Mostly
Racin' Stuff
By Tom
Avenengo
03/13/2014
Some
personal/family stuff:
This coming Sunday we’re having a family
gathering and BBQ at our daughter Sandy’s house here in
Weather forecast shows mid 80’s so that
will be great. As of now, there will be
at least 24 in attendance.
Wife had her last check up on her eye
surgery. Vision is said to be 2/20 in
her left eye and 50/20 in the right.
Yes, she’ll need some glasses for reading, which is something she’s
really missed lately.
Yup, it’s getting closer and closer to our
return back north & home. I’d say
we’ll be back in Port Jervis in three weeks from now. Sure wishing it warms up some and all that
snow (hardened into ice?) is gone. Of
course I would not mind it one bit if the Hard Clay Open at OCFS has to be run
on April 6th, instead of its original date or the first rain date.
Some
things I’ve noticed here in the
Even though
There’s a ton of medical facilities in the
area. Also, a ton of
pharmacies - along with lots of churches and car washes. Quite a few eating establishments, too.
An ample supply of food stores, but as my
daughter Sandy says, they do raise the prices for us “Snowbirds” and prices
will get lower once the people like us return back to the north.
We’ve been lucky in that they really did
not experience a “winter” season down here, with the lowest temps in the 50’s,
I’d say.
Three bedroom homes with two baths, two
car garages and an enclosed lanai go for around $900.00/month. No high heating costs down here, either.
There’s some real weird, but nice looking
foliage in this area. What one thinks
are huge trees from the ground up, are actually many, many trees together. Same goes for the huge “bushes”.
Something that we would rarely see back
home – bicycles chained to street sign posts by the school kids, so they can
ride to the bus stop then ride home after school. None have been reported as being stolen. I would not bet on that, back home.
When using the telephone, one does not
have to dial “1” then the area code and number, just the 10 digits, when
calling – no matter where you’re calling, I should add.
Helmets, while riding motorcycles are not
required, and most riders DO NOT wear them.
Oh well, it’s their heads & lives.
Yup, enough of them make it to the hospital. My daughter
Many years ago, when we first visited down
here, we took a trip to
And with the frigid weather and all the
snow back north, that has increased the amount of “snow birds” that have
migrated south, by a hefty amount.
Racin’
stuff:
Last Saturday, they had a young lady sing
our National Anthem prior to the Nationwide race at
In the Nationwide Series, why don’t the
Camaros and Mustangs look like those we see on the street?
Dave Blaney has not qualified
for Cup race yet. How long before he’s
out of that ride?
And, JJ Yeley,
missed the Cup race at
From my column last week – in
the Jayski section:
“Note: I really like JJ. Have since we, my grandson Brett, and I, met
him at a midget tire test at
Looking at the entry list for
the Cup race this coming weekend at
I found this on the
For Immediate Release
Re: Big Modified Events
Big Modified Events Highlight
64th Season of Racing at Five Mile Point Speedway 2014 Modified Track
Championship Could Approach $10,000!
The Five Mile Point Speedway
season opener is set for Sunday, April 6th with the annual RoC Sportsman Spring
40. That day will also feature the RoC
Street Stocks along with the 600 c.c. Modified Tour, Four Cylinder Open and
Tommy Boy 20 for Factory Stocks. Racing
will get underway at 4:00 p.m.
The following Sunday, April
13th will see the first of many big dollar Modified shows at the speedway
scheduled for this season. The held over
Race of Champions 2013 Tour finale will take place as a 100 lap event paying
$5,555 to win. The RoC Championship from
last season will be officially settled in the 100 lap battle.
One week later the speedway
will move back to Saturday night racing with the annual Southern Tier Open for
Modifieds. The 40 lap event will pay
$2,500 to win and will allow teams to put on the sail panels in this unique
open competition style event. On
Saturday, April 26th the official point season will start for the Modified
division with yet another high paying event.
The winner of the 30 lap special will earn $2,000 to win on that
evening.
The Modified Spring
Championship will return on Saturday, May 31st at the quarter mile oval. The winner of the 30 lap event will earn
$1,500. The most important event of the
season will take place on Saturday, June 28th with the 50th running of the
Heath Memorial. The race winner on this
evening will earn a minimum of $3,500 but if that driver has perfect attendance
entering the event it will pay a minimum of $5,000. There will also be $50 lap sponsorships
paying the drivers to mark the 50th Heath Memorial.
Eleven days after the Heath
Memorial the Race of Champions Dirt Modified Tour will return for the “Night of
Qualifiers” and another big paying show that will award at least $5,000 to the
race winner. That event is set for
Wednesday, July 9th. Only ten days later the speedway will host the Modified
“Mid-Season” Championship paying $2,000 to win on Saturday, July 19th.
The 2014 Modified Track
Championship will be up for grabs on Saturday, August 30th with a 50 lap
championship paying a minimum of $2,000 to win. The 2014 Track Championships
will be decided as well on this evening.
The first American Racer Cup
Championship Weekend will take center stage on October 10th and 11th at Five
Mile Point Speedway. The Modified 50 lap
event will pay a cool $5,500 to win and an impressive $500 to take the
green. Teams that participate in the
season long American Racer Cup will also be able to cash in all of their free
tire certificates during the day on Saturday as well.
On Saturday, November 1st the
annual Southern Tier 100 will determine the 2014 Race of Champions Tour
title. That event will pay a minimum of
$5,555 to win along with a number of bonuses.
Once again this season the
Five Mile Point Speedway Track Championship will pay $5,000 to win and with the
increased American Racer Cup program money that is likely to grow to nearly
$10,000 for the Modified title.
For more information on the
Five Mile Point Speedway racing season please log on to
www.fivemilepointspeedway.net or phone 607-775-5555. You can also email the offices at
fivemilepoint1@aol.com.
For more information on the
American Racer Cup presented by Sunoco Race Fuels please contact the Race of
Champions offices at 607-775-5555 or by emailing the office at
rocdirt@aol.com. The official American
Racer Cup website can be found at www.dirtmodcup.com. You can contact Lias Tire
directly by phoning (724) 463-0214.
Sometime nicknamed as the
"Mad Russian", Bill Vukovich was born with the given name of Vaso.
This was changed by the time he entered the public school system to William
John. His parents were natives of the Serbian region, and arrived with the
surname Vucurovic, which was legally changed
to Vukurovich, and again changed to Vukovich at the
suggestion of the judge who presided over their naturalization hearing making
them legal citizens of the
Florida Open Wheel articles
by Richard Golardi:
http://www.hoseheads.com/richard.html
To Mario Andretti, IndyCar’s
2014 schedule is “not plausible”
OCFS snow:
By Jeff Lambert
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYubrEgNsDM
http://www.flickr.com/groups/orangecountyfairspeedway/
Keeping OCFS as a subject,
this was found on their website:
Excitements
growing as we approach the opening of the 4th annual OCFS Motorsports Show just
one week away. As an added
incentive for show attendees the promoters have put up an extra $200 for the
winner of the modified race at the Hard Clay Open if the car was entered in
this years Motorsports Show, there is also an extra $100 for the sportsman
winner at the open if they were in the show. This could turn into a even nicer payday if one were to win the $1,000 best of
show award as well as the Hard Clay Open.
This years show has been
altered a bit as we have done away with the scored events portion of the show
and are using a fan vote system to determine the overall winner. This will free
up time for attendees to talk with fans and promote racing and their sponsors.
Divisional winners will still be determined by show judges.
Saturdays portion of the show will include the charity auction
and the ever popular Ms. OCFS Pageant with Sunday hosting the spark plug change
contest and the show closing awards ceremony.
We still have plenty of room
for car entries, all are welcome. Entry forms can be found on the speedways
website, www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net anyone wishing to enter can call the
speedway to pre-register at 845-342-2573 or bring entry form on set-up day
Friday, March 14th
We also have some room left
for vendors and sponsorship opportunities, if you are interested please contact
the speedway office at 845-342-2573
Don't miss out on one of the
best car shows of the year. Be sure to stop by and get more info on the
upcoming Hard Clay Open, the new Motocross track, as well as schedules for all
of the areas local tracks.
Along with this:
OCFS will be part of this
CRSA Mini Series
A new "mini-series"
was formed, thanks to CRSA member, Ed Newhauser. Ed's business, E&H
Services LLC (a crating and relocation company), has stepped up to sponsor the
"Southern Tier Challenge". This series will collect points for those
drivers who compete at the three tracks along the southern border of NYS. These
tracks include: Five Mile Point
The Southern Tier Challenge
will now join the Algonkin Motel Challenge and the Northway-90 Challenge to
form three regions making up the CRSA Sprint Car Tour. Three regional champions
along with the final Tour Champion will crowned at our, now famous, season
ending banquet along with the many others receiving awards.
If there are any sponsors who
want to "pad the purse" in a certain region, feel free to contact me
at any time and we'll make it happen.
We want to thank the Algonkin
Motel, Kennedy Towing of Troy, and E&H Services for forming these
mini-series and helping to make the CRSA Sprint Car Tour a fun and exciting
place to race!
A special thanks to our contingency sponsors: Kreitz Oval Track
Parts, Magsarus, Kelly Racing Fuels, Ingles Performance, Bob Hilbert
Sportswear, Lias Tire/ American Racer Tire, G.Piovoda and Sons Construction and
Dirt Track Girl.
Some info about Hinchliffe
Stadium in
Upcoming...the NATIONAL PARK
SERVICE's official declaration of Hinchliffe Stadium as a National Landmark:
Wednesday, April 16, 2014!
Put that date on your calendar and figure out a way YOU can be there! This
special star-studded celebration marks a major step toward bringing our great
"cathedral" back: out of the first phase of work (clean-up and
conditions assessment) and into the next--stabilization and a pilot
restoration. AND April 16 has a great vibe: It's the second day of the baseball
season AND the day after Jackie Robinson day. So we get to celebrate the first
racial breakthrough in American Baseball, then take the party to another level
and score one for the undersung SECOND breakthrough, when Larry Doby of
Paterson--barely weeks after Robinson in 1947--made it into the American
League! Have some art projects and creative ideas for this April 16
celebration? Let us know! Spread the word!
Note: It’s been requested that some race cars also
be in attendance, along with anyone that has actually attended some of the
racing events at the stadium. I’m hoping
for more info on this – such as times.
Keeping the Hinchliffe
Stadium as a topic:
On Monday I was talking to
Keith Majka about the stadium. He
informed me that midgets raced at Hinchliffe prior to what Crocky Wright has in
his book about Hinchliffe – with results from 1939. Seems they had midgets race there a few years
prior to 1939. I went to my “Speed
Freaks” website, but could not find any results from the stadium. I did find quite a few from other tracks here
in the northeast, however, like these, below:
3rd September 1932
AAA Eastern big cars
Hyde Park,
5th September 1932
50 laps
1 Mauri Rose
AAA Eastern big cars
17th September 1932
20 laps
1 2 Fred Frame
AAA Eastern big cars
8th October 1932
AAA Eastern big cars
9th September 1933
15 miles
1 Fred Frame Frame
2 Sid Gerber
3 Floyd Marshall
4 Hank Gritzbach
5 Otto Burdick
Hankinson circuit
14th October 1934
1 2 Johnny Hannon
AAA Eastern big cars
15th May 1935
15 laps – Feature
1 Bill Holmes
2 Mickey Lowack
3 George Krantz
National Midget Auto Racing
races
7th July 1935
Feature
1 Bill Schindler
2 Bill Holmes
3 George Villa
Midget
races.
Note: I do not think that George Villa was a
misspelled name for George Viola (Rice).
A video about Danica:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9Pt5D9QoB20
Rolling Wheels sold, running
every other week on Sunday starting 4/27
Note: As of Sunday night, March 9th,
this thread was up to page # 7. It was
started on March 8th. As of
Wednesday, it was up to 17 pages.
Someone mentioned a record number of “views” and postings in just 4
days.
Post # 305:
“all
time record 304 reply and 33 thousand views in just 4 days”
What?
No start & parks at Vegas in Cup race? Only one car dropped out and that was due to
engine failure, so it says.
http://www.jayski.com/stats/2014/pdfs/03lvms2014results.pdf
NASCAR Penalizes Three
Nationwide Teams
Former
OVRP Dirt Oval runners:
As seen in this weeks
AARN, Danny Creeden will be running at OCFS this year in both the modified and
small blocks. He’s the defending small
block champion at the track.
The Sherlock brothers have purchased a
sprint car – hmm, for Billy V?
Timmy Hindley is giving some serious
thought about running at Accord on Friday nights.
Any idea as to just how many former Dirt
Oval runners raced at OCFS last year?
In the modifieds, there were 10. Tim Hindley was the track champion.
In the small blocks, there were 7. Danny Creeden was the track champion.
In the sportsman, there were 14. Brian Krummel was the track champion, while
Anthony Perrego was 2nd, LJ Lombardo 3rd and Joe Conklin
4th in points.
Race track schedules:
OCFS
– from their Facebook page:
ATTENTION RACE TEAMS AND
FANS: Opening Night for the 2014 Point Season has been pushed back to Saturday,
April 12th. The Open Practice has been moved to Saturday, April 5th from
12-5pm. Keep an eye on the OCFS Schedule for any additional changes.
Note: A seen in the photos and video taken by Jeff
Lambert, the entire track was still covered with a reported several feet of
snow (ice?) as of last Saturday. Areas
that were plowed for parking for the banquet, reportedly, were “muddy”.
New Egypt Speedway has seen
fit to cancel its “March Madness Meltdown” that was scheduled for March 1st,
then March 8th. A photo in
the AARN shows some new guard rails being installed and also some new
“banking”. Hmm, hope that “banking” gets
a chance to settle and get mixed with the previous track surface.
From
Jayski:
Changes to Indy 500
qualifying will impact Busch:
The new qualifying format for
the
It makes life a little more
difficult for NASCAR driver Kurt Busch, who will attempt to become the first
driver in 10 years to run both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same
day. Busch will now have to qualify in Indianapolis on Saturday, fly to
Charlotte, N.C., for NASCAR's All-Star race that evening, then return to
Indianapolis to determine his starting spot in Sunday's qualifying session.
Under the old format, had Busch locked himself into the field on Saturday, he
would not have necessarily have needed to return to
Drivers say qualifying format
creates dangers:
NASCAR's new knockout
qualifying format has been universally hailed as more exciting and interesting
than the old single-car system. But for the second week in a row, drivers also
said it's extremely dangerous. Since the only legal way for teams to cool their
cars is to drive slowly around the track, there's a dramatic speed difference
between drivers making qualifying runs and those driving as if they're in a
construction zone.
"Riding around the
bottom - we've got to do it, it's the only way to keep the engine cool - but
that has got to be the most dangerous thing I've ever done in racing,"
#55-Brian Vickers said after Friday's session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
"(#36-Reed Sorenson) went by me at 170 mph faster than I was going. Had he
slipped or hit me, I'd be done. It would be so bad."
Teams need to cool their
engines between attempts at fast laps in order to keep their cars from
overheating. Teams are not allowed to cool their cars on pit road in between
runs because it would require opening the hood to attach a cooling box. NASCAR
does not want teams to make adjustments on pit road during the knockout
sessions and since policing every open hood would be difficult, it is not
permitted. As a result, the disparity in speed created some dicey situations -
several of which occurred again Friday.
#15-Clint Bowyer, who
qualified third, said he nearly collided with #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. during one
run and called for a change due to the "dangerous" difference in
speed. "We've got to stop that," he said. "...I about smoked
him. That's not the guy you want to hit at a 140 mph deficit. (A collision is)
going to hurt me and it might hurt Dale Jr., and that would be bad for
business."
#1-Jamie McMurray, who was
among the drivers to raise the safety issue at Phoenix, said he texted NASCAR
Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton a few days ago and was told,
"Let's give it a couple weeks and just see what plays out." [NASCAR
spokesman Kerry] Tharp echoed that sentiment in a statement to
UPDATE:
NASCAR officials say they
don't expect to make any changes to the new qualifying process before NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series teams arrive in
Memorial planned for Dick
Trickle:
Kyle Busch would also like to
try the double someday:
Someday in the future,
#18-Kyle Busch would love to emulate his older brother's attempt to run the
Note: Some thoughts on this from the Track Forum:
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?184010-Kyle-Busch-Would-Like-To-Someday-(SIAP)
NASCAR involved in new online
network:
A new online-only network
that will focus on some of NASCAR's lower-tier series, as well as similar
series in sports car and motorcycle racing, will make its debut this Wednesday,
March 12. FANSCHOICE.TV, whose motto is "My Series, My Track, My
Choice," is partly owned by NASCAR and will feature live streaming of
racing on the K&N Pro Series and Modifieds from across the country, as well
as AMA Pro motorcycle racing and various sports car series. Right now,
programming on the new website will be free for viewers, supported by
advertising and sponsorship dollars. It will only be available online, although
one has to wonder if it takes off the way its backers hope, whether it will
eventually wind up on TV and be part of a subscription package.(NBC Sports)(3-9-2014)
Final
Though the numbers were not
bad, last week's NASCAR race from
NASCAR to allow cooldown
units during qualifying:
NASCAR notified its teams
this afternoon that effective immediately the following modifications apply to
all elements of its national series qualifying including the breaks:
" One cool down unit connected through either the left side
or right side hood flap/cowl flap is allowed to cool the engine
" The hood must continue to remain closed
"
Plugging in the generator will not
be allowed
" Two crew members will be allowed over the wall to support
the car and driver
" No cool down laps will be permitted
NASCAR instituted a new group
qualifying format for its three national series in January and has continued to
evaluate the process through the first three races of the season. The new
format has been well-received by fans, competitors, race tracks and other key
stakeholders. NASCAR believes that the modifications announced today should
help make the qualifying even better and more compelling.
"The qualifying is new
to all of us and as we have said over the past several weeks, we are looking at
it from all aspects," said Robin Pemberton, vice president of competition
and racing development. "Following discussions, both internally and with
others in the garage area, we moved quickly to make a few revisions that will
be effective starting with our two national series events at Bristol Motor
Speedway this weekend. We believe this will only enhance and improve what has
demonstrated to be an exciting form of qualifying for our fans, competitors and
others involved with the sport. Moving forward we will continue to look at it
and address anything else that we may need to as the season
unfolds."(NASCAR)(3-11-2014)
From
Track Forum:
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/forum.php
IndyCar wants Indy speed
record beaten: RACER magazine
When Even the Chosen Few Are
Priced Out - Indycar racing, that is:
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?184017-When-Even-the-Chosen-Few-Are-Priced-Out
http://sopwithmotorsports.com/blog/indycar/item/251-indycar-even-the-chosen-few-are-priced-out.html
In part – from Conor Daly:
“I have no money. No one's
willing to support me. The Indycar teams all need money. I missed all of the
opportunities at the seats that were funded. And I've been at this every day
for the last three months. There's just no interest in the numbers that are
thrown out there. For [one of the full-time seats], I needed around $2.5
million, probably $3 million to just get in the game, and I could raise maybe
$600,000. And that's all through people who have already supported me. No
companies want to support it. It's a sad state."
Note: Uh huh!
It isn’t only NASCAR drivers that need sponsors to keep themselves on
the track, as was mentioned a few columns back.
It’s a sad state of affairs!
Good article about changes
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?184076-Good-article-about-changes
Drivers complaining about
qualifying format
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?184049-Drivers-complaining-about-qualifying-format
The beginning of the IRL:
Twenty years ago today
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?184066-Twenty-years-ago-today
From
the AARN:
This Week
In AARN
Unknown Mike Laguzzo
Is New Rolling Wheels
Raceway Owner
Legion
To Align With DIRTcar
Keith Hoffman Expands
Personal Racing Schedule
Still A
‘Go’;
New
Drivers’ Group Leases,
Revives Dog Hollow
Northerner Andy Seuss
Takes NASCAR Southern Mod
Tour
Season Opener
Daniel Hemric Goes
Two For
Two
On P.A.S.S. South Circuit
McMahan, Schatz,
Sweet Claim West Coast
WoO Sprint Features
To Run Track
As Not-For-Profit Charity
Banquet Circuit Winds Down;
OCFS, PPMS,
Among Later Celebrants
Ernie Saxton:
Ernie makes mention of the
race at
Chris Pook is mentioned as
being "involved" with the Long Beach F-1 event. Ernie questions about the proposed F-1 race
for northern
Ernie said he had a request
from someone on Facebook to be his "friend". The person already had 4,500 friends. Ernie
did not think that person would miss him so he decided against it. Ernie also voiced his thoughts about how the
drivers cut under the yellow line at
(So do I).
A drivers group has leased
the Dog Hollow Speedway in PA.
DIRTcar has branched out to
Vermont & New Hampshire now, coming to a sanctioning agreement with both
Bear Ridge in
Clinton County Speedway will
now have a new name - "Racing For Heroes
Raceway" - a not for profit entity.
Don & Jo Ann Davies:
It was said that the food for
the OCFS banquet was actually prepared at the Lebanon Valley Speedway, and
shipped down to OC.
Brett Deyo:
His column this week was
basically about Danny Creeden and his return to OCFS, and Brett Hearn and his
thoughts on the Hard Clay Open. If Brett
were to win that race, it would be his 300th win at OCFS.
Steve Barrick had a small
write up about Frankie Schneider, who's now 87, and his health issues, along
with a little about his racing career.
Frankie's first race in 1947 at Flemington was in a car he drove to the track, and back home after the races. He was injured only once - at
Steve also had an article
about Diesel fuel and racing. One
interesting part was about Andrew Harpell. 5 Mile Point promoter. He, for a while, got his fuel in nearby
PA. But a new state levy made it more
expensive than NY. Harpell reduces his
cost by qualifying for abatements as an off road fuel consumer - similar to a
farmer. That saves him $3,500.00 a year.
He also transports his own fuel.
In an article about the OCFS
banquet, the very last sentences had this:
Weather permitting, the Hard Clay Open is set for March 23. a decision will
likely be made this week.
Deb Smith:
Deb tells us that defending
ARDC champion Trevor Kobylarz will also be hoping to be behind the wheel of a
sprint car when the USAC Eastern Storm racing events take place.
John Snyder:
In this weeks column, John
makes mention that after only three Cup races, four drivers, Dale Earnhardt,
jr., Keselowski, Gordon and Hamlin have made ofer one million dollars. Of the 51 drivers tha thave raced inat least
one Cup race this year, 32 have winnings over $500,000.00. In comparison, in 1979, Darrell Waltrip was
the first driver to hit $500,000.00 in race winnings. That took him seven races. Richard Petty, in his 35 years and 1,184
races only had one season where he earned $500,000.00.
Bill Utter:
Bill informs us that Gary
Edwards, Jr. will be moving up to the Modifieds in 2014 at OCFS. The Sherlock team has five TEO's ready for
2014 and another one on order.
Newsmaker of the Week, Mike Laguzzo ...
If the name Mike Laguzzo is
not familiar to readers of Area Auto Racing news, it shouldn’t be - yet.
After months of rumors,
Laguzzo has purchased Rolling Wheels Raceway from World Racing Group.
Laguzzo’s credentials are
scant. He is a race fan, a truck driver
by profession. He first tried to buy Utica Rome Speedway but was rebuffed. He
freely admits he has no background in the promotion of car racing.
Laguzzo plans to keep Rolling
Wheels under the WRG umbrella, has plans for mega-purse races and to expand
Rollling Wheels’
limited schedule to a more full fledged one.
A complete unknown a week
ago, Laguzzo has emerged as a potential major player in the crowded
If for nothing more than
bravado alone, Mike Laguzzo is Area Auto Racing News’ Newsmaker Of The Week for March 11, 2014.
Quiz:
Who is this? He's the only driver in history to win an
Indy Car race, a NASCAR race, and a NHRA Top Fuel Final.
You’ll find the answer
further down in this weeks column.
Press releases:
Borgers Meeting This Saturday
March 15.
Borgers PR
Media Contact
Bob Snyder
bobsnyderphoto@enter.net
Borgers
Information and Rules Meeting Saturday March 15.
An
information and rules meeting will
be held this Saturday March 15 starting at 2:00 p.m. at the Borgers Speedway
garage. All plans for the 2014 racing
season will be discussed and any rules changes that have been made.
2014 promises to be a “Break Through Season” at Borgers Speedway with many exciting
events and improvements to the speedway.
Glenn Borger, Brendan O’Connor, Jimmy Silfee, and Bob Snyder are
committed to bring the best possible racing experience to the drivers, owners,
crew members, and racefans.
We will make every effort
possible for a March 22 practice day and then a decision will be made if there
will be another practice day or schedule the season opener for March 29.
General Manager Brendan
O’Connor, “everything depends on the weather.
Most of the snow is off the track and the snow in the infield should be
melted in time. Our main concern now is
the grandstand parking area which is still covered by a foot of snow. Once the snow melts it will be a matter of
the grounds drying to allow parking.”
Promoter Bob Snyder, “we will
be watching the situation closely and will make a decision by Thursday March 20
if we are go for the Saturday practice.”
Pit spots will be on sale at
the rules meeting at $100 for long trailers and $75 for short trailers and
pickup trucks. People who bought pit
spots last season will have first preference at their old spot.
The response and comments we
received at Motorsports and the Phillipsburg Mall Dirt Track Heroes Show has
been overwhelming and Borgers Speedway is on the “Fast Track” to make things
happen in 2014.
Note: Hmm, remember when pit areas were free? Any idea as to what track/tracks started
charging for them?
I get emails – racing related:
Well, I imagine it could be
racing related if you’re traveling on I-84 in PA to a race?
An email from my daughter,
Judy, about I-84 in PA:
Ripping Up and Replacing an
Entire Interstate
http://wnep.com/2014/03/10/ripping-up-and-replacing-an-entire-interstate/
Found on the Internet – racing related:
From DTD’s forum on 3/8:
Excitements
growing as we approach the opening of the 4th annual OCFS Motorsports Show just
one week away. As an added
incentive for show attendees the promoters have put up an extra $200 for the
winner of the modified race at the Hard Clay Open if the car was entered in
this years Motorsports Show, there is also an extra $100 for the sportsman
winner at the open if they were in the show. This could turn into a even nicer payday if one were to win the $1,000 best of
show award as well as the Hard Clay Open.
This years show has been
altered a bit as we have done away with the scored events portion of the show
and are using a fan vote system to determine the overall winner. This will free
up time for attendees to talk with fans and promote racing and their sponsors.
Divisional winners will still be determined by show judges.
Saturdays portion of the show will include the charity auction
and the ever popular Ms. OCFS Pageant with Sunday hosting the spark plug change
contest and the show closing awards ceremony.
We still have plenty of room
for car entries, all are welcome. Entry forms can be found on the speedways
website, www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net anyone wishing to enter can call the
speedway to pre-register at 845-342-2573 or bring entry form on set-up day
Friday, March 14th
We also have some room left
for vendors and sponsorship opportunities, if you are interested please contact
the speedway office at 845-342-2573
Don't miss out on one of the
best car shows of the year. Be sure to stop by and get more info on the
upcoming Hard Clay Open, the new Motocross track, as well as schedules for all
of the areas local tracks.
And this, too, on the DTD
forum – posted, in part, in the Rolling Wheels thread:
“In my opinion,
the real statement to be made here is that the sport of short track racing
(i.e. - Modifieds, Sprints, LM, etc...) in general has evolved into a rich
man's hobby that has for all intents and purposes driven an average Joe back to
the couch. And when
the car counts dwindle, the number of tracks that can feasibly run on the same
night, against each other, with full fields of cars drops dramatically as
well.”
Kwasniewski signs development
deal with Ganassi
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/kwasniewski-signs-development-deal-ganassi-204105024--nascar.html
ELEGY OF A RACE CAR DRIVER -
DICK TRICKLE
Jeremy Markovich July 30,
2013
Just one little part:
"Sometime after 10:30 on
a Thursday morning in May, after he'd had his cup of coffee, Dick Trickle snuck
out of the house. His wife didn't see him go. He eased his 20-year-old Ford
pickup out on the road and headed toward
"Uh, the Forest Lawn,
uh, Cemetery on 150," he said, his voice calm. The dispatcher asked for
his name. He didn't give it.
"On the backside of it,
on the back by a ‘93 pickup, there's gonna be a dead body," he said.
"OK," the woman
said, deadpan.
"Suicide," he said.
"Suicide."
"Are you there?"
"I'm the one."
"OK, listen to me, sir,
listen to me."
"Yes, it'll be 150,
"OK, sir, sir, let me
get some help to you."
Click.
The funeral was four days
later."
Found on Facebook - racing related:
On 3/11:
With the racing season soon
to start, gas prices have gone up 22 cents in the last month. Give us a break,
already!
Schumacher showing
"encouraging signs:
In part:
"Michael
Schumacher is showing "small, encouraging signs" in hospital two and
a half months after his devastating skiing accident, his management staff
reports.
The seven-time Formula 1
world champion has been in a coma in a
On Wednesday morning his
manager Sabine Kehm released a further statement saying that there was some
cause for encouragement.
"We are and remain
confident that Michael will pull through and wake up," she said.
"There are small, encouraging signs, but we also know that this is the
time to be very patient."
http://www.racer.com/index.php/latest-stories/item/101782-schumacher-showing-encouraging-signs
Going back, in time to March 13th, in:
MARCH 13
1947
Lyn St. James... Born ... (born
Sandra Lynn Eden) A retired professional IndyCar driver with 11 CART and 5 Indy
Racing League starts to her name. She is just one of five women who
successfully qualified for the
1951
Wally Parks, Ak Miller and
Marvin Lee create the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) in a booth in the
Tam-O-Shanter restaurant in
1987
Marco Andretti... Born ... He
is the son of 1991 IndyCar World Series champion Michael Andretti and the
grandson of racing legend Mario Andretti. Andretti finished second in the 2006
1993
Gene Hartley... Died ... AAA / USAC driver from the 1950's and 60's. Gene
was the 1959 USAC National Midget Series champion. Hartley was inducted in the
National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1985. He ran the Indy 500 ten times
with a best finish of 10th in 1957.
2002
Bayliss Levrett... Died ...
AAA driver from 1949 to 1952
Going back, in time to other March dates:
MARCH 10
1905
Mark Billman... Born ... AAA racer 1930's. He was fatally injured in the
1933 Indy 500.
1913
Rex Mays... Born ... AAA driver from the 1930's and 40's. He was
inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of
1959
Mike Wallace... Born ... NASCAR race car driver. He is a younger brother to
Rusty Wallace, older brother to Kenny Wallace, and uncle to Steve Wallace.
1989
Danny Johnson won the
DIRT-DIRT South Civil War Modified Stock Car race at the Devil's Bowl Speedway ,
Race report: http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/report/3_10_89-1.html
Note: No Brett Hearn?
MARCH 11
1927
Dempsey Wilson... Born ... USAC driver from the 1950's and 60's.
1929
Henry Seagrave drove his
Irving-Napier to a new One Mile Speed Record of 231.446 mph at
1930
Troy Ruttman... Born ... AAA / USAC driver from the late 1940's to 1964. He
raced in 12 Indy 500's and won in 1952. He was the older brother of NASCAR
driver Joe Ruttman.
1951
Derek Daly... Born ...
Formula One and CART driver from the 1970's and 80's
1956
Joe Gosek... Born ... He was
a super-modified racecar driver. He also raced in the 1996
1958
Eddie Lawson... Born ... A former four-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World
Champion. After finishing his motorcycle career, Lawson pursued a career
in four wheeled motorsport racing in the
1977
John Calla... Born ... Founder of racing website wheelsofspeed.com. (where I get this info from)
1979
Gordon Johncock won the first
ever CART sanctioned Indy Car race, the 'Jimmy Bryan 150' at Phoenix
International Raceway. Bobby Unser led until Danny Ongais took over on lap 87.
Ongais had a 20 second lead and had lapped all but four cars before a long pit
stop under green on lap 119 dropped him to 5th. Johncock took over as Ongais
closed quickly before blowing the motor in the Interscope Special 10 laps
later. Rick Mears finished second and Johnny Rutherford third. Johncock was
driving the Patrick Racing Penske PC6...the first time that a Penske fielded by
another team had beaten Penske's own entries.
A.J. Foyt won the 'Aggieland
250' USAC Stock Car race at Texas World Speedway. Foyt, driving a Chevrolet
Camaro, took the checkered just under 3 seconds ahead of Freddy Fryar's Camaro.
Among others in the 34 car field: Janet Guthrie and short track open wheel star
Tom Bigelow in Armstrong Camaros and Neil Bonnett substituting for Bobby
Allison in an AMC Matador (Allison was at Richmond for a NASCAR GN race).
Note: I’m somewhat surprised that AJ was not in
that first CART race.
1992
Norm Hall... Died ... He
drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1961, 1964, and 1965
seasons.
1995
Dick Fraizer... Died ... AAA
/ USAC driver 1949 to 1956
Tony George announces the
formation of the Indy Racing League.
MARCH 12
1882
Erwin George "Cannon
Ball" Baker... Born ... He was a motorcycle and automobile racing driver
and organizer in the first half of the 20th century. In 1908, Baker purchased
an Indian motorcycle and began entering and winning local races. His most
famous victory came in 1909 at the first race ever held at the newly built
Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
1915
Robert "Red"
Byron... Born ... He was a NASCAR driver who was successful in the sanctioning
body's first years. He was NASCAR's first Modified champion (and its first
champion in any division) in 1948 and its first Strictly Stock (predecessor to
NEXTEL Cup) champion in 1949.
1938
Johnny
Rutherford ... Born ... USAC / CART driver from the 1960's to 1992. He raced in 24 Indy 500's and Texas-raised
"Lonestar J.R." won the prestigious 500 mile race three times: in
1974, 1976, and 1980. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall
of Fame in 1996, the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1995 and the
Motorsports Hall of Fame of
1963
John Andretti... Born ... One
of the most versatile race car drivers in American history, winning in Indy
car, NHRA Top Fuel Dragsters, endurance racing and NASCAR racing. John is the
son of Aldo Andretti.
Note: There’s the answer to this weeks quiz!
1978
Casey Mears... Born ... USAC / CART/ IRL and NASCAR driver. He is the
nephew of four time
Ed "Dutch"
Schaefer... Died ... Eastern midget racer from the 1940's to the 1970's. Remembered as the man who saved the ARDC from extinction.
Schaefer was elected President of the oldest midget racing club in the East in
1952. Near the point of extinction, Dutch managed to hold together a small
group of devoted ARDC car owners and drivers, and brought the club and midget
racing on the East Coast, back into the limelight.
1995
Rick Muther... Died ... USAC / CART driver from the 1960's & 1970's.
MARCH 14
1914
Lee Petty... Born ... Was an
American stock car driver in the 1950s and 60s. He was one of the pioneers of
NASCAR, and one of its first superstars. He is the father of Richard Petty, who
would become NASCAR's all-time race winner. With sons Richard and Maurice, he
founded Petty Enterprises, which became NASCAR's most successful racing team.
1940
Bill Simpson ... Born ... A
retired American racecar driver, but is best known as a pioneer in the racing
safety business with his company Simpson Performance Products. In 2003, he was
inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of
MARCH 15
1926
Bob Mathouser ... Born ...
Drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1961-1966 seasons.
1927
Al Herman... Born ...ARDC,
AAA /USAC driver from the 1950's and 60's
MARCH 16
1896
Louis Unser... Born ... Race Car Driver. "Uncle Louie" Unser was
a nine time winner of the Pikes Peak Hillclimb (1934,36,37,38,39,41,
46,47,53).
1947
Billy Stavola... Born ...
Along with his brother Mickey co-owned Stavola Brothers Racing.
1950
Dick Ferguson... Born ...
Former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1979-1985
and 1987-1988 seasons.
1967
Andy Granatelli's
turbine-powered Indycar is unveiled to the press.
MARCH 17
1910
Ralph Pratt... Born ... AAA driver from the 1940's and 50's. Inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1998.
1929
Tom Pistone... Born ...
NASCAR driver from the 1950's and 60's
1933
Dee Jones... Born ... USAC
driver from the 1960's and 70's
MARCH 18
1923
Andy Granatelli... Born ...
The entrepreneur of STP oil and gasoline treatment products and along with his
brothers Vince and Joe fielded Indy cars from the 1960's until 1991. He clad
his pit crews in white coveralls with the oval STP logo scattered all over
them, and once wore a suit jacket with the same STP-laden design. His cars
became a significant presence at the
1937
Mark Donohue... Born ...
Known for his ability to set up his own race car and drive it consistently on
the absolute limit. Donohue is probably best-known as the driver of the 1500+
bhp “Can-Am Killer” Porsche 917-30, and as winner of the 1972
1942
Jochen Rindt ... Born ... F1
World Champion
This weeks photo:
Note: Photo not available on DTD. Can be seen here: http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/
Any idea as to who the driver
is in the # 38, above? Any idea as to
what kind of engine is in that car?
Racing videos:
How about the Indycar race
from Pocono, last year?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSweJ3Oji8A
Some non-racing stuff:
Exclusive: Chinese raw
materials also found on U.S. B-1 bomber, F-16 jets
http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-chinese-raw-materials-found-u-b-1-232750512--sector.html
New Chinese Satellite
Pictures May Show Missing
Found on the Internet – not racing related:
Justice Dept.: At Least 35% Of People Eligible For Obamacare's Medicaid Expansion Have
Criminal Histories
Really?
In part:
"Oh sure, the Tesla
Model S may be the "best car sold in America" per Consumer Reports,
and it may be a Wall Street darling and perhaps the only electric vehicles for
which demand exceeds supply. But that didn't stop regulators in
Time Warner Cable is raising
your monthly rate again
Speaking of TV viewing – I
hope none of your favorite shows make the cut list!
Several Shows on the Verge of
Cancellation as Networks Make Plans for Fall
http://tv.yahoo.com/news/several-shows-verge-cancellation-networks-plans-fall-170038587.html
Obama to Bypass Congress and
Give Workers Better Pay
Honor student who sued
parents returns home
http://news.yahoo.com/honor-student-sued-parents-returns-home-151953137.html
Found on Facebook – not racing related:
On 3/11:
Legalizing 11 million illegal
aliens would be bad for the 20 million jobless Americans. Don't you agree
Congress should start putting Americans FIRST?
This is the country that
built the
"Oh, NO.. we can build a fence. The feds
don't want one! They have been doing all they could to impede any efforts to
STOP illegal immigration. Next, they will hire buses to go into
On 3/12:
In 2014, members of congress
will only work 113 days. They’ll make
$174,000.00 plus benefits and expenses paid for by the taxpayers.
In 2014, nearly half of all
Americans will make less than $25,000.00, often without benefits, all the while
working more than twice the number of days that congress will.
How could someone dead since
2008 vote in a 2010 election?
I want a Supreme Court that
upholds our constitution.
If we were really supposed to
give up alcohol for Lent, they wouldn’t have put St. Patrick’s Day in the
middle of it.
Get at least eight hours of
beauty sleep. Nine if you’re ugly!
I get emails – not racing related:
I’d say this video tells it
all.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/BNRT0P-oZfw#t=398
Music videos:
Tribute to George Jones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v3Mb-y6zvE
Joke
of the week:
A man was telling his buddy:
"You won't believe what
happened last night... My daughter walked into the
living room and said, 'Dad, cancel my allowance immediately,
forget my
college tuition loan, rent my room out, throw all my clothes
out the window;
take my TV, and my laptop. Please take any of my jewelry
to the Salvation
Army or
Cash Converters.
Then, sell my car, take my front door key away
From me and throw me out of
the house. Then, disown me and never talk to me
again. And don't forget to write me out of your will and
leave my share to any charity
you choose.' "
"Holy Smokes,"
replied the friend, "she actually said that?"
"Well, she didn't put it
quite like that, she actually said:
'Dad, meet my new boyfriend -
Mohammed. We're going to work together on
Hillary's
election campaign!' "
Please don’t forget:
No, I will not vote for Hillary. She is an evil woman!
Until the next column – NEXT WEEK!!!
I can be reached, via e-mail, at: ygordad@yahoo.com