Mostly
Racin' Stuff
By
Tom Avenengo
Volume # 208
01/15/2015
Some
personal/family stuff:
Had my daughter Sarah down for the
weekend. Was great seeing her, even if
it was only a couple of days. She isn't
all that far away, living in North Port, Fl.
We reminisced about things from back in the day. She's our youngest, having been born in
1973. Jeez, even she's getting up in
years now. At one time or another, over
the course of these winter months, we'll get to take in a race together.
Note:
I have no idea as to why some of the links in my column don't take you
directly to the subject, but have to be copied and pasted, to view what is
linked to. Something to do with this new
computer, I guess?
Racin’
stuff:
Start
times finalized for Daytona Speedweeks, including Rolex 24 and Daytona 500
http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/09/start-times-finalized-for-daytona-speedweeks-including-rolex-24-and-daytona-500/#comments
IndyCar: Homologation looms for
aero kits
http://www.crash.net/indycar/news/212906/1/homologation-looms-for-indycar-aero-kits.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/the-problem-with-stock-car-racing-1678816526
2015 Tentative
SCHEDULE
for Northeastern Vintage Dirt Modified Racing Club
March 21-22
OCFS Motorsports, Show Middletown NY (display)
May 2 Rhinebeck
Antique Auto Show, Rhinebeck NY (display)
May 9 Orange
County Fair Speedway, Middletown NY (race)
June 6
Orange County Fair Speedway, Middletown NY (race) “NOSTALGIA NIGHT”
June 7
Dutchess County Sports Museum, Wappinger Falls NY (display)
June 12
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta NY (race)
June 13
Lebanon Valley Speedway, West Lebanon NY (race)
July 4
Bethel Motor Speedway, White Lake NY (race)
July 18
Orange County Fair Speedway, Middletown NY (race)
July 31 Glen
Ridge Motorsports Park, Fultonville NY (race)
August 1
Fonda Speedway, Fonda NY (race)
August 14
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta NY (race)
August 15
Orange County Fair Speedway, Middletown NY (race)
September 5
Bethel Motor Speedway, White Lake NY (race) “NOSTALGIA NIGHT”
October 10
I-88 Speedway, Afton NY (race)
Note: Always
check hosting speedway for cancellations due to weather. Schedule subject to
change without notice. Club contact: Ed Stevens 845-386-3484
A little Chili Bowl info:
http://www.chilibowl.com/entries/manual.aspx
As for watching it - for
$25.00/night or $99.00 for 5 nights it will be available on RacinBoys, if you
don't have MVTV. MAVTV will start
telecasting on Saturday, and when they do, Racin'Boys will end their coverage.
From
South Jersey Dirt Racing:
Racinboys
webcast ends when MavTV takes over starting with the Saturday night c-main.
For those who
don't have MavTV, that's where they are going run into issues trying to view
the rest of the Chili Bowl online.
Special thanks to
those that post short Chili Bowl videos on Facebook, and also to those on
Facebook (Chili Bowl Nationals) that keep us up to date as to what's happening
- for those that don't watch on RacinBoys.
Back
in time:
Covering some of the racing
happenings from January 9th to January 18th:
JANUARY 9
1938
Karl Busson ..Born .. USAC Sprint Car driver
1959
Mark Martin ..Born .. NASCAR driver
1960
Russ Klar won the TQ Midget race at the Teaneck Armory, Teaneck, NJ.
Race report:
http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/report/1_9_60-1.html
Note: I guaranty that my wife and
I were there that night.
1965
Russ Gamester ..Born .. USAC Midget and Silver Crown driver
JANUARY 10
1921
Rodger Ward... Born ... USAC Midget and Indy car driver. 2 time Indy 500
winner, 1959 & 1962
1940
Harry Gant... Born ... NASCAR driver.
1953
Bobby Rahal... Born ... Indy car driver.
1958
Eddie Cheever... Born ... Indy car driver.
1959
Larry McReynolds ..Born
JANUARY 11
1923
Carroll Shelby... Born
JANUARY 12
1879
Ray Harroun... Born ... winner of the first Indianapolis, 500 was born in
Spartanburg, Pennsylvania.
1928
Lloyd Ruby... Born
JANUARY 13
1959
Ernie Irvan... Born
1990
John Heydenreich won the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals at the Expo
Square in Tulsa, OK.
2007
Danny Oakes... Died
JANUARY 14
1982
Johnny Matera ... Died ... AAA driver from the 1930's and 40's.
JANUARY 15
1919
Bill Stroppe... Born ... Car builder and off-road racer
JANUARY 16
1930
Rollie Beale... Born
1935
A.J. Foyt... Born ... Considered by many as the greatest American
automobile racing driver of all time.
1944
Bill Tempero ... Born
2007
Benny Parsons... Died
JANUARY 17
1936
Mickey Rupp... Born ... Started the Rupp Kart Co. in 1959 that lasted
until 1978. Drove USAC Sprints & 1 Indy 500 (1965)
1994
Andrew Craig was hired as President and CEO of CART.
2000
Carl Forberg... Died ... Midget driver, midget and sprint car owner, and
Duane "Pancho" Carter's father-in- law
JANUARY 18
1932
Johnny White... Born
1940
Pedro Rodriguez... Born ... F1 and sports car racer.
1945
Jimmy Caruthers... Born
1950
Gilles Villeneuve... Born ... F1 driver
1971
Christian Fittipaldi... Born
Florida Sprint
Car info:
Well, some sh*t hit the fan this past week concerning sprint car racing
in Florida. Years ago I met up with a
Richard Golardi when I was down in Florida, and going to a few races down
there. He wanted to "tag
along" with me to see just what one did when writing about racing. He has since become an excellent motor sports
writer, mostly about the sprint car scene in Florida. His "stuff" comes out on the
Hoseheads website. He had this the other
day:
"Today, Saturday January 10th at 12:07 PM was another such
moment. That time marked the conclusion of a TBARA Officer Election Meeting
held in Tampa. The meeting lasted a little over one hour, but apparently will
herald major changes for all pavement sprint car racing in Florida. By a vote
of fifteen to two, the members present at this meeting voted to cancel the 2015
TBARA racing season, putting all TBARA racing on hold for now.
I have learned that a phone call was made immediately at the
end of the meeting to an interested out of state party. That person was Davey
Hamilton. Hamilton is the organizer of the King of the Wing pavement sprint car
series, which held six races in 2014.
My source, present at the meeting, has informed me that some
pre-planning has already occurred for a King of the Wing Southeast Series, to
include five tracks, and as many as two or three races at each Florida track.
The tracks mentioning included Three Palms Speedway (Punta Gorda), Desoto
Speedway (Bradenton), Showtime Speedway (Pinellas Park), Citrus County Speedway
(Inverness), and New Smyrna Speedway (New Smyrna Beach). New Smyrna Speedway
already has two Speedweeks races scheduled in February, ready to be reassigned
to a new sanctioning body."
http://www.hoseheads.com/richard.html
Florida "Eagle Jet Top Gun" Sprints
Schedule - as of 1/12/15:
Jan 30 & 31 East Bay
Feb 14 &
15 Golden Isle
Mar 7 Hendry County
Mar
13, Bubba Raceway Park
Mar 21 East Bay
Mar 28 Volusia
Apr 10 Bubba
Apr 18 Hendry
May 9 Volusia
May 16 East Bay
June 20 Volusia
July 3 Bubba
July 25 Volusia
Aug 28 Bubba
Sep 5 Hendry
Oct 3 Volusia
Oct 24 East Bay
Oct 30 Bubba
Nov 21 Hendry
Nov 29 Bubba
Dec 5 East Bay
From
Jayski:
Michael Andretti would welcome Kurt Busch back for another Indy 500:
Despite his
latest issues involving a domestic violence allegation from former girlfriend
Patricia Driscoll, NASCAR Sprint Cup series driver Kurt Busch would be welcomed
back to Andretti Autosport in the 99th Indianapolis 500, team owner Michael
Andretti told FOXSports.com. Andretti has told Busch he can drive for his
Verizon IndyCar Series team "any time" and stands behind that promise
for the 99th Indianapolis 500 on May 24, 2015. "I am a big supporter of
Kurt and if we are able to put a deal together for him to run the Indianapolis
500 I will still run him," Andretti told FOXSports.com. "He did a
great job at the Indy 500 last year. Right now, our focus is on putting a
fourth car together but there is still a possibility for something to come
together for Indy. I would love to do it with Kurt Busch again. He was a
pleasure to work with." Busch was the Sunoco Indianapolis 500 Rookie of
the Year after starting 12th and finishing sixth at the 2014 Indy 500 -
completing all 200 laps. He was the first true NASCAR driver to win Rookie of
the Year since Donnie Allison in 1970, who finished fourth in the 500-Mile Race.
"We want to have a fourth full-time car. That's our goal. We are working
very hard to get to four cars. My ultimate goal is to run five cars for the
full year but, if we don't, we want to do a one-off at Indy at least and, if we
can put something together with Kurt Busch, we would love to do it. He was a
real professional and learned a lot to the point where I think he would be a
real factor in the race if we put something together. He did a hell of a job
last year without experience. Now, with one more year of experience, I think
Kurt Busch could be a real factor in the Indianapolis 500 in 2015."(FoxSports)(1-9-2015)
Reserve your camping spot at New Hampshire:
Reserved
camping makes it easier than ever to start a party with your friends. The NHMS
team has worked hard to improve the camping experience for our guests. Changes
include transitioning all camping spaces into reserved, widening spaces from 18
feet to 20 feet and reducing prices for designated spaces. Calls to reserve
spaces will be processed starting on January 12 at 9:00am. The NHMS Guest
Services team is available to help campers through the process and reservations
will be processed in the order they are received. Please call (603) 783-4931
for personal assistance. Spaces can be combined to accommodate units of
different sizes in order to allow groups to camp together. Any claimed spaces
that are not paid for or on a payment plan by January 30 will become available
to the general public.(NHMS)(1-9-2015)
North East Motor Sports Museum to be built at NHMS:
The south
entrance of New Hampshire Motor Speedway will begin to take on a new look once
the snow melts. Speedway officials announced plans to break ground there for
the future home of the 20,000 square foot state-of-the-art North East Motor
Sports Museum. The museum will be built in two phases. The first 10,000 square
feet will begin in the spring of 2015, while an additional 10,000 square feet
will be added at a later date. New Hampshire Motor Speedway will be celebrating
a quarter century of racing in 2015. Tracing its roots back to the original
1/5-mile dirt oval at Bryar Motorsports Park, the more modernized 1.058-mile
oval and 1.6-mile road course of today gives the affectionately known Magic
Mile its own rich history of racing that makes it the perfect locale for such a
project. The speedway currently hosts everything from NASCAR's three major
touring series to regional series like the American-Canadian Tour, K&N Pro
Series East, and Whelen Modified Tour to local racing series like the Granite
State Legends Cars, Bandoleros, and Loudon Road Race Series (motorcycles).
IndyCar and the Global RallyCross Championship have also held events at the
speedway over the years, as well as various car clubs, racing schools, and
driving experiences. The RHPG, the parent corporation for the NEMSM, is made up
of local prominent motorsports personalities, including Dick Berggren, Ricky
Craven, Lew Boyd, Joe Freeman, Ken Smith, Russ Conway and Ric Mariscal to name
a few. The NEMSM will be used to house the history of motorsports from the
Northeast area with a plethora of displays, vehicles and racing-related
artifacts. To learn more about the North East Motor Sports Museum or to donate,
visit the museum website at www.nemsmuseum.com.(NHMS)(10-28-2014)
Note: Yes, that above, about the museum, is old
news, but I'm proud to say that I was able to write up and send some photos to Mr.
Berggren about the ARDC Midgets when they raced up in New England, and have it
put into the book "A History of Auto Racing In New England".
Jeff Gordon in the #46?
What might
have been? All those #24 tattoos vowing allegiance to Jeff Gordon would have
never decorated torsos, arms and legs. Those #24 diecast cars would have never
been made. And a losing streak of epic proportions would have continued. Yes,
Jeff Gordon's car number was to have been #46. You know that if you saw the
jaw-dropping tweet from Ray Evernham, Gordon's former crew chief, that showed
two pictures of Rainbow-colored race cars with the #46 on the door instead of
the #24. But that is only part of the story. You likely haven't heard the whole
story of how one of NASCAR's greatest drivers nearly had a number that has had
little significance throughout sports.
Gordon joined Hendrick Motorsports in 1992 and the plan was to run the #46.
Hendrick used that number for one race in 1989 and another in 1990 with Greg
Sacks driving a car to film racing scenes for "Days of Thunder." Cole
Trickle (played by Tom Cruise) drove the #46 car in the movie. An issue arose
when John Bickford, Gordon's stepfather, looked into trademarking the #46.
Bickford sought to create a licensing program around Gordon but discovered that
Paramount Pictures had secured the licensing rights for that number for toys,
apparel and other souvenirs affiliated with the movie - released two years
before Gordon's series debut. Bickford told Hendrick Motorsports officials that
they would have to change the number to something other than 46.
"They went through a series of numbers available from NASCAR, presented
those numbers to Rick (Hendrick) and Jeff," Bickford said told Motor
Racing Network. "What our thinking was we wanted a number that had no real
historical connection to anything, certainly wasn't going to have any licensing
problems. The #24 sat there and it had no significant relevance to the
industry." The #24 had never won a race in NASCAR's top series.
The next issue was the paint scheme. The Rainbow theme was there but Evernham
said that the middle of the car was black not blue. That's how artist Sam Bass
originally drew the car. Bickford recalls that DuPont officials wanted more
than just drawings to see how the car looked, so the team painted a couple of
cars and kept them locked behind closed doors since Gordon's debut had not been
announced. Photographs of the car were sent to DuPont and then company
officials came to Hendrick Motorsports to inspect the car. That leads to the
photographs of a #46 Rainbow-colored car Evernham posted this week. It came
from a fan. Evernham admits he forgot about the number and the story behind it
until seeing the pictures.(Motor Racing Network)(1-8-2015)
Charlotte City Council to hear proposed changes to NASCAR HOF loan:
Efforts to
persuade two banks to forgive a $19.1 million loan to the city of Charlotte
that helped build theNASCAR Hall of Fame appear to have made progress, with City
Council members set to hear about "proposed amendments" on Monday to
that agreement. On Friday, Deputy City Manager Ron Kimble wouldn't talk about
the proposed amendment or the negotiations, saying council members needed to be
updated first on the so-called sponsorship loan and another agreement
concerning NASCAR royalties. But an agenda item that Kimble wrote for Monday's
meeting suggests that some agreement has been reached, with council members
hearing the proposed changes. They won't take action until their Jan. 12
meeting. In November, the Observer reported that the city and the Charlotte
Regional Visitors Authority, which manages the racing museum, had begun
negotiations with Wells Fargo and Bank of America to forgive the loan. Growing
to $21 million with interest, it was supposed to be repaid from the sale of
sponsorships and commemorative bricks. Yet money from those two sources hasn't
come close to paying off the loan. When the hall opened in 2010, NASCAR was
supposed to get royalties on such items as tickets, T-shirts, and food and
drinks - but only if the museum was making money. The facility has lost money,
according to the CRVA. It lost $1.4 million for the fiscal year that ended in June,
and $1.6 million the previous fiscal year. But CRVA leaders are hopeful that
the hall's finances are stabilizing with attendance essentially leveling off.
Still, no royalties to NASCAR have been paid.(full story at the Charlotte Observer)(1-4-2015)
UPDATE:
The city of
Charlotte has proposed making a one-time payment of $5 million to Bank of
America and Wells Fargo on a construction loan for the NASCAR Hall of Fame -
but the banks would be required to write off the rest of a $19.1 million loan.
In addition, NASCAR has agreed as part of the plan to waive $3.2 million in
past royalties it was supposed to receive from the racing museum. The Charlotte
Regional Visitors Authority, which operates the city-owned hall, hasn't been
able to pay NASCAR any royalties on ticket sales, merchandise, and food and
beverages because the hall has been losing more than $1 million a year since it
opened in 2010. The proposal is part of a city plan to get out of about $22.8
million of NASCAR hall obligations. If the deal is approved, the hall would
also be given a break from future payments owed to NASCAR. The City Council,
which heard the proposal Monday, will vote on the loan modifications next week.
But even if the agreement is approved, the hall is still estimated to lose
between $200,000 and $500,000 a year in the future. The hall was supposed to
attract 400,000 visitors a year. Last year, it attracted 170,000 people. CRVA
chief executive Tom Murray said he's confident that annual financial losses can
be eliminated eventually. The $5 million payment to the banks would come from
the city's hospitality taxes, which are levied on hotels and motels, as well as
restaurant and bar tabs. Under the original agreement, NASCAR was supposed to
receive as much as 10% from hall revenues. Because the hall wasn't making
money, those payments haven't been made. In addition to wiping out past royalty
payments, NASCAR agreed that its future royalty payments would be cut to 3% of
revenues. But those royalties are only paid on hall revenues over $10 million.(Charlotte Observer)(1-6-2015).
Note: Might you have any idea just where that HoF
is located? How about in basically the
middle of Charlotte! Why some genius
figured it out to put it there instead of maybe in Mooresville, is beyond
me. No wonder they lose so much a year.
Charlotte city council approves changes to NASCAR Hall of Fame loans
NASCAR Hall
of Fame loan debt forgiveness was discussed Monday night by the Charlotte City
Council. The issue was whether to approve an agreement with Bank of America,
Wells Fargo and NASCAR to forgive more than $22 million in debt from the NASCAR
Hall of Fame. Under the agreement, the city will pay the two banks $5 million.
In exchange, the banks will write off $14.1 million in principal and $3.5
million in accrued interest. In addition, NASCAR will waive $3.2 million in
royalties that it's owed since the hall opened in 2010. The hall hasn't been
able to pay those royalties because the hall has lost more than $1 million a
year each year. In the future, NASCAR agreed to reduce the amount of royalties
it's owed from as much as 10 percent on hall sales to 3 percent. The city
doesn't have to pay royalties until the hall makes $10 million in annual
revenue, which hasn't yet happened. The City Council voted 10-1 to approve the
deal. Republican Kenny Smith voted no. After the vote, Smith said the primary
benefit to the city was to "end operational discussions" about losses
at the hall. Other council members defended the terms of the deal, saying the
city, the banks and NASCAR all shared in the pain.(Charlotte Observer)(1-13-2015)
Several NASCAR connections in the Chili Bowl:
Three
Sprint Cup drivers are among those with NASCAR ties entered in this week's
Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals, one of the biggest annual events for racers of
sprint midget cars. Cup drivers #42-Kyle Larson, #17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and JJ
Yeley will compete in the event at the River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa.
Qualifying races to set up the lineups for Saturday's championship day will run
Tuesday-Friday for the more than 300 drivers in the event. Larson, Stenhouse
and Yeley also will compete in a 16-driver invitation-only all-star event
Tuesday night. Among those in the invitation-only event is four-time Chili Bowl
champion Kevin Swindell, who has competed part-time in the XFINITY Series.
Former Cup and Xfinity Series driver Kenny Wallace is competing for the first
time in the event. Among other drivers with NASCAR connections competing are
Xfinity drivers Tanner Berryhill and Ryan Ellis and Camping World Truck Series
driver Cole Custer.(Sporting News)(1-13-2015)
Note: Not one current Indy driver is entered.
From
Track Forum:
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/forum.php
Going back in time, in open wheel racing,
via photos:
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php/148064-Historic-Open-Wheels-Photos
From the Dirt Track Digest Forum:
Some Glen
Ridge stuff:
http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/DTD/index.php?/topic/52802-glen-ridge-version-2015/
And this,
too on Glen Ridge:
Glen
Ridge Drops Short Track Super Series Event, Strengthens Ties with DIRTcar – DTD
Exclusive
http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/glen-ridge-drops-short-track-super-series-event-strengthens-ties-with-dirtcar-dtd-exclusive/
From
the AARN:
This week in the AARN:
Winter Heat Ends
With Reutzel Winning, Lasoski Taking Series Title
Ryan Preece
Enters NAPA KNOW HOW TQ Indoor Races In Atlantic City
NASCAR Mod Tour
Car Being Prepped By Jimmy Blewett
Banquet Circuit
Still Going Strong; Mall Shows Coming Soon
Chili Bowl
Preview: Eastern Entrants Abound
Renegade Sprint
Tour Releases 30-Plus Event Schedule
Vintage Jerry
Cook Mod To Be Showcased At PPB Motorsports ‘15 Show
Pete Demitraszek
Back In Conttol Of Glen Ridge Motorsports Park For 2015
Rogers Family
Nominated For Promoter Of The Year Award
Speedway
Benefits To Host Promoters Seminars At PPB Motorsports ‘15
And other things
found in this weeks edition:
There are 16
drivers from the ARDC that have entered the Chili Bowl.
Alex Bright will
drive for Shane Hmiel in USAC Midgets.
Kenny Wallace is
a Chili Bowl entrant.
Pete Demitraszek
will be the promoter at Glen Ridge.
For the first
time in 26 years, the USAC midgets will be racing on dirt track sin PA in 2015,
with their races co-sanctioned with the ARDC.
They'll be at Path Valley on 8/18, Lincoln on 8/19 and Susquehanna on
8/20.
NASCAR HoF for
2015 - Bill Elliott, Fred Lorenzen, Wendell Scott, Joe Weatherly and Rex White
will be added.
Note: It was Rex who won a NASCAR race on the
airport in Montgomery, NY, back on July 17, 1960.
http://fantasyracingcheatsheet.com/nascar/races/results/1960/montgomery-air-base/empire-state-200/664
On 10/9/83,
Kenny Brightbill won the 125 lap modified race on the Nazareth dirt mile. $57,300.00 was his winnings. It wasn't said what 2nd through 10th actually
got, but every other driver in that race got $1,000.00, and those that were
11th - 15th also received $10.00 for each lap they ran. From 16thon, they each got $5.00 for each lap
they ran. It was said that Lindy Vicari
had 3 million into the track.
Indycar, for
2015, beginning with the Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg, on March 29th,
will introduce chassis competition in the series based upon aerodynamic body
work designed, manufactured and supplied by Chevrolet and Honda.
On Facebook - racing related:
Badger Midget Auto Racing Association
adapts Division II engine rules
Badger Midgets Set For New Engine Rules For 2015
Nine events slated for Angell Park
Sun Prairie, Wis., Jan. 11---Officials of the Badger Midget Auto
Racing Association (BMARA), have announced major
rule changes, affecting open wheel racing's oldest active sanctioning
organization.
After several recent general and Board of Director
Meetings, the new "rules package" will be utilized for the 2015
racing season. The rule changes have been made due to diminishing car count in
the Wisconsin and Northern Illinois area.
Badger will implement an OEM set of rules for
engines currently in place with several organizations. "These rules will
implement cost savings to our competitors for years to come and revitalize
Badger's future" commented Quinn McCabe.
The rules allow all production passenger car
engines, with a maximum displacement of 2.4 liters (146.457 CID). Engines must
be four (4) cylinder inline and have no more than four (4) valves per cylinder
to compete.
All production passenger car engines must use the
original manufacturer's OEM block, an OEM cylinder head, and an OEM crankshaft
combination that was produced from the factory.
All current purpose built "National Type"
midget racing engines are encouraged to compete, but will be restricted. A
complete outline of rules will be released shortly.
Badger has also reached an agreement with Angell
Park Speedway (Sun Prairie, Wis.) to run nine events during the 2015 season.
The Angell Park dates along with a complete Badger Midget and Badger 600 Micro
Series Schedules will be released in late January.
Note:
Yes, something has/had to be done to get more midgets on the tracks -
well, except for the Chili Bowl, of course.
I see they're up to 332 entrants.
Where do they all go after the bowl?
Press Releases:
Darn, but I missed posting this one last week!
News from the Short Track Super Series Fueled By Hi-Tek
Media Contact:
Brett Deyo – bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com or 845.728.2781
For Immediate Release/Dec. 26, 2014
Bob Hilbert Sportswear Signs On
As Title Sponsor Of 2015 Short Track Super Series Fueled By Hi-Tek North
Region; Nine-Race Series Offers $15,000 Champion’s Share From Hefty $38,650
Posted Point Fund
BOYERTOWN, PA – A recognized leader in the industry – Bob Hilbert
Sportswear – has signed on for a key marketing role in the 2015 Short Track
Super Series Fueled By Hi-Tek.
Bob Hilbert, founder of the Boyertown, Pa.-based enterprise
carrying his name, has forged an agreement with BD Motorsports Media LLC to
take the title sponsorship role of the Short Track Super Series Fueled By
Hi-Tek North Region kicking off in April at the historic Orange County Fair
Speedway in Middletown, N.Y., Tuesday, April 7.
For the ’15 campaign, the region will be known as the Short
Track Super Series Fueled By Hi-Tek Bob Hilbert Sportswear North Region.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to partner with the
Short Track Super Series and further promote our brand,” Bob Hilbert Sportswear
owner Bob Hilbert said. “Our commitment to providing quality sportswear items
and promotional products to the auto racing community has never been stronger.”
Bolstered by the support of American Racer/Lias Tire and
Hi-Tek Race Fuels, the nine-race North Region offers a lucrative $15,000
champion’s share from a total point fund of $38,650 distributed to the top-12
finishers.
The Bob Hilbert Sportswear North Region includes events at
Orange County, Big Diamond Speedway (Minersville, Pa.), Accord (N.Y.) Speedway,
Glen Ridge Motorsports Park (Fultonville, N.Y.), Thunder Mountain Speedway
(Center Lisle, N.Y. – two dates), Woodhull (N.Y.) Raceway and I-88 Speedway
(Afton, N.Y. – two dates).
Since 1972, Bob
Hilbert Sportswear has specialized in the finest screen-printing and
embroidery. Bob Hilbert Sportswear offers a complete line of screen-printed
sportswear and commercial apparel, embroidery, promotional products and more to
fit any need or budget. For further information on Bob Hilbert Sportswear,
visit www.bobhilbert.com, call 610.367.6186 or e-mail info@bobhilbert.com.
The Bob Hilbert Sportswear North Region joins the Pioneer
Pole Buildings Inc. South Region on the ’15 Short Track Super Series Fueled By
Hi-Tek agenda. The five-race South Region gets underway Sunday, April 19 at
Bridgeport (N.J.) Speedway with additional events at Big Diamond Raceway, New
Egypt (N.J.) Speedway, Delaware International Speedway (Delmar, Del.) and
Georgetown (Del.) Speedway.
The Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc. South Region champion will
collect $7,500 from a $19,800 total point fund.
All series events for the ’15 season have an established
minimum purse of $5,000 to win, $1,000 for 10th and $400 to take the green. Many of
the events will pay more than this; however, all events must adhere to this
minimum to protect the drivers supporting the series.
To learn more
about the Short Track Super Series Fueled By Hi-Tek, visitwww.bdmotorsportsmedia.com, e-mail bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com or call 845.728.2781. BD Motorsports Media
is on Facebook and on Twitter: @BrettDeyo.
Short Track Super Series Fueled
By Hi-Tek 2015 Schedule
Bob Hilbert Sportswear North
Region
Tuesday, April 7 (Rain Dates: April 8 and 9) – Orange County Fair
Speedway/Middletown, NY: Hard Clay Open
Tuesday, May 5 (Rain Date: May 6) – Big Diamond Speedway/Minersville,
PA (Combo): Anthracite Assault
Tuesday, May 19 (Rain Date: May 20) – Accord Speedway/Accord, NY: Battle
of the Bullring 3
Tuesday, June 2 (Rain Date: June 3) – Glen Ridge Motorsports
Park/Fultonville, NY: Rumble on the Ridge
Sunday, June 28 (Rain Date: June 29) – Thunder Mountain Speedway/Center
Lisle, NY: Lightning on the Mountain
Wednesday, July 22 (Rain Date: July 23) – I-88 Speedway/Afton, NY: Crazy
8s Special
Tuesday, August 11 (Rain Date: Aug. 12) – Woodhull Raceway/Woodhull, NY: Hustlin’
the High Banks 51
Sunday, September 13 (Rain Date: Sept. 20) – Thunder Mountain
Speedway/Center Lisle, NY: Wade Decker Memorial
Friday-Saturday October 9-10 (Rain Date: Oct. 11) – I-88
Speedway/Afton, NY: Short Track SuperNationals 8 - Championship Points
Short Track Super Series Fueled
By Hi-Tek North Region Point Fund (*based on 9 events): 1. $15,000; 2. $7,000; 3. $3,500; 4. $2,500; 5. $2,000; 6.
$1,650; 7. $1,550; 8. $1,450; 9. $1,350; 10. $1,250; 11. $750; 12. $650.
Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc.
South Region
Sunday, April 19 (Rain Date: April 26) – Bridgeport Speedway/Bridgeport,
NJ: South Jersey Shootout
Tuesday, May 5 (Rain Date: May 6) – Big Diamond Speedway/Minersville, PA
(Combo): Anthracite Assault
Thursday, June 11 (Rain Date: June 15) – New Egypt Speedway/New Egypt, NJ: Dirty
Jersey 3 - $10,000 to win!
Tuesday, Aug. 4 (Rain Date: Aug. 5) – Delaware International Speedway/Delmar,
DE – Diamond State 50
Tuesday, Sept. 1 (Rain Date: Sept. 2) – Georgetown Speedway/Georgetown, DE – Beach Blast 2 –Championship Points
Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc.
Short Track Super Series Fueled By Hi-Tek South Region Point Fund (*based on 5
events): 1. $7,500;
2. $3,000; 3. $2,250; 4. $1,500; 5. $1,250; 6. $1,000; 7. $900; 8. $850; 9.
$800; 10. $750.
Brett Deyo
BD Motorsports Media LLC
Phone: 845.728.2781
www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com
Facebook: "BD Motorsports Media"
Twitter: @BrettDeyo
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
JANUARY 12, 2015
Contact: DICK JORDAN/MARK HANN
USAC DMA MIDGETS ANNOUNCE 2015 SCHEDULE;
INCLUDES RACE AT ALBANY-SARATOGA SPEEDWAY
Ellington, CT: The USAC Dirt
Midget Association held their annual meeting this week and announced the 2015
race schedule which includes twelve races at Bear Ridge Speedway, the series
home track, and a race on August 28th at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway. This
will be the series second trip to the famed dirt track just north of Albany.
In addition to the 2015 race schedule, the rules were released with only minor
changes from the prior year. The series will continue its fuel and tire program
for all members along with other benefits that have been in place since the
series inception back in 2011.
It was also announced that Ken Schrader will race with the series during the
July 18th race. Schrader ran with the series back in July of 2014 and had a
podium finish. He will be driving The Race Depot sponsored midget owned by
Bobby Seymour.
The series has launched a new website that will provide the teams and fans
alike with all the information they need about the series. The new website can
be found atwww.usacdma.com.
Also present at the annual meeting where several new teams who will compete for
the first time with the series in 2015.
To learn more about the USAC Dirt Midget Association, please visit the series
website at www.usacdma.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DirtMidgetAssociation.
For additional information regarding this press release please contact Mark J.
Hann, USAC DMA Public Relations & Marketing, at: usacdma@usacdma.com.
2015 USAC DMA Midget Schedule
5/2 - #Bradford, VT/Bear Ridge Speedway
5/16 - Bradford, VT/Bear Ridge Speedway
5/30 - Bradford, VT/Bear Ridge Speedway
6/13 - Bradford, VT/Bear Ridge Speedway
6/27 - #Bradford, VT/Bear Ridge Speedway
7/11 - Bradford, VT/Bear Ridge Speedway
7/18 - #Bradford, VT/Bear Ridge Speedway
8/8 - #Bradford, VT/Bear Ridge Speedway
8/22 - Bradford, VT/Bear Ridge Speedway
8/28 - Malta, NY/Albany-Saratoga Speedway
9/5 - Bradford, VT/Bear Ridge Speedway
9/19 - #Bradford, VT/Bear Ridge Speedway
9/26 - Bradford, VT/Bear Ridge Speedway
#=Double points race.
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
JANUARY 12, 2015
Contact: DICK JORDAN
USAC's HONDA NATIONAL MIDGET SERIES
EXPANDS TO PENNSYLVANIA IN 2015
In 2015 the Honda National Midget Championship trail will include all of the
major outdoor Midget events in the country, starting with the Kokomo Grand Prix
in April and running through the famed Turkey Night Grand Prix on Thanksgiving
Night in Perris, CA.
Rico Abreu is the defending champion of the series, while teammate Christopher
Bell (the 2013 champion) is expected to be among primary challengers for the
2015 crown, along with Tracy Hines, who will continue his pursuit of the
elusive USAC Triple Crown. Hines needs olny a National Midget title to
accompany his previous championships in the AMSOIL National Sprint Cars and the
Silver Crown Championship series to become USAC's sixth Triple Crown king.
The extremely popular Indiana Midget Week returns with five consecutive nights
of racing June 10-14, while traditions like the Belleville Midget Nationals in
Kansas, the "Gold Crown
Midget Nationals" at Granite City, Ill. and the Four Crown Nationals"
at Rossburg, Ohio all continue in 2015.
New to the calendar are back-to-back races May 29 and 30 at Plymouth (Ind.)
Speedway) a weekend of special
racing in June that will be announced in the coming days.
The "Chad McDaniel
Memorial"is slated July 28 at Solomon Valley Raceway in Beloit, Kans. in
advance of the Belleville, Kansas spectacular which features not only the
Midgets July 30 and August 1 but also the USAC Silver Crown return to the High
Banks July 31.
Eastern race fans will delight in the three-race Pennsylvania slate August
18-19-20 involving Path Valley Speedway Park in Spring Run, Lincoln Speedway in
New Oxford and Susquehanna Speedway Park in Newberrytown. The co-sanctioned
ARDC events mark the first time
USAC's National Midgets have competed on Pennsylvania dirt in 26 years!
2015 Honda USAC National Midget Schedule
April 10 - Kokomo, IN/Kokomo Speedway
April 11 - Kokomo, IN/Kokomo Speedway
May 29 - Plymouth, IN/Plymouth Speedway
May 30 - Plymouth, IN/Plymouth Speedway
June 10 - @Gas City, IN/Gas City I-69
Speedway
June 11 - @Putnamville, IN/Lincoln Park
Speedway
June 12 - @Bloomington, IN/Bloomington
Speedway
June 13 - @Lawrenceburg, IN/Lawrenceburg
Speedway
June 14 - @Kokomo, IN/Kokomo Speedway
June 26 -TBA/TBA
June 27 -TBA/TBA
July 28 - Beloit, KS/Solomon Valley
Raceway
July 30 - Belleville, KS/Belleville High
Banks
August 1 - Belleville, KS/Belleville High
Banks
August 18 - #Spring Run, PA/Path Valley
Speedway Park
August 19 - #New Oxford, PA/Lincoln
Speedway
August 20 - #Newberrytown, PA/Susquehanna
Speedway Park
September 4 - Granite City, IL/Tri-City
Speedway
September 5 - Granite City, IL/Tri-City
Speedway
September 26 - Rossburg, OH/Eldora
Speedway
November 26 - Perris, CA/Perris Auto
Speedway
#=Co-sanctioned by ARDC
News from Thunder Mountain Speedway
Media Contact: BD
Motorsports Media LLC – thundermtnspeedway@gmail.com or 845.728.2781
For Immediate Release/January 12, 2015
2015 Season At Thunder Mountain
Speedway To Feature A Mix Of Old & New; Crate 602 Sportsman To Offer $400
Winner’s Share, $100 To Start; Special Events Planned
CENTER LISLE, NY - The 2015 season at Thunder Mountain
Speedway will feature a mix of new and old.
The three-eighths-mile clay oval located in Center Lisle,
N.Y., just outside of Whitney Point, roars into the upcoming campaign off the
strength of a resurgent ’14 season. Speedway founder Karl Spoonhower, back at
the helm of the facility with promotion and marketing support from BD
Motorsports Media LLC, returned racing to Saturday nights and of course,
facilitated the comeback of the mighty big-block/small-block Modifieds to the
weekly program.
For the ’15 campaign, the headline Modified division again
tops the lineup. Brent Wilcox of Binghamton, N.Y., will look to defend his
championship. Wilcox, who drove for the Tom Coar and Chris Clark operation,
earned more than $5,000 for his second career Thunder Mountain title at the
November Awards Banquet. His first came in ’06.
Returning divisions from a year ago are the Modifieds, Open
Sportsman (again offering $700 to win and $100 to start), Street Stocks and
Four Cylinders.
New for ’15: Crate
602 Sportsman in their own weekly division. The Crate 602 Sportsman, extremely
popular across New York State and the Northeast, will compete in qualifying and
20-lap features paying $400 to win and $100 to start. The $100 green money is
the highest in the region and possibly the Northeast.
Crate 602 Sportsman will not be required to run a rev chip
but a gear rule will be in place. Standard body rules will be in place. Steel
or aluminum wheels are permitted. The minimum weight is set at 2,425 lbs. The
American Racer tire rule will mirror the Modified division: 33 or harder across
the front; 33 or harder left-rear; 38 or harder right-rear.
Doug Borger’s popular XCel 600 Modifieds have been added as
a weekly division, with six series events on the docket during the season, as
well.
The Rookie Sportsman entry level class - open to first-year
drivers with Open or Crate 602 engines - will be featured in an abbreviated
season. Rookie Sportsman will be featured from Opening Night through late June,
at which time there will be a graduation for the competitors. Graduates will
move on to the Open or Crate 602 Sportsman divisions at that point.
Opening Night, sponsored by Waymart Building Center and
Sharkey’s Fuels, is set for April 25 with Modifieds competing for $1,992 to
win, plus Open Sportsman, Crate 602 Sportsman, Rookie Sportsman, XCel 600
Modifieds, Street Stocks and Four Cylinders. A practice session has been set
for April 18.
Racing will continue through the month of September.
Special events are once again plentiful on the Mountain. The
Short Track Super Series Fueled By Hi-Tek Modifieds will be featured on two
occasions: Sundays June 28 and Sept. 13 with rain dates of June 29 and Sept.
20, respectively.
Both the June ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ special and
September Wade Decker Memorial will offer minimum $5,000 winner’s shares with
$1,000 reserved for the 10th-place finisher and $400 to take the
green in the big-block/small-block Modified ranks for 50 laps of feature-event
racing.
Adding to the excitement of the Short Track Super Series
events is the addition of the Tobias SpeedSTRs on both programs. The SpeedSTRs
have a tremendous following of superstar drivers and will compete for $3,000 to
win in June and September.
The Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS) 360 Sprint Cars
make their second appearance in Thunder Mountain history on Labor Day weekend
(Sept. 5) as part of the ‘Sprint Car Saturday’ event. The CRSA 305 Sprint Cars
are also on a program that includes a number of winged divisions.
Small car racing will be showcased at Thunder Mountain on
Sunday, May 3 with the ‘Small Car Showcase’ featuring the NY6A winged 600cc
Micro-Sprints, wingless 600cc Micro-Sprints, 270cc Micro-Sprints, Allstar
Slingshots, Empire Lightning Sprints and XCel 600 Modifieds.
A tentative ’15
schedule, with additions pending, has been posted athttp://thundermtnspeedway.com/schedule.
Marketing and
sponsorship options for the ’15 Thunder Mountain Speedway season are now
available by contacting thundermtnspeedway@gmail.com or BD Motorsports Media LLC at
845.728.2781. Night sponsorships, divisional sponsorships and billboard
opportunities are all affordable opportunities for local businesses.
For Thunder
Mountain Speedway general information and a complete schedule, visitwww.thundermtnspeedway.com. The speedway office number is
607.657.8202. On race day, call 607.849.7899. The speedway e-mail is thundermtnspeedway@gmail.com. “Like”
Thunder Mountain Speedway on Facebook or follow @thundermtnspeed on Twitter.
Thunder Mountain Speedway is located at 91 Hunts Corners
Road Center Lisle, NY 13797, approximately 25 miles north of Binghamton. The
three-eighths-mile clay oval features hillside concrete seating, free parking
and camping, a variety of concession items and novelties, a family environment
and more.
Brett Deyo
Promotions, Public
Relations & Marketing
Thunder Mountain Speedway
91 Hunts Corners Road Center Lisle, NY 13797
Cell: 845.728.2781
"Thunder Mountain Speedway" on Facebook
@thundermtnspeed on Twitter
*The following press release was
created by BD Motorsports Media LLC for Teo-Pro Car
News From Teo-Pro Car’s ‘Get Smart, Get Quick’ Advanced
Chassis Seminar
Contact: Teo-Pro Car – 973.764.5500
For Immediate Release/Jan. 12, 2015
Teo-Pro Offers ‘Get Smart, Get
Quick’ Advanced Chassis Seminar Saturday, February 7; Stewart Friesen, Matt
Hearn, Ronnie Johnson, Jay Castimore, Joe Knoth & Bobby Hearn Join Industry
Representatives Pat Macaulay (Fox Shocks), Rob Fuller (DRACO Springs) and Carl
Bush (Wilwood Brakes) As Presenters; Teo-Pro Car Assembly Planned; Open House
Planned For Friday, February 6
VERNON, NJ – Want an edge on the competition in the
upcoming 2015 season?
Look no further than the Teo-Pro Car ‘Get Smart, Get Quick’
Advanced Chassis Seminar on Saturday, February 7, 2015. The two-day activity –
preceded by an Open House on Friday evening, February 6 – takes place at Teo-Pro headquarters in
Vernon, N.J., with plentiful information for racers readily available from
industry experts, in addition to a chassis raffle, giveaways and more.
“We’re going to have a lot of inside information and
knowledge that will get you up to speed for the approaching race season,” said
Teo-Pro founder Bobby Hearn. “This year, we are fortunate to have a number of
industry experts joining the Teo staff for two full days.
“Our seminars have become popular pre-season stops for
racers looking for a jump on the competition. We’re taking it a step further
this year. We will assemble a new Teo-Pro car at the seminar.”
On Friday (February 6), Teo-Pro will host an open house
from 5-9 p.m. There will be several parts specials. This is an ideal occasion
to pick up pre-ordered parts, as well, while touring the facility and meeting
Teo staff members.
At 7 p.m., Pat Macaulay from FOX Racing Shocks and Teo
shock specialist Joe Knoth will conduct a shock-specific seminar showing the
new Fox products. They’ll also cover building and valving shocks for varying
track surfaces and conditions. The open house portion of the weekend is free of
charge.
Saturday’s (February 7) kicks off at 8 a.m. with
registration and a light breakfast. The day’s activities will include a segment
on Tire Preparation led by Capital District driving star Ronnie Johnson of
Duanesburg, N.Y., and well-known tire prep expert Jay Castimore, who handles
the tire program for Brett Hearn and the Madsen Motorsports No. 20 team, which
secured DIRTcar Modified track championships at Albany-Saratoga (N.Y.) and
Lebanon Valley (N.Y.) speedways in 2014, in addition to a sweep of Eastern
States Weekend at N.Y.’s Orange County Fair Speedway (Hearn’s unprecedented 11th Eastern States 200 score and 15th small-block 100 checkered) and Hearn’s
11th Lebanon Valley
Speedway Mr. DIRT Track USA triumph, worth $17,500.
Also on Saturday, noted crew chief Matt Hearn,
championship-winning driver Stewart Friesen and Teo founder Bobby Hearn will
host a Complete Chassis Maintenance and Setup discussion. Friesen was the Fonda
(N.Y.) and Utica-Rome (N.Y.) Modified champion during the ’14 season, in
addition to recording his third victory in the Syracuse 200 during Super DIRT
Week with a come-from-behind performance and second consecutive Charlotte
(N.C.) World Finals victory. Friesen, who won some 29 features during the
season, was also the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series champion for New York
State.
Additionally, a Teo-Pro car will be assembled, on-site, to
address questions and provide tips for attendees of the seminar.
FOX’s Macaulay and shock specialist Knoth return for a
Saturday session to discuss shock adjustments. Also taking part are Rob Fuller,
representing DRACO Springs, and Carl Bush from Wilwood Disc Brakes.
The ‘Get Smart, Get Quick’ Advanced Chassis seminar will
include the raffle of a Teo-Pro chassis to Saturday attendees, in addition to a
number of giveaways.
Saturday’s event will include a catered lunch.
Registration for
the ‘Get Smart, Get Quick’ Advanced Chassis Seminar is $149.95 per
person. To register online,
via the Teo-Pro website, click the following link: http://www.teopro.com/teopro/eshop/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=2015SEMINAR. To
contact Teo by phone, call 973.764.5500 during
regular business hours.
Teo-Pro is located at 95 Maple Grange Road Vernon, NJ
07462.
This week’s
photo:
Note: Photos can only be seen in my column if you go here: http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/
Below, in my video section is
an interview with the late Phil Walters (Ted Tappett). Here are a couple of photos of him in
midgets.
Above - one of
his first rides.
Above - the Ed
Bourgon 12 Cycle
Above - after a
win in the Kingsbridge Armory
Above - in the
Curtis # 8 Offy
Above - in the
Bourgnon #12 Offy.
Note: In the video that follows, you'll hear
Tappett make mention that Ed Bourgnon was part of the Briggs Cunningham racing
team.
This weeks video:
OK readers. How many remembered the name "Ted
Tappett"? How about "Phil
Walters"? Yes, they were the same
person. Seems like Phil used the
"Ted Tappett" name when he first started racing midgets back in the
late 30's. He used it throughout his
entire midget and stock car racing career.
The reason: He really didn't want
his family to know he was participating in such a dangerous sport. Once he got involved with Briggs Cunningham
and their race cars, he used his given name of Phil Walters. I was somewhat surprised that there were no
photos shown of him in any of the midgets he drove, in this video. I was also somewhat surprised that there was
no mention of his signing with Ferrari to drive their Sports/Racing cars and
their Formula One Grand Prix cars, starting in 1955.
How soon his family knew he
was racing came as a surprise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rTAOurW6lFo
Non racin' stuff:
A couple of interesting
emails that I received over these past few days. Sorry for the length, but a real good read -
something that we MIGHT have to look forward to here in the USA:
Susan MacAllen is a contributing editor
for (FamilySecurityMatters.org) Salute the Danish Flag - it's a Symbol of
Western Freedom By Susan MacAllen
In 1978-9 I was living and
studying in Denmark . But in 1978 - even
in Copenhagen, one didn't see Muslim immigrants.
The Danish population embraced visitors, celebrated the exotic, went out
of its way to protect each of its citizens. It was proud of its new brand
of socialist liberalism one in development since the conservatives had
lost power in 1929 - a system where no worker had to struggle to survive,
where one ultimately could count upon the state as in, perhaps, no other
western nation at the time.
The rest of Europe saw the Scandinavians as free-thinking,
progressive and infinitely generous in their welfare policies. Denmark
boasted low crime rates, devotion to the environment, a superior
educational system and a history of humanitarianism.
Denmark was also most generous in its immigration policies - it offered the
best welcome in Europe to the new immigrant: generous welfare payments
from first arrival plus additional perks in transportation, housing and
education. It was determined to set a world example for inclusiveness and
multiculturalism. How could it have predicted that one day in 2005
a series of political cartoons in a newspaper would spark violence that
would leave dozens dead in the streets -all because its commitment to
multiculturalism would come back to bite?
By the 1990's the growing urban Muslim population was obvious - and
its unwillingness to integrate into Danish society was obvious. Years
of immigrants had settled into Muslim-exclusive enclaves. As the Muslim
leadership became more vocal about what they considered the decadence
of Denmark 's liberal way of life, the Danes - once so welcoming - began
to feel slighted. Many Danes had begun to see Islam as incompatible with
their long-standing values: belief in personal liberty and free speech,
in equality for women, in tolerance for other ethnic groups, and a deep
pride in Danish heritage and history.
An article by Daniel Pipes and Lars Hedegaard, in which they forecasted,
accurately, that the growing immigrant problem in Denmark would explode.
In the article they reported:
'Muslim immigrants constitute 5 percent of the population but consume
upwards of 40 percent of the welfare spending.'
'Muslims are only 4 percent of Denmark's 5.4 million people but make up a
majority of the country's convicted rapists, an especially combustible issue
given that practically all the female victims are non-Muslim. Similar, if
lesser, disproportions are found in other crimes.'
'Over time, as Muslim immigrants increase in numbers, they wish less to
mix with the indigenous population. A recent survey finds that only 5 percent
of young Muslim immigrants would readily marry a Dane'
'Forced marriages - promising a newborn daughter in Denmark to a male
cousin in the home country, then compelling her to marry him, sometimes
on pain of death - are one problem'
'Muslim leaders openly declare their goal of introducing Islamic law once
Denmark's Muslim population grows large enough - a not-that-remote prospect..
If present trends persist, one sociologist estimates, every third
inhabitant of Denmark in 40 years will be Muslim.'
It is easy to understand why a growing number of Danes would feel
that Muslim immigrants show little respect for Danish values and
laws. An example is the phenomenon common to other European countries
and Canada: some Muslims in Denmark who opted to
leave the Muslim faith have been murdered in the name of Islam, while others
hide in fear for their lives. Jews are also threatened and harassed
openly by Muslim leaders in Denmark, a country where once Christian
citizens worked to smuggle out nearly all of their 7,000 Jews by night to
Sweden - before the Nazis could invade. I think of my Danish
friend Elsa - who. as a teenager. had dreaded crossing the street to the bakery
every morning under the eyes of occupying Nazi soldiers - and I wonder
what she would say today.
In 2001, Denmark elected the most conservative government in
some 70 years - one that had some decidedly non-generous ideas about
liberal unfettered immigration. Today Denmark has the
strictest immigration policies in Europe . ( Its effort
to protect itself has been met with accusations of 'racism' by liberal media
across Europe - even as other governments struggle to right the social problems
wrought by years of too-lax immigration.)
If you wish to become Danish, you must attend three years of language
classes.
You must pass a test on Denmark 's history, culture, and a Danish
language test .
You must live in Denmark for 7 years before applying for
citizenship.
You must demonstrate an intent to work, and have a job waiting.
If you wish to bring a spouse into Denmark , you must
both be over 24 years of age, and you won't find it so easy anymore to
move your friends and family to Denmark with you.
You will not be allowed to build a mosque in Copenhagen Although
your children have a choice of some 30 Arabic culture and language
schools in Denmark, they will be strongly encouraged to assimilate
to Danish society in ways that past immigrants weren't
In 2006, the Danish minister for employment, Claus Hjort Frederiksen,
spoke publicly of the burden of Muslim immigrants on the Danish welfare
system, and it was horrifying: the government's welfare committee had
calculated that if immigration from Third World countries were blocked,
75 percent of the cuts needed to sustain the huge welfare system in
coming decades would be unnecessary In other words, the welfare system, as
it existed, was being exploited by immigrants to the point of
eventually bankrupting the government. 'We are simply forced to adopt a
new policy on immigration'.
'The calculations of the welfare committee are terrifying and show how
unsuccessful the integration of immigrants has been up to now,' he said.
A large thorn in the side of Denmark 's imams is the Minister of
Immigration and Integration, Rikke Hvilshoj.. She makes no bones about
the new policy toward immigration, 'The number of foreigners coming to
the country makes a difference,' Hvilshoj says, 'There is an inverse
correlation between how many come here and how well we can receive the
foreigners that come.' And on Muslim immigrants needing to demonstrate a
willingness to blend in, 'In my view, Denmark should be a
country with room for different cultures and religions. Some values,
however, are more important than others. We refuse to question democracy,
equal rights, < I>and freedom of speech.'
Hvilshoj has paid a price for her show of backbone.. Perhaps to test& nbsp;
her resolve, the leading radical imam in Denmark, Ahmed Abdel Rahman Abu
Laban, demanded that the government pay blood money to the family of a
Muslim who was murdered in a suburb of Copenhagen, stating that the
family's thirst for revenge could be thwarted for money. When Hvilshoj
dismissed his demand, he argued that in Muslim culture the payment of
retribution money was common, to which Hvilshoj replied that what is done
in a Muslim country is not necessarily what is done in Denmark.
The Muslim reply came soon after: her house was torched while she, her husband
and children slept. All managed to escape unharmed, but she and her family were
moved to a secret location and she and other ministers were assigned bodyguards
for the first time - in a country where such murderous violence was once
so scarce.
Her government has slid to the right, and her borders have tightened.
Many believe that what happens in the next decade will determine whether
Denmark survives as a bastion of good living, humane thinking and social
responsibility, or whether it becomes a nation at civil war with
supporters of Sharia law.
And meanwhile, Canadians clamor for stricter immigration policies, and
demand an end to state welfare programs that allow many immigrants to live on
the public dole. As we in Canada look at the enclaves of Muslims amongst
us,and see those who enter our shores too easily, dare live on our
taxes, yet refuse to embrace our culture, respect our traditions, participate
in our legal system, obey our laws, speak our language, appreciate our
history ... we would do well to look to Denmark , and
say a prayer for her future and for our own.
It's a Good Life!
And this one, too:
28th Amendment: 35 States
and Counting...
It will take you less than a minute to read this. If you agree,
please pass it on. It's an idea whose
time has come to deal with this self serving situation:
Children of Congress members do not have to pay back their college
student loans.
Staffers of Congress family members are also exempt from having to
payback student loans.
Members of Congress can retire at full pay after only one term.
Members of Congress have exempted themselves from many of the laws
they have passed, under which ordinary citizens must live.
For example, they are exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual
harassment.
And as the latest example, they have exempted themselves from
Healthcare Reform, in all of its aspects.
We must not tolerate an elite class of such people, elected as
public servants and then putting themselves above the law.
I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent,
or whatever. The self-serving must stop.
Governors of 35 states have filed suit against the Federal
Government for imposing unlawful burdens upon their states. It only takes 38
(of the 50) States to convene a Constitutional Convention.
IF???
Each person that receives this will forward it on to 20 people, in
three days most people in The United States of America will have the message.
Proposed 28th Amendment
to the United States Constitution:
"Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of
the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or
Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators
and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the Citizens of the
United States..."
Yes, kind of embarrassing:
http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/1/13/7537555/pro-bowl-coaching-staffs-2015
Note: Personally, I can't figure out why they've
moved the Pro Bowl to the week prior to the Super Bowl. Dumbass move, I'd say.
The White House cited security concerns as a reason why President Barack Obamadid
not attend a unity march in France with more than 40 world leaders to show solidarity after the Paris terror attacks.
Tonight on 'The Kelly File,' we showed this clip of then-President George W. Bush
throwing out the first pitch at a New York Yankees game in the wake of the worst terror
attack to strike America – 9/11. How do you think the two situations compare?
On Facebook on 12/26:
Who
died before they collected Social Security?
KEEP PASSING THIS AROUND UNTIL
EVERY ONE HAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO READ IT...
THIS
IS SURE SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!!!!
THE ONLY THING WRONG WITH THE
GOVERNMENT'S CALCULATION OF AVAILABLE SOCIAL SECURITY IS THEY FORGOT
TO FIGURE IN THE PEOPLE WHO DIED BEFORE THEY EVER COLLECTED A SOCIAL SECURITY
CHECK!!!
WHERE DID THAT MONEY GO?
Remember, not only did you and I contribute to Social Security
but your employer did, too..
It totaled 15% of your income before taxes.
If you averaged only $30K over your working life, that's close
to $220,500.
Read that again.
Did you see where the Government paid in one single penny?
We are talking about the money you and your employer put in a
Government bank to insure you and
Me that we would have a retirement check from the money we put in, not the
Government.
Now they are calling the money we put in an entitlement when we
reach the age to take it back.
If you calculate the future invested value of $4,500 per year
(yours & your employer's contribution) at a simple 5% interest (less than
what the Government pays on the money that it borrows).
After 49 years of working you'd have $892,919.98. If you took
out only 3% per year, you'd receive $26,787.60 per year and it would last better
than 30 years (until you're 95 if you retire at age 65) and that's with no
interest paid on that final amount on deposit!
If you bought an annuity and it paid 4% per year, you'd have a
lifetime income of $2,976.40 per month.
THE FOLKS IN WASHINGTON
HAVE PULLED OFF A BIGGER PONZI SCHEME
THAN BERNIE MADOFF EVER DID.
Entitlement my foot; I paid cash for my social security
insurance!
Just because they borrowed the money for other government
spending, doesn't make my benefits some
Kind of charity or handout!!
Remember Congressional benefits?
� free healthcare,
� outrageous retirement packages,
� 67 paid holidays,
� three weeks paid vacation,
� unlimited paid sick days.
Now that's welfare, and they have the nerve to call my social
security retirement payments entitlements?
They call Social Security and Medicare an entitlement even
though most of us have been paying for
It all our working lives, and now, when it's time for us to collect, the
government is running out of money.
Why did the government borrow from it in the first place?
It was supposed to be in a locked box, not part of the general
fund.
Sad isn't it?
99% of people won't have the guts to forward this.
I'm in the 1%
--
I JUST DID!
This weeks joke:
On one of my
visits to a doctor, when my daughter Judy was with me, I happened to pick up a
Reader's Digest, while in the waiting room.
I've always enjoyed the comical things that appear in each issue. Judy, noticing this, ordered me a years
subscription as a small Christmas gift.
The other day I received my first issue.
Some things from
it:
"When I
bought some beer at the grocery store, the clerk asked for my birth date. I said "10-3-60". Her next questions was: "Is that '19' 60"?
Mom: "Your great-aunt just passed away,
LOL"
Son: "Why is that funny"?
Mom: "It's not funny, David! What do you mean"?
Son: "Mom, LOL means Laughing Out Loud".
Mom: I thought it meant Lots of Love. I have to call everyone back".
Until
my next column – next week 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/ |
As usual, I can always be
reached via email at ygordad@yahoo.com