Racin' & Different Stuff:

                                      By Tom Avenengo

                                         Volume # 165

                                                   12/26/2013

 

Please don’t forget:  Benghazi, The IRS Scandal and all the other scandals that seem to get put on the back burners every week.  When will anyone be “held accountable”, anyway?  Oh, don’t forget my description of “Held Accountable”:  Nothing will get done to anyone.

 

Oh, and another thing:  Hillary is EVIL!

 

 

From an email:

 

As a 27 year old staff attorney for the house judiciary committee during the Watergate Investigation, Hillary Rodham was fired by her supervisor, lifelong Democrat Jerry Zeifman.

 

When asked why Hillary Rodham was fired:  “Because she was a liar,” Zeifman said in an interview.  “She was an unethical, dishonest lawyer.  She conspired to violate the constitution, the rules of the house.  The rules of the committee and the rules of confidentiality.”

 

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/c/clinton-watergate.htm#.Uqk6VdJDu-k

 

 

 

Racin’ & short’ stuff:

 

Again, due to the season, there isn’t too much going on, racing wise.

 

Somehow, it’s kinda hard getting into the Christmas spirit, this year.  This is our first Christmas away from home in about 50 years, and down here in Cape Coral, Florida, temps are still in the mid 80’s.  In a way I do miss the cold and snow, but surely don’t miss slipping and sliding on snow & ice.  Reports from back home is that there was an ample supply of snow (now mostly gone).  Our oldest son, Tom Jr. lives up in Dexter, NY – a short distance from Watertown.  They got hit hard on Saturday and Sunday with rain that froze, then snow and winds.  Some in that area were without power this past Sunday.

 

 

Found on Facebook. 

 

Some bad news about TSRS. Hope its not true.

 

http://www.tsrs1.com/

 

Pretty much Bridgeport and new Egypt are trying to team up against tsrs no extra pay. And there just being straight up assholes about it

 

Hmmmn I hear upstate NY likes their 305 organization

 

I know that some people don't like others to talk about these things in the open, but you have a lot of people spending money right now getting their cars ready for next year and they should know what is going on. They may be wasting their money if they can't race. (Just looking out for the little guy).

 

I hope a compromise is reached very soon. We all know how KARS worked out when the tracks took over the 358s and little to no tech was done. 305s with no tech would price themselves right out of the ballpark real quick. If not I guess I'll have to call George for a KKR job to get my fix.

 

And more being said:

 

I know when they started this series they talked to me quite a bit , we even had a challenge thing going. I know they were getting like $100 a car when they started. They needed to do that until they got a full field of cars., They have a great turnout of cars now so there most likely looking for a purse structure , in which case should be done. The purses for the Racesaver 305 sprints is not that much, I think we (CRSA) started @ $3850.00 and now its like $4400 or something like that. Believe me I know with 24 cars in the pits we pretty much cover our own purse.

 

The purpose and rule of thumb with the purse is , Last place  should get about half of the winners share. We always liked to pay $300 to win and $150 to start. This helps every ones traveling expenses. The 305s are a great , fun series and must be catching on because every track wants to do them now. When I started CRSA everybody told me I was nuts and it would never work , Hmmmmm !

 

I suspect that if the guys travel to NY they'll find that the cost and time to tow from their home bases will far outweigh the increase in the purse.  And lots of the 305 guys are small teams and likely don't have the means or interest in traveling to NY as so many are based in the south and central part of the state.  Bad deal all around but there's still the possibility this could all be worked out.  Time will tell...

 

This is in no way meant to diminish the work you did with the 305s, but I also think the reason they are taking off around the country is because 360s have gone down the same path cost wise as 410s. Back when Hoseheads was still a strong message board, the site had many posters in areas of the country without 410s who touted 360s as the Sprint Car of the future. But it just seems insane what teams are spending on a 360 to run for just 30-50 percent of the purse of a 410.

 

And correct me if I'm wrong, but that's how most Racesaver series work around the country, right? I always thought that it was a good structure and helped to keep costs down.

 

How much of an increase are the TSRS looking for to make this such a big deal?

 

The 360s have largely grown beyond a "working man's" Sprint Car division, This year, Eagle (Neb.) Raceway, which had long been a 360 mainstay, dropped the class and went 305s as a headline class instead. Even with Knoxville (Iowa), the speculation has been around for a few years as to what the increasing number of 305 dates means for the long-term future of 360s as the main support class there.

 

The 305s now seem like what 360s were 15-20 years ago.

 

That's how French Grimes structured the RACESAVER 305s . Don't know about the other 305 series. I really don't know what TSRS is looking for but I bet its just some kind of purse instead of just the same for each car.

 

I've seen the 305s of the Midwest and those are nothing like the series here.  Most of those tracks have pretty open rules when it comes to the motor.  At Fremont and Osky last year those cars sounded a lot different then the 305s here.  We chatted with someone that raced one of them and he said they race for 700 to 1000 to win a week but they were also spending closer 15gs to 20gs on an engine instead of what guys can build the Racesaver deal for which I believe can be done easily under 10gs.

 

The most fun I've had was when we raced with CRSA. I got to say Brian it was alot of good times. I agree with u guys the 360'sare out pricing themselves. IT'S still fun but gets crazy and expensive for small teams.

 

From a post on South Jersey:

Sounds like the problem has been solved.

I talked to quite a few players today. NES will have Racesaver 305's back for a full schedule. I would suspect a full release and schedule soon.

 

 

And from a post on the DTD Forum on 12/24:

 

I see New Egypt is going to be Racesaver sanctioned and offer their own purse and it won't be TSRS events so that makes things a bit interesting. 

 

UPDATE: I got some information from sources at NES and they will not run any races against the TSRS schedule so that should help the series and they'll have a weekly purse of $4,000.

 

 

 

 

Some info on the truck series that OCFS will be using:

 

Truck Series:  http://estseries.wix.com/estracing#!

 

 

 

Help Brighten The Day Of A Racing Legend

 

As you may know, Joe Leonard had a stroke about 18 months ago. He's now at an assisted living home.

 

I am told that getting good wishes or a holiday card from Indy 500 fans would really cheer him up and mean a lot to him!

 

Here's the address

 

Mr Joe Leonard

C/o Belmont Village of Sunnyvale,

1039 E El Camino Real

Sunnyvale, CA 94087

 

Thank you

 

 

 

For WoO Sprint Cars:

 

2014 Rules Update

 

Three New Rules for 2014 Focused on Improving Sprint Car Safety

 

World Racing Group and the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series (WoO), working in conjunction with other 410 sprint car sanctioning bodies, 410 tracks and promoters, part manufactures, suppliers and other entities involved in the 410 industry, have developed and adopted three significant rule changes for the 2014 racing season. Much time, effort and research has gone into this endeavor. We encourage all 410 governing bodies to incorporate these rules. Please review the provided Rules Bulletin closely and feel free to contact me or WoO Technical Director Mike Hess with any questions or concerns. These rules and products were released at PRI. Listed below are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we received at the show:

 

1. The seat rule is mandatory and becomes effective Feb. 1, 2014. Any race car being presented for WoO competition must be equipped with one of the listed seats. There are no exceptions. Race cars not properly equipped will not be allowed to compete. The approved seat list may expand as new products are developed.

 

2. The front axle tether rule is mandatory and becomes effective April 1, 2014. Both the right and left side of the axle must be tethered. At this time the listed Butlerbuilt system is the only approved system. It is anticipated that other products will be approved as they are developed. Cars not properly equipped by April 1, 2014 will not be allowed to compete.

 

3. The torsion arm stop rule is mandatory and takes effect Feb 1, 2014. It is anticipated that other products will be approved for competition as long as they are similar in construction and quality to those listed. Approval will not be unrealistically withheld.

 

Again, for the betterment of the 410 industry, we ask everyone’s cooperation in adopting and implementing these rules.

 

Carlton Reimers, World of Outlaws STP Sprint Series Director

 

 

http://www.woosprint.com/images/stories/MainImages/PDF/2014RulesBulletin1.pdf

 

 

http://www.woosprint.com/component/content/article/152-featured-news-tabs/2449-2014-rules-update

 

 

 

 

From an email I received on 12/24/13 from Rich (Racer Rich) Boteler, who is a close friend of Jigger Sirois, who will be inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame next month.  While at Richmond some years ago, I was privileged to have met Jigger and he told me that he ran the Turbine powered Champ Car at DuQuoin back on September 4, 1972, he had it on the pole until the last qualifier went out.

From “Racer Rich”:

 

 

“I just found this on FB from a guy that I think is Arnie Knepper's son. Jigger has related this race different times to me. I think he started 1st or 2nd in this race. He has told me that he learned that he could drive the car into the corner without lifting off the throttle and absolutely standing on the brake pedal with his left foot. Remember that the Turbine doesn't produce any decompression and had a throttle lag so this style of driving sorta cured both problems. The race was called at the halfway point (51 laps) due to rain. Jigger says he was totally wore out and would never have been able to finish the race had it continued for the full 100 laps since his left foot was done!! Great story just as he described it to me.

 

Sort of a bonus sideline story, Jigger later told me that at the Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds they had given the ride to another driver (my mind doesn't retain his name right now). Anyway, Big Al Unser came to him and asked why he wasn't driving the car. Jigger told him they decided to put this other driver in it. Al was sorely pissed and told him that just wasn't fair and that it was his ride and nobody had driven the car like Jigger had!!

 

Hopefully you guys will enjoy this.    RR”

 

 

Sent: Tuesday, December 24, 2013 2:01 PM

Subject: Emailing: 1469959_640522132678678_1736760589_n

 

Jigger in the #38 Turbine car. Finished 3rd behind winner A. J. Foyt and 2nd place Arnie Knepper. @ DuQuoin, not certain of the year but probably in the early 70's. In the comments beside the pic I read that this is the highest finish ever in a Turbine Powered car in USAC Competition and that the car never made another race, ever!! Also that Foyt had a wore out RR tire when the race was called so he was in trouble for the finish also. RR

 

 

 

Race results:

 

http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/race.php?raceid=2122

 

 

 

IndyCar files lawsuit against Sao Paulo race promoters (UPDATED)

 

http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2013/12/24/indycar-files-lawsuit-against-sao-paulo-race-promoters/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs

 

 

 

And more on Indy Car:

 

New info from Mark Miles re: title sponsor, 2015 & beyond

 

http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?182543-New-info-from-Mark-Miles-re-title-sponsor-2015-amp-beyond

 

Note:  Some VERY interesting comments on this, some which I feel are quite true as for the problems with Indy Car.

 

 

 

Madison Martin named new Miss Sprint Cup for 2014

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/madison-martin-named-miss-sprint-150102036--nascar.html

 

Wow!  Good looking young lady, for sure.

 

 

 

 

How much is too much?  How much does it cost to go to a race at your local track?  If I’m not mistaken, the last “major” race I was at was the 400 mile Indy Car race at Pocono and tickets cost something like 40 bucks.  A little more for Sunday at Eastern States.  And is it true – for the Modifieds at Volusia it will be $40.00 a ticket?  If so, I think I’ll have to pass, even though I’ll still be down here in Florida.

 

Here is a list of the top seven NFL teams as far as cost goes.  As one can see, it’s really somewhat out of hand.  Just how much does each team get from TV, anyway?

 

7 NFL Teams That Make Fans Pay the Most

 

7. Baltimore Ravens

 

First up are the Baltimore Ravens. Since winning Super Bowl XLVII earlier this year, the average ticket price for a Ravens game has gone up 9 percent and now sits at $100.19. The average premium ticket price for a game is $258.94. Both these numbers go into account when determining Baltimore’s FCI, the metric that puts the team seventh on our list.

 

6. Washington Redskins

 

Next up are the Washington Redskins, with the cost of a total fan experience coming to $561.21, almost $15 more than that of a Ravens game. An average ticket to FedEx Field now costs $94.80, but the price wasn’t always so high: Redskins tickets have increased 15.5 percent since the 2012 season.

 

5. New York Jets

 

The New York Jets come in fifth with a total fan experience cost of $577.12, according to FanCostExperience.com’s Fan Cost Index. At MetLife Stadium, an average ticket to a Jets game is $110.28, while a premium ticket costs $355.94. Those figures put the Jets at No. 5 on our list, but during the 2012 season, the team sat at No. 1. Jets prices came down after the 2012 season because the team only coughed up a 6-10 record — management probably recognized fan discontent and lowered prices by 6.5 percent.

 

4. Chicago Bears

 

Next up is a team that doesn’t claim turf on the East Coast, instead calling the Midwest home. The Chicago Bears come in fourth, with a total fan experience cost of $577.42, only 30 cents more than the Jets’ total. The price of an average ticket to Soldier Field is $103.60, $7 less than it costs to go to a Jets game at MetLife, but refreshments are much more expensive in Chicago than in New York, making the cost of a overall Bears game experience greater.

 

3. New York Giants

 

Heading back to the East Coast, we reach New York City’s other NFL team, the Giants, which shares the stage at MetLife Stadium. The Giants charge $582.76 for an overall experience at one of their games. An average ticket to a Giants game costs $111.69, while the price of a seat at a Jets contest costs $110.28. Fans at both Giants and Jets games enjoy low prices for refreshments, with a draft beer costing $5 compared to the $9 at the Redskins’ stadium and the $8.50 at Soldier Field, but the price to get into MetLife is still steeper than what most other stadiums ask.

 

Coming in hot at No. 2 are the New England Patriots. An average ticket to a Patriots game costs $117.84, while the cost of an average premium ticket is even steeper at $566.67. The total FCI for the Patriots is $582.76, making them the second most expensive team to watch for an overall fan experience. The cost of a Patriots ticket has remained unchanged from 2012 to 2013 — unlike other teams on our list — but it is still expensive to visit Gillette Stadium, as the average price to park is $40, not to mention it costs $7.50 to buy a beer and $3.75 to buy a hot dog.

 

1. Dallas Cowboys

 

The team boasting the highest fan attendance is also the same one to carry the highest ticket costs. The total fan experience at AT&T Stadium is $634.78, the top of our list, and more than $20 more than the team’s closest competitor. The average ticket to a Cowboys game costs $100.20, while a premium ticket costs $340, notably lower than the Patriots’ $566.67. However, parking and refreshments are what adds up for Cowboys fans, because in order to park at a Cowboys game, it costs a whopping $75 — and the $8.50 per beer and $5.50 per hot dog don’t help, either. Moral of the story? If you’re going to a Cowboys game, carpool and make sure your date pays for your drinks!

 

 

 

I went to get fitted for my Medicare paid for shoes on Friday, 12/20/13.  This is what you ain’t gonna believe.  The folks that run it – are from Orange County NY.  When told I was the produce mgr in the Cornwall store, her husband looked at me and said “I remember you!”  And, I remembered him, too.  Feet were checked, measured, Dr sent them prescription and I should have new shoes hopefully by the end of next week.  I can get one free pair a year, and it looks like we’ll just make it for 2013.  Never new there was this program.

 

 

While on me as a subject, I have Medicare Parts A, B & D.  In an attempt to keep my diabetes under control, I’m on the Levemir Flexpen for insulin.  Normal cost, for 5 pens is $70.00 with Part D.  That is unless you use up your dollar amount through the year.  I requested a refill last week.  Cost:  over $200.00+.  I was only one pen short of making it though the year.  Now, we’re playing games and hoping I can stretch it out.  That insulin is long lasting.  I’m also on a shorter lasting insulin – so we’re adjusting the dosage.

 

 

 

From Facebook:

 

On 12/13/13:

 

It Only Took This Army Vet 3 Minutes To Destroy Obama’s Gun Control Plan

 

If there has ever been a speech that everyone needs to see regarding Obama’s plan to take our guns. This is the one!

 

In this clip we see an army vet that serves as a police officer speak to the motion to repeal the ‘Safe’ act at the Dutchess County Legislature New York State.

 

His name is Aaron Weiss and he has quite a bit say. At some points he even tears up. It isn’t until he speaks on his friend’s passing away in war that his emotions get the best of him.

 

We love what this young man has to say to the administration and their plans for disarming our citizens!

 

Watch the video below:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Lh1zornUVv8

 

 

 

Found on 12/21/13:

 

I know this is a sad thing but we all know the risk's when we strap into the car. Bad deal for all involved.

 

Racetrack's attorney argues injured driver knew the risks:

 

CARLISLE -- When John Westbrook raced his Sprint car around the track at Williams Grove Speedway in September 2008, another driver struck him on the fifth lap, causing him to lose control.

 

The wreck sent Westbrook off the track between turns one and two, over a guardrail, and down a steep drop off.

 

The crash left Westbrook paralyzed.

 

And two years later in September 2010, Westbrook sued Williams Grove Speedway, alleging one count of negligence for failing to install a catch fence that would have prevented his car from going over the drop off.

 

Numerous motions have been filed over the last three years as the case moved through the court system, but on Friday, the attorney representing the race track told a panel of three Cumberland County judges that Westbrook was well aware of the risks involved in auto racing.

 

Attorney Brigid Alford said Williams Grove should not be held responsible, and asked Judges Kevin Hess, M.L. Ebert and Thomas Placey for summary judgment in favor of the racetrack, and not send the case to a jury.

 

Westbrook’s attorney, David Inscho, however, opposes this.

 

According to the suit, Westbrook’s injuries were the result of the racetrack not putting up a catch fence.

 

“The young man was rendered quadriplegic,” Inscho said prior to Friday’s hearing. “He went over the guardrail of the track -- which was only three and a half feet high -- and went down a significant drop off, and landed on an access road.”

 

The force of the landing broke Westbrook’s neck and injured his spinal cord, Inscho said.

 

“Being quadriplegic ended his racing career, and rendered him unable to do the most basic daily functions,” Inscho said. “He’s never going to be able to walk or live an independent existence everyone takes for granted.”

 

Alford, however, asked the court to rule now, and not send the case to trial.

 

“This case does not need to go to a jury because the record shows John Westbrook was experienced, and knew the risks,” Alford told the judges. “He knew there was no catch fence.”

 

The track has no duty to drivers coming onto the property to install a fence when the risk is obvious and observable, she said.

 

Further, Alford argued Westbrook has been in and witnessed other crashes, and knows injuries are “common, frequent and expected.”

 

The drop off that caused his injuries, however, is not, Inscho countered.

 

If there had been a fence, Inscho said expert testimony will show a jury Westbrook’s injuries would have been prevented.

 

Westbrook is seeking compensatory damages in an amount in excess of applicable arbitration limits, according to the suit.

 

The court will likely have a ruling soon.

 

Note:  As you know, I started going to races back in 1946.  Back in those days, in the midgets, sprint cars and Indy cars, they didn’t have roll bars or roll cages.  No flame proof uniforms, either.  One thing in particular that bothered me was a wrought iron railing that was on the wall at the Reading, PA fairgrounds track – with oh so many little posts sticking up.  Get on them and your like in a meat grinder.  Most tracks back then had wooden guard rails maybe 2 feet high at the most.  Since those days, tremendous safety features have come about.  But, in a way, I can see a judge being in favor of this lawsuit especially with that low guard rail at the Grove being the only thing keeping a car from going out of the ball park in that area.

 

Quite a bit being said on this on the Dirt Track Digest Forum.

 

http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/DTD/index.php?/topic/49744-another-lawsuit-this-one-against-williams-grove/

 

 

 

 

More from 12/21:

 

Might this be true?

 

Yea from what I've heard there are three levels of "affordable health care" the $7500 big deductible about 25% coverage $12,000 smaller deductible about 50% coverage and $17,500 smallest deductible and about 75% coverage don't know how accurate these numbers are but it's what I heard on radio.

 

 

And how about this, as being possible?

 

If the Affordable Care Act does not get enough young, healthy people to sign up, so they can help pay for us older people who have more health issues, what next?  I’ve said that it’s really designed to crash, then we go into “single payer (our gov’t).  But maybe the “Plan B” is for our government, and we, the taxpayers, to BAIL OUT the insurance companies?

 

 

Even more from 12/21:

 

Obama, Clinton Charged in Muslim Brotherhood Conspiracy

Read more at

http://www.westernjournalism.com/obama-clinton-charged-muslim-brotherhood-conspiracy/#MlbxKrpJjX15v6z0.99

 

 

Found on the Internet (Yahoo!):

 

A comment:

 

Obama: "Alright, we lied about you being able to keep your present coverage, and we lied about you being able to keep your doctor, and we lied about you being able to see specialists without referrals, and

 

we lied about premiums not going up, and we lied about not imposing taxes, and we lied about the act paying for itself, and we lied about the website being ready, and we lied about instituting mandates, and

 

we lied about the penalties, and we lied about the deadlines, and lied about taking care of all your needs,

 

we lied about Benghazi, we lied about the "shovel ready jobs", we lied about Fast and Furious,

 

we lied about my uncle ,

 

we lied about the gas attacks in Syria, and we lied about...well, just about everything."

 

 

But believe me now, I'm not lying now, really I'm not, trust me

 

And this comment, too:

 

I see no way around this mess without ending up in straight up socialized health care. Of course, the rich will still buy the best health care, and sidestep new taxes. So the middle class, which is in ragged shape anyway, will get hit to pay the bill for the poor. We will end up with a small elite class and a large lower class with the working paying for the non-working. There will be less incentive to prosper when working hard will just finance more poor people. The middle class made America great. The middle class destroyed the idea of Marxism. A strong middle class and the opportunity for poor to make it to the middle kept everything running smoothly. I hate to even think of the America my grandson will see. All hell is going to break loose.

 

 

 

 

 

The Chili Bowl:

 

Starting on January 13th!

 

http://www.chilibowl.com/schedule/?y=2014

 

http://www.chilibowl.com/

 

http://www.chilibowl.com/entries/manual.aspx

 

As of 12/24/13 – 275 entrants.  And over 700 Micro Sprints are entered for the racing the week before the Chili Bowl.

 

Note:  I did see a post on Facebook that PA driver Justin Grosz might have his Chili Bowl run in jeopardy due to their engine being “misplaced” by a certain trucking company.  Pretty sure it was being shipped from Arizona to PA.

 

My thoughts:  To enter the Chili Bowl, I think a driver/car/team should maybe enter at least five midget races during the preceding year.  Bet that would cut down the entry list some.

 

 

 

 

From Jayski:

http://www.jayski.com/

 

Firefighters burn former Mayfield mansion Thursday night:

Firefighters went ahead with a scheduled burn of Jeremy Mayfield's former mansion. Neighbors tell us the house went up very quickly, much of it gone in less than an hour. Smoke was still rising from the home Thursday night that was once owned by former NASCAR driver Mayfield. The mansion was scheduled to be burned to the ground Dec. 14 by the Catawba Fire Department as a training exercise. The original training exercise was canceled due to inclement weather. Viewers sent photographs at the height of the fire in what the fire chief described as a training exercise after the new owner decided to burn it. The new property owner said he wants to farm the land where the house sat.(WSOC TV)(12-20-2013)

 

 

Kahne and Stewart to honor Leffler at Chili Bowl:

Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart are entering next month's Chili Bowl Nationals in honor of late racer Jason Leffler. Kahne will drive a car entered in combination with Stewart, Leffler's girlfriend, Julianna Patterson, and former father-in-law, Bob East., in the Jan. 14-18 race at the Tulsa Expo Center in Oklahoma. Plans had been for Leffler and Patterson to co-own the car, and Leffler and East to build it together before Leffler's death in a June sprint car crash. East continued the project following the accident, and Patterson turned to Stewart for help after the three-time NASCAR champion broke his leg in his own sprint car accident last season. "She told me, 'I'm going to be a car owner at the Chili Bowl' and I said, 'OK?' kind of quizzically, and it's just gone on from there," Stewart told The Associated Press. "Bob is building the car. The owner was going to be Jason and Julianna, and I really wanted to be involved." So did Kahne, who was close friends with the 37-year-old Leffler, a journeyman NASCAR driver who loved racing so much he entered everything he could. The night he was killed in a sprint car race in New Jersey, the winner was guaranteed just $7,000. Kahne had to first convince his NASCAR team owner, Rick Hendrick, to sign off on his participation in the Chili Bowl. Hendrick hasn't forbidden Kahne from any extracurricular racing, but hasn't exactly rubber-stamped Kahne's opportunities, either. Kahne felt racing in honor of Leffler at the Chili Bowl, with the promise of raffling off the car after for the Charlie Dean Leffler Discretionary Trust to benefit Leffler's son, would get him the permission from Hendrick. The Chili Bowl is one of the most prestigious midget events of the year and has a star-studded lineup. The entry list is nearing 250 already and includes Sammy and Kevin Swindell, Joey Saldana, Bryan Clauson, and NASCAR drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Larson.(full story at the Associated Press)(12-19-2013)

 

 

Brian Vickers talks about deep vein thrombosis:

#55-Brian Vickers has a condition known as deep vein thrombosis and has suffered from two blood clots in his leg. Vickers and Jack Ansell, MD with New York University School of Medicine joined the FOX43 morning team, to talk about the connection between the winter months and the increase in blood clots. See the video at FOX43.(12-19-2013)

 

 

2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Top Performances:

 

Top Driver

Jimmie Johnson

 

Comeback Driver of the Year

Kurt Busch

 

Top Team

Hendrick Motorsports

 

Top Breakthrough Performance

Joey Logano

 

Top Races

Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway, May 4

 

 

NASCAR changes spoiler height for Daytona:

NASCAR tweeted Monday afternoon that they have altered the spoiler size that teams will use February in Daytona.

"NASCAR notified Sprint Cup teams today that the spoiler size for the January DIS test and the 2014 Daytona 500 event week, including the Sprint Unlimited, will be 4.5 inches tall. This is .5 inches taller than previously. NASCAR says the taller spoiler size should allow for a little more rear down force which should make the cars a little more stable."(12-24-2013)

 

 

UPS to end NASCAR involvement after 2014:

UPS notified NASCAR and Roush Fenway Racing that it plans to end its sponsorship of the sport and team following the '14 Sprint Cup season. The move comes after UPS in 2012 dropped its full-season primary sponsorship of the #6 Cup entry then driven by David Ragan. The company has shifted its focus over the last several years from NASCAR to college sports, signing one of the first national sponsorships with IMG College. UPS signed a four-year, $100M deal with 68 colleges in August '11. UPS is the latest in a series of blue-chip sponsors to end their official NASCAR agreements, including PNG and DirecTV. Meanwhile, NASCAR added HP and Sherwin-Williams as sponsors this year. NASCAR Chief Sales Officer Jim O'Connell in a statement said, "UPS has been a fantastic partner to NASCAR over the last decade-and-a-half. As we celebrate its long and successful tenure, we also welcome seven new companies to the family of Official NASCAR Partners." UPS PR Dir Susan Rosenberg added in a statement, "UPS has enjoyed tremendous success through its partnership with NASCAR, including sponsorships at the league, team and track level. The business-to-business opportunities provided within NASCAR have proven valuable to UPS and have helped achieve desired results and accomplished the goals we set forth. The UPS decision to exit NASCAR is strictly a business decision to align with new business priorities."(Sports Business Daily)(12-24-2013)

 

 

IndyCar TV ratings and the impact from NASCAR:

IndyCars' popularity on television displays a downward trend for much of its history, while the last four seasons with ABC and NBC Sports Network have been relatively flat. Some key findings:

Races earn household audiences that are roughly 6% larger when airing on networks that hold a major contract with NASCAR. As such, IndyCar should expect an augmented number of viewers when NASCAR enters NBCSN's line-up in 2015. Interestingly enough, however, when an IndyCar race airs directly opposite of a Cup Series event; the open-wheel series loses a quarter of its typical audience. Events also suffer significantly when competing for viewers with the NFL and college football (30% and 17%, respectively).

 

Oval facilities listed as one-mile or greater in length earn the highest television ratings among track configurations, all other variables held constant. Shorter ovals draw a similar audience, while street and road courses result in ratings reductions of 10% and 18%, respectively. An event held on a street circuit that draws a 0.2 television rating, for example, would increase to 0.3 (depending on rounding) if the race were held on a large oval.

 

IndyCar events on NBCSN result in a 38% decrease in television ratings compared to a similar race on ESPN (an open-wheel partner from 1997 through 2008). To examine the relationship between current partners, a similar race on NBCSN reduces ratings by 70% compared to ABC.

 

Danica Patrick's presence in the IndyCar Series was meaningful. Her participation garnered home audiences that were 13% greater than events in which she did not appear. Ms. Patrick's finishing in the top 5 resulted in a ratings boost of 25% for the following race, all other terms held equal.

See much more at NASCARnomics.(12-23-2013)

 

Some older Daytona news:

 

Daytona Rising December Project Update:

Although 2013 will soon come to a close, construction activities related to the DAYTONA Rising project continue to accelerate. Daytona International Speedway is also preparing for the 52nd Anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Budweiser Speedweeks 2014 to ensure that the facility is "race ready" for fans. Here is a recap of key construction activities since the last update in November:

• Initial steel installation near the east end of new grandstand footprint

• Completed pile cap installation

Operationalized domestic water and fire lines

• Began asphalt paving near the west end of new grandstand footprint

Upcoming construction activities:

• Ongoing steel installation

• First Slab on Metal Deck (First Elevated Concrete Pour)

• Masonry work commences

(DIS)(12-8-2013)

 

Note:  Not one mention of the grand stands on the backstretch being torn down, as you can see.  Latest I knew, Daytona was going to hold another race – on the backstretch track, again.  So, are the stands still standing?

 

 

 

 

From Track Forum:

http://www.trackforum.com/forums/forum.php

 

Pocono Lodging

 

http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?182514-Pocono-Lodging

 

Note:  I don’t know if there were 50,000+ in attendance last year for the Indy Car race, but I really expect more in 2014, since it will now be for 500 miles.  For the 400 miles, it took just a tad over two hours to run.  Supposedly, the track and the state are trying to work things out as far as Rt 80 goes.  In a way, I was really hoping for a different date next year, but the track is holding to that July 4th area in time.  There has to be another way east from the track other than Rt 80.  I’d have to check and see how far it is from the track on Rt 80 heading west to I-81, then north.

 

 

 

From the AARN:

http://www.aarn.com/

 

Special items in last weeks edition:

 

Track Champions,

Top Points Scorers

Saluted In AARN’s Year End

Special Edition

 

URCBreaking News: 

Eldreth, Weller Team

For 2014 Championship Assault

 

NASCAR Releases Modified,

K&NTouring Series Schedules

 

Business Brisk,

Attendance Up At Indy PRIShow

 

Key January Hearing Date Set

For Central New York Motorsports Park

 

Bobby Allen Reveals Plans

To Go World Of Outlaws Racing

With Son, Grandson

 

Vermonter Todd Stone

Named NASCAR Whelen All Am Series

Rookie Of The Year

 

“King Of The Outlaws’ 

Kinser Announces 2014 Farewell Tour

 

Karters (800 Of Them)

Descend On Arkansas

For ‘Indoor Nationals’

 

“Come One, Come All”:

URC’s 2014 Initiative

Promises Inclusion

 

 

Special items in this weeks edition:

 

No paper this week  Next issue will be January 7th.

 

 

 

 

Press releases:

 

News from the Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP Racing Fuels

Media Contact: Brett Deyo – Deyo99H@aol.com or 845.728.2781

For Immediate Release/December 22, 2013

Attachment: Short Track Super Series 2014 logo

Series For The Working Man: Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP Launched For 2014 Season; Point Fund Larger Than $16,000 To Be Paid For Manageable Schedule; Events At Orange County, Thunder Mountain, I-88, Accord & Penn Can Planned; October Short Track SuperNationals At I-88 Speedway Will Determine Inaugural Champion

BOYERTOWN, PA – It’s finally here: a dirt Modified touring series geared for the “working man” racer.

For the 2014 season, a manageable series of big-block/small-block Modified events has been established. The Short Track Super Series Fueled by VP Racing Fuels features six events and boasts a point fund of more than $16,000 to be paid to the top-10 finishers plus additional cash for competitors with perfect attendance outside the top 10.

The series, managed by Brett Deyo of BD Motorsports Media LLC, kicks off on Sunday, March 23 at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y., with the inaugural ‘Hard Clay Open’ headlined by a 50-lap Modified event offering a lucrative $30,000 total purse including $5,000 to the winner, $1,000 for 10th and $500 to take the green flag. The rain date is Friday, March 28.

Orange County is one of five participating tracks on the Short Track Super Series. Others include Thunder Mountain Speedway in Center Lisle, N.Y.; I-88 Speedway in Afton, N.Y.; Accord (N.Y.) Speedway; and Penn Can Speedway in Susquehanna, Pa. Each of the events on the schedule is a BD Motorsports Media promotion or co-promotion.

“This is obviously a very exciting concept for weekend racers and the host tracks,” Deyo said of the Short Track Super Series. “Not only have we been able to present ‘big events little guys can win’ we now have a lucrative point fund for these drivers, as well. If you look at our history of promotions, the Friday, Saturday or Sunday night racer has been able to take home some huge paydays. This series further expands that tradition and ups the ante.

“I think we’ve put together a schedule that just about any team can follow. It is a healthy point fund for limited time and travel. By allowing one ‘mulligan’ in the first four races, we’re putting the greatest emphasis on our teams with limited budgets. One bad night or missed event will not take a driver out of the championship hunt by any means.”

The series champion will be decided at the seventh edition of the Short Track SuperNationals ‘Working Man’s Race’ on Friday-Saturday Oct. 10-11 at I-88 Speedway (rain date: Oct. 12). The SuperNationals, which began at the Afton Fairgrounds track in 2006, returns to its roots in ’14 on Columbus Day weekend at I-88, the immaculate facility promoted by local businessmen Jamie Page and Ron Ford. The event – backed by Alpine Building Supply in Schuylkill Haven, Pa. – takes on added significance this year as the final leg of the Short Track Super Series.

The point fund will be paid out on-site following the drop of the checkered flag at the SuperNationals.

The point fund breakdown is as follows: champion: $5,000; second: $3,000; third: $2,500; fourth: $1,500; fifth: $1,000; sixth: $750; seventh: $650; eighth: $600; ninth: $550; and 10th: $500. All drivers with perfect attendance placing outside the top 10 will receive $250.

A number of contingency and product incentives are in the works, in addition to the posted cash point fund.

Following the March opener at Orange County, the Short Track Super Series heads to Thunder Mountain Speedway for the ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ 50-lap main paying a minimum of $5,000 to the winner on Tuesday, May 20 (rain date: May 21). The ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ special is a co-promotion involving Brett Deyo and Karl Spoonhower. For the ’14 season, Spoonhower – who constructed Thunder Mountain in the early 1990s from hillside land outside Whitney Point, N.Y. – returns to the helm as owner and promoter following a seven-year absence.

Spoonhower has already resurfaced the entire speedway (some areas of the track boast three feet of new clay), repaired the entrance road to the speedway and has embarked on a number of facility improvements to ready for the new season. Utilizing rules and paying a purse structure identical to I-88 Speedway, the Modified division returns as a weekly headliner at Thunder Mountain with Saturday racing on the agenda.

The ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ promotion serves as the first major midweek Modified event at Thunder Mountain since August ’08, when business magnate John Wight promoted a T3 All-Star Series event at the track.

The third leg of the Short Track Super Series takes place at I-88 Speedway with the second annual ‘Crazy 8s Special’ paying a mammoth $8,888 to win for 48 laps of racing on the three-tenths-mile oval on Wednesday, July 23 (rain date: July 24).  Mike Mahaney of King Ferry, N.Y., the ‘13 I-88 champion, won the first ‘Crazy 8s Special’ last July and took home $8,249 for his triumph driving the Charlie Davis-owned No. 21.

Accord Speedway, the neat-and-tidy quarter-mile nestled in the Catskill Mountains operated by Gary Palmer, serves as the host of Round No. 4 of the Short Track Super Series on Tuesday, August 5 (rain date: Aug. 6) with the ‘Battle of the Bullring 2’ special: a 52-lap main event offering $5,200 to the winner. Last year, the ‘Battle of the Bullring’ resulted in the biggest victory of Danny Creeden’s career. The Middletown, N.Y., driver took home $5,925 for 51 laps of work.

On Tuesday, August 12 (rain date: Aug. 13), the ‘Hot Summer Night’ returns to Penn Can Speedway for Round No. 5 of the Short Track Super Series. Modifieds have not been featured on the ‘Hot Summer Night’ special since August 10, 2010, when Stewart Friesen throttled from 25th starting position – dead last – to win a 60-lap special at the Susquehanna County track managed by Reed Miller and Al Wilcox. The ‘Hot Summer Night’ special pays $5,000 to win.

The first five events on the Short Track Super Series – Orange County, Thunder Mountain, I-88, Accord and Penn Can – will offer points based on a 100-point distribution: 100 to the winner and 40 for last place. Drivers failing to qualify will receive 15 points.

Four of a driver’s best five finishes will be counted in the point standings entering the championship event, Short Track SuperNationals, at I-88. Should a driver miss one of the first five events, their four finishes will be used, etc.  The advantage of competing in each of the first five events is the opportunity to drop the worst finish.

The Alpine Building Supply Short Track SuperNationals will then decide the ’14 Short Track Super Series title. 

A 150-point distribution will be utilized for the Short Track SuperNationals, with 150 points going to the winner, 60 for last and 25 for drivers unable to qualify for the main event.

Two of the events on the schedule are run head-to-head with big-block Super DIRTcar Series events, ensuring weekend racers take home the lion’s share of the cash awards. The August 5 event at Accord is run opposite a Super DIRTcar Series race at Ransomville (N.Y.) Speedway, while the Oct. 10-11 Short Track SuperNationals – as it has since its inception – is contested head-to-head with Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y.

Joining title sponsor VP Racing Fuels on the ’14 Short Track Super Series are Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc. and Rochinski Contracting Services as associate marketing partners.

To learn more about the ’14 Short Track Super Series, contact Brett Deyo, BD Motorsports Media LLC, by e-mail at Deyo99H@aol.com, by phone at 845.728.2781 or on the web: www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com. “Like” BD Motorsports Media on Facebook or follow @BrettDeyo on Twitter.

2014 Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP Racing Fuels Schedule

Following Events Based On 100-Point Distribution (Four Best Finishes Apply Toward Championship Event)

Sunday, March 23 – Orange County Fair Speedway/Middletown, NY ‘Hard Clay Open’ (50 laps)

Tuesday, May 20 – Thunder Mountain Speedway/Center Lisle, NY ‘Lightning on the Mountain (50 laps)

Wednesday, July 23 – I-88 Speedway/Afton, NY ‘Crazy 8s Special’ (48 laps)

Tuesday, August 5 – Accord Speedway/Accord, NY ‘Battle of the Bullring’ (52 laps)

Tuesday, August 12 – Penn Can Speedway/Susquehanna, PA ‘Hot Summer Night’ (60 laps)

Championship Event Based On 150-Point Distribution

Friday-Saturday October 10-11 – I-88 Speedway/Afton, NY ‘Short Track SuperNationals’ (50 laps)

 

2014 Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP Racing Fuels Point Fund

1.       $5,000

2.       $3,000

3.       $2,500

4.       $1,500

5.       $1,000

6.       $750

7.       $650

8.       $600

9.       $550

10.    $500

All drivers with perfect attendance outside the top 10 will receive $250

2014 Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP Racing Fuels 100-Point Distribution (First Five Events)

1.       100

2.       95

3.       90

4.       85

5.       80

6.       76

7.       72

8.       68

9.       65

10.   62

11.   60

12.   58

13.   56

14.   54

15.   52

16.   50

17.   48

18.   46

19.   45

20.   44

21.   43

22.   42

23.   41

24.   40 (through last)

Drivers failing to qualify will receive 15 points

2014 Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP Racing Fuels 150-Point Distribution (SuperNationals)

1.       150

2.       145

3.       140

4.       135

5.       130

6.       125

7.       120

8.       116

9.       112

10.    108

11.    104

12.    100

13.    96

14.    92

15.    88

16.    84

17.    80

18.    77

19.    74

20.    71

21.    68

22.    65

23.    62

24.    60 (through last)

Drivers failing to qualify will receive 25 points

-----

Brett Deyo

BD Motorsports Media LLC

Phone: 845.728.2781

E-Mail: Deyo99H@aol.com

Web: www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BDMotorsportsMedia

Twitter: @BrettDeyo

 

 

 

News from Thunder Mountain Speedway’s ‘Lightning on the Mountain’

Media Contact: Brett Deyo – Deyo99H@aol.com or 845.728.2781

For Immediate Release/December 22, 2013

Thunderstruck: Huge ‘Lightning On The Mountain’ Spectacular Set For Tuesday, May 20 At Thunder Mountain Speedway; $5,000 Reserved For Winner Of 50-lap Short Track Super Series Modified Event; Rochinski Contracting Services Signs On As Sponsor; Thunder Mountain Returns To Saturday Racing In 2014 Under Promoter Karl Spoonhower

CENTER LISLE, NY – On Tuesday, May 20, the Northeast racing community will be “thunderstruck” by the rumble of dirt Modifieds.

Thunder Mountain Speedway, the three-eighths-mile clay oval in Center Lisle, N.Y., just minutes off the I-81 Whitney Point interchange (Exit 8), returns to the forefront of dirt Modified racing with the first ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ 50-lap big-block/small-block Modified event paying a minimum of $5,000 to the winner plus bonuses and special awards. The event, which offers $300 just to take the green flag, is a co-promotion involving Brett Deyo of BD Motorsports Media LLC and Thunder Mountain owner/promoter Karl Spoonhower. There is a rain date of May 21 for the special.

The midweek showdown will serve as the second of six events en route to the Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP Racing Fuels championship. The inaugural Short Track Super Series title winner earns $5,000 from a point fund totaling more than $16,000 for the top-10 finishers. In addition, all drivers with perfect attendance placing outside the top-10 in points will receive $250 cash.

The 50-lap ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ special will be the first high-profile midweek Modified event on the Thunder Mountain schedule since Aug. 20, 2008, when team owner and business magnate John Wight promoted a T3 All-Star Series 358-Modified event. Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., overcame a heat-race flip to triumph over a 56-car field some six years ago.

Sportsman, Open & Crate 602, will join the Modifieds on the ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ program in a 25-lap event paying a minimum of $1,000 to win. A series of four weights will be established, open engines will steel and aluminum wheels and Crate 602 engines with steel and aluminum wheels. Successful combination events have been promoted by BD Motorsports Media LLC at N.Y.’s Accord Speedway.

Rochinski Contracting Services of Dickson City, Pa., has signed on as a leading sponsor of the ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ program. Other marketing opportunities are available and could be used to boost the payout for racers in the highly anticipated special.

The ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ event has created a buzz in the Southern Tier region and beyond.

“The positive feedback from racers and fans has been overwhelming to be honest,” Deyo said. “Karl is well known for his track-preparation skills, so racers are anxious to get back on the track. Thunder Mountain is also a favorite among fans. There isn’t a bad seat in the house for spectators. The grandstands are poured concrete in a hillside, so fans can bring lawn chairs and watch the racing comfortably. The view of the valley off the backstretch is a bonus.

“I attended a number of special events at Thunder Mountain during Karl’s time as track promoter and I never left disappointed. The racing there is second-to-none.  I’ve heard that sentiment reflected by everyone I’ve spoken with about this race.”

In the early 1990s, Spoonhower constructed Thunder Mountain Speedway from a hilltop plot of land. He presided over the track’s weekly programs through 2006, when he sold the facility. After seven years away, the 58-year-old Spoonhower is once again at the helm of Thunder Mountain Speedway for the ’14 campaign.

The winds of change are in the air for Thunder Mountain. Racing at the track returns to Saturday nights, with big-block/small-block Modifieds headlining the weekly programs. The Modifieds will race under rules similar to those utilized at nearby I-88 Speedway in Afton, N.Y.  The Modified purse structure will also match that paid at I-88.

Other divisions slated to race regularly at Thunder Mountain on Saturdays are Sportsman, Sport Trucks, Street Stocks, Thunder Dogs and Four Cylinders.

Improvements are also underway to the facility. More than two feet of fresh clay was applied to the entire speedway, with as much as three feet put down in select areas. The entrance road to the track was completely reworked. Numerous other improvement projects include renovations of the buildings and towers on the property, additional lighting and more. Spoonhower, a native of Berkshire, N.Y., who operates a home-building business among other ventures, has been hard at work on the track and grounds since announcing his return.  

While the ’14 schedule has not been solidified, Spoonhower is planning to host a pair of April practice sessions prior to a Season Opener the first Saturday of May.  He hopes to release a tentative schedule after the holidays.

Thunder Mountain Speedway is located at 91 Hunts Corners Road Center Lisle, NY 13797, approximately 25 miles north of Binghamton. To learn more about the speedway, contact Karl Spoonhower at 607.657.8202 or 607.657.1402. The speedway phone number is 607.849.7899. Thunder Mountain Speedway is on the web at www.thundermtnspeedway.com. “Like” Thunder Mountain Speedway on Facebook for updates.

For further information about BD Motorsports Media LLC and the 2014 Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP Racing Fuels or to join the ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ special as a marketing partner, visit www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com or contact Brett Deyo by phone at 845.728.2781 or Deyo99H@aol.com.  “Like” BD Motorsports Media on Facebook or follow @BrettDeyo on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.

 

-----

Brett Deyo

BD Motorsports Media LLC

Phone: 845.728.2781

E-Mail: Deyo99H@aol.com

Web: www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BDMotorsportsMedia

Twitter: @BrettDeyo

 

 

 

 

Going back, in time to December 26th in:

 

1917

Tex Keene ... Born ... Driver who ran several races with NASCAR in the early 1950's and ran midgets with the ARDC.

 

1991

Budd Olson ... Died ... New Jersey Stock Car driver from the 1940's, 50's and 60's. From local dirt tracks to NASCAR, Budd Olsen built a solid reputation, first as a driver and then as one of the leading race car builders in the region.

 

2008

Tony Stewart won the opening night of the 11th annual Rumble in Fort Wayne Midget race at the Memorial Coliseum Expo Center, Fort Wayne, IN.

Steve Kinser won the Valvoline Sprint Car Grand Prix at the Parramatta City Raceway in Sydney, Australia.

 

 

Going back in time – various dates around this time of the year:

 

DECEMBER 25

 

1878

Louis Chevrolet... Born ... AAA driver 1905 to 1923. He was a co-founder (with William C. Durant) of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company, which was acquired by General Motors and is their bestselling brand nationwide and in many cases synonymous with General Motors itself. Louis also competed in the Indianapolis 500 four times, with a best finish of 7th in 1919. Younger brother Gaston won there in 1920 in a car Louis built, and brother Arthur also competed twice.

 

1993

Fred "Jiggs" Peters ... Died ... Jiggs started racing Midgets in 1948, winning the ARDC championship in 1951. He then moved into Sprint Cars. In 1955 he unsuccesfully attempted to qualify for the Indy 500 in a Scopa-Offy. Equally at home on dirt or asphalt, he tried to qualify for Indy again in the Lee Glessner Offy in 1957. Short on speed on the first weekend, he was fast enough on the second to qualify but he chose to come home to NJ to run locally to make money as opposed to sitting in Indy for the whole month of May without an income. He was very good in long distance races and won numerous times at long tracks like Trenton, N.J. and Langhorne, Pa. He was injured at Bedford Speedway in 1969 in a URC Sprint Car race and retired after that. He continued to stay involved by running the pit gate at Grandview Speedway for promotor Ed Darrell. He also was very involved in numerous Old Timer Clubs until his passing.

 

 

DECEMBER 24

 

1917

Wimpy Ervin... Born ... A former midget and sprint car driver from Bloomfield, NJ. who raced in the 1940's, 50's and early 60's.

 

1941

John Hubbard... Born ... Johnstown, Pennsylvania driver who raced ARDC Midgets, USAC Sprints, Silver Crown and Indy Cars.

 

1942

Eddie Leavitt... Born ... Sprint car driver from the 1970's & 80's. He was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2001 and was in the Knoxville Raceway Hall of Fame. He was a two-time National Sprint Car Champion.

 

1946

Bobby Olivero... Born ... A former driver in the USAC Championship Car series. He raced in the 1976-1978 seasons, with 17 career starts, including the 1977 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 11 times, with his best finish in 5th position in 1977 at Ontario. In 1979, Olivero was the USAC Silver Crown Series champion. Earlier in his career, he won the 1975 CRA Sprint Car championship.

 

1977

Johnny White... Died ... USAC sprint & Indy car driver from the 1960's. He was paralyzed from a Sprint Car accident at Terre Haute, IN., in 1964 just 2 weeks after being named the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year.

 

 

DECEMBER 27

 

1951

Greg Leffler ... Born ... A former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1980-1983 seasons, with 13 career starts, including the 1980 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten twice, with his best finish in 6th position in 1982 at Riverside. In 1979, Leffler was the USAC Sprint Car Series Champion.

 

 

DECEMBER 28

 

1921

Nelson Stacy... Born ... Stacy was ARCA Champion for three years 1958, 1959, 1960, prior to entering Winston Cup racing when he was over 40. An "Old Man" for a rookie by today's standards. He still managed to win the World 600 and two races at Darlington and Martinsville before his health caused him to slow down after only 3 years in NASCAR.

 

 

DECEMBER 29

 

1916

Tony Bonadies... Born ... A very popular midget car driver, Tony Bonadies' career spanned over twenty-four years during which he competed in more than one thousand races. Although he never won the ARDC Midget Championship, he was ranked amongst the top six in seven out of his last eight seasons in the series' final classification table, and he was twice the title runner-up. He entered the Indy 500 three times, but failed to qualify in all attempts: in 1955 and the following year his times aboard a Kurtis 3000D - Offenhauser were simply not quick enough, and in 1957 he wrecked his Kurtis 500C - Offenhauser at the Turn 4 at the northwest end of the track during practice and had to withdraw from the race. Bonadies was taking place in an ARDC midget race at the Williams Grove Speedway on 05 July 1964 when, as he pitched his Frankenfield - Offenahuser into a slide at the entrance to Turn 1, the right rear axle of the car snapped. The vehicle barrel rolled several times and then got airborne. Tony was thrown to the ground and died instantly.

 

1969

John Rostek ... Died ... A NASCAR driver from Fort Collins, CO. Despite racing in just six Nextel Cup Series events in his career, Rostek earned one victory, one pole and three top-tens. Five of his six races came in 1960, when Rostek debuted at Daytona, racing in the Daytona 500 qualifier. But a crash on the fifth lap would end his chances of a good finish and making the 500, finishing 39th. But his rebound was amazing. In his next race, Phoenix, Rostek took the lead midway through the event, led 58 laps and pulled away to a shocking victory. He proved it was no fluke later in the year, finishing 3rd at Hanford and 7th at Montgomery after leading seven laps and starting on the pole. Rostek's final race came in 1963, racing at Riverside. Starting 27th in the forty-four car field, Rostek seemed poised for another top-ten finish before a late crash sidelined him to 16th. He also raced with the USAC Stock Car Division from 1958 to 1964.

 

1980

A.J. Fike ... Born ... USAC & NASCAR driver.

 

 

DECEMBER 30

 

1911

Walt Brown ... Born ... AAA driver from the 1940's and early 50's who ran in 3 Indy 500's with a best finish of 7th in 1947. He died in a race at the Williams Grove Speedway (PA) July 29, 1951.

 

 

 

I get emails:

 

The Third Row

 

www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=hxlcVAEj0sM&vq=large

 

 

 

Every year, Chris Romano sends out an email on the Yahoo! Race History Group that lists those that we lost in motor sports for the past year.  Here is his latest:

 

A bit off topic, but I ask your indulgence for another year.  Apologies for those I may have missed.

 

For Auld Lang Syne, 2013, by Chris Romano

 

Before firing up the engines for the Chili Bowl, let’s pause to remember those we lost in the sport in 2013.

 

Carl Merrill was a fixture at Norwood Arena for many years, serving as race director.  He then did PR for a number of tracks, including Monadnock.  The affable Merrill passed away this year at age 88.  Melvin “Red” Foote, one of the original Eastern Bandits died this year at 85.  Foote was a Waterford Speedbowl champion and won throughout Virginia and Maryland.  Swapping stories with Foote no doubt will be Rene “The Champ” Charland, who passed away at 85. A four time NASCAR Sportsman champ, Charland was equally good on dirt or pavement.  Danbury regular Chick Stockwell passed away this year, also at age 85, as did the Kutztown Komet, Freddy Adam, at age 82, who drove in the Mid-Atlantic states until 1994, winning track titles 3 times at Hatfield and once at Dorney Park.

 

Jim McCallum won everything he could win in Pro Stocks in New England, and had a fair amount of appearances down south too.  He succumbed to Alzheimers this year.  Jack Choquette, 1954 NASCAR Modified Champion died this year at age 85.  Nick Dinsmoor, former Modified driver at the Waterford Speedbowl passed away this year at age 71.  Al “Buddha” Gaudreau left us at age 70.  He was a five time championship car owner in Modifieds at Waterford.  Steve Griswold, former K&N East team owner died this year at age 64.  Tony Dias Jr., Seekonk Late Model driver, left us all too soon at age 49.

 

The Houston family lost a legend in Kenny Houston, the 1964 Hickory Speedway and North Carolina Champion.   Hickory also lost John Settlemyre, who won championships from 1977 through 1981, at age 67 after a shootout with police.  Former Pro Cup car owner Steve Husketh died this year, as did Chuck Montville, NE Modified owner, at 56.  Orange County (NC) Limited Late Model competitor Chad Pergerson  lost his life in a highway accident.  Ace Speedway (NC) Late Model champion and veteran competitor Rodney Cook lost his battle with cancer at age 44.

 

Charlie Elliot was a self made man who dedicated himself to auto racing.  It’s hard to imagine what racing would be like in southern New Hampshire without Elliot, who was one of the prime movers behind NESMRA along with building and rescuing tracks like Canaan and Lee USA.  We lost Charlie this year at age 96.  Wilfred Kronk, who built Wiscasset (ME) Speedway passed on at age 85.

 

It was a tough year for NEMA.  Veteran owner Ray Plakstis died, along with former co-champion Lou Fray and veteran car owner Gordon Bumpus.  Gordon fielded cars for years for his son Howard, named after Gordon’s brother, who was killed  at Flemington in the late 1930’s.  Champion car owner Dewey Cali died at age 88.  Jerry Stover,  ARDC and Sprint car driver passed away at age 76.  Midge Miller, another midget and URC Sprint car driver and official passed on this year.  ARDC’s only female president, Jane Buzzard, passed away, along with Harry Macy, veteran Can-Am TQ owner and driver.

 

Tom Herbert, Grandview Late Model driver and ARDC official lost his battle with cancer.  Dick Crotty, a long time New England racing veteran was taken all too young from us this year, at 58.  He was joined by Big John DiBurro, a fixture in NH racing circles.

 

The Big O had their share of loss this year.  Irish Jack Murphy, winner of the first Oswego Classic and a fixture in Supermodified racing for decades passed on this year at age 85.  Joe Gosek’s car owner, Joe Osetek, was lost to us, as was former driver Jim Winks.  Former driver Dave Halstead lost his life in an industrial accident.

 

George Martin was a fixture at Seekonk as a handicapper and official.  The Konk lost George late this year.  Mackie McBroom, former race director at Ace Speedway, died this year of cancer.

 

We are all the poorer for the loss of Dick Trickle, who took his own life at age 71.  Conservatively, it is thought that Trickle won over 1200 features from Florida through the mid-west.  A late career move to NASCAR saw a Busch Grand National win at Hickory and a Winston Cup Rookie of the Year award.  But his stock in trade was ARTGO and ASA, where he won championships and God knows how many races.

 

George Bignotti walked with giants, engineering seven Indy 500 wins for guys like Foyt, Sneva and Johncock.  He left us at age 97.  Stuart Hilborn founded Hilborn fuel injectors, a brand that dominated Indianapolis and drag strips.  He passed away at age 97.  Ken Jenkins, master sprint car chassis builder, died at age 65.  Phil Remington, veteran fabricator for Carroll Shelby and longtime Dan Gurney employee was active until his death at 92.

 

IHRA Regional Technical Director Hank Blankenship died this year at age 61.  Veteran NHRA Funny Car driver Gordie Bonin died this year.   Art Malone not only was a Top Fuel racer, but a two time Indy entrant, driving the Novi for Andy Granatelli.  Art was 76.

 

Road racing lost veterans Chuck Dietrich and Steve “Yogi” Behr.  Ralph Sanchez founded the Grand Prix of Miami and later built Homestead Speedway.  He lost his battle with cancer this year at age 65.  Huck Spaulding was a veteran of AMEC ice racing along with Late Models and Mini-Stocks.  Frank Righetti restored countless vintage racers and remained active in vintage racing well into his 80’s.

 

Across the pond Australian V8 Supercars chairman James Strong died at age 68.  Perennial South African Formula One entrant Dave Charleton left us at age 73.  Guido Forti, former Formula One, Formula Three and Formula 3000 team owner passed at 72.  Colin Davis, 79, won the 1964 Targa Florio.  Veteran Jaguar racer John Coombs left us at age 93.   Stirling Moss’ manager, Ken Gregory, died this year, leaving behind a wealth of stories about Formula One’s golden age and one of its greatest racers.  Willi Bergmeister, veteran European touring car racer died this year at age 63.  Maria de Villota, 33, former Formula One  test driver, injured in a horrific testing accident last year was found dead in a hotel room in Seville, Spain.  De Villota bravely recovered from her accident, which cost her an eye, but it is widely believed her death could be attributed to the injuries she suffered.  Philip Favre raced in sports cars, Formula Three and Formula 3000 during his career, but was killed in a skiing accident at age 51.

 

The Pampas Bull, Jose Froilan Gonzales, died this year at age 90.  Often he raced in the shadow of countryman Juan Manual Fangio, but Gonzales was content with his career, winning the British Grand Prix twice, along with the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  After fellow Argentinian Onofre Marimon was killed at the Nurburgring in 1954 Gonzales stayed closer to home, retiring from driving in 1960.

 

On track the sport was no less deadly in 2013.  It was a bad year for Sprint Cars.  Young Josh Burton died at age 22 after a crash in Bloomington, IN.  Jason Leffler, three time USAC Midget champion, a Silver Crown champion and veteran NASCAR driver was killed in a Sprint Car accident at Bridgeport, NJ.  He was 37.  Pennsylvania legend Kramer Williamson died at Lincoln Speedway.  The Sprint Car Hall of Fame member was 63.

 

Vintage racing continued to take a toll on old cars and drivers.  Stan Redmond, died at age 65 after crashing his Lola T332 in a vintage Formula 5000 race at Teretonga, NZ.   Christian Devereux died in the crash of his 1965 Mini Cooper in a vintage race at Donington Park, in England.  Sebastian Clouzeau, 38,  was killed in the crash of his historic Formula Three car at Spa, in Belgium.   Robert Hanneman, 70, was killed in the crash of his Zink C-4 at a vintage event at Blackhawk Farms Raceway in Illinois.  Steve Jewell, 62, died in the crash of his 1924 Bugatti at a vintage event in Snetterton, England.  Tsutomu Seki, 62, was killed in the crash of his Nissan at a vintage event at Tsukuba Raceway in Japan.  Peter Hall, 71, died of injuries sustained in the crash of his Datsun 260Z in a vintage event at Phillip Island, Australia.  Col Wenzel, 66, died of injuries sustained in the crash of his Alfa Romeo at Lakeside Speedway in Australia.

 

Jeff Bowers died in the crash of his Formula Vee at Lime Rock Park in CT, possibly as a result of a medical incident.  Wolf Silvester, two time VLN champ died of a heart attack at age 55 during a VLN race at the Nurburgring.   Allan Simonsen, 34, died in the crash of his Aston Martin in the first hour of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  Andrea Mame, 41, was killed in the crash of his Lamborghini at Circuit Paul Ricard in France.  Sean Edwards, 26, accomplished sports car racer, was killed in an accident at Queensland Raceway in Australia during a driver coach session where he was a passenger in a Porsche 996.  Robson Kolling, 35, was killed in the crash of his sports prototype at the 500 Milhas de Londrina, in Brazil.

 

 Eddie Russ, veteran competitor at Hickory Motor Speedway, died of a medical incident following a hot July race.  Jimmy Smith, 62 was stricken after an SK heat race at Thompson Speedway in CT.    Lawren Jones, 59, died in the crash of his car at Albuquerque National Dragway.  Derek Sanchez, 47, died of injuries received in the crash of his 1933 Ford Super Gas Roadster at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

 

Charles Leroy Kay, 67, and David Richardson, 63, were killed when they crashed on the last lap of the feature for Dwarf Cars at Reno Fernley Speedway in Nevada.  Mike Stephens, 30, suffocated to death in his inverted Pro Stock at Oyster Bed Speedway after he unbuckled himself and landed on the roof of his car in a position that prevented him from breathing.  Greg Pitts, 52, suffered health complications at Montpelier Motor Speedway in Indiana and died in the crash of his UMP Modified.  Bill Reimer, 67, was killed in a crash at Emo Speedway in Canada.

 

The fourth estate lost Michael Brown, who shot for Autosport magazine, among others, at age 55.  Veteran NHRA photographer Les Welch died this year at age 69.  Wilson Fittipaldi was a veteran broadcaster in his native Brazil, but also father of Emerson and his brother Wilson, who went on to chart their own histories in Formula One and beyond.  The Fittipaldi patriarch was 92.  Nigel Snowdon, who photographed Formula One in the golden age, left us this year.  NEMA lost former PR man Jim Rigney.

 

Canaan Speedway complex closed its doors forever in New Hampshire, as did Raceway Park in Shakopee, MN.

 

And what will we do without Miss Ellie Seymour.  She took care of Boston Louie and the brood as they chased Midget, Sprint Car and Silver Crown racing across the country.  Miss Ellie had a kind word to say about everyone, and was universally loved in pit areas everywhere.  I, among countless others, will miss her terribly.

 

Flagman/Starter "Jumpin' Jack" Summers passed away on July 29th. "Jumpin Jack" was a fixture in Southern California in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s. I saw him on television in the early 1960s when the jalopy races were on television.

 

 

And, added to the list is Stu Hilborn.  Imagine what things would be like, without his contributions.

 

As ever then, we shed a little tear, have a little laugh, and raise our glasses to lives well led, for Auld Lang Syne.  Joyeux Noel, Bon Annee.

 

 

 

Chris Romano

New Bern, NC

 

 

And this one, too:

 

 

MAY WE HAVE A BIG 'AMEN' TO THIS STATEMENT!!!

 

      From a Marine Corps Colonel in Afghanistan :

 

      "So with all the kindness I can muster, I give this one piece of

advice to the next pop star who is asked to sing the national anthem

at a sporting event... Save the vocal gymnastics and the physical

gyrations for your concerts. Just sing this song the way you were

taught to sing it in kindergarten - straight up, no styling. Sing it

with the constant awareness that there are soldiers, sailors, airmen

and Marines watching you from bases and outposts all over the world.

Don't make them cringe with your self-centered ego gratification. Sing

it as if you are standing before a row of 86-year-old WWII vets

wearing their Purple Hearts, Silver Stars and flag pins on their

cardigans and you want them to be proud of you for honoring them and

the country they love - not because you want them to think you are a

superstar musician. They could see that from your costume, makeup and

your entourage. Sing 'The Star Spangled Banner' with the courtesy and

humility that tells the audience that it is about America , not you.

And please remember, not everything has to be sung as a Negro

spiritual. We're getting a little weary of that. Francis Scott Key

does not need any help."

 

      Semper Fi

 

 

 

Found on Facebook:

 

From 12/22/13:

 

As we all know they take their high school football serious in Texas. Just read their 5A Division I Texas State High School Championship on Saturday had 54,347 fans. Amazing.

 

And another one from 12/22:

 

Obama’s plan:

 

The USA will have the healthiest, same sex married, unarmed, illegal alien, unemployed people on earth!

 

 

This one, too:

 

Stop sending money to the Middle East and let them hate us for free!

 

 

 

This weeks photo:

 

A sad one, for sure!  Why there hasn’t been another track like Flemington – I have no idea.  Just plain great racing at that place.

 

 

Photo found on Facebook on 12/21/13.  Photo by Matt Rosier

 

 

 

 

Racing videos:

 

Well, to be honest, not racing videos, but some close calls:

 

Video of close calls:  http://vitaminl.tv/video/1517?ref=fbs

 

 

 

 

Music videos:

 

Back in 2001, from a concert that John Denver had.  I imagine that most men, if they ever wanted to write a song about the love of their life, it would be similar to “Annie’s Song”.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkGS263lGsQ&feature=related

 

 

 

 

More non racing stuff:

 

About Duck Dynasty

http://tv.yahoo.com/news/duck-dynasty-fallout-glaad-reeling-biggest-backlash-years-010050637.html

 

In part:  “In the five-and-a-half years I’ve worked at GLAAD, I’ve never received so many violently angry phone calls and social media posts attacking GLAAD for us speaking out against these comments,” the media watchdog organization’s vice president of communications Rich Ferraro told TheWrap.

He said those reactions range from those who simply believe as Robertson believes to those who feel that GLAAD and A&E’s actions limit the reality star’s free speech.”

 

And, from Facebook on 12/22/13:

In what some might see as a surprise reversal, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is now putting the Duck Dynasty merchandise back on the shelves, just a day after taking it off. The Lebanon, Tenn. based company posted a statement on it's Facebook page today, saying in part: "When we made the decision to remove and evaluate certain Duck Dynasty items, we offended many of our loyal customers. Our intent was to avoid offending, but that’s just what we've done. You told us we made a mistake. And, you weren't shy about it. You wrote, you called and you took to social media to express your thoughts and feelings. You flat out told us we were wrong. We listened. " What do you think about Cracker Barrel's decision?

 

 

Official Who Verified Obama’s Birth Certificate Dies In Plane Crash

 

65-year-old Loretta Fuddy is the director of the Hawaii Department of Health who verified and released President Obama’s birth certificate.

 

She died on Wednesday when a Honolulu-bound plane crashed into Hawaii water. The plane’s engine apparently failed.

 

Oddly, Fuddy was the only person aboard the plane who died — the other seven passengers and pilot survived the crash.

 

Back in 2011, Fuddy verified the authenticity of Obama’s Hawaii birth certificate. She also made the document public.

 

After releasing the documents, Fuddy wrote a letter to Obama that said, “I have reviewed your request for two certified copies of your original Certificate of Live Birth. As the Director of Health for the State of Hawaii, I have the legal authority to approve the process by which copies of such records are made. Through that authority, in recognition of your status as President of the United States, I am making an exception to current departmental policy which is to issue a computer-generated certified copy.”

 

She continued, “We hope that issuing you these copies of your original Certificate of Live Birth will end the numerous inquires received by the Hawaii Department of Health to produce this document.”Aside from releasing Obama’s birth certificate, Fuddy was well known for leading the gay rights movement in Hawaii.Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie said in a statement, “[Fuddy] was selfless, utterly dedicated, and committed to her colleagues in the Department of Health and to the people of Hawaii. Her knowledge was vast; her counsel and advice always given from her heart as much as from her storehouse of experience.”

 

The plane crash is currently being investigated by officials.

 

https://www.mrconservative.com/2013/12/28922-official-who-verified-obamas-birth-certificate-dies-in-plane-crash/

 

Note:  I take it you’ve seen the list of people that have been associated with the Clintons and how they ended up?  This gonna be more of the same?

 

 

 

School Omits 'Christ' from 'Silent Night,' Upsetting Parents

 

In part:

"Christ has officially been removed from Christmas. At least that was the case at one middle school on Long Island, New York, where its holiday-concert chorus sang a version of "Silent Night" that had all references to "the savior" and "holy infant" removed by school administrators. But the effort to avoid alienating people seems to have backfired."

 

"It's offensive," one father of a student at the Ralph J. Osgood Intermediate School in Kings Park told CBS New York. "If you're going to remove words to not offend other religions, what about the religion that that song belongs to, which is Christianity?"

The fifth-grade students sang the edited classic — which mixed and matched verses in a way that left out the most religious references — at the concert, on Dec. 12. But that upset some parents, who felt the song was sacred and should have instead been left intact or instead been performed as an instrumental or kept out of the concert altogether. Some spoke out about it at a Tuesday board of education meeting."

 

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/school-omits-39-christ-39-39-silent-night-193900497.html

 

Note:  If I had a child in that school, and my child was in that concert, and I knew what was going on, I'd pull my kid out of the chorus or choir.  It's getting more and more ridiculous every day, isn't it?

 

 

 

Democrats Have Maxed Out the Race Card

By Ron ChristieDecember 17th 20135:45 AM

 

A skirmish on MSNBC underscores the new normal in Democratic thinking: If you disagree with Obama, you must be racist. A Tea Party member? Racist! How it’s damaging our cultural fabric.

 

It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. On Sunday I appeared as a guest on the Melissa Harris-Perry show to discuss the state of politics in America today. One of my fellow panelists, Angela Nye, observed:

 

“I was just thinking, to me, in 2010, the Republican infighting took a particularly dangerous tone because it wasn’t just about infighting anymore. It was about taking our country back with the resurrection of the Tea Party. And it was very, very racial, whether any of them will admit it or not.”

 

I frequently discuss politics on cable news outlets and expect partisan rhetoric from my fellow guests. But I found Nye’s comments incendiary and provocative. I rarely lose my temper on air, but I could not leave the reflexive “Republicans/Tea Party are racist” meme unaddressed. I fear race relations have worsened rather than improved in the Obama era of “hope and change.” Legitimate disagreement with the president and congressional Democrats often is characterized as being racist or racially motivated rather than a genuine difference of opinion on policy.

 

Nye is correct about one thing. The rise of the Tea Party in 2010 was about taking our country back. Not back from the country’s first elected African-American president but back from an arrogant, out-of-touch group of Washington, D.C., politicians who repeatedly ignored their constituents’ warnings about the massive expansion of federal government spending. Despite widespread opposition to the whimsically named Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Democrats rammed the bill through both chambers of Congress without a single Republican vote.

 

The manner in which Obamacare became law is remarkable when one compares it to the passage of many of President Johnson’s Great Society programs. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and Medicare in 1965 were passed with strong bipartisan votes in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

 

Thirty-five years later, Tea Party groups emerged in cities and states across the nation as a direct result of President Obama and congressional Democrats’ desire to impose their will on the American people by creating the largest new government entitlement since 1965 on a partisan vote.

 

As the polls closed on November 2, 2010, Democrats found themselves soundly beaten. Republicans gained 63 seats in the House of Representatives to wrest control of the chamber from the Democrats, the largest seat change since 1948. Republicans also picked up six seats in the Senate. Across the country, Republicans gained 680 seats in the state legislatures, along with control of 25 state legislatures and 29 of 50 governorships. I’d hardly say the election results were “very, very racial.” Instead they were a rebuke from the American electorate to Democrats who had overreached.

 

“The Tea Party has some serious racial challenges,” Nye continued Sunday. “For example, when the House of Representatives was voting on Obamacare, all of the Tea Party members who came to protest on the Hill spat on my future boss, who was the Congressional Black Caucus’s incoming chair. [Rep.] John Lewis, who had been beaten and bludgeoned to ensure we would all have voting rights and parity in this country, was called the N-word. So this isn’t something that I made up. These are things that really happened.”

 

Really? After Nye had finished, I asked whether she was present that day on the Hill. She said she was not. I replied that I was present and that I didn’t hear or see any of the alleged racial behavior by Tea Party members. Let me break her comments down even further. Nye alleged that all of the Tea Party members spat on her future boss, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO). Politico reported that a man had been arrested for allegedly spitting at Cleaver, but the congressman refused to press charges. While the incident was despicable, there is no evidence it had racial overtones. My point is that one man was arrested—not every Tea Party member, as Nye asserted.

 

The most troubling aspect of my dialogue with Nye was her incendiary charge that Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), a civil rights icon, had been called the N-word. For one, Lewis has never said Tea Party members have hurled the racial epithet at him. Other members of the Congressional Black Caucus have leveled that claim.

 

We should be able to agree to disagree respectfully without invoking race at every turn.

I was on Capitol Hill that day, and I walked across the street from the Cannon House Office Building when the Obamacare vote in question was taking place.

 

Many, many peaceful protesters were out that day. There were synchronized chants of “Kill the Bill,” but I didn’t see anyone saying anything untoward to any of the members of Congress, regardless of their race or gender, as they made their way to the Capitol Building. Of course, I could not hear or see everything as the representatives walked in to cast their votes, but I did not see Lewis accosted in any way.

 

Several television and radio crews were present that day, to say nothing of the assembled constituents. They have not said they heard the Tea Party members using racial slurs. The late Andrew Breitbart even offered a $100,000 reward for audio or video of Lewis being called a racial pejorative. In the era of the smartphone, I have a hard time believing the alleged incident wasn’t recorded.

 

Sadly, I think my exchange with Nye reflects a norm in Democratic thinking, not an exception: If you oppose Obama, you must be racist. If you oppose Obamacare and the expansion of the federal government during the Obama presidency, you must be racist. A member of the Tea Party? You must be racist.

 

The charge of racism without a shred of proof, much less irrefutable evidence, is doing terrible damage to our cultural fabric. We should be able to agree to disagree respectfully without invoking race at every turn. Racism still exists in our society, but I believe most assertions of racism toward the president and his policies are meant to silence rather than to promote healthy dialogue. If the practice remains unchecked, legitimate incidents of racism will be dismissed.

 

Our national motto is E pluribus unum—“Out of Many, One.” If we do not respect our diversity of gender, race, and thought during the Obama presidency, I fear the spread of racial self-segregation. We can acknowledge and respect our political differences without accusing partisans of being racist in their thinking or motivation.

 

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/12/17/democrats-have-maxed-out-the-race-card.html

 

 

 

 

Prince Charles Says What Obama Won’t: Christians Are Being Persecuted

 

In part:  "Prince Charles said “we cannot ignore” that Christian communities in the Middle East are “increasingly being targeted by fundamentalist Islamist   militants”.

 

“We must not forget our Middle Eastern brothers and sisters in Christ. Their   church communities link us straight back to the early church,” he said.

 

Through it all, President Obama has been mostly silent.  In fact, he supported the Arab Spring uprisings, which have led to nothing but more chaos and turmoil in the Middle East.

 

The Prince made his comments after hosting a reception for religius leaders at   Clarence House, having earlier visited the London cathedral of the Syriac   Orthodox Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church centre in Stevenage, Herts.

 

It’s truly sad when the Leader of the Free World, who should be a champion for religious liberty across the world, is silent on Christian persecution while the British crown prince is being outspoken in his support for the persecuted.

 

Thank you, Prince Charles."

 

http://conservativetribune.com/christians-killed-obama-silent/

 

 

 

 

WATCH: Susan Rice Says “No Regrets” About Benghazi Lies (VIDEO)

 

http://www.capitalisminstitute.org/susan-rice-defends-lying/

 

Note:  Another worthless human that should be in jail next to Hillary and all the rest!

 

 

 

 

 

Joke of the week:

 

Hi all,

With the holidays upon us I would like to share a personal experience
with you all about drinking and driving after a "social session" with
friends.

Well, this past Friday, I was out on a post-Thanksgiving evening with
long-lost friends.

I had a few cocktails, followed by a handful of glasses of vintage red
wine.
Despite the jolliness, I still had the sense to know that I was over the
limit.
That's when I decided to do what I have never done before. I took a cab
home.

Sure enough, there was a police road block on the highway but, since it
was a cab, they waved it past.
I arrived home safely without incident.

This was a both a great relief and surprise because I had never driven a
cab before.
I don't even know where I got it from and, now that it is in my garage, I
don't know what to do with it.

Happy Holidays!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until the next column – in two weeks on January 9th!

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

 

I can be reached, via e-mail, at:  ygordad@yahoo.com