Mostly
Racin' Stuff
By Tom Avenengo
07/31/2014
Some
personal/family stuff:
My wife, who left us on
July 3, 2014.
While I was eating my dinner this past
Sunday, I thought it would be appropriate to put this photo of my wife on this
and every column that follows. Yes, it’s been exactly one month now. Looking at her photo still brings tears to my
eyes, as expected. I miss here so
much. She was such a wonderful person,
wife and mother.
Remember, photos can only be seen on the
New England Tractor/Race Report website, which is linked to at the end of my
columns.
Along with the photos will be memories of
her that I’ll share with you.
I first met her when I was working in the
Grand Union store in
Joan left for a different job, and I ended
up being transferred to the Monsey, N.Y. Grand Union. It was after I was there for a while that
Joan came back to the G.U. and continued as a meat wrapper.
The produce manager, Ralph Palumbo, would
bring her to work and also take her home – until I guess he had a “hot date”
and asked me if I’d run her home to Sloatsburg.
At the time, I was still living at home with my mother, step father and
sister in
My taking her home that night, after work,
started our relationship.
To be continued!
A special note to all the guys that read
my columns – buy your wife/girlfriend/mother or any other female that you’re
involved with some flowers.
I was looking at the Shop Rite food store
circular on Sunday AM, and on the back page was their produce dep’t ad. Included were quite a few photos of various
flowers that they have for sale.
How I wish that I had bought more flowers
for my wife while she was here with us!
I’m pretty sure you’ll get a “Thank you”
from your loved one!
While in
Then, this past Saturday, I read this:
Grapes
The calories here aren’t a
problem, but these little pellets of sweetness aren’t innocuous. A cup of
grapes has 15 grams of sugar. To put that into perspective, three Oreo cookies
have 14 grams.
Now maybe ya
won’t believe this, but on Tuesday, I made an attempt to deposit some money in
a grand daughter’s bank account. It was
cash. I was told that I could not deposit
cash into her account, but a check or money order would be fine. Yes, I filled out a deposit slip with her
name and account number. Anyone else
have this kind of a problem with Chase Bank?
Racin’ stuff:
Again, it hurts when one reads about drivers
getting injured while racing. As I’ve
found out with the passing of my wife, one can’t have enough insurance. For those that race and race vehicles that
have cages on them and the driver is belted in, you
might want to check out this:
I think we need smaller race
tracks.
Why? Much better competition, as far as I’m
concerned – especially with rules today.
Everything is so “Cookie Cutter”.
Larger tracks might be faster, but what one usually ends up with is
“freight train” type racing.
Way too much aluminum showing
at Indy for the Nationwide race.
And most
all the Nationwide & Truck races. Add in Indy Car racing, too. Yes, we can blame it on the economy, but I
feel the racing organizations are somehow really missing the boat. Heck, back in the day, the local tracks
always had posters in stores advertising the races. We don’t see that, today. Race cars were hauled to the track in open
trailers. Today, who really knows what’s
being hauled around in those enclosed trailers.
I know my kids always got excited when we were on the way to a track and
they saw those open trailers with the race cars on them.
Note: Talk about a lot of aluminum! The Brickyard 400 – Wow! Place looked empty! Face it folks, auto racing is in trouble.
Carl Edwards leaving Roush at
end of 2014 season
http://news.yahoo.com/carl-edwards-leaving-roush-end-2014-season-140227372--spt.html
Note: Part of the contract with Roush is that a
driver can’t mention where he is going after leaving Roush – at least not until
late in the season.
I might not be in tip-top
shape, but it sure looks to me like a majority of the NASCAR Officials that are
on pit road checking the crews when the cars are pitting are slightly “robust?
I wasn’t there, but at OCFS
last Saturday, the Sportsman class had their usual demo derby – again!
Note: I think OCFS is too big and too fast for a majority
of the sportsman drivers.
NASCAR drivers want changes
on the schedule
http://news.yahoo.com/nascar-drivers-want-changes-schedule-202203780--spt.html
Kurt Busch: No talks yet on a
second Indy-Charlotte double
Success of Eldora return goes
through the roof
In part:
"As the meandering
conversation with reporters neared the end, Slack turned to Stewart. "Can we tell them about the dome?"
To which Stewart let loose:
"Yeah, if we can raise $25 million, we will put a dome and a roof over top
of Eldora Speedway. ... This is not a joke. We have a fellow competitor who is
a large engineer and he's figured out what it would actually take to put a roof
over Eldora, so it's about a $25 million project to do if we were able to get
an event like a (NASCAR Sprint) Cup race. That would definitely be a lot easier
to justify spending $25 million. If not, I don't know how many $1.50 hot dogs
we'd have to sell to raise $25 million."
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/success-eldora-return-goes-roof-211900457--nascar.html
I’m really beginning to hate
those NASCAR “Competition cautions”.
It’s really “sissyfying” racing, as far as I’m
concerned. Supposedly the best drivers
and they need that crap?
Funny, how in dirt track
racing, a car bounces off a wall and continues on, but with NASCAR, it seems
that contact with a wall brings out an automatic yellow flag.
In talking with Ron Lauer via
emails the other day, I was informed that for last year, the ARDC, with an
average of 22 cars per show, was the second best car average among midget
racing in the
Posted on the DTD Forum by Brett Deyo on 7/28/14:
As the Tuesday, August 5
(rain date: Aug. 6) New York Truck Parts Inc. 'Battle of the Bullring 2'
approaches at Accord Speedway, some added incentives have been put in place.
All drivers registering to
compete in the Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP Modifieds or Sportsman will receive a voucher redeemable
for a FREE chicken barbecue meal on race night. The barbecue meal includes
chicken, baked beans and macaroni salad.
The chicken barbecue meal will also be on sale for $8.
Jerry Higbie's
Hig Fab business has added
a hefty $200 lap leader bonus for the 26th circuit of the 52-lap Modified main
event.
The top-three crate engine
finishers in the Sportsman main event will take home $125, $100 and $75 extra
in their pay envelopes.
Complete information is
available at www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com
Note: Hope they have enough chicken!
On Facebook
on 7/28/14:
For our oval track racing
fans, in general:
I'm a little concerned by the
number of empty seats at the Brickyard 400 ...and other televised races [other
than Eldora!].
Can we start a thread
discussing fan participation/attendance, factors that influence a ticket
buy/no-buy decision, what needs to change in reversing the fan decline?
Comments, as of 7/28/14:
In my opinion the empty seats
at NASCAR races is because people are finally realizing that NASCAR doesn't
have the product (racing, excitement) that NASCAR has tried to get people to
think they have.
The empty seats
at local tracks is because no promoter, at least in my area, advertises
or promotes the races. Can't sell seats if no one knows about
it.
It's simple. What's most
entertaining is going to attract the most people . If
you're not getting your money's worth, you'll go somewhere else
. Not rocket science . Was looking at some
results from a track in
Exactly. Had a track around here ran 5 classes with 7 cars the
most in any class. Could of
shot a shotgun off and never hit anyone in the grandstand. The track is closed
now.
I've been to all the Brickyard 400's.. I'll admit it's not the greatest race but I go because
I'm a race fan! As many know these big races need to lower the ticket prices.. My Indy ticket was valued at $92,
I paid $35 off the street! If they want to fill some seats why don't these
speedways try a $15-$20 ticket??
gas prices are the reason I can't attend races out of my
area, live in thumb area of Mi. all famous race tracks 300 miles or more oneway!
While wasting some time on Monday late
afternoon, I was checking out some photos of the board track that was put up in
the Polo Grounds back in the late 40’s.
Pretty remarkable as to just how thin those boards were!
Wonder what this means for
the ASCoC for next year?
The first two postings:
Wonder if the All-Stars are
making a slow spin down the drain? After taking a public relations beating
earlier this year over not paying point fund money from last year, the
All-Stars took just two full-time travelers (Dale Blaney
and Jac Haudenschild) west
last weekend for the "Thunder Through the Plains" tour. I can
remember when the All-Stars used to take 9-10 travelers on the "Thunder Through the Plains" tour. Last Thursday night's
All-Star show at Willston Basin (N.D.)
http://www.pennlive...._donny_sch.html
Now, Fremont Speedway's Facebook page is touting the coming announcement of a new
Ohio Sprint Car series. Rumors on Pitgate.com tout Randy Hannagan,
Greg Wilson, Chad Kemenah, Caleb Helms, Tim Shaffer
and Danny Holtgraver as running the new series? That
can't be good for the long-term survival of the ASCoC,
https://www.facebook...FremontSpeedway
http://www.pitgate.c...renegade-series
http://www.pitgate.c...all-star-rumors
And here is the article from
Jeremy Elliott about the new series, which will be headed by the father of
driver Caleb Helms. According to the article, the new series was born out of
disgust over the financial dealings of the All-Stars and series promoter Guy
Webb. IMO, this is sounding like it will kill off the All-Stars.
http://www.pennlive....ml#incart_river
Former
OVRP Dirt Oval runners:
A couple of quick notes:
OCFS Sportsman:
In DIRTcar
Sportsman action, Brian Krummel finally became the
track’s all-time winner as he grabbed his fifth win of the season in the 20-lap
feature event. It was Krummel’s 28th career victory
and broke a 10-year record Tim Hindley set on Oct.
23, 2004 during Eastern States Weekend.
Also at OCFS, as for points
after last weeks racing, Tim Hindley is leading in
the Modifieds with 1427 points. Clinton Mills is third with 1392 and Mike
Ruggiero is 8th with 1314.
In Sportsman, LJ Lombardo is
leading with 1425, Matt Janiak is 2nd with
1391, Brian Krummel is 3rd with 1372 and
Joey Falanga is 10th with 1048 points
At I-88 in the “Crazy ”
Special, Danny Creeden was the race winner. Tyler Dippel was 5thand
Tyler Boniface 21st. Tim Hindley was 21st in the “B” main. Anthony Perrego and
Billy VanInwegen were both DNS’s.
In the Dig Safety NY GRIT Series Crate
Sportsman race, Brian Krummel was 3rd,
Matt Hitchcock 10th and Johnny Illanovsky
13th.
At OCFS, in the hold over Modified
feature, Tim Hindley was 2nd, Clinton
Mills 6th, Mike Kolka 11th,
Billy V 12th and Mike Ruggiero 13th.
In the nights Modified feature,
Brian Krummel
won the Sportsman feature with LJ Lombardo 2nd, RJ Smykla 8th, Matt Janiak
10th, Dom Roselli, Jr. 11th,
Zach Mead 14th, Andrew Reeves 15th, Joey Falanga 17th, Joe Conklin 20th and
Matt Hitchcock 21st. Jimmy
Johnson was a DNS. Anthony Falanga and Zack Vavricka were DNQ’s.
Joey Bruning won
the Rookie Sportsman feature with Winter Mead 5th.
At
Bobby Morris was 3rd in the
Sportsman feature at
Anthony Perrego
was 1st in the Modified feature at 5 Mile. Brad Szulewski was
18th in the Sportsman feature.
Davie Franek was 7th in the URC
feature at Selinsgrove.
Brett Wright was 22nd in the
Modified feature at A/S. Alex Bell was 2nd,
Hunter Bates 4th and John Virgilio 14th
in the Sportsman feature.
AJ Filbeck was 6th
in the Sportsman feature at U/R.
At Accord, Anthony Perrego
was 8th in the Modified feature.
Joey Bruning won the Spec Sportsman
feature. Wyatt Clark was 2nd
in the All Star Slingshot feature.
Friday, at I-88, Danny Creeden
was 7th in the Modified feature.
At
Ben Whitaker was 7th in the
Late Model feature at Susquehanna.
Kenney Johnson was 6th in the
NEMA Midget feature, while RJ Tufano was 23rd
in the NEMA Lights Midget feature at Seekonk.
Jacob Hendershot
was 2nd in the 270 Micro feature at
Hamlin. Danny Buccafusca
won the 600 Rookie feature.
Molly Chambers was 23rd in the
wingless 600 Micro feature at Linda’s.
Jason Roe was a DNS in the Lightning
Sprint feature at
At
At the Brett Hearn “Big Show” at A/S, on
Wed night, Billy V finished 8th.
From
Jayski:
Richard Petty comments on the
Race Team Alliance:
Richard Petty doesn't agree
with Brian France's comments that the new Race Team Alliance (RTA) is a bad
idea. "It's really kind of a bad idea from the standpoint that NASCAR
should be doing what we're doing," said Petty, who is part of the
nine-owner association. "We belong to an organization...and NASCAR should
be making the best deals they can for their organization. We see them do a lot
of that, but they're not doing it as much as maybe the new crowd wants."
The RTA was formed earlier this month in order to help the teams speak with one
voice and possibly find cost savings in areas like travel and insurance. Petty
compared Friday it to a farmers' co-op. But France, NASCAR's chairman and CEO,
told Sirius XM radio earlier this week he "didn't think (the RTA) was
necessary" and said NASCAR preferred to listen to many voices instead of
one consensus voice.(USA Today), see past news about the RTA on the Race Team
Alliance News page.(7-26-2014)
Penske
close to Australian Super-V8 deal?
Ambrose part of deal?
UPDATE:
Marcos Ambrose on Friday
declined to discuss a report that he's considering returning to
NASCAR Closes Fueling
Loophole:
NASCAR issued a technical
bulletin to teams this week with some new language regarding where fuel filler cans could be filled at the track. The new rule basically
states that fuel cans can only be filled at the
designated Sunoco fueling stations in the infield. This move by NASCAR closes a
loophole that some teams were exploiting on pit road to get an advantage with
fueling during pit stops.(NASCAR Insiders)(7-26-2014)
How would a few drivers
change the Sprint Cup schedule:
Kyle BUSCH: "Oh, my.
Could I be president for the day and then decide what we're going to do? Wow, there's so many opportunities. I think the first one should
be the final race should be bid on like a committee such as the Super Bowl.
There's a committee that goes around and it gets filled in with who does the
best job with their community to present themselves as the frontrunner to have
the Super Bowl. Why not do that with our final stock car race? You know, The
Chase, I think
Roush Fenway Racing Announces
2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Lineup:
Roush Fenway Racing's 2015
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) lineup will consist of three teams anchored by
two-time NASCAR champion Greg Biffle. Biffle, driver of the #16 Ford and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the #17 Ford and also a two-time
NASCAR champion will be joined by Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne in the #6
Ford. The lineup features a veteran perennial 'Chase' contender in Biffle - who is currently competing to become the first
driver to win a championship at all three of NACAR's
premiere series - as well as two of the sport's most promising up and coming
drivers.
"I have had the
privilege of fielding entries for the world's best race car drivers in NASCAR
for nearly 30 years, and feel quite fortunate to have an opportunity to do that
again next year," said team co-owner Jack Roush. "We have always
prided ourselves in developing talent at Roush Fenway, and our 2015 line-up is
a testament to the success of our organization in that respect. Greg Biffle is one of the most purely talented racers I've ever
seen behind the wheel of a car, and his experience combined with the raw
natural abilities, enthusiasm and desire in both Ricky Stenhouse,
Jr. and Trevor Bayne have me very excited for the future. Although we still
have a lot to accomplish this year, both John Henry and I are looking forward
to going to the track in 2015 with this blend of veteran leadership and
youthful potential."
Biffle, who has 746 NASCAR starts, first joined Roush Fenway
in 1998, and earned the organization its first NASCAR championships in the
NASCAR Truck Series in 2000 and in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) in 2002.
He has qualified for the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup in five of the last
six seasons; with a runner-up finish in 2005. Of his 55 NASCAR wins, 19 came in
the NSCS, including Ford's 1,000th NASCAR victory last year.
"I don't have the words
for what Jack Roush has meant to my career," said Biffle.
"During our 16 years together, we have won multiple championships and
numerous races on every level. I am as excited about what the future holds for
me here as I am about what we have been able to accomplish in the past. Our
goal remains to run up front, win races and become the sports' first
triple-crown winner by having a championship in all three series. I know that
we have the right ownership, the right team, the right resources and the right
manufacturer to get that done here here at Roush
Fenway."
Stenhouse joined Roush Fenway in 2008, going on to win
back-to-back NNS championships in 2011 and 2012. In addition, he captured
NASCAR rookie honors in NNS and NSCS in 2010 and 2013, respectively. Bayne, the
2011 Daytona 500 Champion, joined Roush Fenway in 2010 and has competed
full-time in the NNS, while also running a limited NSCS schedule with Wood
Brothers Racing. He will make the transition to full-time NSCS racing with AdvoCare as his primary partner on Roush Fenway's iconic #6
Ford.
Fastenal to Serve as Primary
Partner for Stenhouse in 2015:
Roush Fenway Racing announced
that long-time partner Fastenal will team with Ricky Stenhouse
Jr., serving as the anchor sponsor on the #17 Ford in the NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series (NSCS) for a multi-year agreement beginning next season. Fastenal first
joined with Roush Fenway in 2010 and has served as a primary partner for multiple
Roush Fenway teams and drivers in both the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) and
NSCS. "Fastenal is a first class partner and we are extremely pleased to
have them team with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the No.
17 team starting next year," said Roush Fenway co-owner Jack Roush.
"Ricky has accomplished a great deal in a short time, and continues to
improve each week. We have very high expectations for his success in the future
and I'm thrilled that Fastenal will be a part of that."
Stenhouse, who earned NSCS rookie of the year honors in 2013,
will move into his third full-season of Sprint Cup competition in 2015.
Considered one of the most talented up-and-coming drivers on the circuit, Stenhouse posted back-to-back NNS championships in 2011 and
2012.
Fastenal is currently in its
third season as a primary partner on the #99 NSCS entry driven by Carl Edwards,
and was the primary partner on the #60 NNS team that captured the owner's
championship in 2011. Fastenal has also served in a limited role as a primary partner
for the #16 and #17 NSCS teams the past two seasons.
"We appreciate
everything Carl has done and wish him nothing but the best," said Fastenal
President Lee Hein. "That said, we're looking
forward to continuing our partnership with Roush Fenway Racing as the anchor
sponsor of the #17. We already have a strong relationship with Ricky, and we're
100% confident that he'll do a great job representing our company on and off
the track."
"As a driver, I'm
thrilled to have Fastenal on board for next season," said Stenhouse. "I grew up working in a race shop, helping
my dad build cars and racing engines. I appreciate the chance to work with a
partner like Fastenal that plays such an important role in building our race
cars and helping us win on the track. I've had the opportunity to work with
them in the past and meet a lot of the men and women that are part of the 'Blue
Team.' I look forward to representing them on the racetrack, and to taking them
to victory lane."(RFR)(7-27-2014)
Gibbs Hints of 4th Team in 2015:
Team owner Joe Gibbs
side-stepped questions about Carl Edwards' expected move to his race team.
"We don't have anything right now to announce," Gibbs said on pit
road before Sunday's race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "Anything that
we're going to do will be coming up in the future. I'm not sure exactly what
the time line is." Gibbs did allow that his organization is making a more
concerted effort this year to field a fourth team in 2015 than has been the
case in the past. "We've been (preparing for a fourth team) each and every
year," Gibbs said. "But it's so hard to do that, we haven't been able
to get it done. But I think we're taking a serious look at it this year."
Asked if those efforts involved signing a serious driver, Gibbs replied,
"You've got to have a serious sponsor." But he did acknowledge
Edwards' star power. "When Carl's name came up during this year ... almost
everybody recognizes Carl as being somebody I think is a star," Gibbs
said. "Because of that, there are a lot of teams that have tried to entice
him."(NASCAR Wire Service)(7-28-2014)
Edwards going for 2014
Championship; waiting to make announcement:
Sunday morning's news that
Carl Edwards is leaving Roush Fenway Racing at the end of 2014 is almost
certain to overshadow much of what the veteran driver does on the track the
rest of this year. Edwards wants to make at least one thing clear, however. He
insisted he's 100% dedicated to finishing his time at Roush -- the company
where he began his Sprint Cup Series career in late 2004 -- on a high note.
"I came over here this morning and talked to (crew chief) Jimmy Fennig and all of my guys, and we're all on the same
page," Edwards said Sunday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"Right now we need to win this championship ... and that is the mission. I
drive for Jack Roush, I drive the #99 Fastenal Ford, and that's what I do right
now. So from a housekeeping standpoint Roush has to announce what they're going
to be doing next year. I'll soon announce what I'm going to be doing next year,
but I just want to be real clear the focus is to win the championship this
year." Edwards confirmed Sunday that he knows which organization he'll be
driving for in 2015, but was unwilling to elaborate further. He is widely
expected to join Joe Gibbs Racing in a fourth JGR Toyota. "I'd like to
wait until I announce exactly what I'm doing and maybe get a little farther
away from this season, and what I have to do here, before I talk about my hopes
and expectations for 2015 and beyond," Edwards said. "I mean, you
guys know what I've been through from a competitive standpoint. I've been
really close as a driver to some championships and I know what one point and
one race and all that stuff can do, so the last thing I'm going to do or Jimmy Fennig's going to do is let next year and beyond affect our
ability to win this championship. That's the mission. Part of the reason I'm a
race car driver is I like the adventure of it, and I like going and doing new
things and learning new things and, sometimes, whether it's a race-car driver
-- or anyone -- sometimes you just want to make a change, and opportunities
sometimes present themselves. And you say, hey, I
don't want to look back and say, 'What was that like to not take that
opportunity?'"(FoxSports)(7-28-2014)
Race Team Alliance expects to
add NASCAR teams:
Race Team Alliance chairman Rob Kauffman said Sunday the rest of NASCAR's
full-time teams should soon be added to the group that is working on issues
facing the sport. The RTA formed this month as an alliance of nine of NASCAR's
top teams. Kauffman met with other owners this weekend at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway and says they are on board. The RTA wants to lower costs for NASCAR
teams and create one voice on issues. "The stuff on the RTA side is actually
going quite well," Kauffman said. "We're just focused on doing what
we said we were going to do. Get organized, get things done and try and be
productive. Don't expect a lot of PR and excitement. Just doing what we said we
were going to do. We're cautiously optimistic we're going to make some good
progress. There's a lot of potential."(Associated Press)(7-28-2014)
Ford Racing Statement on Carl
Edwards Departure:
Jamie Allison, director, Ford
Racing - "Carl Edwards has been a part of the Ford family for a decade,
and it will certainly be tough to see him leave Ford and Roush Fenway Racing.
During Carl's time with Roush, he has represented Ford Motor Company with the
utmost class, both on and off the track. We at Ford Racing did everything to
facilitate keeping Carl a part of the Ford Racing & Roush Fenway family,
but in the end that option did not come to fruition. While we are disappointed
in his decision to leave Roush Fenway Racing, we certainly want to extend our
appreciation for Carl's contributions winning races and a NASCAR Nationwide
Series Championship in a Ford, and especially for his outreach to Ford fans.
That said, with this decision out of the way, our plan for 2014 has not
changed. We will go forward strongly with our stated goal of securing a NASCAR
championship for Ford."(Ford Racing)(7-27-2014)
Gordon approaching some
records:
Starting with his Cup debut
in the final race of the 1992 season, #24-Jeff Gordon hasn't missed a race in
22 years. At
Gordon led 40 laps on Sunday,
bringing his career total to 23,949, sixth most all-time. If he drives for two
more seasons beyond the current one, he has a realistic shot at leading 25,000
laps, perhaps catching the next driver on the list, Pearson, who racked up
25,159 laps led. Richard Petty led the most with 51,380.(NASCAR
Wire Service)(7-29-2014)
Stewart would like to have
Nationwide and Sprint Cup races at Eldora: While he's not planning for it, Tony
Stewart would love for the addition of more NASCAR Racing at Eldora Speedway.
Stewart, along with track general manager Roger Slack, talked about the
possibility during a press conference for the unveiling of the new infield
building that will be added for the 2015 season. "I'd love for the Truck
Series to not be the only NASCAR that comes here," Stewart said. "If
this continues to go as well as we hope it does there's no reason that the
other two divisions couldn't come possibly in the future. I think we can make
it work. If you can take the trucks and make them work here, the Cup cars and Nationwide cars aren't much of a stretch from that. So it's
definitely feasible to do that." The new building, which will begin to be
constructed in October, will house the media center that will also double as an
infield hospitality suite. The building will also be the site of the infield
care center along with a concession stand with double lines. Stewart said the
decision to build in the infield building had no bearing on the possibilty of getting a Nationwide of Cup Series race in
the future. "This is part of the continued process of us making the
commitment of improving the facility to making it bigger and better," he
said. "But we are very appreciative and very content if we only run truck
races from here on out. We get the privilege to keep hosting Truck races and we
are very happy doing that."(Motor Racing Network)(7-24-2014)
UPDATE:
NASCAR Executive Vice
President Steve O'Donnell said there have been no discussions about adding
another major NASCAR race at Eldora. "We haven't had any discussions with
Tony beyond that (truck race)," O'Donnell said. "I wouldn't rule out
looking at potential other venues for trucks, but I think for the most part, we
want to keep the uniqueness of that event. It has been really successful. They
have done a great job for us. They set the bar very high. But we like where
we're at right now with it." The Eldora event is a successful weeknight
event. Whether that success could translate to a Cup race on a weeknight
remains to be seen. Both the track and television partner would have to be
prepared for it, and so far NASCAR has not had a track want a weeknight
prime-time event that it could then pitch to the networks. The truck race at
Eldora was the biggest sports cable event of Wednesday night, giving Fox Sports
1 a rare evening win over ESPN. "One of the challenges with most of the
venues, especially on the Cup side, is big camping unlike other sports, so that
presents a challenge," O'Donnell said. "It is something we have
discussed with promoters. But we just aren't there from a logistics standpoint
to be able to pull it off. But it has worked for the trucks. That is something
going forward you could see us take a bigger look at with some other venues
that have interest."(Sporting News)(7-29-2014)
Special Traffic Patterns
planned for Pocono race:
The Pennsylvania State Police
will put special traffic patterns into effect to help motorists attending the
GoBowling.com 400 NASCAR race on Sunday, August 3rd, 2014, at the Pocono
Raceway in Long Pond,
· Prior to the race, Route
115 from Interstate 80 to the raceway will be converted to two lanes and will
be one way southbound. This conversion will be put into effect at approximately
8 a.m. and continue until all traffic has entered the track grounds.
· Following the race, Route
115 from the raceway to Interstate 80 will be converted to two lanes and will
be one way northbound, until the raceway parking lots are cleared. This
conversion will take place with 25 laps remaining in the race.
· Stoney
Hollow Road has been designated a no parking and tow away zone from Long
· Following the race, the
Interstate 80 eastbound off-ramp at the Blakeslee exit (Exit 284) will be
closed to traffic.
Traffic coming south to the
race in the two lanes of Route 115 will be required to enter specific parking
areas. Motorists should take note of signs posted along Route 115 and travel in
the appropriate traffic lanes for their desired parking area. Likewise,
outbound traffic traveling north will face similar signs with lane restrictions
for Interstate 80 and Route 115 access. The August 1st weekend will bring with
it large amounts of race fans to the Poconos. Motorists should expect higher
traffic volume and possible delays not only on Route 115 and Interstate 80, but
also on State Routes 209, 940 and 903. Those who normally utilize Route 115 to
travel through the area should consider using Interstate 80, Route 33, Route
209, and the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike as alternate
routes.
Tickets to the GoBowling.com
400 are available by visiting www.poconoraceway.com or by calling 1-800-RACEWAY
(1-800-722-3929).(Pocono Raceway)(7-29-2014)
NASCAR confiscates parts from
#11
NASCAR discovered
"possible issues" with the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing
UPDATE:
The #11 team that competes in
the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has been penalized for a rules
infraction discovered in post-race inspection July 27 at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. This infraction is a P5 level penalty which is outlined in Section
12-4.5 A (9) of the 2014 NASCAR rule book:
Approved parts that fail or
are improperly installed to fail in their intended use of great importance
(e.g.; rear wheel well panels that fail and allow air evacuation in the trunk
area; oil box cover that fails and allows air evacuation in the driver
compartment; shifter boot cover that fails and allows air evacuation through
the floor pan). This infraction violates Sections 12-1, 20-2.1, 20.3.4, 20.3.4.5.
As a result of these
violations, crew chief Darian Grubb has been fined
$75,000 plus an additional $50,000 post-race fine for a total of $125,000.
Grubb has also been suspended from NASCAR for the next six series championship
events, plus any non-championship races or special events that might occur
during that time period. Grubb will also be on NASCAR probation for the next
six months.
Car chief Wesley Sherrill has
been suspended from NASCAR for the next six series championship events, plus
any non-championship races or special events that might occur during that time
period and will be on NASCAR probation for the next six months.
This infraction has also cost
the #11 team the loss of 50 championship driver and owner (Denny Hamlin and
J.D. Gibbs) points plus an additional 25 post-race points for a total loss of
75 championship driver and 75 championship owner points.(NASCAR),
see the complete release on the 2014 NASCAR penalties page.(7-29-2014)
Gibbs statement:Joe
Gibbs Racing (JGR) is aware of the penalty issued by NASCAR today regarding the
#11 team's post-race inspection infraction following Sunday's Sprint Cup Series
race in Indianapolis. JGR will plan to appeal the penalty, however, crew chief Darian Grubb and car chief Wesley Sherrill will begin to serve
their suspensions starting this weekend in Pocono.(Gibbs
PR)(7-29-2014)
How Hamlin's penalty stacks
up historically
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/hamlins-penalty-stacks-historically-210000275--nascar.html
Greg Ives named crew chief
for Earnhardt, Jr. in 2015:
Crew chief Greg Ives will
rejoin Hendrick Motorsports following the 2014 NASCAR
season to lead the #88 Sprint Cup Series team of driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Ives, 34, was race engineer for Jimmie Johnson's historic run of five
consecutive Sprint Cup championships (2006-2010) with the #48 Hendrick Motorsports team. He will work alongside Johnson's
crew chief, Chad Knaus, in the shop shared by the #48
and 88 Chevy SS teams.
"Greg was our number-one
choice," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. "This is a talented guy who
already has a terrific rapport with Dale Jr. and is a fit with the
organization. He and
Since his debut as a crew
chief for JR Motorsports in 2013, Ives has won five NASCAR Nationwide Series
races including three this season with rookie and current points
leader Chase Elliott.
A native of
Chase drivers can't tire test
at
NASCAR will not allow
championship-eligible drivers to participate in a Goodyear tire test at
Homestead-Miami Speedway. But, to ensure fairness, NASCAR will allow all
organizations represented in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship to
participate in the Aug. 26 test because
From
Track Forum:
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/forum.php
Question: Is the Indy Car season too short? Some nice responses to this
thread.
One More Month- Done
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?188180-One-More-Month-Done
From
the AARN:
This Week
In AARN
Crazy Eights For Danny Creeden; Wins BD Super Series
Race At I-88
Seekonk Open Wheel Wednesday
Mod Win For Tommy Barrett Is Worth Ten Grand
End Of
An Era: Flemington Speedway Promoter Paul Kuhl Passes
Hy-Miler Nationals ISMA Supermodified Race Goes To Lou Cicconi, Jr.
New Renegade Sprint Car Group
Aims To Replace All Star Circuit Of Champions
Brent Marks Sweeps Williams
Grove,
First Super DIRTcar Series Win Earned By Erick Rudolph In
Bubba Wallace’s Craftsman
Truck Series Eldora Win Is Huge
Didja know - things found in this weeks
AARN:
Matt Hearn, son of Bobby
Hearn, was the crew chief for JR Heffner for the Truck race at Eldora.
More talk about an F-1 race
in
When Danny Creeden pulled into I-88 for the "Crazy 8's
Special" his racing funds were down to $42.00. When he won that race, his racing fund
increased some $9,164.00
James Hinchcliffe
will not be re-newing his contract with Andretti Autosports.
Tony Kanaan
has now started in 229 consecutive Indy Car races.
Ron Babula
- One of Evergreen Speedways three managing partners, said: "We are not giving up. We are hopeful that the short term financial
issues we have experienced have been addressed and that we will be returning to
weekly racing moving forward."
JR Heffner made $9,210.00 for
18th place in the Truck race at Eldora.
There were 19 ARDC Midgets at
Big Diamond, last week.
There were 19 NEMA Midgets at
Seekonk, last week, and 28 NEMA Lights.
Note: Is the ARDC missing the boat by not having a
"lower" Midget class?
Coming
up:
Vintage Racing Celebration
Friday, August 01 - Monday,
Aug 04, 2014 | 9:00am - 5:00pm
Road Course Days: Aug. 1-2
Oval Days: Aug. 3-4
Accord: Tuesday, Aug. 5
Rain date: Aug 6th. (More info on this in “Press Releases”
OCFS: Sat., August 2nd Pine Bush Equipment and McGannon
Excavating
BIG BROTHER BIG SISTER of OC
NIGHT - KIDS CLUB
Modifieds, Small Block Modifieds,
Sportsman, Street Stocks, and Trucks
UPSTATE GM DEALERS &
HOOSIER TIRE PRESENT
The $17,500 To Win MR. DIRT Track
August 2:
12:00 PM PIT GATES OPEN - ALL
LEGENDS AND BANDOLEROS TO THE SCALES FOR PRE-RACE TECH - YOU WILL NOT BE
ALLOWED ON THE TRACK - EVEN FOR PRACTICE - UNTIL YOU HAVE PASSED
TECH!
1:00 PM PRACTICE
4 CYLINDER ADVANCED
SPORTSMAN
4 CYLINDER NOVICE
TWIN
(ROTATING PRACTICE UNTIL 2:00 PM)
2:00-2:30 PM BANDOLERO OPEN
PRACTICE
2:30-3:30 PM LEGENDS OPEN
PRACTICE
3:45 PM DRIVER’S MEETING -
MANDATORY!
4:00 PM PRACTICE
BANDOLERO
4 CYLINDER ADVANCED
LEGENDS (2ND ROUND PRACTICE TIME WILL
DETERMINE QUALIFYING GROUPS)
4 CYLINDER NOVICE
SPORTSMAN
TWIN
(TWO ROUNDS)
5:00 PM LEGENDS AND BANDOLERO
DRIVERS TO
MANDATORY - BRING YOUR HELMET!
5:30 PM LEGENDS QUALIFYING
(EUROPEAN STYLE - 4 CARS PER GROUP, 5 LAPS)
6:00 PM HEAT RACES (8 LAPS)
BANDOLERO
4 CYLINDER ADVANCED
LEGENDS
4 CYLINDER NOVICE
SPORTSMAN
TWIN
BANDOLERO B-MAIN (8 LAPS)
LEGENDS C-MAIN (8 LAPS)
7:30 PM INTERMISSION
LEGENDS B-MAIN (12 LAPS)
BANDOLEROS TO GRID FOR DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
(CAR AND DRIVER - ONE CREW MEMBER)
BANDOLERO FEATURE (20 LAPS)
4 CYLINDER ADVANCED FEATURE (20 LAPS)
LEGENDS TO GRID FOR DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS (CAR
AND DRIVER - ONE CREW MEMBER)
LEGENDSTOCK 2014 A-MAIN (50 LAPS)
4 CYLINDER NOVICE FEATURE (20 LAPS)
TWIN
LEGENDS NON-QUALIFIERS RACE (TIME PERMITTING,
20 LAPS)
SCHEDULE IS TENTATIVE AND
SUBJECT TO CHANGE - ALL TIMES ARE APPROXIMATE
LISTEN FOR PIT ANNOUNCEMENTS!
Note: Talk about a full day of action!
Press releases:
NEWS FROM
Orange County Fair
CONTACT
Mike Gurda
845-342-2573
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HOT AUGUST RACING AUGUST 2
AT ORANGE COUNTY FAIR
Five race meets remain in the
chase for track championships
It’s Big Brothers Big Sisters
of Orange County Night at the historic Hard Clay speedway, with the program
sponsored by Pine Bush Equipment and McGannon
Excavating.
With just five more nights of
racing left in the season-long point chase to determine track champions, all the
top drivers will be out to score as many points as possible. Two weeks back in
the headline DIRTcar Big-Block Modified ranks, Tim Hindley and Chuck McKee were tied for the point lead. But
McKee’s on-track fortunes slipped somewhat on July 26 and now Hindley (1427 points) holds a 27-point edge over Jerry Higbie (1400). Clinton Mills is third (1392), while McKee
(1379) has slipped to fourth, with Tommy Meier (1368) is in fifth place.
Danny Creeden
(660) leads the Small-Block Modified standings by seven points over McKee
(653). John Ferrier (603), Chris Shultz (602), and Ray Jashembowski
(594) complete the top-five.
LJ Lombardo (1425) tops the
ultra-competitive Sportsman division, with Matt Janiak
(1391) second and Brian Krummel (1372) in third. In
Sportsman racing, anything can happen, but this talented trio
are the likely candidates for division honors.
It’s also a three-way battle
in the Street Stock division, where Mike Vigiletti
(1435) leads Emerson Cargain (1408) and Charles
Donald (1406).
Admission prices for the
August 2 race meet remain at $14 adults, $12 seniors, and $2 for Children 12
and under. The full night of racing
begins promptly at 7:00 pm.
Advance ticket sales and
track information for all remaining Orange County Fair Speedway race dates,
including the 53rd Annual Eastern States Weekend, can be found at the
News from the New York Truck
Parts Inc. ‘
Media Contact: Brett Deyo – bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com or 845.728.2781
For Immediate Release/July
29, 2014
HUGE Payday Awaits
Competitors At Accord Speedway On Tuesday, Aug. 5 For New York Truck Parts ‘Battle
of the Bullring 2’ Event; With DIRTcar Stars Away,
Weekend Warriors Compete For $5,200 Minimum To Win, $1,020 For 8th & $520
To Take The Green Flag! Sportsman, Open vs. Crate 602, Featured In
$1,000-To-Win Event; Bonuses Adding Up & All Drivers Receive FREE Chicken
Barbecue Meal
ACCORD, NY – The Super DIRTcar Series big-block Modified stars are traveling in
the far reaches of Western New York next Tuesday, Aug. 5, opening the door for
weekend warriors to collect a HUGE payday at Accord Speedway.
With the largest purse in the
52-year history of the facility posted for the New York Truck Parts Inc. ‘
The ‘
“This is a huge opportunity
for weekly stars to cash in,” said Brett Deyo of BD
Motorsports Media LLC, co-promoter of the second annual ‘
“Our series was assembled for
the Friday, Saturday and Sunday night ‘working-man’ racer and this is their
opportunity to shine!”
Rewards will be plentiful
when the Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP rolls
into Accord on Aug. 5. Aside from the big payout, lap money is adding up
(minimum $20 per lap), including a hefty $200 to the
leader at lap 26 courtesy of Jerry Higbie’s HigFab chassis-building enterprise. Lap money will be
distributed among the top-seven drivers in the running order during the main
event.
The event’s Hard Charger will
take home $200 courtesy of Rock Fantasy Concert, Smoke Shop & Pinball Room in
Topping passing-points
earners in each of the qualifying events will transfer to the Joe Winne Memorial Dash for Cash paying $555 to win for five
fast laps! The Dash for Cash will pay all starters thanks to sponsors Jimmy
Winchell of Winchell Stone & Masonry and Dave Zubikowski
of Zubi’s Racing.
Mike’s Auto Detailing (New
Windsor, N.Y.) has come on to reward the driver making the longest tow to the
facility unable to make the main event with a starting spot in the 52-lap main
event.
Additionally, the long list
of Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP contingency
awards will be up for grabs, making for a lucrative night at the Big A.
Supporting sponsorship for
the ‘
Following a charge from 21st
to finish second in the most recent Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP event at I-88 (N.Y.)
The Modifieds
are joined on the program by Open vs. Crate 602 Sportsman in a 25-lap event
offering $1,000 to the winner and $100 to start. Staggered weight rules are in place for the
Sportsman division for Crate 602 and Open combinations with steel and aluminum
wheels. Please note, this is not a points-paying event, so Crate 602 engine
cars are not required to have the Accord Speedway/Hunt’s Machine seal. All
unaltered Crate 602 engine cars are eligible to compete in this midweek event.
Crate 602 bonuses of $125,
$100 and $75 have been posted for the top-three across the line in the main.
ALL drivers signing in to
compete at the ‘
The chicken barbecue meal
will be on sale in the grandstand area for $8. Fans will also be able to test
their wares on a mechanical bull, enjoy music by DJ Tim Adams, purchase
collectibles from vendor Dave’s Racing Collectibles and more. Some legends of
the speedway will be assembled for an autograph session prior to the start of
racing, as well.
Last year’s inaugural ‘
Complete event rules and
information have been posted at: http://bdmotorsportsmedia.com/accord-speedway-battle-of-the-bullring-general-information-sheet/
For the ‘
Pricing is as follows: $20
(Adults), $18 (Seniors 65 and over) and $5 (Kids 11
and under). Pit admission is $35 with no license required.
Limited indoor seating is
available for $27. Please call the speedway office at 845.626.1142 to reserve a
seat.
The ‘
To learn more about the
‘Battle of the Bullring 2’ or the Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP,
contact Brett Deyo via e-mail at
bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com, by phone at 845.728.2781 or visit
www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com. BD Motorsports Media is on Facebook
and Twitter: @BrettDeyo.
Accord
Short Track Super Series
Fueled By VP Modified Purse Structure (52 Laps): 1. $5,200; 2. $3,020; 3.
$2,020; 4. $1,620; 5. $1,520; 6. $1,320; 7. $1,120; 8. $1,020; 9. $920; 10. $820; 11. $720; 12. $620; 13. $600; 14. $560; 15. $540; 16-24. $520; 25-27 (Provisional Spots):
$260. Total: $27,080
Note: For some reason, the Accord Speedway website has
not been accessible, even as of 12:50 PM on 7/30. Maybe now?
News from Georgetown
Speedway’s ‘Beach Blast’
Media Contact: Brett Deyo – 845.728.2781 or bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com
For Immediate Release/July
29, 2014
Buzz Builds For First-Time, First-State Happening: Cat Country 97.5,
Dover International Speedway, Will Brown’s Truck Repair, American Racer, Dirt
Track Digest, Hawkins Reporting Service, Manmiller
Electric, Hurlock Speed & Supply Lend Support To Growing Georgetown
Speedway ‘Beach Blast’ Tuesday, August 26
Dirt Modified driver Eric Kormann, together with special events promoter Brett Deyo of BD Motorsports Media LLC, have teamed up to lease
the historic Georgetown Speedway for the anticipated ‘Beach Blast’ for
big-block/small-block Modifieds, Crate 602 Sportsman,
Delmarva Chargers & Super Trucks on Tuesday, August 26. The event carries a
rain date of Wednesday, August 27.
Modifieds compete for a huge $24,125 purse in their 35-lap
feature. To compensate for the tow south, a non-top-heavy pay structure has
been established with a minimum of $4,000 to the winner, $1,400 for fifth,
$1,000 for 10th and $400 to take the green flag.
The event continues to build
momentum as it approaches.
*Cat Country 97.5, Delmarva’s
leading country station, has signed on as a marketing partner for the ‘Beach
Blast’ and will broadcast live from the speedway on race day for two hours (4-6
p.m.) complete with the Cat Country van, tent, sound system and prize wheel.
*Dover International Speedway
will support the event. The Dover International Speedway pace car will be on
hand for the special. An “enter-to-win” box, manned by
*More than $700 in lap money
has been collected for the ‘Beach Blast’ event. Laps are on sale at $20/minimum
per lap at bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com.
*Dirt Track Digest, on the
web at www.dirttrackdigest.com, has offered a $200 Halfway Leader Bonus for the
Modified 35-lap main event.
*Will Brown’s Truck Repair of
Cambridge, Md., presents a $250 Hard Charger Award for the 35-lap main event
made payable to the driver advancing the most positions from their scheduled
start to the finish.
*All Modified heat winners
will also pocket $100 cash, also thanks to Will Brown.
*Five drivers unable to
qualify for the Modified main will receive $50 thanks to Hawkins Reporting
Service of Wilmington, Del. The recipients will be decided by a draw of
non-qualifiers.
*The highest-finishing
Delaware International Speedway Modified regular will take home a $100 cash
bonus thanks to Hurlock Speed & Supply.
*American Racer/Lias Tire is on board to reward Modified drivers with a
pair of FREE tires. The competitors finishing in positions 6-10 and 11-15 will
be entered into a pair of drawings for the tire certificates.
*Bob Hilbert Sportswear will
produce a number of fan giveaway items, including ‘Beach Blast’ beach balls. Roving ‘Beach Babes’ will interact with fans during the night to
distribute promotional prizes.
Crate 602 Sportsman
competitors will run a 25-lap feature event paying a minimum of $1,000 to win
and $100 to start plus bonuses. The Delmarva Chargers and Super Trucks will
each take part in 15-lap mains. Thanks to Doug Manmiller
and Shoemakersville, Pa.’s Manmiller Electric, the
Delmarva Chargers and Super Trucks will compete for $200 to win each (double
their weekly winner’s share).
Modified minimum weight
requirements will be staggered to allow for a variety of engine combinations to
compete together. Weights are as follows: PA small-block on gas: 2,275 lbs.; PA
small-block on alcohol: 2,350 lbs.; open small-block (max. 363 cubic inches):
2,400 lbs.; big-block (max. 471 cubic inches): 2,500 lbs.;
Crate Sportsman must run
unaltered GM Crate 602 engines ONLY with a 6,200 rev chip. The shock rule is
open. Minimum weight is 2,400 lbs.
All bodies must be DIRTcar-legal with no sail panels, high doors/quarters or
additional skirting for the Modifieds and Crate 602
Sportsman.
Modified and Crate 602
Sportsman tire rules are as follows: American Racer 33 or harder fronts; 44 or
harder left-rear and 48 or harder right-rear. The “49” compound right-rear tire
is not permitted. The Hoosier option is as follows: Hoosier DIRTcar
D300 or harder on all four corners.
Modifieds and Crate 602 Sportsman will draw for their starting
positions with a redraw of top qualifiers for the main events.
The Delmarva Chargers and
Super Trucks will race under weekly rules with a draw for position in effect.
General admission pricing for
the ‘Beach Blast’ is as follows: $18 for Adults; $15 for Seniors
(ages 65 and up) and Students (ages 13-17); $10 for Kids (ages 9-13); and
children eight and under are FREE. Pit admission is $30 with no license
required.
Pit and grandstand gates will
open at 4 p.m. Hot laps begin at 6:30 p.m., with
racing planned for 7:15 p.m.
To learn more about the
‘Beach Blast’ event, contact Eric Kormann at
609.381.5820 or Brett Deyo at 845.728.2781. The
e-mail address is bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com and the official website for
race information is www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com. Like “BD Motorsports Media” on Facebook or follow @BrettDeyo on
Twitter.
Georgetown Speedway is
located at the intersection of Route 113 and
‘Beach Blast’ Modified Purse
Structure (35 Laps): 1. $4,000; 2. $3,000; 3. $2,000; 4. $1,600; 5. $1,400; 6.
$1,250; 7. $1,150; 8. $1,100; 9. $1,050; 10. $1,000; 11.
$650; 12. $600; 13. $550; 14. $525; 15. $500; 16. $475; 17. $450; 18. $425; 19-24. $400. Total:
$24,125
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 28, 2014
DICK JORDAN
14-146
ABREU LEADS MIDGETS TO
Rico Abreu
of
Abreu
will try to keep his streak of "podium" finishes intact in three
events this week in
Abreu's
record in nine races so far is simply amazing, with three wins, two seconds and
three thirds! Last year he was second at
Abreu's
team, the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian team, swept
Belleville in 2013, teammates Christopher Bell and Tanner Thorson taking first
and third respectively in the Belleville finale. They all return this year with
sights set on a repeat at the North Central Kansas Free Fair's half-mile dirt
oval.
Top challengers in the Kansas
events are expected to be three-time Belleville champ Jerry Coons Jr., two-time
Belleville champ and 2014 Chili Bowl winner Bryan Clauson,
two-time Belleville king Dave Darland, Tracy Hines,
teammates Chris Windom and New Zealander Michael Pickens, Zach Daum and Andrew Felker.
Abreu
enters the
2014 Honda USAC National
Midget Standings: 1-Rico Abreu-609; 2-Christopher Bell-513; 3-Tracy Hines-494;
4-Bryan Clauson-472; 5-Tanner Thorson-445; 6-Chris Windom-387; 7-Zach Daum-357;
8-Andrew Felker-332; 9-Michael Pickens-323; 10-Kevin Thomas-317.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY
28, 2014
DICK JORDAN
14-145
100TH SILVER CROWN WINNER
BYRNE GETS LAST-LAP JD BYRIDER WIN
The second annual "Hustle on
the High Banks" is on tap for the USAC Silver Crown Championship Series
Friday night at the famed "Belleville High Banks" in
Hines enters the race 39 points
behind Kody Swanson after a disappointing finish last
Thursday night in the J.D. Byrider "Rich Vogler Classic" at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis,
Ind. Hines was involved in a tangle on lap 17 although his 19th-place finish
kept him in the runner-up point slot.
Defending two-time series champion
Bobby East now sits third in the standings, just three point
behind Hines going into
David Byrne of Shullsburg, Wisc. stunned the series with his victory at
Fast qualifier Tanner Swanson, who
had hoped for a third consecutive
Former USAC Silver Crown champion
Ken Schrader started 12th and finished 10th in the 100-lap race.
2014 USAC Silver Crown
Standings:1-Kody Swanson-282, 2-Tracy Hines-243,
3-Bobby East-240, 4-Chris Windom-204, 5-Tanner Swanson-165, 6-Bobby Santos-159,
7-Jacob Wilson-156, 8-David Byrne-147, 9-Jarett Andretti-139, 10-Jerry Coons
Jr.-132.
More on Accord – posted on DTD’s forum by Brett Deyo:
‘
*Tuesday, August 5 at Accord
Allstar Performance Bonuses: The drivers finishing third and
eighth, respectively, in the ‘
American Racer/Lias Tire Bonuses: American Racer regional distributor Lias Tire of Indiana,
ATL Bonus: The fifth-place
finisher in the ‘
Behrent’s Bonuses: The drivers finishing fourth and ninth,
respectively, in the ‘
BFP Specialty Bonus: A driver
in the ‘Battle of the Bullring 2’ finishing sixth on back, selected by a random
draw, will receive a $100 credit toward shock servicing at BFP Specialty in
Bethel, Pa. (specializing in Integra). BFP Specialty is online at
www.bfpspecialty.com.
Bob Hilbert Sportswear
Bonuses: The drivers finishing second and 10th and a driver unable to qualify
for the ‘
Diversified Machine
Inc./Bulldog Rear End Bonuses: The driver finishing 11th in the ‘Battle of the
Bullring 2’ main event and a driver unable to qualify for the main (selected by random draw) will
receive $50 gift certificates for use at Diversified Machine Inc./Bulldog Rear
Ends. To learn more, visit: www.diversifiedracing.com.
DRACO ‘Spring Forward’ Award:
The driver advancing the most positions from their scheduled starting position
to the finish in the ‘
Finish Line Web Design
Incentive: A driver finishing inside the top-five in the ‘
HigFab Halfway Leader: The leader at the halfway mark of the
‘
Hoosier Racing Tire
Bonuses: Hoosier Racing Tire will reward
the top-finishing ‘
‘Lead A Lap, Drink A Beer’
Bonus: Each lap leader during the 52-lap ‘Battle of the Bullring 2’ will
receive a can of beer courtesy of BD Motorsports Media LLC. The race winner
will take home a custom-lettered cooler.
‘Lucky 7’ Lap Money: Lap
money raised for the 52-lap ‘Battle of the Bullring 2’ will be distributed
through the top-seven running order during the main.
Mike’s Auto Detailing
‘Longest Distance Towed’ Qualifier: The driver with the longest tow to the
speedway unable to qualify for the main event will receive a starting berth in
the ‘
PM3 Digital Imaging Hard
Charger Bonus: The Hard Charger Award recipient – given to the driver advancing
the most positions from their scheduled starting position to the finish in the
‘Battle of the Bullring 2’ – will receive a $25 certificate toward a driver
Hero Card order from PM3 Digital Imaging.
‘Recycle Your Entry Fee’
Program: All drivers unable to qualify for the ‘Battle of the Bullring 2’ main
event will receive a FREE car entry for the next Short Track Super Series
Fueled By VP event Tues., Aug. 12 (rain date: Aug. 13) at Pa.’s Penn Can
Speedway. Full-season members paid in advance will receive a cash refund.
Rock Fantasy Concert, Smoke
Shop and Pinball Room Hard Charger Award: The driver advancing the most
positions from their scheduled starting position to the finish of the ‘
Schaeffer Racing Oil Bonus:
The ‘
Shiley Fabrication Hard Luck Award: A driver enduring
misfortune during the ‘Battle of the Bullring 2’ and failing to qualify for the
main will be named the ‘Hard Luck Award’ recipient by event officials and media
members. This driver will receive a complete set of bumpers and rubrails courtesy of Shiley
Fabrication in
Simplicity Design $100
Winner’s Bonus: The ‘
S&W Awards Provides
Hardware: S&W Awards of Lindley, N.Y., will provide hardware – a
custom-built trophy – to the ‘Crazy 8s Special’ 48-lap feature winner.
Thunder Mountain Speedway
Regular Bonus: The highest-finishing Thunder Mountain Speedway regular across
the line in the ‘Battle of the Bullring 2’ 52-lap feature will receive a $100
bonus courtesy of track owner Karl Spoonhower.
Vahlco Wheels Bonus: The driver finishing fifth in the ‘
Zubi’s Racing/Winchell Stone & Masonry Joe Winne Memorial Dash for Cash: Top passing-points earners in
each of the heat events will transfer to a 5-lap Dash for Cash paying $555 to
the winner. All starters will be paid.
The starting lineup for the Dash will be determined by reversing the original
draw numbers through the gate.
On Facebook – racing related:
Noted racing writer Gary
London posted this on Facebook, below – along with
some comments from others.
Several years ago I wrote in
NSSN that the Indy 500 should be made up of Silver Crown cars. I was put down
and laughed at. It would have been a great race, the drivers would mostly be
from the midget and sprint car ranks and it would be very affordable and
profitable to run. What;s
wrong with that?
I agree 100%, count me in,
Not a damned thing
Me and my friends didn't laugh! We agree 100%
Wasn't that about the same
time they tried making silver crown cars look like crap? See how long that
lasted?
Nice idea...however...I
believe the CURRENT silver crown cars, when geared for and raced on the Indy
oval...would probably produce injuries and/or deaths when incidents occurred.
The cars would have to be completely redesigned....and there goes a lot of your
cost savings.
I say make them run
roadsters!!!
I don't buy that Mike. You
set a design spec and let the backyard geniuses figure it out, like they used
to do. Dump the aero, and wide tires and return the
racing to the drivers. If it don't blow, it is up to
them to manage their tires and cars and I do not believe this is impossible to
engineer. Heck, all you would need to do is mandate no wings, front motors
only, and set an offset spec and let em rip.
The main link that is missing
in the Indy 500 is the drivers, it needs to be the
final stepping stone for the short tracks of
Chris, it seems so many people
agree with that - except the ones that make the rules.
Drivers? Ahem, well I hate to say F*** the drivers, but I am
betting if you announced a race at Indy, and gave them 2 years to prepare their
cars, there would be a full field. Now they may not be from exotic places.. why they may all be from the
Sounds
great to me Gary.
There is nothing wrong with
that idea, I'd go back to Indy after a 25 year absence !!!
Cap them off at 160mph, use
today's safety, get all the drivers that wanna cowboy up & teams that could afford
80,000-100,000 cars: There would be over 60 to show up next May!
I know. Wouldn't
want to confuse people by havng "dirt" cars
at the brickyard.
This, too, posted on Facebook late Wednesday evening:
Atqmra TQ Midgets
The American Three Quarter
Midget Racing Association has been facing diminished car counts across the last
few seasons and wants to turn that trend around. The ATQMRA has put together a
program to encourage more teams to come out and race their cars with the
revered organization. For the remaining seven races on the 2014 schedule the
ATQMRA will be paying a minimum of $100 to take a green. For the TQ Midget
International Classic at Oswego Speedway on Saturday August 30th it will be a
minimum of $150. In order to further encourage teams the ATQMRA will waive the
temporary membership fee for anyone making their first start of the season. The
Engine rules package with the ATQMRA allows basically any year Suzuki GSXR 750
engine to race.
Across the last few seasons
countless cars have been built for indoor competition but few have raced
outdoors. The success of the indoor racing hasn’t translated into increased
counts out doors. The car counts at ATQMRA Races have diminished for any number
of reasons. The ATQMRA hopes to begin turning that trend around. The 2014
President Buddy Sload has recognized the fact that
car counts are down and has put together a program that will enable the club to
increase its minimum pay from $50.00 to $100.00 for the remaining shows.
Similar to the highly successful 305 sprints that pay a flat purse from front
to back the TQs hope to use a similar theory to
increase its car counts.
The Classic at
The ATQMRA provides a Membership
benefit program that provides insurance to all of its owner and driver members
through K and K insurance which provides $50,000 in coverage. A portion of the
membership fee to join the ATQMRA covers the cost of the premium for the member
benefit program. The regular temporary membership fee for the organization is
$75.00 which covers the cost of the insurance. For the remaining races the club
will cover the cost of the insurance for drivers making their first start of
the season to encourage teams to come out and give racing with the ATQMRA a
try.
The engine
rules with the ATQMRA were relaxed a few years ago allowing teams to utilize
the newer engines that are readily available. Cars can run any GSXR 750 engine 2012 or older in
stock configuration or slightly warmed over to the specifications in the ATQMRA
rule book.
Teams with cars that were
built specifically for indoor use can certainly be competitive outdoors. The Laffler cars produced by Mark Laffler
have been very successful outdoors in 2014 with Matt Roselli
earning a victory at Mahoning Valley Speedway. Rob Neely has earned victories
with the Can Am organization and Jonathon Reid is leading the point Standings
and has won several outdoor races with the New York Three Quarter Midget
organization. The Matt Janisch 48 that has been very
successful indoors is leading the ATQMRA in victories in 2014.
This week’s photo:
Note:
I keep forgetting – to see the photos, you have to go to the New England
Tractor Race Report website which has a link at the end of my column!
Below are four well known people. A photographer, a race
promoter, a race driver and a racing starter. Can you name them in this Sam Rosenberg
photo? No, no prizes will be awarded,
just trying to see if anyone knows who these four are. Email me your answers.
Emails I have received:
From a Yahoo! Race History
Group member:
Bill:
Thanks for the excellent and well written
article. And the charts are great!
However, I have to point out that there are
exceptions to the declining attendance trends.
Eldora Speedway which is operated by the Tony Stewart group continues to
prosper and draw huge crowds to its big events.
If you watched the NASCAR Mudsummer Classic
last week you know what I'm talking about.
There are several events each year at Eldora that draw nearly 20,000
people which is phenomenal for a short track.
The track isn't really near any population center but fans are willing
to drive long distances to see events like "The Dream" and
"World 100" (both for late models) and the King's Royal (for sprint
cars). And Eldora puts on a hugh Monster Jam event every year
as well.
A track like Eldora puts on events that
arguably give fans more action and entertainment than most other forms of
motorsport. Some would say that IndyCar and NASCAR Cup races pale in comparison to what
goes on at a high banked dirt track. And
while traditional "major" races are having attendance problems other
events like Supercross, Monster Trucks, and X-Games/XTreme Motocross draw the majority of young motorsports
fans and their families today.
The fact is that both IndyCar
and Cup put on shows today that are normally pretty bland and sometimes tedious
to watch. The cars are nearly identical
and are so well engineered that just about any competent driver can race
one. The worst example of this is the
Your article states that IMS is now in the
business of entertainment. That seems to
be true as they have completely turned their back on what made the track famous
in the first place. Things like drivers,
engines, and cars being pushed to the limit are things of the past. Nothing ever breaks on the cars and the
drivers don't do anything but hold down their right foot all day. I don't really know how something like that
can ever be interesting to any fans for very long whether young or old. And NASCAR is just as bad. Many of their races end up being something
akin to an economy run as teams calculate what mileage they need to maintain a
position. Yeah, that's pretty exciting.
The fact is that the major racing series (IndyCar, NASCAR, NHRA) have all dumbed down their product to some degree in pursuit of
corporate financing instead of trying to actually put on interesting and
exciting racing that will put fans in their grandstands and make television
viewers tune in each week. Unless you
are a die-in-the-wool race fan most major racing events today aren't very
exciting at all.
Personally, I think they could all learn a
few things from successful short tracks like Eldora Speedway.
And another from a Yahoo!
Group member:
Racing is undeniably
dying. Well, I should write that it's
obvious that racing is dying, but many are in serious denial. Instead some
choose to wildly blame any and every thing that bothers them or comes to their
minds: it's the promoters fault, it's the fault of the political party that
isn't theirs, it's...it's...everything.
Attacking the ultimate straw men. I've seen many that
are beyond "out there" and, sadly, even bluntly racist remarks. All the unfocused and misfocused
rage reminds me of Grandpa Simpson: "Local Man Yells At
Cloud"
Horse racing and boxing seem
to fall into the same demographics and are facing the same situation. I don't spend enough time reading message
boards or social media for those sports, but from newspaper articles, while some
fans of those sports play the "blame game", they seem better grounded
in reality.
Yes, there are exceptions in
auto racing. Some tracks and some special events do well, but what do the
crowds look like there? Is it overwhelmingly graybeard? I realized the problem a decade ago when I
attended a short track race and looked around the stands. 98% of the crowd must
have been 40+. Most of what few kids
there were seemed to come with grandpa & grandma.
There's likely a myriad of
reasons why this is, but I truly don't know why and I won't even make a wild
guess about it. There are still young
people who are really into cars, especially in the immigrant and first
generation communities (not unlike racing's past), but I can see where taking
their car and running it around an oval or road course to make nothing to next
to nothing doesn't exactly appeal to them.
If rallying and drag racing don't gain from that crowd, they've dropped
the ball.
Racing is dying and I don't
see what can be done about it. I wish I
could be positive and find hope, but I can't. As Kem wrote: It's a different time.
Note: Kinda scary, if
true, huh?
Some
non racin’ stuff:
What next?
While watching “The Five” one
day last week, it was mentioned that in
Things found on Facebook:
Have you ever noticed all
spec divisions in racing start out with good intentions to be cheaper and more
competitive than the division it is derived from but eventually everyone pushes
the envelope and down the road the spec division ends up being out of control
and expensive as well.
To keep your marriage
brimming, With love in the loving cup, Whenever you're
wrong, admit it; Whenever you're right, shut up. -
When people say, you are going
to regret that in the morning, i sleep til noon...Because i am a problem
solver.
I hope everyone is happy in
your head. We're all doing great in mine!
This weeks joke:
A student played high school
football in
He was a great running back,
but a really poor student.
At graduation, he didn't have
enough credits.
But he was a great football
star and the students held a rally and demanded the
principal give him a diploma anyway.
They were so insistent that
the principal agreed if Darqueeze could answer one
question correctly he would give him a diploma.
Getting into most university's would be "NO PROBLEM"
The one question test was
held in the auditorium and all the students packed
the place. It was standing room only.
The principal was on the
stage and told him to come up.
The principal had the diploma
in his hand and said, "Darqueeze, if you can
answer
this question correctly I'll give you your diploma."
He said he was ready and the
principal asked him the question. "Darqueeze,"
he said,
"How much is three times seven?"
He looked up at the ceiling
and the down at his shoes, just pondering the question.
The other students began
chanting, "Graduate him anyway! Graduate him anyway!"
Then he held up his hand and
the auditorium became silent. he said, "I think I
know
the answer. Three times seven is twenty-one."
A hush fell over the
auditorium and all the other students began another chant .
"Give him another
chance! Give him another chance!"
Until my next column
Columns are available on the
Dirt Track Digest at: http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/
(Click on “Recent Columns – and I hope it works!)
And:
http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/
Where I also have some neat
photo articles
I can be reached, via e-mail, at: ygordad@yahoo.com