Racin'
& Internet Stuff:
11/03/2011
Special
message:
Chances are that
due to the storm over the past weekend, and with
First:
Some storm, huh? I have to say
that we were pretty lucky where we live.
I think we got 4” of snow, which is a lot less than what others nearby
received. For the first time since we’ve
been in our house, and it’s been 8 years since we closed on it back on
10/31/2003, this is really about the first time we’ve had an extended power
outage, and that was from about 10:00 PM on Friday night to 7:42 AM on Saturday
morning. And by Monday, I’d say that 95%
of the snow we had was gone. . Like I said, we were lucky.
Second:
I have to say that the weather might have a lot to do with how many
Zombies, Vampires, Werewolves and other assorted monsters and creatures we’ll
have at our place this year. In the past
it’s been between like 350 – 400 of them out “Trick or Treating”. This year – 400 when we turned off our front
porch light.
Third:
Some “Bad” news: Well, in a way
it’s bad – this coming Saturday night/Sunday morning, at 2:00 AM, we have to
turn our clocks back an hour. Of course
that means it will get darker earlier.
On top of that, the daylight hours get shorter, too. I don’t know about you, but anymore, I hate
driving at night anymore, especially on regular roadways with quite a few cars
now having those nice BRIGHT “Bluish” headlights.
Fourth:
From our local paper on Monday, October 31st:
Frank Cerabino: Let's put the brakes on NASCAR tax cut
In part:
"In these contentious political times, it's good to know that
there's one thing that our elected officials can agree on: We need to help out
NASCAR more.
Yes, this is one issue where partisan divides suddenly heal, where
Republicans and Democrats can come together to find ways to give back to the
for-profit business that has given so much to them over the years in the form
of campaign contributions.
So it's not surprising that
More can be seen if you go here:
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111031/OPINION/110310319&cid=sitesearch
Fifth:
Back in the day, engines for Midgets weren’t all that expensive, in a
way. However, if you are fortunate to have
a Midget Offy engine today, then it gets pretty expensive, especially if you
run it. This past Monday, Gordon White
has a restored Offy powered Midget, sent this message out to the Yahoo! Race
History Group:
“The Offy midget engine was originally 97 cubic inches when Leo Goossen
designed it in 1934, but it soon was a bit larger, 102 cu in being common after
WW II and eventually by the late 1950s-early 1960s 110 cu in. Most 102's were
expanded to 110. By this time, more than 60 years after the bulk of the engines
were built, I'd guess almost every one has been rebuilt several times and
hardly any have all the original parts. Many are a conglomeration of pieces of
several engines. I know one of mine was put together of parts from a number of
shops. With the passing of the old Offy mechanics, getting an engine repaired
or even refreshed is VERY expensive. Ken Hickey used to freshen up my Offy
engine each year for $750. Now I guess you are looking at several thousand
dollars, plus parts. Cranks and pistons are still made. Valve springs, I guess
valves, rings, are available but when you get to rods, water or oil pumps, etc.
you are looking at real money. $15,000 for a fresh Offy midget engine would
actually be just the cost of a major overhaul. - Gordon White,
Sixth:
Every evening we see some clown running across our TV in a huge ball
telling us how much the New York Power Ball Lottery is worth. The last one I saw was that it was worth $140
million.
Questions: Where does that money
come from, and might it be possible to use those monies in helping out those
that have had some severe problems thanks to last weekends storm?
Seventh:
Have you seen the ads on TV for the film “J Edgar”? Might you have any idea as to how many
students in High School or College actually know who J Edgar was?
Eighth:
Question: With today’s
technology, why do Security Video Cameras have such lousy videos?
Ninth:
Before you know it, Christmas will be here. Here are a couple of links where you might
find that special gift:
http://www.emmr.org/giftshop.htm
Tenth:
An interesting
thread over on the Track Forum.
Interested?
Check it out, here:
Eleventh:
Another one
from the Track Forum:
Danica to
Honor Wheldon at
Danica
will honor Dan Wheldon this weekend by wearing a special paint-out of her
helmet, which will be auctioned off to benefit Susie and the children. She will
also be donating her winnings this weekend. Also, her car will feature a black
hood with the "Lionheart" logo.
Comments on wearing a special Dan Wheldon Tribute Helmet this weekend: "I
am humbled and proud to be wearing a special paint-out of my helmet in honor of
Dan this weekend at
Twelfth:
Some Indy
car stuff from the Track Forum:
What
should IMS do to honor Dan next May?
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?157091-What-should-IMS-do-to-honor-Dan-next-May
Thirteenth:
Anyone go
to the test at IMS today?
Scroll
down a little and check out the video.
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?157282-Anyone-go-to-the-test-at-IMS-today
Fourteenth:
Believe it
or not, this thread started back in 2007 on April 1st. Now, it’s up to 4 pages in length.
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 2 will be lined up by the invert of draw.
My note here: A bit
Feature 1 will be lined up by draw.
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
Note: Late last week
I thought I’d venture over to the 4 Cycle website. While there I noticed that there was a “PM”
for me. I was being asked if I might be
able to get some kind of special rate for the Karters that would be coming to
Novemberfest at some of the local motels – something I was able to do in the
past. Unfortunately, I thought that it
was too late by the time I saw that message.
But then I got to thinking – maybe that is something that the track
should do?
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 5:00 - 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:
Three lap penalty
for intentionally causing a caution:
NASCAR officials
announced during the drivers meeting Sunday morning at
NASCAR looking for
ways to limit two-car drafting:
NASCAR is looking
at further changes in order to reduce the amount of two-car drafting in time
for the 2012 Daytona 500, sources close to the situation said Thursday. NASCAR
has made two changes designed to affect drafting at Sunday's race at Talladega
Superspeedway, enlarging the size of the restrictor plate hole to increase
speed and adjusting the pop-off valve in the cooling system to increase the
threat of overheating. However, the changes did not work as hoped and the
two-car draft received harsh criticism from fans and caused controversy among
teams. Sources close to the situation told ESPN one of the possible solutions
is a smaller spoiler which teams experimented with during the final 45 minutes
of last Thursday's fuel injection test at Talladega. Sources said driver
feedback indicated the smaller spoiler made it harder to draft and harder to
back up into the car pushing it. Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president for
competition, said during the
Ragan wants to stay
in Cup, but open to Nationwide ride:
David Ragan
believes he likely will compete in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series in 2012. For whom
he will be driving, though, has yet to be determined. UPS, Ragan's current
primary sponsor on the Roush Fenway Racing #6 Ford, announced earlier this week
that the company would scale back it's racing program next season. Minus
funding, Ragan said Saturday he isn't sure in which direction his career is
headed. While he's hopeful that funding can be found that will allow him to
remain at Roush Fenway, Ragan knows the odds are less than favorable. But he
says he's "confident" that he will run in Cup. "With a
competitive team," he said. "I'm not going to be in a back-marker car
just to say I'm driving a Sprint Cup car," Ragan, who won his first Cup
race at Daytona in July, said. "I'm not too proud to go back to the
Nationwide Series and contend for a championship. Ragan, 25, is under contract
to Roush Fenway for 2012, meaning Roush could "loan" the driver to
another Ford organization next season. But he said it's not a given that he
would end up with a Ford team.(Scene
Daily)(10-30-2011)
Martin to MWR?
Reutimann out? UPDATE:
The puzzle pieces
for the 2012 season continue to fall into place with the latest speculation
putting Mark Martin in the Michael Waltrip Racing stable for a partial schedule
next year. #56-Martin Truex Jr. will return to drive MWR's NAPA Toyota with
newcomer Clint Bowyer coming on board in a partner Toyota entry carrying 5-Hour
Energy sponsorship for the bulk of the campaign. Sponsorship for the #00 entry
driven by David Reutimann will not be in place for the entire 2012 schedule
opening the door for Martin to take over and compete on a partial basis.
Michael Waltrip Racing has an announcement planned Friday at Texas Motor
Speedway where it is expected the team's firm 2012 plans will be unveiled.(CBS
Sports)(11-1-2011)
UPDATE:
Mark Martin is
expected to drive a part-time 2012 Sprint Cup schedule for Michael Waltrip
Racing in the #00 Toyota currently driven by David Reutimann, multiple sources
close to the situation confirmed Tuesday. Sources said team owner Michael
Waltrip, a two-time Daytona 500 winner, likely will drive all or a portion of
the four restrictor-plate races at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega
Superspeedway. MWR's lineup for 2012 will be Martin, recently signed Clint
Bowyer from Richard Childress Racing, and Martin Truex Jr. Sources said an
announcement could come Friday at Texas Motor Speedway, where MWR has a 10:30
a.m. local time news conference scheduled. MWR officials declined to comment.
Reutimann, attending the SEMA Auto Show for Toyota, would neither confirm nor
deny the information. "Talk to Michael," Reutimann told ESPN.com,
referring to his owner.(ESPN)(11-1-2011)
Rick Hendrick's
plane runs off runway: UPDATES:
Early Monday
evening, a Gulfstream G150 aircraft operated by Hendrick Motorsports ran off
the runway after experiencing braking issues upon landing at Key West
International Airport in Key West, Fla. There were no serious injuries to any
of the four people on board, including two pilots, Hendrick Motorsports owner
Rick Hendrick and his wife, Linda Hendrick. All four were taken to a local
hospital for evaluation. Hendrick Motorsports is gathering additional
information on the incident.(Hendrick Motorsports)(10-31-2011)
UPDATE:
A private G150
Gulfstream jet containing four people missed the runway while landing at Key
West International Airport and ran into the salt ponds at 7:45 p.m. No one was
seriously injured. The airplane was co-owned by Jimmie Johnson Racing II Inc.
and Hendrick Motorsports LLC of Charlotte, N.C. Some officials said it did not
appear that the NASCAR driver was on board, but that has not been officially
confirmed. Everyone was taken by ambulance to Lower Keys Medical Center for
evaluation. Only two complained of injuries: one for neck pain and one for
shortness of breath/heart palpitations, according to Monroe County Sheriff's
Office spokeswoman Deputy Becky Herrin. There were two pilots and two
passengers, but it was unclear who was injured. The airport was closed for
about an hour, but has reopened. Some fuel spilled, but it was unknown how
much. (Key West News)
AND Jenna Fryer, of
the Associated Press, posted a photo
from the sheriff's office.(10-31-2011)
UPDATE 2:
A small jet
carrying the owner of NASCAR's top team and his wife lost its brakes and crash
landed at a Key West, Fla., airport Monday evening, and the couple suffered
minor injuries, officials said. According to the Monroe County Sheriff's
Office, the pilot and co-pilot radioed that the plane had no brakes upon
landing in Key West. Horton said the plane ran off the runway, and then 100
feet beyond a 600-foot safety area that was finished in May. "If we hadn't
done that, it likely would have been a different story," Horton said of
the safety area that is meant as a runway overrun space. The National
Transportation and Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash.(Associated
Press/ESPN)(11-1-2011)
UPDATE 3:
All four people on
board - Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, his wife, Linda Hendrick, and
two Hendrick Motorsports pilots - were released from Lower Keys Medical Center
early Tuesday morning. Rick Hendrick was diagnosed with a broken rib and a
broken clavicle, and Linda Hendrick was treated for minor cuts and bruises.
Both pilots were evaluated and released without injury. All four have safely
returned to North Carolina. The aircraft, which is joint-owned by Hendrick
Motorsports and Jimmie Johnson Racing, remains in Key West.(Hendrick
Motorsports)(11-1-2011)
UPDATE 4:
Upon returning home
to Charlotte, N.C., on Tuesday, Mr. Hendrick was further evaluated as a
precautionary measure by his personal physician. He was diagnosed with four broken
ribs (previously stated as one broken rib), a broken clavicle (as previously
stated) and bruising. No other injuries have been identified. Due to discomfort
from the injuries, Mr. Hendrick was admitted Tuesday afternoon to a medical
facility in the Charlotte area, where doctors believe the pain can most
effectively be managed. He is in good spirits and is expected to be released by
the end of the week.
Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports: "Linda and I have been
overwhelmed by all the words of encouragement and genuine concern we've
received. We are blessed to have such a wonderful support system, and our
family is extremely grateful for the thoughts and prayers. We extend our
sincere thanks to everyone. I'm so proud of how our pilots handled the
situation, and we're extremely appreciative of the folks in Key West who went
above and beyond to help us. It's good to be back in Charlotte as we regroup
and focus on our family."(Hendrick Motorsports)(11-2-2011)
Reba To Host Sprint
Cup Series Awards Ceremony:
NASCAR announced
that renowned multimedia superstar Reba will serve as the host for the 2011
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony on Dec. 2 at Wynn Las Vegas. The
ceremony honors the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and other drivers who finished
in the top 10 of the final series standings. Increasingly, it has become a
full-fledged entertainment experience with appearances by major celebrities. In
addition to her host duties, Reba will perform the song "Turn on the
Radio" from her recently released album "All the Women I Am," on
The Valory Music Co. Other special segments involving Reba also are planned for
the season-ending celebration that will be broadcast by SPEED, SiriusXM NASCAR
Radio and MRN Radio from the Wynn's LaFite Ballroom. Other
entertainment-related announcements regarding the awards ceremony are expected
in the near future.(NASCAR)(11-2-2011)
Mayfield arrested
on meth charges:
Authorities say
NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield was arrested Tuesday night on drug charges.
Mayfield was arrested in his home in the town of Catawba on possession of
methamphetamine charges, according to the Catawba County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies had gone to Mayfield's home to execute a search warrant on a tip there
were stolen goods in the house. During the search, deputies found the
methamphetamine. They also found items that may be stolen but deputies have not
verified the items taken are in fact stolen property. Mayfield has a scheduled
court appearance Wednesday morning. He is out of jail on a $3,000 bond.(WBTV)(11-2-2011)
UPDATE:
A "large
amount" of stolen goods were recovered from Mayfield's property, according
to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office. Detectives said they recovered items
that had been stolen from Lee Boy, Inc., which is located on Highway 16 north,
and Larry Grant, Inc., a trucking company in Lincolnton. The items recovered
for Lee Boy, Inc., included heavy equipment parts, scrap metal, welders and
welding accessories, the Sheriff's Office said. Investigators said the items
recovered for Larry Grant, Inc., including truck parts, an engraving machine,
truck mirrors and electric motor controllers. The items recovered are worth
around $100,000, the Sheriff's Office said. They were found in a building and
trailers on Mayfield's property and were returned to the owners, investigators
said.(WSOC)(11-2-2011)
UPDATE 2:
Statement from NASCAR:
"Having just heard and read the news about the Jeremy Mayfield incident,
we will have to see how the facts play out. NASCAR's goal in its Substance
Abuse program has always been to keep competitors safe and create treatment
opportunities for those who need it."(11-2-2011)
Note: There have been hard feelings between NASCAR
and Mayfield for quite some time now. I
find it rather funny that the police were “tipped” off. Yes, I have some doubt on this, knowing how
NASCAR works.
Blaney and Bodine
switch cars for rest of year:
Tommy Baldwin
Racing drivers Dave Blaney and Geoffrey Bodine will swap numbers and crews
starting this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway in an effort to continue to build
TBR and give the team the best chance to qualify both cars for Sunday's event.
Dave Blaney will drive the #35 Big Red Chevy and attempt to qualify for the AAA
Texas 500. Geoffrey Bodine will pilot the #36 Luke & Associates Chevy and
is guaranteed a starting spot in Sunday's race. Both cars will compete for kids
to eat free in Golden Corral's â"Racing for America's Families"
promotion, where kids eat free on Monday, November 7th if either car finishes
in the top-10. The teams will keep the switch for the final two events of the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Blaney will drive the #35 Golden Corral Chevy
and attempt to qualify for both events at Phoenix International Raceway and
Homestead-Miami Speedway. Bodine will stay in the #36 Luke & Associates
Chevy and be guaranteed a spot in both events.(Tommy Baldwin Racing)(11-2-2011)
NASCAR schedules
fuel injection test at Daytona:
NASCAR has
scheduled an electronic fuel injection test at Daytona International Speedway
in an effort to better prepare baseline packages for the January 12-14, 2012
Preseason Thunder testing at DIS. The test will be conducted on Tuesday,
November 15 from 10:00am-5:00pm/et. Teams participating will be determined and
released next week.(NASCAR)
AND: NASCAR has been looking for ways to break up the two-car tandem
drafts that have become the norm at Daytona and Talladega, where the series
requires the use of restrictor plates to limit speeds. Using a different
restrictor plate, a smaller spoiler and a different cooling system are among
the options being considered by NASCAR.(Scene
Daily)(11-2-2011)
Former Oakland
Valley Speedway (Dirt Oval) runners:
Last week, I had this in my column:
“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.”
Well, Brittany did
get back to me after my column went in.
She said she was in the “18” car.
Unfortunately, there is no “18” car listed on My Laps, and she’s not
mentioned in the race results that are on the CRSA’s website, either.
I did spot an error
in the latest issue of the AARN, too, when they had in the caption under the
Dan Hennessy accident that it was Chuck Alessi in the car. Yes, at times, one never knows who might be
in the seat of the Alessi # 19. I’d have
to say it was Danny though, since he was announced as the driver and the My
Laps and CRSA’s website say it was him.
This past Friday at
Five Mile Point, in the ROC Sportsman race, Brian Krummel was 2nd,
Brad Szulewski 8th, Tyler Dippel 10th and Anthony Perrego
27th. On Sunday, in the Crate
Sportsman race, Anthony Perrego was 2nd, Tyler Boniface 3rd
and Tyler Dippel 25th.
Last week I missed
Davey Franek getting a 3rd at Williams Grove in the 358 Sprint Car
Billy Kimmel Memorial race, and a 2nd in the 358 Sprint Fall
Festival feature, also at Williams Grove.
And I also missed
Roger Coss who finished 5th in the modified feature at Wall Stadium.
Don’t be surprised
if I missed someone this week!
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
November 4th to the 10th:
NOVEMBER 4
1965
Lee Ann Roberts Breedlove ,
wife of land speed record-holder Craig Breedlove, became the first female
driver to exceed 300 mph when she sped to 308.50 mph in the Spirit of America -
Sonic 1 vehicle over the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The Sonic 1 was a
four-wheel vehicle powered by a J79 jet engine. A few hours after Lee Ann
jet-powered across the one-mile course, Craig Breedlove shattered his own
record from the previous year when he reached 555.49 mph in the Spirit of
America.
NOVEMBER 5
1952
Joe James ... Died ... AAA
driver from the 1950's. Joe started racing in the AAA National Championship in
1950 when he made five starts with a best finish of seventh at Detroit. In 1951
had had a best finish of fourth on the dirt oval at Denver. At Indy he retired
after just eight laps with a broken driveshaft. He made 12 starts during the
year. He had a number of top ten finishes in 1952. At Indy, driving a Kurtis
Kraft 4000 Offy he finished 13th. Then late in the year, on the 2nd November,
in the San Jose 100-Mile Race at the 1.0-mile dirt oval San Jose Speedway at
the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, James had qualified his Bob Estes
Lincoln-Mercury entered Watson roadster second. At the start he grabbed the
lead and led the first five laps before he was passed by Bobby Ball in his
Kurtis 4000. James retook the lead on lap 26 and was dicing with Mike Nazaruk
for first place when he clipped one of Nazaruk's tires. James' car was flipped
into a series of rolls down the main straight before hitting the wall in Turn
1. Seriousely injured he was taken to hospital in San Jose but passed away
three days later.
1959
Elton Sawyer ... Born ...
NASCAR Stockcar driver.
NOVEMBER 6
1908
Joe Nikrent drove a Buick
to victory in the Los Angeles-to-Phoenix race. Nikrent covered the 480 miles in
19 hours and 13 minutes for an average speed of 24.98 mph.
1949
Rex Mays... Died ... AAA
driver from the 1930's and 40's. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of
Fame of America in 1995 and was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of
Fame in the first class in 1990. He ran in 12 Indy 500's with a best finish of
2nd in both 1940 & 1941. He was killed in a crash during the only Champ Car
race held at Del Mar Speedway in Del Mar, California in 1949.
Jimmy Davies won the AAA
sanctioned Del Mar 100 on the 1 Mile Dirt Oval Del Mar Speedway in Del Mar,
California. Lee Wallard finished second followed by Myron Fohr, Mack Hellings
and Paul Russo.
1955
Jack McGrath... Died ...
AAA driver from the 1940's & 50's, ran 8 Indy 500's. He was killed in the
final race of the 1955 season in Phoenix, Arizona.
Jimmy Bryan won the Bobby
Ball Memorial AAA Championship Race on the 1 Mile Dirt Oval Arizona State
Fairgrounds in Phoenix, Arizona. Johnny Thomson finished second followed by
George Amick, Andy Linden and Pat O'Connor.
1995
Bill Cheesbourg ... Died
... Cheesbourg started racing jalopies in Tucson and successfully moved into
midgets racing all over Arizona after World War II. He drove in the USAC
Championship Car series, racing in the 1956-1962 and 1964-1966 seasons with 31
starts, including the Indianapolis 500 races in 1957-1959, 1961, 1964, and
1965. He finished in the top ten 8 times, with his best finish in 7th position
in 1959 at Daytona and in 1966 at Fuji. Cheesbourg returned to the local dirt
short track racing scene after his Indy Car career was finished.
Larry "Boom Boom"
Cannon... Died ... USAC Sprint and USAC / CART Championship car driver from the
mid 1960's to 1984.
2005
Don Brown... Died ... USAC
Sprint and INDY Car driver from the 1960's and 70's. He was also one of the
best car fabricators.
NOVEMBER 7
1965
Art Arfons returned to the
Bonneville Salt Flats in a revamped Green Monster, and shattered Breedlove's
record from the previous year, when he raced to 576.553 mph across the one-mile
course.
1980
Steve McQueen , actor,
enduro rider, sometimes sports car racer, and star of the movie "Le
Mans", died of cancer.
NOVEMBER 8
1931
Herman Schurch... Died ...
AAA driver from the 1920's and 30's.
1963
A.J. Foyt set an unofficial
Indianapolis Motor Speedway track record of 154.5 mph in tire testing.
NOVEMBER 9
1975
A.J. Foyt won the USAC
sanctioned Bobby Ball 150 on the 1 Mile Paved Oval Phoenix International
Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Tom Sneva was second followed by Mario Andretti,
Billy Vukovich Jr and Al Unser.
Dick Tobias won the Super
Sprint Car race over Lynn Paxton, Smokey Snellbaker, Van May and Lee Osborne at
the Reading Fairgrounds, Reading,PA.
Buddy Baker won the NASCAR
Winston Cup Dixie 500 over Dave Marcis at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton,
GA.
NOVEMBER 10
1914
Buster Warke... Born ...
AAA driver from the 1930's , 40's to the mid 1950's.
1926
Art Bisch ... Born ...
Bisch started racing midgets in 1948 before moving on to Sprint Cars in
California, dominating the 1956 season, winning 10 of the 27 races. He moved up
to Champ cars in 1958 and won his first race in the Rex Mays 100. Sadly his
career was cut short when he crashed at the Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta,
Georgia and succumbed to his injuries.
1938
Joan Marie Rose was
born. Later on in her life she would
marry Norman T. (Tom) Avenengo on September 11, 1960. Somehow, she's managed to put up with me for
all these years!
News
from the AARN:
From
their October 25th issue:
Kyle
Hardner had quite an extensive special article about Borgers Speedway and it
now being closed due to complaints by some neighbors, mainly because it’s a
“nuisance”.
Note: Let’s hope this isn’t the “tip of the
Iceberg” so to say, as far as neighbors close to race tracks winning about
their complaints of noise, dust etc etc.
Both OCFS and Fulton have managed to stay open when neighbors had
complaints about dust and noise – Fulton just recently.
I
make errors while doing these columns. I
made mention of someone on a forum that I frequent about where to use “there”,
“their” and “they’re”. I knew I’d get some
folks posting about me, and they were busting my chops just as I was busting on
the original writer. Someone was
wondering if I was an English teacher.
No, never was, but I paid attention in English class, and was always
kind of fascinated with words and spelling – to the extent that I usually was
on top in Spelling B’s. Oh, and I was
just a High School graduate, too. Of
course, in today’s world, correct spelling really doesn’t exist, when they use
“r” for are, and “u” for you, when sending messages or posting things on things
like Facebook. Lord help those that do
those things when and if they have to fill out an application for
employment! Yes, in most cases, one can
spot “typo” errors, and also can spot words that are not spelled
correctly. At times, words are even used
that should not be, like “should of” instead of “should have” or
“should’ve”. What got me going on this
was that I spotted a “typo” error in the AARN where they were advertising what
was coming up on TV – the telecast of the Syracuse Modified race was shown to
be on at 8:00A – 10:00. It should have
been 8:00P for the evening hour.
Lenny
Sammons, in his column, had a lot to say about Scott Fisher. Who is Scott Fisher, you ask? Well, a few columns back I made mention that
Scott got hit by a Sprint Car while in the pits at Bridgeport, while he was
working on the Sprint Car that was owned and driven by Ray Evernham. That happened on 9/10. Scott got messed up pretty badly. If you’d like to send him a note or a card to
help cheer him up, please send it here:
Scott
Fisher c/o REE 130 Infield Ct
Mooresville, N.C. 28117. There’s also a
fund set up for him, and that is: Sun
Trust Bank, Scott Fisher Fund, Attn:
Jessica Miller – 232 Williamson Rd – Mooresville, N.C. 28117.
Question: What do Johnny Thomson, Bill Randall and
Bobby Santos, III, all have in common?
Any idea? Answer is at the end of
the column.
Ray
Evernham, and his wife, the former Erin Crocker, were to present a million
dollar check to the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte, N.C. on October 25th. Why?
Well, during his son Ray J’s treatment to fight Leukemia, he stayed
there, and is showing his appreciation not only with the donation, but by
hosting a Halloween party for the families and patients staying at the house,
providing costumes for everyone and candy for the children.
Ernie
Saxton, in his column had a lot about Dan Wheldon. He also made mention that quite a few NASCAR
fans would like to see more Saturday night Cup races. He does make mention that NASCAR might really
want to give this some serious consideration, since, after all, they do
sanction quite a few short tracks in the U.S that race on Saturday nights. Surely they would not want to take fans away
from those Saturday night races, would they?
Uh, wait, we’re talking NASCAR – TV – you get my drift?
Simpson
now has a second head restraint system that’s been approved for use by NASCAR –
the Simpson Hybrid Pro Head Restraint.
Simpson is only one of two approved manufacturers worldwide for NASCAR and
SFI 38.1 approved head restraint systems.
Daytona
– no more smoking in the grandstands effective with the July 2012 racing
event. Fans going to the Daytona 500
will be asked to “light up” in special areas.
Note: This is happening at quite a few places –
even outdoor stadiums. At OCFS, the
announcers make mention that if one were to smoke, they would have to leave the
grand stand and go behind them to do so.
Ernie,
like me, thinks that NASCAR screwed up as to where their Hall of fame is
located – in the middle of Charlotte. He
and I agree – it should have been erected outside the city – I’d say in the
Mooresville area, where it would be easier to find, and to park, also. No, I have no idea as to whom it was that
decided to put it in Charlotte.
Ron
Mentus, in his column had quite a bit to say about the state of Indycar racing
– especially with less and less races being held on ovals and more on made up
courses and road races.
Note: What can you expect when the series is made
up mostly of road racers to begin with?
I could see this coming years ago by the way the drivers were reacting
when there were only two or three races a year on tracks other than ovals.
Todd
Heintzelman, in his column about Sprint Car racing kind of says that maybe
we’ve seen the last of 30 wins, 20 or maybe even 10 wins, by one driver in the
Pennsylvania area tracks. As an example,
for 2011 – Brian Montieth, Greg Hodnett and Lance Dewease lead the feature win
department and all only have seven wins, so far.
Volusia,
for their 41st Annual Winternationals opens up on February 15th
and 16th, with the All Star Sprints. Then the WoO comes in on the 17th
18th and 19th.
Note: I wonder who will be running Volusia in
2012? Seems to me that DIRTcar is now
the owner of Volusia?
Randy
Kane had his whole page column all about Eastern States Weekend and the racing
that went on there.
Robin
Gillespie-Yasinsac had quite a bit about Lebanon Valley and Albany/Saratoga
race tracks, and made mention of why C.J. Richards has stepped down as far as
running any more tracks. She also says
that the Valley Management is involved with:
OCFS (consultant), the Valley Drag racing, the Speedway, a new Go-Kart
track due to open in 2012 and now with Albany/Saratoga.
Note: In the past, I believe that Howie Commander
was also known to be part of the promotional team at OCFS. Is he now just a “consultant”?
Kyle
Hardner, in his regular column, talks about the good and bad (mostly bad) about
the Asphalt Modifieds possibly going to 10” tires in 2012. He cites three tracks that had done so in the
past – going to skinnier tires - Wall Stadium in 1993, Flemington in 2000 and
Mountain Speedway in PA in 2004. In each
case, it didn’t work out.
Mike
Mallett, in his column, mostly talked about car owner Mike Payne and his
association with driver Danny Johnson.
Don
and JoAnn Davies, in their full page column - it was all about Eastern States,
until the very end, when they made mention of after 20 years, Pierre Degenais
is ending his car owner career, citing work commitments as the reason. Pierre would be interested in driving for
other car owners in special shows, however.
There
will be a lot of racing at the Bridgeport Speedway on November 19th
and 20th, for the Charlie Bray Memorial races. Races will be held on both the inner ¼ mile
track and also on the bigger 5/8 mile track.
Jeff
Ulrich, in his column, was making mention of the many improvements that have
been made to the Hesston Speedway in PA.
There
were three more that were associated with auto racing that have left us – Ken
Rush, 80, the 1957 NASCAR Rookie of the year and 1959 Grand American Series
Champion, left us as the result of a stroke.
He was from High Point, N.C.
J
T Kerr, 81, who was a Tennessee racing legend and Sebastian “Luper” Parno, 78,
a New Jersey stock car driver from the 60’s.
He lived in Trenton, N.J. His
nick-name was “Mad Man Lupe”.
Some
info on Dan Wheldon:
There
is a Dan Wheldon Family Trust. It is at
the Fifth Third Private Bank – ATTN: Dan
Wheldon Family Trust – 251 North Illinois Street – Suite 1000 – Indianapolis,
IN. 46204. All Fifth Third Private Banks
in Indianapolis are accepting contributions, in person, and then those will be
routed to the account.
Gary
Herrmann, owner of the Big Block Modified # 7 that is driven by Rick Laubach,
wanted to go to Delaware the weekend of ESW, but the crew wanted to go to
ESW. Mr. Herrmann is not forgetting
Syracuse, and the team still wants to go to Charlotte, this weekend. As of the printing of last weeks AARN, he had
not yet agreed to make that trip.
It
was said that during Eastern States Weekend, that on Thursday - by noon, 187
trailers had been parked in the infield pit area at OCFS.
Note: Rumors are still floating around out there
that moving the pit area out of the infield at OC is still being thought
about. About the only place I can see
that happening might be off of turns 3 & 4.
Or – would they do away with the drive-in? I doubt that would happen.
It was said that Larry
Wight was 8th in the 358 Small Block feature at ESW with a DIRT
legal motor. He finished just ahead of
Billy Decker who had an “Open” motor.
OK, I’m not really up to all these DIRTcar rules for engines, so can someone
tell me what is the difference between a “DIRTcar legal motor” and an “Open”
motor in the 358 Small Block class?
Speaking of DIRTcar legal
engines, I read where Johnny Guarino bought the DIRT spec 500 cu in engine that
was in his # 9 car, at a price that was about one half of what a regular Big
Block engine goes for. The parts for the
spec 500 cu in engine sell for around $15,000.00. Johnny had Morrison Engines put it together
for him. The engine is an on-going
project of DIRT tech inspector Bob Dini, who has had the engine run at
different times in different cars. Guarino
does use the engine at New Egypt, but to do so, he is at a weight
disadvantage. Dini worked together with
Guarino and Morrison to relax a few of the mandated parts being used. No longer do all parts have to be purchased
through CV Products. Spec parts include
a DART block and DART heads. The oiling
system must be spec Stef products. The
engine must remain a maximum of 500 cu in.
Now, any engine builder can now put this engine together using their own
bore-stroke combination and any cam can be used. Peer Dini, the entire engine cam be made race
ready for $20,000.00. Other new short
track big block engines now sell for $30-35,000.00. An engine for Syracuse cost around
$45,000.00. There are now six of the
Spec Engines built. Two new ones will
debut at Charlotte for the World Finals this coming weekend. Dini did not say who would be using them,
however.
John Snyder, in his column,
was making mention of the fatal injuries that occur in football – just two days
before the Dan Wheldon accident, a High School player dies from injuries that
reportedly were from helmet to helmet contact.
He was not the first High School student to die from football related
things, either. In August, there were
four that passed away down south from heat-related complications. In most cases, football related deaths are
kind of kept “hush-hush”, although I did see mention of the young man that died
from that helmet to helmet contact in our local paper. Probably because it was from a school in New
York State. Mr. Snyder does come out
with an interesting thing – what with school budgets being so tight, today, are
helmets, which have a limited life, being replaced on a regular basis, and if
so, are those that are bought still of the highest quality and not the cheapest
that are available? Mr. Snyder goes on
to say that in racing, especially at the local and regional level, that the
tracks have to focus more on safety issues.
Walls, fences, lighting and pit conditions should all be examined and
problems corrected on an on-going basis.
Note: I’ve come out (and been ridiculed for it)
when I complained about a small child being shown in the pit area at a local
track. This child couldn’t much older
than 3 years old, if that. Up above, in
this AARN section, in where I refer to the column by Lenny Sammons, and make
mention of the very serious injuries to Scott Fisher, is an example of just how
dangerous the pit area can be. Any track
that is sanctioned by NASCAR – you will not see a three year old in the pit
area. And even in some ads in this
current AARN, some tracks make mention of age limits, too. I wonder just what would happen to the cost
of insurance for these tracks that let “babies” in the pit area if, God forbid,
one should get seriously injured by a racecar or even worse? Is ti really worth getting the extra few
dollars for that small child, compared to the possibility of maybe having your
insurance canceled and having to close the track? Oh, and one more thing I’m willing to bet
that when drivers sign in to race an any particular track, no one even thinks
of asking how much insurance does the track have. Face it folks, today they are what I refer to
as “Helicopter happy” as far as transporting from an accident scene to a hospital. You have any idea as to whom much a
helicopter ride goes for? Uh huh, didn’t
think so.
Not so nice: On page 37 there was a write up of some races
at Williams Grove. Here is what was said
about one of the events: “Kyle Hieber
won a 12-lap event for the Tobias SpeedSTR’s at the Grove. That’s it – no race results or anything else.
Note: Now one has to realize that the Tobias
SpeedSTR cars are a “Spec” car and the cars, in 99.9% of the time, can only
compete with other SpeedSTR cars. I’ve
only seen one event with these cars where there was a somewhat healthy field,
and that was when there were both Canadian and US SpeedSTR’s were racing
together. In a way, I’m a little
surprised that the class is even getting races scheduled. Sad to say, but I can see the same thing
happening with the Ray Evernham “Dirt” Legends cars – another “Spec” class that
I can see having very little in the way of growing to something that would be
recognized throughout the country. Yes,
they’re neat looking and might be pretty quick, but I can see them having the
same fate as the SpeedSTR’s – low car counts.
There was a full page ad on
the back page of the AARN advertising the up-coming World Finals at Charlotte
this coming weekend. Tickets starting at
$20.00 for adults and $10.00 for kids. A
3-day package goes for $69.00. The
number: 1-800-455- FANS (3267).
Website: charlottemotorspeedway.com
As for this weeks current
edition, dated November 1st, they show this as featured stories, on
their front page:
Rare October Snowstorm
Shakes Up Autumn Race Schedule
Two PA 358-Modified Owners
Say Goodbye
Swindell Takes Second
360 Short Track Nationals
Championships To Be Decided
At Charlotte This Weekend
Decker & Phelps
Share Modified Glory
Five Mile Point's Harpell
Beats The Weather
More
racin’ stuff:
Are
you interested in some auto racing history?
How about The A.J. Watson Story? Any idea who he is? You’ll find out a lot about him if you go
here:
http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/thehistoryof/1109rc_the_aj_watson_story/viewall.html
Racing and
television:
Racing on TV - http://www.racefantv.com/USTV.htm
Note: The “World Finals” from the dirt track in
Charlotte will be telecast LIVE this coming Saturday night on SPEED. WoO Sprint Cars, WoO Late Models and Dirt
Modifieds. That’s from 8:00 PM to
midnight, here in the east.
Also, a re-broadcast of the
Syracuse Modified race is also on this coming Saturday from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
here in the east.
Some non-racing stuff:
Big Banks Say No to Debit Fees, Won't Follow Bank of America's Lead
In part:
"JPMorgan Chase has decided it will not charge customers who use their debit cards for purchases, joining a growing list of banks that will not follow the lead of financial giant Bank of America, which announced a $5 monthly fee last month.
JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, U.S. Bank, PNC Financial, and Key Bank have confirmed they are not planning to charge customers debit card fees when they make purchases.
Many in the banking industry had warned that higher fees to consumers would follow the Dodd-Frank's Durbin Amendment, which went into effect on Oct. 1. The amendment capped debit card interchange fees for merchants at 21 cents per transaction earlier this year. Before the amendment, debit card companies charged merchants an average interchange fee of 44 cents per transaction.
Bank of America, the second-largest bank in the country, announced at the end of September that it will charge a $5 monthly debit card fee starting early next year. The announcement led to outcry among consumers, including a petition against Bank of America's plans. The petition had over 153,000 signatures from irate customers across the country."
More can be seen, here:
http://news.yahoo.com/big-banks-no-debit-fees-wont-bank-americas-135300873.html
Are
these true?:
http://www.morningstartv.com/oak-initiative/marxism-america
http://www.morningstartv.com/oak-initiative/shariah-law-and-constitution
The Basics
of Shariah Law
http://www.morningstartv.com/oak-initiative/basics-shariah-law
The Yale
King Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir_L95ZwlN0
Video time:
The four wide parade lap at
Eastern States, along with the start of the ESW 200:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8YG7hQikGs&feature=related
Question: What do Johnny Thomson, Bill Randall and
Bobby Santos, III, all have in common?
Any idea?
Answer: They are the only three drivers from the New
England area to have won a USAC Sprint Car championship. Thomson in 1958, Randall in 1957 and Santos
this past season in the USAC Sprint Car Pavement Series.
Closing with these:
Australian Idiot Sightings Ha ha! If this doesn't make you smile you do have a problem...- Continued:
5. I was at the airport, checking in at the gate
when an airport employee asked,
'Has
anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?'
To
which I replied, 'If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?'
He
smiled knowingly and nodded, 'That's why we ask.'
This
happened in Elizabeth S.A.
6. The pedestrian light on the corner beeps when
it's safe to cross the street.
I
was crossing with an 'intellectually challenged' co-worker of mine.
She
asked if I knew what the beeper was for.
I
explained that it signals blind people when the light is red.
Appalled,
she responded, 'What on earth are blind people doing driving?!'
She
is a government employee in Adelaide P.O.
7. When my husband and I arrived at a car
dealership to pick up our car after a service, we were told the keys had been
locked in it.
We
went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to
unlock the driver’s side door.
As
I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and
discovered that it was unlocked.
‘Hey,'
I announced to the technician, 'its open!'
His
reply, 'I know. I already did that side.'
STAY
ALERT!
They
walk among us... They vote! They
reproduce!
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