Racin'
& Internet Stuff:
08/04/2011
First:
When
one has a Pacemaker installed, one cannot drive for a couple of weeks – at
least. That’s driving me nuts right
now! I’m hoping to get the OK the day
this column comes out – Thursday, August 4th.
With
my not being able to drive, my daughter, Judy, was going to take me up to the
Accord Speedway last Friday. My son,
tom, Jr. was coming down from the
Second:
On more than one occasion, I’ve been critical about some of the tracks in my area. OCFS, more than others. I first started going to what is now OCFS way back in 1946, watching the midgets race on the small paved track that was in front of the covered grandstands. Once I got my drivers license, I made trips to the fair to watch the midgets on the big track. Later on, after I got out of the service, I hit a couple of stock car races. It was in the mid to late 70’s when we started going quite regularly on Saturday nights – and if you didn’t get there early, you didn’t get a good seat. When my son, Eric, and later on – grandson Brett, raced Karts on Saturday nights, OCFS was put on the back shelf, except for special shows. Over these past few years, with no racing with my son and grandson, I’ve been to OCFS quite a bit. And, I’m bothered by what I’ve seen, to be perfectly honest. It seems that there’s been a rapid decline of the infrastructure at the old place. Places that were open, are now closed. One can get there as the races are starting now, and get a seat up on top of the ½ covered stands, with ease. I imagine the same might apply to the full covered stands, as well? Why am I saying this? Simple. Here is what was posted on the OCFS website for the Thursday night Sportsman race that was held during the fair:
“Message to race fans for the Thursday Sportsman 50 lap race at OCFS:
“Attention fans, the Drive-In will not be open for spectators
but please keep in mind that advance sale tickets that include the fair
admission are available for purchase until Wednesday.”
OK, I really don’t know why the Drive-In
was closed, but with parking at a premium at the fair now, I wonder why? No, I didn’t inquire with OC about this
because responses to my e-mails are few and far between. Still…………………….
Third:
I tuned in to se the beginning of the Brickyard 400 from
Speaking of the Brickyard 400,
was “crabbing” of the cars more noticeable during the race? I thought so.
Fourth:
Hey, remember when two of our
daughters, Sandy and Sarah, made the trip up north a while back? Well, after they got to our house, Sarah
emptied her oversized purse/bag, that was loaned to her from another party down
in
http://news.yahoo.com/man-arrested-fla-airport-knife-carry-151727720.html
I can’t imagine
what would have happened IF.
Fifth:
I can see this
happening more and more, can you?
Xbox addict
killed by blood clot
In
part:
“A post-mortem revealed that 20-year-old Chris Staniforth -- who was offered a place to study Game Design
at
Deep vein
thrombosis normally affects passengers on long-haul flights, but medical
experts fear youngsters who spend hours glued to their consoles might also be
at risk and have urged them to take regular breaks.”
http://blog.games.yahoo.com/blog/866-xbox-addict-dies-from-blood-clot/
Sixth:
Anyone reading this thinking of going
to Pocono for the Cup race this coming Sunday? Want tickets?
Check this out, from an e-mail I received:
Hello all ,
I have my personal Pocono Penn 500 seats up
for sale for next weeks race as we cannot attend
2nd Row from Top $85 face value Aisle seats total of 5
Opposite the diamond vision and entrance to pits
Take one or all 5 and accepting all offers
Email or call me at 845 234 5323 if interested
PS We will be returning to Dover on Oct 2nd Motorcoach , Ticket , Hospitality Tent , all you can eat
and drink , Driver Q and A and Trackside Tour
Let me know if interested
Erwin " Benzee" Benz
Seventh:
An editorial in my local paper on Saturday, July 30th:
Full equality for gay couples yet to be achieved:
“Published: 2:00 AM - 07/30/11
The
There's
a lawsuit that is itching to be filed this week and we hope one — or more — of
the couples marrying under
The
problem is this. While gay and lesbian couples are now legally entitled to
marry in
The
cost to gay couples averages $1,069 a year, according to Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn.
There's
more. If a gay man or woman marries an immigrant of the same sex, there's no
way to guarantee the immigrant spouse will be able to stay in this country
legally.
A
heterosexual couple has that guarantee.
Worst
of all: If a spouse in a gay marriage dies, the survivor can't get Social
Security survivor benefits and may have to pay a significant estate tax.
Heterosexual couples don't have to pay that. In all, said Sen. Charles Schumer,
D-N.Y., there are more than 1,000 federal benefits that will be denied to
married same-sex couples.
Marriage,
according to the Defense of Marriage Act, is "a legal union between one
man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word "spouse' refers only
to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife."
The
law was passed specifically to deny to one disfavored group of people the
rights enjoyed by the favored group.
We
understand that many Americans hold strong beliefs about this issue, but civil
rights are civil rights and the Constitution covers all Americans, not just
those who are heterosexual or white or Christian or any subgroup.
But
the 14th Amendment requires that states, and later interpreted to include the
federal government, provide equal protection of the laws.
President
Obama last week announced support for repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, and
the Senate took up the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal DOMA.
While
their support is welcome, repeal of DOMA is not going to happen anytime soon.
The Republican House will never agree and the Senate's Republican minority
would almost certainly filibuster any such attempt.
In
This
is an uneasy time for many in this country who don't understand or are simply
hostile to their changing world, but, in the end, that is of no matter.
It
was an uneasy time for many when women were allowed to vote and when
African-Americans were allowed to ride in the front of buses and sit at lunch
counters.
This
is an advance whose time has come, and there should be no letup in the push for
equality.”
Note: I find it hard to believe that there are more
than 1,000 federal benefits that a gay couple is denied. I’d like to see the list.
Eighth:
Back
in 1946, my father started taking me, along with my brother, to see some midget
races at various tracks in our area. We
visited Hinchliffe Stadium in
Ninth:
Any
idea as to what these have in common?
Sears, Dillard's, OfficeMax, Office Depot, The Home Depot, Foot Locker, The Gap and J.C. Penney?
They are some of the Great American Stores Starving for Customers, believe it, or not.
As an example:
The Home Depot
Drop in sales: -16.6%
2005 sales: $81.5 billion
2010 sales: $68.0 billion
5 yr. change in stock price: +1%
The Home Depot is the world's largest retailer of building materials
and home improvement products. The company has over 2,200 stores worldwide. The
chain has been badly damaged by the housing crisis, which began in earnest in
2007. From 2007 to 2008, the company's stock fell from $35 to under $27. Home
Depot's prospects were also hurt by the presence of Robert Nardelli,
who operated the chain in the first half of the decade.
More can be found here: http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/113232/great-american-stores-starving-customers
Tenth:
This is hard for me to say, but I suppose it has to be said. I watched some of the Brickyard 400 last
Sunday. B O R I N G! Is it because of
the cars, tracks,
tires and/or the rules that kind of makes it boring? The same applies locally, too. How many times do we read that driver
so-and-so started on the front row and ran away with the race? I’ve seen photos on Facebook
from the track closest to me – OCFS – photos taken during the fair – on a race
night, which showed a ton of empty seats, and when they had a Demolition Derby,
and the place was full. Has it gotten so
bad that the “follow the car in front of me, hoping he messes up” has chased
fans away? Would an open tire rule help,
or make things worse? I also attend the
track in Accord, and maybe it’s because of its size – it being a lot smaller
than OCFS, that makes the racing more exciting?
Heck, at OC I’ve seen the flagger give the “move over” flag to tail end
cars, but the leader could not catch up to them! Does that tell us anything?
Eleventh:
On Tuesday, while reading about the President signing the Debt bill, on
Yahoo! News, there were a lot of comments made by some of my fellow citizens –
like these:
“1.Stop
sending money and jobs overseas to other countries.
2.Send all illegals back to
their own countries.
3.Bring all troops home to protect the borders if
other countries need help then they can pay for services.
4.No more exclusive health care or pensions to
lawmakers. They go on SS and Medicare like everyone else.
5.Term limits and staff reduction.
6.No more Lobbyist make it illegal.
Have the 10 best econimest in this country sit down
and make a plan to get us out of this debt. Not politicians!!”
“The main thing
all this did was to expose just how disfunctional the
“This was a massive failure. We cut spending, which was
long over due, but we did not raise significant revenue. In fact, tax revenue
will continue to decline as a result of further diminished consumer confidence.
For those in denial about the necessity for increasing taxes on the
wealthy....increased revenues allow the government to pay off debt faster,
avoid cutting the defense budget too heavily, and allow the country to upgrade
infrastructure. Not too mention, the value of the dollar would increase with a
healthier debt to income ratio! When you are looking at your personal financial
situation, do you like to just cut expenses, or do you also look to increase
your income?”
“This bill didn't cut any deficit spending, it only cut the amount the government plans to increase spending every year after year. All they did is kept the status quo in place. This article is propaganda. Here are some cuts that would not be painful for Americans. Cut all earmarks, easy. Cut waste and fraud (like Obama said he would for Obamacare), easy. Cut all foreign aid, easy. Cut welfare and SS benefits to illegal aliens who don't pay taxes, easy. Cut all the duplicate spending that Obama says he has identified, easy. Sell all government property that sits empty and apply to the debt, easy. Sell government owned land to private individuals who will pay for the upkeep and taxes on the property, easy. Eliminate all subsidies to businesses (but not the tax breaks), easy. Stop paying people $7,000 to buy a Chevy Volt. Stop giving money to bankrupt corporations. There's more, but that's a good start.”
Twelfth:
On Tuesday afternoon, I received an e-mail from Super DIRTcar Series PR with the racing results for both the Big
Block and Small Block SDS races up in Merrittville. Only one name did I recognize as an OCFS
regular – Gary Tomkins, who travels from upstate NY to run at OC weekly. Does Rex King run at
Thirteenth:
“Danica Patrick is finalizing a deal to run a full Nationwide Series
schedule for JR Motorsports and a partial Cup schedule with Stewart-Haas Racing
next season, according to The Associated Press.
JR Motorsports spokesman Mike Davis and Patrick agent Mark Dyer both
declined to comment on the report.”
UPDATE:
Danica Patrick could still run the
Fourteenth:
“Ryan Newman says he hopes to regain credibility among teams competing in
NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Series after he was stripped of a victory at New
Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Newman, making a rare appearance for team owner – and Sprint Cup Series
crew chief – Kevin “Bono” Manion, was stripped of the July 16 victory for an
illegal intake manifold.”
“Dover Motorsports announced
today that it was exploring a sale of Nashville Superspeedway and will not
pursue any NASCAR events for the track in 2012.”
“Nashville Superspeedway, which opened in 2001, was financed with $25.9
million in bonds issued by the Wilson County Sports Authority in 1999. $21
million worth of those bonds are outstanding.
Payments on the bonds will continue to be paid by property and sales taxes
generated by the facility. If such revenue is insufficient, Dover Motorsports’
letter of credit will be drawn on to make up the difference, the company said.
Despite hosting NASCAR truck and Nationwide races,
track ownership has been unable to secure a Sprint Cup race. The track was once
featured on the Indy
Racing LeagueSchedule, but was dropped after
the 2008 season.”
Seventeenth:
Please keep in mind that I’m not attempting to bash the Orange County
Fair. I’ve been to it many times, over
the years – mainly to attend races there.
Therre was a time that you would pay to get into the fair, then get that money off on the price of your race tickets,
if I’m not mistaken. Parking, in the
past, wasn’t all that bad when they had the big parking lot across the street
from the fair property. But that lot has
disappeared a few years ago, so now one has to park quite a distance away, if
front yards have been taken up.
I haven’t been there for these past few years, so it’s rather difficult for
me to say anything personally. However,
I’ve read, and have seen photos, of this years fair
and racing events. Attendacne has been
way down, so I’ve been told. In years
past, it was rain that hurt attendance.
This year it was the 100+ degree days that hurt – and maybe along with
the closing on Monday and Tuesday. Carrying
the fair over three weekends had to also hurt attendance for the actural races,
themselves, along with the Drive-In being closed on Thursday night when they
had a 50 lap Sportsman race.
When there was a meeting about a dust problem, a few years ago, at the
Now, another “Monkey Wrench” has been tossed into the deal – the place has
been listed as being “For Sale”. And,
no, it does NOT have to be retained as a race track, folks. So repairs have been kept to a minimum, and
that surely doesn’t help. In a way, I
suppose one can’t blame those that own/run the place to be a little stingy with
their monies.
Sorry to make this such a long section in the column, but some things have
been said, on Facebook – both good, and bad, about the fair,
and I thought I’d include them, this week.
Fair
talk
“Would not surprise me to se it go
bye-bye. In years past, it was rain that hurt attendance. This year it was the
heat. Bet not many fannies in the stands tonight,
while the Valley had another great crowd. Sad, isn't it?”
“Had the kids and nieces with us , no races just the fair but it did not looked crowded at
all.”
“I know it's so sad. The things we
remember as children, Indian Village, the animals, ( i
remember yrs sgo they had a small horse track there) the sportsman show, all
the trailers with the snake lady, or the tiny woman, the motorcycles in the big
ball, all the free shows the older generation sat by so the young ones went on
the rides, pig races, cows etc. So sad what has become of it.
Pretty soon if not already kids will not know what a good old fashon fair is.”
“I remember going there as a kid and
having a great time!”
“dutchess
county fair is the one to go to now”
“We thought
of going tonight..but we went a couple of years ago
and thought we were at a fair in mexico.Very sad..lots of
great memories there from the past. Remember when they had first rate concerts..who is running this place? They are screwballs. Very sad”
“also ulster county i heard is pop . we
like the one up in honesdale pa too , 8 bucks and all the ridesc , admission
and shows”
“Always
remember it as a sh*thole”
“too expensive”
“over half the food vendors are now catering to the mexican
and spanish clientele , could not enen find a salted pretzel in the entire
place”
“all local groups playing music , good but they dont draw in
the big crowds like the national acts , no money being put into the place or
race track , writing is on the wall”
“ulster cty is the one to go to. H avent been there but i
have heard for yrs its nice. H ate to say it but less
trash also. Actually i really dont hate to say it. IT
SUCKS. Just like everything else in this area is turning into. When i first
moved here 4o some years ago it was a beautiful area. NO MORE. Time to move to another state. F**K N.Y”
“We all had
a great time , just different than yrs ago , Kassie ,
Courtney , Chrissy , Joey and Nick were great”
“Sorry to
hear the Indians are gone. They were always very nice to us. We have not gone
since 1997, though.”
“Check out
Honesdale Fair next week I think , $8 admission all
the rides and shows included , nice drive and clientele”
“Hardly anyone there Thurs when we went to the races. And Keith did find a pretzel but it wasn't easy!”
“Don't know
which was more of a freakshow, the O C Fair or Playtogs.
Think Walmart beats em both...”
“not even open in the daytime ..uuuugh
what about catering to the camps and younger kids that used to go ?”
“Went to the fair when we first moved up here in 1987...never
again...redneck city!”
“
“I think
the last time I went to OC Fair was probably 1987. And even then, the kids
loved it, but it was all a money racket. Me, my wife & 3 kids cost me over
$125. I agree with Rob Johns... and that's what I said in 1994 and packed up
& moved to N.C. - LOL. The Burke county fair was $1.00 when I moved here in
1994, and I thought it was bad when they raised it to $3.00 in 2005! LOL”.
“The NYS
Fair in
“Gonna
check Wayne County , Ulster County ,
And,
copying one of the things said, above, one has to wonder – is the writing on
the wall?
“all local groups playing music , good but they dont draw in
the big crowds like the national acts , no money being put into the place or
race track , writing is on the wall”
Eighteenth:
The 36th
annual Eastern Motorsports Museum of Motor Racing/Williams Grove Old Timers
Convention is being held at the Latimore Valley Fairgrounds – August 19th
to the 21st.
http://www.emmr.org/schedule.htm
Museum
address:
Coming up:
Accord:
Friday,
August 5th:
Sponsored by:
Royal King Dry Cleaners
Camera & Autograph Night!!
Modifieds $2000 to win, Sportsman, Spec Sportsman & Pro
Stocks-Pure Stocks:
Note: No mention of Legends as per the schedule.
Mid Week Madness – 08/10/11
OCFS:
August 6th: M&H Tractor Supply Co. - Kids Club - M/SP/PRO/SS/4 Cylinder
Note: I would not count on
seeing any 4 Cylinders there on 8/6
August 13th: Goldenarea Furniture - The
Beer Store - Modified Elimination Race by
Aug. 6 - Sheldon
Oil Presents NYSSCA Night & The Bulldog Concrete Prostock Elimination Race, Weekly Divisions & Budget
Sportsman
Aug. 13 - Saxton
Signs Presents Biker Night &“King Of The
Catskills” Modified Qualifier, Weekly Divisions, 358 Modifieds
& Prostock ECHO Series
Aug. 25: CARQUEST
Auto Parts & General Tire Present
$17,500 TO WIN “MR. DIRT Track
This
coming Saturday, August 6th,
http://www.bethelmotorspeedway.com/BethelMotorSpeedway/Home_Page.html
Found
on Jayski’s website:
Update on Shane Hmiel:
Former NASCAR
driver Shane Hmiel doesn't know if he will walk
again. He doesn't know exactly how he will be involved in racing again. He
doesn't even know why he's alive. There's one thing Shane Hmiel
believes, though: He's lucky, despite an Oct. 9 accident in a Silver Crown car
that damaged his brain and spinal cord. He might not know for another four or
five years how much he will need the wheelchair he currently has to use, but
the 31-year-old Hmiel has an incredibly upbeat
attitude about his life. See full article at SceneDaily and a video from a NASCAR Race Hub episode
at SPEED.(7-30-2011)
Note: In case you never saw his accident, here it
is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm8vv25-jY0
Travis Pastrana to make NASCAR National Series Debut UPDATE injured in Xgames:
After back-flipping his way through the ESPN X Games,
Travis Pastrana will catch a red-eye flight to
UPDATE:
Action sports star Travis Pastrana
crashed on back-to-back "TP Roll" attempts Thursday night in X Games
17 Moto X Best Trick, ending the Pastranathon during
its first event. Pastrana, who was taken off on a
stretcher and transported to a hospital for X-rays, broke his right foot and
ankle, according to medical officials working with ESPN. He was discharged from
the hospital Thursday night. The injury will require surgery at a later date, Pastrana's planned NASCAR debut on Saturday will be put on
hold. He is also out of the X Games. "I am sorry this happened and will be
back in action as soon as I can. I look forward to Pastranathon
2012 at X Games 18," Pastrana told ESPN
following his release from the hospital. Going into the X Games, Pastrana had planned to compete in Best Trick and Freestyle
on Thursday and Friday, fly to
UPDATE 2:
Pastrana Waltrip
Racing announced Friday it will withdraw the #99 Boost Mobile
More on Edwards - Ford steps in:
Ford Racing has gone to what officials call unprecedented
measures to help Roush Fenway Racing keep #99-Carl Edwards from going to the
DONE DEAL?
Edwards says the only contract he's signed was his last one with Jack Roush three years ago. Whether there's a current contract or not, the latest scuttlebutt has Edwards driving the #20 Home Depot Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2012 for a staggering amount of money -- $8 million as a base, plus a $10 million signing bonus.(FoxSports)(7-31-2011)
Former
At Kutztown, on
July 27th, Molly Chambers was a DNQ in the 600 Micros.
At Accord, also on
the 27th, Tyler Dippel was 2nd
in the Slingshot feature, while Tyler Pirone dropped
out of his heat and didn’t make a return to action. Joe Kata won the
600 Micro Sprint feature.
The ARDC ran at
Mercer Speedway last Saturday and Justin Grosz was 7th in the
feature.
Kyle Armstrong was
13th in the Modified feature and Kolby
Schroder 2nd in the Sportsman feature at
Mike Mammana was 8thin the Sportsman feature at New Egypt.
At OCFS on
Thursday, the 28th, in the 50 lap Sportsman feature, Brian Krummel was the winner, followed by Matt Hitchcock in 3rd,
Tyler Boniface in 14th, John Lodidni 15th,
RJ Smykla 19th, Anthomy
Perrego 22nd and Matt Janiak
23rd.
At OCFS, on
Saturday, in the 358 Modified feature, Mike Ruggiero was 6th. In the Sportsman feature Tyler Boniface won
with John Lodini 8th, Brian Krummel 9th, Matt Hitchcock 10th,
Keith Still 13th, RJ Smykla 14th
and Jason Roe 17th. IN the
CRSA 305 Sprint Car feature, Josh Pieniazek was the
winner, with John Virgilio 10th, Chuck Alessi (Dan Hennessy?) 14th, Billy VanInwegen 15th and Brittany Tresch
16th. BK Rizzo and Emily VanInwegen were DNQ’s.
At Five Mile, Danny
Creeden was 8th in the Modified feature
while Anthony Perrego was 3rd in the
Slingshot feature.
Nick Pecko had an 11th place finish in the Modified
class at Mountain Speedway.
Rich Coons was 14th
at
At Utica/Rome, AJ Filbeck was 2nd in the Sportsman feature.
The NEMA Lights
(Mostly Ford Focus powered) ran at
Justin Grosz
ventured out to the
Molly Chambers was
12th in the 600 Micro Sprint feature at Wyalusing.
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
August 5th to August 11th:
August 5
1936
Gordon Johncock
... Born ... Gordon Johncock was one of the premier
drivers of Indy Cars for nearly three decades, winning the 1976 USAC National
Championship, and claiming two wins in the Indy 500. A native of
1963
Craig Breedlove drove the
"Spirit of America" on the
Andy Granatelli
became president of Studebaker's chemical compound division. Their principal
product is STP - motor oil and gasoline additives.
1969
Kenny Irwin, Jr. ... Born ... He was a NASCAR stock car driver. He had
driven in all three major of forms of NASCAR and had two total victories.
Before that, he raced in the United States Auto Club against Tony Stewart who
was one of his fiercest rivals. He died as a result of injuries suffered in a
crash during a practice session at New Hampshire International Speedway.
1968
Not racing related, but it
was on this date that we lost Luther Perkins.
Luther played guitar for Johnny Cash.
A video with him in it will follow in “Video time”
AUGUST 6
2002
Jim Crawford... Died ... USAC/CART driver 1984 to 1995. Ran
the Indy 500 eight times with a best finish of 6th in 1988.
AUGUST 7
1962
Don Davis ... Died ... USAC
driver from the late 1950's to the early 1960's. He drove in the USAC
Championship Car series, racing in the 1960-1962 seasons with 15 starts,
including the 1961 and 1962
1965
Another not racing related
– singer Raul Malo was born. He, too, will have a video in “Video time”,
below.
AUGUST 8
1929
Jimmy Davies... Born ... AAA / USAC driver from the 1940's - 1960's. He was
the second man to win three USAC National Midget Championships. When Davies won
the 100 mile AAA Championship race at
1953
Nigel Mansell...
Born ... A British racing driver from
AUGUST 9
1917
Barney Oldfield drove a
streamlined Miller with fully enclosed cockpit, called the "Golden
Sub", to new one mile (80 mph), five mile (77.2 mph), 25 mile (75.4 mph),
and 50 mile (73.5 mph) speed records.
1925
Len Sutton... Born ...
Sutton became involved in auto racing after serving in the Navy during World
War II. He spun out in the first corner on his first lap at a dirt track.
Sutton won Oregon Racing Association championships in 1949, 1950, 1954, and
1955. He flipped his car to avoid cattle during the 1954 Carrera
Panamericana road race (now Baja 1000). He was in a
body cast for 4 months. He also won midget car racing championships in
1963
Not
racing related, but our second child, another daughter; Sandra Lucienne Avenengo, was born in the
1975
Mark Donohue set an
American closed-course speed record of 221.120 MPH at
2000
Herb Thomas... Died ... A
NASCAR pioneer who won the Grand National Racing (now Winston Cup) championship
in 1951 and 1953; ranks 12th on the career victory list with 48 wins in 230
starts; won Southern 500 three times in the 1950s; inducted in International
Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994.
AUGUST 10
1946
Bill
Ted Horn
, driving the Horn #5, won the AAA Eastern Sprint Car race at the Bedford
Speedway in
AUGUST 11
1926
Frankie Schneider ... Born
... Schneider was a stock car, modified, midget, and sprint car racer. He had
one NASCAR Grand National victory at Old Dominion Speedway in 1958. He also won
the 1952 NASCAR modified title, where he may have scored at least 100 wins.
Schneider began his career in 1947 by winning $70 for driving his street car to
a seventh place at Flemington Speedway. Schneider is believed to have won at
least 750 races in the next thirty years. He routinely raced eight races per
week (in several classes). He reportedly scored at least 100 wins in 1958.
Schneider won the Langhorne National Open, the country's most noted event for
Sportsman and Modified racers, in 1954 and again in 1962. He scored his last
feature win in 1977 at the 1/2-mile dirt track Nazareth Speedway.
1991
Ernie Irvan
won the NASCAR Winston Cup Bud at the Glen over Ricky Rudd at the Watkins Glen
International, Watkins Glen, NY.
J. D. (John Delphus) McDuffie ... Died ... A NASCAR Series driver. He
made his debut in 1963 at Myrtle Beach Speedway, finishing 12th out of 18
drivers. He went on to finish in the top ten in points twice in his career and
won the pole position for the 1978 Delaware 500. He fielded his own team for
most of his career. His underfunded efforts made him a fan favorite, especially
as his career ran down and he only ran selected races. McDuffie was involved in
an accident in the opening laps of the 1991 Bud at the Glen race at Watkins
Glen International Raceway. Turning into turn 5, a brake failure resulted in
the loss the right rear wheel on his car, at perhaps the worst place in racing
to have such a failure. Unable to slow the car at all, and with an absence of a
gravel trap, McDuffie skidded across the grass and slammed with tremendous
velocity into the tire barrier outside the high speed right-hander. The force
of the impact flipped the car and kept it airborne as Jimmy Means, also
collected in the accident, crashed underneath him. Means was able to slow his
car substantially before crashing and avoid injury, but the sheer violence of
the J.D.'s impact with the tires made the impact unsurvivable
for McDuffie. McDuffie's fatal wreck, and a serious
injury to Tom Kendall six weeks earlier in the Camel Continental VIII, led to a
new bus stop chicane shortly before Turn 5 to slow down cars entering the turn.
News
from the AARN:
From
their July 26th edition:
Ernie
Saxton, in his column, was touching base on the possibility of having heat
races rather than time trials for NASCAR Cup race. He had some valid points. He was also wondering why race tracks have
all their grandstands open when qualifying is being held. Both he and I would like to know why people
go out and spend money for seats at a major racing event, then stand up through
most of it?
There
will be over $80,000.00 being paid out at Selinsgrove for the 11th
annual Mach 1 Chassis National Open for 358 & 360 Sprint Cars on 9/3, and
for the Jim Nace Memorial – the 29th annual National
Open for 410’s on 9/17.
In
most every issue of the AARN, there are notices of those from the racing world
that have left us. Those listed in this
issue were Ed Pratt, a driver from the 60’s & 70’s, Robert Hendrickson, a
driver from the 7-‘s & 80’s and Joe Inglin, Jr. a
Late Model driver that ran Flemington.
When
the World of Outlaw Sprint Cars raced at
Brett
Hearn inched closer to the 800 feature win column when he won the 358 Modified
feature the night the WoO was at the Valley. That win gives him a guaranteed starting spot
for the 359 Modified race at OCFS for Eastern States Weekend.
Looking
through the midget race results for this area, I see that the ARDC had 27 cars
at Big Diamond and NEMA had 17 cars at Seekonk.
Ted
Christopher, well know race winner in asphalt Modifieds,
has also done pretty well lately in Super Modifieds.
Every
week there’s an ad in the AARN for the Xcel 600 Modifieds. They sell – basically race ready, for
$9,995.00. Their phone number is
610-681-2689, and their website is: www.xcelchassis.com
On
August 9th, at Penn Can, in their “Shot Summer Night” race for both
Big Block and Small Block Modifieds, the winner will
get at least $5,000.00 to win the 60 lap race.
The
American Canadian Tour (ACT) Late Model
All Star Challenge at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Friday, 8/12 and
Saturday, 8/13, pays $172,000.00. So far
there are over 70 entrants. That race is
part of the IZOD Indycar Series weekend. NASCAR Modifieds
are also in action that weekend.
Race
chaser Guy Smith has now been to 1,385 different tracks.
On
the back page of the AARN is an ad for G. Stone – Commercial Division, which
sells most everything, especially Toter homes,
trailers and other big “toys”.
An
example: A United Specialties Toter home/S&S race trailer combo – 61,000 miles, CAT
Diesel power, Diesel Generator, 52’ S&S race trailer with Factory Living
Quarters, Power Side Out, AC, Full bath, Dinette, Range, Fridge, TV, Stereo,
sleeps 4 – trailer cost over $100,000.00 originally, Full price:
$96,900.00. (Is that a good deal – I don’t know, but sounds good to me).
Cell: 802-349-5020 Office: 802-388-9599
Website: GstoneEquipment.com and GstoneMotors.com
More
racin’ stuff:
Matt McLaughlin’s Thinking Out Loud: Brickyard 400 Race Recap:
In part:
“*The
Key Moment *– With three laps to go Paul Menard had saved enough fuel he could
relight the afterburners and hold off a hard-charging Jeff Gordon for the final
few laps.
The Nationwide drivers were almost universal in
expressing their disappointment next year’s event will be held at the Brickyard
rather than the short track. Most went on to add they hoped eventually they’d
be back to the old IRP. Based on what I saw this
weekend, maybe it’s time to move the Cup cars to the short track, too.”
More of his thoughts can be found if you go here: http://www.frontstretch.com/mmclaughlin/34759/
Racing and
television:
Racing on TV - http://www.racefantv.com/USTV.htm
Some non-racing stuff:
“There are nearly
1.7 million homes in the
Increasingly, it
appears banks are turning to demolition teams instead of realtors to rid them
of their least valuable repossessed homes. Last month, Bank
of America announced plans to demolish 100 foreclosed
homes in the
http://news.yahoo.com/bulldoze-way-foreclose-102000063.html
From
an e-mail I received last Saturday:
EUROPEAN
LIFE DIED IN AUSCHWITZ
The following is a copy of an article written by Spanish writer
Sebastian Vilar Rodrigez
and published in a Spanish newspaper on Jan..
15 2008. It doesn't take much imagination to
extrapolate the message
to the rest of
IT WAS IN A SPANISH PAPER
Date: Tue. 15 January 2008 14:30
EUROPEAN LIFE DIED IN AUSCHWITZ
By Sebastian Vilar Rodrigez
I walked down the street in Barcelona , and
suddenly discovered a
terrible truth - Europe died in Auschwitz
... We killed six million
Jews and replaced them with 20 million Muslims. In
burned a culture, thought, creativity, talent.
We destroyed the
chosen people, truly chosen, because they produced great and wonderful
people who changed the world.
The contribution of this people is felt in all areas of life: science,
art, international trade, and above all, as the conscience of the
world. These are the people we burned.
And under the
pretense of tolerance, and because we wanted to prove to
ourselves that we were cured of the disease of racism, we opened our
gates to 20 million Muslims, who brought us stupidity and ignorance,
religious extremism and lack of tolerance, crime and poverty, due to
an unwillingness to work and support their families with pride.
They have blown up our trains and turned our beautiful Spanish cities
into the third world, drowning in filth and crime.
Shut up in the apartments they receive free from the government, they
plan the murder and destruction of their naive hosts.
And thus, in our misery, we have exchanged culture for fanatical
hatred, creative skill for destructive skill, intelligence for
backwardness and superstition.
We have exchanged the pursuit of peace of the Jews of Europe and their
talent for a better future for their children, their determined
clinging to life because life is holy, for those who pursue death, for
people consumed by the desire for death for themselves and others, for
our children and theirs.
What a terrible mistake was made by miserable
A lot of Americans have become so insulated from reality that they
imagine
themselves.
Recently,
the
school curriculum because it 'offends' the Muslim population which
claims it never occurred. It is not removed as yet. However, this is
a frightening portent of the fear that is gripping the world and how
easily each country is giving into it.
It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in
This e-mail is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the, 6
million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians, and 1,900
Catholic priests who were 'murdered, raped, burned, starved, beaten,
experimented on and humiliated' Now, more than ever, with Iran, among
others, claiming the Holocaust to be 'a myth,' it is imperative to
make sure the world never forgets.
This e-mail is intended to reach 400 million people. Be a link in the
memorial chain and help distribute this around the world.
How many years will it be before the attack on the
'NEVER HAPPENED' because it offends some Muslim in the
Do not just delete this message; it will take only a minute to pass
this along. Wake up
Can we expect to see a lot more like this, in the near future?
“
Receiver Robert G.
Flanders described the step as one of last resort after city taxes had been
raised and services cut "to the bone," and after municipal retirees
and current workers failed to agree on deep -- but voluntary -- cuts to their
pensions and benefits.”
More can be found,
here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Cashstrapped-RI-city-files-apf-1809896377.html?x=0
A little about
Is
this true?:
"If we took away the minimum wage -- if conceivably it was gone -- we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment completely because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level”
Any idea as to who it was that said that? You might be surprised. Look for the answer at the end of this weeks column.
Video time:
You might want to
skip this if you’re not a fan of Johnny Cash and his guitar player, the late
Luther Perkins or singer Raul Malo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYUDJ2Dc-Vc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo7QEAXZbpM&feature=related
And here’s Raul Malo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSZuMouUnlE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu8e01M6gwY&feature=related
Closing with this:
Not jokes, this week, but
some helpful, to some, tips on saving dollars for us “older” folks: This is Part 1 of a few parts over these next
few weeks.
Gone are the days of your grandmother’s
“early bird special” at the local diner. As our baby boomers reach retirement
age, hundreds of retailers are featuring new and improved discounts exclusively
for the 60 and older crowd. We have composed a list of senior savings that will
help you keep more cash in your pocket. Whoever said getting older was a bad
thing, obviously didn’t know about these fantastic senior discounts! This list
is not all inclusive. Whataburger gives Seniors over
55 a free drink. I added this to the list. If you don't ask, you won't get it.
Restaurants
Who said it:
Michele Bachmann, Jan. 2005 – and she is wanting to run for President????
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