Racin' & Internet Stuff:

                                      By Tom Avenengo

                                         Volume # 61

                                           06/23/2011

 

First:

Quite a hectic week for this writer.  Late last week, our two daughters, Sandra and Sarah, who live down in Florida paid us a visit – a rather extended one, too since they’ll be here until next Tuesday.  As long as “Mother Nature” behaves, they’ll be taking in the racing at OCFS on Tuesday -  (Overcast with showers at times. High 82F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Tuesday night: Scattered thunderstorms in the evening with a few showers possible late.  Chance of rain 50%.).  And Accord on Friday (A few thunderstorms possible).

Note:  OCFS did get their show in.

 

Second:

 

I had a couple of appointments this past Monday – one for me and my doctor and one for my furry four legged friend, our dog, Max and the vet.  Me?  I’ll be having a bunch of tests done over the next few days.  Just hoping the results are somewhat favorable and nothing major has to be done, down the road.  As for Max, he got a distemper shot and a couple of other things.  Vet said he was in real good shape.  Well, that was until around 6:30 Monday evening, then he just seemed to mope around, standing still, not attempting to walk.  I went over to him and put my hand under his chin to lift his face up, and he let out a yelp, like I was hurting him.  Things got progressively worse during the night.  A call to the Vet in the AM on Tuesday might seem to have helped.  Gave him an aspirin and that seems to have helped some.

 

 

Third:

 

I see there are only 44 entrants for the Cup Road Race at Infineon Raceway.  Being a road course, there are some “road racers” taking the place of some Cup regulars, like Tony Ave in the # 38, Andy Pilgrim in the # 46, PJ Jones in the # 77 and Brian Simo in the # 81.

 

 

Fourth:

 

I once heard a story/rumor that Chris Economaki once went into the office of OCFS, a few years ago, and no one there knew him.  A fairly well known photographer, who will be 68 on June 26th, took his first photo at OCFS on April 18, 1954.  Seems he has to ask people who were not even born, when he took that first photo, for permission to “work” there.  I dunno, maybe it’s me, but I would think that when he would walk into the office there would be no questions needed, and credentials would be extended.

 

 

Fifth:

 

The Smell

“How many here, if any, remember the smell of racing cars using Castor Oil?

Oh, how sweet it was!!!”

I found a short thread about this over on the Track Forum.

 http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?152122-The-Smell

Note:  I love this post on the thread:

“O.K., you had a outdoor cookout. You are all done cooking, and you have embers still burning. Take a metal pie plate, put it on the burner. Then add a couple drops of castor oil. Let the neighbors try and figure out what you are cooking.”

 

Sixth:

“Big Show III” – It was, in a way, what I expected.  Time trials set the field, so the faster cars start up front.  Passing?  Oh yeah!  Mostlly on re-starts only.  I don’t think they caught the passing, which to me was a tad early, by Matt Sheppard, on one of the last re-starts, though.  Once they come out of the second turn, after a re-start, it’s basically single file – all night long.  For some unknown reason, I’d say over 90% of those that were racing just refuse to go up on top to try to advance their positions.  Maybe, during the heats, they should put cones out on the track to move the groove up a little?

 

The crowd, from where I was, in the ˝ covered, almost equaled that of an Eastern States Weekend.  I didn’t venture out fo my seat all night long, so I have no idea as to how the covered grand stand was.  The first turn bleachers were basically empty.  The drive-in was maybe 85-90% full.

 

As usual, the speaker system for the ˝ covered was hard to hear.  I know it could be better because a week ago, for a few seconds, it was almost equal to what can be heard in the full covered.

 

The announcer, at times did make mention of the 50/50.  Did they ever call the winning number?  To be honest, we were in our seats prior to 5:00.  The racing ended close to 11:30, or thereabouts.  Never once did I see a 50/50 ticket seller!!!

Note:  Info I’ve seen, on the Internet, is that there were no 50/50 ticket sellers.  Who missed the boat on that deal?

 

I wish I had a dollar for every cup of beer ($4.00 – cup??) that I saw being held/drank by those in attendance.  Maxwells should be happy that JP’s Stadium Snack Bar is closed, although a lot of the OC regulars now bring eats with them, as I do.

 

Every Saturday night, this year, that I’ve gone to OCFS, not once did they check my cooler.  I did inform my daughters,Sandy and Sarah, prior to us leaving for the “Big Show III”, that “Watch, tonight they’ll check our coolers”.  I was right.  They did.  So what’s the difference?

 

Note:  If you’re interested in the results and lap times, you can find all the nights racing stuff here:  http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=675739

 

 

OCFS “Rumor”: 

Something I thought happened, kind of looks like it did.  I’m talking about the closure of JP’s Stadium Snack Bar.  From what they (the former owners) told me, last year, they were able to sell it to one of their employees.  I always thought that a certain individual – well, Maxwell’s Special Events Catering, might have been behind the closing of JP’s.  In a way, I guess that’s what did happen, since I’ve been told that after the sale of JP’s to one of their employees, the rent kind of went up quite a bit.  It seems that someone was responsible for that.  Now, keep in mind, this is under “Rumor”.  I’ll let you do your own thinking on this one.  Personally, I think that whoever (whomever??) signed that “supposed” 99 year “lease” thing with Maxwell’s, should have his head examined – if he’s still with us, that is.  Why in the world would you commit to something that might be a bust?  And if that person that did sign the deal is/was not an attorney, I would think his attorney should know enough not to sign such a thing.  My thoughts, of course!

 

Seventh:

OK, I realize that those that live in the South are proud of their heritage.  And, I imagine that at some southern race tracks, when those southern folk are in the infield, they would/might proudly display the Confederate Flag.  Isn’t it odd that we never see that on TV?

 

 

Coming up:

 

Accord:

Friday, June 24th, KB Photos Night.  Modifieds $2000 to win, Five Mile Point Southern Tier 100 Qualifier Plus Sportsman, Spec Sportsman, Pro Stocks-Pure Stocks & Legends.

Note:  I hope they have more than ONE Legends car show up!

 

OCFS:

Saturday, June 25th // Arkel Motors - King of the Track Part 2 - M/SP/PRO/SS

 

 

Lebanon Valley:

 

Saturday, June 25th Gendron Truck Center & Hometown USA Stores Will Present Report Card Night Along With Kiddie Rides. Kiddie Rides Will Take Place At Approximately 5:30pm, All 11 & Under Who Present Their Report Card At The Front Gate Will Get In For Free!!

Weekly Divisions & Budget Sportsman (LV/Accord 602 Chase)

 

Tuesday, June 28:  CARQUEST Auto Parts, Waste Management & Sayer’s Auto Wrecking Present  “EVE OF DESTRUCTION” School Bus Race, Trailer Race, 4-Cylinders, Reverse Race Roll Over Contest EXTREME STUNTS & CARNAGE PLUS MUCH MUCH MORE!!!!!! Gates Open @ 5pm | Show @7pm

Note:  No, you don’t want to see the weather forecast for the rest of this week!

 

Found on Jayski’s website:

 

Fox interested in moving some races to SPEED:

Fox has held informal discussions with NASCAR about a new TV rights agreement that would allow the network to put some of its Sprint Cup races on Speed. David Hill, Fox Sports chairman, said Fox would like to see some of the 13 regular-season races it televises on Speed. A Fox source said the company could ask for as many as six races for the network. Fox is five years into an eight-year, $1.76 billion contract with NASCAR that mandates Fox televise all of its Sprint Cup races on its broadcast channel except for two non-points, specialty events - the Sprint All-Star Race and the Gatorade Duels from Daytona, which air on Speed. If it wants to move regular-season Cup races to Speed before its contract expires in 2014, it would have to amend its agreement. Fox sources were skeptical such a move would be made before the contract ends. The move would allow Speed to use live NASCAR broadcasts to increase the license fee that cable and satellite operators pay each month, which is currently around 30 cents, according to sources. In addition to talking about putting Sprint Cup races on Speed, Fox has raised the possibility of making NASCAR a stakeholder in Speed and turning it into a joint-venture project. Sources familiar with those conversations said that they have been ongoing for several years. By partnering with NASCAR on Speed, Fox could avoid competing with the property if it decided to launch its own channel.(Sports Business Journal/Scene Daily)(6-20-2011)

Note:  I’m not positive, but I think I might have said in previous columns that I can see the NASCAR races just being telecast on SPEED TV in the future.

Red Bull leaving NASCAR? UPDATES:

Multiple people familiar with the decision say Red Bull [#4-Kahne & #83-Vickers] plans to leave NASCAR at the end of this season. Those familiar with the decision also say a team official traveled to Michigan Speedway last weekend to inform industry leaders of Red Bull's decision. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement has not been made to team employees. Red Bull is both the owner and sponsor of the two-car NASCAR team. The team has struggled since its 2007 entry into NASCAR. Red Bull also owns a pair of two-car Formula One teams. Current points leader Sebastian Vettel is the reigning world champion and has won five of seven Grand Prix races this season.(Associated Press)(6-20-2011)
UPDATE: Sources say employees at Red Bull Racing have been told that the NASCAR Sprint Cup operation will close at the end of the year. A surprise visit by race director Thomas Ueberall had crew members scrambling for job openings at Michigan this weekend. Two scenarios mentioned for the existing equipment could be general manager Jay Frye bringing in investors and starting a new operation with Mark Martin and engines from Hendrick Motorsports, a plan that Frye had tried to expedite over the last two years with pushback from Austria. The hot rumor of late has been the return of Ray Evernham in an ownership role similar to Tony Stewart's at SHR, with Red Bull as the sponsor. On Monday Evernham told FOXSports.com he "had zero desire to be an owner again." Evernham said he had no knowledge on a Red Bull deal. Apparently, Red Bull was fairly far down the line in negotiations with Clint Bowyer for the #4 ride next season. It was one of the few companies that could afford Bowyer. Another dilemma with the Red Bull situation is what happens to Cole Whitt, who currently drives for the organization in the Camping World Truck Series. Certainly, if Frye acquires the assets, Whitt must be part of that plan.(Fox Sports)(6-20-2011)
UPDATE 2: Statement from Red Bull Racing: "Red Bull Racing Team is currently seeking outside investors as we evaluate next steps in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. We are not at liberty to comment on details while negotiations are under way. Red Bull fully supports NASCAR for the remainder of the 2011 season as we fight for victories and a position in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup."(Red Bull Racing)(6-20-2011)

Gibbs courting Edwards?

Am hearing that Carl Edwards, currently the driver of the #99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, is being courted by Joe Gibbs Racing to take over the #20 Home Depot Toyota ride. Where would that leave current #20 driver, Joey Logano, to the long rumored 4th Joe Gibbs car, no word on who would be the sponsor, if it happens.(6-17-2011)

JGR teams face penalties for oil pans:

The Joe Gibbs Racing teams of #18-Kyle Busch, #11-Denny Hamlin and #20-Joey Logano all face possible penalties after an issue was discovered in inspection Friday morning at Michigan before practice began. John Darby, Cup series director, said that all three Gibbs cars had oil pans that had not been submitted for approval before competition. "We had them pull (those) off and put what we're accustomed to, what has been submitted back on their cars,'' Darby said. All three teams face possible penalties for the infraction. "Chances are great (a penalty) wouldn't involve points,'' Darby said.(Hampton Roads)(6-17-2011)

UPDATE:

Joe Gibbs Racing had unapproved- and unusually heavy - oil pans seized from its three NASCAR Sprint Cup cars Friday morning at Michigan International Speedway. Officially, the issue was that the oil pans had not been submitted for approval by NASCAR, a standard procedure for the thousands of parts and pieces on race cars. But a bigger issue ultimately might be weight. While a standard NASCAR Sprint Cup oil pan weighs about 4 pounds, the three taken off the Gibbs cars weighed an estimated 20-30 pounds apiece. Competitors contacted by SPEED.com and FOXSports.com said the heavy oil pans would allow the teams to remove weight elsewhere in the car and put it low and on the front of the car, which could provide a handling advantage, perhaps a substantial one. Officials did not penalize JGR at the track but said in a statement, "NASCAR will discuss early next week if there will be any additional penalties assessed to these three teams."(SPEED)(6-18-2011)


UPDATE 2:

NASCAR announced today that the #11, No. 18 and No. 20 teams that compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have been penalized for rules violations discovered during opening day inspection June 17 at Michigan International Speedway. All three of the Joe Gibbs Racing cars were found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in an event does not conform to NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the NASCAR rule book, or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the event); and 20-5.5.4A (oil pan, failure to submit component) of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rule Book. As a result, the three crew chiefs  Mike Ford (#11 car), Dave Rogers (#18 car) and Greg Zipadelli (#20 car) have been fined $50,000 each and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31. In addition, all three car chiefs  Chris Gillin (#11 car), Wesley Sherrill (#18 car) and Jason Shapiro (#20 car) along with Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Jimmy Makar have been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.(NASCAR)(6-21-2011)


UPDATE 3 –

Statement from JGR:

"We received NASCAR's ruling today with regard to penalties for having oil pans on our cars that had not been submitted for approval prior to going through inspection on Friday. Although the parts were not illegal, we did not follow the proper submission for approval process. We will not appeal NASCAR's ruling."(JGR)(6-22-2011)

 

Stock Car Racing named North Carolina's Official State Sport:

With the stroke of a pen Tuesday, June 21st at Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue signed Senate Bill 322 into law, making stock car racing the official state sport and adding to the legacy of fabulous firsts at the historic 1.5-mile superspeedway. Perdue was joined by a host of special guests on hand to watch the bill signing ceremony, including Marcus Smith, president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway; NASCAR Hall of Famers Ned Jarrett and Bobby Allison; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver David Ragan; and a group of fourth and fifth grade students from Lake Norman Elementary School and Mt. Mourne IB School in Iredell County, who originated the bill. In addition, 12 grassroots Legend Car and Bandolero drivers, industry leaders and dignitaries who are members of the North Carolina Motorsports Advisory Council and Charlotte Motor Speedway fans were in attendance.
"Sometimes it takes really bright kids to tell all of us grown-ups what we ought to be doing. And that's what these students are about today," said Perdue. "They found something that should have been right under our noses because we all love NASCAR, we love Charlotte Motor Speedway, we get really excited during race season. So it's pretty cool for these students to understand that we needed to do better."
North Carolina now joins other U.S. states with an official state sport, including Alaska (dog mushing); Colorado (snowboarding and skiing); Massachusetts (basketball); Minnesota (hockey); and South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming (rodeo).(CMS)(6-22-2011)

Congresswoman renews effort to end military sponsorship:

Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) is readying her next move in a months-long effort to slash Pentagon spending for NASCAR and other sports sponsorships. McCollum questions whether the U.S. military should be spending hundreds of millions of dollars on sponsorship deals for sports including stock car racing, professional fishing and pro wrestling at a time when the nation is running large deficits. Military officials and congressional supporters say the sponsorships help with recruitment. McCollum has failed twice to advance proposals that would have changed the way the military awards contracts and doles out funds for those events, as well as for ultimate-fighting sponsorships. Bill Harper, McCollum's chief of staff, said the lawmaker would likely offer an amendment on the House floor to the 2012 Pentagon appropriations bill that would limit the funds the military could spend on sporting events. McCollum offered an amendment to the DOD spending bill last week that the House Appropriations Committee shot down in a voice vote. During the House Appropriations Committee markup, McCollum cited a $645,000 contract to sponsor a race in the Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR's top racing tour. She said the Air Guard 400, held last September in Richmond, Va., failed to deliver a single military enlistee. But a Pentagon official, in an email to McCollum's staff that was obtained by The Hill, described the event as a marketing opportunity that came at a bargain rate.(The Hill)(6-21-2011)

Note:  In a way, I kind of agree with her on this – why use tax payer monies to help support a race team?  Are there really enough young people out there, age wise, that are eligible for military service?

 

Found on the “Frontstretch”:

Tom Bowles – The death of NASCAR’s Middle Class:

http://www.frontstretch.com/tbowles/34361/

Bryan Davis Keith – 5 Points to ponder:

http://www.frontstretch.com/bkeith/34351/

Phil Allaway – Talking NASCAR TV:

http://www.frontstretch.com/pallaway/34353/

 

Indycar stuff:

Racing at Milwaukee good; race crowd not – John Oreovicz blog:

In part:

The best part was the Izod IndyCar Series' on-track product. Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves waged an entertaining three-man battle that was finally resolved in Franchitti's favor when Kanaan crashed and Castroneves was forced to make an unscheduled stop to replace a tire punctured by the subsequent debris.

The dark side was the sparse attendance, estimated at no more than 15,000 in the 38,000-capacity grandstands. The weak crowd was added proof that even in historically strong markets for Indy car racing, the sport continues to struggle to gain traction (and regain its fan base) three years into the unified era.

In addition, the promoters incurred wrath by charging for parking and restricting the ability to bring in coolers. Grandstand seats were reasonably priced at $25 and up, but paddock access should have been included, not an additional $40 (!) charge.”

http://espn.go.com/racing/blog/_/name/oreovicz_john

Note:  Somehow, I can’t get it out of my head that there are three major things that are contributing to the lack of attendance at the Indy car events – the influx of foreign drivers and how they’ve gone to more and more road races, and the lack of the Indy drivers from participating in other forms of racing, like Sprint Cars and Midgets. Apparently, due, mainly to “contracts” in today’s world, drivers can no longer participate on races out of the Indy car “realm”.  Well, in most cases, that is.  Tony Kanaan seems to have a blast when racing the Late Models at the “Prelude to the Dream” races, and I read that Scott Dixon wanted to race in last Years “Prelude” race, but was told he was “too late”.  Was there an invite issued to this years Indy 500 winner?  I doubt it, since Kanaan was already invited.  Some drivers are now seeming to be getting interested in driving other types of cars – “switching seats” with drivers from other forms of race – although that seems to be only on road courses, where speeds are not as high.  Yes, I’ve read where the wife of Jimmie Johnson says “No!”  to him running an open wheel (Indy car) on an oval.  And, yes, I’ve also read where it was posted – “Imagine AJ’s wife, or Rutherford’s wife – telling them they could not race a certain car on an oval”.  And, after seeing how some of the drivers were, at the end of the first Texas race, maybe they could not run 100 miles on a dirt track.

Yup, gone are the days when one could see your favorite Indy car driver race a midget or sprint car on the same weekend they have an Indy car race near bye.

I have a photo in my computer of the start of a midget race at Milwaukee some years back – maybe in the early 60’s.  I think Rodger Ward was on the pole.  I doubt you could fit many more fans into the already fully packed grandstand.  I wonder – how many more “Indy” drivers were in that midget race, along with Ward?  How was the crowd at Milwaukee last weekend for the Midget and Silver Crown races?

 

From the Track Forum:

If you’re an Open Wheel race fan, particularly Indycar, you might be interested in a nice discussion going on at the Track Forum.  So far, it’s up to four pages in length.  Some excellent points are being made, for sure.

http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?152142-After-almost-50-years-of-following-this-sport....

Might there be another possible road race for the Indy cars?  Lot’s of stuff said about this, and quite a lot of it makes sense – well, to me, an “oval” fan, anyway.

IndyCar Series Lobbying for Fort Lauderdale Grand Prix

http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?152170-IndyCar-Series-Lobbying-for-Fort-Lauderdale-Grand-Prix

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Former Oakland Valley Speedway (Dirt Oval) runners:

Note:  I’ve been away from the track for more than 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, June 15th, Luke Schostkewitz was a DNQ for the 600 Micro Sprint feature.

Mike Mammana was 9th in the Sportsman feature at Big Diamond on 6/17.

At Penn Can, in the CRSA 305 Sprint Car feature, Josh Pieniazek was s8th, John Virgilio 12th, Billy VanInwegen 16th and his sister, Emily 20th.  Brittany Tresch was a DNQ.

Tiffany Wambold was 13th in the wingless 600 Micro Sprint feature on 6/17, and 3rd in the 270 Micro Sprint feature on 6/18 at Borgers.

Rich Coons won another Sportsman feature at Bethel.

At Mountain Speedway, Nick Pecko was 8th in the Modified feature.

Bobby Hackel, IV was 4th and Alex Bell 9th in the Modified feature at Devil’s Bowl.

AJ Filbeck was 5th in the Sportsman feature at Utica/Rome.

At Hamlin, in the Wingless 600 Micro Sprint feature, Kyle Rohner was 6th and Joe Kata 7th.  In the nights 270 Micro Sprint feature, Rick Casario was a DNS.  In the 5/21 makeup feature, Rick was 7th.  In the 600 Micro Sprint Rookie feature, Jacob Hendershot was that races winner.

At the Greenwood Valley Action Track, in the 600 Micro Sprint feature, Geordan Farry was 10th Cait Chambers 11th and Molly Chambers was a DNF.  In the 6/11 make-up feature, Molly was a DNF and Cait a DNS.

At New Egypt, in the TSRS 305 Sprint Car feature, Brittany Tresch was 17th and Brian Pomponio was 22nd.

At Thunder Road, in the NEMA Lights feature, Kenney Johnson finished 8th.

Danny Creeden was 10th in the Modified feature at Five Mile Point.

Kyle Armstrong was 22nd in the Modified feature at Lebanon Valley, while Josh Pieniazek was 20th in the ESS Sprint Car feature.

At OCFS, Michael Storms won the Modified feature, while Billy VanInwegen was 3rd, Tim Hindley 8th and Mike Ruggiero 20th.  Clinton Mills was a DNQ.  In the Sportsman feature, RJ Smykla was 2nd, Brian Krummel 8th, Matt Hitchcock 10th, Jimmy Johnson 15th, Matt Janiak 16th, Zack Vavricka 21st, John Lodini 24th and Keith Still 26th.  Kyle Redner was a DNQ.

At the “Big Show III” – In the 100 lap SDS race, Michael Storms was 13th and Tim Hindley 22nd.  Not qualifying were Billy VanInwegen, Johnny Guarino, Clinton Mills and Mike Ruggiero.

In the Sportsman feature, Brian Krummel was the winner, with Matt Hitchcock 5th, Tyler Boniface 6th, John Lodini 7th, RJ Smykla 13th, Jason Roe 15th, Jimmy Johnson 17th, Corey Ziegler 24th, Matt Janiak 29th and Keith Still 30th.

Note:  There’s a great possibility that I might have missed some, so if I did, I’m sorry!

 

 

 

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 24th to the 30th.

 

JUNE 24

1889

Howard (Howdy) Wilcox... Born ... AAA driver from 1910 to 1923. Wilcox won the 1919 Indianapolis 500 after starting in the 2nd position. He died in a wreck in 1923 at the Altoona Speedway board track in Tyrone, Pennsylvania

1911

Juan Manuel Fangio ... Born ... A driver from Argentina, who dominated the first decade of Formula One racing. He won five Formula One World Driver's Championships , a record which stood for 46 years, with four different teams (Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Maserati), a feat that has not been repeated since. Many still consider him to be the greatest driver of all time.

1961

Wayman "Hut" Stricklin... Born ... NASCAR driver 1986- 2002.

1985

Al Smith... Died ... USAC driver from the 1960's

 

JUNE 25

1950

Jack McGrath won the 100 mile AAA Championship race on the 1 Mile Dirt Oval Langhorne Speedway, Langhorne, PA. Henry Banks was second followed by Chuck Stevenson, Duke Dinsmore and Duke Nalon.

2000

Jeff Gordon won the NASCAR Winston Cup Save Mart/Kragen 350K over Sterling Marlin at the Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA.

2006

Jeff Gordon won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Save Dodge/Save Mart 350 over Ryan Newman at the Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA.

 

JUNE 26

1939

Dick Moroso ... Born ... Motorsports performance parts manufacture and racetrack operator.

 

JUNE 27

1963

Johnny Benson Jr. ... Born ... NASCAR driver and the son of former Michigan modified driver John Benson Sr. His career highlighs include 1993 American Speed Association AC-Delco Challenge series championship in 1993, The 1995 Busch Series championship, and The 1996 Winston Cup NASCAR Rookie of the Year award.

1994

Sam Hanks ... Died ... He won his first championship in 1937 on the West Coast in the AMA. He barnstormed the country, racing on the board tracks at Soldier Field in Chicago and the Los Angeles Coliseum Motordome. Hanks reportedly won the first two board track races at Soldier Field in 1939. Hanks won the 1940 VFW Motor City Speedway championship. After World War II, he captured the 1946 URA Blue Circuit Championship. He won the 1947 Night before the 500 midget car race. He was the 1949 AAA National Midget champion. He won the 1956 Pacific Coast championship in the USAC Stock cars. He won the 1957 Indianapolis 500 at his thirteenth attempt at the race, the most tries of any Indy winner, and announced his retirement from racing in Victory Circle. Hanks was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1984, the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000. He drove the pace car at the Indianapolis 500 from 1958 to 1963.

 

JUNE 28

1931

Junior Johnson ... Born ... Junior was a legendary moonshiner in the rural South who became one of the early superstars of NASCAR in the 1950s and 1960s. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966. In the 1970s and 1980s he became a highly successful NASCAR racing team owner; he sponsored such NASCAR champions as Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip. He is credited with discovering drafting.

1949

Bill Sheffler ... Died ... AAA driver from the 1940's. He died in a practice crash for the AAA race at the Trenton Speedway (NJ).

 

JUNE 29

1952

Tom Cherry won the 100 mile NASCAR / Champ Car race on the 1 Mile Dirt Oval Langhorne Speedway, Langhorne, PA. Steve Yanigan was second followed by Wally Campbell, Tony Bonadies and Tex Keene.

 

Note:  More about this race can be found, below, in the “More racin’ stuff”.

 

JUNE 30

1930

Chuck Booth ... Born ... USAC driver from the 1960's.

1957

Sterling Marlin ... Born ...Former NASCAR driver.

1974

Eddie Johnson... Died ... AAA/USAC driver from the 1950's & 60's. Ran in 13 Indy 500's with a best finish of 6th in 1960.

 

 

 

 

News from the AARN:

http://www.aarn.com/

From their June 14th issue:

 

In Ernie Saxton’s column he, along with quite a few others, I’d imagine, would like TV to show us the debris when there is a yellow for debris on the track.

He makes mention of a possible boycott of the NASCAR Hall of Fame because Wendell Scott has not been inducted.

Note:  I’m trying to figure out why he should be in the HoF.  Granted, he was one of the very few black drivers in NASCAR, and the only one to get a race win, but only one win – should that put him in the HoF?

 

Jerry Reigel, in his column made mention that Lance Dewease now has 76 wins at Williams Grove.

At the ASCoC race at Williams Grove, there were only three ASCoC regulars in action.

Maybe you already know this, but Sammy Swindell is second in WoO Sprint Car wins to Steve Kinser.

As of a little over a week ago, Donny Schatz had a one point lead over Joey Saldana in the WoO Sprint Car standings.

Jac Haudenschild won his 1st race at Atomic Speedway – now KC Raceway.  Thirty-six years later, 16 year old Sheldon Haudenschild won his first at the same track.

 

Up at Stafford Speedway, Keith Rocco, a top runner in the NASCAR Asphalt Modifieds dislocated his left arm in an accident.

 

Kyle Hardner, in his column said that there will be no more mirrors allowed at Mountain Speedway, except for the INEX Legends Cars.

 

In the column by Don and Jo Ann Davies, they make mention of the John Roese # 28 Pro Stock that runs at Accord, is the same car that his father raced some 30 years ago as a Late Model at Fonda.  That car is still VERY competitive, too.

 

Joe Johnson, in his column says that the WRG has paid about ˝ half of what it was said they owed at Cayuga County Speedway for water usage.  They’ll pay the rest of it back over the next year.  They’re still looking for ways to make sure the water bill is being calculated correctly.

 

A full page ad for the Roush/Yates Used Racing Engines was on page 57.  They start at $17,500.00.  Interested?  Call 877-798-7977 or go to www.roushyatesparts.com. 

 

Next years Motor Sports show at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA will be h led on January 20, 21 & 22.  That on page 58.

 

On page 65, I notice in the race results for Black Rock, in the Tobias SpeedSTR race, there were only 11 cars.  It seems to me that they have not increased their car counts all that much over the years.  That’s one of the problems of having a “Spec” racecar. 

 

When I was down in Florida some years ago, at the PRA sanctioned Silver Crown race, at USA Speedway, I was fortunate to have a nice chat with Buzzie Reutimann.  During that chat he informed me as to how much his son, David, got for signing up to race with Michael Waltrip’s race team.   It was a substantial amount, is all I’ll say.  However, just recently, David presented Buzzie with a new Roush/Yates Chevrolet engine for his Modified.  I tripped the dyno at 825 HP.  That little bit of info was in John Snyder’s column.

 

On page 69 it made mention of two-time ARDC Midget champion Hank Rogers, Jr. going to run some of the USAC Dirt Midget Associations events – six times at Bear Ridge.

Also, Bristol Motor Speedway made the listing as one of the worlds top 100 “Sports Destinations” places to visit.  That’s the only NASCAR track to do that.

 

Race chaser Guy Smith was over in Italy and while there he visited his 1,369th track.

 

 

 

More racin’ stuff:

 

That 100 mile NASCAR Champ Car race at Langhorne on June 29, 1952:

 

Tom Cherry won by a lap.  He averaged 87.315 MPH.  His car was powered with a Mercury engine.  Following Cherry, as noted above were Steve Yanigan, Wally Campbell, Tony Bonadies and Tex Keene – the top five.  Next, in order were:

6.     Bob Halston

7.     Gene Darragh

8.     Mike Magill

9.     Buck Baker

10. Lyle Scott

11. Charlie Miller

12. Pete Peterson

13. Mickey Fenn

14. Budd Olson

15. Frankie Schneider

16. Al Keller

17. Ed “Dutch” Schaefer

18. Bob Johnson

19. Sam Waldrop

20. Steve McGrath

21. Fred “Jiggs” Peters

22. Len Brown

23. Bill Miller was a DNS.

 

Yanigan, Bonadies, Keene, Miller, Keller, Schaefer, McGrath and Peters are drivers that had competed with the ARDC Midgets in the mid to late 40’s.

 

The various engines in the race were:  Mercury - 4, Ford  7, Chrysler  1, Nash  1, GMC  1, Cadillac  2, Olds  3,  DeSoto 2 and Kaiser 2.

 

 

 

Racing and television:

Racing on TV - http://www.racefantv.com/USTV.htm

 

 

 

Some non-racing stuff:

 

NBC apologizes for omitting ‘under God’ from pledge before U.S. Open.

In part:

“Rory Mcllroy has almost certainly drained all the drama out of the on-course play at the U.S. Open. But outside the ropes, NBC led off its telecast with an immediately controversial pre-taped segment. Listen to the pledge of allegiance that runs alongside the patriotic images, and later to the one that overlays video of previous U.S. Open winners”

 

“In case it's been awhile since you said the pledge in elementary school, the first version left out the words "under God" and "indivisible." The second went even further, knocking out "one nation" as well.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/devil_ball_golf/post/NBC-omits-8216-under-God-8217-8216-indivi?urn=golf-wp2901

Note # 1:  As I posted on Facebook – how can someone be so , stupid?

Note # 2:  On the Track Forum, believe it or not, there’s quite a discussion going on, about this:

http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?152047-NBC-apologizes-for-cutting-“under-God”-from-Pledge-of-Allegiance

 

Post office suspends retirement contributions:

In part:

WASHINGTON – The financially troubled Postal Service is suspending its contributions to its employees' pension fund.

The agency said Wednesday it is acting to conserve cash as it continues to lose money. The post office was $8 billion in the red last year because of the combined effects of the recession and the switch of much mail business to the Internet. It faces the possibility of running short of money by the end of this fiscal year in September.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110622/ap_on_re_us/us_postal_problems

Note:  A long time ago, we lived in Sparrow Bush, NY, just outside of Port Jervis.  I had a PO Box at the time, and still have it, since some mail, like Medicare and Social Security stuff had been sent there back then, and even today.

They had small waste baskets for their customers to drop their junk mail into.  Well, those wastebaskets just had to be replaced by higher and bigger plastic containers with locking tops on them.  So why weren’t the wastebaskets good enough?  Why, if the US Postal Service is in such dire financial straights, did they go to the extra expense and replace those wastebaskets?  Kinda dumb move, I’d say.

 

Tesla Roadster reaches the end of the line

In part:

“Automaker Tesla Motors (TSLA) will stop taking orders for the car in the U.S. in about two months as the carmaker focuses on its Model S electric sedan.”

http://autos.yahoo.com/news/tesla-roadster-reaches-the-end-of-the-line.html#ugccmt-post-frm-container

Note:  Some pretty good comments can be found if you scroll down from the article.

 

 

Is this true?:

 

Got, what follows, in an e-mail a little over a week ago:

 

Part 2 of 3:

 

What if they left?

 

America 's economy is drained. Taxpayers are harmed. Employers get rich. Over $80 billion annually wouldn't return to the aliens' home countries by cash transfers. Illegal migrants earned half that money untaxed, which further drains America 's economy which currently suffers an $8.7 trillion debt. $8.7 trillion debt !! 
 
At least 400,000 anchor babies would not be born in our country, costing us $109 billion per year per cycle. At least 86 hospitals in California , Georgia and Florida would still be operating instead of being bankrupt out of existence because illegals pay nothing via the EMTOLA Act.

 

Americans wouldn't suffer thousands of TB and hepatitis cases rampant in our country-brought in by illegals unscreened at our borders.
 
Our cities would see 20 million less people driving, polluting and grid locking our cities. It would also put the 'progressives' on the horns of a dilemma; illegal aliens and their families cause 11% of our greenhouse gases.

Over one million of Mexico's poorest citizens now live inside and along our border from Brownsville, Texas to San Diego, California in what the New York Times called, 'colonias' or new neighborhoods. Trouble is, those living areas resemble Bombay and Calcutta where grinding poverty, filth, diseases, drugs, crimes, no sanitation and worse. They live without sewage, clean water, streets, roads, electricity, or any kind of sanitation.
 
The New York Times reported them to be America's new ' Third World ' inside our own country. Within 20 years, at their current growth rate, they expect 20 million residents of those colonias. (I've seen them personally in Texas and Arizona ; it's sickening beyond anything you can imagine.)

 

By enforcing our laws, we could repatriate them back to Mexico . We should invite 20 million aliens to go home, fix their own countries and/or make a better life in Mexico . We already invite a million people into our country legally more than all other countries combined annually. We cannot and must not allow anarchy at our borders, more anarchy within our borders and growing lawlessness at every level in our nation.  

It's time to stand up for our country, our culture, our civilization and our way of life.

 

Part 3 next week, some interesting statistics, folks.

 

 

 

 

Video time:

 

In one of my recent columns, I questioned why Dale Earnhardt, Jr. hasn’t raced in the “Prelude to the Dream” races.  Maybe this video, when he had that fiery crash when racing a Corvette, might be part of the reason?   What I’ve found rather amazing is that he was able, in such a short amount of time, realize that he had to exit out of the door, and not through the window, as is the norm when racing NASCAR cars.  He was quoted as saying that someone did help him out of the car, and as you can see, there is no visible person helping him.  Reading between the lines, it seems that he might have thought his father had helped him.  I always wondered where they got the camera shot of him, in the car, with all the fire around his person.  Where was that camera?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGR0KWLs51c

 

 

 

 

Closing with this:

PREGNANT AT 71

A woman went to the doctor's office, where she was seen by one of the older doctors.
After about four minutes in the examination room, she burst out, screaming as she ran down the hall.

A young doctor stopped her and asked what the problem was, and she told him her story.
After listening, he had her sit down and relax in another room.

 

The young doctor marched down the hallway back to where the old doctor was writing on his clipboard.

 

"What the heck is the matter with you?" the young doctor demanded.

"Mrs... Terry is 71 years old, has four grown children and seven grandchildren, and you told her she was pregnant?"

 

The old doctor continued writing, and without looking up said,

 

"Does she still have the hiccups?"

 

 

 

 

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