Racin'
& Internet Stuff:
09/08/2011
First:
There’s a possibility that I might be called for jury duty this week,
with me having to report to the court house on Tuesday AM, so this column might
be slightly abbreviated, due to time constraints. I’ll be doing as much as possible on Sunday
and Monday, which means I might miss some news.
I called, as directed on Monday evening and yes, my number is among
those that were called, and I have to be at the courthouse at 9:30 AM Tuesday
morning, in
Note: On Tuesday I was selected
as a Juror for a case that, as the judge said, might last until September 23rd. As for my Pacemaker setting off any alarms –
didn’t happen. I was allowed to by-pass
the metal detector, but under went a slight “pat-down”.
Second:
When I sent my column into Adam Ross from Dirt Track Digest, last week,
he responded back to me with this:
“Thanks Tom!
I was thinking last night about
you. Do you have any interest in getting more involved with the website?
Clearly from your columns I can see you spend a fair bit of time researching
the industry.
Let me know!
Adam”
Well, I gave it some thought and decided to – what the heck – I’ll give
it a try. We went back and forth a few
times and I was actually able to post my last weeks
column all by myself. More
to follow, of course. One thing
that I’m rather happy about is that once I get things figured out, I should be
able to also post photos in my column on DTD, something that wasn’t possible,
as far as I know, previously.
So, to Adam Ross, I have to thank you for asking me to join up with
your fine group, and for having the trust in me to contribute to your website,
with my ongoing columns and quite possibly some other things, too. I appreciate it!
Third:
While watching the Indycar pre-race show on Versus, Robin Miller was running from driver to driver, hitting them un-aware with his “mic” and the TV cameras – live! He mentioned to one particular person, not a driver, about today’s drivers running at Langhorne. The response was something like “They could never do that”. My thoughts, too.
And
I must also add – what an awful rendition of our National Anthem! Where do they get these people? Jesus!
And
as for the two abreast start – only the first three rows were two abreast. The layout of the track did not allow a full
field of two abreast, and that, to me is a shame.
And
where in the world could you pass? I
think I saw one straight long enough.
A
way too long yellow flag period for one stalled car, as far as I’m concerned,
at around lap 35 or so.
Again,
as for that thing about them running at Langhorne – well, there were some
drivers that were pretty well spent at the end of the race. Could they go 100 miles at the big circle? Dunno, but I know that back in the day, Bill
Schindler did survive and won a 150 mile midget race there.
Fourth:
My eldest son, Tom, Jr. lives up in the
Fifth:
From where I live:
This has been said a few times, now. A grandson of mine, Brett, ran in the
Here’s
a link to a little about the
http://www.pjsoapboxderby.com/
Sixth:
While
watching the rain delay for the Cup race at
Seventh:
From
last weeks column – in part:
“Fourteenth:
Ok, I imagine you might have received
e-mail telling you how much oil we have, under ground, in this country? Well, I got one just prior to sending my
column in this week. Enjoy this
up-setting news, folks! Really makes on
wonder!
From an e-mail I recieved just before
sending this column in:
Subject: OIL IN THE UNITED STATES
In part:
"About 6 months ago, the writer
was watching a news program on oil and one of the Forbes Bros. was the guest.
The host said to Forbes, "I am going to ask you a direct question and I
would like a direct answer; how much oil does the
The U.. S.
Geological Service issued a report in April 2008 that only scientists and oil
men knew was coming, but man was it big. It was a revised report (hadn't been
updated since 1995) on how much oil was in this area of the western 2/3 of
North Dakota, western South Dakota, and extreme eastern Montana ..... check THIS out:
The Bakken is the largest domestic oil
discovery since
"This sizable find is now the
highest-producing onshore oil field found in the past 56 years," reports
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette."
However, a recent technological
breakthrough has opened up the Bakken's massive reserves...... and we now have
access of up to 500 billion barrels. And because this is light, sweet oil,
those billions of barrels will cost Americans just $16 PER BARREL!”
Note:
So why am I putting the above in?
Well, to be honest, I was quite astonded while watching the news on NBC
this past Sunday night when they actually covered this subject – imagine
that? The state involved was mainly
A quick Google search turned up this: http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/04/news/economy/oil_shale_bakken/index.htm
Eighth:
While they were
in the rain delay at
I’m a big Met
fan, and Ike Davis has been out most of the season with an “injured”
ankle. Yes, most of the season.
Ninth:
It was announced
at OCFS this past Saturday night, that ALL re-starts during the Eastern States
200, would be DOUBLE FILE. No, I have no
idea as to what will happen to lapped cars, as of now, and I imagine if I were
to inquire, via e-mail, they (OCFS) would not respond. There was no mention of this also happening
in other feature races during ESW, I should add.
Tenth:
It was a somewhat
sad day at our house on Monday, September 5th – Labor Day. For the first time in some 14 years, there
was no racing vehicle on the property.
Yes, my son finally sold the Modified racecar.
Eleventh:
Are you aware of
this?
Enter to win:
http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/enter-to-win/
And a discussion
about it is here:
http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/DTD/index.php?/topic/40877-enter-to-win/
Twelfth:
I’ve read that so
far in 2011, there have been four different drivers in the Petruska owned,
Atlas sponsored, # 66
Modified. I’ve also read where it
was said that the car would not be at
Thirteenth:
Quiz time:
What do these
drivers all have in common:
Kevin Doty, Jeff
Gordon, Dave Humphrey, Jud Larson, Ted Tappett, Carl Forberg, Mack Hellings and
Bill Zaring.
For the answer,
check the end of this weeks column.
Fourteenth:
Rules Too Big For The Class – that’s the title to a thread that’s on the
Dirt Track Digest’s Forum. It’s about
the Sportsman class here in the Northeast.
http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/DTD/index.php?/topic/40826-rules-too-big-for-the-class/
Way back when –
when they came out with this Sportsman Class, the rules were pretty simple, if
I remember right. Older chassis, “Street
Stock” engines, regular trannies, and you could buy the hand-me-down tires from
the Modified guys. It was a class
designed to help the drivers of the fendered cars get into the open wheel
classes. Gradually, over time, things
changed. I can still recall when a
driver won a Sportsman feature at OCFS and he was being interviewed by the
track announcer – could have been Tim Pitts, but I’m not positive on that. The winning driver came out and said the he
had to borrow so and so’s Street Stock engine for the night. The announcer appeared to be flabbergasted at
what the driver had said. I thought to
myself – just what they’re supposed to use, ya dummy!
Then out of the
blue, a “newer” chassis appeared – maybe it was a TEO? Not positive on that, either, but it kinda
destroyed the field, if I remember right.
It’s been down hill since then.
Enter the “Crate”
engines. Talk about opening a can of
worms! Oh boy! I think the very first mistake made was that
it was not an engine claimer class. All
of a sudden, “cheating” was being said by many when certain cars ran better
than others. Maybe there was some, and
maybe not. Ironically, it’s still being
said today, years after this class came to be.
To many, teching was a joke if and when it was done. Rules? What rules?
Seems they, too had a habit of changing.
As of Monday
evening, 9/5/2011, the thread above is already three pages in length. If you have the time, check it out. Some interesting stuff being said.
Fifteenth:
Might be a rumor,
but I read on DTD’s Forum that Brett Hearn will be driving for his brother,
Bobby, at
Sixteenth:
Since I already
have quite a lengthy item in “Is this true?”, I
thought I’d add this little bit of news here – could be true, for all I
know! Again, I received this via an
e-mail.
Good information
Grab a
refrigerator magnet on your way out the door; we all have tons of them!
Always take a
small magnet on your vacation, they come in handy at
the end of it.
This is pretty
good info. Never even thought about key cards containing anything other than an
access code for the room!
HOTEL KEY CARDS
Ever wonder what
is on your magnetic key card?
Answer:
a. Customer's name
b. Customer's partial home address
c. Hotel room number
d. Check-in date and out dates
e. Customer's
credit card number and expiration date!
When you turn them
in to the front desk your personal information is there for any employee to
access by simply scanning the card in the hotel scanner..
An employee can take a hand full of cards home and using a scanning device,
access the information onto a laptop computer and go shopping at your expense.
Simply put, hotels
do not erase the information on these cards until an employee reissues the card
to the next hotel guest. At that time, the new guest's information is
electronically 'overwritten' on the card and the previous guest's information
is erased in the overwriting process.
But until the card
is rewritten for the next guest, it usually is kept in a drawer at the front desk with YOUR
INFORMATION ON IT!
The bottom line
is: Keep the cards, take them home with you, or destroy them. NEVER leave them behind in the room or room
wastebasket, and NEVER turn them into the front desk when you check out of a
room. They will not charge you for the card (it's illegal) and you'll be sure
you are not leaving a lot of valuable personal information on it that could be
easily lifted off with any
simple scanning device card reader.
For the same
reason, if you arrive at the airport and discover you still have the card key
in your pocket, do not toss it in an airport trash basket. Take it home and destroy
it by cutting it up, especially through the electronic information strip!
If you have a
small magnet, pass it across the magnetic strip several times. Then try it in
the door - it will not work. It erases everything on the card.
Information
courtesy of: Metropolitan Police
Service.
PLEASE FORWARD to
friends and family .
Seventeenth:
Not racing
related, but this might be something that down the road, if not now, will
affect all of us:
I was channel
surfing on my TV on Wednesday night and came across something rather
interesting on the Bill O'Reilly show.
Two women were talking about "Illegal Aliens" getting monies
back from the IRS - without having to have a Social Security number. So I Googled the subject to see what might
come up.
Here ya go:
Illegal Aliens
Receive $4.2 Billion in Additional Child Tax Credits
What happened to
the balanced approach toward revenue?
Throughout the
entire debt ceiling imbroglio, Democrats incessantly regurgitated the talking
point about the need for “a balanced approach.”
They were so uniform and synchronized that they sounded like the sheep
in Animal Farm. Ironically, their idea
of a balanced approach was singularly focused upon Oil Company and corporate
tax deductions, which are negligible compared to the crushing debt. The targeted oil tax deductions would have
brought in $2 billion in annual revenue, while the cancellation of the
corporate jet depreciation deduction would have saved only $3 billion over 10
years!
Well, it turns out
that illegal aliens, most of which pay zero in net taxes, enjoyed $4.2 billion
from the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) last year. That’s more than the annual revenue from the
selected oil tax deductions and corporate jet deductions combined!
Yesterday, the
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Collection released a shocking report
detailing how illegal aliens are able to utilize a filing loophole to obtain
billions in ACTC funds. The Earned
Income Tax Credit (EITC) and ACTC (unlike the base child tax credit) are
totally refundable and can award the recipient with a negative tax
balance. Appropriations for the EITC in
FY 2010 were $54.7 billion and $28.3 billion for the ACTC. While EITC appropriations are protected from
illegals (those who don’t engage in identity theft) because they are only
awarded to those who provide a valid Social Security number, the same cannot be
said for the ACTC.
Many individuals
who are not authorized to work in the
Because concerns
were raised by Congress, the Government Accountability Office, and the IRS
regarding noncompliance with EITC requirements, a law was passed in Calendar
Year 1996 to deny the EITC to individuals who file a tax return without an SSN
that is valid for employment. As such,
filers using an ITIN are not eligible for the EITC. The change in the law was made prior to the
establishment of the ACTC. However, the
same law prohibits aliens residing without authorization in the
Nonetheless, IRS
management’s view is that the law does not provide sufficient legal authority
for the IRS to disallow the ACTC to ITIN filers. In addition, the Internal Revenue Code does
not require an SSN to claim the ACTC and does not provide the IRS math error
authority to deny the credit without an examination. As such, the IRS continues to pay the ACTC to
ITIN filers.
Posted by Daniel
Horowitz (Profile)
Friday, September
2nd at 1:49PM EDT
I found the above
here: http://www.redstate.com/dhorowitz3/2011/09/02/illegal-aliens-receive-4-2-billion-in-additional-child-tax-credits/
Coming up:
Accord:
The latest from their
website – Wednesday, 9/7/2011:
Revised schedule for
the end of the season:
Sept 9th Eastern States
200 Qualifier
Sept 16th End of Points
Short Track SuperNational Qualifier
King of the Catskills
Sept 23rd & Sept 24th
Wreckage in the
Catskills October 15th
Note: Not meaning to be “Mr. Doom & Gloom”
here, but the forecast, as of Wednesday, 9/7 isn’t all that promising for this
coming Friday – or Saturday. And, is it
a qualifier just for the 200, or for each class, as the OCFS qualifying races
were for Accord’s King of the Catskills races?
September 9th:
Taylor Rental Night – Racing in all divisions
plus Lightning Sprints. See above
notice, also.
September 16th:
See above notice, too.
Again, from their
website:
Racing fans should begin to make plans for the exciting King of the
Catskills two-day weekend of great racing on September 23rd and 24th. With
eight diverse divisions of racing on the schedule, every true racing fan will
want to make sure they are in attendance to take in every second of the great
competition that will unfold. The ROC Modified Tour heads up the Friday evening
of action September 23rd with a large $7,000.00 payday awaiting the winner of
the 100-lap headliner with the Sportsman and Lightning Sprints also on the
schedule. September 24th finds the Spec Sportsman, the CRSA Sprint Cars, Pro
Stock and Pure Stocks in action.
Note: This, in part, below, is what Steve Pados
says in a press release for the speedway, prior to last Friday’s cancellation.
“Hurricane
Irene unleashed a torrent of hurt and damage to much of the Eastern portion of
the country last weekend and many portions of the East Coast still remain
without power and the many thousands are still trying to dig themselves out of
the peril that was forced upon them. The Accord Speedway was among the
casualties as the normally peaceful stream that runs behind the speedway became
a raging river in just a few hours and washed away buildings, flooded equipment
and tossed mature trees around lke they were mere matchsticks and above
all took out the power supply to the immediate area. At this
writing the speedway remains without power although it is hoped to
have the power restored before noon Friday to enable the speedway to host it’s regular Friday night racing card. The scheduled
Midweek Madness program was cancelled and with no remaining Wednesday night
dates, the MWM season is official and complete and all points have been
finalized for the season.
The Palmer Family hopes to present a five division show on
Firday evening headed up by the VP Fuels/Rhinebeck Ford Modified Division going
to war for the $2,000.00 payday on the line for the victor. The evening
of events will be sponsored by Orange County Fair Speedway and the Eastern
States qualifying spot will be up for grabs theri headline evening. With just two point
races remaining, the action on the speedway will bring out the best of the
best as each driver tries to find the quick way around one of the most exciting
race tracks in the Northeast. One championship has been settled to date as “Mr
Excitement” Kevin Ward has already clinched the Camper’s Barn Sportsman title.”
Also, this info from their website:
Friday September 23rd
Roc Modifieds
$7000 to win* 100 laps
Sportsman 50 laps
Lightning Sprints 25 laps
4 cylinders 20 laps
ENTRY FORMS-GO TO “FILE” SECTION
Adult admission $23 Kids $5 Family 4 Pack $66** Indoor $30
Reserved $25
Pit gates open 3:30 Warm ups 6:30 Spectator gate opens at
5pm
For Tickets call the speedway:
845-626-3478
Saturday September 24th
Spec Sportsman 50 laps
Pro Stock 25 laps
Pure Stock 25 laps
Jr Slingshots 20 laps
305 Sprints 20 laps
ENTRY FORMS-GO TO “FILE” SECTION
Adult admission $20 Kids $4 Family 4 Pack $58** Indoor $25
Reserved $22
Pit gates open 3:30 Warm ups 6:30 Spectator gate opens at
5pm
*Modified payout is based on 40 entries
** Family 4 Pack is admission for 2 adults, 2 kids and $20 in
food vouchers
Rain Date: Sept 30 and October 1st
ROCKET SPEED
AMERICAN RACER TIRES -PARTS & FUEL DEALER
TIRES-PARTS-FUEL AVAILABLE AT THE
Dave & Joanne Rocket
845-778-3839
OCFS:
September 10th:
Superior Remodeling – Eastern States
qualifier for Modifieds. CRSA 305 Sprint Cars. Northeast Vintage
Modifieds. Old
September 17th:
Note on the above: I still
think that OCFS is missing the boat by not having a race at this event, so the
crowd – which I’ve heard is basically a full house, can see what they’re
missing on Saturday nights. Heck even if
it were a Street Stock or Pro Stock race – something!
Note: From last weeks
column:
“Note: If you recall, last Saturday’s show was a
“King of the Catskills” Modified qualifier.
I’ve sent an e-mail (Sunday evening) to OCFS asking if it will now be
this coming Saturday. I also am
questioning about the two Sportsman races that are supposed to be held during
ESW – one for DIRTcar rules and another for the OCFS “Open” Sportsman and if
that is still their plan.”
Well, I never did get a response from OCFS – like I thought would
happen, but at OC on Saturday night they did announce that ALL feature winners
for the night would get a guaranteed starting spots at Accord for the King of
the Catskills racing.
And as noted above, they also announced that ALL re-starts during
the Eastern States 200 would be double file – kinda like “NASCARizing” the
race. They did not make mention of this
happening in other feature races during ESW, however, and no mention of two
Sportsman races either.
I did receive confirmation, not from the track, about there being
two Sportsman races at ESW. Yes, there
will be. From what I’ve heard, the
“Open” Sportsman will run on Friday night while the DIRTcar (Crate) Sportsman
will run on Saturday – thus giving teams that want to run both the opportunity
to change engines, if they need/have to.
To the best of my knowledge, a “Crate” powered Sportsman can also run in
the “Open” portion of the weekend.
Ok, here’s the latest scoop – PR for OCFS sent out on Wednesday
9/7/2011, from John Snyder:
NEWS FROM
845-342-8573
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CHANGES ABOUND FOR 50TH ANNIVERSARY EASTERN STATES WEEKEND
Modifieds, 358 Modifieds, Crate and Open Sportsman, CRSA Sprint
Cars, Pro Stocks, Street Stocks, and Vintage Modifieds in three days of nonstop
action
MIDDLETOWN, NY (September 8)……..A significant number of changes
have been made to the program and format for the 50th Annual Eastern States
Weekend, October 21-23, 2011 at the historic Orange County Fair Speedway in
Middletown, New York. But the weekend’s headline race remains the Eastern
States 200 Presented by Arkel Motors, the oldest consecutively-run championship
event for dirt track Modified stock cars in the country.
Activity actually begins a day earlier: At 12:00 noon on Thursday,
October 20 the pits open to competitors for Modified and 358 Modified hauler
parking and inspections. Later, between 2:00 pm and 11:00 pm, the grounds will
open for early arriving campers.
Racing begins on Friday, October 21. The Fairgrounds open at
9:00am, with the pits open at 12:00 noon and spectator gates at 2:00 pm.
Following car inspections, drivers meeting, and draw, on-track practice, except
for the Modified division, begins at 4:00 pm. Modifieds take the track at 5:00
pm for their hot laps. That’s followed by Modified Time Trials at 5:30 pm.
Qualifying heats for the Open Sportsman division will be next,
then Modified heats, a Modified Top-Six Dash for Cash, and Open Sportsman
consolation race(s).
Friday’s feature races cap off the evening. First up will be a
25-lap Street Stock main, with the 50-lap Open Sportsman feature bringing down
the curtain for Friday.
Saturday, October 22 the racing is virtually non-stop with the 358
Modifieds, Crate Sportsman, and 305 Sprint Cars the featured divisions. The
Fairgrounds opens at 9:00am, the pits at 11:00 am, and the spectator gates at
12:30 pm. The drivers meeting and draw are at 2:00 pm followed by hot laps for
the 358 Modifieds, 305 Sprint Cars, and Crate Sportsman.
After 358 Modified Time Trials, qualifying heat and consolation
races for all three featured divisions will be run. In addition, the Modifieds
will have a hot lap session.
The first feature race of the evening will be the 30-lap Crate
Sportsman main, then the headline 100-lap 358 Modified championship, with the
20-lap 305 Sprint Car feature as the day’s finale.
All this leads to the Sunday, October 23 finale, the 50th Annual
Modified Eastern States 200 Presented by Arkel Motors Championship race.
Following the Fairgrounds and pits opening at 8:00 am, spectator gates swing
open at 9:00 am. Activities begin at 9:30 am with the annual Pit Party when all
fans are invited to join the racers along the track’s historic homestretch.
Cars from all
Following the Pit Party, racing gets underway with hot laps and
qualifying heat and consolation races for the Pro Stocks, last chance Modified
consolation races, and the Vintage Modifieds Eastern States Championship race.
Next up will be the 30-lap Pro Stock championship race. And then it’s time for
trackside ceremonies, driver introductions, and the headline Modified Eastern
States 200 Presented by Arkel Motors with the green flag set to wave at 3:00
pm.
Advance tickets, camping, and parking permits are available at the
Speedway Office during regular business hours, or credit card sales (Visa and
MasterCard) by calling 845-342-2573. Additional information can be found at the
official Orange County Fair Speedway website, www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net.
September 10th:
Jim Langenback Memorial Race – 54 lap Pro Stock Main Event – Sportsman,
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.
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
Found
on Jayski’s website:
UPS to cut back
NASCAR sponsorship:
UPS plans to cut
back dramatically on its support of Roush Fenway Racing's #6 Ford driven by
David Ragan in 2012, SportsBusiness
Daily reported. Sources familiar with the company's plan said it will drop
its full-season primary sponsorship of the #6 car and sponsor 4-8 races at RFR
in '12. The company is in talks to shift its sponsorship to Carl Edwards, who
drives the team's #99 Ford. RFR president Steve Newmark declined to comment and
said the team is still in discussions with UPS. The company did not return a
call seeking comment. The move will further reduce the number of sponsors
paying for their logo to appear in all 36 NASCAR races. UPS was one of seven
sponsors slated to be on the same NASCAR hood for all 36 Sprint Cup races. The
other full-season primary sponsors are #11-FedEx [34 races, Sports Clips at
Darlington, Charter Comm at Atlanta], #20-Home Depot, #48-Lowe's, #27-Menard's,
#2-Miller Lite and #56-NAPA Auto Parts. (Red Bull and Furniture Row own the
teams that feature their logos.) Though UPS won't renew its full-season primary
sponsorship at RFR, sources said the company is expected to renew its official
partnership with NASCAR. It has been the sport's official delivery company
since 2000.(Sporting
News/SportsBusiness Journal)(9-2-2011)
Note: I can see this happening more and more with
other sponsorships, too.
UPDATE:
If UPS is in talks
to become part of Carl Edwards' sponsorship program next year, the driver of
the #99 Ford hasn't been part of the discussions yet. Edwards was aware of
Friday's Sports Business Daily story that indicated UPS, which currently
sponsors David Ragan in the #6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, would reduce its
commitment significantly next year and is talking with RFR brass about
sponsoring Edwards for four to eight races. "I read it, too, and I don't
know anything other than what it said," Edwards told Sporting News on
Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, when asked about the report. "I still
don't know that it's anything more than a rumor. Nobody's come to me and said,
'Hey, here's what's happening”
2010 Chase drivers
to be honored by the President UPDATES:
Heading into the
Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup cut-off race at Richmond International Raceway,
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will be honored by President
Barack Obama at The White House on Wednesday, Sept. 7. The event will also
include NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, plus several drivers from the
2010 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field. Drivers who are scheduled to
attend: Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Denny
Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Kevin
Harvick and Tony Stewart cannot attend due to schedule conflicts (NASCAR).
Tony Stewart:
THE WHITE HOUSE
INVITED 12 DRIVERS TO VISIT PRESIDENT OBAMA AND YOU'RE ONE OF THE FIVE THAT
SAID YOU HAVE OTHER THINGS TO DO, WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON ALL OF THAT? "We had
an obligation that we have to fulfill. I've enjoyed every trip that I've been
invited and very honored to be invited every time we've had that opportunity
and I'm very sorry I'm going to miss the chance to go again because there's a
lot of people in this nation that would love to have that opportunity to spend
time with the President and just have a couple of minutes of his time. I'm very
regretful that I'm not going to be able to make it but it's a tough schedule
that we have and if I could have rescheduled and got the scheduling to work out
I would have been there in a heartbeat because I've not missed one
yet."(Team Chevy)
Greg Biffle:
WHY ARE YOU NOT
GOING TO THE WHITE HOUSE?
"First of all, I'll start by saying that I'm disgusted by the comments I
see, that people say we rejected or 'I can't believe that Biffle rejected'. For
one, that's disrespectful for people not knowing why I can't go. Number two, I've got a picture of myself and the President, Barack
Obama, in my bookshelf in my office right behind my desk shaking hands at the
White House. I've been there and I've done that and I respect that. I was very
flattered to get the invitation. I got the invitation less than two weeks ago
to go and I've got a function that I'm obligated to be at with 3M in Minnesota
that they've had planned for basically nine months. It's an annual thing, but
they have over 100-and-some of their business people and customers at that I go
for two days. We arrive Wednesday morning early and I don't get to
Stewart would like
to have Martin but:
Could Mark Martin
be driving for Tony Stewart next year? Stewart would like it. Martin has stated
that he's looking for a part-time ride in Cup next year after he moves on from
his Hendrick Motorsports ride after this season (Kasey Kahne takes over that
ride next year). Danica Patrick is scheduled to run eight to 10 races in a
third entry for Stewart's team, Stewart-Haas Racing. Pairing Patrick and Martin
could give Patrick an additional mentor, besides Stewart, and also give the
team a driver to run the remaining races Patrick doesn't. "I would love to
have him," Stewart said of Martin. "The biggest thing is us getting
the financial backing to run the remainder of those races. I would love nothing
more than Mark in all the races that Danica doesn't run next year. I've been a
Mark Martin fan for a long time and trust me I would love nothing more than to
have Mark in one of our cars."(Roanoke Times)(9-5-2011)
Rockingham to make
announement - Trucks?
Governor Bev Perdue
and Rockingham Speedway owner, Andy Hillenburg are scheduled to make a joint
announcement on the facility’s growth and the potential economic boost it will
have to Richmond County, the city of Rockingham and the state of North Carolina
(Rockingham Speedway), rumor has it that the track will get a NASCAR Truck
Series race in 2012.(9-3-2011)
AND: Rockingham Speedway will host a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
race, tentatively scheduled for the second weekend of April 2012, sources have
told ESPN The Magazine. The event will mark the track's first NASCAR event
since the then-Winston Cup Series held its 78th and final race at "The
Rock" on Feb. 22, 2004.(ESPN)(9-3-2011)
SAFER walls to be
installed at the Rock:
The Rockingham
Speedway, which hosted NASCAR Sprint Cup races from 1965 to 2004, is taking a
huge step toward once again hosting big-league racing as SAFER "soft
wall" barriers will be installed next month. The energy-absorbing system
will be installed in two phases, in mid-September and late December, covering
all four turns of the one-mile oval and the inside of the backstretch wall. The
most common estimate of the SAFER barrier cost is $1 million per mile. "Yes,
that's expensive," said Robert Ingraham, the track's general manager,
"but nothing's more expensive than having someone hurt." NASCAR
requires racetracks to have the SAFER barrier in place before they can host one
of the sanctioning body's top three national series -- Sprint Cup, Nationwide,
or Camping World Trucks. Rockingham, then known as North Carolina Motor
Speedway, hosted 78 Sprint Cup events and 42 Nationwide Series races, but it
hasn't held a NASCAR event since Matt Kenseth's victory in the Subway 400 on
Feb. 22, 2004. The track and the 244 acres it sits on were dormant for nearly
four years before it was purchased by veteran racer Andy Hillenburg at auction
on Sept. 27, 2007. Rockingham officials have had discussions with NASCAR,
albeit informal, about the possibility of a Nationwide or Truck Series event
returning to the track more commonly known as The Rock. A source within NASCAR,
speaking on condition of anonymity, admits as much. However, the lack of a
SAFER barrier had always been an insurmountable issue. Without the promise of a
NASCAR race, Hillenburg wasn't confident enough to try and secure funds for
SAFER installation. That now appears to have changed. Just last month,
Nashville Superspeedway announced it was closing, essentially orphaning four
NASCAR events, two each in Nationwide and Trucks. Since that announcement,
speculation has run rampant as to where those races might end up in 2012. Next
season's NASCAR schedules have not yet been finalized.(ESPN)(8-17-2011)
Clinch Scenarios
For
With only one race
remaining until the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is set, eight
drivers have clinched a top-10 spot Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Carl
Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman.
Brad Keselowski, with three victories, has clinched at least a Wild Card berth.
He remains eligible to earn a top-10 spot. Heading into the final race of the
regular season, here are the clinch scenarios for the remaining three Chase
spots.
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Earnhardt is currently 25 points ahead of 11th place. Regardless of any other
driver's finish, Earnhardt will clinch if he finishes:
· 20th or better
· 21st or better and leads at least one lap
· 22nd or better and leads the most laps
#14-Tony Stewart
Stewart is currently 23 points ahead of 11th place. Regardless of any other
driver's finish, Stewart will clinch if he finishes:
· 18th or better
· 19th or better and leads at least one lap
· 20th or better and leads the most laps
A number of different finishes affect the Wild Card scenario.
- With a victory,
#11-Denny Hamlin will earn at least a Wild Card spot.
- With a victory, #27-Paul Menard will earn a Wild Card spot.
- With a victory AND entry into the top 20, #9-Marcos Ambrose or #6-David Ragan
will earn a Wild Card spot. Both drivers are currently outside the top 20.
Ambrose is seven points outside the top 20; Ragan is 20 points outside the top
20.
All drivers through 23rd place in the series standings remain eligible for a
spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Aside from the scenarios listed
above, those without an already-clinched Chase spot need a win, a top 20 spot
and various finishes from other drivers to earn a Chase spot.(NASCAR)(9-7-2011)
Note: I still am not a fan of this damn “Chase”
stuff. All 26 races should count towards
the championship. To me, it has failed
as a fan draw, both at the tracks and on TV – NASCAR attempting to go up
against the NFL, to me has always been a joke.
Former
At Hamlin, on 9/3,
Joe Kata was 6th and Kyle Rohner 15th in the wingless 600
Micro Sprint feature. Mike Casario was 3rd
and brother Rick was 16th in the 270 Micro
Sprint feature.
At Big Diamond on
9/2, Mike Mammana won the Sportsman feature.
I believe Mike is a nephew to former modified driver Tom Hager.
At
Rich Coons was
third in the Sportsman feature at
Danny Creeden was
third in the Modified feature at Five Mile Point.
At I-88, on 8/30,
Anthony Perrego was 3rd and Brad Szulewski 15th in the Sportsman
feature, and then on 9/2, Anthony was 5th, Brad 14th and
Kyle Van Duser 15th.
Roger Coss was 4th
in the Modified feature at Wall Stadium.
Tiffany Wambold was
2nd in the 270 Micro Sprint feature at Borgers.
At
At OCFS in the
Sportsman feature, John Lodini was 3rd, Jason Roe 5th,
Matt Janiak 11th, Brian Krummel 15th, RJ Smykla 16th,
Anthony Perrego 17th and Zack Vavricka 20th, while
Randy Brundage was a DNQ. Tim Hindley
won the Modified feature with Clinton Mills 5th, Billy VanInwegen 8th,
Mike Ruggiero 18th and Michael Storms 19th.
Nick Pecko was 9th
in the Sport Modified feature at Mountain Speedway.
At Greenwood Valley
Action Track, Molly Chambers is listed as a DNF.
At Penn Can, Jacob
Hendershot was 14th in the 600 Micro Sprint feature, while Tyler
Dippel was 10th and Tyler Pirone 20th in the Slingshot
feature.
Davie Franek was 7th
at Selinsgrove in the 358 Sprint Car feature.
Again, if I missed
anyone – sorry!
Going back, in time – in
racing history:
Note# 1: Most of the following information was found
here:
http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/history.html
Note: 2: Yes, most of this info is from Open Wheel
racing from back in the day.
Covering the days from
September 9th to 15th:
SEPTEMBER 9
1942
Felix Sabates... Born ... NASCAR team owner.
SEPTEMBER 10
1935
Sammy Sessions... Born ...
Sessions was one of the most likable race drivers to come out of the state of
1993
Buzz Gregory... Died ... USAC Sprint and Indy Car driver from the 1960's.
SEPTEMBER 11
1960
It was on this date that I
married the love of my life - one Joan Marie Rose. This year makes it 51 years of
togetherness. Never had any
regrets! We ended up having quite a large
family – three daughters and two sons!
From them, we’ve had 18 grandchildren (one passed away at 3 months of age)
and 7 great-grandchildren, from what I can figure! One of the grandchildren was adopted, I
should add.
1966
Johnny
Herrera ... Born ... Best known for racing in the World of Outlaws sprint car
racing series. In 1986 Johnny was
named World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year. Herrera's career in the World of
Outlaws has lasted twenty-two years. Johnny has several feature event wins with
the World of Outlaws as well as wins in USAC and ASCoC competitions.
2001
No need to remind ya on
this one, right? I imagine that in time,
it will replace December 7, 1941 in our history books; the way things are going, today, with
these so called "historians".
SEPTEMBER 12
1904
Lou Moore... Born ... AAA driver from the 1920's & 30's.
1916
Tony Bettenhausen ... Born
... AAA / USAC driver from 1941 to 1961. He drove in the AAA and USAC
Championship Car series, racing in the 1941 and 1946-1961 seasons with 121
starts, including 14 in the
1931
Jimmy Gleason ... Died ...
AAA driver 1925 to 1931. He was killed in an AAA National Championship race in
1956
Ricky Rudd ... Born ...
Former NASCAR driver.
1999
Milt
2003
It was on this date in 2003
that we lost one of the best entertainers this country,
and the whole world has had – Johnny Cash left us on 9/12/2003.
One of the best, as far as
I’m concerned, that is.
2004
Jack Turner ... Died ...
AAA/USAC driver from 1955 -1963
SEPTEMBER 13
1952
Paul Russo won the AAA
Eastern Sprint Car race over Bill Schindler and Tommy Hinnershitz at the
Morristown Speedway,
Note: I will forever remember this race, since it
was one week prior to Schindler having his fatal accident at the
SEPTEMBER 14
1936
Mauri Rose won the AAA
sanctioned
1960
Len Duncan and Bert Brooks
won the ARDC Midget feature races at the Marlboro Motor Raceway, Upper Marlboro,MD.
Note: It is surprising to see how many days that
the ARDC ran two different races at two different tracks, "back in the
day", with, at times, the same driver winning - on both dirt and paved
tracks the same day - and more than likely, in the same car, too.
SEPTEMBER 15
1946
Al Putnam... Died ... AAA driver from the 1930's and 40's. Putnam was
killed during qualifying for the first dirt-car race to be held at the Indiana
State Fair.
1952
Ron Shuman... Born ... A
champion sprint car racer Shuman won the Turkey Night Grand Prix sprint car
race four consecutive times from 1979 to 1982 and eight times in total and the
Knoxville Nationals in 1979. He tried his hand at Championship Car racing in
1980 and finished in 11th place in his first race at Ontario Motor Speedway in
April of that year. However, a month later he failed to qualify for the 1980
1963
King Carpenter won the ARDC
Midget race at the 1-mile paved Trenton International Speedway
,
Note: The ARDC, with, at times, USAC, ran what one
could call "Marathon" Midget races at
News
from the AARN:
From
their August 30th edition:
Note: It’s been a hectic week for me, so this
section is a mite shorter than usual.
Depending on how long I remain on Jury Duty will determine the size of
this section over the next couple of weeks.
Lenny
Sammons, in his column was mentioning the ARDC and its drivers and their
ages. It seems that with the ARDC having
gone wingless, they’re starting to get an influx of drivers from the 600 Micro
Sprint ranks – and at some tracks, the 600’s are going wingless, too. As an example, he cites the ARDC race at New
Egypt on 8/23. Steve Buckwalter is “old”
at 33, Brett Arndt 27, Ryan Smith 23, Tim Buckwalter 21 and Bruce Buckwalter
26. Along with them, there were six
graduates from the 600’s racing with the ARDC that night.
Ernie
Saxton, in his column re-printed what Herb Anastor had written about the late
Johnny Thomson. Ernie, in case you did
not know it was instrumental in getting a fan club started up for Johnny way
back when. It was one of the first
driver fan clubs, I believe. When Johnny
was fatally injured at
Did
you know that Will Power was fined $30,000.00 for his double “one finger
salute” to race control after the botched up re-start at Loudon?
Note: I can think of someone else that should have,
at the least, been fined that amount - or more – for that screw up.
There
were four names listed as people formerly associated with auto racing that have
left us - Holly Bunn, 91, on 8/25 – he
racing stock cars from 1949 to 1965, Gerry Hahn on 8/20, who raced at Nazareth,
then later was a mechanic on Sprint Cars in the Pa area, Norm Neupert, 66, on 8/23, who was a key
member of the family at the helm of the new Neupert Raceway Park in Cabot,
Pa and Larry Moyer, 60, the 1981 ARCA
National Champion, in his rookie year.
Brett
Deyo – how does he do it? Now he has
another job – Motorsports Marketing & Sales Rep for Bob Hilbert
Sportswear. Want to order something? You can reach Brett at: 610-367-6186 or at: slaes@bobhilbert.com
or at: www.bobhilbert.com.
Ron
Mentus, in his column was wondering where have all the
winners gone – talking about the “supposedly” best drivers in the
Modifieds at the Stafford Speedway. It
seems that there are only three winners in the 14 Modified features that had
been run at the track – Keith Rocco with 8, Ryan Preece with 4 and Ted
Christopher with 2.
There’s
another add for the World 100 Late Model race at Eldora on September 9th
and 10th – paying $44,000.00 to win.
An ad for the North vs South “Showdown” race at Thompson, Ct on
September 10th and 11th, with a $50,000.00 purse.
A full page ad for the International Motorsports Industry Show at the
A good sized ad for the Knoxville Late Model Nationals – September 29th
to October 1st.
John
Snyder, in his column, writes about some Eastern States History – there being
30 different winners in the previous 49 ESW’s, with seven drivers accounting
for 26 of those wins. Brett Hearn with
8, Danny Johnson with 5, Will Cagle 4, Frankie Schneider 3, and Gerald
Chamberlain, Frank Cozze and Jimmy Horton, each with two wins. Single winners in the 60’s were: Rags Carter, Ron Lux and Al Tasnady. In the 70’s there was: Buzzie Reutimann, Bobby Bottcher, Wayne Reutimann,
Gary Balough and Lou Lazzaro. Methinks
that Balough is the only driver to have lead all 200
laps when he won. The 80’s ahd Kenny
Brightbeill, Harry Behrent, C.D. Coville, Dave Lape, Jack Johnson, Doug Hoffman
and Richie Eurich. Coville won the first
DIRT sanctioned ESW, while I’m pretty sure Jack
Johnson did it from a last place starting position. In the 90’s, it was Bob McCreadie, Billy
Decker and Alan Johnson. In the first decade of the 2000’s, Chuck McKee, Bobby Varin, Jeff
Heotzler, Jerry Higbie and Tim McCreadie.
On
Saturday, July 23rd, Guy Smith went to the Race 1 Motorspeedway Dirt
Oval in
More
racin’ stuff:
In a way, I really could not see this season ending $5,000,000.00 bonus to win the Indycar race at “Lost Wages” ever coming off, and now it sure looks like it won’t.
Found this over on the Track Forum:
IndyCar notebook: No drivers will race for $5 million bonus
The event would have paid a non-IndyCar driver $5 million
if he or she won the race. The deadline for securing insurance for the program
passed Aug. 31, which means no driver will go for the big prize.
Ganassi said he briefly considered fielding a car for
two-time CART champion
Alex Zanardi, but then he "laid down and that consideration went
away."
Penske said it would have been "just so difficult to
get them ready." He would have insisted they compete
in an IndyCar race beforehand.
There still could be an eye-catching aspect of the event,
and IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard has hinted about a surprise
And
this, too:
New engines will soon fire for the 2012 season. Several
teams have deals with manufacturers; others feel they can't get them.
Among the latter is Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, whose
co-owner Robbie Buhl called the dilemma "disheartening."
"And that's the nicest word I can use," he said
Saturday.
Buhl won't say which engine manufacturer his organization
would like to join, but it's clear it's not Lotus. Why? Because
that manufacturer is deemed to be the weakest of the three.
Each manufacturer is allowed to cap distribution at 40
percent of the field next season, although the exact number is not set.
Chevrolet
has its allotment if Team Penske (three cars), Andretti Autosport (four) and KV
Racing Technology (three) maintain their numbers. Panther Racing
(one car) is expected to be a Chevrolet team as well.
Honda's lineup is less clear, depending on how many cars
Ganassi Racing (four), Sam Schmidt Motorsports (two) and A.J. Foyt Racing (one
or two) have.
There are three current full-time teams and several
part-time teams in limbo, including Dreyer & Reinbold, Newman/Haas and Dale
Coyne Racing. The latter two aren't happy about it.
"I wish I could say it will be our choice, but
that's not the case," Buhl said. "Control is all in the hands of the
manufacturers."
Note: Some comments about the $5 Million Bonus race
can be seen if you go here:
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?154972-Cavin-5-Mil-Challenge-Officially-a-Bust.
Racing and
television:
Racing on TV - http://www.racefantv.com/USTV.htm
Some non-racing stuff:
By now, this is
old news, and might even have been up-dated – since I’m putting this into the
column on Tuesday evening, and might not have time to up-date if there is one.
In
part:
“The U.S. Postal
Service is projected to lose $11 billion this year, and it's running out of
cash.
Barring a bailout
or massive restructuring, the Postal Service says, the organization may stop operating
early next year.
That's a
frightening thought. But it's also one designed to get everyone's attention.
And now the question will be whether anyone with the power to do anything about
it actually does something intelligent.
Approaching this
problem intelligently starts with analyzing what's wrong with the USPS. And the
answer, according to the New
York Times, is twofold:
The volume of physical mail
has dropped more than 20% in the last five years and is projected to keep on
dropping, thanks to vastly more efficient information delivery via the Internet
The US Postal Service's
compensation and benefits contracts with its employees leave it unable to
reduce its costs fast enough”
More can be seen if you go here:
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/now-u-postal-belly-153600714.html
Note: The wife and I were talking about this over dinner on Tuesday. She held up a small catalog from a company that we’ve bought things from in the past and asked me: “What about this”? “I guess we won’t get those anymore”, I said. Then we started thinking – what do we get in the mail – or what might others get, other than bills. How about those that don’t have direct deposit and their Social Security checks get mailed to their house? What about those bills – will it all be done via the Internet? Hey! What about my AARN??? What about anything that you might get through the mail that you’ve subscribed to?
I think I’ve said this before – but at a local Post Office, they used to have small wastebaskets for you to throw your junk mail into. Well, that wasn’t good enough – the Post Office HAD to go out and buy at least, for this particular Post Office, three nice plastic containers that had a lockable top on them, with a slot for you to put your junk mail in. Wonder why those small wastebaskets had to be replaced – and at what cost?
Is
this true?:
From
an e-mail I received:
WEINER
FALLOUT
This
is really something to read........scary........and that puts it mildly!!
*The fallout from the Anthony Weiner fiasco
includes a mystery no one yet has resolved, especially the media which is
ignoring it like the plague. Make that: Two mysteries*
*Mystery
# 1. How is it that Anthony Weiner, a Jew, married a devout Muslim woman, and
vice-versa?*
*Mystery
#2. How is it that a devout Muslim woman with strong ties to the notorious
Muslim Brotherhood is working within a trusted position in the highest levels
of the Department of State?
*Here
are the facts as we know them:*
*1
- Anthony Weiner, a Jewish U.S. Congressman from
Ex-President
Bill Clinton officiated.*
*2
- Huma Abedin was born in
and
remains a devout, practicing Muslim.*
*3
- At age 20, Huma Abedin started working as a White House assistant to then
first lady, Hillary Clinton in 1996, and has been by Mrs. Clinton's side ever
since. She now holds the position of Aide and Deputy Chief of Staff to Sec.
Hillary Clinton in the State Department.*
*4
- According to numerous sources, which has not been denied or refuted, the
mother of Huma Abedin - a Pakistani - is a member of the Muslim Sisterhood, or,
the women's division of the MuslimBrotherhood.*
*5
- Huma Abedin's brother is a fellow with the Oxford Centre For
Islamic Studies, which is heavily supported by the Muslim Brotherhood.*
*6
- Islamic scholars and experts confirm that no Muslim woman - especially devout
Muslims and
members of the sisterhood - may marry a non-Muslim man, yet a Jew, unless that
man has converted to Islam.*
*7
- It is well known, especially in intelligence circles including the CIA and
the FBI, that the Muslim Brotherhood is the most notorious global,
anti-American, jihadist organization in the world, with long range sights set
upon establishing
an
Islamic caliphate in the west. (That means, converting
*FROM
WITHIN!*
*Readers
tend to gloss over this, but it is as important as Mein Kampf was to the
burgeoning Nazi movement in 1930s
*The
process of settlement is a "Civilization-Jihadist Process" with all
the means. The Ikhwan [Muslim Brotherhood] must understand that their work in
America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western
civilization from within and "sabotaging" its miserable house by
their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and Allah's
religion is made victorious."*
*Conclusions:*
**
The Muslim Brotherhood - or its affiliations - has infiltrated the highest
levels of our government.*
**
Hillary Clinton is either in denial, stupid, naive or complicit in having such
a person with ties to the MB working within the highest levels of the State
Department. That goes for the president as well.*
**
There is certainly more to the story of the Weiner wedding, which we don't know
about. If Anthony Weiner, in fact, converted to Islam,
it
was done surreptitiously because it would have been a death knell to his
political career. And, if so, Weiner certainly knew of the
Muslim Brotherhood connections of his wife.*
**
If the Islamic community has approved of, or ignores the marriage between
Jewish born Weiner and Huma Abedin, it can be logically concluded that they -
the Islamic community - know something we don't. An Imam from the Islamic
Cultural center of New York, Omar Abu-Namous, not only approved of the union,
he has encouraged Huma Abedin to stand by her man during the cybersex scandal.
Thus, it must
be
advantageous to the goals of Islamic jihad and the MB to have Huma Abedin
inside the bowels of
the
Department of State with daily access to governmental intelligence. Therefore,
her "marriage" to a
*That,
folks, is an example of "Taqiyya" which I've
often written about. Taqiyya is the Islamic
equivalent to using lies, deceit and concealment in order to advance the cause of
spreading Islam.
The
9/11 al Qaeda terrorists blended with American society for months prior to the
deadly attack, drinking alcohol, carousing with women and eating pork, in order
to conceal who they truly were, in order to carry out their mission.*
*Their
mission was to infiltrate and kill. The mission of the Muslim Brotherhood is to
infiltrate and conquer, even if it takes 100 years.
In
the Muslim Brotherhood planning document, "The Project," it clearly
states - among their strategies:* ** Maintain the appearance of moderation* **
Use deception to mask the intended goals of Islamic Action* *We know about
these things, the government knows about these things, the highest of officials
know, yet they are inexplicably ignored.*
*Forget
about the war in
Note
# 1: Yes, kind of strange that we
haven’t seen the above on the news, isn’t it?
Note
# 2: If you read all of this, you might
also be interested in Video # 2, below.
Video time:
Video
# 1:
During
practice for the Indycar race at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hNZmxHcCq0&feature=player_embedded
Video
# 2:
This
one was sent to me via an e-mail. In a
way, it’s kind of scary, really, when you sit back for 14 minutes and 45
seconds and listen to what Tarek Fatah has to say about some Muslim things. Oh, there are other videos out there with
this man talking, and you can find them by just doing a Google search on his
name. I found this video quite
interesting. Kinda on the same thing as
the subject in “Is this true?” – above.
http://www.livestream.com/ideacity/video?clipId=flv_fd017d81-dc18-42cc-821a-18b86fdea840
Video
# 3:
Yes,
with me noting the passing of Johnny Cash on 9/12/2003, above, you really
didn’t think I would not forget to post a link to one of his videos, did you?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9J3Lg5cx1s&feature=related
Answer
to quiz:
The question
was: “What do these drivers all have in
common”:
All of them, along
with some others, were named to be honored, in the 25th Induction
Ceremony that was held on January 16, 2009, as the latest inductees for the
National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame, back then. That is mentioned in the
Well, this column
is due to be published on September 8, 2011, and as I’m typing this out on
9/5/2011, that is the last HoF newsletter on the HoF’s website, and still none
of the drivers mentioned are shown to be members – on the HoF’s website. Oh yes, the same goes for those that were
inducted in January 2010 and 2011, too – none are listed on the
Yes, I’ve inquire
about this with the
Closing with this:
I
had just come out of the store with two porterhouse steaks, a jumbo sausage, a
bag of chips, and a 6-pack of beer.... A homeless man sat there and said,
"I haven't eaten for two days."
I
told him, "I wish I had your frickin’ will power."
And
these:
I
was in the six item express lane at the store quietly fuming. Completely
ignoring the sign, the woman ahead of me had slipped into the check-out line
pushing a cart piled high with groceries. Imagine my delight when the cashier
beckoned the woman to come forward looked into the cart and asked sweetly, 'So
which six items would you like to buy?'
Wouldn't
it be great if that happened more often?
Because
they had no reservations at a busy restaurant, my elderly neighbor and his wife
were told there would be a 45-minute wait for a table. 'Young man, we're both
90 years old, ' the husband said ..'We may not have 45
minutes.' They were seated immediately.
All
eyes were on the radiant bride as her father escorted her down the aisle. They
reached the altar and the waiting groom; the bride kissed her father and placed
something in his hand. The guests in the front pews responded with ripples of
laughter. Even the priest smiled broadly. As her father gave her away in
marriage, the bride gave him back his credit card.
Women
and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to
the idea.
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