Racin' & Internet Stuff:
By Tom Avenengo
Volume # 31
9/23/2010
First:
On Sept. 22, at 11:09 p.m. EDT (8:09 p.m.
PDT), the fall
season will have begun in the Northern Hemisphere
OK.
Simple question: Where did the
summer go? It seems that the seasons,
along with time, are going bye faster and faster. What’s really sad is that even though we are
only just getting into autumn, the racing season is almost all over here in the
Northeast. (Hmmm, why does Microsoft
word show that a capital “A” on autumn is wrong?)
Second:
Taking you back in time – about a year ago,
from my column on September 24, 2009 - http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/Racin'stuffvol23.htm
In part:
“The folks that run the racing at the Orange
County Fair Speedway, in Middletown, NY, might consider me to be a thorn in
their sides.”
And:
“Last Saturday night at OCFS, they had what
was billed as the “Night of Destruction” (My error on the word “Night” instead
of “Eve”). Lots of stuff scheduled, with
a couple of “races” thrown in. Hey, I
saw ads for the show on television, folks! I understand that it was a standing
room only crowd. Now, if you remember,
the week before, when the last race was scheduled, they didn’t get to run the
Modified, Sportsman and Pro Stock features. Now
I’ve been to OC on quite a few occasions this past racing season, and from what
I could see, the crowds were still quite down.
Okay, I have no idea as to what kind of “contract” was between the track
and whoever put the show on last Saturday, but I believe that someone sure
“missed the boat” by not having those three features run prior to the
“Destruction” that took place. A full
house of spectators and I wonder – how many of them have actually seen real
racing at OCFS? And, if those features
had been added, might it have helped in getting new race fans to OC in the
future?”
And from my column, last week – http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/ta/vol30.htm
In part:
“ This Saturday:
September
18th // Middletown Auto
Wreckers | Spectrum Auto
Body | Route 94 Auto Sales - EVE of DESTRUCTION – Demo Derby – FIREWORKS
Note # 1: Last year this event
was a complete sell-out, from what I have heard. Somehow, I sure wish that the powers that be
would schedule at least one open wheel class of race cars to put on a race of maybe
twenty laps, or so, so the folks in attendance could see some real racing, and
maybe, just maybe think about attending some of the races at OC in the future.”
Well, there was a race for some modified cars and drivers held
at the Eve of Destruction, last Saturday, I’m happy to say. From what I’ve read, a good portion of those
that were in the packed grandstands liked what they saw. Now, the question is – will they return in
the future (next season) for some regular Saturday night racing? I, for one, hope so. I’ve been attending races at OCFS since 1946,
when the midgets ran on the small track.
I then skipped some years until I was in high school and had my own set
of wheels, and then would attend the midget shows during the fair. It was after I returned from the service, in
the mid 60’s when we started to follow the stock car races. We attended every Saturday until we got
involved in go-Kart racing and we raced the Kart on Saturdays, but when not
racing, it was OCFS, for sure. But what
I’ve come to really feel sad about is how the fan base has shrunken so
much. Back in the 70’s, 80’s and into
the early 90’s, if you didn’t get to the track early enough, you would have a
rough time finding a good seat. Lately,
it seems that you can arrive just as the racing is getting started, and you can
have your choice of seats. Who
knows? Maybe with the showing of those
five modifieds last Saturday, in a race, maybe some
of those people in attendance might end up being race fans. Time will tell, I guess?
Some
of my thoughts:
I’m
fortunate to be on the mailing list on e-mails sent out by DIRTcar. Quite interesting as to what changes are
being made for the Big Block Modifieds at Syracuse
this year for Super Dirt Week.
Going back, in time:
Note: Most of the following
information was found here:
http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/history.html
Covering
the days of September 17th to September 23rd.
SEPTEMBER 17
1911
Tony Romit...
Born ... Tony was an open cockpit driver from New Jersey, who raced midgets and
sprint cars along the east coast from 1948 to the mid 1970's.
1929
Sterling Moss... Born ...
The best driver never to win the World Championship, Sir Stirling
Moss OBE is arguably the greatest all-round racing driver of all time. Known
during his career as ‘Mr Motor Racing’ he began hillclimbing a Cooper 500 in 1948 at the age of 18. His
early career was meteoric and soon he was driving works cars for Jaguar and
HWM. In 1955 he was signed up by Mercedes-Benz to partner World Champion Fangio. That year Stirling
shadowed the great Argentine in most Grands Prix,
beating him to win the British GP. Famously, that year he won the incredible
Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio and the Tourist Trophy – all legendary sports car
races. For four years he would finish runner-up in the World Championship and,
after M-B retired, led the Maserati and Vanwall teams. He also continued to drive saloon and sports
cars and during his remarkable career drove more 80 different types of car. In
the late 50s and early 60s, he led the changeover to rear-engined
F1 cars, achieving the first victory for such a car at the 1958 Argentine GP
and was in a class of his own during this period. A near-fatal accident ended
it all in 1962 but he was to remain a superstar to this day.
1938
LeeRoy Yarbrough... Born ... A NASCAR racer. His best season
was 1969 when he won seven races and tallied 21 Top Ten finishes. During his
entire career from 1960-1972, he competed in 198 races, scoring 14 wins, 65 top
fives, 92 top tens, and 10 poles. His racing number was 98. LeeRoy
ran the Indy 500 3 times with a best finish of 19th in 1970. A succession of
crashes ended his career and he struggled to cope without driving. After an
attack on his mother, Lee Roy, real name, Lonnie, was committed to a mental
hospital for life. In 1984, he suffered a seizure and fell, hitting his head
and died the next day, from his head injury.
SEPTEMBER 18
1918
Johnny Mantz
... Born ... AAA / USAC and NASCAR driver from the 1940's and 50's. He made 17
starts in the AAA Championship Car series from 1948 to 1952, capturing a
victory in his rookie season at the Milwaukee Mile as well as winning the
Indianapolis Sweepstakes at Williams Grove Speedway. He was the first USAC
Stock Car national champ in 1956. Mantz also made 12 NASCAR
Grand National starts from 1950-1951 and 1955-1956. He won his third race, the
first Southern 500 held at Darlington Raceway using truck tires which did not
wear while his competitors had to stop and pit for new tires. It was his only
NASCAR win.
1937
Billy Foster... Born ...
The first Canadian to ever race in the Indianapolis 500. He was the 1965 USAC
Rookie of the Year, and died in a crash while practicing for the 'Motor Trend
500' NASCAR GN race at Riverside International Raceway January 20, 1967.
1963
Boris Said ... Born ...
Trans-Am and sports car driver (and NASCAR ringer).
1981
Arie Luyendyk, Jr....
Born ... Racing driver and son of Indianapolis 500 winner Arie
Luyendyk.
SEPTEMBER 19
1949
Rex Mays drove an Offenhauser powered midget racer 147.037 MPH on the
Bonneville Salt Flats for the U.S. Class E (2-liter, un-blown) record.
SEPTEMBER 20
1952
Bill Schindler... Died ...
East Coast midget, sprint and Indy car driver. Raced with only one leg after a
crash in 1936, but died in an AAA sprint car race at Allentown PA.
Tommy Hinnershitz
won the AAA Eastern Sprint Car race at the Allentown Fairgrounds, Allentown,
PA.
Len Duncan won the ARDC
Midget race at the Hatfield Speedway, Hatfield,PA.
Note: The story about Bill Schindler was that on the day he lost his leg, he was scheduled to run two races that day. With the leg losing accident in the afternoon, that didn’t happen. Schindler said he would never plan to race twice in a day after that. On September 20, 1952, he was scheduled to run the Sprint Car at Allentown then a midget at Hatfield, that evening.
1975
Juan Pablo Montoya... Born
... Formula One, ChampCar, NASCAR driver and the 2000
INDY 500 winner.
SEPTEMBER 21
1947
Henry
Renard won the 100-mile midget race at the triangular
shaped one mile dirt track in Goshen, N.Y.
Chet Gibbons was second and Ed “Dutch”
Schaefer was third. Schaefer had a
two-lap lead with two laps to go when he ran out of fuel. After they had re-fueled his car, they had
neglected to put the fuel cap back on tightly.
Fuel pressure was made by pumping air into the fuel tank with a small
hand pump on the left side of the cockpit.
With the tank cap not on tight, any air that Schaefer pumped into the
tank escaped. Schaefer hit the inside
fence on the second straight, while attempting to pump the air into his tank,
and before he could get going again, both Renard and
Gibbons had un-lapped themselves. Much,
much, earlier in the race, Schaefer had a stone go through his goggles, which,
later on, cost him the sight in that eye.
He continued to race for many years afterwards, even giving Indy a try,
but was not allowed to run there – supposedly due to his eye problem (that’s
what’s been said).
1951
Bill Schindler won the AAA
Eastern Sprint Car race over Tommy Hinnershitz at the
Eastern States Expo Speedway, West Springfield, MA.
SEPTEMBER 22
1937
It
was on this date that this writer was born.
Yes, it’s been a fast 73 years!
1942
Louis Schneider... Died
... AAA Midget and Indy Car driver from the 1920's and 30's. He won the 1931
Indy 500.
SEPTEMBER 23
1930
Don Edmunds ... Born ...
Racecar driver and car builder. He had his first start at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway in 1957. He won the 1957 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year after
finishing nineteenth over Bill Cheesbourg, Elmer
George, Mike Magill, and Eddie Sachs. Edmunds' Indy
career ended in with a serious practice accident at the Speedway in 1958. He
founded Autoresearch, Inc. in Anaheim, California,
which specialized in building midget cars and sprint cars. His chasis won several National Midget Championships in the
late 1960s and early 1970s. He became a collector and restorer of old race
cars. He built Evel Knievel's
Snake River Canyon Sky cycle. Edmunds was named to the National Sprint Car Hall
of Fame in 1991and was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame
in 1994.
Track
news – (for tracks in my area):
Accord: http://www.accordspeedway.com/
This
coming weekend!
King of the Catskills
September 24th & September
25th
Rain Date 10/1 and 10/2
Friday’s Racing Program
Modifieds-100 Laps $7000 to win*
Pit Stop at lap 50
Sportsman-50 Laps $1000 to win*
Sr. Slingshots-20 Laps $500 to win*
Jr Slingshots-15
Laps $400 to win*
Saturday’s Racing Program
Spec Sportsman-50 Laps $3500 to win*
Pure Stock-30 Laps $500 to win*
Pro Stocks-30 Laps $500 to win*
*Payout
based on 25-car entry
More can be seen if you go here:
http://www.accordspeedway.com/?cat=3
Bethel: http://www.bethelmotorspeedway.com/BethelMotorSpeedway/Home_Page.html
This coming Saturday:
Dirt Sportsman, Pro Stock, BMS Modified, Street Stock, 4 Cylinder,
Legends and Bandoleros
OVRP
– the dirt track: http://www.oaklandvalleyspeedway.com/
Practice this Friday night, followed by Kart and Slingshot racing on Saturday and Bike and Quad racing on Sunday.
Hamlin: http://www.hamlinspeedway.com/
Hamlin is closed for the season.
The
History of the Sport:
From last week:
“About
the Hoosier Hundred – what it used to be like and what it has ended up as it
is, today. There has been quite a lot
said about this event with the Yahoo!
Race History Group. Here, below
are just a few things that have been said.
Since it is quite interesting, and kind of long, I thought I’d put ½ in
this week and more in my column next week. About the Hoosier Hundred”
Here is
more that was said:
“If I recall correctly, the HH at
one time was the second highest paying USAC purse, next to the 500. I believe
it surpassed Milwaukee at times (Steve Zautke, please
jump in here if I am wrong). I remember reading that it would draw more than
30,000 spectators.
And I remember a great quote from an interview of Roger McCluskey in the early 1960s (I believe it was Autosport, a monthly that was around for about 4-5 years in
the 1960s that covered USAC racing; I think Bill Marvell and Joe Scalzo used to do the champ car stories), where he said he
hated tracks that were poorly prepared and broke up during the race, then later
he told the reporter that the HH was one of his favorite races. The interview
went something along these lines:
"But Roger, that track breaks up as bad as any other."
And Roger replied, "I know, but the purse there is 30 grand."
“I fear the same scenario is about
to play out again with the IRL starting
it's road course (Andretti trophy) and oval (Foyt) trophy) division
championships.
If that happens, Indycar racing is doomed!
And we are already seeing signs of that. Sarah and Ed have only run the
ovals this year, and I THINK there are a couple who have only run the roads.
Too bad”
“I usually agree with everything
Michael says, but is this case I don't think the "big Chevies"
are to blame, but the big tires certainly are.
I remember seeing some great racing among the Chevies when they were running the narrow tires, but that
all changed with the "humper" and other
jumbo tires My guess is that there would be no 410 Chevies
running if they had to run the narrow tire such as the Firestone "double
diamond, and the races would be a lot better.
If you want to see what narrow tire racing was all about, Gene Crucean has one of the best, if not the best, sprint car
pictures I have ever seen. It shows Foyt
and Jones at Terra Haute. Foyt is up in the cushion
throwing dirt with his Bowes Offy, and Parnelli is on the bottom in the Fike Plumbing Chevy. I think you can see this
picture on Gene's website. I have a copy of it on my wall, and i get "goosebumps"
looking at it.”
“The picture "Hooiser Autumn" does it for me, with A.J, Parnelli, Don Branson, and Mario Andretti in the #12
gives me goose bumps! I'm looking at it now as I write this.”
“Not to be disagreeable with
anyone but I must say it seems to be mostly the
tires that are to blame. I¹m familiar with the photo you¹ve made reference
to and it is an icon for the ages, and I also remember watching the Porter
Chevy dirt car that Don Davis and Johnny Rutherford drove. It had a Chevy
engine as well as those great diamond rear tires and it could throw dirt for
a hundred miles just like the Offys and their
diamonds could. I don¹t
remember seeing a car with big humper tires doing
anything except going to
the bottom of the race track in the straightest
possible line. I hope I¹m
not being offensive here, and it would be interesting to restructure the
tires to being the size we¹re all remembering. Then there¹s the problem of
preparing the tracks and I¹m not sure how we can get to where we were when
there was heavy, loose dirt with a big cushion up high. It may not be
possible to see anything like this again. Times just change.”
“The Chevy's are 355
At one time they were 327 and dirt tracks still had a cushion.
Track prep and tires are the biggest issues. Narrow the tires up and
you'll see some cushion racing again.”
“Does anyone know how much, if
any, influence Marlboro had in removing
the dirt venues from the trail, as they began sponsoring the trail in 1971,
but ran off the next year once the Vel's Parnelli Viceroy sponsored
superteam of Al Unser, Joe Leonard, and Mario Andretti was formed. Losing that
trail sponsorship was another very unfortunate thing for USAC at that time.”
“I doubt the tobacco companies had
as much influence in the USAC deal as you'd like to believe.
Road racing car owners are more of the influence,
they did not want to race on the dirt tracks and had been trying to get them
into a separate division long before they were taken off the trail.
As far as Marlboro going away, I think the sanctioning body bears some
responsibility for that. As I understand they wanted Viceroy out which
USAC was not willing to do. Marlboro said bye bye.”
“I don't know for sure but I have
heard stories over the years that tobacco companies and their sponsorship
dollars were the main reason that top level dirt track
racing died out so suddenly. A lot of money was handed out and all of
the officials could see nothing but $ signs as far into the future as they
cared to look. Marlboro started sponsoring the Championship
Trail after 1970 and just couldn't see a future for their brand in dirt track
racing. And the same thing was going on in NASCAR as Winston got the dirt
tracks removed from the (then) Grand National division
when they came into the sport starting in 1971. And at about this same time
Camel started sponsorship of AMA motorcycles and they also had the dirt tracks
removed and run in a separate series. All of this came about when the ban on
television advertising for cigarettes came into to being and the tobacco
companies were looking for new ways of getting their advertising message out.
Like I said I have no way to prove any of this but I have heard various
versions of this story over the years. Hopefully, someone here knows even more
about this issue and can share their information with the RH Group.”
Former
Dirt Oval (Oakland Valley Speedway) runners:
With the racing season about over as we’re just getting into Autumn, there isn’t much to report on this week.
Tiffany
Wambold was 5th in the 270 Micro Sprint
Feature and 1st in the Rookie 270 Micro Sprints at Borgers.
At
Lebanon Valley, Kolby Schroder
was 3rd and Kyle Armstrong 5th in the Sportsman feature.
BK
Rizzo was 13th in the 270 Micro Sprint feature and Cori Tufano 7th in the
750 Sportsman Micro Sprint feature at Whip City.
David
Webb had a 2nd place finish in the SK Light Modified feature at
Stafford.
At
Sundance Vacations Speedway, Nick Pecko was 6th
in the Modified feature.
In
the Super Dirt Series race at the Mohawk Speedway, Michael Storms was 14th.
Brad
Szulewski was 9th in the Sportsman feature
at the I-88 (Afton) Speedway.
At Mahoning Valley, Nick Pecko was 9th
and Roger Coss 18th in the Modified
feature.
Hope
I didn’t miss anyone!
More racin’
stuff:
While checking out the results for the I-88
Speedway, I see that there has been a new three year contract extension signed
for a continuation of racing there. Of
course that’s good news.
From their website - http://www.i-88speedway.com/
“On September 16th we reached a
3 year contract extension agreement with the Afton Fairboard. Speedway and
facility improvements will begin at the end of this racing season. Watch for
updates here on the website and on Race NY. More information coming soon. Thank
you for your support!”
Additional
racin’ stuff:
Some
things I’ve found on the Internet and have received via e-mail - about SDW:
The most
significant change in procedure for the headline SEF 200 will be the return of
double-file restarts, something sure to excite all race fans witnessing the
high-speed action at the hallowed Salt City speedplant.
The side-by-side re-firing at the drop of each new green
flag is intended to carry all the way through lap 190, although DIRTcar officials will continue to reserve the right to
declare any restart single-file should conditions warrant in accordance with
existing national series procedures.
Each of the
restarts in Sunday’s Big-Block Modified main event will also push the lead lap
cars to the front of the field, adding further intrigue as an EZ-Pass will be
given to the first car not on the lead lap on all yellows for the entire
distance.
While tire-wear
is an annual concern at the Syracuse Mile, the suspense is sure to build as
late race laps click off with teams allowed to use one (1) D-400 hard compound
Hoosier on the right-rear. This tire option will be permitted only during the
final 50 laps which will give pit strategy an even more prolific role in the
race outcome. The D-400 tread is already commonly carried by teams competing
circuit-wide today, thus this option will not incur any additional costs on
race day.
There will be one (1) car eligible for the ‘EZ Pass Reward’ on
each caution. The only car eligible will be the first one (1) lap down. The ‘EZ
Pass’ car will be signaled over the one-way radio to pull up behind the pace
car, but must not proceed past the pace car until instructed to do so on the
one-way radio.
And, over the last 50 laps of the 200, big block
teams are allowed to run a normal DIRT Hard tire, which is softer than DIRT's
Syracuse tire, on the right rear, the tires sidewall must be painted purple so
the fans will know who decided to took the gamble with the softer tire.
Note: I’ll hold back some of my thoughts on some of
the above SDW changes, for now.
Even
more racin’ stuff:
I’ve
never been a fan of NASCAR’s new point system – the
“Chase”, so from this column on, I hope to show points as I feel they should be
(per Jayski’s website) and how the “Chase” points
are, weekly.
2010 Sprint
Cup Driver 'Classic' Points Standings:
[after New Hampshire, race 27 of 36....the OLD way]:
rank, car#, driver, points, behind
1) #29-Kevin Harvick, 3878
2) #24-Jeff Gordon, 3648, -230
3) #18-Kyle Busch, 3633, -245
4) #99-Carl Edwards, 3562, -316
5) #14-Tony Stewart, 3513, -365
6) #11-Denny Hamlin, 3512, -366
7) #31-Jeff Burton, 3508, -370
8) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 3505, -373
9) #2-Kurt Busch, 3461, -417
10) #17-Matt Kenseth, 3440, -438
11) #33-Clint Bowyer, 3416, -462
12) #16-Greg Biffle, 3289, -589
13) #39-Ryan Newman, 3221, -657
14) #1-Jamie McMurray, 3220, -658
15) #00-David Reutimann, 3132, -746
16) #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, 3132, -746
The
“Chase”
OFFICIAL DRIVERS POINTS
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES DRIVER LEADERS
Race #27: SYLVANIA "300" Race Date: 9/19/2010
REVISED
|
Rank |
Driver |
Points |
Starts |
Wins |
Top 5 |
Top 10 |
Money Won |
|
1 |
DENNY HAMLIN |
5230 |
27 |
6 |
11 |
12 |
$4,470,778 |
|
2 |
KEVIN HARVICK |
5185 |
27 |
3 |
12 |
18 |
5,310,177 |
|
3 |
KYLE BUSCH |
5168 |
27 |
3 |
8 |
15 |
4,991,059 |
|
4 |
JEFF GORDON |
5155 |
27 |
0 |
10 |
14 |
4,522,924 |
|
5 |
KURT BUSCH |
5144 |
27 |
2 |
8 |
15 |
5,587,258 |
|
6 |
JIMMIE JOHNSON |
5138 |
27 |
5 |
10 |
14 |
5,465,539 |
|
7 |
CARL EDWARDS |
5135 |
27 |
0 |
6 |
14 |
4,218,827 |
|
8 |
GREG BIFFLE |
5122 |
27 |
1 |
5 |
14 |
3,820,987 |
|
9 |
JEFF BURTON |
5118 |
27 |
0 |
5 |
13 |
4,058,462 |
|
10 |
TONY STEWART |
5106 |
27 |
1 |
7 |
14 |
4,389,748 |
|
11 |
MATT KENSETH |
5094 |
27 |
0 |
5 |
10 |
4,212,499 |
|
12 |
CLINT BOWYER |
5045 |
27 |
1 |
5 |
15 |
3,650,979 |
Note: Clint Bowyer was penalized by NASCAR after
the Loudon race, and went from 2nd in points to 12th. Looking at Jayski’s
website and what has been posted over the last few days, I find it hard to
figure out why he was penalized. Then
again, we’re talking NASCAR here, right?
From Jayski’s website:
· “NASCAR warns RCR about Bowyer's Richmond car: NASCAR warned Richard Childress Racing that Clint Bowyer's car came close to failing inspection after his Chase-clinching drive at Richmond. NASCAR scheduled a Tuesday meeting with RCR officials to go over the #33 Chevy and determine if the team had not made a mistake in its own calculations. "They were in the box, but getting close to some of the tolerances and we asked them to come in to see if they aren't getting off on one of their build sheets," NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton told The Associated Press. "We have had their cars in quite a bit, and they were always spot-on. This one just seemed to be different, and we felt we owed it to them to make sure they just aren't off in one area." Bowyer's car was chosen by NASCAR for random inspection following his sixth-place finish at the Sept. 11 race. The run gave him the 12th and final spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, which began Sunday in New Hampshire. But as his team celebrated the victory, rival teams began to gossip about a potential problem with Bowyer's car from the week before. NASCAR on Tuesday confirmed that once the car got back to its North Carolina research and development center, it was discovered that the back end of the Chevy was very close to the mandated tolerance levels. NASCAR still has the car in its possession, and won't give it back to RCR until the team meets with the sanctioning body. Even if Bowyer's car had failed inspection, it wouldn't have changed the Chase field. The penalty for failed inspections runs anywhere from 50-to-100 points, and Bowyer had a 142-point cushion over Ryan Newman at the end of the Richmond race.(Associated Press/ESPN)(9-21-2010)
·
NASCAR looking at Bowyer's New Hampshire car:
UPDATES: Two people familiar with the inspection process say NASCAR is
taking a closer look at Clint Bowyer's race-winning car from New Hampshire. The
#33 Chevy passed its initial inspection following Sunday's victory, but the
people familiar with the situation say NASCAR discovered issues with the car in
a more thorough inspection at its research and development center. They
requested anonymity because the car is still being inspected. On Tuesday,
NASCAR told RCR officials that Bowyer's chase-clinching car from Richmond came
very close to failing inspection. Though NASCAR does not typically strip wins
from drivers, a car that fails inspection would lead to a significant points
penalty. Bowyer's wins pushed him to second from 12th in the Chase for the
Sprint Cup championship, 35 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.(Associated
Press/ESPN.com)(9-22-2010)
UPDATE: NASCAR has issued penalties, suspensions and fines as a result
of rules infractions discovered this week during post-race inspection at the
NASCAR Research and Development Center following last Sunday's race at New
Hampshire Motor Speedway. The #33 team was found to be in violation of Sections
12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-J (any determination by
NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to
NASCAR rules); and 20-3 (car body location specifications in reference to the
certified chassis did not meet NASCAR-approved specifications) of the 2010
NASCAR Rule Book. As a result, crew chief Shane Wilson has been fined $150,000,
suspended from the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup events, suspended from NASCAR
until Nov. 3 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Car chief Chad Haney has
also been suspended from the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup events, suspended from
NASCAR until Nov. 3 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Driver Clint Bowyer
and owner Richard Childress have been penalized with the loss of 150
championship driver and owner points, respectively. (NASCAR), the penalty drops
Bowyer from 2nd in the driver
point standings to 12th.(9-22-2010)
UPDATE 2: RCR Statement: "First of all, I'd like to apologize to
our sponsors, our fans and everyone at RCR for the situation that has resulted
from this ruling. RCR has a long-standing reputation of integrity on and off
the race track. We pride ourselves on working within the rules established by
the sanctioning body. NASCAR informed us after the Richmond race that we were
very close to their maximum tolerances. They also told us they were going to
take our New Hampshire car to the NASCAR Technical Center after that race. It
doesn't make any sense at all that we would send a car to New Hampshire that
wasn't within NASCAR's tolerances. I am confident we
fixed the area of concern and the New Hampshire car left the race shop well
within the tolerances required by NASCAR. We feel certain that the cause of the
car being out of tolerance by sixty thousandths of an inch, less than 1/16 of
an inch, happened as a result of the wrecker hitting the rear bumper when it
pushed the car into winner's circle. The rear bumper was also hit on the cool
down lap by other drivers congratulating Clint on his victory. That's the only
logical way that the left-rear of the car was found to be high at the tech
center. We will appeal NASCAR's ruling and take it
all the way to the NASCAR commissioner for a final ruling, if need be."(RCR)(9-22-2010)”
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/
Racing
on TV - http://www.racefantv.com/USTV.htm
Video
time:
I’ve
heard, from a few different sources, that this is the last year of racing for
Big Diamond Speedway. I sure hope what
I’ve heard isn’t true. Here is a link to
what will hopefully be a couple of videos that were taken back in June, at the
track.
http://gspvideo.com/2010/06/big-diamond-raceway-june-4-2010/#more-938
Other
(non racing) news:
1. From 9/16:
“Here's some pressure for lawmakers: If they don't reach agreement on extending soon-to-expire Bush-era tax cuts, nearly all their constituents back home will get big tax increases.
A typical family of four with a household income of $50,000 a year would have to pay $2,900 more in taxes in 2011, according to a new analysis by Deloitte Tax LLP, a tax consulting firm. The same family making $100,000 a year would see its taxes rise by $4,500.”
“Those tax cuts expire at the end of the year, setting the stage for a high-stakes debate just before congressional elections in November. If Congress fails to act, families at every income level will see more taxes being withheld from their paychecks come January.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100916/ap_on_bi_ge/us_tax_cuts
“The ranks of the working-age poor climbed to the highest level since the 1960s as the recession threw millions of people out of work last year, leaving one in seven Americans in poverty.
The overall poverty rate climbed to 14.3 percent, or 43.6 million people, the Census Bureau said Thursday in its annual report on the economic well-being of U.S. households. The report covers 2009, President Barack Obama's first year in office.
The poverty rate increased from 13.2 percent, or 39.8 million people, in 2008.”
“The 2009 poverty level was set at $21,954 for a family of four, based on an official government calculation that includes only cash income, before tax deductions. It excludes capital gains or accumulated wealth, such as home ownership, as well as noncash aid such as food stamps.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100917/ap_on_bi_ge/us_census_poverty
3. Colin Powell says he doesn’t hire illegal
immigrants
Huh?? He doesn’t?? If not, then why did he say this: “They're all over my house, doing things whenever I call for repairs, and I'm sure you've seen them at your house,"
He is attempting to clarify that, with this: "On 'Meet the Press' yesterday, I referred to illegal immigrants working around my house. I was referring to the many service contractors who work in my neighborhood, using mostly immigrant workers, who do good work. Some may well be 'illegal”
Yeah, right, Mr.
Powell! As far as I’m concerned, Mr.
Powell broke the law by hiring illegals and should be
punished for doing so, as I feel all those that do the same should be punished,
in some way. It seems that this country
is in dire need of another “Operation Wetback”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Wetback
And:
In part: “President Eisenhower cut off this illegal traffic. He did it quickly and decisively with only 1,075 United States Border Patrol agents – less than one-tenth of today's force. The operation is still highly praised among veterans of the Border Patrol.”
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0706/p09s01-coop.html
Plus:
5. Obama's aunt says
US obligated to make her citizen
In part: “BOSTON – President Barack Obama's aunt, who lived for years illegally in Boston before being granted asylum in May, said the United States has an "obligation" to grant her citizenship.
"If I come as an immigrant, you have the obligation to make me a citizen," Zeituni Onyango told WBZ-TV in an interview that first aired Monday”
“.Onyango, the half sister of Obama's late father, still lives in public housing and collects $700 monthly disability.”
Question is – what
kind of disability is she collecting?
Social Security Disability? How,
if so, since she apparently hasn’t paid into it?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100921/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_s_aunt
Note: Did you know that if you scroll down on the
article (in a lot of cases – articles on Yahoo) it is possible to add a comment
and also possible to read comments that have already been made. As of 4:15 PM on Tuesday, there were already
4,239 c9mments made on this particular news item.
Is this true?:
From
9/17/2010
In
part:
“A new piece of evidence has emerged in the debate over the effectiveness of President Obama's 2009 stimulus package, and it's not good for Democrats.”
“The $71 million that went to the Department of Public Works, which funded 15 road-surfacing and similar projects, was projected to save or create 238 jobs. But according to the audit, the money created just 7.76 jobs — or slightly more than $10 million per new job — and saved 37.7 (the fractions are a result of calculating the number of jobs by hours worked). The Department of Transportation's $40 million created or retained just nine jobs, the audit found.”
“The Department of Transportation, for instance, spent $9 million to install new LED lightbulbs in traffic lights at 1,800 intersections. Less the $228,000 in labor costs associated with the project, that's nearly $5,000 per location to change lightbulbs. Another project spent $4 million to install 65 new left-turn arrows, averaging more than $61,500 per arrow.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100917/bs_yblog_upshot/report-los-angeles-spent-70-million-in-stimulus-funds-to-create-7-76-jobs
Closing with this:
I received this in an e-mail on Wednesday and
thought I’d pass it along. No, not a
joke this week, but something more serious.
Subject:
FW:
DO NOT STOP FOR ANY REASON!
While
driving on a rural end of the roadway on Thursday morning, I saw an infant
car seat on the side of the road with a blanket draped over it.
For whatever reason, I did not stop, even though I had all kinds of
thoughts
running through my head. But when I got to my destination, I called the Canton
PD and they
were going to check it out.
But,
this is what the Police advised even before they went out there to
check....
"There are several things to be aware of ... gangs and thieves are now
plotting
different ways to get a person (mostly women) to stop their vehicle and get out
of
the car.
"There is a gang initiation reported by
the local Police Department where gangs are placing a car seat by the
road...with a fake baby in it... waiting for a woman,
of course, to stop and check on the abandoned baby.
"Note that the location of this car seat is usually beside a wooded or
grassy (field) area and the person -- woman -- will be dragged into
the woods, beaten and raped, and usually left for dead. If it's a man,
they're usually beaten and robbed and maybe left for dead, too.
DO
NOT STOP FOR ANY REASON!!!
DIAL 9-1-1 AND REPORT WHAT YOU SAW, BUT DON'T EVEN SLOW DOWN.
"IF
YOU ARE DRIVING AT NIGHT AND EGGS ARE THROWN AT YOUR WINDSHIELD, DO
NOT STOP TO CHECK THE CAR, DO NOT OPERATE THE WIPERS AND DO NOT SPRAY ANY
WATER BECAUSE EGGS MIXED WITH WATER BECOME MILKY AND BLOCK YOUR VISION UP
TO 92.5%, AND YOU ARE THEN FORCED TO STOP BESIDE THE ROAD AND BECOME A
VICTIM OF THESE CRIMINALS.
THIS
IS A NEW TECHNIQUE USED BY GANGS, SO PLEASE INFORM YOUR FRIENDS AND
RELATIVES.
THESE
ARE DESPERATE TIMES AND THESE ARE UNSAVORY INDIVIDUALS WHO WILL TAKE
DESPERATE MEASURES TO GET WHAT THEY WANT."
Please
talk to your loved ones about this. This is a new tactic used. Please
be safe.
Get
started NOW -- SEND THIS MESSAGE TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES TO BE
CAREFUL
AND AWARE OF EVERYTHING AROUND THEM SO AS NOT TO BECOME A VICTIM.
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