Racin'
& Internet Stuff:
By Tom
Avenengo
Volume # 58
06/02/2011
First:
Well, it was a rather successful weekend for major league racing, wasn’t it? Funny how both the Indy 500 and World 600 had basically the same endings with the leaders losing the lead on the last turn on the last lap. Another funny thing about that –if I’m not mistaken, both cars were sponsored by the National Guard. Ironic, huh?
Second:
Last week, on Thursday evening, we had some pretty wicked storms come through our area. With basically the same weather prediction for Friday, and with Accord being an hour north, I opted to stay home with the “War Department” and my furry four-legged friend, Max, our “Beast”, who, like most dogs, does not really care for thunderboomers. Of course it never rained.
And
I could have gotten into OCFS free on Saturday night, being a Veteran, but I
would have been the only one from the family going, so, again, I opted to stay at home. Yes,
the weather forecast wasn’t all that great for Saturday night either, and since
I stayed home, well, like Friday, it didn’t rain.
Third:
Found on Facebook:
It is
the VETERAN,
not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the VETERAN,
not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the VETERAN,
not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the VETERAN,
not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the VETERAN,
not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the VETERAN,
not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.
Sixth:
This
coming Saturday, at OCFS, they’ll be running the Modified Elimination race with
the top ten in points as of May 14th. The driver that’s 10th in points races against the 9th place driver. The winner goes up against the 8th
place driver - and
so on and so on, until there is a final winner.
And for the Modifieds, it’s a qualifier for the Lebanon Valley Mr. Dirt
race which is on Thursday, August 25th, and pays $17,500.00 to the
winner. Also on the OCFS schedule are 4
Cylinders. It will be quite interesting
to see how many 4 cylinders show up.
They’ve been schedule when the 4 Cylinders do not race at
The
following week, on June 11th, it’s “Nostalgia Night”. Also on the OCFS schedule for that night are
the restored cars of ACOT and the Northeast Vintage Modifieds. I did notice that in a Newsletter that I
received from ACOT that they’re scheduled for a visit to a track in
2010 Weekly Admission: Adult grandstand
admission will be $14, seniors $12, and kids 12 and under will be admitted
free. Those entering the racing pits with an Orange County Fair Speedway
member-ship card will be charged $25; non-members $35.
Seventh:
At
Accord, this coming Friday night:
Modifieds
$2000 to win
Plus: Sportsman, Spec
Sportsman, Pro Stocks-Pure Stocks & Lightning Sprints.
Pit
gates open at 4:30 Spectator gates 5:00. Warm ups 6:30 Racing at 7:00
Adult
admission $12 Kids $3 (11 & under)
And:
Wednesday, June 8: OPENING
NIGHT FOR 2011 Mid Week Madness SEASON!-Racing: Jr Quads, Karts, Jr & Sr
Slingshots, Jr & Sr 4 cylinders, 600 & 270 Micro Sprints, Legends,
Bandoleros
Eighth:
From
an e-mail in the Yahoo! Race History Group:
“The press from the NY Times to ESPN are all falling all over themselves
about how "Indy is back". Personally, I'd wait and see.
All it will probably take is for some of the newly interested people to
watch a "street race" on TV and they'll
go back to sleep.”
Note: Sad, but probably true. I feel that Indycar/IRL has lost a lot of
fans due to the road racing.
Ninth:
Some years back, my son, Eric,
grandson, Brett, and I went to a Cup race at Pocono. The race got rained out on Sunday and was
held on Monday. When we went back on
Monday, there was no one to check our tickets and/or coolers – if they check
them. Anyone could have gone in to see
the racing free. Finding a seat would
have been a problem though, since it sure seemed like everyone from Sunday was
there on Monday.
What gets me to mention this is
some of the things I’ve been reading on the Track Forum about the Indy 500:
Here are some things:
“Hearing that the security
will all be outsourced, and that the carry-in restrictions will be more in line
with the newest of the ISC/SMI tracks.”
“Security? My wife
and I entered at SW Vista and they didn't even check our tickets, let alone our
coolers.”
“Same with us. Anyone could
enter the grounds through Gate 1 without a ticket, and coolers weren't checked.
The people that were there working were tip top, however. We needed some help
to get an elderly fan down to the bottom of the grandstands, and a couple of
them came to assist without being asked. Nice guys who thanked us for coming.”
“You must have gotten there after us. My
wife and I entered there also and the lady ripped of the stubs to our tickets
and they searched my wifes bag. As things got more hectic they must have given
up.
Edit: I failed to mention we got there at 6:30”
“I will
confirm that there was no ticket takers at the main gate 12:00pm
Been attending since 1964.
Never have seen it this bad before.
Staffing seemed to be half of what it should have been.
Tony must have been the only one to listen to grandpa.”
“Been going for 30 years. Do I think it will be sold NO. Was a lack of Yellow Shirts noticeable. YES. I had a guest in from
“Our
tickets are still intact, too. Of course our vantage was somewhat less
exclusive than yours, but we remarked at the time walking in that it was only a
cursory glance at the tickets and no examination of our cooler bags
whatsoever.”
“We entered the main gate at 10:00am and
nobody tore our tickets. I was glad since I always save my tickets and this
year's is obviously a very special ticket.”
”I held open my cooler and they just waved me by. Never really understood why
they would spend so much time checking coolers but not cars entering the
track...”
”Only had one poor soul at the entrance to our vista. Usually there are 3-4 of
them making sure we were in the right place. This guy had no chance to look at
(much less tear) the tickets. I also noticed people standing on the landing at
the bottom of the vista. In year's past that wasn't allowed.”
“The Main
Gate was a free for all. No one took tickets or inspected much of anything. But
the very few employees there were extremely pleasant.”
Tenth:
Found this
on Yahoo!
Solve the Mystery of a Check Engine Light
In part:
“Perhaps
the most mysterious warning light on your car's dashboard is the "check
engine" light, which can illuminate seemingly for no reason whatsoever and
lead to an unexpected bill just for diagnosing the cause. However, it is possible
to diagnose, and sometimes even fix, the cause of this warning light without
paying a mechanic.”
“Before you find yourself in a situation with the check engine light
illuminated, read your owner's manual to understand why it may illuminate and
if it has different warnings to help you understand whether the problem is
minor or more serious. In many cars, a check engine light that flashes
rhythmically -- not just flickers on and off -- indicates a severe problem that
needs immediate attention, while a steadily illuminated light indicates a less
serious problem.”
Eleventh:
There was a “Poll” on my local papers website about whether you
traveled during the Memorial Day Weekend.
I voted “No” since all I did was get some ice for a Sunday BBQ.
Results, as of 2:30 PM on Tuesday:
Record Poll
Did
you travel for the Memorial Day weekend?
Total
Votes:362
Twelfth:
Ralph Corwin
Congrats going out to racing photographer Ralph Corwin. Ralph has been a steady visitor the Indy 500
for I don’t know how many years. A few
years ago, with the help of the late John LeVan and www.openwheelracers.com Ralph was
fortunate to get credentials for the 500.
Oh, the “Congrats”? In this weeks AARN, a photo Ralph took, of the start of the
Indy 500, is on the top of the front page!
Ralph, I believe, will be as happy as a pig in sh*t! Nice job, Ralph!
http://www.aarn.com/areaautoracingnews/aarnfrontpage.html
Thirteenth:
The “Big Show III” is scheduled for Tuesday, June 21st – 100
lap Big Block Modified SDS race at the Orange County Fair Speedway in
From the OCFS website:
The Big
Show III Ticket Sales
Posted: May 26th, 2011
PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE! http://dirtcar.ticketforce.com/
Quick Info:
Gates
open at 4 p.m. with racing starting at 7:30.
Advanced Reserve tickets are available for Adults and Children.
Tickets are $25 in advanced for adults and $10 for children.
Adult Reserve prices increase to $28 the day of the show.
Children's pricing remains the same.
Advanced General Admission are also
available. Adults are $20 in advance and increase to $25 the day of the show.
Children 12 and under are FREE in General Admission only and those tickets must
be obtained the day of the show.
Reserved seating is available in the Main Covered Grandstands as
well as the Half Covered Grandstands.
Seats in Row A are closest to the track and the highest seats are in Row O and
Q.
***Number of Reserved Rows are subject to
change***
SPECIAL NOTE:
You CAN’T get advanced tickets at the OCFS office! You will be able to purchase them at the
track the day of the race, at an increase in their price. That’s as of June 1st. If you desire to order either reserved or
general admission tickets, in advance of the race date, you must order them
through the link, above, where it says to PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE!
Info from DIRTcar on ordering tickets:
THE BIG SHOW III - ORANGE COUNTY FAIR SPEEDWAY / TUESDAY,
JUNE 21, 2011 - The BIG SHOW III- Orange County Fair Speedway
Tuesday, June 21, 2011, 7:00 pm EST at Orange
County Fair Speedway
See
Description
Important: Advanced Reserve tickets are available for Adults and
Children. Tickets are $25 in advanced for adults and $10 for children.
Adult Reserve prices increase to $28 the day of the show. Children's pricing
remains the same.
Advanced General Admission are also available. Adults
are $20 in advance and increase to $25 the day of the show. Children 12 and
under are FREE in General Admission only and those tickets must be obtained the
day of the show.
Reserved seating is available in the Main Covered Grandstands as well as the
Half Covered Grandstands.
Seats in Row A are closest to the track and the highest seats are in Row O
and Q.
***Number of Reserved Rows are subject to change***
NO REFUNDS OR EXCHANGES. EVENT, DATE AND TIME ARE SUBJECT TO
CHANGE.
http://dirtcar.ticketforce.com/ordertickets.asp?p=177&backurl=default.asp
The
above link will lead you to how to order tickets and shows both the covered and
½ covered seating, and what is available.
From what I was told, from DIRTcar in
Found
on Jayski’s website:
Hendrick &
Penske...in Indycar?:
Spotted on the grid
of the Centennial Indy 500 were Hendrick Motorsport decals on the wings of two
Team Penske Racers. The decals were on the inside rear wingplate on Will
Power's #6 Dallara Honda and #12 Ryan Honda. This leads to speculation of an
alliance of Penske and Hendrick in IndyCar especially due to the entry of
Chevrolet engines into the open wheel series in 2012. Penske officials are keen
to add Simona de Silvestro to their team but are having financial issues with
three cars and would not comment on the why HMS decals were on the two cars. An
alliance with Hendrick, a big Chevrolet dealer, could help.(see
image at Auto123)(5-30-2011)
Danica's sponsor
expects her to move to NASCAR; sponsor Kahne?
Bob Parsons, CEO
and founder of Danica Patrick sponsor GoDaddy.com, said Sunday he expects her
to make the move full-time to NASCAR next season. "She hasn't told me she
will, but I believe she will and we'll be ready," Parsons said.
"Here's the fact: She loves [NASCAR], it's much more exciting than IndyCar,
with all due respect, and the TV audience for NASCAR is off the hook."
Parsons was at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday to watch Patrick compete in
the event. Patrick is working on a plan to race full-time in the Nationwide
Series is 2012 and move to Sprint Cup in 2013, sources confirmed earlier this
week. "She came up to me right after she did her first NASCAR race [the
2010 Nationwide race at Daytona]," Parson said. "She said to me, 'I
absolutely loved it. This is what I was born to do.' "
Parsons emphasized he is behind her whatever decision she makes.
"As long as I can stroke the check," he said. "I tell you what, she doesn't exactly work for minimum wage. I usually
don't get into that too much until the decision's been made. But I've told her
I would sponsor her if she started ice skating." Along with Patrick's
IndyCar ride at Andretti Autosport and her Nationwide
car at JR Motorsports, GoDaddy also sponsors Mark Martin's Cup car at Hendrick
Motorsports. Martin is leaving after this season and Kasey Kahne is taking over
in that car. Will GoDaddy sponsor Kahne in 2012? "We're working on
that," Parsons said. "I can tell you Mr. [Rick] Hendrick runs an
awfully good team and he's been a great business partner for us."(ESPN.com)(5-29-2011)
Doctor's still do
not know what ails Bayne:
Having been out
since late April, Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne hopes to return to the track
next weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. It has been week to week for the driver
since his health issues surfaced in April. So far, Bayne still doesn't have a
diagnosis for what was wrong with him. When he checked into the Mayo Clinic a
month ago, his main symptoms were nausea, fatigue and double vision. He was
admitted to a
Bayne will return
for Chicago Nationwide race:
Trevor Bayne will
make his ninth start of the season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at
Chicagoland Speedway in the STP 300. Bayne: "I'm looking forward to
concentrating on our Nationwide program this weekend
at
Sadler suing Petty
Motorsports:
Elliott Sadler is
suing Richard Petty Motorsports for an unspecified amount of money, claiming in
court documents that his former team is withholding a payment to him because it
is wrongly accusing him of influencing Hunt Brothers Pizza to leave RPM and
sponsor him at Kevin Harvick Inc. Sadler filed the lawsuit Tuesday in North
Carolina Superior Court in Concord, N.C. The lawsuit is against the new
ownership group of RPM, which was sold by the Gillett family to Richard Petty
and two investors last November. Sadler drove for RPM from 2006-2010 and has a
separation agreement with the new owners of RPM that require payments to him,
according to the lawsuit. That separation agreement had a non-solicitation
provision and RPM alleged that Sadler violated it after Hunt Brothers, which
sponsored Sadler in 2010, announced it was sponsoring him and driver Kevin
Harvick at KHI this year. In the lawsuit, Sadler claims that RPM is accusing
him of violating the non-solicitation clause in their separation agreement in
order not to pay him. RPM did not make an April 20 payment, Sadler alleges in
the lawsuit.(Scene
Daily)(6-1-2011)
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
Kutztown last Wednesday, both Molly and Cait Chambers were DNQ’s
in
the 600 Micro Sprints.
Mike
Mammana won the Sportsman feature at Big Diamond.
Justin
Grosz was 20th in the ARDC feature at Penn Can.
At
Rolling Wheels in the 60 lap SDS race, Billy VanInwegen was 19th. In the Sportsman feature, Matt Hitchcock was
13th.
Kolby
Schroder was 2nd and John Virgilio was 18th in the
Sportsman feature while Kyle Armstrong was a DNS in the Modified feature at
At
Wall Stadium, in two Modified 35 lap features, Roger Coss had finishes of 6th
and 2nd.
Johnny
Guarino was a DNQ at New Egypt.
On
Friday, at Borgers, in the
600 wingless Micro Sprint features, Tiffany Wambold had two 7th
place finishes. On Saturday, she had a 6th
in the 270 Micro Sprint feature.
Danny
Creeden was 8th in the Modified feature at Five Mile Point on
Saturday.
Rich
Coons was 6th in the Sportsman feature at
AJ
Filbeck was 5th in the Sportsman feature at Utica/Rome. Josh Pieniazek was 12th in the ESS
Sprint Car main.
Nick
Pecko was 5th in the 5/15 make up Modified feature and then 6th
in the regular nights Modified feature at Mountain Speedway.
Brittany
Tresch was the TSRS 305 Sprint Car feature winner at the Bridgeport Speedway.
Bobby
Hackel, IV was 4th in the Modified feature at A/S.
Tim
Hindley was 4th,Michael Storms 8th,
Mike Ruggiero 13th, Billy VanInwegen 23rd and Clinton
Mills 26th in the Modified feature at OCFS.
Zack
Vavricka was 2nd, Brian Krummel 6th, Matt Hitchcock 11th,
Keith Still 16th, Matt Janiak 22nd and John Lodini 23rd
in the Sportsman feature at OCFS. RJ
Smykla and Jason Roe were both DNQ’s.
At
Accord, Danny Creeden was 3rd, Clinton Mills 7th, Anthony
Perrego 16th and Michael Storms 21st in the Modified
feature. Mike Ruggiero was a DNS.
In
the Spec Sportsman feature, Matt Hitchcock was 3rd and Kyle Rohner
18th.
Brad
Szulewski was 17th in the Sportsman feature.
At
the Skyline Speedway, Brad was 10th in the Sportsman feature.
Note: I missed Bobby Hackel, IV with a 6th
place finish, and Alex Bell with a 14th
place finish at A/S on May 6th.
And missed Bobby on May 13th with a 4th place finish.
And
also Davie Franek who was 17th on 5/6 at Williams Grove in the 358
Sprint Car feature, then he was 14th in the 360 Sprint Car feature
at Black Rock on 5/7.
Wow,
at least 34 names, above.
Again,
hope I didn’t miss anyone!
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 from June
3rd to the 9th:
JUNE 3
1878
Barney Oldfield ... Born
... AAA driver from 1905 to 1918. He was the first man to drive a car at 60
miles per hour (96 km/h). His accomplishments led to the expression "Who
do you think you are? Barney Oldfield?" Oldfield was suspended by the AAA
for his "outlaw" racing activities and was unable to race at
sanctioned events for much of the prime of his career. Speed records, match
races and exhibitions made up most of Oldfield's career. He was reinstated and
he competed in the 1914 and 1916
1894
Fred Frame... Born ... AAA driver from the 1920's and 1930's. Ran the Indy
500 8 times and won in 1932.
1936
Art Malone... Born ...
Malone is known primarily as a drag racer and was the 1963 AHRA Top Fuel World
champion. Malone also raced in the USAC Championship Car series in the
1962-1965 seasons, with 10 career starts, including the 1963 and 1964
1951
Bill Schindler won the AAA
Eastern Sprint Car race over Tommy Hinnershitz at the Reading Fairgrounds,
JUNE 4
1945
Ivan "The Iron
Man" Stewart ... Born ... Many time Off-road Champion
JUNE 5
1941
Bubby Jones ... Born ... A
former driver in the USAC Sprint Car series, with 22 victories, and a member of
the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, inducted in 1998. He also raced in the
USAC Championship Car series, in the 1977-1978 seasons, with 2 career starts,
including the 1977
1963
Mel Hansen ... Died ... AAA
driver . In 21 starts between 1939 and 1949, he won
twice (1948 Atlanta in Ray Carter's '39 Wetteroth/Offenhauser, the 1941
Speedway winner, and 1949 Springfield in the '49 Bowes Lesovsky/Offenhauser),
was second once (1949 Trenton) and fourth once (1947 Milwaukee). His best
championship position was 9th in 1940. He was also a noted midget driver, and
won the important Turkey Night Grand Prix in 1939 and the URA (blue circuit)
Midget Championship in 1945. His career ended in 1949 after a bad midget crash
in
1966
A.J. Foyt crashes in flames
during practice for the Rex Mays 100 Mile USAC Race at
JUNE 6
1936
Bill Puterbaugh ... Born
... A former driver in the USAC Sprint & Championship Car series. He raced
in the 1967-1971 and 1975-1977, and 1979 seasons, with 31 career
starts, including the 1975-1977 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 11
times, with his best finish in 6th position in 1968 at
1941
Louis Chevrolet... Died ... AAA driver 1905 to 1923. He was a co-founder (with
William C. Durant) of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company, which was acquired by
General Motors and is their bestselling brand nationwide and in many cases
synonymous with General Motors itself. Louis also competed in the
1955
Art Klein... Died ... AAA driver 1914 to 1923.
1992
Arnie Knepper... Died ... USAC driver 1950's to 1983. He drove Midgets,
Sprints and the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1963-1972 seasons,
with 75 career starts, including the 1965-1969 Indianapolis 500 races. He
finished in the top ten 21 times, with his best finish in 3rd position twice in
1966.
JUNE 7
1955
Tim Richmond ... Born ...
USAC / CART and NASCAR driver from the 1970's and 80's. He had his career cut
short when he contracted HIV and died of complications from AIDS.
JUNE 8
1952
Mike Nazaruk won the 100
Mile Rex Mays Classic AAA Indy Car race on the 1 mile dirt oval at the
Milwaukee Mile,
Johnny McDowell ... Died
... AAA driver from the mid 1930's to 1952. He drove Midgets and Indy Cars.
McDowell competed in the 1949 to 1952
Al Keller won the 100 Mile
NASCAR Speedway Car race on the 1 mile dirt oval at the Lakewood Speedway,
JUNE 9
1906
Bill Spence ... Born ...
AAA driver from the late 1920's. He was killed in the 1929
1943
Merle Bettenhausen ... Born
... The second oldest member of the Bettenhausen racing family, he is the son
of Tony Bettenhausen and the brother of Gary Bettenhausen and Tony Bettenhausen
Jr. Merle's USAC Champ Car racing career was brief and tragic. Three laps into
his first Champ Car race on a paved track, Michigan International Speedway on July
16, 1972, he tangled with Mike Hiss and crashed into the outside wall. The car
exploded in flames and Merle tried to climb out while it was still moving. His
right arm became trapped between the car and the wall and was torn off.
1950
Keith Kauffman ... Born ...
Keith won the 1982 USAC "Gold Crown"
1968
Ronnie Duman... Died ... USAC driver from 1961 to 1968. Duman died in
News
from the AARN:
Trying
to catch up, so here are two weeks worth.
From their May 10th
issue:
The 270 Micro
Sprints that race at the Bridgeport NJ Speedway do not need bladders inside
their fuel tanks. Most tanks are 5
gallon and most teams only put in from 3 to 4 gallons.
Ernie Saxton was
asking why so very few track ads, in the latest editions of the AARN, don’t
carry sponsor names.
Aaron Berryhill got
a broken leg when racing in the
”B” Main in the ASCS race at Devil’s Bowl.
It was reported
that the North Wilkesboro Speedway was closing for the remainder of the 2011
season.
Note: With the May 17th issue, that has
been changed. There will be racing at
Brian Danko,
writing about the NASCAR Modifieds says that after walking the pits at
Stafford, and talking with current and past car owners, crew members and
drivers, he could sense that there are dark clouds building on the horizon that
are concerns for everyone on the mod tour.
They only had 31 cars start the “Sizzler”.
Danny Smith won at
“Yeah, I’m really
starting to get used to this place” is what Brett Hearn had to say about the
Accord Speedway.
Note: Per his website, I see that he has scheduled
every Friday night in June for Accord.
From their May 17th
issue:
Some new clay
was/is due for the Port Royal Speedway.
When, depends on the weather.
For Rick Eckert to
continue running his self-owned # 24 Late Model on the
WoO tour, he either needs a sponsor or has to keep winning races.
At
Bowman-Gray
Stadium, in
Central PA
On August 1, 1980,
Craig VonDohren won his first race at Big Diamond. ON Friday, May 13th, he won his 70th
feature there.
Some money problems
between Race Tire America and Hoosier – seems that District Judge Terrence
F.McVerry entered a ruling that requires Race Tire America, Inc. to pay Hoosier
Racing Tire Corp and DIRT Motor Sports, Inc. over $417,000.00 in costs incurred
over the life of the lawsuit.
The next time Steve
Kinser gets a top 5 finish at Williams Grove, it will be his 100th
top 5.
Joe Hall, who used
to be associated with Flemington and Bridgeport Speedways, has been named as
race director at Volusia – that being confirmed by track operator Ken
Sands. That’s effective as of May 28th.
Airborne
John Snyder and I
seem to have the same questions about OCFS.
If Tommy Meier can run the top of the track, two weeks in a row, and
pass cars, how come there are so few drivers that couldn’t or won’t do the
same?
Scott Pacish was
comparing racing “Back in the Day” to some more current racing.
Back in the Day,
there were not as many drunks in the stands.
The pits were not open to anyone. Today, if you got the dough, you can get
into the pits (and get in the way, too).
Back in the Day,
the cars all were different in looks.
Not so today. And you could park
anywhere you desired (inmost cases) in the pits. Today, you best figure on “buying” a pit spot
at a lot of tracks.
Back in the Day,
you could use almost any number on your racecar. It was mentioned that there is a track in
Back in the Day,
you didn’t need a Pit License at some tracks.
Not so, today, at some tracks.
You could buy your fuel outside of the track, so there was no track or
association fuel deals. Not so today, at
most tracks.
Back in the Day,
you could use any tires, and any type of tires.
Not so today. You were paid in
cash – not by a check that gets mailed to your house. And no 1099’s either.
Back in the Day,
most teams built their own engines, and chassis. Not much of that being done today.
Back in the Day,
you had to qualify to run the feature.
Today, at some tracks, there are not enough cars for a full field, so as
long as your car runs, you’re in the feature.
As for that track mentioned above, in
Back in the Day,
racers would help each other as far as parts, tires and other things. Is it like that, today?
Note: Next week I’ll catch up with the issues from
May 24th and 31st.
More
racin’ stuff:
From the National Speed Sport News – via an e-mail
Night Before The 500 Will Pay $20,000 To Win.
“CLERMONT,
The 66th annual
Night Before the 500 USAC Mopar National Midget Series
race My 29 at Lucas Oil Raceway at
The prize matches
the largest single race winner’s share in midget racing history and is a result
of an endowment left by longtime midget racing historian Crocky Wright, who
died in December of 2009 at age 90.
The Night Before
the 500 Classic, was among beneficiaries of Mr. Wright’s last will and
testament and the winner’s share claimed by Jason Leffler for his victory at
the 1999 Summer Sizzle at Indianapolis’ 16th Street Speedway. Tracy Hines
claimed the largest single-race winner’s prize of $25,000 when he captured the
25th anniversary 4-Crown Nationals midget race at Eldora Speedway in
“The $20,000 payday
this year only adds to the lure of this race,” says Bryan Clauson, who won
USAC’s 2010 National Driver Championship and Mopar National Midget title. “The
Night Before the 500 midget race is one of the crown
jewels of midget racing, and it is definitely circled on every midget driver’s
calendar each year. With a winner’s share that matches the highest ever in our
sport, fans will see a lot of tough guys show up for this one. After finishing
second the last two years in this race, I can’t think of a better year to
finally breakthrough and add my name to the winners list for this great event.”
The Night Before the 500 is one of
Tanner Swanson is
the defending race winner.
“This is going to
be huge. Repeating as the race winner would be one thing but to take home that
kind of money would be fantastic,” Swanson said. “Last year I hadn’t even
planned on running the race. The deal came together at the last minute and we
put the seat in the car Tuesday, the motor Wednesday and the driver on Saturday!
I had never turned a lap at the track until the night we won! I’d like to walk
away with that trophy again and put my name in the record books alongside Jason
Leffler as the biggest prize winners in midget racing history.”
Crocky Wright’s
legacy is one of extreme dedication to midget auto racing. A 2005 inductee into
the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame, he was presented his award that
year by his hero, Tony Stewart, whom many consider was a key beneficiary of
Crocky’s many columns and writings.
A racer himself,
Wright, whose real German-born name was Ernest Schlausky, witnessed his first
midget race the same year the sport was born, 1933, and is one of only two
motorcycle stuntmen honored by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.,
the other being Evel Knievel.
“We feel this purse
will add to the excitement and historic significance this race holds in the
race community,” said Wes Collier, general manager of Lucas Oil Raceway at
“It’s a fitting
tribute to Crocky that this race honors his memory,” adds USAC President/CEO
Kevin Miller. “He was so much a part of the fabric of this sport and we are
honored to be part of this celebration of his life and his contributions to
midget auto racing.”
For the sake of
history, it should be noted that Dave Steele claimed the largest single night
payout in midget racing history in 2002 when he won back-to-back 25-lap feature
races at the then-named
http://www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/latest-headlines/night-before-the-500-will-pay-20000-to-win/
Note
# 1: In another e-mail, this was said
about the event:
“There were 34 cars entered, 32 took times.”
Note # 2: Say what? Only 34 cars showed up for a Midget race that
paid $20,000.00 to win? I wonder
why? Might it have been “cost
prohibitive” as far as entry fee and other fees? That should not be, since the prize money,
from Crocky, was already in.
Racing and
television:
Racing on TV - http://www.racefantv.com/USTV.htm
Some non-racing stuff
and Is this true:
I got this in an
e-mail a while back:
“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
Video time:
This
years Indy 500 – last
laps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EGq_yKp2-A
This
years World 600 – last 13 laps.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1oWMc98D3g
Closing with this:
IN CASE GOD CALLS ME HOME!
One day a woman's husband died, and on that
clear, cold morning, in the warmth of their bedroom, the wife was struck with
the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't "anymore." No
more hugs, no more special moments to celebrate together, no more phone calls
just to chat, no more "just one minute."
Sometimes, what we care about the most gets all used up and goes
away, never to return before we can say good-bye, say "I love you."
So while we have it, it's best we love it, care for
it, fix it when it's broken and heal it when it's sick.
This is true for marriage ..... and
old cars, children with bad report cards, dogs with bad hips, family and aging
parents and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it ...... because
we are worth it..
Some things we keep -- like a friend who moved away or a sister-in-law after
divorce. There are just some things that make us happy, no matter
what.
Life is important. We only have one.
We only have one mom, one dad, one unique brother or sister or
friend. I received this from someone who thought I was a 'keeper'!
Then I sent it to the people I think of in the same way.
Now it's your turn to send this to all those people who are "keepers"
in your life, including the person who sent it, if you feel that way.
Suppose one morning you never wake up. Do all your friends know you love
them?
I was thinking....I could die today, tomorrow or next week, and I wondered if I
had any wounds needing to be healed, friendships that needed rekindling or
three words needing to be said.
Let every one of your friends and family know you love
them. Even if you think they don't love you back, you would be amazed at what
those three little words and a smile can do.
And just in case GOD calls me home . . ..
here you go.
I LOVE YA !
:-)
Live today to the fullest because tomorrow is not promised to anyone.
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