spun her out while qualifying. Too slow at the Hoosier 100
and the
1964 would be
her 15th season in competition but she never left the garage but she would come
back for a swan song in 1965. Veteran racer and former drag racing star Art
Malone put her in the field at
Total Points:
5312
Total Wins: 4
wins.
500 Starts: 3
Epilogue: 28
drivers would drive this car over 15 seasons. 7 of those drivers died while
that car was still competing but unfortunately there would still be more to die
in racing crashes.
In 1966: Don
Branson who drove her in his second Champ start was killed in a Sprint Car
crash with Dick Atkins at
In 1967: Gary
Congdon was killed at the Hut 100 at
In 1983: Bruce
Jacobi crashed at Daytona in a 125 and suffered a brain stem injury and he died
in
In 1988: Cal
Niday while driving a Midget at a vintage event at
So 39.29% of her
drivers did not survive the sport. The only one still around that can tell you
about that car are Ralph Ligouri as all others have passed away or are very
sick.
Where is she? I
do not know but very few cars have scored as many points as she did in 15
seasons or over 354 points average per season. The car as Congdon showed was a
finishing car if you let her find her own level.
Gone are cars
that have history and raced against the best of its time and later gave some
their first chances to compete. It is interesting only one of her drivers won
the 500, Sam Hanks but many won races away from her. Like Tony Bettenhausen,
Johnny Thomson, Walt Faulkner, Van Johnson, Roger McCluskey and Don Branson.
Too bad she
can't talk to tell us the technique of each driver as many of the greats sat in
her and trusted her. She was a last of a kind but I am currently researching
three cars built by Joe Silnes and another built by Joe Silnes and rebuilt by Roy Sherman.
A couple were still competing when the USAC Championship Trail split dirt off
the circuit at the end of 1970 and scored points after being built in 1951! The
era of disposable cars left a giant void in the history of the sport.
Found
on Jayski’s website:
Joe Gibbs Racing and
Kyle Busch Agree to Contract Extension:
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced today that it
has signed driver Kyle Busch to a long-term contract extension. In addition,
JGR will field the #54 Monster Energy
The #54 Monster Energy
Martin doesn't expect
to drive #55 in 2014, but not retiring:
Mark Martin said Tuesday he doesn't plan to drive
the #55
Some Rules Changes in
2013:
NASCAR is going back in time with a series of
changes related to qualifying and testing. Series officials met with Sprint Cup
drivers and crew chiefs Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway to detail next
year's changes.
" The top 35 rule, in existence since 2005,
will be eliminated. This rule was in place to ensure teams in the top 35 in car
owner points (and their sponsors) would be in the race in an era when 50 or
more cars were attempting to qualify for races.
" The top 36 positions will be set by
qualifying speed with the remaining spots set by provisionals, including a
champion's provisional. Provisionals are based on car owner points
rankings.
" A random draw will set the qualifying order.
The past two seasons, the order was determined by speeds in the first practice
session.
" Provisionals for the first three races
next year will be based on the final car owner points
standings this year instead of the first five races as in previous years.
" Each organization can test at four tracks
of its choosing next season where NASCAR competes, the first time teams can do
so since 2008. The series' sanctioning body banned testing in 2009, and since
then teams could not test at tracks where NASCAR held races, but they could
test on other tracks.(USA Today)(repost 1-27-2013)
New name for the Shootout - The Sprint Unlimited:
Sprint
has partnered with Daytona International Speedway to sponsor The Sprint
Unlimited At Daytona, the fan-favorite non-points
event formerly known as the Daytona Shootout that traditionally kicks off the
stock car portion of Budweiser Speedweeks 2013 and the NASCAR season. The race
will once again be held under the lights on Saturday night, Feb. 16 (FOX
8:00pm/et) but will feature several new elements that
will make this event even more of a fan favorite. Fans in attendance will be
eligible to receive special upgraded race experiences from Sprint including
roles as Grand Marshal, Honorary Starter, and trophy presenter. Fans can also
help deliver the trophy to
“Sprint is entering its 10th season as title sponsor of the NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series,” said Steve Gaffney, vice president of marketing for Sprint. “From the
outset, we promised unprecedented access for race fans, and each year we
challenge ourselves to honor that commitment in innovative ways. Thanks to the
strength of our partnership with NASCAR and Daytona International Speedway, we
have designed The Sprint Unlimited so that fans play a major role in all
aspects of the event. It is the ideal way to start this milestone season, and
we look forward to sharing all of the details later this month.”
In addition to the new fan elements, The Sprint Unlimited marks the first time
the new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race cars will compete on-track in an event.
Dubbed “Gen 6,” the new-look sixth generation cars highlight greater brand
identity for the manufacturers and are expected to heighten the rivalries among
drivers and manufacturers. “Now more than ever, through our growing partnership
with Sprint, The Sprint Unlimited will be the fans’ race,” said Daytona
International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III. “Sprint has been a great
partner with Daytona and NASCAR, and they continue to raise the bar by engaging
race fans in new and innovative ways. We look forward to hearing about additional
unique elements for this race in the coming weeks. We are also excited for the
debut of the new Sprint Cup Series car, which we believe will provide thrilling
on-track action and make The Sprint Unlimited an unforgettable launch to the
2013 season.”
As announced earlier in the year, the
format for selecting the field of drivers in the invitation-only event will
return to its roots for 2013. The eligible field of drivers will consist of
pole winners from the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and past winners of
The Sprint Unlimited who have attempted to qualify for at least one race during
the 2012 season.
Tickets for The Sprint Unlimited start at $39 and are available for purchase at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Children
12 and under are free in general admission grandstands and the Sprint FANZONE.(DIS)(1-7-2013)
The field for The Sprint Unlimited is currently at
22 drivers and features a who’s who of NASCAR stars.:
2012 Pole
Winners:
Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Mark
Martin, Jeff Gordon, Martin Truex Jr., Tony Stewart, AJ Allmendinger, Aric
Almirola, Joey Logano, Marcos Ambrose, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Kyle
Busch, Juan Pablo Montoya.
Past
champions of The Sprint Unlimited:
Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte, Ken
Schrader.(DIS)(1-7-2013)
Danica and Stenhouse Jr. are
dating:
#10-Danica Patrick revealed to The Associated Press she and #17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are a couple, ending
widespread speculation about the nature of their relationship. "I have a
boyfriend, his name is Richard," she said during an exclusive telephone
interview with AP. The couple waited until the end of Charlotte Motor
Speedway's weeklong annual media tour to go public with their relationship,
which started as a friendship as they raced each other the last two seasons in
the Nationwide Series. Stenhouse became a mentor of sorts to the 30-year-old
Patrick, who left IndyCar after the 2011 season to make the full-time switch to
NASCAR. Stenhouse, 25, confirmed the relationship. "Yes we are
dating," he said. "I don't normally say too much about my private
life, always been focused on the track. I didn't want to confirm at media day
so that we could keep the focus on the season, the Gen-6 (car), my sponsors and
team. That's what it's all about for me." Patrick announced in November
she and husband Paul Hospenthal were divorcing after seven years, and said in
the Jan. 3 filing that her marriage to the 47-year-old Hospenthal was
"irretrievably broken."(full story at the Associated Press)(1-25-2013)
Note: In a way, I’m
surprised the Patrick/Hospenthal marriage lasted as long as it did, considering
some things that have happened in the past.
Golden Corral Renews partnership
with Tommy Baldwin; Yeley to drive #36:
Tommy Baldwin Racing announced that Golden Corral will return
to the organization in 2013 as a primary sponsor on the #36 Chevy to be driven
by J.J. Yeley at the four superspeedway races. This will mark the third year
that the
Note: I’ve always been
a fan of JJ. Now I’m hoping that while
he’s in the # 36 car, it isn’t a “Start & Park” ride.
United Mining Equipment sponsoring
Yeley for three races:
Tommy Baldwin Racing announced that United
Mining Equipment (
Accell Construction will sponsor
Yeley for 6 races:
Accell Construction will be back with Tommy Baldwin Racing and
the #36 Chevy of JJ Yeley for six races in 2013. This marks the third year that
the Oklahoma-based company will partner with TBR, serving as a primary sponsor
at both events at Phoenix International Raceway, Texas Motor Speedway, and
Kansas Speedway. Accell Construction, Inc. operates as a full service site
civil contractor for the petroleum terminal and bulk storage industries and
specializes in tank farm construction, tank foundations and other related site
civil construction.(TBR/140 BUZZ), see
an image of the car on the #36 team paint schemes page.(1-30-2013)
Interstate Batteries returns to
sponsor the #18:
Interstate Batteries will return for the 21st season to
sponsor the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing
No more Cup races for Bill Elliott?
Although it's been a quarter of a century, Bill Elliott
remembers his first short track win at Bristol Motor Speedway like it was
yesterday. In a recent interview, Elliott talked about that win, racing at BMS
and his son Chase's career, among other topics. Following is a transcript in
part about his plans to race in 2013:
Q) You competed some last year. Will that
continue?
Bill Elliott: I ran twice last year and that was enough for me.
Now about all I do is try to keep up with Chase and
our Late Model program. We've helped Ben Kennedy some, T.J. Reed and Mason
Massey and between those three and what Chase has going on, I haven't had time
to do anything else. It was fun to run that car at Daytona last year for Turner.
That was the best car I've been in in I don't know
when. But, the way I look at it, if I keep doing that then I'm taking away from
somebody else getting in a car so it's kind of a doubled-edge sword.(BMS)(1-29-2013)
Zac Brown Band to Perform at the Daytona
500:
Grammy-award winning musicians Zac Brown Band will perform
the Daytona 500 Budweiser Pre-Race Show leading up to the start of "The
Great American Race" at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, Feb. 24.
Zac Brown Band will perform several songs prior to the start of the 55th annual
Daytona 500 the prestigious season-opening event to the NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series and the biggest stock car race in the world. Zac Brown Band member and
Southern Ground recording artist Clay Cook will sing the National Anthem. All
race fans that purchase a Pre-Race/Sprint FANZONE access pass for the Daytona
500 will be able to enjoy Zac Brown Band's Daytona 500 Budweiser Pre-Race Show,
as well as driver introductions, from the grass tri-oval area. In addition to his
concert, a special ticket package designed around the Zac Brown Band has been
created that includes a Daytona 500 grandstand ticket, Pre-Race/Sprint FANZONE
access and VIP area access to Zac Brown Band's performance. Packages start at
$164. Fans that already have race tickets can add Pre-Race/Sprint FANZONE
access along with VIP area access for $99.(DIS)(1-29-2013)
Note: If memory serves
me right, the Zak Brown Band did have a fairly good rendition of our National
Anthem just a short time ago.
Race start times released:
NASCAR has released the start times and television networks
for its 2013 races in its three national series. The Sprint Cup Series times have
primarily remained the same, with only a slight change to Darlington Raceway's
start time to 6:45 p.m. Although most night races are set for 7:30 p.m. ET,
2013 silly season notes for #44 Xxxtreme Motorsports::
The team made its debut at
On the Road to Glory: Fred
Lorenzen:
Fred Lorenzen The story of NASCAR legend and Elmhurst (IL)
native Fred Lorenzen comes to life through photos,
artifacts, and exciting race footage depicting a little-known local hero who
etched his name in the annals of racing history. Find out how this Midwestern
outsider, known as "Fearless Freddie," got the inside track in the
early days of professional NASCAR racing to become a fan favorite and winner of
the 1965 Daytona 500. See the Fred Lorenzen tribute car, an exact replica of
Lorenzen's #28 1964 Ford Galaxie, on opening weekend, Feb. 1-3 from 1-5 p.m.
and on Museum Day (May 19). This exhibit is supported by Chicagoland Speedway. On the Road to Glory is in exhibit from February 1 thru May 19,
2013 at the
Swindell to drive for
Biagi-DenBeste:
After competing for NASCAR Nationwide Series team
#98-Biagi-DenBeste Racing last year at Texas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami
Speedway, Kevin Swindell will return to the team for select NNS races in 2013.
The team plans to compete in 15 NNS events this season and will first race at
Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 9. Swindell, a sprint car standout,
has been building his stock car experience, competing in the NNS, NASCAR
K&N Pro Series East and the ARCA Racing Series, earning his first NASCAR
pole in 2010 and taking home his first stock car win last year at Chicagoland
Speedway. After competing in the NNS in 2002-2006, Biagi-DenBeste Racing
returned to the series for select races in 2012. In total, the team has amassed
168 starts, one win, three top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. In addition to
bringing back Swindell as the driver, Steve Plattenberger will continue to
serve as the Team Manager and Competition Director with Jon Hanson as the crew
chief.(Biagi-DenBeste Racing)(1-30-2013)
Rusty Wallace Racing returning for
limited schedule:
Officials of Rusty Wallace Racing announced that the
organization will make a return to the NASCAR Nationwide Series, campaigning
the #66 Ford Mustang in a limited 2013 campaign. At
the helm of the #66 car will be 25 year-old Steve Wallace. Wallace, a perennial
top-ten competitor in NNS competition, scored his third-straight top-ten finish in NNS points in 2011. Backing a portion of the
effort will be Charlotte, NC-based mortgage and real estate firm, Richard
Tocado Companies. Tocado will serve as primary sponsor of the #66 Ford Mustang
beginning with the May 2013 NNS event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, with
additional events to be named later.(RWR)(1-29-2013)
Kenny Wallace to run limited
schedule with RAB:
Kenny Wallace will return to the NASCAR Nationwide Series
this season to drive a limited schedule of races in a second Toyota Camry
fielded by RAB Racing with Brack Maggard. The new, #29 entry will carry
sponsorship from
Kyle Busch to drive Nationwide for
Gibbs:
Joe Gibbs Racing announced that it has signed driver Kyle
Busch to a long-term contract extension. In addition, JGR will field the #54
Monster Energy
Piquet to Nationwide:
Nelson Piquet, Jr., will graduate to the Nationwide Series
this season, running for the series championship in a Chevy Camaro fielded by
Turner Scott Motorsports. Piquet finished seventh in the NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series championship standings last season with Turner Scott, claiming a
pair of wins at
News from the AARN:
From last weeks column:
“Note: I’m hoping to get the digital version of the
AARN by this time next week. If so, I should be able to give up to date info in my columns.”
Well, I’m on the
digital version. However, it looks like
one can’t copy & paste. Oh well! It will take a little time for this old man
to get used to the digital form, and working off of it. Due to a hectic week this week, I’ll give it
a try next week.
January 22nd
edition:
There was
extensive coverage on the AARN’s Motor Sports Show from last weekend, with a
ton of articles and even more photos.
The top 10
drivers – per the AARN, for the first 50 years that the AARN has been with us:
1. Brett Hearn
2. Richie Evans
3. Billy Pauch
4. Frankie Schneider
5. Kenny Brightbill
6. Fred Rahmer
7. Dick Tobias
8. Jimmy Horton
9. Will Cagle
10.
Danny Johnson
Aaron Ott had
his 2012 Sprint Car season end early due to an accident that had him ending up
with a second broken neck.
The Race of Champions
Dirt Modified Tour will begin its season at the Selinsgrove
There were some
banquets held, and in most cases, monies awarded were not mentioned, although
Delaware International Speedway gave out almost $50,000.00 in cash and awards.
Mercer Raceway,
Eldora and the Midwest Supermodified Association had their banquets, but no
monies were listed.
At the Motor Sports
show, Joe Grandinetti of TSRS 305 Racesaver Sprint Cars informed a packed room
of racers about how the new affiliation with the IMCA will benefit the drivers
who race in the TSRS Racesaver Series.
One of the changes is that those who race with the TSRS will now be
eligible for IMCA national championship points.
In AARN
This
Week – January 29th edition:
Montoya Leads Ganassi Team
To Rolex 24 Win At Daytona
Jimmy Wilson Named
New NASCAR Whelen
Mod Tour Director
Cicconi, McKennedy
To Chase ISMA Tour
In Legendary Cars
Larry Miller Revives
York's Venerable
Dirt Trackin' Show
NYSCCA Gala
Honors Top Achievers
In New York State
Billy Pauch, Paul Kuhl
Honored By Flemington Speedway
Historical Society
Bruton Smith Sounds Off
About NASCAR
Indoor Racing Heads
To Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall
This Weekend
Stevie Smith Left Adrift
As Clemens Sprint Team Folds
Press Releases:
Attention Slingshot racers: Slinger
Warehouse will be sending out email updates periodically throughout the season
to keep slingshot drivers and fans up to date on current used cars, part
specials, technical information and much more. Slinger Warehouse will be
representing the slingshot racing division this
coming weekend, February 1st and 2nd, at the Atlantic City Indoor Race. Slinger
Warehouse will have a fully stocked trailer for any of your slingshot parts
needs, or set up/maintenance assistance.
Thank you,
Paul Lotier
Slinger Warehouse
717-821-6830
From Race Suit to Race Team, Saldana
Partners with Motter Motorsports
UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by
BARBERVILLE,
It was a chance discussion between a
former World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series car owner, Dan Motter, and one of
the series' stars. What started with Motter - the president of Motter Equipment
Inc. who owned, drove and crewed on various racing teams in the 1970s, 1980s
and 1990s - agreeing to get Saldana a racing suit for his offseason trip to
compete in
Flash forward several weeks as Saldana
began to wrap up 2012 by garnering his sixth top-four finish in the last seven
seasons on the circuit. Saldana was informed of his release from Kasey Kahne
Racing effective at the end of the season.
"You have to be at the right place at
the right time," Saldana said. "Luckily I had that conversation with
Dan about helping me out in
It's quite the jump from race suit to race
team, but Motter went in head first. With a new truck, a trailer, five engines
and six cars, Motter Motorsports was built in
Saldana recently returned stateside after three
top fives in seven Australian races and as the team prepares to relocate to
Indiana, Saldana is eying the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series week-long,
season-opening event - the UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing
Equipment at Volusia Speedway Park beginning on Feb. 12 with a practice
session.
"I definitely have a lot that I want
to accomplish in sprint car racing," Saldana said. "I didn't want my
last job to be my last job. I was very fortunate to have Dan Motter step up and
provide me a team that can compete at a high level. I just want to prove to him
and everybody else that I deserve to be out there racing with the World of
Outlaws and hopefully we can succeed."
And what better place to start the new
partnership than the fast half mile where Saldana has seven top-five finishes
and 11 top 10s in 14 races during World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series
competition since 2008. He also claimed the UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by
"You want to start the season out
well and that can definitely lay the ground work for the season to come,"
he said. "If you start off strong it can flow over into the rest of the
season. It seems like if you start off good at Volusia you seem like you can
kinda carry it on throughout the season."
Tickets can be ordered online by clicking
WorldofOutlaws.com/tickets or by calling 877-395-8606. Every night is a
doubleheader and there are FREE Fan Pit Passes with every ticket.
I
get e-mails:
When hurricane
A local television station interviewed a black woman from
Without hesitation the woman replied, "I don't know 'bout dem other people
but we ain't gone to Churches in years. We get our chicken from Popeye's."
The look on the interviewer's face was priceless.
Now do you understand how we got our president?
This next one is kinda hard to believe:
DEFINITION OF ACCELERATION...
One top fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi
engine makes more horsepower
than the first 4 rows of stock cars at the
Daytona 500.
It takes just 15/100ths (0.15) of a second
for all 6,000+ horsepower
(some believe
8,000 HP is more realistic - there are no dynamometers
capable of measuring) of an NHRA Top Fuel
dragster engine to reach the rear wheels.
Under full throttle, a dragster engine
consumes 1-1/2 gallons of nitro methane per second;
a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the
same rate with 25% less energy being produced.
A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot
produce enough power to drive the dragster's supercharger.
With 3,000 CFM of air being rammed in by
the supercharger on overdrive,
the fuel mixture is compressed into a
near-solid form before ignition.
Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic
lock at full throttle.
At the stoichiometric (stoichiometry:
methodology and technology
by which quantities of reactants and
products in chemical reactions are determined)
1.7:1 air/fuel mixture of nitro methane,
the flame front temperature measures
7,050 deg F. (Oxy-acetylene on
"cut" is 6,300)
Nitro methane burns yellow. The
spectacular white flame seen above
the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen,
dissociated from atmospheric
water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.
Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark
plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.
Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed
during one pass.
After halfway, the engine is dieseling
from compression,
plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1,400 deg
F.
The engine can only be shut down by
cutting the fuel flow.
If spark momentarily fails early in the
run, unburned nitro builds up
in the affected cylinders and then explodes
with sufficient force to
blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or
split the block in half.
In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds,
dragsters must accelerate
an average of over 4G's. In order to reach 200 mph well before
half-track,
the launch acceleration approaches 8G's.
Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour
before you have completed reading this sentence.
Top fuel engines turn approximately 540
revolutions from light to light!
Including the burnout, the engine must
only survive 900 revolutions under load.
The redline is actually quite high at 9,500 rpm.
Assuming all the equipment is paid off,
the crew worked for free, and for once
NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an
estimate $1,000.00 per second.
The current top fuel dragster elapsed time
record is 4.428 seconds
for the quarter mile (11/12/06, Tony
Schumacher, at
The top speed record is 336.15 mph as
measured over the last 66'
of the run (05/25/05 Tony Schumacher, at
This record has been broken since
then.........
3.701 seconds @ 338.3 mph on 10.8.12 by
Antron Brown in
==============================================================
Putting all of this into perspective:
You are driving the average $140,000
Lingenfelter 'twin-turbo' powered Corvette Z06!
Over a mile up the road, a top fuel
dragster is staged and
ready to launch down a quarter mile strip as
you pass.
You have the advantage of a flying start.
You run the 'Vette hard up through the
gears and blast across the starting line
and pass the dragster at an honest 200 mph.
The 'tree' goes green for both
of you at that instant.
The dragster launches and starts after
you. You keep your foot down hard,
but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that
sears your eardrums;
and within 3 seconds, the dragster catches
and passes you.
He beats you to the finish line, a quarter
mile away from where you just passed him.
Think about it, from a standing start, the
dragster had spotted you 200 mph
and not only caught, but nearly blasted you
off the road
when he passed you within a mere 1,320 foot
long race course.
... and that, my
friend, is ACCELERATION!
Found on Facebook:
There were so many things
in Hillary’s testimony in front Congress today in which I was repulsed, I hardly know where to start. Maybe we can start
with her name plaque on the table in front of her,
with the title of “Honorable”… which almost made me lose my lunch!
Ironically, Rand Paul was the only one who laid a
glove on her… telling her that if he had been President and she botched her job
that bad, “…I would have relieved you of your post.”
Finally one Congressman got under her skin enough
that Hillary blurted out… “What difference at this point, does it make…”. The first thing that came to my mind was, “So that is why
she drug this out for so long… so she could say, “that
is all old news; let’s move forward.”
Mostly I kept having Flash-backs to when the
Hillary summed up her bottom line feelings with her
quote, “What difference, at this point, does it make?...”.
Her shallow, uncaring statement shows how little she cared for what happened in
I’ll repeat what I said on day one. The
Administration did nothing because what was happening in
By Wyatt Goodwin 1-23-13
So they finally had to
come out and admit it, now that the Coroner has released some info along with
police.
An AR-15, or the so-called "Assault
Weapon", was not used in the school shooting.
The shooter even tried weeks earlier to buy a rifle but was turned down in the
background check. So he had to kill his Mother to steal her rifle. There were
initial reports, right after the shooting, that police found the AR-15 in his
car, NOT IN THE SCHOOL. The rifle was not used. The shooter went into the
school with 4 handguns, NOT an Assault Rifle as the media has charged. I
remember in the initial hours of this shooting, the Police said they found the
rifle in the car. But the Administration-controlled MSM had a pre-planned
attack already waiting, to ban so-called assault weapons and jumped on that
line of reporting, knowing it was a lie, which included people like Piers
Morgan who said the shooter used an AR-15 that shoots hundreds of rounds per
minute, as if it were a machine gun. Could it be that the Democrat Liberals and
THEIR MEDIA were pushing for the new law, hoping they could do it, before the
Coroner released the info? Absolutely.
VIDEO: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50208495#50208495
So, American citizens can't
be trusted with 11 rounds of ammunition, but Egypt
This is getting a little ridiculous.
There is only ONE reason for
gun registration: So the government will
know who has them. Gun Registration is
the first step toward gun confiscation.
I imagine this could apply to
the wife and me, and also for others:
Question: How did we manage to stay together for a
little over 62 years?
Answer: We were born in a time when if something was
broken we would fix it, not throw it away.
Hey call me I know 2 people
one is in the Air Force the other just quit the Navy (after 8 years cause he
couldnt put up with the bullshit) and BOTH ended up guarding the same prison in
Afganistan. They were "lent" to the Army cause
they had to keep rotating men.
Found on the Internet:
Indy Speedway agreement pledges ADA
http://www.theindianalawyer.com/speedway-agreement-pledges-ada-compliance/PARAMS/article/30484
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?172476-Could-your-track-survive
Ashley Judd Splits from Husband Dario
Franchitti
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20669270,00.html
Some
non-racing stuff:
Hostess picks lead bidders for Twinkies,
other snack cakes
http://news.yahoo.com/hostess-picks-lead-bidders-twinkies-other-snack-cakes-025806209.html
Reagan’s
Childhood Home to Become Parking Lot for Obama’s Library
A 4% Surcharge for Using a
Credit Card?! Now
Legal — but Not Likely
http://business.time.com/2013/01/25/a-4-surcharge-for-using-a-credit-card-legal-but-not-likely/
Gatorade to Remove Controversial Ingredient
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/gatorade-remove-controversial-ingredient-18317959
Driving on empty: How far your car can go with the gas light on
http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/driving-empty-far-car-gas-light-163806598.html
Penalty could keep smokers out of health
overhaul
http://news.yahoo.com/penalty-could-keep-smokers-health-overhaul-205840155.html
Obama EPA kills power plant, 3,900 jobs in Texas
Senators’ ‘tough but fair’ immigration blueprint would make people wait
for citizenship
Money fears vs. real benefits in Medicaid choice
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130128/NEWS/130129676
Obama: I’ll introduce my own immigration bill if Congress doesn’t move
Study says leafy greens top food poisoning
source
http://shopping.yahoo.com/news/study-says-leafy-greens-top-food-poisoning-source-150043222.html
Ray Lewis doesn’t wish to discuss deer-antler spray or double murders at
media day (VIDEO)
Joe Flacco draws criticism after using the ‘r-word’ to describe
cold-weather Super Bowls
Alex Rodriguez the biggest name in a new PED report that could grow into
BALCO-like scandal
Lindsay Lohan Claims She’s Too Sick to Appear in Court
http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/celeb-news/lindsay-lohan-claims-she-too-sick-appear-court-195942507.html
Video
time:
Over
these next few weeks I’ll be putting in some links to videos of some of the world’s
best drivers. This week it is Juan
Manuel Fangio. I consider myself lucky
to have been able to see him race, in person, back in 1957 in the Sebring 12
hour race. This video is a shade over 48
minutes in length.
Photos:
Note: The photos are not available on Dirt Track
Digest, only on New England Tractor - http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/
Knowing that I
had the photo, below, of Bill Schindler in “Basement Bessie”, just happened to
make me put in that story about the car, above.
Here is a great shot of the car by noted photographer Walt Imlay – photo
taken at the Williams Grove Speedway.
Closing with
this:
A true story
from the pages of the Manchester Evening Times ?
Last Wednesday
a passenger in a taxi heading for
The driver screamed, lost control of the cab,
nearly hit a bus, drove up over the cerb and stopped just inches from a large
plate window.
For a few moments everything was silent in the
cab. Then the shaking driver said "Are you OK? I'm so sorry, but you scared
the daylights out of me."
The badly
shaken passenger apologized to the driver and said, "I didn't realize that
a mere tap on the shoulder would startle someone so badly."
The driver replied, "No, no, I'm the one
who is sorry, it's entirely my fault. Today is my very first day driving a cab.
I've been driving a hearse for 25 years."
Until next week,
folks!
As usual, you can reach me
at: ygordad@yahoo.com