Racin' & Internet Stuff:

                                                                                  By Tom Avenengo

                                                                                      Volume # 36

                                                                                       10/28/2010

SPECIAL NOTICE:

Please, don’t forget:

This coming Sunday is Halloween.  The little ones will be out and about.  If you’re driving, please be careful!

 

Some of my thoughts:

First:

RED FLAG!

In my opinion, and, from what I’ve been reading on the Internet, I’m no the only one that thinks the Eastern States 200 should have been red flagged when a scoring problem arose at around laps 182-184.  Yes, it was red flagged some laps later, after some yellow flag laps were scored, when the race leader, Stewart Friesen, objected to his being placed in second position rather than first for a re-start, and he parked his car at the end of the front stretch to have a “chat” with the starter and some of the race officials.  Sadly, it seems that “common sense” went out the window when the problem arose.  So, even with the AMB scoring system, it looks like there can be quite a “gray area” – something that maybe common sense should over ride a computer, maybe?

 

Second:

My heart goes out to Clinton Mills.  The way he was running, just prior to the red flag, was THE RACE!  Low buck team, with what I’ve read was coming to ESW on an open trailer, with a home built engine, and here is this driver passing some of the best in the business, with a run, on the top, that was so beautiful to watch.  He had the momentum, and prior to that red flag, the speed to overtake the top cars in front of him – Stewart Friesen and Tim McCreadie.  I’ve read that during that way too long red flag period, the left rear on his car slowly leaked air.

 

Third:

My heart also goes out to Michael Storms.  Just a week prior to Eastern States, Michael and the Four Star team split.  That left him with no ride for ESW.  In stepped Brett Hearn and the Madsen race team, and put Michael in a Brett Hearn big block back-up car.  Michael went out and qualified the car third fastest for the 200.  On Sunday, the rear let go in a hot lap session.  Hmm, that’s been a yearlong problem with Hearn and his cars, it seems.  That left Michael with no ride, so it seemed.  Up stepped Chris Shultz.  He offered his back-up # 24 for Michael.  Unfortunately, the car wasn’t quite set-up right, and after some laps, Michael retired from the race, ending up 34th.  Had the rear not let go, I feel Michael would have been right there at the end.

Fourth:

You can spend hours reading about what happened during the ESW 200 on forums and message boards like the Syracuse Forum, Dirt Track Digest and the South Jersey Dirt Racing forum.  There are some that agree with what Friesen did, and some that don’t.  I’d venture to say that most comments about how the track handled it were not in favor of the track.  Face it folks, OCFS is not the most favorite track to quite a lot of “race fans”.  Maybe it’s because they’ve chosen to go “Independent”, or maybe it’s because of how the place, as Historical is it is, has gone so far down hill over these last years.  The property, now being in a “For Sale” state, hasn’t helped it keep fans, either, I believe.  And contrary to what you might have read elsewhere, or maybe in a part in my column a week ago, the sale of the property really can be accomplished WITHOUT the new buyer keeping the track or the fair, itself, operating.  Maybe, for a while, we should be happy that the economy and the real estate market kind of suck right now, and no one has come forward (that I know of) with an actual offer or financial backing, to purchase the property.  Heck, I know of a real nice track down in Florida that’s for sale.  I’ve been told that there are quite a few interested parties – mostly “race people”, that are interested, but lack the big bucks to finalize a deal.  I’ve heard of “race people” that supposedly were interested in OCFS, but that has been defined as just “rumors”.  It sure would be great if someone (race oriented) would step up and buy the joint, make the necessary improvements, and keep it as a racetrack and maybe even a fair.  Time will tell – maybe?  Hopefully, there will be a 2011 racing season at OCFS!

 

Fifth:

The racing season is just about over.  I’ve been leaning towards doing my columns every other week after next week – still on Thursdays, though.  In between, on occasion, I’ll have some articles out – probably mostly pictorial, which would eliminate them being on Dirt Track Digest, but them being on the New England Tractor website - http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/

 

Sixth:

Our National Anthem – the first verse -  I suppose that if you’re up in years, as I am, you, too, might “cringe” at some of the renditions that we hear – whether on TV or when at an event.  What bugs me the most is when the “performer” tries to see how high they can get when singing the word “free”, in bold, below.  Another thing – have you noticed lately the changing of a word?  I have.  And it’s not only on TV but also in renditions that I’ve heard in person.  The word “fight”, in bold, below, has been changed to the word NIGHT.  Why?  And how about those that have to pronounce the letter “H” when saying/singing “Oh”, and “And”

 

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

 

Seventh:

I’m a member of the AARP.  I really don’t get much use out of being a member – maybe a discount on a Motel room on occasion, and I do belong to their Motoring Plan – just in case I might have a problem while traveling.  I know that some AARP members were quite upset when the AARP came out in favor of the medical plan that our President is hoping to get passed, and I’m wondering if the announced news of the AARP sponsoring Jeff Gordon in NASCAR might get some more members riled up.

I found this, below, on Jayski’s website:

 

Jeff Gordon will 'Drive to End Hunger' beginning in 2011: UPDATE: Hendrick Motorsports and Jeff Gordon have teamed with AARP and AARP Foundation on the Drive to End Hunger, an unprecedented three-year initiative to address the growing problem of hunger among older Americans, including 6 million over the age of 60. Drive to End Hunger will be the majority sponsor of Gordon's #24 Hendrick Motorsports team in 2011, 2012 and 2013, with primary paint schemes in 22 Sprint Cup races annually. The #24 Drive to End Hunger Chevy, which will be unveiled at a later date, will race in the next three Daytona 500 events. With Gordon as its spokesperson, Drive to End Hunger will help the millions of older Americans who are facing hunger across the United States. The effort will engage the NASCAR fan base, corporations and charitable organizations via a text-to-donate program; activation at racetracks across the country; further research on the causes and consequences of hunger in older Americans; and an innovative national grant program that will provide resources to address the problem at a local level. Donations from Drive to End Hunger will benefit the hunger programs of AARP Foundation.(Hendrick)(10-27-2010)
UPDATE: Going to the AARP-sponsored car is big news for Gordon in another way -- in that DuPont, his long-time sponsor, will be in a reduced role beginning next season. "DuPont is not going away," insisted Hendrick, who added that an announcement concerning that would be forthcoming very shortly. "You can fill in the blanks. The people that have been here -- Pepsi and DuPont -- they'll be back. And they'll be picking up the rest of it. They'll be on the cars with AARP -- AARP will be on the car with them, and they'll be on the car with AARP, the same way we do it now with associate sponsors." Filling in the blanks means that Pepsi likely is going to be primary sponsor for two races next season and DuPont will be primary sponsor for the rest -- a total of 12 to 14 races, depending on who is on the car for two non-points events (the Sprint All-Star Race and the season-opening Budweiser Shootout).(NASCAR.com)(10-28-2010)

 

 

 

Going back, in time:

Note:  Most of the following information was found here: 

http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/history.html

 

Covering the days of October 22nd to October 28th.

 

OCTOBER 22
1941

Gus Schrader ...Died ... Schrader would become known as "King of the OUTLAW Dirt Tracks" during his storied career. Gus was the IMCA "big car" (sprint) champ from 1933-1941 except in 1938 when Emory Collins broke the string. He ran the Indy 500 in1932 and finished 39th.

1958

Johnny Unser ... Born ... A former CART and IRL race car driver. He is the son of open wheel driver Jerry Unser, cousin of Al Unser, Jr. and Robby Unser, nephew of Al Unser and Bobby Unser, and first cousin once removed of Alfred Unser.

1965

Earl Cooper... Died ... AAA driver 1911 to 1927

 

OCTOBER 23

Nick Fornoro Sr... Born ... Nick was the American Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) driving champion in 1950, and he was the first NASCAR Midget driving champion in 1953. After retiring, he went on to be one of the best starters (flaggers) ever, starting out here in the Northeast and eventually ending up as the flagger for two hundred consecutive Championship Auto Racing Teams Indy Car Series races (CART), serving in that position from 1979 to 1992. In 1993 he was the honorary starter for the Indianapolis 500.

1926

Larry Crockett... Born ... AAA driver who ran the Championship series in 1954. He was killed in a sprint car accident at Langhorne Speedway on March 20, 1955.

1929

Raymond Gerard Avenengo was born.  He’s my brother.  He still works at his place of business, which is making molds and molding plastics and Lexan, down in Florida.  He has also made a lot of the equipment he uses, too.  I meant to call him last Saturday to wish him a Happy Birthday, but I left the house at 8:00 in the morning, to go to OCFS, and didn’t get back from the races until about five minutes to midnight!  Did call him on Sunday evening though.

1966

Alex Zanardi ... Born ... An Italian racing driver. He won two CART championship titles in North America during the late 1990s. He also had a less successful career as a Formula One driver. More recently, he has attracted widespread praise for his return to competition in the aftermath of a crash in 2001 that resulted in the amputation of his legs. As of 2008, he competes in the FIA World Touring Car Championship for BMW Team Italy-Spain.

Larry Dixon ...Born ... NHRA Top Fuel driver.

1970

Gary Gabelich, driving the Blue Flame, set at new Land Speed Record of 622.407 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

1973

Ralph Mulford... Died ... AAA driver 1910 to 1926.

1977

Gary Balough won the 16th annual Eastern States 200 Modified Stock Car race at the Orange County Fair Speedway, Middletown, NY. Kevin Collins was second followed by Sammy Beavers, Don Kreitz, Jimmy Horton Jr, Buzzie Reutimann, Mike Grbac, Billy Osmun, Carl Van Horn and Dave Leckonby.

Note:  Balough is the only driver to have won the Eastern States 200 and led every lap.  After that, a rule for mandatory pit stops was put into effect.

 

2000

Bob Hurt... Died ... USAC driver from the 1960's.

 

OCTOBER 24
1924

George Amick... Born ... AAA / USAC driver 1954 to 1959. He was killed in a crash in a USAC 100-mile Indy car race at Daytona International Speedway on April 4, 1959. Major open-wheel racing would not return to the track for many years.

1985

Richie Evans... Died ... Richie from Westernville, N.Y. was a 9 Time NASCAR National Modified Champion. Richie Evans' racing career began after leaving his father's farm in Westernville, N.Y. at the age of 16 to become a mechanic at a gas station. His first racing experience was as a drag racer, but he soon switched to running stock cars starting in the Utica-Rome Speedway Hobby Division in 1964. Richie won his first NASCAR National Modified Championship in 1973 and didn't win his second until 1978, but from 1978 through 1985 he won eight consecutive NASCAR Featherlite Modified titles. Richies 8 straight Championships is a record for any NASCAR Division to this day. For 13 years Richie finished 1st nine times and 2nd twice, only finishing out of the top 10 once. Evans also won a record nine Most Popular Driver Awards. He won over 30 track championships, including two at Stafford, four at Thompson, and one at Riverside Park. In 1980 he won 52 out of 84 races he entered. Richie was a 3-time Modified Race of Champions winner. Winning on the1.5 mile Trenton Speedway in 1973 and was the last driver to win on the big 2.5 mile Pocono Raceway Track in 1979 before his next win in 1980 when he was the first driver to win on the 3/4 mile Pocono Track. Richie won the Daytona International Speedway Modified race in 1979 and repeated the victory in 1980. Richie was the 1980 Riverside Park Speedway Champion and is 7th on the all-time Riverside Park Speedway win list with 32 wins between 1978 and 1984 in only 7 seasons of competition. The drivers in front of him competed in 10 to 23 different seasons. Richie was killed in a practice accident at Martinsville in 1985, while preparing for the final race of the season for the NASCAR Modified Tour.

Note:  In last weeks edition of the Area Auto Racing News racing paper, noted columnist Ernie Saxton made mention in his column that he had spoken with others that were to vote for those being admitted to the NASCAR Hall of Fame (Ernie is one that has that opportunity), and a good amount of those he spoke with had no knowledge of Richie Evans.  Can you imagine – and they’re voting to put people into a Hall of Fame?

 

OCTOBER 25
1950

Bob Frey ... Born ... Sprint Car and CART driver from the 1970's and 80's.

1972

Johnny Mantz ... Died ... 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.

 

OCTOBER 26

1915

Ray Crawford... Born ... AAA & USAC driver from the 1950's & 60's

1955

Sammy Swindell... Born ... A three time World of Outlaws champion, winning the title in 1981, 1982, and 1997, with hundreds of A-main victories to his credit. He also competed in the CART series in 1985 and 1986 and failed to qualify for the 1987 Indianapolis 500 in a March-Pontiac. Swindell also competed in a full season of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 1995, finishing 12th in points with 1 pole and 5 top-tens in the series' inaugural season. He also counts 10 Busch Series and 2 Winston Cup starts among his NASCAR accomplishments

1975

Jimmy Caruthers... Died ... USAC midget, sprint and Indy car driver from California. He won the 1975 USAC Silver Crown Series championship while suffering from cancer. He died of cancer before claiming his championship trophy.

1979

Wayne Reutimann won the Sprint Car race at the DeSoto Super Speedway,Bradenton,FL.

Note:  Remember when I made mention of a track in Florida being for sale, up above?  Well it’s DeSoto Super Speedway.  A nephew of mine, Rick Anges does the announcing and some PR work for the track.  Some years back I attended a 400 lap Sprint Car race at DeSoto.  Two pit stops were mandatory – one prior to lap 200 and one after.

 

OCTOBER 27
1910

Mark Light... Born ... Mark Light drove Sprint Cars, Stock Cars and Midgets at tracks mostly around Pennsylvania. He took 34 career wins but failed to qualify for the Indy 50 in his one attempt in 1950.

1964

Art Arfons topped Craig Breedlove's twelve day old Land Speed Record by running 536.71 MPH/858.73 KPH in the Green Monster on the Bonneville Salt Flats. This record would stand just over one year.

1967

Brian Tyler... Born ... He was a back-to-back USAC National Sprint car Champion for Larry Contos Racing in 1996 and 1997. He made 10 starts in the Indy Racing League in 1998 and 1999 for 3 different teams with a best finish of 6th at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Tyler has 9 NASCAR Busch Series starts, and one NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start, however with little success.

1968

Andy Michner... Born ... USAC and IRL driver from the 1990's.

1971

Bob Tattersall... Died ... The 1969 USAC National Midget Champion also raced in Australia and New Zealand for thirteen winters, winning over fifty percent of the races he competed in, as well as the World Championship at the Sydney Showgrounds on seven different occasions. He also drove sprint and championship cars and passed his rookie test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1966. Bob started his career in stock cars and switched to midgets in 1950. He won the UARA Midget Championship twice and consistently beat the Offies with Frank Pavese's famous Ford 60 V-8. In 1955 he won a heat race at Terre Haute with the car against the top AAA drivers. He began racing with USAC on a full time basis in 1960 and in eleven years of competition was never lower than 8th in the point standings. During many of those years, he got off to a late start due to his schedule in Australia. He had recorded 63 USAC feature wins.

Note:  Bob is in the National Midget Racing Hall of Fame.

 

1977

Anton "Tony" Hulman... Died ... Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner. Born into wealth, Anton Hulman Jr. embellished his personal resources with courage, foresight and a passion for automobile racing to become the savior of America's foremost motorsports facility and its greatest one-day sports spectacle, the Indianapolis 500.

Note:  Are you aware that the second biggest one-day sports spectacle, for quite a few years, was the first day of qualifying for the Indy 500?

 

2003

Johnny Boyd ... Died ... Boyd drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series from 1954 to 1966 with 56 starts. He finished in the top ten 31 times, with his best finish in 2nd position, in 1959 at Milwaukee. Boyd qualified for the Indianapolis 500 for the first time in 1955 but finished 29th after being involved in an accident that killed driver Bill Vukovich. In a dozen starts, his best race was in 1958, when he led 18 laps and finished 3rd. In total, he finished in the Top 10 at the 500 five times. After 1949 Boyd had become close friends with Bob Sweikert of Hayward, California when he met him on the California racing circuit. The two often raced together, and Boyd qualified for entry in the 1955 Indianapolis 500 when Sweikert helped him overcome mechanical handling problems in Boyd's car. Sweikert won the race that day, but was overshadowed by the death of Vukovich. Boyd also raced against Sweikert in 1956 at Indy, but Sweikert was killed several weeks later in a Sprint car race. Boyd retired as a driver after failing to qualify for the Indy 500 and Milwaukee race in 1967. He died of cancer at age 77 in his hometown of Fresno.

 

OCTOBER 28
1919

Walt Hansgen... Born ... A driver from the United States. He participated in 2 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on October 8, 1961. He scored a total of 2 championship points. Hansgen also raced in the 1964 and 1965 Indianapolis 500 races finishing 13th and 14th. In addition to Formula One, Walt Hansgen was an active road racer from the early 1960's through his death. He participated in several runnings of the 24 hours of Daytona and Le Mans as well as the 12 hours of Sebring endurance races. He was notable for introducing Mark Donohue to professional road racing. He was killed when he crashed a 7-liter Ford Mk2 sports car at the Le Mans tests during the spring of 1966.

2006

Johnny Coy... Died ... Coy raced everything from jalopies to modifieds, but it was in the midgets where he excelled. He started running midgets in the late '40's at Freeport. He drifted out to Oklahoma where they ran 6 nights a week. Returning to Long Island in the '50's he jumped into the stocks and ran both. He ran NASCAR Grand Nationals at Langhorne in 1957 , beating Buck Baker and the Keikhafer crew in his own "ill prepared" Chrysler 300. Coy passed his drivers test at Indianapolis in 1962, but the car broke during a qualifying run. He continued driving midgets with ARDC and TQ's with ATQMRA until arthritis got the best of his hands in 1984 and helped his two sons ARDC and NEMA Champion Joey Coy and Johnny Coy Jr. Real name: John Barbaro.

Note:  In a few weeks, I’ll be at the Lobitz movie party/auction and I’ll attempt to find out if he used the “Coy” name because of the role that Mickey Rooney had in the movie The Big Wheel – “Billy Coy”.

 

October 25, 2010:

I received information that Sonny Ates, 75, passed away on Monday, October 25th, via an e-mail to the Yahoo Race History Group.

 

This info from a Google search:

Charles "Sonny" Ates (born March 28, 1935, Sellersburg, Indiana) is a retired American racecar driver.

Ates raced in the USAC Championship Car series in the 1968-1970 seasons, with 15 career starts, including the 1969 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 5 times, with his best finish in 5th position in 1968 at Brooklyn. Sonny was one of the best Sprint Car racers during the 1960's and 1970's. He held the world speed record for a sprint car by being the fastest at the famed Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Indiana. He would often help new drivers find the right "groove" at that track.”

 

 

Track news – (for tracks in my area):

 

OVRP – the dirt track:  http://www.oaklandvalleyspeedway.com/

 

Karts and Slingshots this coming Saturday, with no racing on Sunday for Bikes and Quads.  The following week is Novemberfest Weekend!

 

 

Novemberfest info:

 

 

3 ROUNDS OF FEATURE RACING - 25 LAPS EACH
EVERY FEATURE COUNTS TOWARD FINISHES

50% OF ENTRY FEE GOES TOWARDS THE PURSE


Friday November 5th - Open Practice
Gates Open - 2:00 pm
Registration - 2:00 - 7:00 pm
Open Practice - 4:00 - 9:00 pm - 4 1/2 HOURS OF PRACTICE
Break from Practice - 7:30-8:00 pm
Barbecue - 7:30 pm

Saturday November 6th
Gates Open - 8:00 am
Registration - 8:00 - 10:30 am
Practice - 10:00 am (2 Rounds of Practice)
We will do our best to get in 2 rounds of features on Saturday. We will take a break at 7:00 for dinner.
Beef & Pork Roast - 7:00 pm

Sunday Novebmer 7th
Gates Open - 8:00 am
Practice - 10:00 am (1 Round of Practice)
Racing will resume after practice

3 Round of Features, every feature counts toward official finishes. Round 1 will be lined up by draw. Round 2 will be lined up by the invert of the draw. Round 3 will be lined up by the total points from Rounds 1 and 2.

Classes Offered: (must have 5 or more entries)
Junior 1, Junior 2, Junior Clone, Junior 3, Junior Stock, Junior Sportsman Champ, Junior Champ, Lights, Mediums, Heavys, Super Heavys, Senior Stock, Animal Lights, Animal Heavys, Senior Champ, Star Champ, KT 100, Junior Slingshot, & Senior Slingshot.
Kid Karts & Rookie Champ – Saturday ONLY
$25.00 entry fee (doesn’t include pit pass)
Please check the website for additional class information.
Classes

Friday Night Practice* - $25.00 - INCLUDES BARBECUE
Entry Fee* - $75.00 per class - INCLUDES BEEF & PORK ROAST
1 Day Pit Pass - $12.00
2 Day Pit Pass - $20.00 (save $4.00)
3 Day Pit Pass - $30.00 (save $6.00)
Friday Barbecue - $5.00
Saturday Beef & Pork Roast - $10.00

If you are interested in bringing a camper, please be sure to email me to let me know the size of your camper. Reservations are a must and it is first come first serve. There is a limited amount of room available.

denise.ovspeedway@gmail.com

 

http://www.oaklandvalleyspeedway.com/

 

 

 

 

The History of the Sport:

Something a little different this week.  Going to make you do some work if you want to see some racing history.  The other day, one of the members of the Yahoo! Race History Group sent out some links (35 of them, to be precise) to some auto racing articles that appeared in Time magazine, many years ago, via e-mail.  So, if you don’t mind, I’ll be putting on five links per column, over the next seven columns.  Hope you get some enjoyment out of reading them.

  1. Nuvolari and the first Vanderbuilt Cup:  http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,756805,00.html 
  2. Bill Schindler in one race at Hinchliffe Stadium:  http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,798956,00.html
  3. 150 mile midget race near Detroit, Michigan:  http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,771982,00.html
  4. Tony Bettenhausen and the Belanger # 99:  http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,821825,00.html
  5. Sam Hanks and his last Indy 500:  http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,937469,00.html

 

 

 

Former Dirt Oval Go-Kart (Oakland Valley Speedway) runners:

 

This week, it’s all about how they did during Eastern States weekend.

Sportsman:

Matt Hitchcock, last years winner, couldn’t repeat, but did finish 2nd in the 50 lap feature.  Anthony Perrego was 4th, Brian Krummel 5th, Zack Vavricka 9th, Keith Still 10th, Jason Roe 19th, RJ Smykla 23rd, John Lodini 25th and Matt Janiak 27th.

Kayla Smykla, Kyle Redner and Doc Young were DNQ’s.

 

Small Block Modifieds:

Danny Creeden was 10th in the 100 lap Small Block race, and Brian Krummel was 12th, Mike Ruggiero 20th, Corey Ziegler 23rd, Tim Hndley 30th and Matt Janiak 36th.

Doc Young, Kayla and RJ Smykla and Matt Hitchcock were DNQ’s.

 

CRSA 305 Sprint Cars:

Chuck Alessi was 4th, Billy VanInwegen 12th and Josh Pieniazek 20th.

 

Big Block Modifieds:

Clinton Mills put on a great show, coming from 36th starting spot to finish 2nd.  Mike Ruggiero was 14th, Billy VanInwegen 17th,  Randy Sherlock 18th, Johnny Guarino 21st, Michael Storms 34th, Danny Creeden 41st and Tim Hindley 42nd.

Corey Ziegler and Matt Hitchcock were DNQ’s.

 

 

 

For sale:

My son, Eric, still has the dirt modified for sale.

2006 Teo, Complete car minus engine. Kirkey full containment seat, Winters rear, Bert transmission, inboard starter, profile steering, parker pumper, wilwood hubs. $5000.

Interested?  Send me an e-mail at:  ygordad@yahoo.com or send him one at:  ema19us@yahoo.com

 

STIDA – Racers Insurance:

 

Reading on Facebook, about the recovery of Shane Hmiel, I have to wonder if he had sufficient insurance to cover all or most of his medical expenses.  STIDA insures racers.  You must race a vehicle that has a roll cage on it, and you must be belted in it, too, to be able to get coverage.  That does include Champ/Cage Karts, I’ve been told.  Interested?  Check it out, here:

http://www.stida.com/

 

 

 

More racin’ stuff:

NASCAR’s point standings – two ways – as they used to be (still should in my way of thinking), and how they are with the “Chase”.

How they still should be – per Jayski’s website:

2010 Sprint Cup Driver 'Classic' Points Standings:
[after Martinsville, race 32 of 36....the OLD way]:
rank, car#, driver, points, behind
1) #29-Kevin Harvick(x), 4629
2) #48-Jimmie Johnson(x), 4365, -264
3) #18-Kyle Busch(x), 4291, -338
4) #24-Jeff Gordon(x), 4288, -341
5) #11-Denny Hamlin(x), 4274, -355
6) #99-Carl Edwards(x), 4212, -417
7) #14-Tony Stewart(x), 4169, -460
8) #31-Jeff Burton(x), 4142, -487
9) #17-Matt Kenseth(x), 4051, -578
10) #2-Kurt Busch(x), 4038, -591
11) #1-Jamie McMurray, 3916, -827
12) #16-Greg Biffle(x), 3849, -713
13) #33-Clint Bowyer(x), 3813, -780

 

 

And, the “Chase”:

1.     Jimmie Johnson – 5998

2.     Denny Hamlin – 5992

3.     Kevin Harvick – 5936

4.     Kyle Busch – 5826

5.     Jeff Gordon – 5795

6.     Carl Edwards – 5785

7.     Tony Stewart – 5762

8.     Jeff Burton – 5752

9.     Kurt Busch – 5721

10. Matt Kenseth – 5705

11. Greg Biffle – 5682

12. Clint Bowyer - 5592

 

 

Additional racin’ stuff:

 

XCEL CHASSIS ANNOUNCES LINDAS SPEEDWAY WILL HOST THE 600 MODIFIEDS AS A REGULAR DIVISION IN 2011

The word is out and is now official. The Xcel Chassis 600 modifieds have been added as a regular division at Lindas Speedway for the 2011 season.   Lindas Speedway located in Jonestown, PA is a central point for a majority of the drivers and quickly became one of the favorites among the drivers.

Doug Borger, series owner and promoter, talked about the upcoming season for the 600 modifieds. “I’ve been working with John and Linda the last couple of weeks to put this deal together and I am excited for them and the series. The 600 modifieds will be running three weeks out of the month. The dates will be announced shortly and will not interfere with the tour dates so teams will be able to run both if they choose to do so.  I’ve built the series on being affordable and this will only help us grow as the economy has everybody guessing. ‘

Please check our website at  xcelchassis.com  as more updates will be released shortly.

 

 

 

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

 

Note:  I had heard that there would be live telecasting from Charlotte for the WoO Sprint cars, Late Models, and Modifieds on SPEED.  However, checking the SPEED calendar, I only see WoO Sprint Cars and Late Models listed for November 6th, beginning at 8:00 PM.  Racing there is scheduled for November 4th, 5th and 6th.

 

Syracuse forum:  http://www.syracuse.com/forums/motorsports/ (must register to post)

South Jersey Dirt Racing:  http://theboard.southjerseydirtracing.com/Msgboard.asp?ForumID=27&Return=Msgboard.asp&D83jsd=True

(must register to post)

 

Victory Speedway:  http://s2.excoboard.com/VictorySpeedwayForum (must register to post & no nonsense allowed)

 

 

 

Video time:

From a Steve McQueen (March 24, 1930 – November 7, 1980) movie.  Not really the way one should drive a vehicle in San Francisco!

http://www.wimp.com/bestchase/

 

 

 

 

 

Other (non racing) news:

 

Is Putting a Cell Phone in Your Pocket a Health Risk?

In part:

We are a nation grown numb to the seemingly endless fine print that accompanies our purchases. But every now and then a product is sold with a warning that should command attention. Consider the little-noticed bit of legalese that comes in the safety manual for Apple's iPhone 4: "When using iPhone near your body for voice calls or for wireless data transmission over a cellular network, keep iPhone at least 15 mm (5/8 inch) away from the body, and only use carrying cases, belt clips, or holders that do not have metal parts and that maintain at least 15 mm (5/8 inch) separation between iPhone and the body," the warning reads.”

“So should you be worried about putting your phone in your pocket? The answer depends largely on how much faith you put in the current state of scientific research about radio-frequency energy.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20101026/us_time/08599202752300

 

 

N.J. Gov. Christie stands by decision to cancel NYC tunnel project

In part:

 

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is standing by his decision to kill the nation's biggest public works project, a train tunnel connecting New Jersey to New York City, he announced Wednesday.

Christie, a rising star in the Republican Party for his fearless budget-slashing, has argued that his cash-strapped state can't afford to pay for any overruns on the $9 billion-plus rail tunnel under the Hudson River. The state is on the hook for $2.7 billion plus overruns.

The federal government and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are each contributing $3 billion.”

“At least $1.25 billion becomes available for state projects with the tunnel's demise.”

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101027/NEWS/101029799/-1/NEWS

Note:  While watching the news on Wednesday night, and this topic was being discussed, it was said that the city of New York was putting up zero dollars for this project.  Personally, I think I have to agree with the Governor.  Most every project started over these last 10 to 20 years has always gone way over what the initial cost proposal was.


And this, too, about the tunnel:

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101027/BIZ/101029790/-1/NEWS

 

 

 

Is this true?:

What follows is, in part, from an e-mail I received:

 

READ THIS ABOUT OUR SS CHECKS


We need to keep this fresh in everyone's mind till Nov. The Obama crew thinks we will forget about it by Nov. Let's prove them wrong.

*THIS IS THE ONE THAT WILL FLIP YOU OUT!!** **

THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION IS FUNDING TWENTY FOUR MILLION DOLLARS--LET ME REPEAT THAT  AMOUNT SO YOU UNDERSTAND IT $ 24,000,000.00 DOLLARS FOR  NEW ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS PROCESSING FOR OUR CONGRESSMEN AND SENATORS !!

THEY ARE OBTAINING THESE FUNDS*

 

*And*

I QUOTE DIRECTLY FROM THE SOCIAL SECURITY WEBSITE...

 
"THIS MONEY WILL BE COMING FROM THE SAVINGS TO BE GENERATED FROM WITHHOLDING "COST OF LIVING INCREASES FOR 2010  & 2011 In SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS FOR THE ELDERLY AND A $2.00  INCREASE ON ALL MEDICARE RX BENEFIT CO-PAY"

 

In November of 2010 The entire House of  Representatives will stand for  re-election;  All 435 of them.

One third of the Senate, A total of 33 of them, will also stand for  re-election.

Vote every incumbent out. And I mean every one of them.
No matter their Party affiliation.

Let's start all over in the House of Representatives with 435 people

 

Who have absolutely no experience in running that body, with no political favors owed to anyone but their  own constituents.

Let's make them understand that they work for us... They are answerable to us and they simply have to run that body with some common sense.

 

Two years later, in 2012, Vote the next third of the incumbents in the Senate out.  We can do the same thing in 2014 and, by that time we will have put all new people in that body as well.

We, the People, Have got to take this Country back and we have to do it peacefully.  That's what the Framers of our Constitution  envisioned.

 


THE LONGER THEY STAY IN OFFICE THE MORE POWER THEY GET AND THEY LOVE IT AND WILL DO ANYTHING TO  GET RE-ELECTED. WE HAVE TERM LIMITED THE PRESIDENT  NOW LET'S TERM LIMIT THE  LEGISLATORS

 



Closing with these:

From an e-mail I received this week.  Maybe you’ve seen this, maybe not.

Read quietly then send it back on its journey
 
Read quietly
 
To realize
The value of a sister/brother
Ask someone
Who doesn't have one.
 
To realize
The value of ten years:
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.
 
To realize
The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.
 
To realize
The value of one year:
Ask a student who
Has failed a final exam.
 
To realize
The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.
 
To realize
The value of one month:
Ask a mother
Who has given birth to
A premature baby.
 
To realize
The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
 
To realize
The value of one minute:
Ask a person
Who has missed the train, bus or plane.
 
To realize
The value of one second:
Ask a person
Who has survived an accident.
 
Time waits for no one.
 
Treasure every moment you have.
 
You will treasure it even more when
You can share it with someone special.
 
To realize the value of a friend or family member:
 
LOSE ONE.
 
The origin of this letter is unknown,
But it brings good luck to everyone who passes it on.
 
Remember....
 
Hold on tight to the ones you love!
 
Do not keep this letter.
 
Send it to friends & family to whom you wish good
fortune.  And don't forget the one who sent it to you!
 

 

 

 

 

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