Racin'
& Internet Stuff:
By Tom Avenengo
Volume # 82
11/24/2011
First:
Getting old is a b*tch. As we
age we tend to have “issues” that pertain to ones health. Lord knows I’ve had some, myself. Mine started back in 1996, and the result was
some by-pass surgery on June 28th.
That ended my working career, and I was on Social Security Disability
until I reached the age of 65 when it changed over to being retired.
I’ve managed to have hardly any problems until this past summer when
some shortness of breath appeared. Might
it be the results of all the smoking I did from about 16 years of age up until
that by-pass surgery? Some tests done
this past July showed that there was a problem with my heart and I had a
Pacemaker/defibrillator installed.
Almost immediately I felt better, and continued to do so – to a
point. About two weeks ago the “running
out of breath” started to return. I’m doing
this at 1:30 on Monday, the 21st.
I’ll see my cardiologist at 3:00.
I’m scheduled to have the Pacemaker/defibrillator checked out on the 4th
of January, but am hoping that maybe something will show up today that might
mean a problem with the unit. At least
I’m hoping that is what the problem is.
My cardiologist did not seem too overly concerned about my shortness of
breath, especially after I told him that it seems to have really started when a
certain medication was increased. An
increase of that medication will cause shortness of breath, amongst other
things. So, hopefully, that is what is the cause. Time
will tell.
Second:
Another “Open Wheeler” lost:
No, not by passing away – but lost from Open Wheel racing to the “Taxi
Cabs”.
Ricky
Stenhouse, Jr. is now the new Nationwide Series driving champion for 2011. The question is – why was he never even
offered an Indy car ride? He wasn’t as
far as I know. Heck. Jack Roush could
see the talent that he had. Maybe Ricky
didn’t have a bunch of money to bring along for an Indy car ride? Who knows, for sure?
Here’s
a biography that I found for him:
http://www.stenhousejr.com/index.php?q=bio
And,
his website:
Third:
I have to apologize here – I didn’t get the name of the 10 year old
girl that sang our National Anthem prior to the Nationwide
race this past Saturday, but, damn, why is it that a 10 year old can do such a
great job on our Anthem, so why can’t so called “Professional” singers do the
same?
Fourth:
During qualifying for the Nationwide race last
Saturday, Joe Nemecheck was on the track and the announcer was saying that Joe
had qualified for every Nationwide race in 2011. Joe was one of the “Go or go homers”. Strange how one can qualify for every race
and still not have a “guaranteed” starting spot. I’m not sure, but did Joe have many “Start
& Park” Nationwide races in 2011?
Fifth:
Many times we read things on the Internet, especially on forums and
message boards. Some “not-so-nice”
things came out a few weeks ago about AJ Allmendinger. After hearing that he is now an ordained
minister, I have to take it that what was said on the forum and/or message
boards wasn’t true.
Sixth:
I’m starting this column on Saturday, instead of Sunday, since I’ll be
on the road, on Sunday, with my son, Eric.
So, with an occasional look at the TV and the Nationwide
race, I happened to pick up that there will be a “Competition Yellow” on lap
35. Why?
Face it, if you speak to any NASCAR fan, they’ll tell you that those in
NASCAR are the best in the business, right?
So, why do they need that yellow then?
Seventh:
Mile and a half racetracks – and “Cookie Cutter” types – might they be
one of the main reasons why auto racing is falling off, spectator and viewer
wise? Racing, like in the Nationwide race on Saturday, from
Eighth:
Title personal for Stewart's crew chief
In part:
"Winning the Sprint Cup Series championship became a classic
mission for Tony Stewart. For crew chief Darian Grubb, it was all
personal."
“I was told early in the Chase before
A little more on this can be seen here:
http://chronicle.augusta.com/sports/nascar/2011-11-22/title-personal-stewarts-crew-chief
Note: While watching “Inside
NASCAR” On Showtime this Wednesday, it is still up in the air yet as to what
might happen with Darian. Tony Stewart,
who was a guest, via TV, really would not – or maybe could not comment on the
subject.
Ninth:
The Boo Heard Around The World
Maybe you've heard of this?
Actually, I wasn't at home when the race started, and watching the
video, well, there was quite a lot of other noise that was heard.
In part:
"What we are discussing is the viral spread of less than one
minute of NASCAR-themed video around the world. Instead of a smiling and happy
Tony Stewart, many media outlets chose the Obama booing video to
distribute."
More on this, along with quite a few comments at the bottom of the
article, can be seen here:
http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2011/11/boo-heard-around-world.html
Tenth:
If you’re interested – The Dan Wheldon Memorial Donation Page:
http://danwheldonmemorial.com/donate.html
Eleventh:
Some good news – Borgers will be open in 2012! This from Bob Snyder:
Borgers PR
Media Contact
Bob Snyder
bobsnyderphoto@enter.net
The New Borgers Speedway 2012.
“It’s probably the biggest gamble of my life but after the thousands of
e-mails and postings of support on Facebook, Twitter and the various message
boards I can not let my Borgers Speedway
Family down.” These were the words of
Borgers Speedway owner Glenn Borger as he announced a contract has been awarded
to Northeast Site Contractors for the paving of Borgers Speedway.
“Hopefully if the weather co-operates we can have the clay removed,
base put down, and the binder asphalt layed before Christmas. In the spring the top coat of asphalt will be
put down and if all goes well we should be able to schedule an April 2012
opening date.”
Wingless 600 Sprints, Slingshots, and Go Karts will be on the Saturday
schedule which will be running from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. with the Sprints
and Slingshots running in the evening portion of the show. Negotiations are
underway for various other divisions which will be announced shortly.
The paving of Borgers Speedway will bring a “New Era” of racing to the
1/7 mile oval in
Twelfth:
From Ernie Saxton:
NEWS FROM:
MOTORSPORTS 2012 PRESENTED BY VP’S SEF SMALL ENGINE FUELS
RACE CAR AND TRADE SHOW
Promoter: Len Sammons @ 609.888.3618
MEDIA CONTACT: Ernie Saxton Communications, Inc.
Ernie Saxton @ 215.752.7797
Fax: 215.752.1518
Cell: 267.934.7286
Email: Esaxton144@aol.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PLEASE WITH OUR THANKS
WOLFGANG, DOTY AND ARGABRIGHT TO BE PART OF MOTORSPORTS 2012 RACE CAR
AND TRADE SHOW
OAKS, PA November 23, 2011 . . .
A sprint car racing legend, a former sprint racing star turned TV personality
and an author/TV broadcaster will be appearing at the Motorsports 2012
Presented by VP’s SEF Small Engine Fuels Race Car and Trade Show set for
January 20-22nd at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA.
Hall of Fame sprint car racer
Doug Wolfgang will join Brad Doty and Dave Argabright as the trio meets fans
and sign autographs as part of the Coastal 181 display area at the show both on
Friday and Saturday.
Wolfgang, winner of 107 World of
Outlaws sprint car feature races, will be talking about his “Lone Wolf” book
that will be available at the Coastal 181 display. The book, written by
Wolfgang and Argabright, covers Doug’s five Knoxville Nationals wins and his
long sprint car racing career. Wolfgang will also host a FREE sprint car
chassis set-up seminar during the show.
Doty will have copies of his new
“Still Wide Open”( second edition) book written with
Dave Argabright. It is one of the most inspiring and powerful books in all of
motorsports. Doty is a member of the SPEED television crew that covers a number
of sprint car
racing events.
The third member of the trio is
one of the most prolific writers in the motorsports business and is a talented
TV broadcaster. Argabright has written books on a number of key people in the
industry and is currently finalizing a novel on the sport. He hopes to have
that new book available at the show.
All three are looking forward to
having the opportunity to chat with fans at the 27th edition of the Motorsports
show which is organized by Len Sammons Productions and fills all 255,000 square
feet of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center with everything motorsports.
More than 200 racing vehicles
representing just about all forms of the sport will be on display throughout
the three days.
Show attendees will have the
opportunity to meet many local, regional and national motorsports figures and
be able to participate in free autograph sessions.
More than 600 exhibit booths
offering 400 plus racing dealers, hardcore manufacturers of racing equipment, and more will be part of the huge show considered
the biggest and best of its type in the Northeastern and
There will be free industry
seminars, antique race car displays, stage shows, interviews with major figures
in the sport, the BPG Racing Ms. Motorsports Contests, the special Metal Fab
sponsored Sunday activities for youngsters and so much more.
Information on exhibiting in the
show, booth space is filling very quickly, can be had by telephoning Tim Hogue
at 609.888.3618.
Show information, ticket prices
and more can be had by checking in at www.aarn.com.
MEDIA NOTE: Media planning to attend the show should be in touch with
Ernie Saxton at 215.752.7797 or by e-mail at Esaxton144@aol.com to make show
credential arrangements. Thank you. Ernie Saxton
Ernie Saxton Communications, Inc.
Motorsports Marketing
215.752.7797 - office
386-677-5152 -
267.934.7286 - cell/text
Esaxton144@aol.com
Twitter: @ernsax
Thirteenth:
Xmas shopping?
Slot Car stuff:
Rt. 52 629
12508
Telephone: +1 845 8385333
Fax: +1 845 8385334
e-mail: sales@hvraceway.net sales@hvraceway.net
Subscriptions:
http://www.sprintcarandmidget.com/
Videos:
Lynn Schaeffer’s Videos –
Phone: 717- 432-9587
www.lynnschaefferproductions.com
Fourteenth:
AP Sources: Keselowski fined for EFI criticisms
By JENNA FRYER - AP Auto Racing Writer
Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011
The people spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because NASCAR did not publicize the fine.
NASCAR has been privately punishing drivers for making disparaging remarks about the series over the last two years.
The fine is believed to be $25,000.
Keselowski said last week during an appearance at the NASCAR Hall of Fame that the move to fuel injection is "a disaster." He also said NASCAR was pressured into moving from carburetors to EFI by "green initiatives" and called the process "a media circus."
NASCAR in the past quietly fined Ryan Newman for
criticizing racing at
http://www.thatsracin.com/2011/11/17/79261/ap-sources-keselowski-fined-for.html
UPDATE:
[NASCAR CEO Brian]
Fifteenth:
Some sad news:
I actually received three e-mails on what follows, but this one was
forwarded from former ARDC President Ron Lauer:
For Immediate Release
1960
INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011 - Jim Rathmann, winner of both
the 1960 Indianapolis 500 and the international 500-mile "Race of Two
Worlds" in 1958 at Monza, Italy, died Wednesday, Nov. 23.
Rathmann passed away in a hospice in
Rathmann, who was inducted into the Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1993
and the Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2007, already was a three-time runner-up in
the "500" (1952, 1957 and 1959) when he scored his greatest victory.
And if the 1960 race, with its record 29 lead changes, was not the finest
"500" ever held, there can be no question that Rathmann's epic
two-hour duel with defending winner Rodger Ward continues to stand out as the
Speedway's greatest sustained two-man battle of all time.
For the entire second half of that never-to-be-forgotten classic,
Rathmann and Ward were rarely any more than a few feet from each other,
exchanging the lead 14 times between them. That number could have been
considerably more had not tire wear played into the equation. Long before the
days of computer-generated race strategies, two-way radio communication,
spotters, and Pace Car-led pack-ups during caution periods, these two wily
veterans pretty much had to figure it out for themselves, aided only by a pit
board message flashed to them every minute or so.
Ward, an early leader, had stalled on his first of three planned stops,
losing at least a half-minute. He raced hard to regain lost ground and caught
up with Rathmann just before the halfway mark, fully cognizant that in the
process he had placed undue stress on his tires. They swapped the lead several
times before Ward decided to run behind Rathmann for a while and let him
dictate the pace, both aware that third-placed Johnny Thomson was running a
comfortable margin behind them. That was until the pit board signs began
advising them that the advantage was shrinking. When it fell to only 10
seconds, they determined it was time to go.
The lead changed hands six more times in the final 30 laps until Ward
happen to notice tell-tale discoloration appearing in the center of his right
front tire, indicating that the cords were about to show through. He led as
late as Lap 197 before reluctantly slowing down to salvage second as a greatly
relieved Rathmann nursed his ailing tiresto the finish and won at a record
average speed of 138.767 mph.
Had Ward prevailed, Rathmann, who led exactly half of the 200 laps that
day, would have held the dubious distinction of being history's only four-time
runner-up at
As an illustration of just how different things were in those days, the
winning Ken-Paul Special was a brand new Offenhauser-powered car Rathmann had
commissioned from his old friend A. J. Watson on behalf of Rathmann's partners,
Kenny Rich and Paul Lacy. Rathmann and his chief mechanic, Chickie Hirashima,
drove a station wagon out to Watson's shop in Glendale, Calif., to pick up the
car whereupon they loaded it on to an open trailer and then towed it back to
the Midwest themselves. More than rewarded by the eventual first-place prize
money checks totaling a record $110,000, Rathmann later estimated the entire
investment at only $35,000.
Born in
A contemporary, since his earliest racing days, of Troy Ruttman, Jack
McGrath, Pat Flaherty, Don Freeland, Andy Linden and numerous other
"500" stars of the future, Jim Rathmann moved to Chicago in 1948 to
race hot rods with Andy Granatelli's Chicago-based Hurricane Hot Rod
Association.
In 1949, Rathmann, Ruttman and Flaherty all made their
In 1952, driving for the Granatelli brothers,
Rathmann finished second in the "500," beaten only by Troy Ruttman,
his boyhood friend and fellow hotrod club member.
Rathmann, who was also runner-up to Sam Hanks in 1957 and to Ward in
1959, drove in a total of 14 Indianapolis 500 Mile Races between 1949 and 1963,
leading at some stage during six of them for a total of 153 laps. At the time
of his retirement in May 1964, he had completed 2,295 laps in competition and
was within less than a full race of claiming the all-time record, only Cliff
Bergere (2,452 laps) and Mauri Rose (2,420 laps) having completed a greater
number.
Having travelled to Monza for the invitational 500-miler in 1957 merely
as a potential relief driver since his regular car owner, Lindsey Hopkins had
chosen not to send a car, Rathmann brokered a deal for the 1958 contest.
Underwritten by Bob Wilke of Leader Cards, sponsor of his recent
fifth-place effort with
That association led to Wilke forming the Leader Card Racing Team, with
Watson leaving Zink to head up the operation and build new cars. At one point,
Leader Card intended running a two-driver team, with Rathmann joining Ward.
Then
By the time the 1959 "500" was held, Rathmann had further
demonstrated his great skill and bravery by winning a 100-mile USAC National
Championship race April 4 at the brand-new Daytona International Speedway. Far
better suited to the NASCAR stock cars, which had ushered in the Daytona 500 in
February with Lee Petty winning the caution-free inaugural at 135.521 mph,
Rathmann ripped off the 100 miles in the astonishing time of only 35 minutes.
Scrunched down in the cockpit of his fish-tailing front-engined
Offenhauser-powered Watson "roadster" and wearing a short-sleeved
polo shirt with only an open-faced Cromwell-type helmet for protection, he
averaged a breathtaking 170.261 mph.
Three-times the Midwest hot rod champion (1948, 1950 and 1951) and
third-ranking AAA stock car driver of 1955, the diversified Rathmann was one of
the first oval track specialists to dabble in sports car racing, taking part in
the Sebring 12 Hours three times (sharing the 12th place-finishing and
class-winning Corvette with Dick Doane in 1958) and racing several times at
Nassau. He was even down to drive the Tec-Mec Maserati at the inaugural Formula
One Grand Prix of the
An entrepreneur from his earliest days, Rathmann graduated from a paper
route to running a hot rod shop while still in his teens. A muffler shop in
Chicago was followed by a speed shop in Miami, a used car business and
eventually a huge Cadillac and Chevrolet dealership in Melbourne, Fla., the
latter being contingent upon his retirement, an agreement upon which he
"fudged" for at least two more years.
There was also a very successful go-kart business which produced the
highly sought-after Rathmann Xterminator and even an adventuresome episode of
his life in which he held the rights toretrieving centuries-old treasure
chests, firearms and cannons from sunken pirate ships off the coast of Florida.
Close friends with all of the early astronauts, Rathmann actually
pulled off a most unlikely coup by having one of them discreetly affix a
Rathmann car dealership decal to the famous golf cart which was driven on the
surface of the moon! Yet another venture was the G.C.R. Corporation team which
contested the USAC championship series in 1966 and 1967, the "G"
being for Gus Grissom, the "C" for Gordon Cooper and "R"
for Rathmann.
One of the fascinating character traits of Rathmann was that he always
seemed so nonchalant in the winner's circle, even at Indianapolis and Monza
where he'd be poker-faced and stoic, standing up in the cockpit with loosened
helmet straps dangling around his neck and barely smiling as he waved one hand
at just above waist level.
It was a misleading illusion.
In fact, this very down-to-earth and unpretentious individual happened
to be a fun-loving, chronic practical joker who seemed up for just about any
mischievous adventure. A very modest man, he was most gracious to the fans,
benched-raced with the best of them and told stories laced with a most
infectious giggle. Questions about his own career were usually passed off with
brief and rather evasive responses as he preferred instead to tell stories
about his colleagues, tears of mirth rolling his cheeks as he relayed the
details of yet another prank.
But Rathmann was a serious racer, and he loved the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. To him, the month of May at the track was "everything," the
other 11 months always being filled with plenty of activities, but with the
focus clearly on the next migration to IMS. In spite of his deep competitive
spirit, he was a great sportsman who was close with many of his contemporaries,
photographs taken in the aftermath of the 1957 and 1959 Indianapolis races
indicating that he obviously had great affection for both Hanks and Ward, who
had narrowly defeated him.
Ill health in recent years had prevented Rathmann from making his
annual pilgrimage to his beloved
Rathmann is survived by wife Kay, sons Jimmy and Jay, stepsons Zack and
Tosh Pence, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
In place of flowers the family requests that donations be made to:
William Childs Hospice House
…I5002011-074…
Media Contact: J. Douglas
Boles, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, (317) 492-6412 or (317) 750-9277,
dboles@brickyard.com
Tom Surber, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, (317) 492-6594,
tsurber@brickyard.com
Coming up:
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
Eastern
We will re-open for our annual Holiday Open
House the first
weekend of December; always lots of fun and food. That’s the 3rd and 4th.
Starting every Thursday during the winter from 6-9 pm,
Lynn Paxton and the gang will be holding weekly work parties.
We would love to have some volunteers step up and help arrange
cars and displays in the new wing. Without all the great volunteers
in this organization, EMMR doesn't exist.
So thanks to all of you !!!
Northeastern Vintage Dirt
Modified Racing Club
NVDMRC Club Banquet —
Sunday, December 4 at 1:00pm at
RSVP to Ed Stevens at 845-386-3484
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:
Kurt Busch tirade
at Jerry Punch:
During Sunday's
Ford 400 at
UPDATE:
Penske Racing
extends its apologies to Dr. Jerry Punch, our media partners and our sponsors
and fans for Kurt Busch's inappropriate actions in
UPDATE 2:
Kurt Busch
Statement: "Unfortunately, our result in the season-ending race at
Addington leaves
Penske:
Steve Addington
finally came clean with #22-Kurt Busch on Monday. Busch said Addington called
him around 4 p.m. Monday afternoon to inform the driver he was "indeed
leaving" the team. Addington is expected to join Stewart-Haas Racing.(Fox
Sports)(11-22-2011)
Grubb comments on his future with Stewart-Haas Racing:
On Tuesday, November 15th, the final guest on the weekly NASCAR Teleconference was Darian Grubb, the crew chief of the #14 Office Depot Mobil 1 Chevy driven by Tony Stewart. The 14 team has a 3-point deficit in the standings and is entering this weekend as one of the closest points battles in NASCAR history. Besides much talk about the Chase, a couple questions were asked about Grubb's future with Stewart Haas Racing after this season.
Q. There's been so much speculation about the team. You guys have been without
a competition director for half of the year. Are you going to be back with
Stewart-Haas next year?
DARIAN GRUBB: We'll leave that to after
Sunday and figure out what's going to happen there. Our goal is to win the
championship and we'll decide everything else after that.
Q. Along those same lines, has
it been difficult at all to work through the last few months with all the
rumors and uncertainty and not knowing necessarily who is going to be in what
position where next year?
DARIAN GRUBB: Definitely not. We've still
got the same goals we've always had that we want to go out and win the
championship. Winning races is the way to do that. What we've done the last
nine weeks, we've shown that we have the capability to do that. We're almost
50-50 on that, so hopefully we can continue that streak and get it to be a 50%
deal and win at Homestead.(in part from the NASCAR Teleconference
Transcript)(11-15-2011)
UPDATE:
Grubb
is expected to be promoted to Director of Competition at Stewart Haas Racing
next season, replaced atop the pit box by current [#22-Kurt Busch] Penske
Racing crew chief Steve Addington. Penske Racing holds an option year on
Addington's contract, however, and sources say team owner Roger Penske has not
yet agreed to grant him his release (Sirius
Speedway).
AND
Another
scenario....am hearing Grubb could be headed back to Hendrick Motorsports
either taking over the crew chief duties for #48-Jimmie Johnson with current
crew chief Chad Knaus moving up to Director of Competition at Hendrick
Motorsports or Grubb taking that spot.(11-17-2011)
UPDATE 2:
Crew chief Darian
Grubb, who made several key calls in helping #14-Tony Stewart win his third
Sprint Cup championship on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, is looking for a
job. Grubb said after Stewart won the title by a tiebreaker over Carl Edwards
that he was told midway through the Chase at
Among the speculation is that Stewart will hire former Joe Gibbs Racing crew
chief Greg Zipadelli to be his director of competition and Steve Addington, the
crew chief for #22-Kurt Busch at Penske Racing, to be his crew chief. JGR
president J.D. Gibbs told ESPN.com before Sunday's finale that he planned to
have Zipadelli, who is under contract for 2012 and beyond, back next season
with Joey Logano and the #20 team. Sources said Addington is not expected to
return to Penske Racing, but could not confirm where he would go. Grubb said he
would sit down with Stewart this week and see where things stand. Asked if
winning the title would change things, he said, "It all depends.''(ESPN)(11-21-2011)
Kyle Busch
uncertain if he will run other series in 2012:
Toyota NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series, #18-Kyle Busch, in part from a Toyota Racing Transcript:
Q) Do you know if you will race in the Nationwide or Truck Series in
2012?
Busch: "No, not yet. We're working through all of the schedules. The
schedules hadn't been put together prior to
Bayne looking to
run the Rolex 24 at Daytona:
Trevor Bayne is
trying to work with his manufacturer [Ford] to land one of the spots on a
Grand-Am Road Racing Series Daytona Prototype team for the 50th running of the
Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. "I'm working on Ford to try
and run the Daytona 24 hour race," Bayne said. "If I do that I will
be doing some testing. I have never driven one. I think the Daytona Prototype
cars are just sick. They look like something that you can just manhandle and
have a lot of fun with. I'm sure there's a lot more finesse to it than I'm
making it sound. I think it's going to be a lot of fun to get out there and
just be a part of the 24. That's something that all drivers kind of have a
checklist of things they want to drive." Along with the running the
Daytona 24 in a DP car, Bayne's wish list of cars to compete in includes a
rally car in the X Games, a dirt late model and a modified at Concord
Motorsports Park.(Motor
Racing Network)(11-20-2011)
2011 Sprint Cup
Driver Championship Chase Points Standings:
[after Homestead, race 36 of 36 and Chase race 10 of 10]
1) #14-Tony Stewart [5 wins], 2403 - 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion
2) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 2403
3) #29-Kevin Harvick [4 wins], 2345, -58
4) #17-Matt Kenseth [3 wins], 2330, -73
5) #2-Brad Keselowski [3 wins], 2319, -84
6) #48-Jimmie Johnson [2 wins], 2304, -99
7) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [0 wins], 2290, -113
8) #24-Jeff Gordon [3 wins], 2287, -116
9) #11-Denny Hamlin [1 win], 2284, -119
10) #39-Ryan Newman [1 win], 2284, -119
top 10 go to the banquet in Vegas
11) #22-Kurt Busch [2 wins], 2262, -141
12) #18-Kyle Busch [4 wins], 2246, -157
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski's Drivers
Points Standings page.(11-20-2011)
2011 Sprint Cup
Driver Points Standings [not the Chase]:
[after
using the CURRENT points system, but NOT the Chase system, just points.
rank, car#, driver, points, behind
1) #99-Carl Edwards (x) [1 win], 1278
2) #29-Kevin Harvick (x)[4 wins], 1200, -78
3) #14-Tony Stewart (x)[5 wins], 1191, -87
4) #48-Jimmie Johnson (x)[2 wins], 1187, -91
5) #17-Matt Kenseth (x)[3 wins], 1183, -95
6) #24-Jeff Gordon (x)[3 wins], 1150, -128
7) #18-Kyle Busch (x)[4 wins], 1124, -154
8) #22-Kurt Busch (x)[2 wins], 1115, -163
9) #39-Ryan Newman (x)[1 win], 1103, -175
10) #2-Brad Keselowski (x)[3 wins], 1079, -199
11) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.(x), 1071, -207
12) #33-Clint Bowyer [1 win], 1047, -231
13) #4-Kasey Kahne [1 win], 1041, -237
14) #11-Denny Hamlin (x)[1 win], 1028, -250
15) #43-A.J. Allmendinger, 1013, -265
(x) = chase driver
Do NOT have the standings using the old points system used from 1975-2010
Calculated it a few times and saw no major differences in the standings
Also, no plans to add in all the drivers who didn't get drivers pts in any of
the others series
(11-20-2011)
Andy Lally
returning to Grand-Am Series:
Andy Lally will
return to the Grand-Am Series in 2012 after spending the last season in NASCAR.
Lally will drive for Magnus Racing in the Rolex Sports Car Series GT division
next year. He was the rookie of the year in NASCAR's elite Sprint Cup Series.
He drove for underfunded TRG Motorsports but left the team before last
weekend's season finale. Lally ran 30 NASCAR races this season, with a season-best
finish of 19th at
Stewart comments on
crew chief rumors:
From Stewart's
media teleconference Tuesday afternoon:
Q. Penske Racing announced that Steve Addington won't return to its
organization next year. Are you interested in him being your crew chief or have
you changed your mind at all as far as Darian is concerned?
TONY STEWART: We're
looking at all of our options right now. After we get through with all the
media obligations today, I'll getting to back to the shop and we'll sit down as
a group and try to come up with a decision and figure out. We already know some
options that are available, and we'll try to sit down and see what we think is
the best option and decision for the company.(Chevy
PR)(11-23-2011)
The final race of
the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup featured a down-to-the-wire battle for the
championship and earned the largest viewership ever for a NASCAR Sprint Cup
race telecast on ESPN. With a peak audience of 10.5 million when the checkered
flag fell on champion Tony Stewart at 8:08 p.m. ET, ESPN's telecast of the Ford
400 from Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 20, averaged 6,799,000
viewers and earned a 4.6 household coverage rating (4.0 U.S. rating), according
to the Nielsen Company. The viewership average broke ESPN's previous record of
6,668,000 viewers for the 2008 Brickyard 400 at
Significant layoffs
at Roush:
Multiple sources
have confirmed significant layoffs this week at Roush Fenway Racing. According
to sources, more than 100 workers were released by the team Monday and
[Tuesday]. One source put the number at 125. Prior to today, the team employed
about 440 people. Roush Fenway is expected to reduce its NASCAR Sprint Cup car
count from four cars to three next season, with the #6
driven by David Ragan likely to be shuttered. At last report, the team is also
without sponsors for the #17 of Matt Kenseth. The team may also reduce the size
of its NASCAR Nationwide Series operations from three cars to one or two.(SPEED)(1-22-2011)
Martin and
Waltrip's car will be #55 rather than #00:
Mark Martin and
Michael Waltrip's Toyota Camrys will carry the #55 during the 2012 and 2013
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series seasons. The number commemorates Charlie Loudermilk's
founding of Aaron's, Inc. in 1955. Martin will drive in 25 Sprint Cup events
each of the next two seasons, sharing the #55 Aaron's Dream Machine with
Waltrip who will drive seven events with Aaron's sponsorship. Martin will join
#15-Clint Bowyer and #56-Martin Truex Jr. in the MWR stable of drivers. Martin
will begin his tenure with MWR at the 2012 Daytona 500. Waltrip will run the
remaining restrictor plate races plus the race in his home state of
Note: Nothing said, as yet, about the # 00 and what
might happen with it.
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 25th to December 1st:
NOVEMBER 25
1908
Jimmy Wilburn... Born ...
He won a non-points Championship Car race at Lakewood Speedway in March of 1946
which is the first known Champ Car race to be held after the end of World War
II. Later that year he drove in the 1946
Ottis Stine... Born ...
Otis was a Pennsylvania Sprint Car driver who was a founder member of the York
County Racing Club in 1979. He drove his first race in 1934. His main claim to
fame is that he was the first ever driver to turn a racing lap of the legendary
Williams Grove speedway in 1934. He attempted to run at Indy in 1952 in a
Scopa-Offenhauser, but failed to qualify. Stine once finished second in the AAA
points and when he retired in 1954, he held numerous track records.
1920
Gaston Chevrolet... Died
... He was the younger brother of famous automobile designer and racer Louis
Chevrolet, was killed during a race at the Los Angeles Speedway board track in
Beverly Hills, California.
1937
Ronney Householder won the
Turkey Night Grand Prix 150 AAA Midget race over Sam Hanks, Lou Schneider, Karl
Young and Mel Hansen at the Gilmore Stadium,
Note: Funny how when Midget racing was in it's
infancy that they could hold 150 lap races, yet in today's modern world, they
can't/don't.
1940
Joe Gibbs... Born ... The former NFL football coach and owner of a NASCAR
stockcar team.
1982
Walt Ader... Died ... AAA driver from the 1930's to the early 1950's.
1990
Billy Vukovich III... Died
... He was a three time starter of the
Jeff Gordon won the CRA
Sprint Car race at the Mesa Marin Raceway,
NOVEMBER 26
1936
Ronney Householder won the
Turkey Night Grand Prix 150 AAA Midget race over Sam Hanks, Lou Schneider, Pat
Cunningham and Johnny McDowell at the Gilmore Stadium,
Note: Hey, my bad on that 1937 race, above. This one is a year earlier!
1956
Dale Jarrett... Born ... He
is the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Champion and the son of two-time NASCAR Grand
National Champion Ned Jarrett. He is the younger brother of Glenn Jarrett, a
former NASCAR driver himself and pit commentator. He is also the father of
former Busch Series racer Jason Jarrett.
1980
Pete DePaolo... Died ... AAA driver from 1922 to 1934.
NOVEMBER 27
1976
Jim Hendrickson won the
"Third Annual Turkey Derby" 150-lap Modified Stock Car race at the
Wall Stadium,
Note: Yup, this race is still being run, in this
day and age!
NOVEMBER 28
1935
Ted Sizemore won the Turkey
Night Grand Prix 100 AAA Midget race over Pat Warren, Karl Young, Andy Guthrie
and Bob Ware at the Gilmore Stadium,
Note: Damn!
1935 and extra distance midget race???
1963
Lee Wallard ... Died ...
AAA driver from the 1940's and 50's. Lee ran the Indy 500 four times 1948 -
1951. Wallard retired from racing after being burned in a racing crash, shortly
after winning the 1951
Note: It was only 4 days after he won the 500. Back then, the 500 was run on May 30th, and on whatever day in the week that date fell on.
1992
Earl Motter... Died ...
AAA/USAC driver from1955 to 1959
NOVEMBER 29
1934
Bob Swanson won the Turkey
Night Grand Prix 75 AAA Midget race at the Gilmore Stadium,
Note: OK, I give up! Yes, to me, 75 laps is a long distance
race. Wow! 77 years ago!
1944
Lee Kunzman ... Born ... A
former driver in the USAC Sprint , USAC and CART
Championship Car series. He raced in the Champ Series in 1969, 1972-1973 and
1975-1980 seasons, with 48 combined career starts, including the 1971-1972,
1977, and 1979
1975
Graham Hill... Died ...
British racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. Graham Hill is
the only driver to win the so-called Triple Crown of Motorsport, which is
alternatively defined as winning either: the Indianapolis 500 (won by Hill in
1966), the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1972) and the Monaco Grand Prix (1963, 1964,
1965, 1968, 1969) or the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the
Formula One World Championship (1962, 1968). Using either definition, Hill is
still the only person ever to have accomplished this feat. Graham was killed
when his Piper Aztec aeroplane (which he was piloting at the time) crashed in
foggy conditions over Arkley Golf Course in
NOVEMBER 30
1974
Gil Hearne won the
"First Annual Turkey Derby" 150-lap Modified Stock Car race at the
Wall Stadium,
2002
Tony Stewart won the USAC
Sprint Car race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1/3p),
Tony Stewart won the USAC
Midget race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1/3p),
DECEMBER 1
1963
Marco Greco ... Born ... A
Brazilian racecar driver who competed in the Indy Racing League from 1996 to
1999. His best finish in the season points was 4th in 1997. He made four starts
in the
Wendell Scott took first
place in the Grand National race at the one-mile dirt track
1972
Stanton Barrett ... Born
... A NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series driver and
2004
On December 1, 2004, the
wife and I were visiting our daughter down in
News
from the AARN:
From
their November 15th issue:
Last
weeks issue was there annual Race Car Builders Guide. There were 36 pages devoted to various
businesses etc etc that are in the racing family. Also some fine articles, too.
Last
week, when they raced at
Mike
Roselli is still President of the ATQMARA, and Buddy Sload the Vice
President. The ATQMRA will be having
their banquet on December 10th at Williamson’s Restaurant in
Tony
Stewart has hired Bobby Santos, III to run his midget at the Turkey Night race
at
Note: Remember when that race used to be on TV?
The
RoC Pavement Modifieds will stay on 13” tires in 2012. Andrew Harpell is hoping for 9 – 12 races for
that group.
Did
you know that Troyer is now making Mod Lites?
In
2012, the URC will be going with American Racer tires. URC will be appearing, so far, at
Note: There was a time when the URC would visit
OCFS quite a few times during the racing season. Wonder why they don’t anymore?
Scott
Dixon, Graham Rahal, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Jay Howard, Alex Tagliani and Tomas
Scheckter will represent Indycar in a Kart race on December 11th at
the Conseco Field House in
Cody
Darrah was not issued a check for $15,000.00 for finishing 15th in
the WoO Sprint Car Series point standings.
Seems he missed ONE race. That
one missed race violated the “Platinum Agreement”. He did get a certificate for a Butler-Built
Seat for being the top rookie, however.
His car owner, Kasey Kahne did get a check for $15,000.00 though. Darrah was told by Kahne that Kahne would
have his lawyer look into the deal. Bill
Rose, who didn’t compete full time with the WoO was going to be declared as the
top rookie, but he declined the award.
When Darrah missed that one race, his car, however, was there.
Banquet
season has started, and there were quite a few articles on various
banquets. Big Diamond, Star Speedway,
Fonda and Shangri La had articles, bun none of them mentioned any amount of
monies handed out. Williams Grove had
their banquet and what they were handing out, money wise, has been covered
previously. Stewart Friesen got
$8,000.00 for winning the U/R championship.
Jared Zimbardi got $5,025.00 for being the Patriot Sprint Tour driving
champion.
Buck
Buckley, Sprint Car driver and car builder, was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma
– a rare blood cancer, over a year ago.
Thanks to a stem cell transplant, the cancer is currently in remission.
Lenny
Sammons:
With
the URC not really having a banquet, the URC’s championship team will hold its
own party on December 10th at the
Ernie
Saxton:
Ernie
says he can remember when Michael Waltrip called David Reutimann “The
Franchise”. To Mr. Saxton, it looks
like, so far, four good cars won’t be back in competition in Cup next year –
The Red Bull # 4 and # 83, The # 33 driven by Clint
Bowyer and the Roush # 6.
Dave
Blaney and the Golden Corral sponsored car owned by Tom Baldwin, made more than
$3,000.000.00 – basically as a “Start and Park” entrant in 2011.
Brett
Deyo:
Brett
did mention that Ryan Godown is looking for a ride in 2012, since the Johnny
Rea car will not be racing.
Todd
Heintzelman:
In
his column, there was a photo of Brian Leppo being the recipient of the Jerry
Reigle Sportsmanship Award at the Williams Grove banquet. In that photo was an excellent large photo of
Jerry.
In 2011, there were 32 different drivers that won 410
Sprint Car races in the
Randy
Kane:
Randy
had quite a bit about Bruce and Jesse Kline and their plans for the 2012-racing
season, which, as of now is for them to compete again at OCFS. Jesse will have a new Hig-Fab chassis.
Brett
Deyo in the Car Builders section:
Brett
was making mention of the Roush/Yates (used) racing engines. When they first started out, they were in a
building that was 5,000 square feet.
From that they went to one of 10,000, and now to one of 40,000 feet and
still growing. They’re doing quite good
with short track engines.
Info
on them can be found here:
Roush-Yates
Performance 122
Knob Hill Rd Mooresville, NC 28117 www.roushyatesparts.com or www.roushyates.com There hours are 7 AM – 6 PM M-F and 9 AM – 1
PM on Sat. and phone number is 1-877-604-8077.
Mike
Kostic:
Mike
was comparing engine costs – from like 10 years ago when a 600 Micro Sprint
engine – an F3 Honda 4 Cylinder would go for $800.00 for a good used one. All you would need would be a set of 1200
Alcohol Carbs, and you could run a full season.
Today, a 600 engine would run you in the neighborhood of $6,000.00. A URC 360 today is about $30,000.00, which is
about 80% of the cost of a 410. A 305
RaceSaver, CRSA TSRS and PASS in
Herb
Anastor:
He
covered the history and evolution of racing seat belts and shoulder
harnesses. The first one to use any kind
of belt was Barney Oldfield, in 1922.
Seat belts started getting more popular after WW II – with them being
surplus items that were adapted from Army and Navy airplanes. In the late 1940’s, Al Tasnady used a couple
of trouser belts. Frankie Schneider used
a rope that was tied around his seat.
Later on the “Sam Browne” belts came into use. They went around the waist and had another
belt that went over the shoulder. NASCAR
made seat belts mandatory in 1956, and shoulder
harnesses in 1965, after the death of Joe Weatherly. At
Bill
Utter:
Bill
makes mention of the OCFS Banquet being held on January 7, 2012 at Kuhl’s
Highland House in
John
Snyder:
John
makes mention of Max Zachem and his racing in the Valenti Modified Racing
Series and his attempts to get some sponsorship.
Note: to be honest, I’ve never heard of that
series, but here’s a link to it:
http://www.modifiedracingseries.com/
John
goes on to say that Brett Hearn had 83 starts in 2011. That’s his second lowest amount of starts in
a season, since he started his current operation. His lowest:
75 in 2009.
He
goes on to say that David Reutimann could surely use a big dollar sponsor in
2012 for a Cup ride. He makes mention of
Darden Restaraunts. They’re the parent
of Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Long Horn Steak House, Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze
and Seasons 52 restaurants. They also
have taken over Eddie V’s Prime Seafood and Wildfish Seafood Grille operations.
In AARN this Week’s issue of November 22nd:
Duane Howard
returns
wins Big Block feature.
Stewart's the man -
and NASCAR's champion
Nouse is new driver
of Dietz Motorsports 410
Central New York Raceway Park
moves forward
Matt Sheppard takes top prize
at DIRTCar banquet
Doing good for the sport:
Ohio's Twin State Fan Club
Former
Last
week I missed Davey Franek finishing 10th in the Sprint Car feature
at Susquehanna.
Last Saturday at
the Bridgeport Speedway, Anthony Perrego was 15th in the Modified
feature. On Sunday he was 20th. Brittany Tresch was 16th in the
TSRS 305 Sprint Car feature.
More
racin’ stuff:
Accord
Racing and
television:
Racing on TV - http://www.racefantv.com/USTV.htm
Note: On the website, above, there is now this
message:
About Race Fan TV
George Webster is retiring
from Race Fan TV
November 2011
Effective the end of November, 2011, I am
retiring from Race Fan TV and I will no longer be providing updates to the TV
listing database.
Last year I sold the website
(racefantv.com), including the name, to Charles Ehredt, who also operates other
websites, including the similarly-named RacefansTV. Ehredt has plans to
continue the TV listings service here, but these plans are not yet fully
developed.
I have enjoyed the time I
have spent compiling and posting the TV listing data here and I trust that you
have appreciated my 'labour of love' efforts
George Webster
Some non-racing stuff:
About a month ago, or there
about, the store where I do most of my shopping - Shop Rite, came out with our
being able to get a free Turkey, Turkey Breast, Ham or Lasagna, or other meat
items, for Thanksgiving, if we spent $300.00 over a certain amount of time,
while using their “card”. In the past,
we've always qualified for free
Economy means scaled-back
Thanksgiving for many.
In part:
"Some are holding
potluck dinners instead of springing for the entire feast. Others are staying
home rather than flying. And a few are skipping the turkey altogether.
On this the fourth
Thanksgiving since the economy sank, prices for everything from airline flights
to groceries are going up, and some Americans are scaling back. Yet in many
households, the occasion is too important to skimp on. Said one mother: "I
don't have much to give, but I'll be cooking, and the door will be open."
Thanksgiving airfares are
up 20 percent this year, and the average price of a gallon of gas has risen
almost 20 percent, according to travel tracker AAA. Rail travelers were also
affected, with fares on most one-way Amtrak tickets up 2 to 5 percent.
Still, about 42.5 million
people are expected to travel, the highest number since the start of the
recession.
But even those who choose
to stay home and cook for themselves will probably spend more. A 16-pound
turkey and all the trimmings will cost an average of $49.20, a 13 percent jump
from last year, or about $5.73 more, according to the American Farm Bureau
Federation, which says grocers have raised prices to keep pace with
higher-priced commodities."
Here's the link to the
above, where there's quite a bit more as far as what some are doing:
http://news.yahoo.com/economy-means-scaled-back-thanksgiving-many-224134962.html
Is
this true?:
On this past Monday I received an e-mail about signing a petition to get members of Congress off of free health care. From what I’ve read, most of, if not all of the Internet petitions, are a waste of time and never get sent to where they are supposed to go. Part of the e-mail had this in it:
“In
April, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted to cut Medicare
and Medicaid. And this month, even Democrats on the so-called Super Committee
have offered deep cuts to these vital programs.
Essentially,
Republicans in Congress are telling senior citizens and the poor that tax cuts
for billionaires and millionaires are more important than providing a health
care safety net for our most vulnerable.
But
did you know that members of Congress get great taxpayer-funded health care? In
fact, they have one of the best health care plans in the world.
It
strikes us as the height of hypocrisy to be accepting government-provided,
taxpayer-subsidized health insurance while denying seniors, the disabled, and
the poor the basic coverage that Medicare and Medicaid provide.
If
you voted to cut Medicare and Medicaid, you must stop accepting taxpayer-funded
health care for yourself and your family.”
Note: Kinda makes sense to me.
Video time:
I got this one in an e-mail the other day. Smokey Yunick on Tony “Smoke” Stewart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT2G0iRwxaI&NR=1
Note: Pretty much sums it up, doesn’t he?
Interesting e-mails that
I get:
""Ineptocracy""
I love this word. Finally, a word to describe our current
leadership with accuracy!
Ineptocracy (in-ep-toc’-ra-cy)
~~ - a system of government where the least
capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the
members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded
with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing
number of producers
Photos:
I’m posting a
photo a week for a while. Majority of
them will be from “Back in the day”.
This week, one of
the best photos ever taken of Ted Tappett (Phil Walters). Tappett, as I’ve always called him, excelled
in Midgets from the late 30’s into the very early 50’s, when he got into stock
cars and also excelled in them, too.
After that it was Sports/Racing cars, mostly with Briggs Cunningham –
again, he excelled. He was fortunate to
get signed by Ferrari early in 1955, to drive their Sports/Racing cars and also
their Formula One Grand Prix cars. That
he was to do right after the 1955 LeMans 24-hour race in June. The disastrous Pierre
Levegh accident during that 24-hour raced caused Tappett to retire from racing
– then and there. What I found
somewhat of a surprise was that while I was speaking with his son, some time
ago, on the phone, we got on the subject of the
Note: The photo is not available on Dirt Track
Digest, only on New England Tractor - http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/
Closing with this:
Found on Facebook:
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