Racin' & Internet Stuff:
By Tom Avenengo
Volume # 22
7/22/2010
First:
Remember this, from last week?
“How many times have you been at a track,
then some showers move in, the races get cancelled, then on your way out of the
track, “Mr. Sunshine” appears?”
Well, darned if that didn’t happen last
Friday night at the Accord Speedway. But
in this case “some showers” were more than that – how about a rain storm that
was quite heavy? And, a storm that was
complete with lightning and thunder, to boot!
Heavy enough to turn the tracks racing surface into what one could call
“soup”.
Yes, just as they were about to get some cars
on the track, “Mother Nature” did her thing.
Lightning, thunder and rain hit the speedway. To me, what was a little up setting was that
the ARDC midgets were to be in action – that being their only scheduled
appearance at the “Big A” for 2010, and you all know I’m
a big fan of the midgets!
Originally, it was reportedly said that the
ARDC would return this coming Friday, since that date was (and still is) open
on their schedule. So, no real “biggie” I suppose.
But then a “Monkey Wrench was thrown in by this:
“Due
to scheduling conflicts ARDC midgets can not return on 7/23, all efforts are
being made to reschedule.”
Interesting, to say the least, huh? Now, keep in mind, there was an $8.00
difference in the cost of a General Admission ticket for the show last week. Prior to the event being cancelled, I did
inquire about a possible refund, and was told that I could use the rain check
either this coming Friday, or the next race date. I then inquired, “If I use my rain check next
week, I’ll get monies back”? The young
lady thought for a second, then realized, I believe,
where I was coming from – money wise.
Well, guess what? I
have to give Mr. Palmer a lot of credit for what is now on (as of Tuesday, July
20th) the Accord Speedway’s website:
“RAINCHECKS WILL BE HONORED THIS FRIDAY
-A REFUND WILL BE GIVEN FOR THE ADMISSION PRICE DIFFERENCE
OR A
Hmmm. That word “or” – am I to take it that one has
a choice of getting $8.00 back, or getting a second General Admission ticket
(for nothing) to go along with the rain check?
Note:
Things are still being discussed between Accord and the ARDC for a date
in 2010. My thoughts: Since a good part of the ARDC drivers are
from the Pennsylvania area, and traveling to Accord on a Friday, could be a
detriment for some of them making the trip, how about the weekend of the “King
of the Catskills” – that Saturday, September 25th? I’m pretty sure that’s the only Saturday that
Accord has racing. Just
a thought.
Second:
Last week, under the “Track News” section, I had the weather forecast for the tracks in my area.
Last
week:
“Note: As of 4:00 PM on Wednesday, the forecast for this general area is basically the same for each track, above.
Friday: Some clouds and possibly an isolated
thunderstorm in the afternoon. Hot. High 91F. Winds SW
at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Saturday: Slight chance of a thunderstorm. Highs in the low 90s and lows in the low 70s.
Sunday: A few thunderstorms possible. Highs in the upper 80s and lows in the upper 60s.”
For this current week, as of noon time on Tuesday, here is this weeks forecast:
Tomorrow: Variable clouds with scattered
thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 83F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Tomorrow night: Isolated thunderstorms during the
evening, then skies turning mostly clear overnight. A few storms may be severe
early. Low around 65F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance
of rain 30%.
Thursday: More sun than clouds. Highs in the upper 80s and lows in the mid 60s.
Friday: Isolated thunderstorms. Highs in the low 80s and lows in the low 70s.
Saturday: Slight chance of a thunderstorm. Highs in the low 90s and lows in the upper 60s.
Yep, SSDW – Same stuff different week
Some
of my thoughts:
With
my being at OCFS last Saturday night, I didn’t get to see the Nationwide race on TV – live. There’s quite a bit that’s been said on the
Internet, though, especially about the Carl Edwards/Brad Keselowski
deal at the end of the race, when Keselowski
supposedly got “taken out” by Edwards. I
was able to see what happened, after the fact, and, personally, I think that
NASCAR has got to penalize Edwards on what happened, especially when I read
this (in part) that’s on Jayski’s website: “Afterwards Edwards said it was justice for Keselowski getting him loose to take the lead in Turn 1 to
start the final lap.”
What do you think? Here’s the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZY-ZeQU9yg
I
was rather disappointed in the reaction of the Edwards crew, too. Seems to me that they showed no concern as to
whether Brad, or any other driver might have been
injured in the multi car crash that was caused by Keselowski
getting turned into the wall.
What
is really more disappointing are the penalties that
were handed down.
The
penalties:
NASCAR
has penalized the #60 team and the #22 driver for rule violations committed
during last Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Gateway International
Raceway. The penalties come as a result of violating Section 12-1 (actions
detrimental to stock car racing/ aggressive driving) of the 2010 NASCAR Rule
Book. Carl Edwards, driver of the #60, has been penalized with the loss of 60
NASCAR Nationwide Series championship driver points, fined $25,000 and placed
on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31. Car owner Jack Roush has been penalized with
the loss of 60 series championship owner points. Brad Keselowski,
driver of the #22, has been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.(NASCAR), the probation for both drivers applies to the
Sprint Cup Series as well.
Note: So Keselowsi gets
probation for “moving” Edwards a little, when he passed him for the lead? Give me a break! And NA$CAR is wondering why they’re losing
fans? Unbelievable!
Going back, in time:
Note: Most of the following
information was found here:
http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/history.html
Covering the days of July 15th to July 21st.
JULY 15
1932
Mickey Shaw ... Born ...
USAC driver from the 1960's.
1951
Charlie Ethier ... Died ... He was killed in his first
Sprint Car outing in a AAA race at the Salem Speedway, Salem, IN.
1967
Richard
Petty drove the Petty Enterprises
1972
Fonty Flock ... Died ... NASCAR great and one of the
central figures in the formative days of NASCAR. He was the brother of NASCAR
pioneers Tim Flock and Bob Flock, and the second female NASCAR driver Ethel
Mobley. The four raced at the July 10, 1949 race at the
JULY 16
1926
Wally Campbell ... Born
1928
Jim Rathmann
... Born ... (born Richard Rathmann from
1965
Ernie Borrelli ... Died ... ARDC Midget Car driver died in
a midget race at the Hatfield Speedway, Hatfield, PA.
1966
Ron Lux ... Died ... Ron Lux
was a resident of Buffalo,
JULY 17
1917
Bill Randall ... Born ...
He raced sprint cars and midgets, winning the
1954
Wally Campbell ... Died
... A stock car, midget, and sprint car racer from
Trenton,
1995
Juan Manuel Fangio
... Died ... A driver from Argentina, who dominated
the first decade of Formula One racing. He won five Formula One World Driver's Championships , a record which stood for 46 years, with four
different teams (Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Maserati),
a feat that has not been repeated since. Many still consider him to be the
greatest driver of all time.
JULY 18
1909
Kathryn Cecilia Loughman was born. Later on in life she would marry Lucien Gerard Avenengo. They would have four children, Rosemarie, Raymond Gerard, Norman Thomas (me) and Katherine Lucienne.
1911
Danny Oakes... Born ... In
the 1940s and 50s, he was one of
JULY 19
1902
Chet Miller
... Born ... AAA driver 1928 to 1953. Ran the
Indy 500 sixteen times with a best finish of 3rd in 1938. He was killed
at the
1959
Van Johnson... Died ... USAC driver. First name Dale,
he was killed in a race at Williams Grove
JULY 20
1931
Red Riegel...
Born ... URC and USAC driver from Leesport PA. Died in a USAC Sprint car race at the
1999
Emil Andres ... Died ...
AAA driver from 1935 to 1950
JULY 21
1904
Louis Meyer... Born ... American Hall of Fame racecar driver best known as the first
three-time winner of the
1990
Rich Vogler
... Died ... USAC Midget and Sprint Car driver. Inductee in
the National Sprint Car Hall of fame. First to win
both the USAC Sprint Car and Midget Championships in the same season.
His 134 wins (95 Midget, 35 Sprint, and four Silver Crown wins) in national
events is second only to A. J. Foyt's
169. Vogler had 170 total USAC wins, and won over 200
"outlaw" (non-USAC) midget races. Five starts at Indy, best finish -
eighth in 1989 driving a Penske. In the last race of his life, July 21, 1990
during an ESPN "Saturday Night Thunder" national broadcast, he was
killed while leading a sprint car race at the Salem (Indiana) Speedway with a little
over a lap remaining. He was posthumously declared the winner.
Racing
on TV - http://www.racefantv.com/USTV.htm
Friday,
July 23rd:
8:00
AM to 9:00 AM on SPEED – Formula 1 practice from
2:00
PM to 3:00 PM on ESPN2 – Cup practice from Indy
3:30
PM to 4:30 PM on SPEED – Cup practice from Indy
5:00
PM to 6:30 PM on SPEED – Truck qualifying from ORP
8:00
PM to 10:30 PM on SPEED – Truck race from ORP
Saturday,
July 14th:
8:00
AM to 9:30 AM on SPEED – Formula 1 qualifying from
10:00
AM to 12:30 PM on ESPN2 – Cup qualifying from Indy
12:30
PM to 1:30 PM on ESPN2 – Nationwide final practice from ORP
2:00
PM to 5:00 PM on SPEED – American LeMans Series race
from Lime Rock,
3:30
PM to 5:00 PM on ESPN2 – Cup final practice from Indy
5:00
PM to 6:30 PM on ESPN2 – Nationwide qualifying from ORP
6:00
PM to 7:00 PM on Versus – Indycar qualifying from
6:30
PM to 8:00 PM on ESPN2 – NHRA qualifying from
8:00
PM to 10:00 PM on ESPN – Nationwide race from ORP
9:00
PM to 10:00 PM on SPEED – FIM MotoGP World
Championship Qualifying from Laguna Seca
Sunday,
July 25th:
12:00
PM to 2:00 PM on FOX – Formula 1 race from
1:00
PM to 5:00 PM on ESPN – Cup race from Indy
3:30
PM to 5:00 PM on SPEED – FIA Gp 2 Championship from
5:00
PM to 6:00 PM on SPEED – FIM MotoGP from Laguna Seca
5:00
PM to 8:00 PM on Versus – Indycar race from
7:00
PM to 10:00 PM on ESPN2 – NHRA Eliminations from
Monday,
July 26th:
12:00
AM to 1:00 AM on SPEED – AMA Pro Racing Sportbike
from Laguna Seca
1:00
AM to 2:00 AM on SPEED – AMA Pro Racing Superbike from Laguna Seca
Track
news – (for tracks in my area):
Accord:
This
Friday Accord has the Joe Winnie Memorial race on its schedule, along with a
return of the “Lightning Sprints”, which are now due to be a weekly addition to
the tracks schedule.
OCFS:
The Orange County Fair will run from July 21st to August 1st.
A 100 lap Enduro is scheduled for July 22nd.
A regular racing show is scheduled for July 23rd.
On July 25th, it’s Demo Derby time.
The Sportsman class has a 50-lap feature on July 28th, and that will also be a qualifier for the Sportsman race on Eastern States Weekend.
The
358 Small Block Modifieds headline the racing on July
31st. That is also a
qualifier for the Small Block race on Eastern States Weekend. The Big Blocks will not be racing on the 31st
at OC.
Note: I’m not sure if the drive-in section is open
for all of the on track events. If
you’re thinking of hitting the drive-in, best you call the track to make sure
it will be open.
More
names for the 358 Challenge race that’s scheduled for
Thursday, August 5th, have been added, as of 7/21/2010
Andy Bacchetti,
Gary Butler, Frank Cozze, Danny Creeden,
Billy Decker, Billy Eggers, Stewart Friesen, Ryan Godown,
Brett Hearn, Jeff Heotzler, Jerry Higbie,
Tim Hindley, Kevin Hirthler,
Keith Hoffman, Jimmy Horton, Kirk Horton, Duane Howard, Ronnie Johnson, Rick Laubach, Jeremy Markle, Tommy
Meier, Anthony Perrego, Mike Perrotti,
Dale Planck, Rich Scagliotta, Bobby Varin, Craig VonDoren, Pat Ward,
Larry Wight, Jerry Wildrick and Donnie WIlson
More
info on that event can be found if you go here:
http://www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net/Hard-Clay-Challenge-40.html
OVRP’s Dirt Oval:
Practice session on Friday night, Karts & Slingshots on Saturday, and Bikes and Quads on Sunday.
From
their website:
JULY 24th – JUNIOR STOCK 310 lbs. – $300 GUARANTEED PURSE
$150 to WIN
$75 – 2nd
$50 – 3rd
$25 – 4th
$25.00 entry fee
JULY 31st - MEDIUMS 350 lbs. – $700 GUARANTEED PURSE
$400 to WIN
$175 – 2nd
$75 – 3rd
$50 – 4th
$45.00 entry fee
20 Karts make it to the Feature
If there are more than 20 karts there will be time trials, conscilation races and a 20 lap feature.
If there are time trials…the person with the fastest
qualifying time will receive $25.
If there are less than 20 karts there will be two 8 lap heats and a 15 lap feature.
Then, there’s this
from Bob’s 4 Cycle forum, posted by the track:
|
Salute to our Fallen Hero’s –
9/11 Memorial Race
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Here’s an update
from OVRP that came out on Facebook on Tuesday
evening:
Oakland
Valley Speedway Practice this Friday July 23rd has been cancelled due to
track renovations. We will be racing Saturday and we have our Junior Stock
Saturday Night Thunder. $300 GUARANTEED purse
Hamlin:
This Saturday - Super Slingers Shootout! 40 laps - $500 to win – (24 plus entrees), plus regular Slingshot qualifier for Wallkill PSC event – top 2 qualified.
A regular show is on their schedule for this coming
Saturday. Did you know it’s only $5.00
for General Admission at
Regular show consist of: Dirt Sportsman, Pro Stock, Street Stock, 4 Cylinder, Legends and Bandoleros
Note: As of 5:00 PM on Wednesday, the forecast for this general area is basically the same for each track, above, for this coming weekend:
Tomorrow: Sunshine. High 87F.
Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.
Tomorrow night: Partly cloudy. Low
63F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Partly cloudy early. Showers
and a possible thunderstorm developing in the afternoon. High 83F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Saturday: Thundershowers possible in the
afternoon. Highs in the low 80s and lows in the low 70s.
Sunday: Isolated thunderstorms. Highs in the
low 90s and lows in the low 70s
Yup! Dang near a carbon
copy of last weeks forecast.
The
History of the Sport:
Here’s
another one from Peter Kessler:
One of the best movies to come out of 1949 is “The Big
Wheel” with Mickey Rooney. It’s a
“formula” film, with the outcast kid coming back with a big win. The movie has some great footage of early
midget racing, and many scenes from the 1949
In those days, gentlemen wore hats and ties to the races. They did in the movies, anyway. One week this season, I’m going to try to arrive as a race fan might have (in the movies, anyway) in full forties dress. I have a good collection of vintage ties, slacks, and shoes. What I’m missing is the straw hat, but eBay is about to fix that problem.
So, if you see a strangely dressed race fan on the premises, it’s only me.
Automobile racing was enormously popular in Postwar America. In the New York Metro area, a fan could watch eight races a week – one every night and two on Sunday – at any of dozens of tracks that dotted the area. Racing was indoors and outdoors, in armories, recently plowed up fields, baseball stadiums; anywhere a track could be built, and bleacher seats erected. And fans turned out by the thousands!
In 1949, midget racing was all the rage. Although the racers were fairly expensive (a competitive race car might cost as much as $5,000.00), they were cheaper than the “Big Cars,” the Indianapolis-style machines that raced on big tracks for big money. Power plants for the midgets ran the gamut, from outboard boat engines, to the venerable Ford flathead, to expensive Offenhausers.
The midgets raced here Wednesday nights on “The Little Track,” a 1/5-mile paved oval in the infield in front of the main grandstand. Ringed by a white wooden fence, the little oval hosted hundreds of races from 1948 through the mid-fifties. By the early sixties, it was gone, plowed under to make room for the ever expanding pits for Stock Cars.
Stock car racing was in its infancy from coast to coast. Young men, home from the war, with money in their pockets, looked for excitement. Racing fender to fender at high speeds got their adrenalin pumping. During the war, going to the movies was about the only entertainment available. Racing was live, up close. The sounds, sights, and smells of gasoline and oil provided a big bang for a buck, and that’s about what it cost to get in the gate. People flocked to Victory Speedway by the thousands, often filling every seat, and then some.
It would seem, at first glance, that those days are long gone. But think…
YOU are here, sitting in the same seats as those early fans
of midget and stock car racing. You see
the same track that has played host to automobile racing for 91 years. You still root for your heroes and boo your
villains. Oh, it costs more than a buck
to get in, but the price of admission to OCFS is still one of the greatest
entertainment bargains out there. Been
to a major league ball game lately?
YIKES!!! And, after the ball
game, can you just wander into the locker room and get an autograph? And 99% of the movies
Racing on the Hard Clay in
It’s a warm, humid summer evening in
I pray that these traditions, big and small, will continue.
I have run out of space for what I had intended to write, but my passion for one of my favorite places on Planet Earth seems to have gotten the best of me. Thanks for your indulgence while I rant. Next week, I’ll try to keep my emotions in check, and simply report the news…
of 1949.
Have a great week, and I’ll see you at the races!
I thought I’d put a photo of the ARDC midgets, from more than likely 1948, here. For those of you reading this on DTD, you’ll have to go to the New England Tractor website: http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/ to view it.
Notice
the half covered grand stand in back of the midgets – kinda
looks FULL to me!
Former Dirt Oval (
David Webb was 16th in the SK Light feature at
Nick Pecko had a 3rd place finish at Sundance Vacations in the Modified feature.
At Borgers, Tiffany Wambold had a 7th in the 270 Micro feature, then a win in the 270 Rookie Micro feature.
Kolby Schroder was 5th
and Kyle Armstrong 6th in the Sportsman feature at
Corey Ziegler was 6th in the Sportsman feature at Penn Can.
At New Egypt, Johnny Guarino was 9th in the Modified feature.
At Wall Stadium, they had a 150 lap Modified feature, and Roger Coss ended up 5th.
Davie Franek won the 358 Sprint car feature at Selinsgrove.
At OCFS, in the Modified feature, Danny6 Creeden was 4th, Billy VanInwegen 5th, Tim Hindley 10th, while Mike Ruggiero just missed making the field and was a DNQ. In the Sportsman feature, Joe Conklin was 1st, Matt Janiak 2nd, Brian Krummel 3rd, John Lodini 7th, Anthony Perrego 17th, Matt Hitchcock 18th, and Keith Still 22nd. Zachary Vavricka, in his first run at OC was a DNQ.
In the CRSA part o fthe show at OCFS, Anthony Brennan was 2nd, Billy VanInwegen 7th and Josh Pieniazek 10th. Must note here that Anthony led every lap until they got between turns 3 & 4 on the last lap, when he paused for a lapped car, and was passed for the win by Ryan Smith.
Two races for the Tobias SpeedSTR’s last weekend up at Weedsport. In the first night, Jeff Gallup was 14th and Kenney Johnson 20th. On the second night, Kenney was 14th and Jeff 20th.
In DIRTcar Super Dirt Series at
Weedsport, they had two 25 lap races and one 50 lapper. Michael Storms was 14th and 16th
in the 25 lap races and 15th in the 50 lap race. And in the SDS race in
At Cayuga, in another SDS race, Michael was 6th,
while in a third SDS race, that being at
At Hamlin, there was a special race for the Wingless 600 Micro Sprints, and they drew 46 cars for the show, which necessitated extra heats – ten I believe, plus some down time for an accident, so the 270 Micro features will be made up at a future date or dates. In the 600 Micro feature, Geordan Farry was 18th. In the Rookie 600’s Joe Kata was 2nd.
Note:
From last week:
“Tiffany Wambold was 8th in the 270 Micro Sprint make up feature from May 29th, and was 3rd in the Rookie 270 feature. Kyle Rohner was 7th in the Stage One Modifieds.”
See anything missing? Brain fart on my part – left off that those results were from Borgers.
More
racin’ stuff:
Being honest here. I used to be a big fan of Indycar racing. OK, so I like to live “Back in the day”, so to say. Sure the cars are faster today, but with all the technology and down force put into the cars, to me, it’s taken a lot of the driver out of the equation. Plus – hardly any American drivers in the series – by that, I’m talking about American oval track drivers.
I’m
not to enthused about race courses like they raced on last weekend – street
courses surrounded by “Jersey barriers”, with blind corners at every bend., and
the normal (so it seems) crashing on the very first lap of the events. Plus – it’s really gotten to be a “Spec”
Series now – same chassis, tires, engines and whatever else.
I’m
not sure if you have heard the latest about the “New” chassis/engines for 2012,
but it looks like the chassis “Tub” will be made by Dallara,
with the “aero” packages kind of opened up to whomever wants to design
them. As for engines – I believe I read
that they will be V-6’s and Turbo Charged.
A
rather interesting article, by a Gordon Kirby, can be found here, if you’re
interested in what might be happening starting in 2012:
http://www.gordonkirby.com/categories/columns/theway/2010/the_way_it_is_no245.html
Other forums/message boards and websites:
You might find some interesting reading if you go to the links below.
Track
Forum: - http://www.trackforum.com/forums/
Frontstretch.com:
http://www.frontstretch.com/
Jayski: - http://www.jayski.com/
Open
Wheel Racers3: http://www.openwheelracers3.com/
Race
Pro Weekly: http://raceproweekly.com/
Video
time:
OK,
again, if you’re not a fan of Country Music, don’t click on the link,
below. What I find interesting is how
singers, as they’ve gotten older, still keep the same voice. And another thing – in these videos of the
stars from yesterday, when they’re performing now, why is it that they don’t
need those “things” in their ears, like today’s dingers seem to need?
Check
out Jack Greene in this one. Jack was
born on January 7, 1930. So, if the date
is correct on the video (2008), then Jack would have been 78 years old, at
least.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH7DLuzuPeo&feature=related
Oh, and
don ‘t forget, over on the right, it’s possible to
click on similar videos, too.
Is this true?:
I’ll answer “Yes” even before posting on here what this is about.
One of the places being thought of for the building of a Mosque, is an area close by where the twin towers were, by
the
Anti-mosque
protests on the rise, say Muslim advocates.
Other
(non racing) news:
U.S.
You
gotta love this stuff! Why was he even let
loose after the first arrest?
In
part: “U.S.
border police have nabbed a Mexican teen caught cycling over the Arizona
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_smuggler_bicycle
And:
Senate
approves jobless payments to millions.
In
part: “State unemployment agencies are
gearing up to resume sending unemployment payments to millions of people as
Congress moves to ship President Barack Obama a measure to restore lapsed
benefits.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100722/ap_on_bi_ge/us_unemployment_benefits
Note: I really don’t know whether this is good or
bad. Good because it does give monies to
people that are out of work. But could
it be bad in a way that it might keep people from even looking for jobs? And, really are there jobs out there? Of course there are. I know that for a fact. Maybe they are not the $25-$30 an hour jobs,
but there is work out there, for sure.
And what if most of the “Illegals” leave – who
will take their place? Should those on
unemployment be made to go to work?
Closing with this:
Noddy is 90 years old. He's played golf every day
since his retirement 35 years ago. One day he arrives home looking downcast.
"That's it," he tells his wife. "I'm giving up golf. My eyesight
has become so bad that once I hit the ball I can't see where it went."
His wife sympathises and makes him a cup of tea. As
they sit down she says, "Why don't you take your old golf mate
Milton, and give it one more try."
"That's no good" sighs Noddy, "
"He may be a hundred and three", says Noddy's
wife, "but his eyesight is perfect."
So the next day Noddy heads off to the golf course
with
He turns to
"Of course I did!" replied
"Where did it go?" says Noddy.
"I don't remember."
May “Guardian Angels” sit on the shoulders of all of our race drivers and race fans, and guide them safely around the tracks!
Drive safe!
As usual, you can reach me at: ygordad@yahoo.com