Racin'
& Internet Stuff:
By Tom Avenengo
Volume # 78
10/27/2011
First:
I usually start these columns on Sundays. This week, due to my being at the Orange
County Fair Speedway to take in the racing action for their 50th
Eastern States Weekend, I didn’t get going on it until a little after noon on
Monday. No problem, though, will just
spend a little extra time on it for the next few days.
Second:
When we (actually my son, Eric, this year) ordered our ESW tickets, we
couldn’t get our normal seats, but ended up across the aisle in the half
covered stands – row K seats 40, 41, 42 and 43, with 43 being at the end of the
row, on the aisle. Seat 41 was the bad
one on Saturday. An early restart to the
358 feature saw a pretty good sized rock hit my son about ½ inch
below his right eye, and about an inch away from his nose. Did he see it? Yes, when it was a few inches away from
striking him. Thank God nothing was
broken, but had that rock hit a tick closer to his nose, it surely would have
shattered it. And, I shudder to think
what would have happened if it hit his eye – surely he would have been
blinded. He had a “shiner” on Sunday,
for sure. Tough kid! Oh, if at all possible, stay out of the
“First Aid” building that’s by the first turn – that’s what my son said.
Third:
Local coverage on Eastern States:
In most cases over this past racing season, there was little said about
the racing at OCFS. Exactly who might be
at fault - I'm not sure. I do know that
OCFS, for whatever reasons they had, did not advertise in the paper. Race results from Saturday night races would
appear either on Monday or Tuesday in the Th-R. Hell, the Th-R did not
even have one single word in it about what transpired a couple of weeks ago up
in
Coverage for this years Eastern States Weekend
was basically on a par with the coverage’s in years past.
Here are links to various stories and articles that appeared in the Th-R for this years ESW – if
you’re interested:
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111019/SPORTS/71017004/-1/SPORTS02
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111023/SPORTS/110230334/-1/SPORTS02
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111023/SPORTS/110230333/-1/SPORTS02
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111024/SPORTS02/110240327
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111024/SPORTS02/110240328
Fourth:
Continuing with some ESW stuff – here’s a video of the Clinton Mills
and Stewart Friesen crashes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDuh57IMNfg&feature=share
Fifth:
Some of my thoughts on ESW, OCFS and what not:
I like the schedule they came out with, with one exception – that being
that the “Crate” Sportsman feature was for only 30 laps. I think that cut down on the amount of
entrants.
I’m having a hard time trying to figure out why some announcers can’t
pronounce the drivers names correctly.
Ruggiero is constantly miss-pronounced.
For some odd reason, the name Scagliotta was
wrong all weekend long. It’s like the
announcers don’t see the letter “i” – they constantly
pronounced it as Scaglotta or Scallota.
It’s been quite a few years since there has been a crowd like we had
this past weekend – Sunday especially.
True, the weather sure didn’t hurt the attendance, that’s for sure.
Why do fans buy a general admission ticket then try to sit in reserved
seats? How about some kind of sign that
says: “From here up, all seats are reserved”.
Or, have the ticket seller make mention of the “X” amount of rows from
the top are reserved – or a sign by the ticket booth?
How I’d love to see some kind of a handrail on the steps of the ½
covered grand stand.
No, it doesn’t have to be from the top row to the bottom, but several
handrails with spaces between them would surely make it easier going down the
stairways. Sunday I had an older
gentleman fall on top of me. Good thing
Brian Krummels father was chatting with me, at the
time – he kinda helped ease the way the guy fell on
me.
While going between the covered and half covered stands, I noticed a
sign advertising the next race car show that will be held in the arena on the
fair property – March 30, 31 and April 1 in 2012.
Hopefully, along with the new proposed ¼ mile track that’s supposed to
be in 2012, they’ll do something with the speaker system over in the ½ covered
stands for next year.
As for that ¼ mile track – I have to figure that if the pit area is
still in the inside of the track that it would be a flat track with little or
no banking. Dammit,
that would not help in seeing some good racing on it, I believe.
As race fans, in the stands, we get rather rambunctious when there are
what we think are too many yellow flag laps.
Are so many really necessary?
50/50 ticket sales: As many of
us did notice, there were some 50/50 girls at ESW again, from the Lebanon
Valley Speedway. Now I’m not privy as to
how the girls get paid, but on regular Saturday nights at OC in 2011, there
were some nights that I don’t think they had 50/50 girls selling tickets. The Valley has the right idea – as soon as
you get through the gates you’ll see 50/50 sellers. On top of that, they’re constantly going
through the stands, too. Yes, some are
pretty good looking too, I should add.
Another reason why they sell so many?
And as far as the 50/50 goes, how about a buck a ticket and no six for
five or other amounts for other dollar amounts.
Once you start that you lose control of the monies. I heard one 50/50 seller say a dollar a
ticket, six for five and even 20 for 10.
Kinda hard controlling the money that way, I
think.
I bought three 50/50 tickets, one red, an orange and a yellow. The winning number was a yellow ticket 945802. I had 945897.
Close, but no cigar. Just
wondering – was that ticket ever shown and the money collected? I know they made mention of the number at
least two times. And, if I’m not
mistaken, the Saturday dollar prize was bigger than the prize on Sunday???
Somewhat surprised that the Petruska owned,
Atlas Paving sponsored # 66 was not in attendance at ESW. Same goes for Bill Wilson and Cliff Ehrman.
It was really nice to see a “Green” family member racing at OCFS
again. Randy Green, son of Robbie and
grandson of the late Bob Green gave it a try and was able to qualify his open
Sportsman into the 358 Small Block 100-lap feature race where he ended up 20th. Let me see here – son of Robbie Green and
grandson of Bob Green – seems to me that would make Randy a third generation
driver, right? Kinda
strange that he was constantly announced as being a second-generation
driver. Hey announcers: Do some homework, okay? Jeez, Both Bob - 1973 and Robbie – 1984, are
former driving champions at OCFS.
Sixth:
A somewhat sore subject:
A bunch of us from the Victory Speedway Forum got together after I
suggested that we carry forth the Hard Charger award in the name of the late
Eric Koster, from last years ESW. Last year it was worth $500.00. This year, some members of the Forum raised
$550.00 in two days. There was a cartoon
drawing of the Eric Koster # 62 Small Block Modified
drawn by Todd Lewis. That cartoon
drawing, along with some information on the late Eric Koster
was supposed to be in the ESW program. However, they weren’t. I’m not sure exactly why, but I believe that
Steve Barrick of Program Dynamics did inform Pete
Kessler that it was his (Barrick’s) “bad” as to why
the things never made the program. At
least “Victory Speedway Forum” is shown on the big check that Whitey Memmelaar had made up.
The only photo I’ve seen of that award, which went to Matt Sheppard, is
on the OCFS’s website and is a “copywrited”
photo which can’t be copied.
In a way, I was hoping some kind of reference to Koster
would have been made on that check.
Here is a photo, below, of the cartoon drawing of the Eric Koster # 62 by Todd Lewis.
Note: For those of you reading
this on DTD, to see the photo of the drawing, you’ll have to go to the New
England Tractor website which is here: http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/
Seventh:
Popular raceway forced to close.
In part:
“
A popular
The owner of
"My grandson raced nationally in go-carts and he wanted to have a
local go-cart track and my son and grandson figured $125,000, when it was done
it was almost a million dollars," said owner, Glenn Borger.”
"I don't think they understand the impact on
how many people it's going to have and I don't think the judge fully
understands what an asset this was to the community," said track
photographer Bob Snyder.
There is an alternative to closing the track.
The judge ruled the
More can be found here: http://www.wfmz.com/news/Popular-raceway-forced-to-close/-/121458/4006652/-/rbld2a/-/index.html
Note: Some interesting things
being posted on the 4 Cycle Forum on this, as to possible paving and quite a
difference in price for paving, too.
When one sees how they were able to close Borgers,
could it also happen to other tracks, too?
http://karting.4cycle.com/showthread.php?t=402997&page=1&pp=35
Eighth:
From
the Track Forum:
Las
Vegas Motor Speedway catch fence - flawed design
Quite a bit being said about the design of the catch fence at the
Check it out, here: http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?157050-Las-Vegas-Motor-Speedway-catch-fence-flawed-design
Ninth:
Again, from the Track Forum & Indy cars:
Closed
cockpits ?
So
far 173 postings about it - some pro - some con.
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?156868-Closed-cockpits
Note: Some videos along with an article in the link
above.
Tenth:
I first heard of this F-1 race in
Again, more info found on the Track Forum:
The effort to bring the race to a temporary street-circuit
in
Formula One:
Formula 1 set to add second
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95596
Eleventh:
Glad
to see this, especially for the race fans!
Five
Mile Point Speedway
National
Quarter Mile Dirt Track Championship Weekend Oct. 28th and 29th
Important time change for Saturday. We will begin racing at
3:45 p.m. on Saturday. Everything has been moved up an hour with the racing
program. Pits will now open at 12 noon - Grandstand at 1:30 p.m. - Practice at
2:45 p.m. We wanted to move up the schedule due to the expected cold temps. on Saturday. Sunday is the rain date if needed for either
day. The Friday schedule and times will be unchanged. The Flea Market on
Saturday will still be at 9:00 a.m.
Some
additional info from their website: http://www.fivemilepointspeedway.net/RaceTopic5021.htm
Twelfth:
Hey, before ya know it, this will be
here! Might make a nice Christmas
present – tickets to either or both racing shows?
Info on the Atlantic City Indoor races:
http://www.aarn.com/acindoorrace2012.html
And the
http://www.aarn.com/riindoorrace2012.html
And the Motor Sports show:
http://www.aarn.com/motorsports2012.html
Coming up:
Their Novemberfest races are scheduled for November 4th,
5th and 6th.
For more info, please go here: http://www.oaklandvalleyspeedway.com/schedules-fees/
Note: I wonder how
many former Dirt Oval runners will return to run this event?
Some info for ya:
50% of the Entry Fee goes toward the Prize Purse
3 Rounds of FEATURE Races...ALL 3 Count Towards
Overall Finishes
Friday November 4th - Open Practice
Gates Open - 2:00 pm
Registration - 2:00 - 7:00 pm
Open Practice - 4:00 - 9:00 pm
Break from Practice - 7:30 - 8:00 pm
Barbecue - 7:30 pm
Saturday November 5th - Race Day #1
Gates Open - 8:00 am
Registration - 8:00 - 10:30 am
Practice - 10:00 am
We will do our best to get in 2 rounds of feature races
complete. We will take a break at 7:00 pm for the Beef and Ham Roast.
Beef and Ham Roast - 7:00 pm
Sunday November 6th - Race Day #2
Gates Open - 8:00 am
Practice - 10:00 am
Racing will resume after practice
Feature 1 will be lined up by draw.
Feature 2 will be lined up by the invert of draw.
My note here: A bit
confusing, but the first two races are run on Saturday – not three races per
class, on Sunday.
Feature 3 will be lined up by total points awarded for
Feature 1 and 2
Point Break Down as Follows:
1st - 30 point 2nd - 25 points 3rd - 22 points 4th - 20
points 5th - 19 points 6th - 18 points 7th - 17 points 8th - 16 points 9th - 15
points 10th - 14 points 11th - 13 points 12th - 12 points 13th - 11 points 14th
- 10 points 15th - 9 points 16th - 8 points 17th - 7 points 18th - 6 points
19th - 5 points 20th - 4 points DNS - 1 point DQ - 0 points DNMW - 0 points
DNWI - 0 points
If there are 20 or more entries...there will be time trials
and the fastest 20 racers will make it to the A main and receive 75% of the
total prize purse. The B main will receive 25% of the total prize purse.
Entry Fee* - $75.00 per class (includes the Beef and Ham
Roast)
Friday Night Practice * - $25.00 (includes Barbecue)
1 Day Pit Pass - $12.00
2 Day Pit Pass - $20.00 (save $4.00)
3 Day Pit Pass - $30.00 (save $6.00)
Friday Night Barbecue - $7.00
Saturday Night Beef and Ham Roast - $11.00
*Price do not include pit passes
Classes: (must have 5 entries for class to be recognized)
Kid Kart – 150 lbs. (ages 5-7) – SATURDAY only - $25.00
price does not include pit pass
Kid Champ Karts – 260 lbs. (ages 5-7) – SATURDAY only -
$25.00 price does not include pit pass
Junior 1 – 250 lbs. (ages 8-10) – flat head motor only –
purple plate
Junior 2 – 275 lbs. (ages 10-12) – flat head motor only –
turquoise plate
Junior 3 – 300 lbs. (ages 12-15) – flat head motor only –
gold plate
Junior Stock* – 310 lbs. (ages 12-15) – flat head motor
only
Sportsman 1 Champ – 300 lbs. (ages 8-10) – flathead motor –
purple plate
Sportsman 2 Champ - 315 lbs. (ages 10-12) – turquoise plate
for flathead & purple plate for animals
Junior Champ – 345 lbs. (ages 12-15) – no plate for
flathead & black plate for animals
Lights – 325 lbs.
Mediums – 350 lbs.
Heavys
– 375 lbs.
Super Heavys
– 400 lbs.
Senior Stock – 375 lbs. (age 35+)
Animal Lights – 325 lbs.
Animal Heavys
– 375 lbs.
Senior Champ – Flathead 410 lbs. and Animals run 425 lbs.
w/a black restrictor plate.
KT 100 - 350 lbs.
Junior Slingshot - (up to 15
years old) - 685 lbs.
Senior Slingshot (14+) - 760 lbs.
World Formula Modified Tour - SATURDAY only
WKA Engine Rules Apply
Must have a drilled head, carburetor, and side cover bolts
Burris Tire Rule - 33s or 55s only
For Further Information please call Denise at 203.241.5741
or email denise.ovspeedway@gmail.com
Lobitz Movie
Party/Auction:
Sunday, November
13, 2011. Lots of fun, plenty to
eat/drink, racing movies are shown, and an auction to raise money for the
Eastern Museum of Motor Racing. You’d be
surprised as to what gets put up for auction!
One never knows
who might show up.
Things get started
around 9:00 in the morning, with a swap meet, followed by most anything
else. Quite a few vendors selling race
related items, too.
Sit down dinner at
around 5:30 in the afternoon.
Lobitz Catering
Hall
Rt 940
(Located directly
behind the Fairway Chevrolet dealership on Rt 309
North)
Note: One can usually visit the barn, out back, to
see a ton of old racecars, too.
Found
on Jayski’s website:
Fuel fire causes
damage to #78 hauler:
A fuel fire next to
#78-Regan Smith's hauler created chaos -- and a huge billowing cloud of black
smoke -- in the garage area following Sunday's Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega
Superspeedway. Thankfully, no one was injured and the blaze was extinguished
without extensive damage. Crewmen were busy disconnecting the fuel probes from
gas cans and dumping excess fuel into a storage can
near the front of the #78 hauler after the race, when a spark apparently
ignited fuel inside one of the cans. "They had the gas can on the ground
there between the tractor and the hauler," Furniture Row Racing spokesman
Dave Ferroni said. "They took off the fuel
probe, something sparked it and it ignited. That's all we know at this
time." Everyone involved was able to scramble to safety, and several alert
crewmen grabbed fire extinguishers and beat down the flames before the fire
truck could get through the hundreds of crews, media and onlookers that are
usually scurrying around in the garage once a race ends. Ferroni
said several crew members' personal bags were damaged or destroyed by the fire,
but most of the major damage was contained to the hauler itself. "There's
a lot of damage to the back of the tractor, a lot of melted hoses," Ferroni said. "Somebody from Penske came over and
they're going to offer us an extra tractor to take back to
2010 race winners without a win in 2011:
Four
drivers who won at least one Sprint Cup Series in 2010 have not won a race in
2011 with four races remaining. None are Chase drivers:
#1-Jamie McMurray, #00-David Reutimann, #16-Greg Biffle and #42-Juan Pablo Montoya.(10-24-2011)
Race and Commercial
Breakdown for
For those of you
NASCAR fans that like stats and love to hate
commercials, or wonder how often your driver was focused on, here is the
breakdown for Sunday's race. Began recording the times at the Invocation of the
race at 2:02 and stopped at the waving of the checkered flag at 5:53 PM (all
times are EST). ESPN was the broadcast team for this event. Included in this
broadcast was 'NASCAR Non-Stop', commercials shown split-screen with the race
broadcast. Below the regular commercials' breakdown, you can see a breakdown of
the participating sponsors and the times their ads were shown.
Total number of traditional commercials (not split-screen): 75
Total number of 'NASCAR Non-Stop commercials' (split-screen): 49
Total number of commercials: 124
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 72
Total number of brief promos of products/services during the race broadcast: 35
Total amount of time these brief promos take during broadcast: app. 4 min. 20
sec.
Start time to record race/commercial periods: 2:02 PM
End time to record race/commercial periods: 5:53 PM
Total minutes of complete race broadcast: 231
Total minutes of race broadcast: 195
Minutes of traditional commercials: 36
Minutes of 'NASCAR Non-Stop Commercials': 23
Number of times ESPN utilized 'NASCAR Non-Stop' to show split-screen
commercials: 11
Number of commercials ESPN cut short to return to important race action: 2
Number of missed restarts: 0
Number of 'mystery cautions' (debris not shown): 2
See past races, links to more reports on the 2011 TV Commercials page.(10-24-2011)
Ford wants Ford
drivers to draft with Fords only:
#14-Tony Stewart
[Chevy] likely will have a new drafting partner Sunday with this two-car
tandem. Stewart has worked with #34-David Gilliland [Ford] in the past but
didn't get to practice with him Friday. Stewart said: "I've kind of heard
the Ford guys are kind of being told they have to stay with Ford guys.'' &
Stewart drafted with #47-Bobby Labonte [
UPDATE:
The dictum of Ford
drivers helping only other Ford drivers in Sunday's race came from Ford Racing
brass and team owner Jack Roush during a meeting early in the week. In fact,
Roush's loyalty to the brand is legendary. So Gilliland, who drives for Front
Row, won't be on Stewart's bumper on Sunday at all. "Yeah, we
aren't," Gilliland said. "It's such a tight points
battle right now, and we're going to try to help the Ford guys out all we
can." Apparently, Roush talked about the Ford solidarity in no uncertain
terms.(Sporting
News)(10-23-2011)
Bayne and Gordon, Ford Orders? UPDATE:
#21-Trevor
Bayne had a wild race, one that was especially weird considering his
fourth-place qualifying spot. Bayne was sort of a free agent in the tandem
drafting pool. With Ford drivers working under directions that discouraged them
from drafting with Chase contenders in other manufacturer camps, Bayne ran much
of the day with #7-Robby Gordon. But Bayne wound up in the middle of the
upfront drafting pack at the end of the race and was hooked up briefly with
#24-Jeff Gordon. They had drafted successfully together at Daytona
International Speedway in February as Bayne won the Daytona 500. Bayne broke
away from Gordon in the closing miles and after the race tweeted on his Twitter
account that he wasn't pleased with the way the race concluded. "I'm not
happy about what this has become," Bayne wrote. "It's too
premeditated. We should be able to go with whoever is around. I would have
rather pulled over and finished last than tell [Gordon] I would work with him
and then be strong armed into bailing." Gordon finished 27th.(Ford
Racing)
AND:
Jamie
Allison, who oversees Ford's motorsports program in North America, was on Sirius Satellite Radio's "Tradin Paint'' show on Monday afternoon and discussed
the issue of if Ford ordered its teams not to work with any other manufacturers
at Talladega this past weekend in light of Trevor Bayne leaving Jeff Gordon
late in that race and Tony Stewart saying he could not work with David
Gilliland because of orders.
Here's what Allison said to the question of if he or Ford ordered its teams not
to work with anyone else: "We don't have orders per se. That's how we work
with these teams. These are independent teams that choose an affiliate with us
as a manufacturer. We have a lot of respect and mutual agreements. We discuss
many strategies. We don't mandate. We don't issue orders. I can tell you at the
start of the Chase, we reached out to all the Ford teams, I personally did,
along with my team and basically said, "Hey, thank you for affiliating
with Ford Motor Company. We're very proud of everybody. Hey, these are special
times for us. If an opportunity presents itself where you can help a Ford
teammate, just please be aware and try to help out. It was just an outreach, a
consideration, just be aware that we're in the Chase and we're all part of the
big Ford family. No orders. None of what you have been reading around this big
plan or big orders. It's none of that. I can tell you guys, it's been a very,
very tough and long and hard-fought season. It's been on merit. We've earned
all the wins. I wish we could count the almost-wins. It's not just in Cup. You
look at Nationwide. We have a strong, strong lead with Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.). We've got the manufacturer's championship
that we're contending with there. It's a strong, strong year. It's all because
of good preparation, good teamwork and a lot of great teams. We
just are reaching out and helping the fellow teammates.''(Virginian
Pilot)(10-25-2011)
UPDATE:
Jack
Roush issued a statement Tuesday morning: "At Roush Fenway Racing we
expect our individual drivers to make decisions that put themselves in the best
position to win each and every race. That is a philosophy that we have lived by
for over two decades, and one that we will continue to abide by going forward.
Of course, as in any team, we would prefer for our drivers to work together
when possible. However, to be clear, we did not micromanage or dictate to any
of our drivers, nor any other Ford drivers, how to race with other drivers at
NASCAR Confiscates Windshields:
UPDATE:
NASCAR confiscated the windshields from Michael Waltrip
Racing's #00 and #56 Toyotas and from the #47
UPDATE:
NASCAR has issued penalties to the #00, #47 and #56 teams that compete
in the Sprint Cup Series as a result of rule infractions discovered during
opening day inspection Oct. 21 at Talladega Superspeedway. All three cars were
found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car
racing); 12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment
used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of
the rule book, or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the event); and
20-3.2.1A (unapproved modification to an approved windshield) of the 2011 NASCAR
rule book. Crew chiefs Rodney Childers (#00), Frank Kerr (#47) and Chad
Johnston (#56) have each been fined $50,000 and have been suspended from the
next four Sprint Cup Series championship events and suspended from NASCAR until
Nov. 23. Car chiefs Steve Channing (#00), Raymond Fox (#47) and Anthony Lunders (#56) have likewise been suspended from the next
four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship events and suspended from NASCAR
until Nov. 23. Additionally, Bobby Kennedy, director of competition for Michael
Waltrip Racing, has been placed on NASCAR probation
until Dec. 31. Car owners Rob Kauffman (#00), Tad Geschickter
(#47), and Michael Waltrip (#56) have each been
penalized with the loss of 25 championship owner points. Drivers David Reutimann (#00), Bobby Labonte
(#47), and Martin Truex Jr. (#56) have each been
penalized with the loss of 25 championship driver points.(NASCAR)(10-25-2011)
AND:
"We are very disappointed in this entire situation and we will not
appeal NASCAR's ruling," JTG Daugherty Racing co-owner Brad Daugherty
said. "We look forward to racing at Martinsville Speedway this weekend and
getting ready for next season." Team chief race engineer Brian Burns will
assume the role as crew chief for the #47 Toyota Camry replacing Frank Kerr and
Bob Bechstein has been named car chief replacing
Raymond Fox following penalties assessed by NASCAR.(JTG
Daugherty Racing)(10-25-2011)
AND:
"Michael Waltrip Racing is
ultra-sensitive and very serious about working within the guidelines of NASCAR
policy. We do not condone this type of activity and as such we will take
appropriate internal corrective action immediately. We thank NASCAR for
providing a fair and equitable platform for all of its competitors and respect
its decisions; therefore, we will not appeal." The following team
personnel moves will take effect until NASCAR reinstates the suspended crew
members:
#56 Team: Veteran crew chief Pat Tryson will serve as
interim crew chief in place of suspended crew chief Chad Johnston at
Martinsville. Allen Mincey, #56 race mechanic, will
serve as interim car chief in place of suspended car chief Tony Lunders
#00 Team: Bobby Kennedy, executive vice president of race operations, will
serve as interim crew chief in place of Rodney Childers. Chris Hall, #00 race mechanic,
will serve as interim car chief in place of suspended car chief Steve Channing.
Both crew and car chiefs will return to their positions following their
suspensions.(Michael Waltrip
Racing)(10-25-2011)
Note: That’s what’s wrong with
racing today – no room for any ingenuity.
I happened to mention this to Brett Hearn during the Pit Party on Sunday
morning. Way too many
rules. And rules cost the race
teams money, and in a lot of cases, make the sanctioning bodies rich, too.
SKF sponsoring
Penske teams in 2012:
SKF USA Inc.
announced it will be a major associate sponsor of the Penske Racing teams
beginning with the 2012 racing season. The SKF brand will be featured in the
Sprint Cup Series as well as the Nationwide Series and the IZOD IndyCar Series next season. Entering its 15th year as a
major associate sponsor of auto racing in North America, the SKF brand will be
featured in 2012 on the #2 Miller Lite Dodge driven
by Brad Keselowski and the #22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge
driven by Kurt Busch in the Sprint Cup Series; the #12 Alliance Truck Parts
Dodge driven by Sam Hornish Jr. in the Nationwide
Series and the #3 Team Penske IndyCar driven by
three-time Indianapolis 500 Champion Helio Castroneves.(Penske
Racing)(10-26-2011)
Kraft Foods extends
partnerships with NASCAR and Stewart-Haas Racing:
NASCAR, Stewart-Haas Racing and Kraft Foods
jointly announced an extended agreement for Kraft Foods to continue as the
Official Cookie (Oreo, Nilla and Nutter Butter) and
Cracker (Ritz and Wheat Thins) of NASCAR, and that the iconic Oreo and Ritz
brands would continue to serve as Associate Sponsors of Stewart-Haas Racing
teammates Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, respectively, in the Sprint Cup Series.
Kraft Foods, an Official NASCAR Partner since 2000, will continue its long
tradition of creating NASCAR-themed, specially-marked packages of Oreo cookies
and Ritz crackers for a national consumer sweepstakes. For the first time in
2012, Ritz will host a national digital and social media sweepstakes on its Facebook page where a fan will have the chance to win a
prize package to go to the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony.(NASCAR)(10-26-2011)
Motorcross star Stewart signs with
Gibbs; NASCAR races planned:
James
"Bubba" Stewart has signed a multi-year contract to race with the
motocross division of Joe Gibbs Racing, JGRMX. Additionally, JGRMX has extended
its relationship with Yamaha Motor Corporation,
AND:
In signing a
multiyear deal with JGRMX, Stewart, 25, is expected to race full time on a bike
for at least the next three seasons, but he will begin dabbling immediately in
stock cars. A test in a Late Model car is scheduled in a few weeks, and he
hopes to squeeze in races in the K&N and Nationwide Series (feeder circuits
to Sprint Cup, NASCAR's premier series) as early as next season. Stewart's
eventual transition from motorcycle racing to NASCAR might give a jolt of
attention to a sport that actively craves a more diverse driver lineup. A
charismatic black man in a mostly white sport, Stewart has starred in a reality
TV show and has been among the few transcendent riders in Supercross.(USA
Today)(10-26-2011)
Note: The “Drive for Diversity” program of NASCAR’s
really hasn’t helped many black drivers at all.
Seems that there are more females in that program than
any other kinds of people. For
some reason, blacks just aren’t into auto racing. Not too many Hispanics, either.
NASCAR clarifies
rules about giving assistance:
NASCAR made a clear
distinction about giving assistance to another car with a decision made public
Saturday morning at Talladega Superspeedway. A driver can push a disabled car
to pit road but may not push another car to assist the driver in saving fuel,
or in maintaining caution pace while saving fuel on the race track. As always,
no assistance of any kind is allowed on the final lap. The clarification comes
as a reaction to #98-Austin Dillon (in his Sprint Cup debut) pushing Richard
Childress Racing teammate #29-Kevin Harvick under
caution at Kansas Speedway, while Harvick was
conserving fuel. In NASCAR's view, helping a driver save fuel by pushing his
car provides a competitive advantage that may not be available to drivers
without teammates. There also is the possibility that such assistance could
skew the results of the Chase. "You can still push a car that's disabled
or out of power to pit road," NASCAR spokesperson Kerry Tharp said. What
happens when one car pushes another past the entrance to pit road? "That's
when we would react," Tharp said. The clarification has been passed along
to teams through word of mouth, not with a formal competition bulletin. The
subject also is likely to come up during the drivers' meeting before Sunday's
Good Sam Club 500, the sixth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. It is
also likely that new language regarding assistance will appear in the 2012 rule
book, Tharp said.(Sporting
News)(10-23-2011)
Knaus told Johnson to wreck car
if he won at
Chad Knaus told driver Jimmie Johnson to intentionally damage
the back end of his race car if the #48 team won Sunday's race at Talladega
Superspeedway, the crew chief acknowledged Wednesday. Knaus
admitted giving the five-time NASCAR champion the pre-race instructions in
order to "cover our bases" in case 500 miles of bump-drafting knocked
the car beyond NASCAR's strict tolerances. Officials likely would have accepted
the damage as an excuse if the # 48 car had not fit NASCAR's templates in
post-race inspection. The conversation between Knaus
and Johnson occurred when the crew chief leaned inside the #48 car before the
race to give Johnson some final words of encouragement. Because Johnson's
in-car camera was live on NASCAR.com's RaceBuddy application, the chat was broadcast to anyone
watching the feed at the time.
"If we win this race, you have to crack the back of the car," Knaus could be heard telling Johnson on the recording.
"Got it?"
"Really?" Johnson replied, sounding
surprised.
"Yes," Knaus said. "Got it? You don't
have to have to hit it hard, you don't have to destroy it. But you've gotta do a donut and you've gotta
hit the back end, or somebody's gotta hit you in the
ass-end or something. OK?"
After Johnson responds with apparent silence (he can't be heard saying anything
else), Knaus added, "You'll be alright. Can't take any chances."
When asked Wednesday whether the conversation indicated Knaus
was trying something fishy on the back of the car, the crew chief replied,
"I don't think that's a fair assessment. To be honest with you, here's the deal - racing at
UPDATE:
NASCAR spokesman
Kerry Tharp has issued a statement in response to the story: "We became
aware of this piece of audio this morning and certainly want to get all the
facts before making an opinion and reaching any conclusions. We'll visit with
the parties and pull all the facts together best we can. While
Former
Last
week I overlooked Brian Sobus finishing 17th
in the IMSA Super Modified race at
This week, it’s
basically all about Eastern States weekend and how some former Dirt Oval
runners faired in the races they entered.
Note: What I find kind of strange is that those
that have left the Dirt Oval have stayed with mostly open wheel type of racing
cars. Hardly any, that
I know of, have gone into full fender classes.
Starting off with
the Big Block Modifieds, and not in any particular
order except for how they qualified in time trials.
Seventy-three cars
took time.
Michael Storms had
the fastest time trial out of all the entrants with a time of 21.063 for an
average speed of 106.822 MPH. Winning
the pole allowed Michael to not have to run any qualifying heat. He finished 2nd in the Dash for
Cash race and 30th in the 200 lap main event.
Tim Hindley was 16th fastest, with a time of 21.545
and 104.433 MPH. He won his heat and
ended up 2nd in the 200.
Danny Creeden was 20th fastest with a time of 21.573
and a speed of 104.297. He was 4th
in his heat and 24th in the 200
Johnny Guarino, in a car powered by the DIRTcar
Spec 500 cu in engine, was 31st in time with a 21.681 clocking and a
speed of 103.778. He was first in his
heat and 5th in the 200. He
also had the fastest lap in the 200 with a time of 21.137 and an average speed
for that lap of 106.448 MPH – that happening on his 82nd lap. He lost some time on his pit stop when not
only was a RR tire changed, but also a flat left front, too. Not sure, but he might have lost a lap.
Billy Van Inwegen timed 32nd fastest with a time of 21.727
and an average speed of 103.558. He was
6th in his heat, and 3rd in his consy,
just missing the 200 by one spot, which he had until a yellow came out and he
got passed on the restart. He also lost
his power steering at the start of his heat, and pushed up between turns one
and two, which allowed cars to get under and pass him. With today’s cars almost all being equal,
it’s difficult to pass – especially on bigger tracks.
Mike Ruggiero (will
an announcer ever pronounce his name right?) timed 37th fastest with
a lap at 21.815 and a speed of 103.140.
He was 6th in his heat and won his consy. He ended up 25th in the 200. He had his front end wiped out in the
accident with Stewart Friesen, but had it replaced prior to the green coming
out, only to be involved in a second accident later on.
Brian Krummel attempted to make the 200 with a Small Block engine
in his car and he timed 45th fastest with a time of 21.922 and a
speed of 102.537. He was 7th
in his heat and chose not to run the consy.
Clinton Mills, who
came so close to winning the 200 last year, timed in 47th with a lap
turned in 21.933 seconds. His average
speed was 102.585 MPH. He was 6th
in his heat and 10th in his consy. He was making his usual charge through the consy field, when there was a yellow, and the car in front
of him, in the first turn slowed, and Mills spun so as to not have
contact. Now keep in mind, the yellow
came out prior to his spin, and as far as I’m concerned, Mills should have been
put back in the position he was in when that yellow flew, rather than having to
go to the rear. It was after he was sent
to the rear and he was making another charge to the front when he had a violent
hit with first the tires then the wall in the first turn, putting him out of
the race.
Tom Hindley also used has Small Block powered Modified in an
attempt to qualify for the 200. His time
trial lap was 22.453 for an average of 100.209 MPH – which was 64th
fastest. He was 8th in his
heat and chose not to run a consy.
Corey Ziegler timed
65th fastest with a lap of 22.463 and an average speed of
100.165. He was 9th in his
heat and 8th in his consy, thus failing to
qualify for the 200.
Now, the 358 Small
Blocks:
Fifty-two cars took
time.
Brian Krummel had the 21st fastest time trial with a
lap timed at 21.778, which comes out to an average speed of 103.315 MPH. He was 5th in his heat, 2nd
in his consy and was 36th in the 100 lap
feature, having gone out after the first lap.
Mike Ruggiero timed
26th fastest at 21.937 and a speed of 102.566. He was 4th in his heat and 26th
in the feature.
Tim
Hindley qualified 30th with a time of
22.120 and a speed of 101.718. He was 2nd
in his heat and 32nd in the feature.
The Open Sportsman:
There were 54 cars
entered in the five heat races.
Yes, there were
some “Crate” cars that entered this class, too.
Anthony Perrego was 3rd in his heat and 20th
in the 50-lap feature.
Keith Still was 5th
in his heat, won his consy and was 17th in
the feature.
Matt Janiak was 7th in his heat, 3rd in
his consy and 30th in the feature.
R J Smykla was 3rd in his heat and 10th
in the feature.
Rich Coons was 4th
in his heat and 28th in the feature.
John Lodini was 7th in his heat and 6th in
his consy and was a DNQ for the feature.
Tyler Dippel was 9th in his heat and 8th in
his consy and a DNQ for the feature.
Matt Hitchcock was
11th in his heat and 4th in the feature. He was guaranteed a start in the feature and
drove John Lodinis car.
Kyle Redner was 2nd in his heat and 32nd
in the feature.
Tyler Boniface was
7th in his heat, 3rd in his consy
and 19th in the feature.
Brian Krummel was 12th in his heat, had a guaranteed
starting spot in the feature and was 2nd in the feature.
Zach Vavricka was 5th in his heat, 4th in
his consy and 18th in the feature.
Note: I really can’t confirm what I had heard
during the Pit Party on Sunday morning, but for the Open Sportsman races, I had
heard that the “Crate” cars could just remove the “chip” and run. Uh, yes, with the aluminum wheels too, I was
told. Was there still a weight break,
too? Were those items in the rules?
The “Crate”
Sportsman:
I really thought
this class would have been much bigger than the 46 entrants in the heat races,
since the “Crate” Sportsman class is THE class for DIRTcar. Maybe it was the fact that their feature was
for only 30 laps, and the payoff smaller than the Open
Sportsman? What has to be done to get
more cars in this class for 2012? More
laps? A bigger purse?
Anthony Perrego won his heat and also won the 30-lap feature.
Tyler Dippel was 3rd in his heat and 18th
in the feature.
Tyler Boniface was
3rd in his heat and 10th in the feature.
Matt Hitchcock won
his heat and was 17th in the feature.
Jason Roe was 5th
in his heat and 10th in his consy and was
a DNQ for the feature.
Matt Janiak was 1st in his heat and 3rd in
the feature.
R J Smykla was 2nd in his heat and 6th in
the feature.
Note: Is it true that Tyler Dippel
is only 13 years old? That’s what I
heard one of the announcers say.
In the CRSA 305
Sprint Car portion of the weekend there was this:
Thirty-six cars
entered the heat races. The fastest time
of the night was turned in by Jeff Van Steenburg at
19.262 seconds for an average speed of 116.210 MPH.
Emily VanInwegen was 8th in her heat, 10th
in the “B” Main and 23rd in the feature, having, I believe, received
a provisional starting place in the feature due to her participating over the
course of the season.
Brian Pomponio was 7th in his heat and 7th
in the “B” Main, and was a DNQ for the feature.
Benny Rizzo was 9th
in his heat and 8th in the “B” Main and was a DNQ for the feature.
Dan Hennessy was 7th
in his heat after hard contact with the wall between turns one and two. He was a DNQ for the feature.
Brittany Tresch was 8th in her heat after hard contact
with the wall in turn two. She was a DNQ
for the feature, but I did notice a car on the track in the feature with her
number 2T on its wing. She was not
listed on My Laps for the feature results, however. Was she in that car with the 2T on the
wing? No reply from her when I
questioned her on it.
Billy VanInwegen was 7th in his heat and 12th
in the “B” Main, and was a DNQ for the feature.
John Virgilio was 2nd in his heat and 2nd
in the feature. With that second place,
he ends up being the 2011 CRSA’s driving champion.
To check out My Laps for all the ESW action, please go here: http://www.mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=729013
Checking out the time trials, in the Big Blocks, Michael Storms was the
fastest with a lap of 21.063 and an average speed of 106.822. The 50th fastest qualifier, Bob McGannon, timed in at 21.982 and an average speed of
102.356.
In the 358 Small Block time trials, Jimmy Phelps was fastest with a lap
timed in 21.096 seconds. That comes out
to an average speed of 106.655. Kim Hervick was the 27th fastest and was timed at
21.996, for an average of 102.291 MPH.
Not very much difference is there.
Less than a second between those results, above. And that’s part of the reason that it’s
extremely hard to pass in modified racing today.
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 mostly from Open
Wheel racing from “Back in the day”.
Covering the days from
October 28th to November 3rd:
OCTOBER 28
1919
Walt Hansgen...
Born ... A driver from the
2006
Johnny Coy... Died ... Coy
raced everything from jalopies to modifieds, but it
was in the midgets where he excelled. He started running midgets in the late
'40's at
OCTOBER 29
1961
Rodger Ward won the USAC
sanctioned Golden State 100 on the 1 Mile Dirt Oval California State
Fairgrounds in
Bill Randall won the ARDC
Midget race at the Trenton International Speedway (1.0p),
OCTOBER 30
1951
Tony Bettenhausen
Jr. ... Born ... Tony Lee Bettenhausen
Jr. was one of three racing brothers and a son of two-time U.S. Auto Club
national champion Melvin "Tony" Bettenhausen,
who ran at the
1954
Wilbur Shaw... Died ... AAA driver from the 1920's, 30's and 40's. He was a
three-time winner of the
1966
Ned Jarrett and Junior
Johnson retire from racing, both NASCAR Grand National
champions each had 50 NASCAR Grand National wins.
1994
Kenny Bernstein became the
first man to run faster than 310 mph in the 1/4-mile when he ran 311.85 mph in
his Top Fuel dragster,
OCTOBER 31
1902
Wilbur Shaw... Born ... AAA driver from the 1920's, 30's and 40's. He was a
three-time winner of the
1933
Hugh Randall... Born ... USAC driver from the early 1960's. He died as a
relief driver for Bob Mathouser in the Vargo Special at the Langhorne Speedways 100 Mile USAC
Championship race July 1, 1962.
1939
Tom Bigelow... Born ... A former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car
series. He began his racing career at the Badger Midget Racing
Association at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie,
1967
Buddy Lazier ... Born ...
An American open-wheel racecar driver. Lazier first appeared in CART beginning
in 1989 driving for Gary Trout Motorsports and also participated in The Indy
500 as a rookie. He won the 1996
1988
Dick Mealy ... Died ...
Dick from
1999
Greg Moore... Died ... A
Canadian racecar driver who competed in the Indy Lights and CART World Series,
where he had great success with several wins in both series and a championship
in the 1995 Indy Lights series. However, his promising career and his life came
to an end on October 31, 1999, when he was fatally injured in a violent crash
on the 10th lap of the CART season finale, the Marlboro 500, at Auto Club
Speedway in
Larry "Spiderman"
McBride made the first sub-6-second 1/4-mile Top Fuel Motorcycle pass, at
NOVEMBER 1
1912
David Bruce-Brown , the first American to win a Grand Prix, died in a
practice accident for the American Grand Prize race in
1923
Eddie Rickenbacker took
control of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
1926
Bob Veith...
Born ... AAA and USAC driver. Ran
the Championship Car series, racing from 1955 to 1968 with 63 starts. He
finished in the top ten 37 times, with a best finish of 2nd twice, both in
1958. Veith qualified for his first
1978
Lee Oldfield ... Died ...
AAA driver from the early 1900's.
1989
George Marshman...
Died ... Race car driver, builder and promoter. Father
of Bobby Marshman, 1961
NOVEMBER 2
1992
Tommy Copp...
Died ... USAC driver from the 1960's
2007
Don Freeland... Died ... AAA / USAC driver from the 1950's & 60's.
Freeland competed in the Indy 500 each year from 1953 to 1960. He appeared
headed for a second place finish in 1955 before a transmission failure ended
his day 22 laps prior to the end of the race. He came back with a best Indy
finish of third the next year. He also finished in the top ten in 1954 and
1958.
NOVEMBER 3
1952
Greg Sacks... Born ... NASCAR stockcar driver.
1958
Derrike Cope... Born ... NASCAR stockcar
driver.
News
from the AARN:
From
last week:
“I
really can’t comment on the deal with Rick Lauback at
Note: Would be interesting to see if Lauback comes to OCFS for ESW this coming weekend. He usually runs pretty good
at OC.”
Well,
guess who was in action this past weekend at OCFS for ESW? Uh huh!
Rick Laubach.
Maybe they had to use up some of those supposed 35 tires they bought at
From
their October 18th issue:
A fairly good-sized article, with photos, about
Albany/Saratoga going back to being a dirt track. I guess time will tell as to what will
actually happen there.
In
the column by Lenny Sammons, he makes mention of Mike Scrivani,
NEMA President, working on having a rental midget for 2012 for NEMA Lights
(Mostly Ford Focus powered) drivers.
There’s about 150 HP difference between a Light and regular
midgets. Cost will be in the
neighborhood of $1,500.00 to $2,000.00.
No, I don’t know if that cost covers any damage, if any, that might come
about while racing.
The
ROC Asphalt Series is still in the process of making some changes for 2012 –
maybe. They might go to a 10” tire. There has been some testing done with both
13” and 10” American Racer tires at
Ernie
Saxton, in his column, makes mention of the remaining two years that Sprint has
with NASCAR on their $750,000.000.00 sponsorship deal. Can Sprint afford to re-up? Even they are having “problems”. Sponsorship is hurting NASCAR with some teams
downsizing. Start and park teams do make
money, and do keep the Cup fields full with 43 cars per race, but what would
happen if NASCAR has to go to smaller fields?
Would they lose some of the start & park teams?
The
URC, as of when Ernie wrote his column, have no banquet scheduled, and it looks
like they will not have one, either.
The
Southern National Raceway was sold for $650,000.00 at auction. $2,000,000.00 was what was asked as an
opening bid, but they had to go down to $400,000.00 to get the bidding
started. Yep, times are tough, today.
Todd
Heintzelman, in his column, was making mention of how
many races were lost to “Mother Nature” this past racing season. Williams Grove 12,
Stevie
Smith and car owners John & Pee Wee Zematis (Zemco Sprint Car) have parted. Curt Michael is the URC’s
2011 driving champion. The URC paid out
$57,000.00 to the top 20 drivers and owners – so it looks like their not having
a banquet is true?
Randy
Kane makes mention of Duane Howard having a guaranteed starting spot in the 358
Small Block race at Eastern States, but Howard was heading to
The
32nd edition of the National Parts Peddler show will be held in
Don
and JoAnn Davies, in their column say that DIRTcar should spend some dollars on their equipment that
their staff uses. They say it is like a
“Soap Opera” just getting to the tracks with the DIRTcar
pit trailer. Last week it lost a wheel
on the way to
A
reminder: Now is the time to start on
getting sponsors for the 2012-racing season.
Good luck, with the economy the way it is!
Bill
Utter had most of his column about the last races at the Accord Speedway. He did make mention that Russ Meyer, who is
part of the Accord staff (Security) and who drives the Kids Club bus at OCFS
turned all of 84 years old on Saturday, October 15th. Happy Birthday, Russ!
Nick
Mady is the 2011-driving champion for the Xcel Modifieds.
There
is mention of two more that were associated with racing having passed on. Jason Trinca, 7, a
Go-Kart racer, was fatally injured, along with his mother, Geri, 30, in a car
accident on Saturday, October 8th, while on their way to the
Riverhead Raceway.
Of
Road Racing champion driver Rick Huseman, 38, was
fatally injured in an airplane crash, along with his brother, Jeff, and the
planes pilot.
In the AARN
This
Week - 10/25/2011 edition:
Brunnhoelzl Wins Race &
NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour Title
Formula 1 Headed To
Second Year A Charm For Dietrich and Kauffman
Friesen Talks About Eastern States Crash
Elliott Traffic Master At
More
racin’ stuff:
From the Track Forum:
Five points to ponder: A paper clip edition:
Danny Peters ·
Tuesday October 25, 2011
ONE: Five-time
Stalled at Five.
TWO: Four to Go
in 2011
THREE: All the
Threes: A great day for Bowyer
FOUR: Is the
No. 2 Car for Real?
FIVE: One
Critical Race
http://www.frontstretch.com/dpeters/36104/
Racing and
television:
Racing on TV - http://www.racefantv.com/USTV.htm
Note: Again - the
Some non-racing stuff:
Surprising Numbers About NFL Arrest Rates
In
part:
"More
than a few pundits have condemned miscreants in pro football, but the truth
hurts their argument: NFL players are actually incarcerated less than the
average citizen.
The
numbers don't lie. One in every 45 National Football League players (2.2
percent) is arrested. The national arrest rate is 1 in 23 (4.2 percent),
according to the FBI in 2010.
What
does that mean? Technically, NFL players get in 47.6 percent less trouble than
your average Joe.
When
Mike the butcher gets a DUI, it's not news. But when Steve the cornerback gets
busted for public intoxication, it becomes a story."
"WCCO
Minnesota's Jason DeRusha reports that in 2010, the
NBA had by far the highest arrest rate (5.1 percent) of the major professional
sports leagues in
"Within
the NFL, Minnesota Vikings players are actually 66 percent more likely to be
arrested than players on an average NFL team."
More
on this can be seen here: http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201110/nfls-surprising-new-arrest-leader
Is
this true?:
From
an e-mail I recieved from a former school mate:
White
House will not do Christmas!
Thought
you might be interested in this information from the White House..
This
isn't a rumor; this is a fact.
A
very talented artist for several years has painted ornaments to be hung
on
the various White House Christmas trees. The WH sends out an
invitation to send an ornament and
informs the artists of the theme for the year.
She got her letter from the WH
recently. It said that they would not be
called Christmas trees this year. They will be called
please not send any ornaments painted with a religious theme. She was
very upset at this development and
sent back a reply telling them that she
painted the ornaments for Christmas trees and would not be sending any
for
display that left Christ out of Christmas.
Just
thought you should know what the new residents in the WH plan for
the future of
ourselves a Christian Nation" this should confirm that he plans to take
us away from our religious
foundation as quickly as possible.
Just
another step toward turning
We
should shout to the highest hills that the White House is ours - not
the
Obama's, and 85% of Americans believe in Christ (Christmas)..
You
have two choices, delete or pass it on
Video time:
The Dan Wheldon Memorial Service – One hour and 27 minutes:
http://espn.go.com/watchespn/player/_/source/espn3/id/304870/size/condensed/
Closing with these:
Australian
Idiot Sightings Ha ha! If this doesn't make you smile you do have a
problem...
1. My
daughter and I went through the McDonald's driveway window and I gave the
cashier a $5 note.
Our
total was $4.25, so I also handed her 25c.
She
said, 'you gave me too much money.'
I
said, ‘Yes I know, but this way you can just give me a
dollar coin back.'
She
sighed and went to get the manager who asked me to repeat my request.
I
did so, and he handed me back the 25c, and said 'We're sorry but we don’t do that kind
of thing.'
The
cashier then proceeded to give me back 75 cents in change.
Do
not confuse the people at MacD's.
2. We had to have the garage door repaired.
The
repairman told us that one of our problems was that we did not have a 'large'
enough motor on the opener.
I
thought for a minute, and said that we had the largest one made at that time, a
1/2 horsepower.
He
shook his head and said,
'You need a 1/4 horsepower.'
I
responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4 and he said, 'NOOO, it's not. Four is larger than two.'
We
haven't used that repairman since.
Happened in
3. I live in a semi rural area.
We
recently had a new neighbour call the local council P
& W office to request the removal of the WOMBAT CROSSING sign on our road.
The
reason: 'Too many wombats are being hit
by cars out here! I don't think this is
a good place for them to be crossing anymore.'
4. My daughter went to a Mexican takeaway and
ordered a taco.
She
asked the person behind the counter for 'minimal lettuce.'
He
said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg lettuce.
From
More
of these next week.
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