Racin' & Different Stuff:

Racin' & Different Stuff:

By Tom Avenengo

Volume # 151

08/08/2013

Racin’ & short’ stuff:

I’m starting on this on Sunday afternoon. Gave up watching the hapless Mets and caught glimpses of the parade at “Poke In The Nose”. I don’t know, but there have always been complaints about Pocono, but the crowd on Sunday looked pretty good – a helluva lot better than some of the other tracks NASCAR puts on their “exhibition runs”. Even a decent crowd for the return of the Indy cars a month ago at the place in the Poconos.

Son Eric & I took in the “Speed Show” at OCFS last Saturday night. “Speed” is correct for how fast the track is, and also how quickly the program was run off – having the last checkered flag fly at 9:15 PM. A few red flag situations and some yellows slowed down the show, but low car counts is what really helps – or does it? Attendance, in the stands, was so-so. One thing quite noticeable – a lack of dust while the races were being run. There were some good side-by-side “tussles” during the course of the evening, for a lap or two, but mostly it was follow the car in front of ya, ‘cause ya just can’t pass him, unless he messes up, or there’s a re-start.

When I first arrived, I sat at one of the tables outside of the 31^st lap, and waited for Eric to show up. Looking over at the stands, and seeing everything closed is really quite saddening. Now, only one place open to get eats. Wondering – are the photos still under the main stands where the French Fries and Maxi Dough were, or did someone “thief” ‘em?

On Tuesday, our daughter, Judy and I went to Accord. Eric got there after work and a shower, and was lucky to get a parking spot in the last row, by the fence that separates the pit area and the parking area. Photographer Jeff Nicol also sat with us, in a way - right in front of us. Next to me were the in-laws of Robbie Green. One never knows if we would have been in-laws to Robbie, since our daughter, Sandra, asked him to accompany her to a school prom. Robbie had a race scheduled for that date – Five Mile, I think, and asked Sandra if she’d like to go to the race, instead. She opted for the race. “Mother Nature” did her thing, and the race was cancelled even before the race car was loaded up, I believe. They never did have that “date”.

But the racing at Accord? Great! Some good runners in the field, even with DIRTcar having an SDS race out in Michigan. There were hardly any empty seats, either. I have to hand it to Brett Deyo – he gets the cars and the fans to any show he helps promote or promotes on his own. Accord is the opposite of OCFS as far as dust goes. Oh and also as far as side by side racing goes, too. Lots of action on that tight “Bullring”.

Maybe if this event is held again next year, it can be scheduled when there is no DIRTcar SDS race scheduled. That would be awesome!

While in the stands at Accord, I happened to be sitting in front of the sister of the late Joe Winne. At one time there was a “Joe Winne Memorial” race at Accord – always 55 laps. This past Tuesday, there was the “Joe Winne Memorial Dash for Cash” race – 5 laps and $555.00 going to the winner (Jerry Higbie won it). Joe Winne left us in the year 2000 during Eastern States Weekend. I had heard rumors, and decided to ask his sister – did Joe and/or his family ever get the point monies he was due from that 2000 racing season. I had heard he had not. She confirmed that. Here, 13 years later, no 2000 point fun monies have been received by the Winne family. Sad, huh? I’m not positive, but I believe monies were due him from both OCFS and DIRT.

Found on Facebook on Wednesday at around 10:15 PM:

Once again, I wanted to say thank you to all who made last night's first Battle of the Bullring at Accord Speedway a great success. First off, thanks to Gary Mann of New York Truck Parts for the title sponsorship, and all the great folks who kicked in as associate sponsors, lap sponsors and contingency award sponsors. Big thanks to Donnie and LeAura Downes for allowing us to honor Rene Downes on lap 40. Also, thanks to the Winne family, Thomas Ryan, Jim Winchell and Ricci's Barber Shop for putting together the Joe Winne Memorial Dash for Cash. Thanks to the Palmer family for the opportunity and offering a first-class facility. The place looked great. Also, the staff at Accord and our extra helpers did a great job! MOST IMPORTANTLY, thank you to the racers and fans. A total of 82 race cars in two divisions for a week night show and packed grandstands was awesome to see. As someone who virtually grew up at Accord, it was a special night! Hope to do it again in 2014.

Sincerely yours,

Brett Deyo

I dunno, but it sure as hell looked like Jeff Gordon was just about in tears after that race last Sunday at Pocono, after his team mate, Kasey Kahne blew past him with less than two laps to go, for the win.

I’ve been on friendly terms with a Brian Caruso for some time now. Brian is a grandson of the late Mike Caruso, the well known midget and sprint car owner from here in the northeast. Brian has been out in “Lost Wages” for about 20 years now. I called him the other day – basically about Internet stuff. Then I had to send him an email¸ busting on him about him still having a little “New Yawk” accent. I also mentioned how the late Lenny Calinoff referred to long Island as “Lawn Guyland”. Brian got back to me, saying that yes, he still has some of the NY accent, and he, too also pronounces it as “Lawn Guyland” to this day.

Brian did something the other day – more or less a favor to me – he took every one of my race reports and articles that are on the New England Tractor/Race Report website and put them all on one of my Facebook pages!

Yes, one of my two FB pages. Seems that when my computer got hacked, I re-registered with Facebook using a different email address. Now I can go back and forth, as long as I don’t click on “keep me registered” I think it is.

Remember this from my column last week?

“Man, maybe Tony Stewart should stick to racing the “Taxicabs” instead of playing around with Sprint Cars? How many accidents in these past few weeks?”

Well, those Sprint Cars can bite ya! Broken leg for Stewart on Monday night racing a sprinter.

From Jayski:

Stewart breaks leg in Sprint Car race, will miss Watkins Glen: Three-time NASCAR champion #14-Tony Stewart will miss this weekend's road course race at Watkins Glen after breaking his right leg in a sprint car race Monday night at Southern Iowa Speedway. A spokesman for Stewart said the 42-year-old driver broke his right tibia and fibula and had surgery after he was transported to a local hospital. An update was expected Tuesday afternoon, and Stewart-Haas Racing did not immediately announce a replacement driver for Stewart's #14 Chevrolet at Watkins Glen, where Stewart is a five-time winner. The team did cancel its scheduled Tuesday test at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The sprint car accident came a day after Stewart finished ninth in the NASCAR race at Pocono Raceway. He's 11th in the Sprint Cup standings with five races to go until the Chase for the Cup field is set. Missing the Watkins Glen race means Stewart likely will miss the Chase. Stewart was leading the 30-lap feature in a 360 winged sprint car with five laps remaining when a lapped car spun in Turn 4 and collected Stewart and two others.(ESPN/Associated Press)(8-6-2013)

UPDATE:

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Tony Stewart underwent surgery on his right leg early Tuesday morning, Aug. 6 after suffering a broken tibia and fibula in a sprint car crash Monday night, Aug. 5 at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Stewart did not sustain any other injuries. The surgery served as a preliminary procedure to stabilize and clean the Grade 2 injury. A second surgery will be necessary. In the meantime, Stewart will remain hospitalized for observation. Stewart was leading the 30-lap American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) feature when a lapped car spun in front of him. Stewart hit the lapped car and flipped. Stewart’s injury will prevent him from competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event Aug. 9-11 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. Veteran racer Max Papis will serve as the interim driver for Stewart’s #14 Chevrolet at Watkins Glen. Papis tested the #14 Chevrolet on July 30 at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga.(Stewart Hass Racing)

AND Tony Stewart posted the following message on Facebook, "I told someone to go get my phone or else I was going to get up and get it myself. Finally got reconnected to the world and just want to say thank you for all the prayers and well wishes. My team will remain strong and I will be back."(8-6-2013)

MIKE HELTON, DALE JARRETT ON STEWART'S INJURY

HARLOTTE, N.C.-- NASCAR president Mike Helton and former NASCAR Cup champion Dale Jarrett made note of Tony Stewart’s injury during their opening remarks of the Motorsports 2.0 program Tuesday at the Ritz-Carlton.

Jarrett served as host for the “fireside chat” portion of the program, leading a question and answer session with Helton before an audience of local business leaders.

“Right now our thoughts are just on him getting all healed back up and back at it as soon as possible,” Helton said. “We’ll see how all the details unfold today on what exactly that means and how long it will take him to get back in the seat of the car.”

Stewart broke both the tibia and fibula in his right leg Monday night while competing at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa. The three-time Cup champion was leading the race when he made contact with a slower entry, contact that sent his car into a series of violent flips. He was transported to a local hospital where he underwent a preliminary procedure and will require a second surgery.

On Tuesday night in Mooresville, N.C. at a 10th anniversary celebration for NASCAR Technical Institute, Helton shared his thoughts when he heard the news.

“The first reaction was personal -- that you want Tony to be OK and heal up now that we know more facts, and get back to racing pretty soon,” Helton said.

“Professionally, it’s still a dangerous sport. We have things like this occur. We’ll work through all the business elements of what Stewart-Haas does with the 14 car. They’ve already announced what they’re doing at Watkins Glen with Max Papis, but going down the road we’ll deal with all those things. The focus is going to be on everybody wanting Tony to get well and healthy and back at it.”

When asked whether he was worried about drivers racing on the side in series that don’t have same safety standards as NASCAR, Helton said, “Motorsports is motorsports, and we work hard on making NASCAR inclusive to every group. Not exclusive.”

“We get the fact that drivers and team owners have to make decisions on what they do beyond this racing with NASCAR,” Helton continued. “I think the whole motorsports industry has gotten better and safer. But it’s still a dangerous sport, and you have occurrences like we’ve been reminded of.”

“A lot of drivers spend their time in the gym … they’re all the time in the gym working out,” Jarrett told the assembled crowd. “But that is Tony Stewart’s workout, behind the wheel of a race car.”

Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, is 11th in the Sprint Cup Series points standings and with one Cup win, leads the battle for the first of two Wild Card spots in the Chase For The Sprint Cup.

The series travels to Watkins Glen International this weekend for the Cheez-It 355 at the Glen, a race Stewart has won five times.

Team officials announce Max Papis as Stewart's replacement for the No. 14 Chevrolet.

NASCAR.com's David Caraviello contributed to this article.

REACTION: DRIVERS CHIME IN ON TONY STEWART WRECK

Danica Patrick (@DanicaPatrick): Such a sad situation with tony. He was racing cars he loves. When he's healed, it will be like he never missed beat! Heal fast big brother!

Ryan Newman (@RyanNewman39): Can't blame a guy for doing what he loves. Hoping my buddy Tony has a fast recovery.

Clint Bowyer (@ClintBowyer): Hate it for Tony, he does what he loves and has single handedly sold out crowds at short tracks all across country for years. That's impact

Kevin Harvick (@KevinHarvick): Yesterday was strange, hopefully today is a much better day. Thinking about my buddy Smoke. #notasprintcarfan

Kyle Busch (@KyleBusch): Wishing Tony Stewart a speedy recovery. #GetWellSmoke

Kasey Kahne (@kaseykahne): Thinking about Tony this morning. Heal up quick buddy! Leading A-main when crash happened. All smoke does is go fast #badass

Mark Martin: (@55MarkMartin): I'm really sorry to hear about Tony Stewart's injury. But thankful it wasn't worse. #getwellsoonTony

Elliott Sadler (@Elliott_Sadler): Wishing Tony a quick recovery...I hope people don't 2nd guess him.That dude is a racer. Period.His support of Sprint car racing is unmatched

Juan Pablo Montoya (jpmontoya): heard about tony's leg this morning. that sucks for him, specially having the glen this weekend. hope he gets better soon.

Martin Truex Jr. (@MartinTruexJr56): Sorry to hear about tony this morning.

Justin Allgaier (@J_Allgaier): Really hate to hear about #Smoke.... Hope for a speedy recovery....Sprint cars this year have been rough, but glad he is going to be ok...

Kenny Wallace (@Kenny_Wallace): We CANNOT go through life saying "If I do this OR that I might get hurt" GET WELL #TonyStewart

Josh Wise (@Josh_Wise): Racing sprint cars my entire life I always understood the risks. You can be sure Tony understood them as well. Praying for speedy recovery.

AJ Allmendinger (@AJDinger): Hoping Smoke recovers quickly. One of the best wheel man there is in the world doing what he loves to do. #muchrespect

J.J. Yeley (@jjyeley1): Just landed in Atlanta to test today and heard about my bud Tony crashing last night at the Front Row Challenge. Speedy recovery bud!

Aric Almirola (@aric_almirola): Just saw the news about Stewart. Man I hope he heals up quick!

Michael Waltrip (@mw55): Tony #smoke That dude loves sprint cars. Hope he's ok.

Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin): Man I really hope Tony Is ok.

Nelson Piquet Jr. (@NelsonPiquet): Sorry to hear about (Tony Stewart)! Hope he recovers quickly! But a double duty for me this weekend would be a dream come true!

Tony Stewart saves sprint car driver Josh Higday’s life in accident –

Published on August 7th, 2013

Since news of Tony Stewart’s accident surfaced Tuesday morning the 3-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion has received a lot of criticism for participating in sprint car racing, due to the risks, however one sprint car driver is thanking Smoke for saving his life.

During Monday night’s feature race at Southern Iowa Speedway Tony Stewart was leading the race when he plowed into the back of Josh Higday’s sprint car. This accident sent Tony Stewart to the hospital with a broken leg. The same accident could have been a lot worse if Tony didn’t make a last second decision, says Josh Higday via Twitter.

Josh Higday ‏@jhigday24

@tonystewart_rcg Im really sorry smoke got injured. Im very thankful he tryed to avoid my cockpit area he saved my life!! #trueracer

Josh Higday was referring to a last second decision made by Tony Stewart to turn his sprint car sideways in an attempt to avoid hitting Higday in his cockpit, which Josh believes would have killed him.

Josh Higday’s wife, Dawn, also made a comment on Twitter about the accident, thanking God that her husband survived the incident, which if it wasn’t for Tony Stewart’s split second decision could have ended a lot worse.

Dawn Higday ‏@DawnHigday

Just saw the video of the crash last night. I’m just going to thank God that I still have a husband and hope Tony recovers soon.

http://the5thturn.com/tony-stewart-saves-sprint-car-driver-josh-higdays-life-in-accident/

Stewart wreck brings spotlight on sprint cars

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/stewart-wreck-brings-spotlight-sprint-013340951--spt.html

Again, not sure if this first link will work, but there will be a Midget race honoring the late Jason Leffler on August 28, 2013, with 100% of the front gate and 50% of the back gate going to the Charlie Dean Leffler Trust.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=540819515977133&set=a.519153608143724.1073741830.518938358165249&type=1&theater

Wayne County Speedway. in Illinois.

http://racewaynecountyspeedway.com/jason-leffler-memorial-race-august-28th-5000-to-win-midget-feature/

Do you remember the photo I had in my column a week ago – the one with my granddaughter & her new Husband, Shane Decker with the white Datsun? That car is owned by my grandson, John Rizzo. He did all the work on restoring it. He’s still up north (from Florida), and this past Tuesday night, rather than go with me to Accord, he decided to enter his car in the “Crusing Port” car show – a car show held on the first Tuesday of the month in down town Port Jervis. When I arrive home from Accord, around 12:15 AM, there on our dining room table was the trophy he had won – “Best Sport Compact”. Yes, it made his day – and mine, too!

A few racing things picked up on the Dirt Track Digest Forum:

It was $6,000 to win an SDS race in 1996, and since then EVERYTHING has gone up but the purse!!!

I was listening in on the driver's meeting last night and it was announced that both features at Charlotte will pay $8000 to win this year. Who says Dirtcar isnt trying to do the right thing and take care of their drivers?

It was a great night of racing. There were no lengthy intermissions and they ran the modified feature first which makes it easier for us die-hards to leave the parking lot after racing is completed. Brett does a great job of promotion. There are drivers that you never see for the SDS races and you don't see the same usual suspects always drawing pole positions for heats or for features. The stands were fairly filled up and I didn't hear any complaints. Hopefully there will be more Brett Deyo promoted events at more race tracks as we need more racing excitement.

Great race! At halfway it looked like any one of the top 4 cars could win it. The race between Creeden and Mahaney for the lead was fun to watch then The battle that began to shape up between Creeden and Brown was exciting too. the subsequent battle for second between Brown, Ricci and Bachetti was some of the best racing I've ever seen at Accord. The sportsman race was painful to watch but overall the show was good. Nice job to all involved and congratulations to the Creeden crew!

Boy there was some unbelievable racing going on in the feature have to say it was one of the best races I have seen this year. 3 out of the top 5 cars came from the rear of the field. Great job Brett can't wait for the next one. One more thing it goes to show that you don't need the big guns there to have a "good" show. Pill draw worked just fine.

Wow! At least 19 of our embassies are closed and will be until next Saturday. All due to some kind of Al Qaeda “activities”. My thoughts – just another cover up so we put Benghazi, the IRS and other “phony” scandals on the back shelf. Please! Keep those scandals in your thoughts, and on occasion, make mention of them!

Pretty sure we were told by our “President” that Al Qaeda was all done and basically a thing of the past, in a way? Interesting!

Found on the Internet on auto racing:

By now it’s old news, still –

Kramer Williamson Dies From Injuries

In part:

"“URC lost the most popular driver and accomplished driver in our storied history, “ said John Zimmerman, who co-owns the United Racing Co. with his wife Cher and special events promoter Bob Miller. “We are so saddened by the loss of an unforgettable member of our URC Family.”

“Kramer was the sweetest and funniest driver I have ever known in racing,” said Cher Zimmerman. “He made racing a family affair and simply adored his wife and children. I know the national racing community will join us in remembering Kramer and sending prayers to his family at this very difficult moment.”

“Kramer had such a love for this sport that included his competitors and race fans. He was an intense driver that always found a win to bring some humor into any situation, it was just who Kramer was,” said racing promoter Bob Miller. “Kramer will be sadly missed and our sympathy goes out to his family, our thoughts are prayers are with you.”

http://www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/sprints-midgets/other-sprint-cars/kramer-williamson-dies-from-crash-injuries/

Central Pa. Tracks Honor Kramer Williamson

by NSSN Staff

In an unprecedented show of unity and in recognition of one of the area’s all-time great racing personalities, all four Central Pennsylvania area sprint car auto racing facilities are combining for a weekend fund raising effort for the Kramer Williamson family.

Selinsgrove, Port Royal, Williams Grove and Lincoln Speedways will collect donations this coming weekend with all proceeds going to the Williamson family. In addition, Bruce Rogers and the Grandview Speedway will also conduct the collection for the Williamson family this Saturday night, Aug. 10. The Delaware Int’l Speedway will conduct its own fundraising activities at the next URC Sprint Car event scheduled for Saturday night, Aug. 31.

Other race tracks are expected to participate and more information will be forthcoming.

This is an outstanding showing of how the racing community comes together and in this case, to the support the Williamson family.

http://www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/sprints-midgets/other-sprint-cars/central-pa-tracks-honor-kramer-williamson/

Kramer is shown to have been 63 years old, per his obituary:

http://www.rothermelfuneralhome.com/obits/obituary.php?id=323726#.UgA40xN6tDM.facebook

From Facebook:

Monday, 8/5/13:

Please join us in extending a comforting thought to the family and friends of Michael Sabiston, who died in a North Carolina pit accident on Friday; Kramer Williamson who suffered injury in a Pennsylvania sprint car crash on Saturday night and succumbed on Sunday; and Robert Stevens who survived his crash, but perished after releasing his belts in the upside-down car in Canada.

Above from Dick Berggren’s Speedway Illustrated on Facebook

And this, too:

‘Dammit I’m mad’ – is ‘Dammit I’m mad’ – spelled backwards!

More Racing things on Facebook - Wednesday, August 7th:

Effective immediately: News from NYTP 55'S (Gary Mann)

ANTHONY PERREGO aka el misil mexicano will be running 1 of our new TEO's at accord speedway on Friday nights for the rest of this season. and

RICK LAUBACH will be running our ROC/TEO car for the rest of the ROC series races that are scheduled for this year.

Note: TEO’s? I know that Gary Mann had some new Hig-fab cars. I’ve also seen “For Sale” on some of his racing equipment on Facebook.

Danny Buccafusca

Today marks one year since the best learning experience but the scariest moments of my life, the day I flipped the 600 micro sprint over the wall and destroyed my fingers. It was terrifying and still is to look back on, but the amount of life lessons it taught me is insurmountable. After all these months, I can say that things really do happen for a reason. I look back and will always be grateful for my friends and people who supported me during that time, it will forever be appreciated. I'm better than ever and have learned more than anyone probably realizes at a maturity perspective. I'm excited to get back in a 600 in a couple of weeks but this time I'll probably take a different approach haha thanks to everyone that's been there for me, you always gotta look at it like someone has it worse. There's some pretty bad moments in life but there's always one's out there that love you, and through the darkest moments of your life, the brightest happiness comes out and I'm speaking from this experience. I'm better than ever, and if you're going through something right now, someday you will be too.

When they said the Camping World Truck Series race at Eldora created a lot of attention, they weren't joking around about it.

For the first time in 43 years, asphalt modifieds are making their way to dirt racing. Robbie Brewer happened to come out to 311 Speedway in Madison, North Carolina, to give it a try. Acknowledging this new experience, he was noted for saying,"It was tremendous, and so was the car's response."

In fact, this has been such a huge hit that on September 21st, they're having an asphalt modified race at the 311 Motor Speedway . They're asking for the "northern boys to come down and put on a good show with the southern boys." For more information, go to the "Madhouse Modified on Dirt" group to learn more. Help us out by making this post go viral!

-Article contributed by Nathan Pickering.

Note: My question: "Whatever happened to that supposed practice session at OCFS with the Asphalt Modifieds, anyway?

Imagine this --- Dick Gaines led only one lap ever at the Knoxville Nationals. It was the only one that mattered as it gave him the win over Jan Opperman in 1974. By contrast, Steve Kinser has led 302 laps and Donny Schatz 168.

Bubba Raceway Park – down in Florida – has put photos up on Facebook that shows that they are now covering their track with blue tarps in order to keep rain water off of the surface. What with all the rain they get down there – read that East Bay had nine rainouts in a row, maybe it is working out. More photos put up on Wednesday show what the track is like with the tarps removed. Interesting, for sure. I’m not sure if it would work up here, though. Tracks in this area really don’t get prepped all that much – you know, dug up etc etc.

Coming up:

A return of the “Racing Expo” at the Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, N.J. is scheduled for the Sunday of the Labor Day Weekend.

ACME Extreme Downhill is coming to where I live, in Port Jervis, NY on 8/31 & 9/1. Check out the video in the link, below:

http://www.freerides.org/events/acme-extreme-downhill/

Note: I thought this was all “cut & dried”, but an article in our local paper says that the one running this event is looking for sponsors for various things, like hay bales, porta-johns, insurance etc etc. Hopefully he’ll be able to get them.

From Jayski:

http://www.jayski.com/

FOX Sports extends and expands NASCAR agreement: FOX Sports and NASCAR solidified their future together last October when they announced a multi-platform, multi-series media rights agreement through 2022. Today, less than 10 months later, the two organizations announced they have extended that agreement, which begins in 2015 and runs through 2024. In addition, FOX Sports has added exclusive rights to three additional NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events and the first 14 NASCAR Nationwide Series events of each season. FOX Sports secured exclusive rights to the entire NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season through 2022 last fall and that part of the agreement also has been extended through 2024. Financial terms of the extended agreement were not disclosed.

NASCAR's media rights package for 2015 and beyond is now complete with FOX Sports holding rights to the first 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, first 14 NASCAR Nationwide Series races and entire NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. NBC, which last broadcast NASCAR events in 2006, will televise the final 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, final 19 NASCAR Nationwide Series races and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events beginning in 2015.

In total, NASCAR will have the same number of NASCAR Sprint Cup races on network television 16 as it does in the current television package. FOX Sports will broadcast nine races and NBC will show seven.

Summary of FOX Sports' Exclusive Rights (2015-2024):

• First 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points races of each season, including the Daytona 500

• Nine on FOX Sports and seven on FOX Sports 1

• First 14 NASCAR Nationwide Series points races of each season

• Fourteen races on FOX Sports 1

• NASCAR Sprint Unlimited, Budweiser Duel and NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race

• All NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races

(NASCAR)(8-1-2014)

Hamlin calls Kyle Petty a moron:

Add #11-Denny Hamlin to the list of Sprint Cup drivers not happy with television analyst and former driver Kyle Petty. Petty suggested during Sunday's RaceDay show on Fox Sports "SPEED" that Hamlin should end his 2013 season and focus on healing his lower back that was injured during an early season crash at Auto Club Speedway in California. He also said Hamlin suggested he was the face of Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin lashed out on Twitter, saying the son of Hall of Famer Richard Petty "is a moron.''

He continued to take shots at Petty after hitting the wall to end his day early at Pocono Raceway. "He's an analyst, but not a very informative one because he doesn't know anything,'' Hamlin said. "My beef with Kyle is he has a lot of opinions about a lot of drivers, but he never once talked to any of them. To be an analyst you've got to be in the trenches to find out the stories.''

Asked what Petty said that upset him, Hamlin said, "It's just saying I thought I was the face of JGR. What I really said was I was the face of [primary sponsor] FedEx and the #11 team."(ESPN)(8-5-20130)

UPDATE:

Kyle Petty, the driver-turned-analyst with the unfiltered opinions, has angered someone new. Petty didn't mean to make Denny Hamlin mad with his televised comments before Sunday's race at Pocono. Turns out, Hamlin had every right to be upset. Petty admitted on Monday he had misinterpreted previous statements made by Hamlin, and the opinion Petty presented pre-race about Hamlin was incorrect. "If you are going to run your mouth, if you are going to dish it out, you gotta take it, and the bone of contention here is that Denny is 100 percent right," Petty said. "I can take it, I can say that I'm wrong and that I misinterpreted what Denny said." Petty would have reached out to Hamlin or apologized for making a mistake, but then came the "moron" tweet. "Denny's argument was a typical Twitter argument, he calls me a moron and then he goes personal," Petty said. "So I'm just not going to acknowledge it."(Associated Press)(8-6-2013)

Kvapil not happy with Patrick after accident:

Just when it looked like #10-Danica Patrick had figured out NASCAR's big superspeedways, she was involved in another wreck at Pocono Raceway. Patrick was running 18th and racing #93-Travis Kvapil when she appeared to get loose and drift into Kvapil's car on Lap 110. Patrick said she simply got loose and lost control of her car. This wasn't the first time Patrick and Kvapil have gotten together on the track as she took the blame for a wreck at New Hampshire last month. Patrick grimaced and nodded her head in agreement when asked if she and Kvapil seemed to be having a lot of contact on the track. Kvapil was obviously frustrated. "I'm done just getting run over and wrecked and racing her clean," Kvapil said. "I don't know. It's pretty frustrating. She's one of the best cars out there. We're a middle-of-the-pack car running in the top 20 and get wrecked again. It is just really frustrating. & When you're in vulnerable situations, you have to guard yourself and take care of your stuff. She is a rookie and you've got to learn that, but that's a couple of weeks in a row for me." Kvapil said he felt he deserved an apology after New Hampshire and never got one. He expects one after Pocono.(Sporting News)(8-5-2013)

2013 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:

[after Pocono, race 21 of 36]

1) #48-Jimmie Johnson [4 wins], 772

2) #15-Clint Bowyer, 695, -77

3) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 688, -84

4) #29-Kevin Harvick [2 wins], 675, -97

5) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 656, -116

6) #18-Kyle Busch [2 wins], 646, -126

7) #20-Matt Kenseth [4 wins], 638, -134

8) #5-Kasey Kahne [2 wins], 612, -160

9) #24-Jeff Gordon, 602, -170

10) #16-Greg Biffle [1 win], 599, -173

Wild Cards:

WC1) #14-Tony Stewart [1 win], 11th in points (5 points out fo 10th)

WC2) #56-Martin Truex Jr. [1 win], 14th in points (15 points out of 10th)

#39-Ryan Newman is 15th in points with a win, 9 points behind Truex, Jr., but is not currently in the Chase.

2012 Chase drivers out of top 12

#2-Brad Keselowski, 12th, 7 points out of 10th

#11-Denny Hamlin, 25th [missed 4 races with injury], -118 out of 20th

(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)

Teams compromising on test sessions:

If anything fosters cooperation between race teams in a single organization, it's the testing policy NASCAR instituted this season. With four tests available at tracks that host NASCAR events, drivers and crew chiefs must agree on which four tracks are optimum for testing, and that involves no small degree of give and take. With two drivers solidly in the Chase field--#48-Jimmie Johnson and #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.--and two on the bubble--#5-Kasey Kahne and #24-Jeff Gordon--Hendrick Motorsports has opted to use one of its tests at a track the Sprint Cup will visit before the Chase (Richmond) and three that are Chase tracks (New Hampshire, Texas and Homestead). According to Gordon, the choice of tracks was a collaborative decision. "We discuss it in our Tuesday meetings, and I think all the crew chiefs get together in Monday meetings, and they come up with the race tracks they would like to go to," Gordon said. "They talk to their drivers and get that kind of information, and then on Tuesday, we come up with the best scenario that works for all of us. For me, I think we have a good game plan that works for all of us. Again, I said earlier that it's a compromise with the organization. When you have four teams, not everybody is going to be perfectly suited. But in this case, I think it suits our needs to get ourselves in the Chase, and if we get in the Chase, then it suits our teammates to be very competitive in the Chase."(NASCAR Wire Service)(8-4-2013)

NASCAR stars getting older:

#24-Jeff Gordon turns 42 on Sunday at Pocono Raceway. Good for him, showing he's still got what it takes to compete for a Sprint Cup championship. Maybe not so good for NASCAR. As the sport tries to attract a younger fan base, the top talent keeps getting older with no signs of that changing. The average age of drivers in the top 10 in the standings is 36.5, four years older than in 2008. Led by #16-Greg Biffle, who will turn 44 in December, four drivers in the top 12 who would make the Chase if it started today are over 40 and 11 are 33 or older. #18-Kyle Busch, 28, is the baby of the bunch, no pun intended. Not since Jimmie #48-Johnson came onto the scene in 2002 has there been a young driver who successfully and consistently challenged the old guard for championships. He was 26 and arrived with little to no fanfare. Before that it was #14-Tony Stewart, who was 26 at the start of the 1998 season. Not since a 21-year-old Gordon entered NASCAR's top series in 1993 has a driver in his early 20s become dominant.(ESPN)(8-4-2013)

John Henry buys Boston Globe:

New York Times Co., which put its Boston Globe newspaper up for sale this year, agreed to sell the publication to John Henry, owner of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, for $70 million in cash. The deal is $40 million short of the $110 million in pension liabilities said to be owed by the Globe properties collectively known as the New England Media Group, and is expected to close in 30 to 60 days. The sale also includes the Globe website, the Boston.com website, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, a 49 percent stake in Metro Boston, and the Globe's direct-mail marketing company GlobeDirect, the New York Times said in a statement.

Henry is also the principal owner of Fenway Sports Group, one of the largest sports, media and entertainment companies in the world. In 2010, FSG bought Liverpool Football Club, the 18-time English soccer champion, and its Anfield stadium. The company also owns the New England Sports Network and a 50 percent share in Roush Fenway Racing, a NASCAR racing team.(Bloomberg)(8-4-2013)

Newman says nothing new on job search after Indy win:

Friday, #39-Ryan Newman was asked about his search for a new ride for 2014:

HOW HAS THE INDY WIN HAD AN EFFECT ON YOUR FUTURE AND DO YOU HAVE ANY SPONSORS TO TAKE TO A TEAM NEXT YEAR?

"I don't know. You can sit there and talk to somebody but until the writing is on the paper and the ink is dried, you really don't know. But I am in a situation where the phone has not rung off the hook with sponsors, or car owners, or manufacturers or any of that. I didn't expect it to and I think some people kind of expect it to. I am working on what I need to work on I feel to be in a good, competitive position next year. The win helps, but it's not a light switch. It doesn't turn everything on bright. It helps and gives you a vision, but there is more to it than that. The $20 million sponsor just doesn't jump right after you. I wish it did, but it doesn't."(Chevy PR)(8-3-2013)

ISC sell Staten Island property:

International Speedway Corporation announced that it sold its 676-acre parcel of property located in Staten Island, New York, to Staten Island Marine Development, LLC. Marine Development purchased 100 percent of the outstanding equity membership interests of 380 Development LLC, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of ISC and owner of the Staten Island property, for a total sales price of $80.0 million. The Company, as a result of the sale, expects to receive a cash tax benefit of approximately $41.5 million, based on its current corporate tax rate, that combined with the net proceeds will provide ISC with approximately $117.7 million in incremental cash flow. In addition to the sale proceeds, ISC has already received $4.2 million in non-refundable payments from Marine Development to have had the exclusive negotiation rights for the Staten Island property. ISC received $7.5 million of the purchase price at closing. The remaining purchase price will be financed with the Company holding a secured mortgage interest in 380 Development as well as the underlying property.(ISC), see more about the proposed New York City track on the NYC track news page.(8-6-2013)

Zipadelli talks about Stewart:

Greg Zipadelli, Competition Director, Stewart-Haas Racing discussed #14-Tony Stewart's condition with the media Wednesday morning. A few notes:

• There currently is no timeline for Stewart's recovery or return. They will know more after the second surgery is completed;

• The team will "absolutely" need a substitute driver for at least the next 2-3 races;

• They are talking to candidates to fill in, but don't have a timeline for an announcement; possibly in the next day or so;

• Zipadelli says that as many races as Tony runs the team is lucky that this is the first time they are having to deal with this issue;

• Stewart Haas will evaluate what races Stewart competes in going forward, but there will not necessarily be any changes.

• Stewart's sponsors: "They're all disappointed and we understand that."(8-7-2013)

Owen Kelly working with fellow Aussie at Phoenix Racing:

When Owen Kelly achieves his goal of being the eighth Australian to start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup this weekend at Watkins Glen, he won't be the only Aussie in the #51-Phoenix Racing garage. Joining Kelly in his NASCAR Premier Division debut at the Cheez-It 355 will be the team's engineer, Andrew Dickeson, born and raised in Melbourne (Victoria). 31-year-old Dickeson has been with Phoenix Racing for four years, starting in their shock absorber program and now in a role as engineer. The pair have teamed up in the past when Kelly drove a V8 Supercar for former NASCAR racer Terry Wyhoon in Australia. Now based in Charlotte, Dickeson doesn't hide his enthusiasm about the opportunity to make Kelly's racing dream come true this weekend. "It's a big weekend for the Australian motorsport industry as a whole," said Dickeson. "It's been six years since we worked together and I'm pretty proud to be a part of this story.(BAM Media)(8-7-2013)

McDowell in the #35 at Watkins Glen:

Michael McDowell will bring his extensive road course-racing background to Front Row Motorsports for the Watkins Glen International race weekend, as he'll get the nod to pilot the #35 Dockside Logistics Ford in the Sprint Cup Series' second road race of the season. McDowell, whose racing career was built on twist-and-turn tracks in the open-wheel and sports-car ranks before moving to stock cars, will compete under the Front Row banner for the first time. Dockside Logistics' return to the #35 Ford comes as the company expands with a new shipping facility in Savannah, Ga.(Front Row Motorsports)(8-7-2013)

Pocono TV Ratings:

ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, Aug. 4, earned a 3.2 U.S. household rating, averaging 5,062,612 viewers, according to the Nielsen Company. The rating rose 10 percent from the 2012 race, which earned a 2.9 U.S. rating and averaged 4,448,849 viewers.(ESPN)See past races for 2013 and 5-year comparison chart on the 2013 NASCAR TV Ratings page.(8-6-2013)

Former OVRP Dirt Oval racers:

Paul Quear was 5^th in the Wingless 600’s at Borgers.

At Accord, last Friday, Danny Creeden was 4^th, Andrew Reeves 14^th and Tyler Dippel 16^th in the modified feature.

Anthony Perrego won the Sportsman feature

Tyler Boniface won the Spec Sportsman feature with Mike Traver 6^th and LJ Lombardo 9^th.

At OCFS, Mike Ruggiero won the modified feature, with Tim Hindley 2^nd, Billy V 5^th and Clinton Mills 9^th.

LJ Lombardo won his first ever feature in the Sportsman class, with Perrego 2^nd, Brian Krummel 4^th, Joe Conklin 6^th, Andrew Reeves 8^th, Matt Janiak 9^th, Joe Falanga 15^th and Tyler Boniface 18^th.

Jimmy Johnson ran in the Vintage race car event, but for some unknown reasons, the track sees fit not to publish any of the Vintage races for the season – so far.

Kolby Schroder was 4^th, Kyle Armstrong 5^th and Bobby Hackel, IV 14^th in the modified feature at Lebanon Valley.

Alex Bell was 11^th in the Small Block modified feature.

Tyler Dippel was 3^rd and John Virgilio 26^th in the Sportsman feature.

Josh Pieniazek was 9^th in the ESS 360 Sprint Car feature at Albany/Saratoga

Joe Morris, Sr. was 13^th in the 4 Cylinder Advanced feature at Bethel. Joe Morris Jr is shown as finishing 11^th in our local paper, but a different driver is shown in 11^th in the AARN.

Danny Creeden was 8^th at Five Mile on Saturday and 19^th on Wednesday. Anthony Perrego is shown as a DNS in the Wednesday Sportsman feature.

Roger Coss was 8^th in the modified feature at Mahoning Valley while BJ & Tiffany Wambold are shown as DNQ’s for both the held over and regular nights Street Stock features.

Kenney Johnson was 9^th in the NEMA Lights feature at Airborne.

Brian Sobus was 17^th in the Small Block Super Modified feature at Oswego.

Kyle Rohner was 11^th in the Sportsman feature at Penn Can.

AJ Filbeck was 3^rd in the Sportsman feature at Utica/Rome.

Danny Creeden won the Modified feature a the Accord Speedway on Tuesday. Anthony Perrego was 10^th, Tyler Dippel 12^th, while Andrew Reeves was a DNQ.

Perrego won the Sportsman featue with Brian Krummel 2^nd, Tyler Boniface 4^th, Brad Szulewski 16^th and Dippel 25^th.

Nick Pecko was 5^th in the RoC Asphalt Modified featue at Shangri-la.

Molly Chambers was 4^th in the wingless 600 feature at Kutztown.

Danny Buccafusca was 3^rd in the All Star Slingshot feature.

Davie Franek was 22^nd in the URC feature at Lincoln Speedway. A photo in the AARN shows his car, out of the ball park, and entangled in the cables that surround the track.

In the DIRTcar SDS Series, Billy V was 24^th at Merrittville and 16^th at I-96 Speedway, in Michigan. Michael Storms was 19^th at I-96.

37 names this week.

From the AARN:

http://www.aarn.com/

From their August 6^th issue:

Note: The front page was a full page photo of the late Kramer Williamson.

Lenny Sammons:

He leads off with news about driver Ron John Koczon parking his Modified, and putting everything up for sale. Koczon has raced weekly at the New Egypt Speedway ever since it went back to dirt – 1998. “I’ve had enough” he said via a phone call to the AARN. “I don’t have any help, and I don’t like the way things are going over there. It’s not the way racing used to be”. Ron John goes on to say how things are in racing today, (which would include almost 100% of those that race locally) as more reasons why he has decided to sell out. $24,000.00 will buy the car – including the Small Block engine.

Another thing that Lenny touches on is about a new track prep – “Posi Clean”. Al Wilcox, co-promoter of Penn Can started using the product late last year and it has had positive results.

Posi Clean is now sold by Wilcox at Trackside Products in Endicott, NY. He uses one 50 pound bag a week, at a cost of $220.00 – much less than the price of calcium, and the product is EPA approved. One bag is mexed into 1,000 gallons of water. Wilcox says he spends five hours on the track. He cuts the surface, and then waters it heavily. Once soft and wet, he then uses the Posi Clean. Dust, if any, stays close to the racing surface, the track does not get slick, and the track actually has more bite, from what the racers say.

Ernie Saxton:

Ernie leads off with his thoughts on the Truck race at Eldora. To him (and to me, too) it was not a dirt track that they raced on – more like asphalt.

In the future, IF they hold another race on dirt – more than likely another Truck race, they should soften up the surface (again, I’m with him on this), and maybe do away with the guaranteed starters (again 100% in agreement). The show was too long (agreed). It lasted almost five hours. The trucks looked slow, and in fact, they were slow. The TV ratings were good, but still they were not in the top ten of all the Truck races on SPEED, over the years.

No idea if this will work, or not, but I’m giving it a try – the link to the digital AARN and a page about Kramer Williamson:

http://digital.turn-page.com/t/30678

Note: Looks like all it will do is taking you to the AARN. Not sure if you can click on the proper page or not. Page 16 is the one you’d want to get to.

John Snyder:

Mr. Snyder tells us of an letter he received that was asking about the mile track in Goshen, NY. Indy cars raced there three times, June 20, 1936, October 6, 1946 and August 17, 1947. (In that 1936 race, that is the only time that racing greats Ted Horn and Bill Schindler “raced” on the same track on the same day. Neither driver qualified. Schindler didn’t return to “Big Cars and Indy Cars until after Horn has passed away, October 10, 1948).

Note: There was a 100 mile Midget race on the Goshen mile in September of 1947 which was won by Henry Renard, with Chet Gibbons second and Dutch Schaefer third. Dutch had a two lap lead with two to go when he pitted for fuel. It was a strange set of circumstances that led to him losing those two laps and not winning. Can you say “fuel pressure”? Can you say “Fuel tank cap not on tightly”? Add a loose tank cap to what was used to put pressure into the fuel tank (air) and there ya have it. As much as Dutch pumped air into his fuel tank, it escaped through the loose fuel tank cap. Dutch made contact with the inner fence while furiously pumping that air into his tank!

This Week

In AARN:

Sprint Car Racing Legend

Kramer Williamson Loses Life

In Lincoln URC Crash

Otto Sitterly Is

Mr. Supermodified At Oswego

Tim McCreadie Wins $50,000

Cedar Lake WoO LM Biggie

Race Of Champions

Lap Money Payouts

Top $17,000

Gregg Satterlee

Gets First Outlaws LM Score

Legends Shootout

At Bethel Motor Speedway

Goes To Tyler Green

Shane Stewart

Gets Fourth Straight

Knoxville 360 Nationals Crown

Denny Hamlin, Kyle Petty

Escalate Their NASCAR Tiff

New Egypt Speedway Pledges

To Stick With 358 Mod Rules

Ryan Taylor Lives 'The Dream'

With Port Royal Win

This date in racing history:

Just some of the events on August 8^th in:

1929

Jimmy Davies... Born ... AAA / USAC driver from the 1940's - 1960's. He was the second man to win three USAC National Midget Championships. When Davies won the 100 mile AAA Championship race at Del Mar, California on November 6, 1949 - aged 20 years, 2 months, 29 days, he became the youngest driver to win a race in a major U.S. open wheel series, a record not broken until Marco Andretti won the IRL race at Sonoma, California in 2006. Davies raced AAA on a false birth certificate showing him older, (as did Troy Ruttman and Jim Rathmann), and was racing illegally. He ran the Indy 500 5 times with a best finish of 3rd in 1955. He died on June 11, 1966 aged 36 from injuries suffered in a midget crash at Santa Fe Speedway in Chicago. He was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1984

1948

Paul Russo won the AAA Midget race on the 1-mile dirt Wisconsin State Fairgrounds, Milwaukee, WI.

1953

Nigel Mansell... Born ... A British racing driver from England who won both the Formula One World Championship (1992) and CART World Series (1993). He is the only person in history to hold both titles simultaneously, and was the first person to win the CART title in his debut season.

Joe Sostilio won the AAA Eastern Sprint Car race over Tommy Hinnershitz at the Morristown Speedway, Morristown, NJ.

Mike Nazaruk won the AAA Midget race at the Soldier Field, Chicago, IL.

1958

Johnny Kay won the ARDC Midget race at the Freeport Speedway, Freeport,NY.

1963

Al Tasnady won the Modified_Sportsman Stock Car race at the Harmony Speedway, Harmony, NJ.

1964

Billy Cantrell won the USAC Midget race at the Ascot Park Speedway, Gardena,CA.

Larry Dickson won the Sprint Car race at the Debo Speedway, Steubenville,OH.

Red Riegel won the ARDC Midget race at the Hatfield Speedway, Hatfield,PA.

1965

Jim McElreath won the USAC Langhorne 125 Indy car race on the 1 mile paved oval Langhorne Speedway in Langhorne, PA. A.J. Foyt finished second followed by Gordon Johncock, Mario Andretti and Bobby Unser.

Ed "Dutch" Schaeffer won the ARDC Midget race on the 1/2 mile asphalt Old Bridge Speedway in Old Bridge, NJ. Schaeffer driving the Bennett Brothers Offy # 4 took the checkered flag from starter Nick Fornoro followed by Bobby Alberts, King Carpenter and Jiggs Peters.

1976

Dave Marcis won the NASCAR Winston Cup Talladega 500 over Buddy Baker at the Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, AL.

Press releases:

NEWS FROM

Orange County Fair Speedway

239 Wisner Avenue

Middletown, NY10940

CONTACT

Mike Gurda

845-342-2573

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HOT WEATHER AND HOT RACES AT ORANGE COUNTY FAIR SPEEDWAY

August stretch drive towards track point championships

MIDDLETOWN, NY (Aug. 04)……..Like August wea the r, racing at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York is heating up as drivers and the ir teams battle each o the r for supremacy at the historic five-eighths-mile Hard Clay oval. Just five Saturday nights of racing remain to settle this year’s track point championships. The next round in the stretch drive is on tap this coming Saturday, August 10 as Goldenarena Furniture and The Beer King present the evening’s racing excitement.

In addition to the Mighty Big-block DIRTcar Modifieds with the ir 800 horse power earth-shaking engines, Orange County ’s o the r racing divisions---Small-Block Modifieds. Sportsman, and Street Stocks---will also see action in a full program of exciting dirt track racing.

With point races in all divisions still to be settled, drivers will be fighting for every position in the ir respective feature races. And no doubt, sparks will fly!

In the headline Big-Block DIRTcar Modified division, Tim Hindley, of Monticello , New York , holds a significant 56-point lead over defending titlist Jerry Higbie. Hindley, who has won titles in the Small-Block Modified (2002) and Sportsman (1994 and 1996) divisions, is out to capture his first Modified championship. And with double points on the line this week, the chase for the point crown is reaching a fever pitch.

The point season ends on “Champions’ Night,” Saturday, September 7.

Admission prices for the August 10 race meet remain at $14 adults, $12 seniors, and free for children 12 and under. The full night of racing begins promptly at 6:30 pm.

Advance ticket sales and track information for all remaining Orange County Fair Speedway race dates, including the spectacular September 21 “Eve of Destruction” and the season-ending 52nd Annual Eastern States Weekend, October 25-27, can be found at the Orange County website, www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net, or from the Track Office. Call 845-342-2573 daily during business hours.

From John Snyder:

BRETT HEARN – CAREER SPEEDWAY WINS RECORD

Delaware Delaware International Speedway

Georgetown Speedway

Florida East Bay Raceway

Putnam County Speedway

Volusia County Speedway / Volusia Speedway Park

Maryland Hagerstown Speedway

Michigan I-96 Speedway

New Hampshire Canaan USA Speedway

New Jersey Bridgeport Speedway

Flemington Speedway

New Egypt Speedway

New York Accord Speedway

Afton Raceway

Albany-Saratoga Speedway

Black Rock Speedway

Brewerton International Speedway

Canandaigua Speedway

Can-Am International Speedway

Cayuga County Fair Speedway

Five Mile Point Speedway

Fonda Speedway

Frogtown International Speedway

Fulton Speedway

Lebanon Valley Speedway

New Venture (New Utica-Rome) Speedway

New York State Fairgrounds

Orange County Fair Speedway

Ransomville Speedway

Rolling Wheels Raceway

Thunder Mountain Speedway

North Carolina The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway

Ohio Expo Speedway

Eldora Speedway

Ontario Brockville Ontario Speedway

Cornwall Motor Speedway

Merrittville Speedway

Quebec Autodrome Drummond

Autodrome Granby

Pennsylvania Big Diamond Raceway

Grandview Speedway

Mercer Raceway Park

Moc-a-Tek Speedway

Nazareth Raceway

Penn National Speedway

Pennsylvania International Raceway ( Nazareth Speedway )

Susquehanna Speedway

Tri-City Speedway

Williams Grove Speedway

Vermont Devil’s Bowl Speedway

WINS AT 49 SPEEDWAYS IN 11 STATES AND 2 CANADIAN PROVINCES

Racing video:

USAC’s Indiana Speed week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0BNWSGBNors

Photo of the week:

Note: Not available on DTD. To see the photo, you have to go to:

http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/

Kramer Williamson in his # 73 “Pink Panther” Sprint Car. RIP, Mr. Williamson!

From Facebook – racing stuff:

Some things said on Facebook about the Tony Stewart “deal”:

I never saw one newspaper article that said jack roush had to many people counting on him and he should quit flying — with Anthony Stewart.

There you go using logic to argue with a do-gooder, Roy.

I'll bet NASCAR is going to try and force him to quit. It puts the light on something other than NASCRAP. Yeah Roy, I guess if AJ slips in the shower, only baths for him then. Back when I became a racing fan, the sport and journalists were men, not a bunch of pussies. If any of the critics would go watch one, just one live midget or sprint car race, they might be able to understand the madness.

Television owners and executives run the world. They get to say what everybody can or cannot do. Don't forget they created this farce called "The Chase" so as to create a situation where a certain 1/3 of the season is more valuable (in advertising rates) than the other 2/3's; like the playoffs or the world series. Up until "The Chase" they all had to fight over broadcast rights (and ad revenues) for the Daytona 500 - it was the only NASCAR race they gave a shit about. They didn't give a rip about the other 20 or so races. Ask yourself, do you think that TV viewership (which is what television advertisers buy) will drop for the Watkin's Glen race because Tony Stewart himself will not be in it? Actually, come to think about it, viewership might be up after all the bullshit "The Media" has ginned up about Tony Stewart's situation. The kind of fans they gain with this kind of controversy bullshit are the same fans that are not filling half the seats at the tracks right now but as far as Television is concerned they don't care how many people come to the track anyway. TV is destroying NASCAR just as they destroyed the old USAC.

Guess we'd better keep Foyt off his bulldozer - and away from the killer bees

Never heard a word when AJ raced in anything week end week out.

NASCAR can't force a driver to not race in other series or types of cars.

Racing is racing and any driver can get hurt in any type of car. The press on the other hand....likes to create drama or talk only about the wrecks.

I'm sure the way Kyle Petty has been popping off lately...he'll have some comment. (but Kyle was never a racer)

NAPCAR SUCKS !! That's all I gotta say bout that!!!

Maybe Santa shouldn't deliver packages at Christmas time since he sleigh might crash and it could affect the elves back at the North Pole.

I get emails:

Some interesting facts brought up on the Yahoo! Race History Group via emails regarding drivers that were handicapped.

In commenting on Charlie Kimball's IndyCar win today, Speed's Robin Miller mentioned that Don Branson also was a diabetic but kept that info to himself because he didn't think he could get or keep a ride if it became public knowledge.

Do any other drivers over the years come to mind as succeeding on track despite severe handicaps? I'm aware of Mel Kenyon's inspiring story, but am sure there are others. Given the scope of this group, I'm mostly interested in pre-1970s racers but it's also important to note those also were days when disabilities weren't so accepted or readily identifiable.

Red Byron was wounded in his bomber during WWII and after a 1 year in

bed his left leg was saved but not very usable. He raced post war AAA

events (e.g. Langhorne) and made attempts at Indy in '47 - '48 but DNQ.

He became the NASCAR champion several times after that.

In preparing his cars for Indy, my Father welded a leg brace to the

clutch pedal and Red would be strapped onto the pedal in order to

operate it.

Photo's of his NASCAR victories show him sitting in the car, because he

was unable to get out.

Byron was NASCAR Modified Champion in 1948 and NASCAR Strictly Stock Champion in 1949 with 2 wins. For some reason, NASCAR does not feel the 1948 season was real and all their stats say 1949 was their first season.

Red Byron was also the First Daytona 500 Winner. I am guessing that NASCAR did not make itself official until that race.

1932 Indy 500 rookie, Howdy Wilcox II, also had diabetes, which upon discovery by officials, disqualified him from participating in the '33 race. Three-time Indy 500 starter, Cal Niday, lost a leg soon after finishing high school. Merle Bettenhausen and Allen Heath both continued their careers in midgets despite each losing an arm.

Bill Schindler lost a leg in a 1936 "Big Car" crash. Ed "Dutch" Schaefer lost an eye in the 100 mile Midget race in Goshen, back in 1947. His "battles" with the AAA in his attempt to keep the AAA Midgets off of the east coast more than likely had a lot to do with AAA not allowing him to run Indy. He excelled later on after the loss of that eye racing Midgets and Sprint cars, too.

Kinda off topic, but the winner of today's Indycar race also has diabetes - type 1.

How about Dean Thompson? He had one arm considerably shorter than the other from birth. Pretty amazing

Archie Scott Brown (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_Scott_Brown), was a Brit who raced in the 50s and achieved a good deal of success despite a birth defect that left his legs and right arm quite disfigured.

Also, having grown up in upstate New York in the 50s and 60s near the Fonda Speedway, I remember a driver named Pete Corey

(http://www.catamountstadium.com/crescent_hillbilly_pete_corey.htm). He lost a leg in 1959 in a crash at Fonda Speedway (http://www.vintagemodifieds.com/pete_corey/) but kept racing. I watched him race from 1962 until 1965. He was a character as were many of those guys. I was a fan of Bill Wimble, #33, a dairy farmer from upstate NY.

To be honest, ol' Pete had a reputation as a driver who would do anything to win, but he sure made the stands interesting on a Saturday night.

Wes Saegesser (1910-1958) was born with a deformed left arm that left him without a hand. In spite of this handicap Wes had a successful driving career. One of his most noted rides was Floyd Trevis’ No. 3 Offy midget. He drove with one hand and worked the fuel pump and brake handle with the deformed arm. Quite a remarkable feat when one considers that most of the midget racing was conducted on quarter-mile tracks. Wes is shown giving a demonstration of working the fuel pump and brake handle in my soon to be available DVD on midget racing.

Sir Jackie Stewart, Buddy Lazier and Stan Wattles, Indy drivers with moderate to severe dyslexia.

I forgot about that. Stewart’s is particular severe. All the books he wrote, he actually dictated into a recorder. He said the last book he “wrote” he never even read the final manuscript. It was too difficult.

Of course, he was also a top notch skeet shooter, almost made the Olympic team. So, obviously dyslexia was no handicap to his sporting endeavors.

Jim Hurtubise had the surgeons form his hand to fit a steering wheel after he was seriously burned.

From my not-always trusty memory:

First two-time Indy 500 winner Tommy Milton was completely blind from one eye by birth and partially blurred vision from the other.

Tommy Milton was blind in one eye, but never told anyone until he retired from driving.

Mike Little of Johnstown, Pennsylvania was a midget driver who had no vision in one eye.

Let's not forget Allen heath who lost his hand and drove sprints and midgets with a hook, and he was as fast as the best of them. Tony Simon did the same when he lost his hand. (Heath won a 500 mile midget race on the Riverside Road Course in a midget – Ford powered one, at that).

My dad told me at one time that Milton ( if I'm not mistaken) would memorize the eye charts so he could pass the driver eye test. One reason why today the charts are not all the same.

A very successful Oklahoma sprint and modified driver named Stan Constant was born with a severely defective right arm, about elbow length. Several drivers found out how useful that arm was in a fight after ignoring it and landing on their butts when Stan put his shoulder behind it. One night he took a vicious series of flips at OKC. The ambulance rushed to the scene, with one new attendant who didn't know Stan. Constant spotted him and started screaming "my arm, oh God, my arm...where is it?" Don't think the new guy fainted, but it was probably close.

NASCAR doesn’t deny nor ignore their birth year as being 1948. So, your hat is perfectly appropriate.

NASCAR just doesn’t count the actual racing in 1948 in their statistical compilations and historical discussions.

Oh, well, I still like my hat! Still, '48 was a vintage year for lots of racing stuff: Watkins Glen, Porsche, etc.

I have that same hat!!!

The late Allen Heath can be remembered as coming back after losing a hand, fitted with a hook, then kept on winning. Tony Simon is still racing with a right hand missing due to a bad crash, which was instrumental in requiring arm restraints on roll caged cars.

Byron was NASCAR Modified Champion in 1948 and NASCAR Strictly Stock Champion in 1949 with 2 wins. For some reason, NASCAR does

not feel the 1948 season was real and all their stats say 1949 was their first season.

I think that it less that NASCAR "abandoned" 1948 as the year it was formally organized and established as a corporate entity and more a case that NASCAR -- along with those who follow it as either fans or journalists -- prefers to shift the focus to the 1949 season given that the current Sprint Cup Series can trace its lineage directly to its origin ( the Strictly Stock Division) during that season. Today, the 1948 NASCAR season seems to almost exist in a kind of limbo for most with an interest in NASCAR. I might suggest that very few today are all that interested in a season that consisted of primarily of a large number of relatively low-key modified events on numerous, obscure short tracks.

So, I do not think that you are missing anything, simply that in the grand scheme of things, the racing that happened during the 1948 season takes a backseat to the story regarding the efforts of Bill France to establish the organization and deal with the opposition.

As an aside, I have often wondered if NASCAR even has the (complete) records for that season in its archives.

The reason for 1948 being ignored by NASCAR seems to be, of course, that NASCAR wants the focus to be on its premier division, what began as "Strictly Stock" then became "Grand National" the following year before becoming the various "cups" beginning with the 1971 season. One could also suggest that given that 1948 season began with the beach race in February a few days prior to the incorporation papers being approved as well as being for modifieds on a seemingly endless procession of bullrings, there is a tendency for those at Daytona Beach to dismiss the season and view it as a place-holding year as the organization (Bill France) set up both its relatonship with the promoters and the strictly stock division for the following season; I would suggest the priority was in that order.

Speaking of stats, it could be suggested that there is a definite tendency by NASCAR to basically ignore or at least downplay its modified and other divisions during the first decade or so of the organization. It is easy to overlook the role of the modified division in the early years of NASCAR where it was realy the backbone of the organization. However, very little has been written about that division and its early after NASCAR was formed or even the 1948 season for that matter, except in passing, of course. Again, I would suggest that 1948 was a very important season for NASCAR for a variery of reasons.

Red Byron was certainly a major factor on the track during NASCAR's formative years, yet seems very much overlooked in recent years.

Bill Schindler, my neighbor when I was growing up in Freeport, comes to mind. Bill was born in Goshen, NY and began racing in nearby Stormville in 1931. After his father died he moved to Freeport. In 1936 he lost his left leg above the knee in a big car crash at Mineola, New York, when a fence rail came through the cockpit. Despite that he was back driving in less than six months. In 1946 and 1947 he won something like 57 midget features driving mostly Mike Caruso's "deuce" Kurtis Offy which had a special pad to provide support where his left leg had been. He is said to have won more midget races than any other driver. As the midgets faded Bill drove more sprint races. Both the midgets and sprint cars of that era used a hand brake lever, so lacking his left leg was no handicap. When he went to the champ cars, which had clutches, it became a problem, requiring the owner to add another lever so he could work the clutch. He drove at Indy 1950-52, finishing 14th in the Chapman car in '52.

And i read that the only way Milton got caught was when instead of an eye chart the doctor made him read a part of a page in a book with one eye and had him turn to a different page to read with the other eye.

How would everyone consider Jimmy Carruthers who battled cancer while

racing to one last championship?

An unusual handicap as a driver was the famous driver "Cockeyed Brown." He had an eye that was somewhat towed out several degrees, and coming down the straightway, he would have to turn his head 90 degrees to see ahead. This would unnerve many drivers as they could see him looking at them while at full speed. He was also a very talented machinist and built successful racing engines.

Found on the Internet – non racing:

An interesting read on the decay of our country from one town’s authors perspective:

Crumbling American Dreams

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/03/crumbling-american-dreams/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=20130806_pdr-p-nytimes_facebook&utm_content=pdr&_r=0

U.S. extends embassy closings, lawmakers say threat serious

http://news.yahoo.com/u-lawmaker-says-qaeda-threat-most-serious-years-141738874.html

Some of the comments under the article:

"If this is so serious why did they all go on vacation?"

"Obama has only been in office for 2-1/2 years. The rest of the time was spent golfing, vacationing, campaigning, and attending lavish parties for sports figures and rap artists. Oh yeah, and sleeping during the Benghazi attack."

"So why are the US borders wide open?"

"I guess Al Qaeda did not get the memo that they were decimated and on the run."

"A NATION OF SHEEP

BREEDS A GOVERNMENT OF WOLVES"

"21 embassies closed. Wow, that must be one heck of an offensive video out there on YouTube."

"Here is a question. Why would we tell anyone this? Doesn't this give any terrorist group in any area the opportunity to wipe out each and every consulate with explosives or fire? Or, since everyone in the world knows we are listening to chatter, could they have planted false information so this would happen and get us out? Very curious."

"If they can detect the "chatter", why can't they chase it down and arrest/eliminate those people?"

"Who elects these baboons?"

"We the people..."

"Apparently Martha's Vineyard is safe. Let's all go there."

"So all the threats, the chatters come from the Middle East, then why the Obama administration is wasting time and resources listening in the conversations between ordinary, innocent Americans here at home?"

RNC threatens to shut out CNN and NBC from presidential debate partnerships

In part:

"The Republican National Committee is threatening not to partner with NBC and CNN on future presidential debates unless they halt production of recently announced programs about Hillary Clinton, according to letters RNC Chairman Reince Priebus sent to network heads."

http://news.yahoo.com/republicans-threaten-to-shut-out-cnn-and-nbc-from-partnering-on-presidential-debates-160516122.html

Obama asks public schools to ignore bad behavior by black students

http://www.examiner.com/article/obama-asks-public-schools-to-ingore-bad-behavoir-by-black-students

Really? You gotta be sh*tting me!

In part:

"On July 26th Obama signed an executive order titled the "African American Education Initiative." The order essentially gives a green light for black students to misbehave in public schools. In two places, Obama's executive order calls on schools to reduce the number disciplinary actions taken against blacks students. The order specifically calls on schools too "not rely on methods that result in disparate use of disciplinary tools."

Black children taught to hate white people in Chicago public schools

To comply, public schools would have to engage in a racial quota system of discipline. The executive order will create a new Federal bureaucracy to pressure school systems to comply with the president's demands. The executive order makes no mention of any effort to get black students to improve behavior.

There is a reason why blacks are more likely to be disciplined in school. Black students are more likely to misbehave. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that there is a huge crime rate disparity between blacks and other racial groups.

Based on those disparities, one should expect that there would be a disparity in frequency of bad behavior between black and white school students in the public schools.

The DOJ reports that the homicide rate in the black community is nine times greater than in the white community. Between 1976 and 2005, the DOJ reported that blacks averaged 13 percent of the population, but accounted for 59 percent of felony homicide charges and 53 percent of non-felony manslaughter charges. It also might come as no surprise that 93-95 percent of black homicides victims are killed by a black perpetrator. Most of the rest are killed by a Latino perpetrator.

In reality, blacks are already less likely to be suspended for bad behavior than whites. Often, white teachers and administrators are afraid to discipline black students for fear of being called “racists.” Even some black school officials are afraid of being labeled a “sell-out” by black students.

The executive order also states that black students "lack equal access" to education. This statement, by the White House, is outrageous and easily disproved. Across the nation, majority black public schools routinely receive more funding per pupil than majority white public schools.

http://www.examiner.com/article/obama-asks-public-schools-to-ingore-bad-behavoir-by-black-students

And in Baseball:

Antonio Bastardo, Jordany Valdespin and Sergio Escalona among 13 suspended MLB players

In part:

"Each will receive a penalty of 50 games. Players who the league believe lied during interviews pertaining to Biogenesis could receive additional discipline. The league will announce the suspensions for them, along with around 10 other players, including a ban through 2014 for New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, on Monday afternoon."

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/mlb-suspending-antonio-bastardo--jordany-valdespin-and-sergio-escalona-164559617.html

And:

Alex Rodriguez, 12 other players suspended by MLB for Biogenesis ties

In part:

"Alex Rodriguez has been suspended through the end of the 2014 season after a Major League Baseball investigation determined he used and possessed testosterone and human-growth hormone over multiple years, for attempting to hide his violations and for "a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner," MLB announced Monday afternoon.

The 211-game suspension is to go into effect Thursday. Rodriguez, who was scheduled to play for the first time this season Monday night in Chicago, will appeal the ban and has the backing of the Major League Baseball Players Association."

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/alex-rodriguez--12-other-players-suspended-by-mlb-for-biogenesis-ties-190349300.html

From Facebook – non racing stuff:

9/11 MUST SEE: “I can prove that it was not an airplane” that hit the Pentagon – Major General Albert N. Stubblebine (updated 7/24/2013)

Some parts:

Physical Evidence and Eyewitness Testimony That A Missile Hit The Pentagon – NOT a Boeing 757

You Can’t Fit a Boeing 757 into Hole that is Only 16 Feet Wide

11:30 “Let me go back to the next very important piece of information. The amount of energy to melt the girders – the steel in the tower – cannot be gotten to a melt point with the fuel that was in the airplane. Not possible! So, any melting did not occur as a result of the hit from the airplane. Point. I call it dot. OK? DOT.”

12:10 “When you look at the tower coming down, what you see at each floor is successive puffs of smoke: puff, puff, puff, puff… all the way down. What are the puffs of smoke coming from? Well, they claim that they are from the collapsing floors… No. No. No. Those puffs of smoke are controlled demolitions. That’s exactly what they are, because that’s exactly how they work. And so, the fact that the airplane hit, it did, it did not cause that collapse of the building. The collapse of the building was caused by controlled demolition.”

http://consciouslifenews.com/911-prove-airplane-hit-pentagon-major-general-albert-stubblebine/1145271/

Note: This article is quite long and does contain videos.

Non racin’ stuff:

CNN Bombshell: Dozens of CIA Agents at Benghazi, Massive Coverup

From CNN.com:

CNN has uncovered exclusive new information about what is allegedly happening at the CIA, in the wake of the deadly Benghazi terror attack.

Four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, were killed in the assault by armed militants last September 11 in eastern Libya.

Sources now tell CNN dozens of people working for the CIA were on the ground that night, and that the agency is going to great lengths to make sure whatever it was doing, remains a secret.

CNN has learned the CIA is involved in what one source calls an unprecedented attempt to keep the spy agency’s Benghazi secrets from ever leaking out.

Since January, some CIA operatives involved in the agency’s missions in Libya, have been subjected to frequent, even monthly polygraph examinations, according to a source with deep inside knowledge of the agency’s workings.

The goal of the questioning, according to sources, is to find out if anyone is talking to the media or Congress.

It is being described as pure intimidation, with the threat that any unauthorized CIA employee who leaks information could face the end of his or her career.

In exclusive communications obtained by CNN, one insider writes, “You don’t jeopardize yourself, you jeopardize your family as well.”

Another says, “You have no idea the amount of pressure being brought to bear on anyone with knowledge of this operation.”

“Agency employees typically are polygraphed every three to four years. Never more than that,” said former CIA operative and CNN analyst Robert Baer.

In other words, the rate of the kind of polygraphs alleged by sources is rare.

This means that CIA agents are being threatened — along with their families — if they leak what really happened at Benghazi. Keep the fires on, keep demanding answers, and hit “recommend” so more people will get the story:

http://www.capitalisminstitute.org/benghazi-whistle-blowers/

http://www.capitalisminstitute.org/truth-about-benghazi/

http://www.capitalisminstitute.org/the-benghazi-cover-rup/

http://www.capitalisminstitute.org/susan-rice-lied/

http://www.capitalisminstitute.org/msnbc-benghazi/

Obama “Changed Names” of Benghazi Survivors, Hiding Them From Congress

http://www.capitalisminstitute.org/changed-names/

CNN bombshell: Dozens of CIA operatives were on the ground during the Benghazi attack, agency in panic over revelations

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/08/01/cnn-bombshell-dozens-of-cia-operations-were-on-the-ground-during-the-benghazi-attack-agency-in-panic-over-revelations/

Obama Forced 5 Benghazi Survivors to Sign “Nondisclosure” Agreements

http://www.capitalisminstitute.org/obama-silences-benghazi/

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