Racin'
& Internet Stuff:
By Tom Avenengo
04/28/2011
First:
Well, “She” did it again – “Mother Nature” sure likes to let the raindrops fall on Saturdays, doesn’t she? I think about the only track, in my area, that got their show in was OVRP’s Dirt Oval. Very strange how early in the afternoon the rain stops, and though still overcast, enough damage had been done, or caused enough, for most tracks to cancel their nights racing activities.
Second:
OMG! While checking out SJDR’s message board the other day, I came across a thread that really had quite a lot of postings to it. The thread was titled: “Big Bore, short stroke engine controversy”.
What
started off the thread was this:
“By
Brett Deyo
Reading
Eagle correspondent
Who's cheating who?
The
country song lyrics convey added meaning this year in the region's 358-modified
pit areas.
Phone
lines are ringing; race shops are abuzz with speculation; and tech inspection
teams at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville and Big Diamond Speedway in
Minersville have been bombarded with accusations of engines not conforming to
the rules.
The
illegal engines are alleged to be "big bore-short stroke"
combinations, forbidden by the engine guidelines published by both speedways.
The
engines are desirable to teams because they produce additional power and
perform at a higher RPM, according to
"The
advantage these guys get is 5-10 horsepower (on an engine dyno),
but that horsepower is multiplied at the rear wheels, which we can't measure
unless we get the cars on a chassis dyno," Scott
said. "They can run a higher RPM. With the ability for them to turn more RPMs, they can run lower gears, which is an advantage on
restarts.
"These
guys wouldn't have spent the money (estimated at an additional $7,000) on it if
there wasn't an advantage."
Norm
Hansell, the car owner for championship driver Jeff Strunk, believes the time has come for the tracks to
legalize the engines or disqualify teams running them.
Hansell admits to owning at least one of the engines in question. He says,
however, that his No. 357 has been outfitted with a legal combination for the
early season events.
"I'm
100 percent legal right now," Hansell said.
"I'm not going to run it (the engine in question) until these tracks
figure out what they're doing. People won't step up and tell the truth. They
won't admit what they have. Honestly, if everyone that has one admits to it,
they'll have to do something. They (the tracks) can't throw everyone out."
Hansell believes a large number of cars are outfitted with these engines. He
estimates more than a dozen between the two tracks.
He
would not be opposed to a compromise, such as allowing the illegal engines to
race with additional weight bolted to the car as an equalizer.
Hansell says strict technical inspections are necessary if the tracks do not
plan to alter rules to allow the engines.
"For
three weeks now, these tracks have threatened to check them," he said.
"They haven't pulled one apart yet. Every week we're losing money
finishing behind these guys and falling behind in the points because the tracks
aren't doing anything about it."
If
action is not taken soon, Hansell said, he will leave
the 358-mod circuit in favor of big-block racing at New Egypt, N.J.
"All
the money I spend, I can't continue to race like this," he said.
"It's not fun, and it isn't right. There's too much at stake."
Craig
Von Dohren of Boyertown, the leading winner at Big D
and
"They've
got to be checked," Von Dohren said. "A
rule is a rule. It is unfair for them not to do anything. If we get to the
Forrest Rogers (at
Von
Dohren wants all cars checked, not just the top
performers.
"It
doesn't matter if they're 18th in points; they are still illegal, and they're
taking a spot away from a legal car in a heat race," he said. "I
don't have a problem with letting them run with a smaller carburetor or making
them add 100 pounds. The point is the tracks aren't
doing anything right now, and that's hurting a team like us."
The
inspection process required is an intrusive and tedious one. Inspectors need to
pull oil pans on the cars.
"The
night we get pulled for tech isn't going to be fun," Von Dohren said. "But it's the only way they can do it,
and it needs to be done."
Big
Diamond and
"They
are illegal; they break three rules: maximum overbore, crank and block
rules," Scott said. "We are going to tech for them. All of them will
be teched by the end of the season. There are some petitioning to make these engines legal. That's not
going to happen."
Big
Diamond management also told the Reading Eagle that there are plans to pull oil
pans for inspection. Scott, in his first year as
"I
assumed there were maybe a couple of these (engines) around," he said.
"I can't tell you everyone out there that has one as a fact; it's all
hearsay. But I've been handed a real bucket of worms here."
Like
Big Diamond,
"We
will be checking," he said. "They (the racers) aren't going to tell
us when and who to tech. The tail isn't going to wag the dog."
Contact
Brett Deyo: sports@readingeagle.com.”
Note
# 1: You might have to register to read, and if not, you would have to register
in order to comment. As of this past
Monday, I counted at least 116 postings/comments on the subject.
Note
# 2: I went to SJDR’s
message board and could not find this particular thread. I then clicked on the link, above, and it
came up. Maybe it will work, maybe not.
Third:
For
those of you that follow the CRSA 305 Sprint Car Series, their opening show,
scheduled for the Fonda Speedway, last Saturday, was one of those victims of
the weather, so their opening show will now be at Fonda this coming Saturday.
Fourth:
It’s been a few weeks (right after opening night) since I e-mailed OCFS, inquiring about the status of JP’s Snack Bar, and whether it was just closed for opening night or if it’s a permanent closure. I’m still waiting for a response. I wonder – do those that run OCFS really know how popular JP’s is – or maybe was?
My thoughts: Somewhere down the line, in the past, someone really screwed up by signing what I’ve heard is about a 100 year contract with Maxwell’s. While I was in conversation with one of the previous owners of JP’s, I was informed that when they were moved to the present location, there was some kind of a deal that put them in ownership of that little piece of property where JP’s is located. I wonder what happened about that, if true?
Fifth:
Coming up – from the New Hampshire Motor Speedway website:
Tuesday, May 17 - Sunday, May 22, 2011
Oval & Road
Course - Cars
From Tuesday, May 17, to Sunday, May 22, history will come
alive as legendary racing machines from around the world gather to compete in
the 21st Annual Vintage Racing Celebration.
Beginning Tuesday, May 17, through Thursday, May 19 some of
the world’s best vintage midgets, sprint cars, champ cars, roadsters and NASCAR
stock cars will race on the speedway’s 1.058-mile oval.
From Friday, May 20, through Sunday, May 22, New Hampshire
Motor Speedway’s tricky 1.6-mile road course will challenge vintage road racers
from around the world. Classic car enthusiasts can see vintage sports cars, formula cars and motorcycles compete for bragging
rights on the 12- turn NHMS course.
Join us on Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22 for the
Classic and Custom Car Show along with an Automotive Flea Market. If you love
cars, this event is for you!
Gates open each day at 9:00 a.m.
Note: I plan on being
there from Tuesday afternoon until around noon on Thursday, accompanied by my
daughter, Judy.
Sixth:
Just a quick reminder:
Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 8th.
Seventh:
NASCAR at
Eighth:
Just wondering – are there a certain amount of races that tracks should run when they are sanctioned with DIRTcar, as far as points go? I’m questioning this because as of the three scheduled point races at OCFS, they’ve only had one event run.
Ninth:
On Tuesday, I received a schedule and a 2011 Membership Application from the Northeastern Vintage Dirt Modified Racing Club. Cost for being a regular member – not a car owner, etc etc, is $20.00 for a year. Interested? Check them out, here: http://www.vintagedirtmodified.webs.com/
Tenth:
At times, I suppose I could say that I’ve been a “thorn in the sides” of OCFS. Hey, I’ve had my complaints and they’ve been seen on the Internet. You really don’t want to see what’s been sent to me from OCFS at times, and if you did, you’d wonder why I even attend the races there, from what’s been said to me. At times, I’ve asked questions and did receive responses. Other times, like quite recently – no responses. When they had the OCFS backed Car show at the arena, on the fair property, there were daily ads in the Middletown Times Herald-Record. – ADVERTISING it. I was hoping that OCFS would also advertise in the Th-R when the racing season opened up – about the Saturday night races – something that just didn’t happen last year and in previous years, too. Maybe that’s why the Saturday night racing results don’t appear in the Sunday edition of the paper anymore – who knows? At times I’ve seen them posted on Tuesday. Seems to me that if Th-R can put in Yankee baseball results when the Yankees play a night game out on the west coast, and the game ends after midnight, our time, then they should be able to get OCFS results in, when the races end around 11:00. Sorry, my way of thinking.
Of course they still insist on getting the “Spas” and “Girlie show” ads in the SPORTS SECTION. – Or a couple of pages of car dealer ads, too – in the SPORTS SECTION.
When one goes to the OCFS website, and clicks on the “Contact us” link, three e-mail addresses come up. I’ve sent my inquiries to the first one. But note – the other two are listed as “Advertising”. So, with two e-mail addresses for “Advertising”, I really wonder – advertising where? Uh huh, certainly not in the Th-R.
Note: In the Wednesday, April 27th Th-R, in the sports pages, there was an ad for auto racing for this coming Saturday. No, it wasn’t OCFS, but the little Ľ mile paved track – Bethel Motor Speedway.
Eleventh:
Last week, as I was getting ready to go to Accord, on
Friday, I noticed that my gas gauge was a tick over Ľ tank. No sweat, I figured, since Accord is, no
matter what speed you go, still an hour ride each way. Well, with what little driving I did since
then, when I had to go do some shopping on Wednesday (yesterday), it still
wasn’t quite on empty. With me having to
pick up a granddaughter Thursday morning at the
Twelfth:
I’m trying to figure out why it took Donald Trump to complain about a certain “Birth Certificate” in order for us to supposedly see the one that Trump was questioning. Seems this certain “Birth Certificate” has been questioned and been in the news since prior to our last Presidential election, yet it took Trump to have it shown to us? Gimme a break! As far as I’m concerned, this particular “Birth Certificate” – when questioned, years ago, should have been shown to us then – not now. Somehow, I still have some doubts, and I guess I’m not alone on that, too.
Note: prior to closing this column out, I came upon a few things – things like:
“In those years ... when they
wrote race, they were writing 'Negro' not 'African'," Taitz says. "In
those days nobody wrote African as a race, it just wasn't one of the options.
It sounds like it would be written today, in the age of political correctness,
and not in 1961 when they wrote white or Asian or 'Negro'."
“Obama predicted this type of reaction from Taitz and those he described as
"carnival barkers" in his comments
to reporters on Wednesday.”
Thirteenth:
I found this over on the Track Forum in the Indycar section – about a showing of the 2012 Indycar:
“Randy Bernard spoke at a luncheon
today in
Other mentionables included that when they had to almost recover from Firestone
pulling out only one tire manufacturer was interested - Michelin!
There is a list of 25 drivers who have shown interest in driving in
14,000 people have already upgraded their "free"
Mattel has become a big open wheel sponsor and Randy is using this to get to 9
to 14 year old boys. 9 year olds will be able to be in the Garage area this
year at the
They are trying to extend the
The AJ Foyt Oval Champ and the Mario Andretti Road Champ is an effort to keep
big names in the sport from dissappearing and add additional branding.
I was extremely impressed as so many others have indicated. He is 95% promotion
and marketing. Professional Bull Riding began in 1995 when the 24 top bull
riders each pitched in $1000 to form PBR. Some of them had to borrow it from
friends and family because they were so broke. When PBR was sold in 2007 one of
the riders asked if they had made any money, maybe $100,000.00? Each of the
orginal riders got $4.2M and they still owned 35% of PBR! I wish him this kind
of success in Indy Car.”
Note: Lots (six pages so far) being said about
this, and you can read it if you go here:
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?149210-Randy-Bernard-Shows-2012-Car..
Found on Jayski’s website:
1st Quarter Driver
of the Year named: #18-Kyle Busch won races in all three of NASCAR's top
divisions tallying the most first-place votes in the 1st quarter Driver of the
Year 2011 balloting by leading broadcasters and journalists in the United
States. The driver of the #18 Toyota Camry in the Sprint Cup series, #18 Z-Line
Designs Toyota in the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs Racing and is the
owner/driver of the #18 Dollar General Toyota Tundra in the Camping World Truck
series credited his teams for his early 2011 success. "It's been a great
start to the season in all three series' and that's because of the great people
we have at JGR and KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports)," said Busch. "This
award is testament to all of those guys. Each of my teams have done a great job
bringing me good cars to the racetrack each week and if we haven't won, we've
been in contention more times than not. In particular, Dave Rogers and all the
guys on the M&M's
Barry Schmoyer, President of the Driver of the Year
Foundation, said "calling Kyle Busch versatile would be an understatement.
He certainly proved that he is a triple-threat to win on any given weekend. And
he's only 25-years-old. I wouldn't be surprised if, some year soon, I will be
handing him the Driver of the Year trophy."
In the voting Busch took nine first-place ballots and totaled 121 points
according to the Driver of the Year points system. NASCAR drivers swept the
virtual podium with Carl Edwards garnering six first-place votes and 89 points
and Kevin Harvick also earning six first-place votes
and 84 points. A total of 14 drivers scored points in the first quarter voting.
In its' 45th year, the Driver of the Year title is unique. A panel of 21
leading journalists from across the
And, he’s till in the news – Jeremy Mayfield:
Mayfield's Dogs
Attack Mail Carrier: When a mail carrier tried to deliver a package too big for
Jeremy Mayfield's mailbox, she tried to drop it off at the home's front door,
but when she went to the house, police say she was attacked by five dogs. The
pit bull-lab mix dogs are currently in quarantine at the Catawba County Animal
Shelter. Firefighters said it was at former NACSAR driver Jeremy Mayfield's
home where mail carrier Mary Bolton was attacked. Firefighters said she was
hospitalized with bite marks and cuts all over her legs, arms and shoulders.
Neighbors were stunned to hear news of the attack. Police have confirmed that
Mayfield came outside to intervene, scooping up the badly injured carrier and
taking her back inside the home. The police chief in Catawba said the dogs are
being quarantined for ten days because he is not sure they are up to date on
rabies shots. No decision has been made yet on what will happen to the dogs or
if anyone will face charges.(WSOCtv.com)(4-23-2011)
Kahne has surgery on knee again: Kasey Kahne
tweeted that he had knee surgery again on Monday [April 18th] as he re tore
his meniscus. Kahne says the knee just about feels
better now then it has the last month and that he will be driving at
Fire destroys
Smokey Yunick's former garage: The last remaining
portion of legendary race car builder Smokey
Yunick's former garage complex was destroyed
Monday night as smoke and flames poured from the building onto
Former
Note:
I’ve been away from
the track for a few years now, so it’s very possible that there have been other
drivers – other than those I make mention of, that have also gone onto bigger
forms or racing vehicles, so chances are real good that I do not know their
names. If you know of anyone that’s gone
onto bigger things, and had run at the Dirt Oval, how about dropping me a line
and let me know their names and where and with what they are now racing. Thanks!
At Accord, last
Friday night:
Danny Creeden was 3rd, Anthony Perrego
7th, Clinton Mills 20th and Michael Storms 22nd
in the Modified feature. Mills had the
fastest lap in the race with a time of 13.334 and an average speed of 67.497
MPH
Brad Szulewski, after being involved in two separate incidents,
still managed a 4th place finish, while John Lodini
was 20th in the Sportsman feature, per My Laps, but shown as a DQ in
a race results that’s shown on the Internet.
He was DQ’d.
Kyle Rohner was the feature winner in the Spec Sportsman
class. Matt Hitchcock, after a dispute
about the finishing order, was DQ’d. Seems that there was a caution right after
Matt took the lead, but the lap wasn’t completed, so the scoring reverted back
to the last completed lap. Then the
race, due to the hour, was curfewed, and considered
complete.
Corey Ziegler was 3rd
in the Sportsman feature at Penn Can.
Hope I didn’t miss
anyone!
Once “Mother
Nature” starts behaving, on the weekends, there will be more listings of what
former Dirt Oval runners have done, racing wise. At times, I think I’ve had like 25 names –
weekly.
Going back, in time – in
racing history:
Note: Most of the following information was found
here:
http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/history.html
Covering
the days of April 29th to May 5th.
April 29
1941
Jerry Karl ... Born ...
Jerry was a 6 time Indianapolis 500 Starter. He started racing at Freeport
Stadium on
1951
Dale Earnhardt, Sr.... Born ...Earnhardt is known for his success in the
Winston Cup Series, now known as the Sprint Cup Series. He won seventy-six
races (including his only Daytona 500 victory in 1998), and his seven
championships are tied for most all-time with Richard Petty. His highly
aggressive driving style made him a fan favorite and earned him the nicknames
"Ironhead", "Mr. Restrictor
Plate", "The Man in Black" and most famously, "The
Intimidator." Earnhardt died in a last-lap crash during the 2001 Daytona
500.
1963
1984
Geoff Bodine
scored his first career NASCAR GN win by taking the 500 lap race on the 1/2
mile Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. It also marked the first
GN victory for car owner Rick Hendrick. Bodine took the lead from Bobby Allison with 49 laps left
and took his Chevy across the line 6 seconds ahead of Ron Bouchard's Jack Beebe
Buick.
April 30
1963
Andy Hillenburg...
Born ... He won the state quarter midget championships in 1975-1979. Hillenburg won the ARCA Super Car Series Championship in
1995, with 3 time ARCA Champion Bob Dotter as Crew
Chief. He won the 1995 and 1997 Daytona ARCA 200, the premiere event in the
series. He served as a test driver for the IROC series. He competed in the 2000
Michael Waltrip...
Born ... NASCAR driver and owner of Michael Waltrip Racing. He is the younger brother of Darrell
Waltrip, a three-time NASCAR champion (now retired). Waltrip is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500 (2001 &
2003), and drives a self-owned #55
1975
Darren Manning... Born ... Road racer and Indy Racing League driver.
1999
Warren Johnson set an NHRA
Pro Stock speed record of 202.24 mph at
MAY 1
1900
Ray Keech
... Born ... He was a board and brick track racer in the 1920s. He is best
remembered for winning the 1929
1911
The Gates at Indianapolis
Motor Speedway open for practice for the first Indy 500.
1955
Mike Nazaruk...
Died ... ARDC and AAA driver He raced midget cars, sprint cars, and IndyCars. He was nicknamed "Iron Mike." He won
the track championships at
Note: I was in attendance that day. It’s a day I’ll never forget.
1963
Graham Hill passed his
rookie test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the
1964
LeeRoy Yarbrough drove to his first career NASCAR GN
victory, winning the '
MAY 2
1959
Jerry Unser
suffered very serious injuries in a crash during a practice session for the
1969
Kevin Gobrecht... Born ... Pennsylvania Sprintcar driver. Kevin Gobrecht
was 30 years old when he was killed in a violent sprint-car crash at I-80
Speedway in
1971
Buzz Calkins... Born ... Indy Racing League driver 1996 to 2001. He competed
in the
Note: He won the IRL series'
inaugural race, the 1996 Indy 200 at Walt Disney World and
was that year's league co-champion with Scott
Sharp.
MAY 3
1987
Davey Allison recorded his
first NASCAR Winston Cup victory at the Winston 500 in Talladega, Alabama,
driving his #28 Ford Thunderbird. Terry Labonte was
second. Also on this day in 1987, while Davey won his first race, his father
Bobby suffered a terrible crash in which his rear tire was pierced by a chunk
of metal, causing his car to flip into the fence and almost into the
grandstands at over 200 mph. After the crash, NASCAR mandated that all cars
would carry carburetor plates to restrict the intake of their engines.
MAY 4
1948
Hurley Haywood... Born ...
He won the 24 Hours of
1949
John Force... Born ... Many
time NHRA Funny Car Champion
1966
Jackie Stewart passed his
rookie test for the
MAY 5
1913
Duane Carter ... Born ...
AAA / USAC driver from the 1940's, 50's & 60's. He raced midget cars,
sprint cars, and IndyCars. His son Pancho raced in Indy cars, along with Johnny Parsons (who
he helped raise). He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in
1991 and the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1989.
1927
Art Pollard ... Born ... He
drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1965-1973 seasons,
with 84 career starts, including the 1967-1971 Indianapolis 500 races. He
finished in the top ten 30 times, with 2 victories, both in 1969, at
1964
Mark Kinser...
Born ... Sprint car driver. Son to car owner Karl and
cousin to Steve Kinser, Mark won the 1996 and 1999
World of Outlaws championship and the 1996, 1999, and 2000 Knoxville Nationals.
1983
Dana Carter ... Died ...
USAC and CART driver from the 1970's & 80's. Son of Duane Carter, brother
of Pancho Carter and half brother of Johnnie Parsons
Jr. Dana died on May 5th in 1983 of a heart attack after finishing second in a
midget race in
2001
Bill Homeier
... Died ... AAA and USAC driver. In the Championship Car
series, racing in the 1953-1955 and 1958-1960 seasons with 14 starts, including
the 1954 and 1960
Note # 1: From this section, last week, I had this:
April 27
1914
Russ Klar
... Born ... He was a race driver in the Northeast. He drove midgets
, sprint cars and 'big cars' in the 1940s and '50s and late in his
career modifieds (stock cars). His daughter, Anne, is married to Drew Fornoro, son of Nick and Bette. Anne is the PR person for the AJ Foyt race team.
Note # 2:
On the 27th, I made mention of this on the ARDC’s web site and also sent an e-mail to his daughter
Anne, and his son, Greg. I did question
whether Russ had ever announced his retirement from racing – it being something
that was said he never did do.
Anne got back to me with this:
And Greg, with this:
News
from the AARN:
From their April 19th
issue:
It looks like there
are some problems with car counts as far as some classes go in the Asphalt
Modified scene. At the Thompson
International Speedway, on April 9th, there were only 12 SK Modifieds. In the
NASCAR National Modified Championship Series, Keith Rocco has won two of the
first four events. However, due to there
being less than 20 cars in each race, he’ll only get partial points awarded.
One of the reasons
that New Egypt opted for a Friday night race a week ago, when so much rain was
forecast for Saturday, their normal race night, rather than running on Sunday
was that there is a 6:00 PM curfew on Sunday racing.
There was a special
race scheduled for Williams Grove last Friday, April 22nd – the
“Tommy Classic” – a special race in the memory of the late, great, Tommy Hinnershitz. Ernie
Saxton made note of this in his weekly column.
Ernie was wondering why there are no Memorial races for the late Johnny
Th0mson, another racing great. I wonder
about that, too.
Note: Believe it or not, I’ve only been to Williams
Grove one time – that was in October of 1951 when I went there with my father
and brother to see the “Ted Horn Memorial” race. Hinnershitz and
Bill Schindler were having a battle royal for the championship for Sprint Cars
here in the east, and my father, being a big Schindler fan, just had to go see
that race. Later on, after Schindler was
fatally injured on September 20, 1952, at
A couple of top
five finishers in a race up in
Note: Somehow, it would seem to me that an engine
builder for cars that run in NASCAR events would kinda
know what’s legal and what’s not. Agree?
Did you know that
booth spaces are already being claimed for the 2012 AARN’s
Motorsports show that would be from January 20th to the 22nd. If
you had a booth, or are thinking of having one, you might want to contact Tim
Hogue – 609-888-3618 or via e-mail at: tim@aarn.com ASAP.
When Brett Hearn
won the feature at the Accord Speedway, back on April 15th,
that made it 791 features won, so far, over his racing career.
“Race Chaser” Guy
Smith is now up to 1,358 tracks that he’s visited over they years.
Note: And I feel good about the little amount of
tracks I’ve been to!
On June 13, 1954,
Al Keller won a NASCAR race at the
Note: Talking with Nick Fornoro,
he told me that as he was racing, he was listening to a Yankee baseball game on
the cars radio.
The Petruska race team is said to be on a week-to-week basis –
racing where Danny wants to – except in
Note: Danny Johnson has made the first two shows at
the Accord Speedway, and at one time on opening night had gotten the lead, then
had a flat, came back out, was moving up and had another problem that took him
out of the feature. Last Friday he won
the feature. I know you can’t believe
every thing you read on the Internet, but I did read the other day that Danny
and the Petruska # 66 will be at Accord every Friday
night for the rest of the season. Time
will tell?
John McGill is out
of racing for the 2011 season, citing back problems and he also has two sons
that are racing Slingshots.
Greg Hastie sold
his # 21 and will not race in 2011. No
idea as to the future.
Brian Krummel, the Sportsman champion at both Accord and Orange
County Fair Speedway, last year, will not be racing at Accord in 2011.
Kerry Graham,
father of Brett Graham, is in the racecar chassis making business. The “GRC” chassis are said to be wider, and
easier to work on, with some parts as “bolt-ons” –
like the front clip. He’s already built
four chassis.
And there’s more
being said about the John Wight/WRG “problems” as this was in an article by Joe
Johnson:
“John made his move
after several attempts to reach a deal failed and WRG should have accepted it
and moved on for this year and try to bring John back next year. Instead they have chosen to start this war of
scheduling conflicts and bullying tactics to try and get him to either cave in
or fail and no one wins in that situation, not the parties involved or and
certainly not the fans. Maybe at this
point it would be best if the World Racing Group left the local racing scene to
the track promoters and the Race of Champions Tour so they can concentrate on
the World of Outlaws Sprintcars and Late Models”.
More
racin’ stuff:
Around 9:00 PM on Tuesday, I received the following, via
e-mail. If you’re thinking of making any
of the racing events at
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE*****THANK YOU.
News
from the Kutztown Fair
Race
Organizers: Kerry Meitzler, 610-683-8234
and Janelle Stump, racektown@aol.com.
Media
Contact: Barry Angstadt, 484-256-4429
or email: bwa39@comcast.net.
KUTZTOWN RACERS MAY NEED A GPS THIS
SEASON?
Many competitors and spectators normally take Route 737 when traveling to and
from the fairgrounds located in the shadows of
While a GPS might help, it really isn't necessary. There are some simple
options for anyone needing to avoid Route 737: for those driving west on 78/22,
take the Fogelsville exit (route 100 South). Turn right onto
For those traveling east on 78, take the exit for route 61 South. Stay on 61
South, then turn left onto 662, or follow 61 until you can make a left onto
route 73. Follow 73 for a few miles, then turn left on
route 222 North. Stay on 222 until you see the exit for Kutztown.
Another option is to take the exit for 737, then follow Old 22 to Long Lane,
then turn right onto 222 South at the traffic light
across from Valentinos Restaurant/Arby's.
When the new season kicks off on May 11 with the running of the Goldie Meitzler Memorial, Phil Marabella
of PhilMar Photography will be the official track
photographer of the Kutztown Fair Speedway. As such, Marabella
has sole rights to the sale of photos at the fairgrounds.
PhilMar Photography will be rewarding a "Fan of the
Week" with a photo of the fan as he/she poses with one of the
feature-winning drivers each Wednesday. The "Fan of the Week" will be
chosen by various methods throughout the season, and he/she will have the
choice of visiting victory lane with the victorious driver from one of the
speedway's weekly divisions...the wingless 600cc or winged 270cc Micro-Sprints;
the All Star Slingshots; or the Xcel Sportsman Modifieds.
Marabella will also present some photos to a few lucky
drivers in each of the classes, and special awards will go to the 2011 Point
Champions.
With the brand new season just a few weeks away, anticipation is growing among
competitors and fans. The action heats up on May 11 at 7 p.m. with the Goldie Meitzler Memorial, and the remaining Wednesdays in May will
be rockin' with Racers Roundtable Night on the 18th
and the Mike O'Pake Memorial Slingshot Tour Race on
the 25th.
For 2011, Kutztown Fair Speedway is a proud member of the 600 Pro Series. Drivers
competing in the wingless 600cc Micros on Wild Wednesdays at the fairgrounds
will be eligible for not only track points, but they will also earn valuable
points toward the 600 Pro Series Championship, provided they are members of
that sanctioning organization.
The 600 Pro Series Tour will make a stop at the fairgrounds on June 15. Extra
Pro Series points and cash will be up for grabs on the 15th, guaranteeing the
best of the best 600cc wheel-twisters will be present for some wingless,
midweek mud slingin' mayhem.
Each week on the Wild Wednesday schedule at Kutztown, gates will open at 4 p.m. Warm-ups begin at 6:30, and the first
heat race goes green at 7:00.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available for both weekly events and the
big Kutztown Fair races in August. For additional information on becoming a
marketing partner at Kutztown, contact Kerry Meitzler at 610-683-8234 or Janelle Stump at racektown@aol.com.
Keep tabs on all the action at the fairgrounds by logging on to www.kutztownfairspeedway.com.
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/
(Must register to
post)
Victory
Yahoo Race History
Group:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/RacingHistory/ (when one posts something on an
e-mail to the group, they do have what is called the “Len Sutton rule” – you
put in your name and where you live. And, yes,
things are “policed” too.
Wheels of Speed: http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/
The
First Turn Pro: http://www.firstturnpro.com/
Vintage Sprint Car:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=236178
Vintage Midget: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=337192
Briggs
Cunningham race team – history:
http://www.briggscunningham.com/race_history.html?YEAR=1955
Note: Disregard the “error” notice on top left.
Vintage Dirt Modifieds: http://www.vintagedirtmodified.webs.com/
Racing and
television:
Racing on TV - http://www.racefantv.com/USTV.htm
Some non-racing stuff:
In
part:
“Real estate mogul
Donald Trump suggested in an interview Monday that President Barack Obama had
been a poor student who did not deserve to be admitted to the Ivy League
universities he attended. Trump, who is mulling a bid for the Republican
presidential nomination, offered no proof for his claim but said he would
continue to press the matter as he has the legitimacy of the president's birth
certificate.
"I heard he
was a terrible student, terrible. How does a bad student go
to
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110426/ap_on_en_tv/trump_interview
Is
this true - Part 1:
From an e-mail I received, the other day:
Is it true, or not?
“THIS SENIOR
CITIZEN NAILED
IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Alan Simpson, Senator from
commission, calls senior citizens the Greediest
Generation as he
compared "Social Security" to a Milk
Cow with 310 million teats.
August, 2010.
Here's a response in a letter from a unknown fellow in
I think he is a little ticked off! He also tells it like it is!
"Hey Alan, let's get a few things straight..
1. As a career politician, you have been on the public dole for FIFTY
YEARS.
2. I have been paying Social
Security taxes
for 48 YEARS (since I was 15
years old. I am now 63).
3 My Social Security payments, and those of millions of
other
Americans, were safely tucked away in an interest bearing account for
decades until you political pukes decided to raid the account and give
OUR money to a bunch of zero ambition losers in return for votes, thus
bankrupting the system and turning Social Security into a Ponzi scheme
that would have made Bernie Madoff proud.
4. Recently, just like Lucy & Charlie
Brown, you and your ilk pulled the
proverbial football away from millions of American seniors nearing
retirement and moved the goalposts for full retirement from age 65 to
age 67. NOW, you and your shill commission is
proposing to move the
goalposts YET AGAIN.
5 I, and millions of other Americans, have been
paying into Medicare
from Day One, and now you morons propose to change the rules of the
game. Why? Because you idiots mismanaged other parts of the economy
to such an extent that you need to steal money from Medicare to pay
the bills.
6. I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying income taxes our
entire lives, and now you propose to increase our taxes yet again. Why?
Because you incompetent bastards spent our money so profligately that
you just kept on spending even after you ran out of money. Now, you come
to the American taxpayers and say you need more to pay off YOUR debt.
To add insult to injury, you label us "greedy" for
calling "bullshit" on
your incompetence. Well, Captain Bullshit, I have a few questions for
YOU.
1. How much money have you earned from the American taxpayers during
your pathetic 50-year political career?
2. At what age did you retire from your pathetic political career, and
how much are you receiving in annual retirement benefits from the
American taxpayers?
3. How much do you pay for YOUR government provided health insurance?
4. What cuts in YOUR retirement and healthcare benefits are you
proposing in your disgusting deficit reduction proposal, or, as usual,
have you exempted yourself and your political cronies?
It is you, Captain Bullshit, and your political
co-conspirators called
Congress who are the
"greedy" ones. It is you and your fellow nutcases
who have bankrupted
millions of loyal,
patriotic taxpayers. And for what? Votes. That's right,
sir. You and
yours have bankrupted
advancing your pathetic
political careers. You know it, we know it, and
you know that we
know it.
And you can take that to the bank, you miserable son of a bitch.
If you like the way things are in
what a fellow
Is this true – Part 2:
Some people love him, and some people hate him – Glen
Beck. To be honest, we’ve watched his
show quite a lot. He had something on
his show this past Tuesday – something about a new form that one would fill out
when applying for a US Passport. This
form, so he says, will NOT be required to be filled out by everyone, but
some selected people. It’s being said
that it would only take 45 minutes to fill it out. Uh huh!
Questions:
Do you know who took care of your mother with pre-natal
care when she was pregnant with you?
Do you know when her appointments were? Uh huh!
These are just two of the questions that one MUST answer or no Passport.
Click on this link and you’ll see just what MIGHT happen to
you if you will be applying for a Passport:
http://papersplease.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/ds5513-proposed.pdf
And
here’s another link:
http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/state-dept-wants-to-make-it-harder-to-get-a-passport/
And,
a third:
Video time:
This past Monday,
our daughter, Sandra (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THWlDUHgOIc&feature=related
Closing with these:
TEACHER:
Maria, go to the map and find
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered
CLASS: Maria.
TEACHER:
John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me
to do it without using tables.
TEACHER:
Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you
asked me how I spell it.
TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical
formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we
have today that we didn't have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me.
TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well,
I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
Six more of these will be in next weeks column.
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!
Until next week!
As usual, you can reach me
at: ygordad@yahoo.com