Racin'
& Internet Stuff:
11/10/2011
First:
I suppose the biggest topic over the past few days has to be the Kyle
Busch “parking” by NASCAR. Was it right
or wrong? Was it too much or not
enough? I’m starting this on Monday, and
as many of you know, NASCAR is pretty famous for coming out with penalties, and
in this case, maybe more penalties, on Tuesdays.
My thoughts: Yes, he did deserve
to be parked for the remainder of the weekend.
He’ll more than likely have a hard time ahead of him as far as the other
drivers and teams go, along with his sponsors.
Time will tell?
More on this is below in “Found on Jayski’s
website”.
Second:
Slowly – way too slowly, folks in the northeast are getting their power
restored. As I made mention last week,
when I started off my column about it possible getting to you late, I should
have been more specific about that – those that read it on the New England
Tractor website were, in fact, late in getting it. Jeff Johnson (New England Tractor) did tell
me that his area was like a “War Zone” as far as damage went.
Third:
As for that storm and its aftermath – there’s been more talk about
getting the electric underground rather than off of the poles that it’s on
now. But, it isn’t as easy as what one
might think, and the cost? Forgetaboutit.
From our local paper on Monday:
Utilities ponder underground lines -
$18B price tag for installation a big downside
Every time a storm rips through the area, leaving thousands without
power for days, one question seems to get asked: Can't we do something about
this?
Some wonder why we scoop up fallen power lines and string them overhead
on the poles they toppled from. Wouldn't it make more sense to put them all
underground?
Not exactly, authorities say.
Utility companies and industry experts both say that not only could
putting cables underground be more expensive, but there still are plenty of
ways for things to go wrong. And when they do, buried power lines can take
longer to fix.
Still, utility companies have not shunned the idea.
John Maserjian, a spokesman for
But the company continues to conclude that costs and other shortcomings
far outweigh the benefits.
While it would save $18 million a year in tree-trimming and other storm
costs, and $10.5 million in operation and maintenance costs, it would cost $18
billion to install them – and create a need for $3.24 billion more a year in
revenue for things like maintenance.
Perhaps the worst impact: It could add an average of $10,000 a year to
each customer's bill, Maserjian said. Not to mention
a $2,000 one-time charge by an electrician to put each customer's service line
underground.
Underground isn't perfect
Matthew Cordaro, an energy industry veteran
who ran three electric companies and the Midwest Independent Transmission
System Operator, Inc., believes that ratepayers would rather lose power for a
day or two each year than fork over billions to bury the lines – especially
when that move might not improve reliability.
“If you laid that choice out to them, people would pass it up,” he
said.
A 2010 study by the Electric Power Research Institute concluded that
building underground lines can cost anywhere from $4 million to $10 million per
mile. By comparison, overhead lines cost less than $1 million to about $2
million per mile.
Underground lines would be safe from falling tree limbs and similar
dangers, but they are still vulnerable to uprooted trees, excavation work,
flooding and frost.
Industry officials note that putting lines underground makes more sense
when you're building from scratch, rather than retrofitting an existing
development.
State law since 1970 has required all new residential subdivisions with
five or more units, or multiple-dwelling projects with four or more units in
each building, to have utility lines placed underground.
Time and technological advancement might eventually bring power lines
down to ground level.
Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, D-Kingston, who heads the Assembly Energy
Committee, said new ways of generating power – rooftop solar units, or wind,
for example – could lessen the need to transmit energy across long distances
from large, megawatt power plants.
Cordaro agrees that, as power sources get smaller
and closer to the point of use, “you'll have more lines going underground.”
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111107/NEWS/111109819/-1/NEWS
Note: From above: “State law since 1970 has required all new
residential subdivisions with five or more units, or multiple-dwelling projects
with four or more units in each building, to have utility lines placed
underground.”
I don’t know if this is being done today, or not. Is it?
And, an Editorial on this subject, in my local paper – the Times
Herald-Record –
Underground lines need a closer look
Published: 2:00 AM - 11/08/11
Every time a storm brings down power lines, people start talking about
burying the cables to prevent that kind of damage the next time around. And
every time that talk springs up, it gets dismissed pretty quickly because of
the cost associated with the task.
But with two major storms in rapid succession in the Northeast within
two months and with predictions of more unsettled weather promising repeated
disasters in years to come, it's time for the state Public Service Commission
to go beyond the superficial figures available so far.
No one is saying that it makes sense to take down all the poles and put
all the cables underground. No one is saying that burying the cables will put
an end to maintenance and storm damage. Somewhere between these extremes,
however, there might be a point where it makes sense to start replacing some
lines in some areas more prone to damage and outages. Somewhere in all of the
figures available to the PSC are real numbers that would lead to a pilot
program or two. It could take the form of an expansion of the practice already
contained in state law requiring buried cables in many new residential
subdivisions.
Some utility companies in storm-prone areas have moved more of their
lines underground because they felt the initial investment would come back in
much lower maintenance and disaster recovery expenses as well as fewer costs to
customers who have to go without power, buy a
generator or otherwise spend money that never gets accounted for.
Whatever form a study takes, the PSC needs to include all of the costs,
including many that are not paid by power companies.
Fourth:
Freestyle Motocross rider
dies before exhibition at Texas Motor Speedway
Freestyle
Motocross rider Jim McNeil died Sunday after suffering injuries while
practicing for a FMX exhibition before Sunday's AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor
Speedway.
McNeil,
32, was practicing in the midway area outside the frontstretch
grandstands before the area was open on Sunday morning. He was taken by CareFlight to a local hospital, where he was pronounced
dead.
McNeil,
who was known as "Jumpin' Jimmy," had
competed in Freestyle Motocross for 11 years, and finished fourth overall in
FMX at the X Games in 2006. He had been part of the Boost Mobile FMX team for
nine years.
In
Freestyle Motocross, riders are scored by judges based on a series of jumps and
tricks. The most famous FMX rider may be Travis Pastrana,
who is transitioning to NASCAR, or Carey Hart, who is married to the singer
Pink.
Fifth:
Rank Driver Points Diff
1 Carl Edwards 2316
2 Tony Stewart 2313 -3
3 Kevin Harvick 2283 -33
4 Matt Kenseth 2278 -38
5 Brad Keselowski 2267 -49
6 Jimmie Johnson 2261 -55
7 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 2237 -79
8 Jeff Gordon 2235 -81
9 Kurt Busch 2229 -87
10 Denny Hamlin 2217 -99
11 Kyle Busch 2216 -100
12 Ryan Newman 2213 -103
13 Clint Bowyer 975 -1341
14 Kasey Kahne 957 -1359
15 Greg Biffle 956 -1360
16 A.J. Allmendinger 946 -1370
17 Marcos Ambrose 895 -1421
18 David Ragan 889 -1427
19 Juan Pablo Montoya 889 -1427
20 Paul Menard 884 -1432
And:
Non-'Chase' standings after this race:
Rank Driver Points Diff
1 Carl Edwards 1191
2 Jimmie Johnson 1145 -46
3 Kevin Harvick 1138 -53
4 Matt Kenseth 1128 -63
5 Tony Stewart 1101 -90
6 Jeff Gordon 1098 -93
7 Kyle Busch 1094 -97
8 Kurt Busch 1054 -137
9 Ryan Newman 1032 -159
10 Brad Keselowski 1027 -164
11 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 1018 -173
12 Clint Bowyer 975 -216
13 Denny Hamlin 961 -230
14 Kasey Kahne 957 -234
15 Greg Biffle 956 -235
16 A.J. Allmendinger 946 -245
17 Marcos Ambrose 895 -296
18 David Ragan 889 -302
19 Juan Pablo Montoya 889 -302
20 Paul Menard 884 -307
Note: The above are NOT my figures. They were found on the Internet. At one time Jayski
used to show points standings both ways, but I don’t think he’s done it this
season.
Sixth:
Last Saturday night I watched the “World Finals” from
Seventh:
Sunday evening, I was bouncing back and forth between the football game
and Wind Tunnel. Danny Sullivan was a
guest on the show, and Dave Despain asked him about
what could be done in Indycar racing to eliminate the
“pack” racing. The first thing Sullivan
said was to get rid of some of the down force.
HORRAY! Seems like Mr. Sullivan
is smart enough to see that you can’t have “Spec” open wheel racecars racing
wheel to wheel at speeds over 200 MPH, yet those that run the series, can’t see
it. Personally, I’ve said in over and over
– get rid of the wings and put more of the driver back into the equation. Make it so they actually have to get off the
gas, brake, then back on the gas, again.
This constant “pedal to the metal” stuff has got to go.
Eighth:
Also, towards the end of Wind Tunnel, there was an interview with
Travis Pastrana.
Some of his “antics” from his past history were shown, including, of
course, some of his wicked accidents.
Travis did make mention of having some 40 fractures in 7 bones. Ouch!
One thing that never seems to get mentioned about Pastrana
is that he did have one start in a Silver Crown car, that being at the USA
International Speedway down in
Ninth:
While watching the football game on Sunday night, towards the end of
the game, some timeouts were called. The
referee was heard saying “30 second time-out”.
I checked my watch. The 30
seconds passed, and still no action. I
take it the NFL has slow clocks? No
wonder it takes over three hours to play a one hour game! And why in the world is there such a long
break between changes of possession? Oh,
right – commercials. And I still cannot
see a player scoring a TD when his whole body is in the air and out of bounds,
but he manages to hold the football over the goal line, where the cone is,
never touching the end zone, whereas if he should catch a pass in the end zone
and come down with one foot in the end zone and the other outside – it’s not a
TD. He did, after all have possession of
the football in the end zone, didn’t he?
Tenth:
While on the subject of football, I wonder how former players, like,
say Joe Montana, would do in today’s “watered down for quarterbacks”
games? Also, how, for safety sake,
penalties are now incurred when there are helmet-to-helmet hits? Heck even the announcers were saying that
“Back in the Day” that would have been a good acceptable hit, when there was a
helmet-to-helmet hit in the game. And no more “Horse collar” tackling?
Eleventh:
Are you interested in tracks that NASCAR has run at? This link, below, will keep you busy for a while. I happened to come across it while researching for something for this column.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NASCAR_race_tracks
Twelfth:
Some stuff from the Track Forum:
Zanardi Wins
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?157418-Zanardi-Wins-Marathon
http://msn.foxsports.com/motor/story/former-driver-alex-zanardi-finds-success-at-nyc-marathon-110611
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?157465-Baltimore-Grand-Prix-in-Jeopardy
Quite an interesting read on this subject:
Vanity-question regarding low HP, high downforce formula...
It starts off with this:
"What was the *point* of the same low hp, high downforce formula for so many years? I'm sure the obvious answer is 'cost containment' but if so many people knew pack racing made ovals more dangerous than necessary, why then stick with it? Was it that difficult to add HP or make simple changes to aerodynamics? What am i missing here?"
And here is just one of the postings in the thread:
"Am I surrounded by children in here? Does no one have a memory?
High-downforce, drag-limited racing has been part of the Indy racing formula since 1997. One of the big changes in going to the IRL spec in 1997 was a reduction in undertray downforce and an increase in wing-generated downforce. Because wing-generated DF causes more drag, they were looking for a car that created greater drag at the same speed and downforce levels of the previous cars. But, the reduction in hp that came with the original 3.5L NA engines relative to the 2.65L turbos of the cart era resulted in lower top speeds (less HP pushing greater drag leads to slower speeds).
Even with those reductions, it was quickly clear that the cars were going to go too fast to be prudent on the high-banked 1.5 mile tracks. So, the IRL mandated minimum wing angles - not for the downforce but for the greater drag. Instead of putting an upright billboard under a short-cord wing like cart did to slow the cars, IRL put a longer cord wing at an inefficient angle to slow the top speed of the cars. They both accomplished the same thing - limiting top speed through increased drag.
In the early days of the IRL, even into the early Penske/Ganassi movement phase, there were two chassis with different characteristics and two types of engines that were constructed by many more than that engine builders to different team specs. This led to a variety of car capabilities - budget teams asked for bulletproof builds while top teams pushed the envelope more. Thus, there was close racing without the pack racing. The first Charlotte race was as entertaining as any race I have ever attended - cars were spread all over the track, but the lead 3 cars were close to each other and we had what your really want from an oval race - the leaders racing each other through lapped traffic. Really fun, good, oval racing.
It wasn't until Panoz/G-Force
left the series and then Chevy and
Good oval racing depends on there being different classes of cars - there must be slow cars to create changing racing environments around the track as the leaders race. Case in point - it is the inability of the leaders to catch the tail of the field and really race through traffic that has made the BY400 so boring lately.
In the end, we know the cars can't run at an unlimited
speed on these oval - drivers get hurt, spectators get
hurt, and the show is bad. We have been fighting the same problem since Chip Ganassi got hurt at
My take, the racing was better in the IRL before the Great Toyota Compromise. I understand politically why the leadership thought it was necessary, but I have not been the same type of fan of the series since that time.”
Thirteenth:
New Era Begins for Bruno Family at Devil’s Bowl Speedway
For Immediate Release
DBS-110811-1
WEST HAVEN, VT -- A new era has begun for
Devil’s Bowl Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned, half-mile paved stock car
track located in
The co-owner and president of Rutland-based Bruno’s Towing, 40 year-old
Mike Bruno is a champion stock car driver with well over 50 victories. He began racing at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in
1988, following in the footsteps of his late father, John, a multi-time track
champion.
“Today is a major milestone for me personally. I’ve traveled all over the country to race,
but my roots have been firmly planted at Devil’s Bowl Speedway since I was
young,” Mike Bruno said. “My family has
a deep connection with the area, and having the chance to guide our home track
into the future means a great deal to us.
Beyond our personal history, though, we feel that we have a great
opportunity to have a positive impact on local motorsports and the greater
community as a whole.”
Mike and Alayne Bruno purchased the speedway
from founder C.J. Richards. Devil’s Bowl
Speedway opened as a dirt track in 1967 and was paved in 2010. The track adopted sanction from the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series under the Richards family’s
leadership last year. Bruno, who led a
successful open-discussion “town meeting” with competitors two weeks ago, said
the asphalt surface will remain, as will the track’s relationship with NASCAR.
“I’ve met with NASCAR officials in
Bruno said that plans include the rebirth of Devil’s Bowl Speedway’s
open-wheel, dirt-style 358-Modified division and integrating the class with the
current crate-engine Sportsman Modifieds, as well as
growing the American-Canadian Tour-legal Late Model division and the Renegade
and Bomber support classes. Bruno’s
target is an 18-event championship race schedule in 2012. Other plans include upgrades to the physical
plant, the possible addition of go-kart racing, and non-racing community
events.
Information will be forthcoming including a full schedule of events,
competitor rulebooks, licensing information, and other programs. For more information, call (802) 773-0146,
email devilsbowlspeedway@gmail.com, or visit www.devilsbowlspeedwayvt.com.
-30-
Contact: Justin St. Louis Phone:
(802) 355-3282
Email: devilsbowlspeedway@gmail.com
Fourteenth:
The Vintage Race Car meet at Loudon:
For the 2012 show, things have changed a little. The dates are May 10, 11, 12 & 13. That’s Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Open Wheel cars are on the track on Thursday and Friday, while the Road Racers have it Saturday and Sunday- as per the tracks schedule.
Note: In one response I received when I e-mailed this info out was that the road course would only have runs on Saturday.
Fifteenth:
Billy Boat, Ron Shuman, Eddie Jackson, Bobby Ball, Bob Barker, Jimmy Bryan, Marvin Burke, Edgar
Elder, Ted Halibrand, Earl Motter,
Ed Normi, Alex Pabst, Bob Pankratz
and Gordy Youngstrom are the ones that will be
inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame, down in
Boat, a three-time “Turkey
Night” winner, holds the all-time record for consecutive single-series
victories (11 in the 1995 Western Midgets) and earned the pole starting
position for the 1998
Pabst is probably the most compelling of the inductees, having built the first Midget “copy” of the #8
Earl Cooper Stutz in 1914 and demonstrating it in exhibition races before the
sport of Midget racing officially debuted in the 1930s. He then claimed a car
owner title in the 1948 Sothern California Midget Racing Association.
The induction ceremonies
and luncheon (hosted by Suburban Chevrolet in Claremore, Okla.), will be held
in the Central Park Hall at the Tulsa State Fairgrounds as part of the Oil
capital’s exciting Chili Bowl Week.
Sixteenth:
While on Facebook late Tuesday night, I came
across a recent photo from the Accord Speedway.
The banking has been taken down quite a lot.
Seventeenth:
When I went over to the AARN’s website, to
check out what will be in this weeks (11/8 issue) I
found this, which is very interesting:
URC going wingless
for 2012?
And another bit of news too:
Dirt on Wall Stadium?
Note: I find that
hard to believe, especially where the track is located. But, hey, ya never
know, right? More on
these two items in my column next week.
As for the URC going wingless – I think it would be
great. I wonder what the reasoning is
for that, if it should happen? We all
know that those wings tend to put a lot of strain on the engines and running
gear. I know the CRSA 305 Sprint Car
Series was giving some thought about some “Wingless” shows, but that was with
the previous President of that organization.
Unfortunately, I don’t get my AARN until Thursday,
normally, so I really can’t tell ya much on this,
since my column goes in around mid-night Wed/Thurs.
Eighteenth:
Hey, might you be heading to
http://www.hoseheads.com/richard.html
Nineteenth:
Hope I don’t get in trouble for this one, folks, but I received the
following just before I was going to send this column out. It is from Anne Fornoro,
the PR person for AJ Foyt Racing.
A.J. Foyt Tells His Story
Foyt’s story is spreading a bit farther as he is
featured in a 30-second commercial which is airing locally, and there will be a
large photo of him hanging on a wall adjacent to the Cath
lab where he had the procedure done. He is also featured on seven billboards in
the area with the tagline: A.J. Foyt still has the
heart of a champion.
Foyt’s story actually began with his wife Lucy
undergoing open heart surgery last winter (from which she made a full
recovery). When doctors asked Foyt the last time he’d had his stents checked (installed
in 2000), they didn’t like his answer
(it had been a while). When they did check him, they found a blockage.
He underwent a procedure to install another stent to open the
blockage--complicated by the fact that the doctor had to go through an existing
stent to reach it (an open heart surgery team was standing by in case the
procedure didn’t work). Fortunately, the procedure was successful.
When asked if he would ‘share’ his story, Foyt
didn’t hesitate to express his gratitude to the staff of the Texas Heart® Institute’s
cardiology team in a very public way. After a full day of shooting at the race
shop, a 30-second commercial was produced that is slated to continue running in
2012 after this year’s holiday season.
Donating his time and image to the campaign, Foyt
indeed has the heart of a champion
Coming up:
Lobitz Movie
Party/Auction:
THIS SUNDAY!!!
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)
News from The King of the Can - 'It's Good To Be King'
This Sunday (Nov.
13) at Penn Can
Media Contact:
Brett Deyo - 845.728.2781 or Deyo99H@aol.com
For Immediate
Release/Nov. 8, 2011
Gates open at 1 p.m. with hot laps at 3 p.m. and racing at 4 p.m.
GM 602 Crate
Sportsman (25 laps - $1,000 to win) and Trackside Products Race of Champions
Street Stocks (25 laps - $500 to win) complete the program. The Trackside
Products RoC Street Stock title will be decided on
Sunday.
Modifieds will run
first throughout the order of events to benefit fans.
Wristbands and
ticket stubs from the Oct. 16 event will be honored at the make-up date.
Draw numbers will
be held for the drivers already in attendance at the original date. Additional
drivers can participate in this event and will draw from the numbers remaining
in the bucket. Registration is $20 for
the Modifieds. There is no registration fee for the
GM 602 Crate Sportsman or Street Stocks.
Big- (more than 361 cubic inches - 2,500 lbs.) or small-block (316
cubic inches or less - 2,400 lbs.) Modifieds can compete. Any 13- by 92-inch
Modified tire can be used. Sail panels are permitted.
Full information
can be found online at www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com
or by e-mailing
Brett Deyo at 845.728.2781.
The Parts Peddler Trade Show:
It will be held on November 18, 19 &
20, up in
This year it will be held on November 25th,
26th and 27th. On
Saturday, the 26th, racing action will include:
Open/Tour Modifieds,
Dirt Modifieds, Dirt Sportsman, WALL/SK Modifieds, Sportsman/Crate cars, Late Models, Factory
Stocks, Street Stocks, Legends and TQ’s. Practice on November 12th and 19th. For Sunday, 8 cylinder and
4 cylinder Enduros – 200 laps, Trux
and Ladies plus more???
From their website:
Turkey
Derby XXXVIII is a two racing tradition set for Friday November 25 and Saturday
November 26 during the daylight hours. On November 25, practice will start at
8:30 a.m., while qualifying will start at noon and feature racing will begin at
2:00 p.m. On November 26, practice will start at 8:30 a.m., with qualifying set
for 11:00 a.m. and feature racing set for 1:00 p.m.
Pit gates will open
at 6:30 a.m., with pre-purchased grandstand seating opening at 9:30 a.m. and
grandstand seating opening at 10:00 a.m. on both days.
Friday main event
action will feature the paved Sportsman cars, the dirt Sportsman cars, Late
Models, Legend Cars and the Factory Stocks. On Saturday, the Touring Modifieds, Wall Modifieds, dirt Modifieds, TQ Midgets and Street Stocks will all see main
event action.
More info can be found here: www.wallspeedway.com
Indoor Go-Kart racing in
Yup, almost that time again – December 10, 2011. Back when my grandson was racing Karts, we
made a few of those shows. The racing
was top notch; the building the track is in was both heated and
ventilated. The only downfall was the
possible weather conditions – you know –
Info on this event can be found if you go here, below, and check out
the upper left hand corner for additional links.
http://www.cnyroadrace.com/indoor/
Found
on Jayski’s website:
NASCAR to meet with Kyle Busch Saturday morning: UPDATE - Busch parked:
Tempers flared early in Friday night's truck race at
Texas Motor Speedway. As they ran three-wide early in Friday's race, Ron Hornaday moved up the track, causing Kyle Busch, running on
the outside, to hit the wall. Hornaday also hit it.
As they slowly went around the track, Busch ran up on the rear of Hornaday and caused Hornaday to
smack the wall head-on in what was hard contact. Hornaday
was uninjured. NASCAR called Busch to the hauler to meet with officials after
the race. NASCAR met with Kyle Busch for less than five minutes on Friday night
after the race. They will meet with Busch before Saturday morning's Cup
practice (which is at 8:45am/et) to discuss the
incident. Hornaday went to the NASCAR hauler (he
wasn't called there by officials) after Kyle left and said: "If NASCAR
doesn't (park Busch), I'm hanging around, and I'm going to buy Tommy Baldwin's
ride and that guy will never finish another race. That's a promise. He's got to
be parked. They did it to Harvick at
UPDATE:
NASCAR announced Saturday morning that they have parked
Kyle Busch for the remainder of the
UPDATE 2:
Joe Gibbs didn't argue with the severity of the penalty. "I always trust NASCAR," Gibbs said. "I think they do a great job. They manage the series. It's grown because of them and the way they handle it. I have great faith in the decisions they make. We've been a part of this for a long time, and we love it. We love being a part of it, and we love this sport. This was a tough one for us, but as I mentioned, sometimes in life you go through tough things. You don't like it, but we're certainly going to try and work our way through this one and do the right thing and try and handle it the right way." Gibbs now must deal with the fallout from the incident, and that means talks with Cup sponsor Mars and Nationwide sponsor Z-Line Designs, as well as other JGR partners. "I met with Kyle in his motor home this morning," Gibbs said. "It's one of those personal conversations you have when a real tough situation like this comes up. I think, for all of our other partners involved with this-and there's a number of them-we haven't even had a chance to get with everybody yet. So we're still trying to go through that as best we can. We'll be here the whole weekend trying to meet with everybody, trying to work our way through this and trying to handle it the right way."(Sporting News)(11-5-2011)
AND:
Ultimately, Busch may face sanctions more severe than
those levied by NASCAR. Addressing the media this morning in
Statement from
"
Statement from Kyle Busch:
I've had a lot of time today to sit and reflect, and try
to put my thoughts into words as best I can. I want to sincerely apologize for
my actions during Friday night's Truck Series race at
Statement from M&Ms:
"The recent actions by Kyle Busch are not consistent with the values of M&M'S and we're very disappointed. Like you, we hold those who represent our brand to a higher standard and we have expressed our concerns directly to Joe Gibbs Racing."(M&Ms Facebook page)(11-6-2011)
NASCAR Fines Kyle
Busch; Places Him On Probation For Remainder Of Year:
NASCAR has fined
Kyle Busch $50,000 and placed him on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31 for his
actions during the Nov. 4 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor
Speedway. Kyle Busch violated Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car
racing) of the 2011 NASCAR Rule Book. NASCAR took immediate action, parking
Busch for the remainder of Friday night's event and maintaining the parked
position for the NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events
scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. On Monday, the
parking directive was lifted by NASCAR. In issuing Monday's penalty, NASCAR
went on to say that "if during the remaining NASCAR events in 2011 there
is another action by the competitor that is deemed by NASCAR officials as
detrimental to stock car racing or to NASCAR, or is disruptive to the orderly conduct
of an event, the competitor will be suspended indefinitely from
NASCAR."(NASCAR)(11-7-2011)
Vampt sponsoring Yeley at
NASCAR fans should
prepare to "get Vampt" again. Vampt Beverage Corp. will return to the #38 Ford of Front
Row Motorsports for the race weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.
UPDATE:
Front Row
Motorsports, J.J. Yeley, and Vampt
Beverage Corp. will make a former U.S. Marine's dream come true this Veterans
Day when the #38 Vampt Ford hits Phoenix
International Raceway in a paint scheme designed by the disabled veteran. Scott
Bates of
Note: I really like JJ. I’m just hoping that his one isn’t a “Start
& Park” ride for this week. I think
you know why?
Per SPEED's Tom Jensen,
"This is the first time since 2005 that
Auto Racing could
be
This summer, The
News-Journal asked readers what
Outback to sponsor
Stewart-Haas next season:
Stewart-Haas Racing
is adding yet another sponsor to its lineup on the #39 team driven by Ryan
Newman. Outback Steakhouse, a restaurant chain based in
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
to take part in Daytona EFI test:
NASCAR has
scheduled a special test for Nov. 15 at Daytona International Speedway to find
ways to eliminate the two-car drafting that has become prevalent at
restrictor-plate tracks. Six to eight teams will be in attendance and NASCAR
spokesman Kerry Tharp said the teams will work on a variety of combinations of
restrictor plates and spoilers to give teams a good baseline package to bring
back for the preseason test in January. Among the drivers participating will be
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. and one other driver from Hendrick
Motorsports. "Apparently, they put this test together last minute for a
reason," Earnhardt said on Tuesday from the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
"We'll go down there and they'll let us know exactly what they're wanting to do, what they're trying to accomplish,
what they're trying to try. I want to be able to give them the best feedback I
can to give them the solutions they're looking for so that we can, with
confidence, go into Daytona in February and expect to put together a great show
for the fans that will be there and that will be watching on TV."
Earnhardt expects much of the emphasis to be on running with a smaller spoiler,
which several drivers said made the two-car draft more difficult during a recent
fuel injection test at Talladega Superspeedway.(ESPN)(11-9-2011)
Former
Looking at the
results from the tracks Novemberfest weekend of racing, I was somewhat surprised at what I think was a
somewhat low count of those that used to run at the Dirt Oval making a return
for Novemberfest.
Joe Kata returned and was 2nd in the Senior Champ
results. Brian Krummel
had a 5th n the Medium class and a 2nd in the Heavy
class. Brad Szulewski
was 14th in the Heavy Class, and Charlie Lawrence was 8th
in the Senior Slingshots.
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 11th to the 17th:
NOVEMBER 11
1937
Sam McQuagg...
Born ... NASCAR driver from the 1960's and 70's.
1960
Robert "Red"
Byron... Died ... He was a NASCAR driver who was successful in the sanctioning
body's first years. He was NASCAR's first Modified champion (and its first
champion in any division) in 1948 and its first Strictly Stock (predecessor to
NEXTEL Cup) champion in 1949.
1967
Gil de Ferran...
Born ... CART and IRL driver.
NOVEMBER 12
1925
John Rostek
... Born ... A NASCAR driver from
Note: A little about that
http://www.racing-reference.info/race/1960_Empire_State_200/W
1928
Allen Crowe ... Born ... He
drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1961-1963 seasons with
15 starts, including the 1962 and 1963 Indianapolis 500 races. He finished in
the top ten 6 times, with his best finish in 5th position in 1962 at
1966
Don Branson ... Died ... He
drove in the USAC Championship Car series and also in sprint cars, racing champ
cars in the 1956-1966 seasons with 129 starts, including the 1959-1966
Indianapolis 500 races. He finished in the top ten 85 times, with 7 victories.
Branson died at
Roger McCluskey
won the USAC Sprint Car race over Frank Secrist, Hal Minyard, Larry Dickson and Dick Fries at the Ascot Park
Speedway,
NOVEMBER 13
1966
Dick Atkins... Died ... One
of the best sprint car drivers of his era and was just begining
to shine in the USAC Championships when he was killed at
1997
Larry Shinoda
... Died ... He died of a heart attack at his home in
NOVEMBER 14
1893
Tommy Milton ... Born ...
1944
Joe Saldana... Born ... a former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car
series. He raced in the 1977-1980 seasons, with 31 combined career
starts, including the 1978-1979 Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 10
times, with a best finish of 6th position in 1979 at
NOVEMBER 15
1932
Louie Unser... Born ... He
was the twin brother of Jerry Unser, who in 1958 became the first of the famed
racing family to qualify for the Indy 500. Louie served as chief mechanic for
Jerry in that race and handled the same duties for younger brother Al Unser's
500 debut in 1965.
Jerry Unser... Born ... He
was the 1957 USAC Stock Car champion. Jerry was the first of the Unser family
to compete at
1980
Bob Mathouser
... Died ... Drove in the USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1961-1966
seasons, with 30 career starts, including the 1964
NOVEMBER 16
1936
Skip Barber... Born ... A retired road racing driver who is most famous for his
Skip Barber Racing Schools.
John Mahler... Born ... A former open wheel race car driver in the USAC and CART
Championship Car series. He raced in the 1970-1973 and 1976-1981
seasons, with 39 combined career starts, including the 1972 and 1977-1979
Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top ten 6 times, with his best finish in
6th position in 1970 at the
1940
Chuck Amati... Born ...
Chuck Amati is one of the original outlaws, a star who built his legend during
an era when the term defied any organized definition. His career stretched
across six different decades, 1959 through 2002, and he became one of the most
popular and interesting characters in the sport.
1958
Roberto Guerrero... Born ... CART, IRL and Grand Prix driver.
1967
Robbie Stanley ... Born ...
Robbie was the All-Stars Circuit of Champions sprint car titleist
in 1990, then moved on to USAC where he collected three straight USAC National
sprint car championships from 1991, 1992, and 1993, and was on his way to a
fourth when his career was cut short in a fatal accident in a USAC sprint car
event in Winchester, Indiana, on May 26, 1994.
NOVEMBER 17
1929
Jimmy Reece... Born ...
Reece was Midget, Sprint driver and a 6 time veteran of the
News
from the AARN:
From
their November 1st issue:
Two
former OVRP Dirt Oval racers, Brad Szulewski and
Anthony Perrego did pretty good, point wise, in the RoC Dirt Sportsman Series for 2011. Brad ended up 4th and Anthony 9th.
Ernie
Saxton:
Had
some in his column about the proposed F-1 race in
Earl
Krause:
Part
of his column had to do with the new Vintage TQ’s. For info on that you can call Gary Mondschein at (570) 656-5962, or go to www.ATQMRA.com for current and Vintage TQ
news.
The
Vintage TQ’s will have some on track time when there
is racing indoors in
Brett
Deyo:
Quite
a bit in his column about the New Egypt Speedway starting to phase in the
Todd
Heintzelman:
He
makes mention of the head flagger at the Williams Grove Speedway, Butch Book,
retiring.
Also
that Sprint Car mechanic Shane Stout was sent home from the
Todd
makes mention of Lance Dewease and car owner Donny
Owens getting $20,000.00 for the All Star Eastern Series championship, along
with another $20,000.00 for being the Williams Grove Speedway driving champion
for 2011.
Gary
London:
London
makes mention of how 17 of the 33 drivers in the Indy 500, in 1955 lost their
lives while racing, yet for the Indy 500 in 1985, 30 years later, and with
speeds over 60 MPH faster, only two of the 33 in that 1985 race lost their
lives while racing.
Note: It would be interesting to compare those 1955
drivers and 1985 drivers as to what else they race in, back then. How many of those that ran in 1985 still ran
Midgets, Sprint Cars and Silver Crown cars, on both paved and dirt tracks, and
might have met their end in those type of cars?
The
1955 Indy 500 drivers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1955_Indianapolis_500
The
1985 Indy 500 drivers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Indianapolis_500
Mr.
London also makes mention of the car counts for this past Super Dirt Week and
how there are now less and less entrants from Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and
how the event has, more or less, becoming more “regional”. Also, he believes that none of the race teams
that went to
Toby
LaGrange:
Mr.
LaGrange is another one that wasn’t all that thrilled about the TV coverage of
SDW. It’s his thinking, along with quite
a few others, that the tape showing the Rick Laubach
pit stop was kind of “speeded up”, so to say.
John
Snyder:
Another
one who was not too happy with the
Don
and Jo Ann Davies:
They
gave the SDW telecast footage an 8.5 rating out of a possible 10, but like
others, thought the play-by-play coverage by Ralph Shaheen
and Tom Baldwin wasn’t so good. They
believe that the re-play of the Laubach pit road deal
left little doubt as to him speeding or not.
(Wouldn’t it be neat if we could get all those that thought the tape was
speeded up, and those that thought otherwise, in a room together?)
The
Davies are somewhat concerned about 2012 and the
Friday night racing scene in the capital area, now that Albany/Saratoga has
gone back to a dirt surface. They wonder
how it might affect
They
made mention of Brett Hearn and his 800th win, saying it isn’t
likely to be matched, given the current state of Modified racing, with “Cookie
Cutter” cars and track tires making it difficult for one driver to be very
creative and/or dominant.
Al
Paradise:
I’m
copying what he had to say:
“My
favorite forms of racing today are the World of Outlaws type Sprints and Late
Models. While we have experienced some
tragic losses over the years, the good of the sport certainly outweighs the
risks.
First
of all, these divisions share some of the most skillful and talented drivers in
the world. Drivers like Donny Schatz,
Steve Kinser, Jason Meyers and Josh Richards have a
sense of reality from the hard knocks they have experienced at places like
Eldora, Attica and
That
down to earth perception of speed and the reality of the dangerous consequences
seems to be somewhat lost when it comes to many of
today’s Indy car drivers.
Indy
cars have always been dangerous but today’s computer generated road course cars
are out of their element on today’s high speed mile and a half ovals like
Add
to that fact that many of these drivers are not as skilled or experienced as
Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch. Also added danger comes from the fact that
they are rubbing open wheels at 225 MPH!
Back
in the days of Foyt, Andretti and Rutherford, it was
less dangerous because these guys had the reality of running places like Eldora
that lead to a grater respect for what could happen in an Indy car.
The
oval track crowds for Indy cars today just don’t seem to warrant an “Acceptable
Risk”.
Some
other things that are in the AARN:
The
Do
you realize that the 1952 Indy 500 was the last 500 won by a dirt “Upright”
chassis?
There
was a half page ad for Dave Ely’s “Be a Better Racer Driving and Chassis
School” that will be held on Sunday, January 8th at the Cork Factory
Hotel in Lancaster, Pa. Cost is $179.95
for the driver and one crewmember.
Teachers in the three-hour classes are:
Late
Models – at 9:00 AM: Bopper Bare and
Huey Wilcoxon
Modifieds – at 12:30 PM:
Danny Johnson and Mike Payne
Sprint
Cars – at 4:00 PM: Greg Hodnett and Lee Stauffer
Each
student will receive a textbook full of information, maintenance schedules,
set-up sheets and manufacturer coupons.
It’s said that the coupons makes the fee to attend virtually nothing.
More
can be found if you go here: www.BeABetterRacer.com or by calling
(484) 794-2993.
I
don’t know, maybe it’s me, but I’m somewhat concerned when I read about tracks
and their banquets and that in many cases, no mention of monies won is
mentioned. Is it because what they pay
out is so much smaller than what some others show they
pay out, and they don’t want to be embarrassed?
There
were a few this week:
Ransomville
honored their track champions – no monies mentioned.
Billy
Decker and Jeff Crambo were the RoC Modified and
Sportsman champions – no mention of monies and no mention of a banquet.
Airborne
Stafford
Motor
As for this weeks current edition, dated November 8th, they
show this as featured stories, on their front page:
In AARN
This
Week:
URC
going wingless
for 2012?
Sheppard, Eckert Win Titles
In Dramatic Fashion
Hirschman Wins Fourth
North-South Shootout
Dirt on Wall Stadium?
Comprehensive
World Finals Coverage
Heistand Earns
ARDC Championship
More
racin’ stuff:
One never knows what one can find, or will find, on the Internet. The other day I found this list about the surviving drivers that ran the Indy Roadsters in the 500.
This is an excerpt from the Indy 500
celebration from 2011:
Also recognized were the fourteen living front-engine "roadster"
drivers of the
Note:
Not only did they drive the “Roadsters”, but also the “Dirt” styled Indy
cars, too, in some cases.
Racing and
television:
Racing on TV - http://www.racefantv.com/USTV.htm
Some non-racing stuff
part 1:
You
do realize just how much this will make her behave, right?
Lindsay
Lohan checks in and out of LA County jail
In
part:
"LYNWOOD,
Calif. (AP) — Lindsay Lohan was released from a Los
Angeles County jail early Monday, less than five hours after she arrived at the
suburban women's lockup to serve a 30-day sentence for violating probation.
The
"Mean Girls" actress was booked into the Century Regional Detention
facility in
It's
Lohan's fifth jail sentence since being arrested
twice for drunken driving in 2007.
More
about this can be seen here:
http://movies.yahoo.com/news/lindsay-lohan-checks-la-county-jail-123131208.html
Some
non-racing stuff part 2:
In
part:
"The
top
Gen.
John Allen issued a statement Friday saying that Maj. Gen. Peter Fuller has
been relieved of his duties as deputy commander for the Afghan training
mission.
In
a recent interview with the website Politico, Fuller characterized Afghan
leaders as erratic, ungrateful and isolated from reality. The interview quotes
him as saying Afghan leaders don't fully recognize
Referring to Karzai's recent
assertion that
Fuller
also said the Afghans don't understand the extent to which the
Allen
said the "unfortunate comments" don't represent the solid
Pentagon
press secretary George Little said Defense Secretary
Leon Panetta was aware of Fuller's remarks. Little said Panetta has full
confidence in Allen's judgment with respect to his decision in this case."
More
can be seen, here: http://news.yahoo.com/us-general-fired-afghan-training-job-220453969.html
Note: Well, to be honest, I think I’ll side with the General on this one. You should read the comments that are under the article. I’m not alone, believe me!
Some non-racing stuff part 3:
In
part:
"Mortgage
giant Fannie Mae is asking the federal government for $7.8 billion in aid to
cover its losses in the July-September quarter.
The
government-controlled company said Tuesday that it lost $7.6 billion in the
third quarter. Low mortgage rates reduced profits and declining home prices
caused more defaults on loans it had guaranteed.
The
government rescued Fannie Mae and sibling company Freddie Mac in September 2008
to cover their losses on soured mortgage loans. Since then, a federal regulator
has controlled their financial decisions."
Taxpayers
have spent about $169 billion to rescue Fannie and Freddie, the most expensive
bailout of the 2008 financial crisis. The government estimates that figure
could reach up $220 billion to support the companies through 2014 after
subtracting dividend payments.
Fannie
has received $112.6 billion so far from the Treasury Department, the most
expensive bailout of a single company.”
More
on this can be found, here:
http://news.yahoo.com/fannie-mae-loss-widens-asks-taxpayers-7-8b-221752510.html
My
comments/thoughts on this – well I think I’ll use a common abbreviation that
we’ve all seen on the Internet – WTF?
Are
these true?:
From
an e-mail on 11/5/2011:
Following
is information that will shock you—inform you as to how devious—how deceptive
and how destructive the Obama administration truly is. The tentacles of this
evil being stretch out across the Nation at the expense of those of us who love
this great Country and who are trying to save it. We must be rid of him and his
attempts to destroy the United States of American-- and-personally—I don’t care
how we cleanse our Nation of this diseased terrorist!!!*
Hey,
this is great! Imagine the odds of this
happening.
Do you know the park in NYC that the Wall
Street protesters are occupying?
DId
you know this park is not owned by the city?
It
is owned by Brookfield Properties.
Who
was just hired by Brookfield Properties as an attorney?
Vice President Joe Biden's son.
Who
sits on the board of Brookfield Properties?
Mayor
Bloomberg's live in girlfriend.
Now,
guess what company just received some of the last of the Obama Stimulus
$$$$$$$.
Thaaaaaaaaaaaaat's right,
Brookfield Properties.
Isn't
life great!
Hey, on a completely unrelated note,
Now,
guess who owns the company that will be tabulating the electronic votes in
Thaaaaaaaaaaaat's right,
the biggest contributor to Obama, George Soros. Whaaaaaaaat a
coincidence!
Remember
what Stalin said. "He who votes
does not have power. He who counts the
votes has power".
Note: I voted this past Election Day – just voting
for Port Jervis city held posts. It was
a paper ballot. Yes, I’m somewhat
disturbed that it was a paper ballot – who is going to count them? As it says above: “He who counts the votes has power”. Uh huh!
Kinda makes one wonder, ya
know?
Video time:
How about an
11-car drag race? Funny thing is – the
winning car wasn’t that fastest.
Closing with this:
Subject:
Cowboy in heaven
A
cowboy appeared before St. Peter at the Pearly Gates.
'Have
you ever done anything of particular merit?'
St. Peter asked.
'Well,
I can think of one thing,' the cowboy offered.
'On
a trip to the Black Hills out in
I
directed them to leave her alone, but they wouldn't listen. So, I approached
the largest and most tattooed biker and smacked him in the face, kicked his
bike over, ripped out his nose ring, and threw it on the ground. I yelled,
'Now, back off or I'll kick the sh*t
out of all of you!'
St.
Peter was impressed, 'When did this happen?'
'Couple of minutes ago.'
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