Racin'
& Internet Stuff:
By Tom Avenengo
Volume # 69
08/25/2011
First:
I have one of those big desk calendars – the kind you can write stuff
on for references. For some unknown
reason, I failed to make an entry for the date of August 9th, other
than the mention of a daughter’s birthday.
What I failed to put on that date was the fact that it was on August 9,
1910 when we lost Eric Koster. It’s on my calendar, now.
I happened to find this about Koster, after
doing a search -
Here’s what was said about him from
“Eric Koster's Death Leaves Void
in
As another school year starts in the Frank Batten
College of Engineering and Technology, faculty and staff in the Department of
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering are sad about the void among their ranks.
Eric Koster, the
Bob Ash, professor of mechanical and aerospace
engineering at ODU, said Koster's passing is a huge loss to the entire college.
"In 1999, Eric responded to a help wanted ad
to work at the Langley Full Scale Wind Tunnel, and when he interviewed with Jim
Cross and Bill Swart, they hired him on the spot," Ash said.
"During Eric's shortened life, he drove race
cars, built race cars and specialized in building racing engines. When he
joined the ODU wind tunnel staff, he brought a level of motorsports racing
knowledge and enthusiasm that was contagious. He also found out that he really
loved working with our students."
The ODU Research Foundation hired Koster in 1999 as
director of motorsports operations and marketing for the Langley Full Scale
Tunnel at Langley Air Force Base. He laid the foundation for ODU to build and
operate a rolling road wind tunnel in Southside
"Eric had a passion and dedication to student
projects and motorsports academics in general," Ash said. "He was a
major factor in defining the graduate degree content in motorsports engineering
and in our recruiting efforts."
Ash said Koster's biggest contribution was in
support of the Society of Automotive Engineers competitions, which ODU teams of
engineering students have entered across
"He was often the sole source of encouragement
and technical support, not to mention the substantial contributions of time and
money he made to our program. He personally sustained that activity for many
years with little credit," Ash said.
A byproduct of Koster's work as director of
motorsports is the relationship ODU enjoys with the VIR in
"Through his work, ODU now operates a chassis
dynamometer laboratory at the VIR track and our motorsports engineering
students are able to test their projects on that track," Ash said.
Efforts are continuing to incorporate the
university's rolling road system into a world-class wind tunnel, now that the
Langley Full Scale Tunnel has been decommissioned.
"It was only through Eric's efforts that ODU
was able to acquire this pivotal state-of-the-art piece of testing equipment,
positioning us to sustain a national leadership role in ground vehicle aerodynamics,"
Ash said.
Koster is survived by two daughters and their
families, two sisters and five grandchildren.
This article was posted on:
September 14, 2010
Office of University Relations
Room 100 Koch Hall
I also found a photo of him
while doing a search. Here it is,
below. For those of you on DTD, you’ll
have to go to New England Tractor’s website to view it. http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/
Second:
It seems that “Mother Nature” always seems to mess up our weekends,
doesn’t it? This past weekend it was
Friday night, and again, in some places, on Sunday, too. What hurts, in a way, is that in a lot of
cases, point battles are coming to an end and when races get lost, they don’t
get made up. Still, when a driver is leading in points, you really can’t take
it away from him – he earned it.
Now, it looks like “Irene” might do a job this coming weekend. Somehow I have the feeling that the forecast
for Sunday – rain/wind will get here a tad earlier. Time will tell.
Third:
This past Saturday I went to OCFS. Prior to going into the stands, I had an opportunity top have a nice chat with Gary Palmer, the owner of the Accord Speedway. Some things, for now, were told in confidence, and some were discussed where I can make mention of them. Mr. Palmer, as it is probably pretty well known, is a big fan of open wheel racing – Midgets & Sprint Cars – in fact he is now the owner of a 305 Sprint Car. Does that mean we’ll see more 305 Sprint Car races at the “Big A”? No, not really.
This past season, Mr. Palmer tried running Legends cars
every other week, with the Lightning Sprints in action when the Legends were
not scheduled. Somehow, the Legends
really didn’t get many cars – maybe three at the most on a given Friday night,
and if I’m not mistaken, they are now off of what remains of the 2011
schedule. Well, for next year Mr. Palmer
will try something else instead of the Legends cars – 4 Cylinder powered
cars. He’s had some input from some of
those that run at
So, if you think you might be interested in running a 4
Cylinder car at Accord, or maybe even interesting in obtaining one –
contact Mr. Palmer. He might be able to
help ya out.
One thing Mr. Palmer and I seem to agree on is that the low turnout this
past year, on Friday nights, for the Legends cars is that locally, they run at
the Bethel Speedway on Saturday’s and in a way, most of them did not want to
risk the possibility of having problems on a Friday night that might hurt their
racing at Bethel, on Saturdays, where they run there every week for
points. I just hope that Accord will be
able to pull some cars from
As I said, he’s an open wheel-racing fan. While we were in the stands, I had Pete
Kessler behind me, and Mr. Palmer in front of me. I happened to make mention to Pete about a
possible bus trip to
Fourth:
I usually start on these columns on Sunday
afternoons. This past Sunday, I had my
TV on and was checking out all the aluminum that was showing at the Michigan
Speedway. Granted,
Fifth:
Tomas Scheckter on dirt:
Indycar driver Tomas Scheckter had the opportunity to drive a 410-winged Sprint Car on a ¼ mile dirt track.
In part:
“The first problem
for me was getting into the car. I did not know the standard process of legs
first, arms first, body first and it was an awkward experience. After getting
in everything felt good. There is a fuel line that runs past your legs that you
have to turn on as they push you off. I thought to myself- “this is a car that
takes me at least 30 seconds to get in and out and I have a fuel line running
over my knee… forget about it dirt racing.” This is a pure raving machine made
from Molly chrome bars, a 900 hp engine, and a huge wing that weighs about 1400
pounds. You are pretty much strapped to a rocket ship. The first couple of laps
were for me to pack the track some more and get the engine temps into the optimal
range. As most of you know, I get bored quickly and was so anxious to see what
this beast had. I started to get on it in a couple corners and then brought it
in. As a result I was told off because the engine temps were not right.”
“I had a brief conversation
with Jimmy Vasser and he was proud I gave it a go but
hesitated when I said I wanted to race. I know I still have a ton to learn but
having a great team with great equipment and being able to cross over from Indy
to dirt would be awesome for both sports. Maybe we would see more Indycar drivers, instead of playing tennis, golf, and
sitting at their country clubs, getting out and mixing it up at their local
dirt track.”
http://blog.indycar.com/2011/08/12/tomas-scheckter-sideways-in-the-dirt/
Sixth:
The Don Edmunds Independent Suspension Midget
Scroll down to the eighth entry and you’ll come to the video. Maybe if this car weren’t outlawed right off the bat, we’d still have Midgets and Sprint Car drivers as a good part of the “Road to Indy”, instead of mostly road racers getting into it.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=236178&page=775
Seventh:
Wow! Per my thinking - not nice,
at all. What follows is on the
Dirt Track Digest’s forum. It’s about an
ad that a track put out to kind of entice fans to come – an ad that really
didn’t tell the whole story, as you’ll see if, and when, you go to the link
supplied.
“Just when you think
http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/DTD/index.php?/topic/40557-malta-does-it-again/”
Eighth:
Probably old news
by now, but two racetracks are for sale.
Whether they remain as racetracks – time will tell.
WEST HAVEN -- One of
Devil’s Bowl Speedway, a paved half-mile track operating in 2011 under NASCAR
sanction, is for sale, according to founder and owner C.J. Richards. Richards,
74, built the
Devil’s Bowl opened as a dirt track in 1967, was paved in 1972, and reverted
back to dirt in 1975. Richards and CVRA acquired Albany-Saratoga in 1977, and
also operated Airborne Speedway in
Richards insists, despite declining car counts this season and weather-related
cancelations in each of the last two weeks, that both Devil’s Bowl and
Albany-Saratoga will finish their 2011 racing seasons as originally scheduled.
“We’ve made a commitment to NASCAR and our supporters, and we will see those
through to the end of the year,” C.J. Richards told Vermont Motorsports
Magazine on Monday. “Hopefully someone will pick up the
Richards says the decision to sell the
“The business climate has really been on the forefront in
Albany-Saratoga Speedway’s next event is scheduled for Friday at 7:00pm;
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is scheduled to run at 6:00pm on Sunday.
Ninth:
While I was getting
things out of the AARN for this column, Ernie Saxton made mention of some “Junior” tickets that are available for the
Here’s the low down
on those “Junior” tickets:
Junior tickets for
Dover
International Speedway expands junior seating options
for
Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2011 race weekend
Tickets for juniors, ages 14 and younger, start at just $8
Junior seating for the Oct. 2 race has been expanded
to include Turn 2 and Turn 3 at the Monster Mile, in sections 137-144, rows
1-15, and sections 194-207, rows 1-15. The available seating areas include
seven alcohol- and tobacco-free sections. For the Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 races,
junior seating is available in all sections of Dover International Speedway.
“Due to high interest in our reduced-price junior
seats, we are increasing availability to meet demand,” said Denis McGlynn, president and CEO of Dover Motorsports, Inc. “Our
junior seating sections sold out for our May 15, 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
race, so we want to be ready to accommodate the young NASCAR fans of tomorrow
this fall.”
With the purchase of one adult ticket in the
designated junior seating sections, there is no limit to the amount of junior
tickets that can be purchased.
For more information or to purchase tickets to the
Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2011 race weekend, call 800-441-RACE or visit
DoverSpeedway.com.
#
# #
Dover Motorsports, Inc. is a leading promoter of NASCAR sanctioned motorsports
events whose subsidiaries own and operate Dover International Speedway in
Tenth:
It is possible,
maybe even late on Monday nights, to go to the AARN’s
website and get a glimpse of what might be in the coming weeks
edition.
On Tuesday night, I
thought I’d check the AARN’s website out and found
these news items:
North/South
Shootout Asphalt Modified racing on the move again
VP Racing Fuels has been sold. Find out what that means to the racing
community.
Cayuga County Speedway will re-open this year for two races under
new promoter Jeremy Corcoran.
Is Utica Rome Speedway for sale?
J.J. Grasso finds a new ride for the remainder of the URC Sprint
Car season.
Note: Nothing mentioned as
to whether Ted Christopher has a ride, though.
Eleventh:
Found this on Jayski’s website on Wednesday, but I imagine you might have
already heard about this:
Kyle Busch has
pleaded guilty after he was cited for speeding more than 128 miles per hour in
a 45 mph zone in
Twelfth:
Famous race driver
Ray Tilley has passed away.
This, from the
Selinsgrove Speedway’s website:
“Gentleman. Dedicated
“It was an honor and pleasure when Ray would visit Selinsgrove Speedway in
recent years,” said speedway communications director Steve Inch. “He was a true
gentleman and always very humble when asked about his extraordinary
achievements in racing. Ray was one of the legends of our sport whose legacy
was accomplished in just a few short years. Our condolences go out to the
entire Tilley family.”
Driving the famous Ford-powered No. 88 owned by
Tilley currently holds
the all-time win record at Selinsgrove in the bug/sprint car division with 69
victories, a record that may never be broken. Second on the win list is the
late Mitch Smith with 58, followed in third by Fred Rahmer
with 54 victories. He clinched back-to-back track championships at Selinsgrove
in 1965-66 and again in 1968-69.
Tilley’s racing career started shortly after he was discharged from the service
in 1957. He raced sportsman cars at
Tilley won 178 bug/sprint car features at Selinsgrove, Williams Grove,
Susquehanna,
In 1969, Tilley was critically injured in a modified championship race at
Langhorne Speedway. Following his recuperation and sitting out a year from the
accident, Tilley attempted a comeback but ultimately decided, with input from
his family, to retire from racing.
In 2002, Tilley
returned to Selinsgrove Speedway for his first visit in more than 30 years and
participated in an autograph session with fellow champion Lynn Paxton. In
recent years, he would make periodic visits to the track and always take time
for interviews on the speedway’s public address system.
Tilley is survived by his wife, Ruth, and sons Bryon, Thurmon,
and Roger. Cards can reach the Tilley family at:
http://www.selinsgrovespeedway.com/
Thirteenth:
Looking at the
point chase at the Lebanon Valley Speedway, in the Modified class, I see that
Ken Tremont, Jr. has 682 points, while Brett Hearn has 680. Three point races remain – at least I believe
their “Mr. Dirt” race is a point show – that being on August 25th,
then a regular show on the 27th and September 3rd closes
out the point chase. Tremont has yet to
win a feature in 2011.
Fourteenth:
Uh oh – might
“Mother Nature” mess up Lebanon Valleys MR.
DIRT Track
Tomorrow: Showers early
then scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. A few storms may be
severe. High 77F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of
rain 50%.
Tomorrow night: Scattered
thunderstorms during the evening followed by a few showers overnight. A few
storms may be severe. Low 63F. Winds SW at 5 to 10
mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Note # 1: Word I’ve seen on
the Internet is no rain date set – yet – kinda like
ESW – you never see a published rain date for that event, either. Come to think about it, I think that the “Big
Show” SDS races are really the only ones that actually mentioned a rain date –
except for maybe the Modified race at SDW, which most everyone knows would be
on Monday.
Note # 2: As of 10:00 PM on
Wednesday, the forecast for
Fifteenth:
As I was finishing up this column early on Wednesday
evening, I had my TV on and had it on SPEED TV to catch some of the Truck race
from
Sixteenth:
I was rather surprised to see Matt Hitchcock driving one of the Sherlock # 10 Modifieds at OCFS last Saturday. As far as I know, if you move up to the Modifieds from the Sportsman class, you must stay Modified. I wonder what Matt will be driving, if anything, at Accord this Friday? He’s right up there in the “Spec” point chase, I believe.
Seventeenth:
I’ve noticed that the NASCAR Truck Series race at
Doing a search on female starters (flaggers) in auto racing, I found one - Lisa Simoni, who is Starter / Flagger Infineon Raceway 2001 – Present (10 years)
Oh, that starter at
A little about her can be read, here: http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/features/conversation/11/06/kim.lopez.truck.starter/
Eighteenth:
Credit/Debit cards – most of us use them. How often do you actually give your card to someone, and they have to leave to take care of the transaction? When they return with your card, do you check to make sure that it is yours? I read the other day how sometimes your card can be replaced by one that is outdated. Just a helpful tip for ya – check to insure that the returned card is actually yours. Hey, ya never know!
Coming up:
Accord:
August 24th:
Mid
Week Madness.
August 26th:
Tom’s
Auto Repair Night – Racing all divisions plus Lightning Sprints.
August 31st:
Mid Week Madness – last
of this season, I believe.
September 2nd:
September 9th:
Taylor Rental Night –
Last night for points. Racing in all divisions plus Lightning Sprints. Short Track Super National
qualifier.
September 16th:
Rain
date for last night of points – if needed.
OCFS:
August 27th:
Accord
September 3rd:
WLR Construction - CHAMPION'S NIGHT - End of Points - Kids Club -
Officials Race - M/SP/PRO/SS
September 10th:
Superior Remodeling – Eastern States
qualifier for Modifieds. CRSA 305
Sprint Cars. Northeast
Vintage Modifieds. Old
September 17th:
August 25th:
CARQUEST Auto Parts & General Tire Present
$17,500 TO WIN “MR. DIRT Track
August 27th:
V.P. Race Fuels
S.E.F. & Heavy Hauler Present “BACK TO SCHOOL” With Kiddie
Rides, Weekly Divisions & 4-Cylinders
September 3rd:
J.H. Financial
& Pepsi Present Championship Night $3,000 To Win
Modified Feature, Weekly Divisions, 358 Modifieds -
Final Night Of Points For DIRT Modifieds, 358 Modifieds &
DIRT Prostocks (
September 10th:
Jim Langenback Memorial Race – 54 lap Pro
Stock Main Event – Ssportsman, Budget Sportsman, Pro
Stock, ECHO Series, 4 Cylinders and the 8th Annual Boomer’s
Performance 20-lap Pure Stock classic.
September 17th:
2011 Season points final – Sportsman, Budget Sportsman (LV & Accord
602 chase), Pro Stocks, 4 Cylinders and Vintage Modifieds.
August 27th:
Nostalgia Night
Sportsman, Pro Stock, Bandoleros, BMS Modified,
Street Stock, 4 Cylinder
Northeast Vintage
Dirt Modifieds
September 3rd:
Sportsman, Pro Stock, Legends, Bandoleros,
Street Stock, 4 Cylinder
September 10th:
Sportsman, Pro Stock, Bandoleros, BMS Modified,
Street Stock, 4 Cylinder
Special Show – TBA
September 17th:
Sportsman, Pro Stock, Legends, Bandoleros,
Street Stock, 4 Cylinder
September 24th:
Sportsman, Pro Stock, Legends, Bandoleros,
BMS Modified, Street Stock, 4 Cylinder
Empire Sport
Trucks
Hinchliffe
Stadium:
For last years
“Expo”: http://www.carlsign.com/hinchliffe.html
Note: Excellent directions in the above link.
Found
on Jayski’s website:
Jack Roush ready to
resume flying:
It was a year ago
when Sprint Cup car owner Jack Roush arrived at MIS with facial injuries,
making his return to the series after he had crash-landed his plane in
Note: I dunno about this
one! He’s had two (strikes) crashes over
these last few years – one more and he might be out. Personally, I’m surprised that the FAA is
allowing him to go back to being a pilot, again.
Ford proposing
NASCAR version of the X-Games?:
A
NASCAR version of the X-Games? Something like that is what Ford Motor Company is
proposing to NASCAR executives, as a way to use NASCAR to promote new small
street cars, to the $14,000 MSRP youthful demographic. How much interest other
car companies might have in any such NASCAR/X-Games venture is not clear.
Chevrolet racing boss Jim Campbell, who is using Sunday's
Kyle Busch
Qualifies for Sprint Summer Showdown:
With his win in
Sunday's Pure Michigan 400, #18-Kyle Busch is qualified to be a finalist for a
chance to earn a $3 million payout in the Sprint Summer Showdown. If Busch can
also win the AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
on Labor Day weekend, he will claim the Sprint Summer Showdown title and win $1
million for himself, $1 million for his designated charity, Kyle Busch
Foundation, and $1 million dollars for a lucky race fan. Later this week a fan
will be randomly selected from the pool of entrants who correctly picked Busch
to win the Pure Michigan 400 at sprint.com/speed. That lucky fan will enjoy an
all-expenses paid trip to Atlanta Motor Speedway and be there in person to see
whether Busch can win at
Fans should visit sprint.com/speed before the final qualifying race next
Saturday evening to choose which driver they think will win at Bristol Motor
Speedway. A different fan will be randomly selected after each race and will be
in
Name, Race, Designated Charity
#27-Paul Menard, Indianapolis, Habitat for Humanity
#2-Brad Keselowski, Pocono, Brad Keselowski's
Checkered Flag Foundation
#9-Marcos Ambrose, Watkins Glen International, Victory Junction
#18-Kyle Busch, Michigan, Kyle Busch Foundation
Bristol Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway
(Sprint Summer Showdown PR), for more
info see Jayski's Contest page.(8-21-2011)
Stewart still mum
about Danica:
Tony Stewart met
with members of the media at Michigan International Speedway and discussed a
few items, and was asked about Danica Patrick, the
transcript in part:
CAN YOU ADDRESS THE DANICA SITUATION?
Stewart: "It's like I've always said when we have something to tell
everybody we'll tell them but there's nothing to tell yet. I know there's a lot
of speculation but there is nothing to really talk about yet."
I'VE HEARD FROM MANY SOURCES
Stewart: "I don't care about your sources. When we have something
to talk about we'll talk about it. I promise we won't leave any of you guys out
I promise."
DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE SOON?
Stewart: "What will be soon? I don't know. I don't know. If we knew
that we'd already be talking about it wouldn't we. When we have something to
talk about I promise you I will not let any of you be late for the deal."
YOU'RE STILL OBVIOUSLY LOOKING TO ADD A THIRD TEAM
Stewart: "We've said that from day one. We've never wavered from
that, never said anything different from that. We're definitely to a third team
and want to be a four-car team eventually."(Team Chevy)(8-20-2011)
No 2012 plans for
Martin yet:
Mark Martin is
emphatic when talking about his lack of 2012 plans and he isn't looking for a
full-time ride anyway. "I have nothing, and it don't
matter," Martin said Friday at Michigan International Speedway. "I'll
have nothing until I have something. You guys don't even need to ask because
there is absolutely goose egg going on. There ain't no hiding [information], no nothing. I think there will be
shuffle, but it will be late. There's going to be something for me. I'm not in
a running for a full-time Cup ride; I never have even really wanted one."
He knows he won't be back at Hendrick Motorpsorts, and he said he has always raced in the moment,
not thinking about building for years to come. Obviously one of the possible
scenarios is Martin sharing a third Stewart-Haas Racing car with Danica Patrick, who is expected to run at least seven or
eight Cup races for the team in 2012. Martin and SHR would need to find
sponsorship for him to run the races Patrick doesn't.(SceneDaily)(8-20-2011)
Former
At
Danny Creeden had a 3rd and 13th place
finishes in the Modified features at 5 Mile Point.
At Fonda, in the
CRSA 305 Sprint Car feature, Josh Pieniazek was 8th,
Brittany Tresch 10th, Danny Hennessy 12th,
John Virgilio 18th and Emily VanInwegen 22nd.
At OCFS, in the
Modified feature, Tim Hindley was 5th,
Mike Ruggiero 12th, Michael Storms 16th, Matt Hitchcock
18th (moved up from Sportsman) and Billy VanInwegen
24th. Brian Krummel was 3rd, Anthony Perrego
6th, John Lodini 7th, Matt Janiak 11th, Zack Vavricka
14th, Jason Roe 16th, RJ Smykla
19th and Keith Still 22nd in the Sportsman feature. Kyle Redner was a
DNQ.
Tiffany Wambold was 6th in the 270 Micro Sprint feature
and Luke Schostkewitz 2nd in the 600 Micro
Sprint feature at Borgers.
Note: The 600 finish was unofficial due to an
impending fuel check.
Johnny Guarino returned to the New Egypt Speedway and was 25th
in the Modified feature on 8/20. He went
back on Tuesday, 8/23 and had another 25th place finish in that
nights Modified feature.
Rich Coons won the
regularly scheduled feature and was 9th in the held over feature at
At Utica/Rome, in
the ESS Sprint Car feature, Josh Pieniazek was 22nd.
Brian Sobus had a 14th place finish in the Super modified feature at
Jacob Hendershot was 4th in the 270 Micro Sprint
feature and 6th in the 600 Micro Sprint feature at Wyalusing.
Thirty one names
this week.
Sorry if I missed
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 August 26th to September 1st.
AUGUST 26
1925
Bobby Ball... Born ... AAA driver from the early 1950's. On January 4,
1953, he was involved in an accident at Carrell
Speedway,
1944
Johnny Parsons... Born ...
Parsons is the son of Arza and 1950
1946
Swede Savage... Born ...
Savage started racing 1/4 midgets then motorcycles and karts. He then graduated
to NASCAR, Can-Am, Trans-A and finally into Indy cars where he tragically lost
his life as a result of injuries sustained in the Indy 500 in 1973.
1984
Jimmy Wilburn... Died ...
He won a non-points Championship Car race at Lakewood Speedway in March of 1946
which is the first known Champ Car race to be held after the end of World War
II. Later that year he drove in the 1946
AUGUST 27
1910
Famous midget racer Johnny
Ritter was born in
2007
Ebb Rose... Died ... USAC
racer from the 1960's
AUGUST 28
1924
Jimmy Daywalt
... Born ... Jimmy drove AAA sprint cars and in the AAA and USAC Championship
Car series, racing in the 1950, 1953-1957, 1959, and 1961-1962 seasons with 20
starts. He finished in the top ten 3 times. His best finish was in the 1953
1961
Art Malone drove the 'Mad
Dog IV' to a world record speed of 181.561 mph at Daytona International
Speedway. Bill France had posted an award of $10,000 to anyone who could post a
speed in excess of 180 mph on a closed course speedway. Bob Osiecki
of
AUGUST 29
1988
A granddaughter, Angelina
Rizzo was born. Sadly, she left us three
months later.
1993
Roger McCluskey...
Died ... McCluskey was one of the most successful
drivers in USAC history. McCluskey won the USAC
sprint-car championship in 1963 and 1966 and won the USAC stock-car crown in
1969 and 1970. A fifth USAC title came in the Champ Car (Indy car) division in
1972. McCluskey owns 23 victories in both the USAC
sprint-car and stock-car divisions, and his five Indy car and four midget
triumphs give him 55-all time USAC victories. McCluskey
made 18 Indy 500 starts with a best finish of third. He is a member of the
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of
Fame. Roger McCluskey lost his battle with cancer
just five days before his 63rd birthday on Aug. 29, 1993.
AUGUST 30
1937
Bruce McLaren ... Born ...
He was a race-car designer, driver, engineer and inventor. His name lives on in
Team McLaren which has been one of the most successful in Formula One
championship history, with McLaren cars and drivers winning a total of 19 world
championships. McLaren cars totally dominated CanAm
sports car racing with 56 wins, a considerable number of them with him behind
the wheel, between 1967 and 1972 (and five constructors’ championships), and
have won three Indianapolis 500 races, as well as 24 Hours of Le Mans and 12
Hours of Sebring.
1959
Ed Elisian
... Died ... Ed was an American racing driver, mainly competing in the National
Championship. He died in a crash at the Milwaukee Mile. n
the 1955
1969
Johnny Coy won the ARDC
Midget race at the Flemington Fair Speedway,
Johnny Coy won the ARDC
Midget race at the Wall Township Speedway,
Note: I'm willing to bet he won both
races, one on dirt, the other on asphalt, with the same car.
AUGUST 31
1918
Bill Homeier
... Born ... AAA and USAC driver. In the Championship Car
series, racing in the 1953-1955 and 1958-1960 seasons with 14 starts, including
the 1954 and 1960
1947
Bob Muhlke ,in front of 24,342
fans, won the 25 lap Chicago Auto Racing Association Midget race at the Soldier
Field in
Note: As you can see by the attendance, midget
racing was real big back then.
1963
Billy Vukovich
III... Born ... He was a three-time starter of the
2006
Mike Magill... Died ...
Three time United Racing Club champion 1950, 1951 and 1953. Ran AAA and USAC
from 1955 to 1961
SEPTEMBER 1
1941
Rex Mays won the AAA
sanctioned
1957
Van Johnson and Ralph Ligouri won the 50 Mile USAC sanctioned Sprint Car races on
the 1-mile dirt oval at the Langhorne Speedway,
Note: When is the last time there was a 50-mile
Sprint Car race run? Any
idea?
News
from the AARN:
From
their August 16th edition:
In
this issue, there was a somewhat thicker – paper wise, center page (two pages)
that featured, in photos, the career of Brett Hearn. Truly something that a
Brett Hearn fan would surely want and enjoy. The only drawback was that a nice full page
write up, on the two wins at Fonda - # 799 & # 800, by Toby LaGrange was on
the back of the right side of the center page – something that one might want
to put next to the center page. So, if
you’re a Brett Hearn fan and have not seen this center page and might want one,
I can only suggest you contact the AARN at:
http://www.aarn.com/
There
are color photos of Brett in his # 20 Pinto, The VanIderstine
# 20, The Freightliner # 6, The Budweiser # 3 and his current Wentworth # 20 –
black car, along with a pretty good sized photo of Brett, himself.
Hey,
are ya rich?
Can ya afford to spend $150.00 on a ride in a
two seat Supermodified? You can do it at
Ernie
Saxton had quite a lot in his column about his association with Dr. Joe and Dr.
Rose Mattioli.
He also makes mention of Gary Mondschein
having quite a collection of restored racecars, and how he has approached the
ATQMRA about having a Vintage TQ division.
So far he has 15 cars. (I know
where there is at least one more)
Mr.
Saxton was questioning how many short track drivers use the HANS or other type
of neck/head restraint. He (and I do,
too) thinks that all drivers should have some kind of restraining device when
racing.
Did
you hear that Ted Christopher and his car owner, Ed Whelan, have parted? Mr. Whelan says that he needs to take a
break. Christopher was worried about
getting a decent ride for the Bristol Modified race (held on this Wednesday
night – hope ya caught it on live TV).
Note
# 1: Christopher was offered the car by
his car owner, for
Note
# 2: I found this on the Internet: “A few SDW tidbits, Ted Christopher
will attack
If I’m not mistaken, that’s the same car - a Bobby Hearn built TEO, that he drove on the road course in
When
they have the indoor
The
600 Micro Sprints will have two 20-lap features, one on Friday and one on
Saturday. All 600’s must have a straight
front axle. Any 600 that enter the 600
races cannot enter the TQ races, though, but a 600 driver can run in both the
600 and TQ races. (I guess that means
he’d have to use a different 600?). More
info can be seen at: www.aarn.com
Jerry
Gappens is looking to possibly making some changes to
the Saturday part of the Indycar weekend in 2012 at
Indycar has signed a six year contract with ABC, starting in 2013 and going
through 2018.
Jerry
Reigle says that JJ Grasso, the URC point leader, has
lost his ride when car owner Pat Palladino put his
car in the trailer after JJ & he had a discussion when JJ arrived at the
track – Big Diamond, prior to warm-ups and practice.
As
for Jerry and his health situation, he had this to say: “A recent CT Scan produced a less than
desirable outcome”. This past week, he
had cut back his “finals” to 25.
Maybe
you know Jerry, maybe you don’t. I’ve
met him at the EMPA Conventions when I was a member and know that Jerry just
loves racing. So, if
you don’t mind me asking – how about keeping Jerry Reigle
in your prayers, ok?
Donny
Schatz won $151,150.00 when he won the Knoxville Nationals. Shane Stewart won $86,270,00
– Sammy Swindell won $54,400.00 – Tim Shaffer won
$37,280.00 and Brian Brown won $27,100.00
John
Snyder had a page and 2/3 and Toby LaGrange 1/3 page on the racing history of
Brett Hearn. His record speaks for
itself, that’s for sure. What is really
something I show many extra distance (50 laps or more) races he’s won over the years.
Don
and Jo Ann Davies, in their column, make mention that the winner of the Jim Langenback Memorial Pro Stock race at
Ralph
Capitani – I imagine you’ve heard of him –
right? Well, he’s retiring as Director
of Racing at the Knoxville Raceway after 44 years. John McCoy will be taking over.
Are
you thinking of having a booth or something at the 2012 AARN’s
Motor Sports show? If so, you should
contact the paper or call 609-888-3618 so you can get a space. Not too many left.
The
Nazareth Speedway will be the center of attraction when a
Guy
Smith hit track # 1,392 at the Arcadia Carnival Grounds dirt Off-road circuit
at
More
racin’ stuff:
Found this one over on the Frontstretch:
Boys,
Have At It? NASCAR Sending Mixed Signals With
Penalties
By
Summer Dreyer · Wednesday August 24, 2011
In
part:
"Consistency. The word is not typically
associated with NASCAR higher-ups who do the decision making when it comes to
penalties, yet they’ve managed to at least remain consistent in one area this
year.
And
it’s an area I wish they wouldn’t.
“Boys,
have at it” has been a policy NASCAR has supposedly kept since the beginning of
last season, allowing the drivers to police themselves and only reigning them
in when absolutely necessary. For a while they did very well with that. Many
feuds broke out over the course of the 2010 season and if NASCAR reacted, it was
with a proverbial slap on the wrist. Otherwise, it was essentially a free reign
and fans were treated to some fantastic rivalries and some of the best sound
bites in years. Heck, fans even got some cool t-shirts out of it!
The
most recent example of this comes in the form of one Jerry Baxter, crew chief
for Patrick Carpentier in last weekend’s Nationwide
Series race in
Apparently
the apology wasn’t enough for NASCAR as they announced on Tuesday he had been
fined $5,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until December 31st. That was a
rather light penalty in comparison to some previous incidents we’ve seen this
year. For example, Richard Childress was fined $150,000 for an altercation with
Kyle Busch that only a few people saw and Kevin Harvick
and Busch were both fined $25,000 and placed on probation for their “fight” on
pit road in
Which brings me to my previous point regarding
on-track vs. off-track altercations. Apparently NASCAR is all about maintaining a safe
environment in the infield, which leaves drivers the option of “having at it”
on the racetrack. Yes, NASCAR, let’s have them exact their revenge on the
racetrack while they’re going 200+ mph, endangering their fellow drivers who
are not involved in the feud. Makes PERFECT sense!
Let
the drivers have at it off the racetrack, and they are endangering no one but
themselves and providing the “have at it” mentality NASCAR is pushing so hard.
Let them “have at it” on the track, and there is much more at stake.
After
all, every driver occasionally needs a good whoopin’!
Just ask Boris Said!"
More
on this can be found here: http://www.frontstretch.com/sdreyer/35160/
Racing and
television:
Racing on TV - http://www.racefantv.com/USTV.htm
Here’s a heads up
about this coming Saturday nights Cup race from
Found this on Jayski’s website:
ABC alternative TV
coverage of
WKRN,
MORE:
Due to some ABC
affiliates carrying telecasts of NFL pre-season football games or other
programming on Saturday night, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol
will air regionally on ESPN2 in eight markets: Nashville, Tenn.; Duluth and
Rochester, Minn.; Phoenix; Casper, Wy.; Sioux Falls
and Rapid City, S.D.; and Weslaco, Tex. In
Some non-racing stuff:
Is Chevy Volt
Running Out of Juice?
In part:
“Is the Chevrolet
Volt running out of juice? Even as the maker begins its long-promised
production ramp-up, a new study suggests that potential buyers are rapidly
losing interest in the plug-in hybrid vehicle.
Introduced last December, Volt is one of the first new vehicles to test the
potential market for electric propulsion. It has been going head-to-head
with Nissan’s
pure battery-electric LEAF.
Sales of the two vehicles have been marginal, at best, though the makers insist
that has more to do with limited supply than buyer demand.
Through the end of July, Chevy
has sold about 3,200 of the plug-in hybrids compared to 4,500 Nissan
Leafs. But both makers have begun ramping up production, General Motors forecasting
sales of around 16,000 for the year as a whole – including a small number of
Volt clone Opel Amperas targeted at markets abroad.
But a new study by CNW marketing raises a red flag, finding that the potential
buyers GM is most counting on are rapidly losing interest in the Volt. In
March, 21% of so-called Early Adapters said they were “very likely” to consider
buying a Volt, while 38.1% said they were “likely” to do the same. That
slipped to 14.6% saying “very likely” in July, and
31.1% “likely.” Among EV Enthusiasts, reports the CNW study, the number
of those likely or very likely to consider Volt fell from a combined 71% to 51%
during the same four-month period.”
http://autos.yahoo.com/news/is-chevy-volt-running-out-of-juice-.html
This might be old
news by now, but I thought I’d still put it in the column.
Social Security
disability on verge of insolvency
In part:
“WASHINGTON
(AP) — Laid-off workers and aging baby boomers are flooding Social Security's
disability program with benefit claims, pushing the financially strapped system
toward the brink of insolvency.
Applications are up
nearly 50 percent over a decade ago as people with disabilities lose their jobs
and can't find new ones in an economy that has shed nearly 7 million jobs.
The stampede for
benefits is adding to a growing backlog of applicants — many wait two years or
more before their cases are resolved — and worsening the financial problems of
a program that's been running in the red for years.
New congressional
estimates say the trust fund that supports Social Security disability will run
out of money by 2017, leaving the program unable to pay full benefits, unless
Congress acts. About two decades later, Social Security's much larger
retirement fund is projected to run dry as well.”
http://news.yahoo.com/social-security-disability-verge-insolvency-090119318.html
Hmm, looks like
with this huge backlog of applicants some hiring of more employees would seem
rather practical. Question: Might it be possible to put some of those
that are on Social Security Disability to work for the department?
Also, why were we,
who are on Social Security now, threatened by our President at the end of July
about there being a possibility of us not getting our Social Security monies on
time, due to the problems that our government was having – with the monies
apparently in there at that time and until at least 2017? I think with him coming out and saying that
sure didn’t help him any as far as the voters go.
And:
GOP may OK tax
increase that Obama hopes to block
In part:
“WASHINGTON (AP) —
News flash: Congressional Republicans want to raise
your taxes. Impossible, right? GOP lawmakers are so
virulently anti-tax, surely they will fight to prevent a payroll tax increase
on virtually every wage-earner starting Jan. 1, right?
Apparently
not.
Many of the same
Republicans who fought hammer-and-tong to keep the George W. Bush-era income
tax cuts from expiring on schedule are now saying a different
"temporary" tax cut should end as planned. By their
own definition, that amounts to a tax increase.
There are other
differences as well, and Republicans say their stand is consistent with their
goal of long-term tax policies that will spur employment and lend greater
certainty to the economy.
At issue is a tax
that the vast majority of workers pay, but many don't recognize because they don't
read, or don't understand their pay stubs. Workers normally pay 6.2 percent of
their wages toward a tax designated for Social Security. Their employer pays an
equal amount, for a total of 12.4 percent per worker.
As part of a
bipartisan spending deal last December, Congress approved Obama's request to
reduce the workers' share to 4.2 percent for one year; employers' rate did not
change. Obama wants Congress to extend the reduction for an additional year. If
not, the rate will return to 6.2 percent on Jan. 1.”
http://news.yahoo.com/gop-may-ok-tax-increase-obama-hopes-block-124016578.html
New Homeland Security rules allow illegal immigrants with
no criminal record to stay in
In part:
“Many illegal
immigrants who were facing deportation despite having no criminal record will
be allowed to stay in the country and apply for a work permit under new rules
from the Homeland Security Department. Republicans are balking at the change.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced
Thursday that the department will focus on deporting illegal immigrants who are
criminals or pose a threat to national security or public safety.
Napolitano announced the plan in a letter to a group of
senators who support revamping the immigration system. Under the change,
approximately 300,000 deportation cases pending in immigration court will be
reviewed case by case.”
More
can be found if you go here: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2011/08/new_homeland_security_rules_al.html
In part:
“Genna Saucedo supervises cashiers at a Wal-Mart in
Saucedo, who earns
$9.70 an hour for about 26 hours a week and lives with her mother, is one of
the many Americans who survive because of government handouts in what has
rapidly become a food stamp nation.
Altogether, there
are now almost 46 million people in the
At the same time,
the cost doubled to reach $68 billion in 2010 -- more than a third of the
amount the
More on this can be
seen here: http://news.yahoo.com/usa-becomes-food-stamp-nation-sustainable-160645036.html
Is
this true?:
Dunno, but looking at the very end, where it references “Snopes”, and foxnews.com, maybe it is true?
Times
are changing....
TYSON
FOODS ELIMINATES LABOR DAY IN FAVOR OF MUSLIM
CONSIDER
WHAT MAY HAPPEN IF YOU DO NOT BUY ANY FOOD PRODUCTS FROM TYSON....
We
all need to heed this message!!!!!
TYSON
FOODS ELIMINATES LABOR DAY IN FAVOR OF MUSLIM
Tyson
Food in
I
will NO longer purchase any Tyson products.
It's
just one more little chunk of
If
you wish to join me, then let your e-mail friends know this.
If
we don't stand up for something we will fall for anything. All it takes for
"evil to triumph" is for GOOD men/women to do nothing.
Let's
see how many paid holidays you can afford if 300 million Americans don't eat
your chicken!!!
This
was verified:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/outrage.asp
I
did not believe even Snopes, so I checked it out
myself:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,397645,00.html
Video time:
Video # 1:
The art of turning right to
go left:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-_7lhhfySo
Video # 2:
If you recall, in last
week’s column (On the New England Tractor’s website) there were a couple of
still photos of Matt Hitchcock’s accident at the Accord Speedway. Here’s a video of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtPbyTy7hXI&feature=youtu.be
Closing with this:
An old nun who was living in a convent next to a construction site noticed the coarse language of the workers and decided to spend some time with
them to correct their ways.
She decided she would take
her lunch; sit with the workers; and talk with them.
She put her sandwich in a
brown bag and walked over to the spot where the men were eating.
Sporting a big smile, she
walked up to the group and asked: "And do you men know Jesus Christ?"
They shook their heads and
looked at each other.. very
confused.
One of the workers looked
up into the steelworks and yelled out,
"Anybody up there know
Jesus Christ?"
One of the steelworkers
yelled down, "Why?"
The worker yelled back,
"'Cause
his wife's here with his lunch."
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