Mostly
Racin' Stuff
By Tom
Avenengo
03/27/2014
Special
note:
There will be no column next week, since
we’ll be returning back to the “frigid country”.
Some
personal/family stuff:
Ok, where to start? The wife now has “four eyes” and she was able
to read some fine print. She’s quite
happy now!
Around 1:00 in the afternoon, this past
Sunday, we got a phone call from our son, Eric.
He, and our former son-in-law, Lou, were “opening” our house back up in
advance of our returning home. There was
a slight problem. It seems a fitting on
a pipe that went upstairs came apart. It
was discovered pretty quickly once they had turned the water on. The fitting was put back onto the pipe, then
it was discovered that the fitting was cracked.
Thank God that the water had been shut off! If we had left the heat on, there would not
have been the need to shut the water off, so who knows?
We’ll be leaving Cape Coral next Tuesday,
and will head to my sisters in
More for your health hints:
While down here in
Acesulfame Potassium (K) was
approved for use by the FDA as a safe artificial sweetener in July, l988. It is
a derivative of acetoacetic acid. Unfortunately, several potential problems
associated with the use of acesulfame have been raised. They are based largely
on animal studies since testing on humans remains limited. The findings showed
the following:
Acesulfame K stimulates
insulin secretion in a dose dependent fashion thereby possibly aggravating
reactive hypoglycemia ("low blood sugar attacks").
Acesulfame K apparently
produced lung tumors, breast tumors, rare types of
tumors of other organs (such as the thymus gland), several forms of leukemia
and chronic respiratory disease in several rodent studies, even when less than
maximum doses were given. According to the Center for Science in the Public
Interest, it was petitioned on August 29, l988 for a stay of approval by the
FDA because of "significant doubt" about its safety.
Some
things I’ve noticed here in the
As mentioned previously, the foliage is so
different down here. What looks like a
huge tree that goes from the ground up, is actually many smaller trees. And, some of the “bushes” are also quite
huge. Check out my photo section for a
photo of what is not one tree, but many.
Something I neglected to mention previously, is that there is an abundance of self storage
places down here where we’ve been since last November. The reason is that a high percentage of the
homes down here do not have basements.
And, as I’ve driven past some homes – homes that might have their garage
doors open, heh, heh, their garages have more stuff in them than I have in
mine, back home.
Down here I notice that there are more
people coming out of the stores pushing a shopping cart that has only one or
two small bags in it, the I’ve seen back home.
Not only older folks, either.
Racin’
stuff:
While having my cup of coffee on Sunday
AM, I looked through the March 11th issue of the AARN. I found an ad for racing fuel. I’ll not mention the name of who had the ad,
suffice to say it had a
Anyone have any idea why this gas cost so
much? How many race teams are forced to
buy Sunoco gas? Just who is getting rich
at the race teams expense, anyway?
Fonda cancels for April 5
Per the
track's Facebook page.
IndyCar Ups The Ante For 500-Mile Races
http://www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/indy/izod-indycar/indycar-ups-the-ante-for-500-mile-races/
EXCLUSIVE: NASCAR plotting
horsepower reduction for 2015
Stunt driver who portrayed
Niki Lauda in ‘Rush’ killed in car accident
Fans who parked in free lot
at
In part: "Fans who parked for free in a Las Vegas
Motor Speedway parking lot during Sunday's Sprint Cup race were forced to wait
to leave until after fans in a paid parking lot left.
A man who wrote a letter to
the speedway and local public officials was irate at what happened. He says
that speedway parking attendants as well as Las Vegas Police and Nevada Highway
Patrol officers prevented fans, including himself, from leaving until those who
paid $59 to park had left.”
NASCAR qualifying is nothing
compared to Mint 400 off-road race; just ask Robby Gordon
IndyCar-Verizon pact should be
viewed with cautious optimism
I picked this little tid-bit
over on the DTD Forum:
“I think it's going to be a
tough year for the RoC tour, There are over 20 drivers signed up to follow the
Short Track Super Series, and over 20 drivers under contract to follow this
year's Super DIRTcar Series, and unfortunately I've only heard of 5 drivers
that had plans to follow the RoC Tour, and one of those wasn't even in
attendance yesterday.
That might not be a bad
thing, though. I really enjoyed the RoC Dirt Tour when it first started,
because it was a completely different group of guys that followed that tour as
opposed to anything else. Higbie, Colsten, Strada, Kinney,
Note: It should prove to be interesting as far as
the RoC dirt races go.
Some might find it hard to
believe, but I’ve only been to the Williams Grove Speedway one time, and that
was in 1951 for the Ted Horn Memorial race.
Later on, it became the Ted Horn/Bill Schindler Memorial race, from 1953
to 1974.
A list of all the Williams
Grove “Sweepstakes” race winners:
http://www.williamsgrove.com/winnerssweepstakes.htm
Lynda Petty, wife of 7-time
NASCAR champ Richard, passes away
In part: "Lynda Petty, the wife of seven-time
NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Richard Petty and mother of a group of four children
that includes former Cup driver and current NBCSN contributor Kyle Petty, has
passed away at the age of 72.
The ‘First Lady of NASCAR’
was diagnosed with central nervous system lymphoma in 2010 and underwent
treatments at
And this, found on Jayski:
Sad News - Lynda Petty: Lynda
Gayle Owens Petty, 72, one of the first women of NASCAR and its most beloved
wife, mother and friend, passed away peacefully at her home in Level Cross,
Affectionately known as
"Mrs. Lynda" to so many, Lynda Petty set a standard for being a
loving, supportive and, when needed, an authoritative wife and mother. She also
set the benchmark for being a leader in her local community while raising a
family in the fast-growing sport of stock car racing.
It was with strong will that
Petty fought cancer over the past several years. It was the same determination
that led her to make a difference as a Red Cross volunteer, a school volunteer,
the president of the athletic booster club and a Girl and Boy Scout leader in
her lifetime. She also served on the Randolph County School Board for 16 years
and was on the board of the Randolph County Hospice.
Lynda helped start the Racing
Wives Auxiliary and will always be remembered as the wife to Richard Petty.
Their steadfast love endured trials that only a marriage of over 50 years can.
Through triumph and heartache, Lynda Petty was the castle that supported a king
in private and public moments.
Lynda is proceeded by
grandson Adam K. Petty and is survived by her loving husband Richard; son, Kyle
and daughters Sharon and husband Terry Farlow; Lisa and husband Charlie Luck;
Rebecca and husband Brian Moffitt. In addition, she is survived by
grandchildren Austin Petty and wife Sarah; Hannah and husband Brad Leonard;
Montgomery and husband Randy Schlappi; Maggie and Kyle Farlow; Richard, Sarah
and Margaret Luck; Helen, Thad and Harrison Moffitt, and great grandchildren
Sullivan Mae Schlappi and Adam Christopher Stonewall Petty.
A private memorial service
for family and friends will be held at
Petty Family Foundation
A public memorial service
will not be held and the family asks for privacy at this time.
The family offered the
following statement to the public:
"We wish to sincerely
thank everyone who has supported us and our family throughout the years and at
this time. We will forever love and miss a wife, mother, grandmother, great
grandmother and friend."
(Petty PR)
NASCAR Statement: "On
behalf of the France Family and everyone at NASCAR, I want to offer sincere
condolences to the Petty Family regarding the loss of their beloved matriarch,
Lynda Petty," said Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO. "Through
the years, Lynda became an integral part of the NASCAR landscape. We have lost
a true friend, who will be missed each and every day. Our thoughts and prayers
will be with the Pettys throughout this difficult time."(NASCAR)
Austin Petty statement:
Victory Junction's COO, Austin Petty, makes a statement on the passing of his
grandmother, Lynda Petty:
"We have lost my
grandmother, but my family and our Victory Junction family are grateful to have
had her love and wisdom for so many years. It was no secret that she was the
cornerstone of the Petty family; a woman of humility and extraordinary
strength. While we mourn her death, we also celebrate her life and the profound
impact she had on those who knew her. The pride she had in her children, her
grandchildren and her great-grandchildren was shared with us through her unconditional
love. Her strong example of leadership outside of her home was most recently
acknowledged by the Association of Fundraising Professionals when she, along
with my grandfather, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement in Philanthropy
Award for her personal commitment to seriously ill children and to our American
troops. We honor my grandmother's legacy of inspiration and enduring love at
Victory Junction today and always."PR)(3-25-2014)
Race track schedules:
Add on the Empire Lightning
Sprints:
https://www.facebook.com/lightning.sprints.1
Getting
ready for the Hard Clay Open:
Looking at the long range weather
forecast, there is a chance of some “icy” stuff on the Thursday prior to April
6th. And, as of Tuesday AM,
March 25th, the long range forecast now for the
This past Saturday, I
contacted someone on Facebook who lives in
"I went past there today
after your message; it is about 95% snow free.
It is supposed to drop cold again and watching snow hoping it stays
south for Tuesday Wednesday.”
And this, from Brett Deyo on
Monday, March 24th:
Track crews and equipment have hit the track at
the five-eighths-mile Orange County Fair Speedway oval today in preparation for
the 'Hard Clay Open' presented by United Pump & Tank, East Coast Speed/ECS
Auto and West Point Golf on Sunday, April 6.
A pair of interesting entries were received
this weekend.
A diverse field is shaping up
for both the inaugural NDRL Short Track Super Series Fueled By
VP Modified event and the kickoff to the 2014 Dig Safely New York GRIT Series
schedule.
And this, from the DTD Forum
on Monday, March 24th:
The entry list as of today,
March 24th, can be found below. The drivers on the entry list are only those
who have submitted an entry form and paid their fee. Any verbal commitments,
etc. have not been included. An asterisk
(*) designates a full-year member that has paid for a full NDRL Short Track
Super Series Fueled By VP season in advance. The list
is sorted alphabetically by last name. At our events, it is only $5 more to
register the day of the event, so many drivers and teams do not send in an
entry form in advance. That is why we often do not release pre-entry lists. For
example, last year at Five Mile Point for the SuperNationals, we had 27 cars
pre-entered and the field on race day was 79.
Orange County Fair Speedway
'Hard Clay Open' Modified Entries *effective March 24, 2014
Car No. First Name Last Name Hometown
16 Willy Auchmoody*
34 Andy Bachetti*
74 Matt Billings
6X Jackie Brown Jr.
11/16X Danny Creeden*
10 Tim Currier
49 Donnie Elliott*
31 Darrell Ford*
1F/1WGC Stewart
85 Justin Gozzi
20 Brett Hearn
94 Tim Hindley Fair Oaks, NY
280 Justin
66 Duane Howard Oley, PA
81 Ray Jashembowski*
62 Matt Jester
86J Danny Johnson
25 Mike Kolka Jr.
Circleville, NY
33 John Lieto Mt. Kisco, NY
33/21/77x Mike Mahaney* King
Ferry, NY
21M Bob McGannon Garnerville,
NY
33 1/3 Tommy Meier*
93X Craig Mitchell
Poughkeepsie, NY
14 C.G. Morey
3 Bill Pascual Mahopac, NY
55 Anthony Perrego*
17 Elmo Reckner*
406 Rich Ricci Jr. New
20X Rob Rowe*
673
15 Brett Tonkin
97T Danny Tyler*
71 David Van Horn Jr.
Harmony, NJ
14W Ryan Watt*
244 Chris Whitehead
As of Wednesday, March 26th,
at 9:00 PM, the long range forecast for
Hope it’s wrong! Wish I had more room in the car so I could
bring some nice warmer weather back north with us!
There was a question posed on Facebook about
whether Rose Schindler, widow of racing great Bill Schindler, was still
alive. Sad to say, Rose is now
spectating at the big speedway up above.
Her Obituary:
Rose M. Schmitt aka Rose
Schindler, born in
In
a way, some racin’ stuff:
While watching the Cup race from
While on the subject of commercials during
the Cup race last Sunday:
Another KFC screw up. The “mother” says the bucket has 20
pieces. Her husband and two kids each
have a piece. Yet, the bucket is still
full. Gotta love how these commercial
people are so far out of the loop while bringing in big bucks.
Former
OVRP Dirt Oval runners:
Just one name to report
on this week – Anthony Perrego. He ventured down to the New Egypt Speedway
for their race last Saturday, and was 20th in the Modified feature.
From
Jayski:
Vickers bringing awareness to
blot clots with special scheme:
Brian Vickers has overcome
blood clots twice in his life. He's taking steps to make sure others are just
as fortunate. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver will pilot the #55
TREATMYCLOT.com Aaron's
Janssen Pharmaceuticals joins
NASCAR as official partner:
NASCAR announced that it is
teaming up with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., to help make a difference for
racing fans who are at risk for or are living with
blood clots. Janssen, the maker of XARELTO (rivaroxaban), an important medicine
used to treat and help prevent blood clots, is now the Official Cardiovascular
Partner of NASCAR. Blood clots have hit close to home for the NASCAR community.
Brian Vickers, full-time driver of the #55 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota for Michael
Waltrip Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, recently overcame his second
episode with the condition. Having completed his treatment with XARELTO and
being cleared by his physician, Brian is now competing again in the NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series and is currently 18th in points. 900,000 Americans experience
blood clots every year2 that result in nearly 300,000 deaths. According to The
National Blood Clot Alliance, many factors can increase a person's risk for
developing blood clots, including age; being overweight; having other chronic
diseases; immobility; hormones and pregnancy; long air travel; surgery; trauma
or injury.(NASCAR)(3-22-2014)
Final ratings down for
For the third straight week,
ratings and viewership dropped for NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series. Sunday's NASCAR
Sprint Cup Kobalt Tools 400 from Las Vegas drew a 4.5 final rating and 7.2
million viewers on FOX, down 4% in ratings and viewership from last year (4.7,
7.5M), and down 14% and 15%, respectively, from 2012 (5.2, 8.5M). The 4.5
rating is the third-lowest in the history of the race (dates back to 1998),
ahead of only 2010 (4.4) and 2000 (4.0). So far this season, all three Sprint
Cup telecasts have had declines in ratings and viewership compared to last
year. The races have each fallen to multi-year lows. As is typical, NASCAR was
the top sporting event of the weekend. The final round of golf's WGC-Cadillac
Championship was a distant second (2.8, 4.1M).(Sports
Media Watch)(3-15-2014)
Open wheel split caused
Had the CART-IRL split of the
mid-1990s never occurred,
Congrats to Paul Menard and
his wife Jennifer on the birth of their daughter, Remi Barbara Christine
Menard. Remi was born Tuesday night.(3-20-2014)
Crafton to sub for Menard
Friday:
Matt Crafton will substitute
for #27-Paul Menard in practice and qualifying Friday at Auto Club Speedway as
Menard remains in
NASCAR ok with Fox moving
Fox Sports didn't break any
agreements with NASCAR in moving the rain-delayed race at
"It's great to have
broadcast partners who have multiple options so that we have a way to service
the fans," NASCAR spokesman Scott Warfield said.(Sporting
News)(3-20-2014)
Time Warner Cable on Kahne's
car at Auto Club:
Time Warner Cable will adorn
the hood of Kahne's #5 Chevy SS this weekend at Fontana, Calif., and will be
the primary sponsor on the car for four more Sprint Cup Series races this year:
Texas Motor Speedway on April 6, Charlotte Motor Speedway's All-Star Race on
May 17, Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27 and New Hampshire Motor Speedway
on Sept. 21.(Hendrick Motorsports), see an image of
the car on the #5 team paint schemes page.(3-20-2014)
Note: Hmmm?
Must be why Time Warner will be increasing their rates, as I've read on
the Internet?
Hamlin to be further
evaluated this week:
#11-Denny Hamlin remained in
a local hospital Sunday afternoon undergoing a CT scan to see what may be
causing severe headaches and vision problems his Joe Gibbs Racing team
confirmed. Sam Hornish Jr. substituted behind the wheel of the #11 FedEx Toyota
in Sunday's Auto Club 400 because in the hour before the green flag dropped
NASCAR did not medically clear Hamlin to compete. "We do (go forward
assuming Denny will be back next week.)," his crew chief Darian Grubb said
after the race. "But it's going to be touch and go for right now obviously
with him still in the hospital getting a CT Scan. Last
I heard the vision was getting worse and the pain was getting worse so we're
just going to wait and see what happens. Hopefully we'll get some good news
this afternoon." Before the race, JGR President J.D. Gibbs said initially
the team thought it was a sinus infection that was causing the headaches and
vision issues. But Grubb said it soon became apparent, it may be more serious.
"For him to go the infield care center, for one thing, it must have been
pretty bad for him," Grubb said. "Then it got to where he couldn't
see and was having trouble with vision in his left eye with all the pressure
that was going on. At that point, NASCAR did some testing and knew he could not
follow the finger going by his eyes as he should have been so they knew at that
point,they weren't going to let him go. It wasn't just a headache,
it was more serious than that. That's why they're doing the CT Scan now. He had them on the whole time and was just holding
his head, it hurt him so bad. You could tell by the look on his face he was
really worried." Team owner Joe Gibbs confirmed that Hamlin left the track
immediately before the race started and that by late afternoon "they are
still running tests. It will be later on before we get
results."(NASCAR.com)(3-24-2014)
JGR Statement: Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was not medically cleared in
today's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway because of a sinus
infection that affected his vision. Hamlin was taken to a local hospital near
the race track for additional evaluation and released. He will be further
evaluated this week in Charlotte.(Joe Gibbs
Racing)(3-24-2014)
Tire failures impact many
teams Sunday:
Sunday's Auto Club 400 at
Auto Club Speedway produced a massive number of tire failures, as Goodyear Eagles
exploded with shocking regularity from the opening 20 laps until the end of the
race. #48-Jimmie Johnson, #4-Kevin Harvick, #99-Carl Edwards, #16-Greg Biffle,
#9-Marcos Ambrose, #2-Brad Keselowski, #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. and #15-Clint
Bowyer were among the top drivers who saw their races go out the window because
of tire failures. But afterward, most of the drivers weren't pointing the
finger at Goodyear as the source of the problem. Instead, they pointed to
changes with the cars and how they are set up for 2014. Last year, NASCAR
loosened rules on how much air pressure the teams must run in their tires and
how much camber they can run. This year, NASCAR added downforce with a new,
larger rear spoiler.
Some teams got very
aggressive by running extremely low air pressures on left-side tires -- 11
pounds per square inch in some cases, vs. the Goodyear recommendation of 22 psi
-- and equally aggressive camber, which is defined as how much the tire slants
away from vertical when viewing it from the front or back. Lower air pressures
combined with aggressive camber make for extremely fast speeds, but it greatly
increases the risk of catastrophic tire failure, which is what happened again
and again and again on Sunday. "Last year we opened up the rules on camber
for the rear end," added Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of
competition and racing development. "I would say that a year ago at this
time we were early in the process, and teams were probably not as aggressive as
they wound up being as the season unfolded, as they got the mechanics better in
their cars and the opportunity to be able to make parts and pieces live longer.
Now, I think they're probably a little bit better prepared for that. So if they
had too much camber -- they've got a lot of choices, so if they had too much
and it abused the tire, that's what happens." Asked by FOXSports.com if he
thought the tire failures were a Goodyear problem, Pemberton was clear.
"No," Pemberton said. "We've talked to Goodyear. We have asked,
the competitors have asked to bring more aggressive tires, to bring tires that
they need to manage and want to -- how they use them and how they get the most
out of them. At this point in time, I think Goodyear,
it's the same tire that we've run on in the past. Just the car is a little bit
different."(FoxSports)(3-24-2014)
Sad News - Bobby Waltrip:
Robert Lynn "Bobby"
Waltrip, middle brother of NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and Fox Sports announcer
Darrell Waltrip and NASCAR team owner and fellow Fox Sports announcer Michael
Waltrip, died Sunday. It's unknown when Darrell and Michael Waltrip were
informed of their brother's death. Both worked the Fox Sports' Sunday afternoon
telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Auto Club 400 race at Auto Club Speedway in
Congrats to the Kenseths:
Joe Gibbs Racing's driver of
the #20
Earnhardt, Jr. wants NASCAR
to address Hamlin's issue:
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. wants
to know why there hasn't been more information about what caused #11-Denny
Hamlin to miss Sunday's race at Auto Club Speedway. Hamlin was taken to a local
hospital shortly before the race with what Joe Gibbs Racing said was a sinus
infection that affected his vision. But Earnhardt wondered aloud why there has
been no official NASCAR statement or further explanation from Hamlin on what
happened. No further updates were expected from NASCAR or Joe Gibbs Racing on Tuesday
and Hamlin has not been officially cleared for this
weekend's race at Martinsville Speedway. Earnhardt said there were questions
because he'd never heard of a driver being pulled from the race shortly before
the start after not being cleared to race by NASCAR. "I'm worried the
perception is bad for NASCAR and the perception is bad for Denny,"
Earnhardt said Tuesday. "... If Denny didn't race because his vision is
blurred and he had a sinus infection, NASCAR should put out a release and say,
'This is the timeline of the events and this is why we made this choice and
this is the protocol for going forward.' That answers everybody's questions.
Don't you have questions? I have questions. We shouldn't have questions. We
should all feel pretty comfortable with what happened." Hamlin is expected
to see doctors in
Hamlin cleared to return at
Joe Gibbs Racing driver
#11-Denny Hamlin will race this weekend at Martinsville Speedway after NASCAR
received official confirmation from his doctors that he has been medically
cleared to return to regular racing activities. Hamlin first visited the
infield care center at Auto Club Speedway Saturday night bothered with an
irritation in his eye. He returned to the infield care center again on Sunday
morning because his condition had worsened. It was at this time that it was
determined by the medical team onsite that he would not be allowed to race due
to a sinus infection that was impacting his vision. The doctors at the infield
care center referred him to the local hospital for further evaluation. During
the evaluation at the hospital a small piece of metal was also found to be in
Hamlin's eye. Doctors were able to remove the sliver of metal and Hamlin felt
immediate improvement to his condition. A CT Scan did not find any other
complications and thus it is believed that the metal was actually the source of
Hamlin's vision issues. He was released from the hospital Sunday afternoon and
was given the doctor's approval to fly home. Hamlin was then evaluated by a
doctor in the
Found
via a link on Jayski:
Talent Outweighs Money -
Larson Continuously Showing He Can Get the Job Done
http://www.frontstretch.com/acreed/44884/
Just a little bit from the
article:
"Maybe he didn’t turn
the heads of NASCAR’s followers at as young of an age as some that have
excelled lately on their way up the ladder, but statistics like his certainly
do not come around very often. On the other hand, there are many competitors of
all ages that are putting up similar numbers on short tracks every year without
getting the same recognition or opportunity. It has been that way for years,
but seems to have been pushed to the forefront more recently for many fans.
Perhaps Larson backing up his opportunity with his talent will result in a
throwback of sorts to teams bringing drivers up the ranks based on what they
can do behind the wheel, and not necessarily based on what money or sponsorship
their family or they individually can bring to a development deal.
It has been pretty clear that
Larson has not been able to bring an immense amount of financial backing and
has seemingly had a different primary sponsor supporting him each step of the
way, but it is what he gets done on the track that has given him the “Young
Money” nickname. It is commendable to everyone that has given him that chance,
and it needs to be seen more often from the grassroots all the way to the
top."
From
Track Forum:
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/forum.php
“Joonyer”
in an Indycar? Will it happen?
Dale Jr & Graham Rahal
Swap Rides @ IMS?
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?184324-Dale-Jr-amp-Graham-Rahal-Swap-Rides-IMS
And this, too, found on
Jayski:
Earnhardt, Jr, Graham Rahal
interested in ride swap:
Verizon IndyCar Series driver
Graham Rahal believes the timing and circumstances are just too perfect not to
do the much-ballyhooed car swap with his National Guard NASCAR counterpart,
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Rahal attended the Auto Club 400 in Fontana on Sunday
afternoon with girlfriend Courtney Force and her father, 16-time NHRA Funny Car
champion, John and reached out to Earnhardt after the race, via Twitter, about
the possibility of swapping rides somewhere down the line. For his part,
Earnhardt seemed agreeable. Rahal says the Twitter exchange was calculated but
"100 percent authentic" and something that the second-generation
IndyCar ace has wanted to do for quite some time. "I wouldn't have said it
if I didn't want it to happen," Rahal told Popular Speed. "Dale and I
share a sponsor now (National Guard) and my dad (three-time champion, Bobby)
and Rick (Hendrick) have always had a great relationship." Rahal believes
the shared National Guard sponsorship makes for a great marketing opportunity
for both himself and Earnhardt, allowing for Rahal to knock a machine off his
personal bucket list - the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car. Rahal, who is pushing
for the car swap to take place on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway, is just looking forward to potentially hanging out with Earnhardt,
believing that their similarities could establish a fast friendship.(Popular Speed)(3-25-2013)
UPDATE:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. said
Tuesday he wants to swap race cars with Graham Rahal, but believes it won't be
possible because they drive for rival manufacturers. Both drivers are sponsored
by Army National Guard this season. Rahal reached out to Earnhardt on Twitter
after Sunday's NASCAR race at
Why do I hate allowing minors
to race?
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?184308-Why-do-I-hate-allowing-minors-to-race
From
the AARN:
This Week
In AARN
Tri-City Speedway’s
Revival Plans Are Stalled
Jeremy Mayfield
Returns To
Race
In KOMA Mod Bow At
Dan Harpell To Promote
Black Rock
Cancels NDRL Race;
Signs UMP DIRTcar Deal
Fifteen Year Old, In First
Race,
Is Killed At
Deyo Named GM, Publicist
For
RoC Mods Roll At New
Godown Claims Top Prize
Bobby Brymesser Dies
Heimbach’s Opener Romp
Is His First 410 Win At Selinsgrove
To Open Saturday Night
An article from Lenny Sammons
on the sale of Rolling Wheels:
Signed contracts have been received
by the owners, the World Racing Group, but financial obligations have not been
yet been satisfied. A meeting for last
Tuesday did not happen. The AARN left a
message on Laguzzo's cell phone, but no return call was made. Should the proposed sale be terminated, then
the WRG would continue to operate the track and continue with a "specials
only" schedule.
Lenny Sammons:
He starts off this weeks column with the news that Andy Harpell announced last
Saturday that the 2014 Dirt RoC champion will get $10,000.00.
Also, Danny Johnson has no
idea as to where he'll be running weekly, taking it "day by day".
Ernie Saxton:
He opens with him saying he
does not think it is right for Cup drivers to run in the Nationwide Series, but
does see where they're coming from. Yes,
promoters like to advertise that some Cup drivers are in those races in an
effort to bolster ticket sales.
Note: Maybe it’s the economy, or maybe it’s just
too damned expensive anymore to take in both races on a weekend when NASCR has
their Nationwide and Cup events on a weekend at the same track. Last Saturday, the stands at the Nationwide race were darn near empty. Sunday, even though it was announced to be a
sell out, some empty seats still could be seen during the telecast.
Don & JoAnn Davies:
At the end of their column,
they made mention of some of the monies that were handed out at the Lebanon
Valley Speedways banquet. Pro Stock champions Joe Corbin - $2,100.00. Tyler Dippel the Budget Sportsman champion -
$1,290.00. Steve Hough, the Small Block
champion $2,830.00. Brett
Hearn $9,000.00 for the Modified championship.
Note: More and more tracks are not announcing
monies won at their banquests. I wonder
why?
Brett Deyo:
Quite a bit of his column was
about Brett Hearn. One thing Hearn made
mentin of was his getting that $9,000.00 for the
Steven Bubb:
Steve started covering some of
the history of the William Grove Speedway in this weeks
column. He covered the racing years
1939-1949, and some of the years previous to 1939. Did you know that both the "Grove"
and the Hershey (
Kevin Rice:
A good portion of his column
dealt with the return to racing by Jeremy Mayfield.
An article about the Lebanon
Valley banquet tells us that besides Brett Hearn winning that $9,000.00, Andy
Bachetti got $5.140.00 for second and JR Heffner $5,020.00 for third place in Modified
points.,
Toby LaGrange had a nice
article about Dodge City Speedway, a Go Kart track located at
Note: Reading that little article has got me to
thinking - I'm going to contact the AARN and see if I can write up something
about the Dirt Oval at Oakland Valley Race Park in Cuddebackville, NY. At times I've made mention of over 40 drivers
in my columns of drivers that ran at the Dirt Oval and have graduated to bigger
racing cars.
Press releases:
Devil’s Bowl Speedway Forms
Alliance with Airborne Park Speedway
Devil’s Bowl owner Bruno
accepts management position at Airborne
For Immediate Release
DBS-032314-2
Bruno has accepted a
management position at the 4/10-mile,
Both tracks are sanctioned by
the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, and both tracks feature similar racing
classes with many of the same competitors in their weekly programs. Bruno brings intimate knowledge of the NASCAR
program and has many long-lasting relationships at the track from his years as
a competitor; he won championships there in 1997 and 2006.
“I am grateful for the
opportunity to give back to the Airborne community,
and at the same time I’m excited about the benefits for both Airborne and
Devil’s Bowl as we work together,” Bruno said.
“My family’s history at the track goes back more than 30 years, so it’s
a home away from home for me. I can’t
wait to help bring Airborne into the next phase of its future with Jamie Atkins
and the staff.”
“I’m looking forward to
working with Mike Bruno,” Atkins said. “Our challenge is to embrace the
changing short track industry while building upon our strengths to keep the
future of our sport exciting and affordable for fans and competitors
alike. Having both tracks pointed in the
same direction will help us sustain Airborne as a family entertainment
destination in the
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is
located on Route 22A in
-30-
Contact: Justin St.
Louis
Phone:
(802) 355-3282
Email:
devilsbowlspeedway@gmail.com
Devil's Bowl
Phone: (802) 265-3112
Email:
devilsbowlspeedway@gmail.com
News from
Media Contact: Brett Deyo –
thundermtnspeedway@gmail.com or 845.728.2781
For Immediate Release/March
23, 2014
Feel The Rumble, Hear The
Roar:
CENTER LISLE, NY – Feel the
rumble. Hear the roar.
The three-eighths-mile oval
in Center Lisle, N.Y., is set for a return to prominence this season.
Brett Deyo of BD Motorsports
Media LLC has signed on to handle weekly promotions, marketing and public
relations for
The first announcement is a
major one for Modified racers. The ’14 Thunder Mountain Speedway track champion
is guaranteed $5,000 from the point fund.
The first official green flag
of the ’14 campaign is set for Saturday, May 3 as the speedway hosts its ‘Grand
Reopening’ event. The Modifieds will
race 30 laps for an increased $1,992 winner’s share, reflecting on the track’s
inaugural season in 1992. Sportsman compete for $700 to win thanks to Howard
Jones Logging & Firewood weekly at Thunder Mountain ’14, starting with the
opener. Sportsman racers will receive $100 to take the green. Street Stocks, Empire
Sport Trucks, Four Cylinders and Pure Stocks complete the Saturday night
lineup. Should interest permit, there
could be Rookie Sportsman events on the card.
Admission for the opener and
regular Saturday events this season is $10 for Adults and $8 for Seniors ages 65 and over and Students 10-17 years old. Kids
nine and under are admitted free. Pit admission is $30. No license is required.
For all Saturday events,
gates open at 4:30 p.m., with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing promptly at 7
p.m.
Weekly pay structures are as
follows: Modifieds - $1,200 to win, $400 for fifth, $200 for 10th and $125 to
start; Sportsman - $700 to win, $100 to start; Street Stocks - $400 to win, $50
to start; Pure Stocks - $150 to win, $20 to start; and Four Cylinders and Empire
Sport Trucks - $125 to win, $20 to start.
Two practices are set for
April 19 and 26 at 1 p.m. each day.
Saturday racing continues
through the Sept. 6 Championship Night. Two non-points Sunday events are on the
schedule: the Wade Decker Memorial set for July 13 and a Labor Day weekend
Sunday night event Aug. 30.
The highest-paying race in
Thunder Mountain Speedway history takes place on Tuesday night, May 20 (rain
date: May 21) when the National Dirt Racing League (NDRL) Short Track Super
Series Fueled By VP visits the speedway for the second round of a six-race
series. Modifieds run 50 laps for $5,000-plus to win and $500 to start in the
Olum’s ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ presented by Rochinski Contracting Services
and Husqvarna. Sportsman will also be on the card in a 25-lap event paying
$1,000 to win and $100 to start.
On Saturday of Labor Day
weekend (Aug. 30), the 360 Sprint Cars of the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints
(ESS) will invade
Both the ‘Lightning on the
Mountain’ and ‘Sprint Car Saturday’ are Brett Deyo promotions.
Veteran announcer Leon
Andrus, popular with fans and drivers in the Southern Tier region, has joined
the Saturday night staff. Andrus
formerly announced at
Tire, fuel and parts service
will be supplied by Al Wilcox of Trackside Products in
A complete ’14 schedule,
rules and other information can be found online at
www.thundermtnspeedway.com. To learn
more, e-mail thundermtnspeedway@gmail.com or call 607.657.8202. The race day phone number is 607.849.7899. A
complete website overhaul is in the works.
Thunder Mountain Speedway is
located 25 miles north of
Borgers Speedway Is Ready To
Go Green.
Borgers PR
Media Contact
Bob Snyder
bobsnyderphoto@enter.net
Snow has been removed from
the speedway Saturday afternoon and the upper lot is almost bare and drying
nicely. We wanted to get a car on the
track to make sure the surface did not change over the winter and this was a
good time for Pat VanVarick to unveil his brand new Hyper TQ. This is the first Hyper TQ built and it was
fast out of the box. Without making any
adjustments the car was immediately turning laps under ten seconds.
We wanted to make sure there
was no unforeseen problems with the track and the track passed with flying
colors and is cleared for practice next Saturday March 29. Gates open at 10:00 a.m. with practice
starting at 1:00 p.m. and continuing until dark. A $20 pit pass is required for anyone
entering the pits. No entry fee for cars
and spectator grandstand admission is free.
Hopefully the weather will
finally co-operate and we can get the 2014 racing season underway.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH
24, 2014
DICK JORDAN
"FULL FIELD"
GEARING UP FOR "SUMAR CLASSIC;"
BAKERS DOZEN EYE HISTORIC
SILVER CROWN #100
More than a dozen drivers are
scheduled to seek their initial USAC Silver Crown Championship victory April 6
when the "Sumar Classic" unfolds at the
Former Silver Crown winners Bobby
East, A.J. Fike, Tracy Hines, Chris Windom, Dave Darland, Aaron Pierce, Kody
Swanson and Jerry Coons Jr. are among entered drivers at
Competing for the title of 100th
race winner will be drivers from
Christopher Bell of
Joe Liguori of Tampa, Fla.,
grandson of long-time USAC driver Ralph Liguori, won USAC's 2009 Midwest and
USAC/UMARA Ford Focus titles and finished seventh in last year's
"4-Crown" Silver Crown finale.
Jarett Andretti, son of John
Andretti, competed in five events last year and notched an eighth-place at
Pikes Peak International Raceway.
Caleb Armstrong of New Castle,
Ind., winner of USAC's 2011 "Turkey Night Grand Prix" Midget
spectacular, is slated for his initial Silver Crown start at Terre Haute, along
with Jake Simmons of Terre Haute, Dakota Jackson of Elizabethtown, Ind., John
Hunt of Tulsa, Okla. and Grant Simpson of Avoca, Ill.
Jacob Wilson of Crawfordsville,
Ind. is a former "Joe James-Pat O'Connor" Sprint Car winner and has
previous series experience, as do Illinois drivers Randy Bateman of Murphysboro
and Shane Cockrum of Benton. Cockrum strung together "top-5" finishes
in the final three Silver Crown races of last year.
--USAC—
In part:
Contact: Lillian Bell
(717) 292-1696
-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SSP Cancels Wednesday’s Test
& Tune; Next Up on Saturday, March 29
“New”
Newberrytown, PA (March 25,
2014) – The Susquehanna Speedway Park has cancelled its first Test & Tune
on Wednesday, March 26 due to the frigid cold weather forecasted. The next Test & Tune will be on Saturday,
March 29. The gates will open at 5:00
p.m. with practice sessions rotating for each class from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The cost is $12.00 per person
for pit passes and a $20.00 fee for each racecar entering the pit area ($32.00
per car & driver combination). Gates
will open at 5:00 p.m. with open track time from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. by
class. Each session will be 6 – 8 laps
per session. The grandstands are open
and free to the public. Each class will
receive 4 to 5 rounds of 6/8 laps each or more if time permits. The fuel pumps from Miller’s Racing Parts
will be open along with their parts trailer.
The main concession stand will also be open throughout the night.
If needed, the raindate for
Saturday’s Test & Tune will be Sunday, March 30 from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00
p.m. Gates will open at 3:00 p.m.
There will also be one more
pre-season Test & Tune on Wednesday, April 2 before the first race of the
season. The gates will open at 5:00 p.m.
with practice sessions rotating for each class from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The first Test & Tune for the “Outback
Track” will be Friday Night, April 11.
NEWS FROM
Orange County Fair
CONTACT
Mike Gurda
845-342-2573
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 12 ORANGE COUNTY FAIR
65 CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF
WEEKLY STOCK CAR RACING
MIDDLETOWN, NY (March
21)……..The winning driver in the Modified feature on Opening Night at Orange
County Fair Speedway will continue a tradition that first began in 1950. While
automobile racing traces its
The first weekly racing
program was held on a small one-fifth-mile asphalt-surfaced track that was
located inside the famed five-eighths-mile Hard Clay speedway. Tex Enright, who
later gained fame as a colorful race starter was the day’s winner, his only
Other multi-time Opening
Night winners include Carl Van Horn who captured four Modified features; three-time
Opening Night victors Bobby Bottcher, Will Cagle, Rich Eurich, and Jeff
Heotzler; with Frank Cozze, Danny Creeden, Bud Marl, Chuck McKee, Frankie
Schneider, Al Tasnady, and Bill Wimble each winning two openers.
Drivers who have raced at
In 1983, C.D. Coville, from
Upstate New York, ushered in the DIRT Motorsports era by winning the first race
under Glenn Donnelly’s reign. “Barefoot” Bob McCreadie, from
Winning Opening Night
Modified features the past six years were Brett Hearn (2008 and 2010), Danny
Creeden (2009 and 2011), Chris Shultz (2012), and Jerry Higbie (2013). With
early season bragging rights on the line, more than three-dozen top Modified
drivers are looking to start 2013 weekly racing with a victory. And who knows,
there’s always the possibility an outside invader will pull into the
It will
all play out on Saturday, April 12, 2014 and the start of the 65th consecutive
season of weekly stock car racing at Orange County Fair Speedway. Will a new
Opening Night winner’s name be added to the long list of great
Advance ticket sales and
additional information is available at the Track Office. Call 845-342-2573
during business hours. Fans and competitors are reminded to visit the speedway
website for the latest track news: www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net.
I get emails – racing related:
If you recall, I made mention
of a Phil Harms and his historical writings, along with others, as having been
difficult to view, today.
Here’s another email on the
subject that kind of explains things.
To
RacingHistory@yahoogroups.com
Mach 24th at 12:29 PM
I’ve been following the
discussions on historical collections with some interest and may be able to add
some clarity. For 21 years I was Curator
of Transportation at
The Austin Clark collection
is a good place to start. First off, the
collection was huge—it took two semi-trailers to haul it from Long Island to
Photographs presented a
different challenge. The extensive group
of Locomobile glass plate negatives was filed together with their own
catalog. Many of Austie’s photos—some
taken by him, some copied from other collections, some acquired—were filed by
Austie in scrapbooks by subject or sometimes by date. Most of these photos had separate negatives
as well. The scrapbooks were filed together
and the negs were filed together. Austie
had his own numbering system to link the two.
Paper collections like
Locomobile records or Austie’s own records of the cars he had owned were
grouped together and catalogs created for each.
Everything is stored on shelves in a climate-controlled facility
adjacent to the reading room where researchers work. There is no remote warehouse or
basement.
Phil Harms’ collection was
easier to deal with because it was much smaller. Printed materials were filed as
described above, but most of Phil’s paper was grouped together and a written
finding aid is in production and will be done shortly. “Finding aid” is archivist jargon for a
written catalog that tells researchers what boxes contain what material.
Now a few
words about using the material. All these collections are in the
Some questions have been
raised about fees. There is no fee to
use the reading room and you can take all the notes you want for no cost. Xeroxing will cost, like any other library. But the real cost is for photos. If you simply want something for your own
information a Xerox may do. Prints for
your own use are more expensive, and prints for publication are more expensive
yet. The full explanation on fees and
terms of use can be found at http://www.thehenryford.org/pdf/photo.pdf. Photos are not cheap, but running an archive
is an expensive business. Actually, it’s
a lousy business because it is a money loser—there is no way to recoup the
costs of acquiring, processing, conserving, storing, and providing access to a
huge body of archival material. Using books, periodicals and other paper materials costs
researchers nothing unless they make copies. Photo fees are the only source of income and
those fees don’t come close to covering the cost of operating the
facility. But museums view maintaining
and providing access to archival collections as part of their mission as
not-for-profit operations and cover the costs in other ways—like renting parts
of their facilities for weddings or charging high prices for hot dogs.
This has been a very long
post but I hope it has cleared up some confusion and answered some
questions. Since I am no longer a museum
employee I will pass along the contact info for the BFRC Archivist. His name is Terry Hoover and he can be
reached at research.center@thehenryford.org.
If you are still with me
after all this, thanks for listening.
Bob Casey
Found on the Internet – racing related:
Seems like this was maybe a
"No-no"?
Kyle Larson did a burnout
without a steering wheel after winning his first Nationwide
race
In part:
"After he beat Harvick
and Busch to the checkers, Larson spun his car around and around in the infield
at ACS as he held his steering wheel out the window, a celebration he says
NASCAR asked him not to do after winning a truck race in 2012."
And: "If NASCAR did tell Larson it didn't
want him doing the style of celebration, the reprimand certainly didn't stop
the sanctioning body from promoting it on Twitter after the race."
From some not too happy race
fans on the last Cup race:
I watch NASCAR once a month
or so, but yesterday was the last time. Not really a big Gordon fan, but you
shouldn't be able to wreck yourself from behind causing a caution just to keep
the leader from winning. With the communications and the team play for Gordon
to go from winning to 13th place is ridiculous. It's not about winning a race
anymore, its about being in the lead at the right
moment. And if you are not, blow up the race in desperation to see if you can
help your teammate out. Maybe I'll use that time to watch golf now.
First of all, there is not
such thing as a "near miss"... it is a miss or a hit. Now, near
collision is more accurate... but I digress. I watched yesterday's race and the
Saturday practice. It should have been obvious to NASCAR and Goodyear there was
an issue with the left rear tires and the amount of cambe allowed after Brad K.
lost FOUR tires in practice. Yet, the tire and the camber setting were kept for
the race which resulted in 19 tire failures. Twice Kevin Harvick had raced up
to the top three and was plagues with a flat left rear. Bowyer, Ambrose and
even six-time Jimmy Johnson all paid a price for this #$%$ decision. This race
was decided by tires and not racing. NASCAR should apologize to the fans at the
track and to those at home. This race was a train wreck. BTW, if it was a
sell-out as declared by NASCAR and the track, why were there so many empty
seats? NASCAR is just not making any friends this year...
Cant believe NASCAR cant get the caution lights, pit road
lights under control. However here we have another Boyer spin at a critical
moment and NASCAR throws a caution!!! lots of other
cars blew tires but kept them straight and on to pit road with NO caution but I
think NASCAR saw a chance to have a Green white checker finish and couldn't
resist. Or maybe they were just checking to see if they could throw it without
having to lean on it or get caught in a fence. Jeez what a Mickey Mouse
operation
Somebody bumped into the
caution light button last week, the official can't reach the pit signal this
week.
The average local dirt track
is better organized than this multi-million dollar 'sport'.
2 laps to go and Gordon Gets
screwed with the late caution. However you never know his tires may have gone
away in those last 2 laps. What killed him was his pit stop on not getting out
in front of the other cars. Maybe he should have just taken 2.
However the real issue I have
is that Bowyer looked to me like he knew His tire was going down could not make
it to the pits with out loosing more positions so spun the car know the caution
would come out and give him time to pit take 4 tires and finish better. Look at
JJ who had a tire down just before Bowyer and he did not spin or bring out a
caution yet he finished well behind Bowyer.
Nascar is a joke now even if there was not a tire issue
Nascar would have found something to throw the caution for in the last 10 laps.
Big miss NASCAR, you need to
put some engineers on your staff that understand the
laws of Physics. You build a new car with more downforce and offer the teams
the capability for more camber. Do your homework the tires and suspension(yes tires can be part of the suspension) are
going to take additional force. Don't blame Goodyear, you outsource your tires
to them but you still own the process and you created this situation. I am
#$%$, while I like the fact that my driver got a chance to race for a win I am
still upset on the potential race we missed.
Learn from your mistakes, its like Indy all over but worse. Some of the drivers need
to give the middle finger to officials and say you drive the ticking time bomb
yourself. I will park and live.
We had four and five wide
racing can you only imagine if you got it right how awesome the race would have
been,
At some point NASCAR needs to
consider letting teams choose their own tire manufacturer. Goodyear too often
determines who wins the race. 2 laps to go and you need tires? From an
advertising standpoint I don't see how this helps Goodyear. Yes, I realize that
these cars are heavy and they go 200 mph. But the tire lasts 25 miles and is
worn out? That is not the kind of advertising I would want for my product. More
manufacturers would create more competition.
Racing
insurance:
Again, if your race vehicle
has a roll cage and you’re strapped in (Yes, this includes Champ Karts), here’s
a link to a website that has insurance: http://www.stida.com/
Found on Facebook - racing related:
Nabors To
Sing '
In part: "Nabors’ rendition of the song became a
beloved tradition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” since he first
performed it in 1972. Always accompanied by the Purdue “All American” Marching
Band and thousands of fans singing in unison throughout the massive facility,
Nabors has performed the song 34 times in person at IMS."
This is something that should
be started at the end of last years racing season:
Facebook 3/22:
“looking
for sponsors for the 2014 racing”
Note: Believe it or not, having a familiar “Name”
is a big plus. Been there, found this
out.
This weeks quiz:
He wasn't allowed to race in
2 diff series so he uses the name of his brother and the street he lived on. His “fake” name was Bob Dunham. What is his real name?
From 3/23:
More blizzard talk tues n weds
so tired of this snow
Just grabbed a set of
American Racers,,,, studded.
Show some respect Darrell.
It's the National Anthem, for Pete's sake! Shut up already!
From 3/24:
It is with a heavy heart that
all of us from
https://www.facebook.com/bubbaracewaypark/posts/537271836305061
Note: The young lady was all of 15 years old.
Now I do not know exactly how
the accident happened or what injuries the young lady received. However, I did see (can’t find it now) a post
in all the messages of condolences that accompanied the above message, that
asked how many more have to die by not wearing a HANS device. Might the one that posted that have some
inside information? Sad,
if true. More
sad because safety equipment is priced so high that there are
drivers/teams that can’t afford them.
Then, on the other hand, should tracks require safety items like the
HANS device?
And this, which was on Facebook:
“Sad news
from
Along with this: http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2014/3/23/ocala_racetrack_cras.html#.Uy-Iq8UbuBQ.facebook
And, in regards to the above, there was a
small piece in this weeks AARN about that tragedy
mentioning that prior to having her go onto the track, her father was
tightening her helmet. Niokoa told her
father “I got it”, and no sooner did she say that, she was waved onto the
track. Another thing mentioned – it was
track personnel that removed her from the car, not EMT’s, who supposedly were
not even there yet.
Going back, in time to March 27th, in:
1939
Cale Yarborough... Born ... A businessman and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver
and owner. He was the first driver in NASCAR history to win three consecutive
championships.
Maurice Petty ... Born ... A
former NASCAR driver from
1982
Will Cagle won the Late Model
Stock Car race at the East Bay Raceway ,
1984
Joe Garson... Died ... AAA driver from the 1940's and 1950's.
Going back, in time to other March dates:
MARCH 26
1960
Frankie Schneider won the
Modified Stock Car race and Buzzy Reutimann won the Sportsman race at the
Sunshine Speedway,
Note: Buzzie is still racing down in
2006
Paul Dana... Died ... An American race car driver in the Indy Racing League.
After competing in 3 Indycar series events, Dana suffered a spinal fracture
while practicing for the 2005
MARCH 28
1935
Sonny Ates... Born ... USAC midget, sprint and championship car driver from the
1960's & 70's.
1964
Rolla Vollstedt buys the
first Offenhauser engine built for rear-engine application. It was put in the
Bryant Heating Special which finished 15th in the
1971
Mario Andretti, driving an F1
Ferrari 312B, won the F1/F5000 Questor Grand Prix at Ontario Motor Speedway in
MARCH 29
1925
Johnny Coy... Born ... ( His real name was John Barbaro) Coy raced everything from
jalopies to modifieds, but it was in the midgets where he excelled. He started
running midgets in the late '40's at
1944
Bill Vukovich Jr. ... Born ... A former driver in the
championship car division of USAC and CART Championship Car series. He
was named the 1968
1961
Doug Heveron... Born ... An American race car driver from
2006
Bob Veith... Died ... AAA and USAC driver. Ran the
Championship Car series, racing from 1955 to 1968 with 63 starts. He
finished in the top ten 37 times, with a best finish of 2nd twice, both in
1958. Veith qualified for his first
MARCH 30
1959
Jim Reed from New York,
showed why he was considered such a short track ace, as he started 20th after
missing time trials, but drove his Ford through the field to take the win in
the 200 lap NASCAR Grand National race on the flat, 1/4 mile paved Bowman-Gray
Stadium oval in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Lee Petty
finished 2nd in an Olds.
1969
George Follmer drove a stock
block V8 Chevy powered car to a stunning upset victory in the USAC Championship
'Jimmy Bryan 150' at Phoenix International Raceway. After earlier leaders Al
Unser and Mario Andretti retired, Bobby Unser took the lead and built a big advantage
until his engine blew on lap 122. Follmer then took over and went on to take
the checkered flag 3 laps ahead of 2nd finisher Wally Dallenbach with Lloyd
Ruby third.
MARCH 31
1956
Kevin Cogan... Born ... A former racecar driver who drove in Formula One and Indy
cars. He ran the Indy 500 twelve times with a best finish of 2nd in
1986.
Ralph DePalma... Died ... AAA driver from 1909 to 1933. Ran the Indy 500 ten
times and won in 1915.
1993
Chip Mead... Died ... USAC / CART driver from the 1980's.
1998
Tim Flock... Died ... One of NASCAR's early pioneers, and a two time series
champion. He was a brother to NASCAR's second female driver Ethel Mobley
and NASCAR pioneers Bob Flock and Fonty Flock.
This weeks photo:
This photo is one of a bunch
of smaller tress that looks like it could be one huge tree. No, you won’t find me going “inside” to check
it out. There has to be all types of
“crawlies” in there!
Racing videos:
Jim Clark
and Dan Gurney in a “Champ” car or “Silver Crown” car. Wish they had
taken a few laps!
Champ car video with Clark
& Gurney:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=I5JfGr7sr6w
Found on the Internet – not racing related:
What your car really costs
you
http://autos.yahoo.com/news/what-your-car-really-costs-you-183738243.html
A-Rod's choice: Pay lawyers
or secrets come out
Trey Gowdy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Fs1YVh2kBZY&list=UUVvxvugtuNZSygB4z4aVfsg
I don’t know, but the “polls” show Hillary to be ahead as far as running for President in 2016. It kinda looks like way over 90% of those that post in the remarks in the link, below, are 100% against her.
Only the beginning, folks!
Obamacare plans bring hefty
fees for certain drugs
http://news.yahoo.com/obamacare-plans-bring-hefty-fees-certain-drugs-154823920.html
SCRIPTED!
Catherine Anaya, a three-time
Emmy Award-winning journalist and news anchor with CBS-5 in
Additionally, Carney told Ms.
Anaya that he often provides reporters with his answers in advance of the
briefings. In other words, Jay Carney’s press conferences are completely
scripted:
http://www.tpnn.com/2014/03/20/scripted/
Is Jay Carney Packing His
Bags and Running From Obama Too?
http://gopthedailydose.com/2014/03/18/is-jay-carney-packing-his-bags-and-running-from-obama-too/
Obamacare sign-up deadline
delayed. Is the mandate effectively gone?
In part:
"The long-touted March
31 deadline to enroll in health coverage via the federal online marketplace is
effectively gone, following a decision by the Obama administration to allow
Americans more time to enroll.
The decision, scheduled for
announcement Wednesday, will give people until mid-April to sign up for
insurance. All they need do is check off a box on HealthCare.gov indicating
that they tried to enroll by March 31. The government will not check to see if
people are telling the truth. The decision to allow more sign-up time was
driven by an anticipated last-minute surge in enrollments, which could leave
people unable to finish the process, The Washington Post reports."
http://news.yahoo.com/obamacare-sign-deadline-delayed-mandate-effectively-gone-161445220.html
Found on Facebook – not racing related:
Mar 22:
Seniors:
We're speeding because we
have to get to where we're going before we forget where we're going.
So if your
a felon and locked away in prison Cuomo has said you can get a college
education for only 5K. Now he and the legislature want to offer financial aid
illegals. This jackass needs to be voted out come November.
A comment or two:
Kinda makes me a tad
nausious....
Pisses me off.. There is no reason at all that somebody here illegally
should get any kind of financial aid package. As a matter of fact they should
get a bill when they get deported
I actually applied to OCC
when i was 28 or 29...applied for financial aid..to
become a nurse...i was denied financial aid becasue according to them i made
too much money....i made just enough to get by.....very sad....you can come
here to this country illegally and they want to give you shit but the
hardworking people that were born here are denied...ass backwards...
Cross the border from
I have no problem with people
getting help that need it but not to people breaking the law.
Good news... the state of
BREAKING:
The real question is why this
was legal in the first place... this is a classic case of welfare abuse,
whether the media pretends it doesn't exist or not. Good for
If you’re in the
Shelter Fires Leaves the
HVSPCA in Desperate Need
http://www.petcaring.com/nonprofits/shelter-fires-leaves-the-hvspca-in-desperate-need/37725
From March 25th:
Note: Not really suited for kids due to language.
A big thanks to that POS
running our country I just picked up my monthly prescriptions and they have
pretty much doubled explain to me how beating the average working person to f*cking
death to fund your illegal aliens and lazy free loaders helps this Country and
helps the economy. I know people who are giving up there prescriptions that
they need cause that son of a bitch made it to expensive but if I was one of
his sh*tbag followers I'd be getting the best care and prescriptions for free.
I get emails – not racing related:
TOP 10 REASONS TO VOTE
DEMOCRAT
#10. I vote Democrat because I love the fact that I can
now marry
whatever I want. I’ve decided to marry my German Shepherd.
#9. I vote Democrat because I believe oil companies'
profits of 4% on
a gallon of gas are obscene, but the government taxing
the same gallon
at 15% isn’t.
#8. I vote Democrat because I believe the government will
do a better
job of spending the money I earn than I would.
#7. I vote Democrat because Freedom of Speech is fine as
long as
nobody is offended by it.
#6. I vote Democrat because I'm way too irresponsible to
own a gun,
and I know that my local police are all I need to protect
me from
murderers and thieves. I am also thankful that we have a 911
service
that get police to your home in order to identify your
body after a
home invasion.
#5. I vote Democrat because I'm not concerned about
millions of
babies being aborted so long as we keep all death row
inmates alive
and comfy.
#4. I vote Democrat because I think illegal aliens have a
right to
free health care, education, and Social Security benefits,
and we
should take away Social Security from those who paid into
it.
#3. I vote Democrat because I believe that businesses
should not be
allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break
even and
give the rest away to the government for redistribution as
the
Democratic Party sees fit.
#2. I vote Democrat because I believe liberal judges need
to rewrite
the Constitution every few days to suit fringe kooks who
would never
get their agendas past the voters.
…And the #1 reason I vote
Democrat is because I think it's better to
pay $billions$ for oil to people who hate us, but not
drill for our own
because it might upset some endangered beetle, gopher or fish
here in
Music videos:
Waylon Jennings Live in
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZvqQMeOEd8
Note: A little over 56 minutes in length.
Joke
of the week:
A woman is standing nude looking in the bedroom mirror. She is
not happy with
what she sees and says to her husband, 'I feel horrible; I look old, fat and ugly. I really need you to pay me a compliment.'
The husband replies, 'Your eyesight's damn near
perfect.
Please don’t forget:
No, I will not vote for Hillary. She is an evil woman!
Remember – No column next
week!
I can be reached, via e-mail, at: ygordad@yahoo.com