Racin'
& Internet Stuff:
By Tom Avenengo
Volume # 89
01/12/2012
First:
Hey, might as well start off this weeks column
with some “rumors”, huh?
A “Rookie Crate Class at OCFS ?
Note: Someone posted about an
announcement at the OC Banquet about bi-weekly Rookie Crate Sportsman
racing at OC.
No more sail panels on the modifieds at
Accord?
Note: Someone posted on the
Internet that a certain driver wasn’t happy about the no sail panels, since he
had already painted his.
WoO Sprint Cars back to OCFS.
Sure looks that way. Talk about
SPEED! The last time they were at OCFS,
I’d venture to say that for the car that time trialed the fastest, might have
missed by about two feet from averaging 140 MPH for the lap.
Problem – maybe just a little too fast?
Those are three that I’ve heard, so far.
Second:
Here it is Monday, January 9th, as I’m starting this column,
and nothing has been reported about the goings on at the OCFS Banquet that was
held this past Saturday night, well, that’s as far as I know as of noontime,
anyway. Seems that the
area has lost its Internet connection, as I’m working on my column.
Note: Finally someone posted
about the bi-weekly Rookie Crate races at OC, as noted above.
Third:
More often than not, I do get on “cases” and voice my concerns and
thoughts. The other day the ARDC
released its 2012 schedule, as shown, below.
True, more dates MIGHT be added.
However, when one looks at the schedule, one must notice that most of
the races are in
I have no idea as to whether the ARDC will have a show at the Accord
Speedway, or not. Last year was the
first year, since the second world war, that there was
not one midget race in
As for all the races scheduled for Big Diamond – on Saturday
nights. Rough call on that – There are
quite a few different classes scheduled to run at Big D on Saturdays, with some
of them alternating. Also, Big D is
putting in an “Inner” track. I’ve seen
it said that the ARDC would run on the outer track. Hope so.
Most of the other classes are really not the best as far as drawing fans
to the stands. I just hope that the
Saturday shows are successful enough so as not to have them cancelled due to
low fan turnout. If they should cancel,
that could leave a big void in the ARDC’s schedule –
especially for Saturday nights.
ARDC 2012 schedule:
Here
are the firm dates that we released to the press during the EMPA convention on
Saturday. There are still nights that are either being worked out, or that
we're waiting final confirmation on. In my opinion, Ryan has done an excellent
job trying to pair-up traveling weekends, and fill in dates around our
commitment with Big Diamond.
Any
dates that are added will be made available at the Motorsports show. Thank you
all for your patients!
PJ Gargiulo
Saturday
April 7th Big Diamond
Friday
April 27th Williams Grove w/Allstars
Saturday
April 28th Big Diamond
Saturday
May 5th
Saturday
May 12th Big Diamond
Friday
May 18th
Saturday
May 19th
Saturday
May 26th Big Diamond
Saturday
June 2nd Mercer
Tuesday
June 5th
Friday
June 8th Williams Grove w/All stars
Saturday
June 9th
Friday
June 29th Dixieland
Saturday
June 30th
Friday
July 6th Big Diamond
Saturday
July 14th Big Diamond
Saturday
July 21st Mercer
Saturday
July 28th Big Diamond
August
11th Big Diamond
August
17th
August
18th
Saturday
August 25th Big Diamond
Saturday
September 1st Big Diamond
Monday
September 3rd Labor Day Classic (Fair race)
Friday
September 14th Williams Grove
Saturday
September 22nd New
Saturday October 13th Grandview
Fourth:
News on Johnny Heydenreich:
Message from Linda Mansfield on 01/09/2012:
Just got off the phone with John
Heydenreich. The big (estimated to take 6 hours) surgery
on his ankle is slated for tomorrow (Tuesday, Jan. 10) at 9 a.m. at the
Hospital for Special Surgery in
Just got off
the phone with John Heydenreich. The big (estimated to take 6 hours) surgery on
his ankle is slated for tomorrow (Tuesday, Jan. 10) at 9 a.m. at the Hospital
for Special Surgery in Manhattan. His surgeon is one of the leaders in this
type of surgery, Dr. S. Robert Rozbruch. John will be in the hospital f...or a
couple days after the surgery and then he'll continue to recuperate in Conn.
The surgery will include some sort of gyroscope-like thing that has rings that
can be tightened and loosened as the bones heal. Some of John's own bone marrow
from other parts of his body will also be inserted into his ankle to aid in the
healing. It's all very complex, but Dr. Rozbruch is extremely well respected
and a leader in developing procedures to fix injuries like this. John wanted me
to be sure to thank everybody for the cards and letters he's been getting, and
he also thanks everyone for their well-wishes and prayers. He said he's been
overwhelmed with how nice everyone has been, and he's very thankful to all of
you. So please say a prayer that tomorrow's surgery goes well and there are no
complications and/or infections.If you are able to send him a card or a note
here's the address again: John Heydenreich, c/o Kim Hendricks, 137 Proprietors
Crossing, New Canaan, Conn. 06840. Thank you!If you
are able to send him a card or a note here's the address again: John
Heydenreich, c/o Kim Hendricks, 137 Proprietors Crossing,
Fifth:
There's
a thread over on the Track Forum titled:
"Sponsor Risk for Rousch" - excuse
the spelling, please!
It
pertains to Best Buy leaving Petty and going over to Roush. There's a link in one of the postings that
leads to an article about Best Buy and its probably
not being around much longer.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrydownes/2012/01/02/why-best-buy-is-going-out-of-business-gradually/
Then,
there's more, which is quite interesting about Best Buy and what the CEO has to
say.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrydownes/2012/01/09/the-people-vs-best-buy-round-two/
Really interesting stuff, I think. Kinda says how some businesses are run today.
Sixth:
Kyle Larson Awarded
MidgetMadness.com “Top Gun of the Year” for 2011
In
only his first full year running midgets on the national scene, Kyle Larson, of
Elk Grove, CA, has earned the honor of being named the Midgetmadness.com
"Top Gun of the Year," presented by JE Pistons. 2011 saw Larson burst
onto the national scene with a rookie year that turned in results you would
expect from a seasoned veteran.
In
what would be a busy year for the
Indiana
Midget Week in June saw Larson score his first USAC National Midget win at
Bloomington Speedway. A little over a month later Larson was sitting in victory
lane at Lucas Oil Raceway in
But
perhaps Larson's greatest accomplishment came at the famed Eldora Speedway in
late September. Not only did Larson win the USAC National Midget portion of the
4-Crown Nationals, but he also went on to win in the Sprint and Silver Crown
divisions as well, a truly remarkable feat. The amazing thing, this was
Larson's first trip to Eldora Speedway, making it all that more impressive.
Larson
decided to take his talents abroad and wasted little time showing the fans in
Larson
will be presented the Top Gun award during the 2012 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals
in
This
is the fifth season for the popular midget award, previous "Top Gun"
recipients include Jerry Coons Jr. (2007), Brad Sweet (2008) and Bryan Clauson (2009 & 2010).
Seventh:
Over these past few days, I’ve received quite a few e-mails that had race winners from various racetracks, from “Back in the day”. Along with those results, I’ve also had some drivers win lists also sent to me.
Here
is what I have, as of late on Wednesday:
Eighth:
I
was rather shocked when I had read that the racetrack in
After
putting 6 years, thousands of hours of hard work, and thousands of dollars into
providing a facility in the Northern Tier for youth and adults alike to enjoy
small car racing, we are deeply saddened to have to announce that effective
immediately, Wyalusing Valley Motorsports Park has ceased operations and will
be closed.
We
would like to be clear that this decision is not one we have made willingly. It
is not our desire to make this decision, but rather one we are being forced
into and are powerless to prevent.
Shortly
after this season ended, and just before the banquet, the Howard family was
informed that their insurance on the farm was being cancelled due to the race
track being on their property. After a call to an attorney, it appeared that
the solution to this would be for them to lease the use of that
ten acres to
Not
long ago, they were informed by the insurance company that the lease
arrangement was not sufficient, and that they were once again being cancelled.
Their agent then contacted every company they represented, and each refused to
insure a property that contained a race track. Another agent approached every
company they represented, and all but one refused. Insurance was obtained with
that company and plans for 2012 continued as planned. This week, that company
sent a letter informing the Howards that their board had denied their
application, and they too cancelled their insurance on the farm. For the past
few days, the advice of several attorneys has been sought, and in short there
are too many issues to resolve and for us to continue to operate the facility.
The
first step would require the subdivision of the property and the sale of it to
The
biggest aspect is the liability of a lawsuit. All of the attorneys contacted
agreed on one thing. While being an LLC would protect the owners from being the
target of a lawsuit, there are still circumstances that could result in
lawsuits being initiated and won against them. Taking such a risk and putting
what we have worked for all our lives for our families is just not acceptable.
This
situation has developed literally in just a few days. The decision was made
just a few hours ago. We are releasing this information immediately to allow
teams to explore their options for 2012. We thank each and every racer, owner,
crew member, sponsor, fan, and track worker for your support during the past 6
years. We have met many great people, many of whom we have come to call
friends, and some that we even think of as family. It is devastating to us to
have to take this action and make this decision, but I assure you, we have
explored all options and this is what must be done.
Prior
to making this release public, a few individuals have been contacted and
forewarned as to the upcoming announcement. Interest has been expressed that
could result in a local option for small car racing. I cannot speak any further
on that matter, so please do not contact us and ask. It is not in our hands.
All
track assets are to be sold to pay off existing debt. It is our desire to sell
these assets to someone local with the intent to offer continued small car
racing in the area. If not, the assets will be sold piece by piece.
Companies
that have paid for 2012 billboards, as well as racers that have reserved pits
for 2012, will receive a refund of their money. This is all sudden, so we are
unable to say exactly how or when this will be accomplished. Please bear with
us as we address this situation, and we will release refund details on the
website as soon as we get things sorted out.
Again, a heartfelt thank you to anyone that has ever attended or
supported WVMP in any way. It's been a hell of a ride. We wish each of you all
the best.
Sincerely,
Rich
Howard Sr., President
Billy
Maynard, Vice President
Ninth:
And, some good news on the above:
CHRISTMAS
COMES EARLY FOR AREA KART & SMALLCAR RACERS...
DUNN
HILL 2 "ADOPTS" WYALUSING VALLEY MOTORSPORTS PARK PROGRAM
Last
week's sudden closing of
Enter
Dunn Hill 2 Speedway promoter Mark Spencer and his team. After just over a week
of negotiations, an agreement has been reached between Spencer and WVMP owners
Rich Howard Sr. and Billy Maynard that will result in the continuation of small
car and kart racing in the Northern Tier.
Spencer
has secured all WVMP equipment, much of which will be used in the renovations
at DH2. The lighting from WVMP will be installed, and a smaller kart track will
be constructed on the infield of the Monroeton, PA
facility. The micro sprints and slingshots will compete on the large track.
This will allow the team to prep each track more suitably for the type of cars
being run on it.
S
& A Construction, Excavation, and Trucking has
stepped up to assist with the modifications to the facility. The WVMP surface
will be hauled in to form the kart track, with some new clay slated to be put
down on the big track as well.
Stock
car racing will remain on Friday nights, with the small car program taking
place on Saturday evenings.
As
part of this agreement, WVMP track preparer Neil Brown has agreed to offer
advice and guidance to the DH2 track crew to get the racing surfaces in shape
and ready for action. WVMP promoter Billy Maynard has committed to work with
the DH2 staff for the 2012 season for much of the organizational duties.
Maynard declined an invitation to manage the Saturday race program, and will
not be involved in race day operations. In addition, several WVMP staff members
have agreed to work the DH2 program as well. This should make the transition as
"seamless" as possible.
This
arrangement is as close to picking up the WVMP racing program and simply moving
it to another location as any "kid" could hope for on his or her
"wish list".
"We
love seeing the kids at our facility on Friday nights. We are doing this for
the kids. We want to see them continue having fun racing." stated Spencer
following Tuesday's meeting.
"I
am grateful to Dunn Hill 2 for stepping up to the plate for the WVMP racers.
I'm sure there will be a period of transition and some bugs to work out, but I
hope the racers will give them a chance and support their efforts. I've had
several offers to form and manage new small car operations over the past week,
but from day one at WVMP our goal was to bring this type of racing to our area.
My main goal moving forward was to see that continue for our racers. I look
forward to assisting Dunn Hill 2 with any guidance I can to get this program up
and running." offered Maynard.
For
2012, Dunn Hill 2 will be "adopting" WVMP's
planned 2012 divisions, pricing, rules (with only a few modifications as needed
for their layout and organization), and payouts. The 600cc and Regular 270cc Microsprint divisions will still be getting $50 to take the
green in the feature, but once again, Spencer is throwing out a gift... $400 to
win WEEKLY in both divisions (with 12 or more cars entered)!
Work
is expected to begin right after the 1st of the year, with small car racing
kicking off with practice in late April. The schedule, payouts, rules, and
other information will be finalized and posted as soon as possible. Watch for
news and updates on the track's website, www.dunnhill2speedway.com
.
Dunn
Hill 2 is the place to be in 2012 for "Full Sized Fridays" and
"Small Car Saturdays". TWO times the racing! TWO times the fun! TWO
times the excitement! This season, at DUNN HILL 2 SPEEDWAY,
"How dirt track racing is DUNN!"
***RESERVED
PITS TRANSFERRED TO DUNN HILL 2 HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED - PIT RESERVATIONS NOW BEING
TAKEN AT DH2!***
All
WVMP racers wishing to transfer their reserved pits have now been contacted and
have chosen their spot. The majority of
the pit refunds have been sent. The rest
should go out this week. If you haven't
received yours yet, and don't see it by 1/18, feel free to contact the WVMP
office at 570-265-8974.
Dunn
Hill 2 Speedway is now reserving pits for the 2012 season at $35 each, with no
electric. They currently have no electric, but plan to begin installing
electric during the season. They will begin with pit #1 and work up from there.
When electric becomes available, the racers will have the option to pay the
difference to upgrade to an electric site, or to keep the pit and not use the
electric.
The
pit map is posted on www.dunnhill2speedway.com . For more information, visit their website.
Thank
you, and best of luck to you all in 2012!
Tenth:
As of today, January 11, 2012, and thanks to two different people, John DaDalt and Jerry Santibanes, I’ve been fortunate to get some midget racing results for quite a few tracks here in the northeast, and also some win records of various drivers, with the possibility of getting even more of both.
For the drivers, I now have list of wins for:
Charlie Miller, Ed “Dutch” Schaefer, George Rice, Johnny Ritter, George Fonder, Bill Holmes, Wes Saegesser, Ronney Householder, Len Duncan, Johnny Coy, Bill Schindler and Nick Fornoro. George Rice “Big car” results for 1934 & 35.
I have race results (mostly top three) from the following tracks:
Yellow Jacket (1935-1942), Yellow Jacket (Post War), West Haven, Stafford, Some PA and NJ tracks, Middletown, Hinchliffe Stadium (1939), Hinchliffe Stadium (Post War), Menands, Kingsbridge Armory, Dorney Park, ARDC (Southern – VA & Md), Bay State 1st part, Bay State 2nd part, Bridgeport, Castle Hill, Cedarhurst, Cherry Park, Danbury, West Springfield (Pre war – 1939, 40 & 42)), West Springfield (Post war – 1945 through 1950), Rhinebeck , Mineola (1946 – 1 race), NASCAR Midget winners and Deer Park 1947.
I’ve been informed that I’ll soon be getting results for
If interested in anything, please e-mail me at: ygordad@yahoo.com and I’ll send the results via attachments in a response back to you.
Eleventh:
VINTAGE TQ MIDGET CARS, FORMER DRIVING GREATS, SET FOR TENTH ANNUAL AC INDOOR RACING EVENTS
ATLANTIC
CITY, NJ - (January 5, 2012) - Twelve TQ (three quarter) midget cars of the
past and many of the same drivers who raced them decades ago are eager to get
their wheels turning once again in Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall. The 10th
edition of the event under the direction of Len Sammons and staff is planned
for Friday and Saturday nights Feb. 3-4, 2012.
The
dozen cars include the former John Wehrle no. 02, to
be driven by Johnny Coy Jr.; Jimmy English’s no. 4, to be driven by Jim
Maguire; the former Howard Boyd no. 43 to be driven by Hank Rogers Jr.; and
Mike Osite’s no. 81 to be driven by Bobby Cicconi.
The
Vintage TQ Midgets join four classes of race cars, the powerful TQ (three
quarter) Midgets, wild dirt 600cc Micro-Sprints, rugged Slingshots and
bullet-like Champ Karts will be in competition.
Other
Vintage TQ entries are the John Fick no. 11 with Dick
Peterman driving; Gary Mondschein’s no. 10X with its
former driver and owner Bruce Kindberg behind the
wheel; the former Charlie Smith no. 5 driven by 1960s Midwest favorite Bobby
Hamilton; and Art Lawshe, original and current owner
and driver of his no. 22.
The
driver roster for the four competition classes stands at sixty-eight TQ teams,
forty-five Champ kart teams, close to twenty-three dirt 600cc Micro Sprint cars
and drivers, and twenty-six Slingshots are pre-entered to date.
That
number is expected to grow steadily with three weeks remaining prior to race
time. Upward of 200 teams are expected to be vying for starting berths in the
four feature races.
Rounding
out the Vintage TQ Midget teams are the former Tom DeMasco
no. 18 to be driven by Drew Fornoro; the former Fred
Brink no. 54 with Paul Weisel driving; the former Bud
Piersig no.10 to be driven by Wayne Laucious; and Bill Force’s no. 26 that he will drive.
The
Vintage TQ midgets will be displayed on Friday, Feb. 3 throughout Boardwalk’s
Hall spectator concourse with many of their drivers and owners on hand to sign
autographs.
A
warm-up session is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, Feb. 4. Cars will then be
displayed and drivers will be available for autographs and photos during the
interactive evening Fanfest session prior to the
beginning of racing program.
Drivers
will hand out full-size souvenir pennants to the first five hundred youngsters
during Fanfest as well.
The
Vintage TQ program has been assembled by noted racing engineer Gary Mondschein, who himself was a TQ Midget and full size
Midget driver for many years.
Racers
wishing to enter any of the divisions competing in
Tickets
for the
Additional
information can also be obtained by calling the show office (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
at 609-888-3618.
TQ
Midget entries are also pouring in for “The Coffee Cup”, the indoor race
scheduled for
Racers
wishing to join in the TQ Midget action at
Tickets
for the Dunkin Donuts Center Indoor Race event are on sale at Ticketmaster
outlets online at www.ticketmaster.com.
-End-
Release
prepared by Len Sammons.
Twelfth:
Ford recalls 450,000 SUVs, minivans
Ford
Motor Co. on Wednesday issued a recall for some 450,000 minivans and sport
utility vehicles for problems that could lead to dangerous losses of power or
fires.
The
recall covers nearly 206,000 Ford Freestar and
Mercury Monterey vans of the model years 2004 and 2005.
Ford
said there is a risk of the failure of the output shaft of the vehicle's torque
converter, which "results in a sudden loss of motive
power with nor warning, increasing the risk of a crash."
It
also recalled about 145,000 Ford Escape SUVs made in 2001 and 2002, saying
there was a risk that brake fluid would leak leading to corrosion of electrical
wiring and possible fires.
Ford
said it would fix the problems for free.
Link: http://news.yahoo.com/ford-recalls-450-000-suvs-minivans-174734718.html
Thirteenth:
Jan
12 2012
JEFF
HEOTZLER ENTERS AC INDOOR RACES EIGHT OF NINE PAST GAMBLER CLASSIC WINNERS IN
FIELD
DIMENSION
DESIGN BONUSES ANNOUNCED
by Len Sammons
ATLANTIC
CITY, NJ - (January 11, 2012) - Jeff Heotzler, winner
of Atlantic City’s 2005 Gamblers Classic
Indoor Race at Boardwalk Hall, is
the latest TQ (Three quarter) Midget driver to enter the annual event.
The
10th edition of the event under the direction of Len Sammons and staff is
planned for Friday and Saturday nights Feb. 3-4, 2012.
Heotzler, of
The
lightning-fast TQ (three quarter) Midgets join three other classes of race
cars: the out-of-control dirt 600cc Micro-Sprints, the aggressively-driven
Slingshots and the missile-like Champ Karts.
Heotzler’s entry confirms eight of the nine previous Gamblers
Classic are planning to compete.
Joey
Payne (2004, 2007); Lou Cicconi Jr. (2006, 2010); and
Ted Christopher (2009, 2011) are two time winners; each is seeking a third
Gamblers Classic victory in this year’s race.
Mike
Tidaback (2008), like Heotzler,
is a solo Gamblers winner; only Andy Mackareth (2003)
is not entered and is inactive in the sport.
Heotzler has not raced at Boardwalk Hall in three years; his car was demolished
in a 2009 accident at
The
driver roster for the four competition classes stands at 73 TQ teams, 54 Champ
kart teams, 31 dirt 600cc Micro Sprint cars and drivers, and 27 Slingshots.
That
number is expected to grow steadily with two weeks remaining prior to race
time. Upward of 200 teams are expected
to be vying for starting berths in the four feature races.
TQ
Midget entries are wide ranging, having been received from eight states one
Canadian province.
Vintage
TQ midgets have been added to the weekend of events. Cars will be displayed on
Friday, Feb. 3 throughout Boardwalk’s Hall spectator concourse.
A
warm-up session is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, Feb. 4. Cars will then be displayed and drivers will
be available for autographs and photos during the interactive evening Fanfest session prior to the beginning of racing program.
Drivers will hand out full-size souvenir pennants to the first five hundred
youngsters during Fanfest as well.
Racers
wishing to enter any of the divisions competing in
Tickets
for the
Further
information can also be obtained by calling the show office (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
at 609-888-3618.
TQ
Midget entries are also pouring in for “The Coffee Cup”, the indoor race
scheduled for
Early
entries include Ryan Tidman, Ted Christopher, Billy Pauch Sr., Steve Craig, Frank Fischer, BJ MacDonald and Jonathan Reid are
among those who have joined Paul Lotier Jr., who was
the first entrant for the March event.
Racers
wishing to join in the TQ Midget action at
Dimension
Design (DD),
The
plan is as follows: overall fast qualifier (if a DD eligible car) $100;
Gamblers Classic top three finishing DD cars (any position) $100, $75, $50.
The top three Dimension Design
finishers in the Providence Indoor race will also receive like bonuses and if a DD eligible car wins both
the Atlantic City Gamblers Classic and
Providence Coffee Cup that team will earn an additional $250.
Five
$100 gift certificates will be distributed throughout the field each weekend.
Dimension
Design will once again supply TQ and 600 racers with pit side service at both
indoor races.
Tickets
for the Dunkin Donuts Center Indoor Race event are on sale at Ticketmaster
outlets online at www.ticketmaster.com.
Fourteenth:
Deep pockets are really needed - especially so if you have a racecar. What with today’s modern racecars, from the smallest up to the largest, I’d venture to say that a good 90% of those that are racing today are what you could call “Store bought”. No longer do we find many “Home built” machines used for auto racing.
Now
what got me going on this was, believe it or not, the Chili Bowl midget
race. They started real racing on
Tuesday. Races are held every night
through Friday to get to see who might run on Saturday, and eventually end up
in the “A” Main or the feature race of the week. Now, keep in mind, there are different groups
that race on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. And, one must be there the preceding Sunday. Uh huh!
So, if you’re fortunate to be scheduled to race on Friday, then you have
to basically be there all week long.
That cost a few bucks, for sure.
The same applies for most anyone racing on any night down there – it’s a
long and expensive week, which, in most cases, the teams will not make any
money. But there is something else – “Bragging
rights” and “Prestige” if you end up in the top 24.
Press Releases:
January 8, 2012
NEWS FROM… EASTERN
MOTORSPORT PRESS ASSOCIATION
CONTACT:
RON
HEDGER, PRESIDENT, 518-885-7481
LENNY
SAMMONS, VICE PRESIDENT, 609-888-3618 JOHN
SNYDER, MEDIA OFFICE, 845-225-3560
ROBIN
ERWIN, WEBMASTER, robinervin1@comcast.net
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STEWART,
ECKERT TOP THE LIST OF HONOREES AT ANNUAL NASCAR/EMPA HALL OF FAME BANQUET
Writer
Jerry Reigle and Photographer Lee Smith Garner EMPA
Awards
KING
OF PRUSSIA, PA (January 9).…..Tony Stewart, winner of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint
Cup championship, and dirt track Late Model driver Rick Eckert, winner of the
World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship, topped the list of racing
personalities and media members honored during the NASCAR/EMPA Hall of Fame
Banquet Saturday night, January 7, at the Crowne
Plaza Valley Forge in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
Chosen
by the members of the Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA), Stewart was
tabbed the Al Holbert Memorial National Driver of the
Year, while Eckert was voted the Richie Evans Memorial Northeast Driver of the
Year. Eckert was present to accept his award.
Other
honorees included IZOD IndyCar head Randy Bernard who
was named the T. Wayne Robertson Newsmaker of the Year, while Long Island
Modified driver Justin Bonsignore was chosen by the
EMPA members as the winner of the John Blewett III
Young Guns Award Presented by New England Racing Fuel.
Inducted
into the EMPA Hall of Fame were the late Frank Blunk,
The New York Times Motorsports Editor; the late Jim Hunter, NASCAR executive
and former Darlington Raceway president; retired dirt track Modified star
driver Jack Johnson; retired NASCAR and independent dirt and asphalt star
driver Merv Treichler; the
late Jack Arute Sr., owner and promoter of Stafford
Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, and the late Bill Singer,
longtime race track announcer and radio personality. Members of the Hunter, Arute, and Singer families were present for the inductions.
EMPA
members also recognized their own for outstanding contributions to the sport.
The late Jerry Reigle, former daily newspaper
reporter and Assistant Editor of Area Auto Racing News, was awarded the Jim
Hunter Memorial Writers Award, and Lee Smith, Area Auto Racing News and o the r
publications, was voted the Ace Lane Sr. Memorial Photography Award. The late
Dick Greenawalt received the Art McHugh Memorial
Award for his contributions to EMPA. Members of the Greenawalt
family were present to receive his award. The President’s Award, which is not
given every year, went to retiring EMPA Treasurer Bill Yoder, who had held the
position since the organization was founded.
World
Racing Group initiated a new award this year, the Jerry Reigle
Outstanding Contribution to Sprint Car Racing Award presented by the World of
Outlaws. The first recipient of this award (which will be given annually) was
A
highlight of the evening was the awarding of prizes in the organization’s video
and broadcast, writing, and photography contests. Winning
first places in the American Honda Motor Company/EMPA Video and Broadcast
Contest were Matt Thomas, Non-Broadcast Race Coverage; Mel Thomas,
Non-Broadcast Non-Event/Compilation Videos; Brian Unangst,
Broadcast Local/Regional News Segment and Broadcast Local/Regional Auto Racing
Shows; and Matt Thomas, Broadcast Race Coverage Single Event.
Winning
top honors in the Pocono Raceway/EMPA Writers Contest were Len Sammons, Race
Report; Chuck Givler, Personality Profile; Andy Heintzelman, Feature; John Snyder, Column; and Kyle Hardner, News. Sammons, Snyder, and Hardner’s
articles appeared in Area Auto Racing News; Givler
was cited for an Easton (PA) Express-Times piece; while Heintzelman’s
feature was in Performance Racing Industry, a monthly trade magazine.
Photographers
earning first place recognition in the Brice’s/NAPA/EMPA Photography Contest
were Dave Pratt for Action; Mike Petrucci for Crash
Action; Tommy Hein for the Don Marks Memorial Action Sequence; Ace Lane Jr. for
Picture Story; Petrucci for Portrait and Personality;
Rebecca Eisele for Feature; Dave Dalesandro
for Unpublished Color; and Brent Smith for Pure Art.
Ace
Lane Jr. won the Portfolio of the Year Award, while Rebecca Eisele
took home top honors for Best in Show. The Janice Brice “Honorable Mention”
Award went to Jim Smith.
The
EMPA Convention included press conferences, seminars, presentations by track
and racing series promoters, as well as the video and broadcast, writing, and
photography member contests, social interaction with all types of American
motorsports personalities, and the NASCAR-sponsored Hall of Fame Banquet. This
year’s keynote speaker was Stewart Doty, publisher/editor of Racing Promotion
Monthly Newsletter and organizer of the annual RPM Promoters Workshops. Doty
was substituting for IndyCar reporter and television
personality Robin Miller, who was hospitalized in
A
roundtable seminar on The New Media with Doty, Chris Dolack
(World Racing Group), and Evan Jones (Maple Grove Raceway) produced a lively
participation from the ga the red writers and
photographers.
Sponsors
of the EMPA Convention included NASCAR (represented by Tim Southers,
Whelen Modified Tour champion Ron Silk, and driver
Michael Speeney); Dover International Speedway (Gary
Camp); IZOD IndyCar Series (Kate Guerra); Pocono
Raceway (Kevin Heaney); SPEED-TV; World Racing Group/DIRTcar/WoO
(Chris Dolack, Kevin Kovac,
and Joe Skotnicki); New England Racing Fuel; American
Honda Motor Company; and Brice’s Auto Parts, Inc./NAPA
( Bill Brice).
American
Honda Motor Company/EMPA Video and Broadcast Contest
Non-Broadcast
Division
RACE
COVERAGE (1) Matt Thomas, (2) Mike O’Brien
NON-EVENT/COMPILATION
VIDEOS (1) Mel Thomas, (2) Brian Unangst
Broadcast
Division
LOCAL/REGIONAL
NEWS SEGMENT (1) Brian Unangst
LOCAL/REGIONAL
AUTO RACING PROGRAMS (1) Brian Unangst, (2) Mike Feltenberger and Randy Kane
National
Programs AND Single Event Coverage
RACE
COVERAGE-SINGLE EVENT (1) Matt Thomas, (2) Mike Feltenberger
and Randy Kane
Pocono Raceway/EMPA Writers Contest Award
Winners
RACE
REPORT (1) Len Sammons, (2) Dino Oberto, (3) Ron
Hedger
PERSONALITY
PROFILE (1) Chuck Givler, (2) Chris Romano, (3) Len
Sammons
FEATURE
(1) Andy Heintzelman, (2) Chris Romano, (3) Ron
Hedger
COLUMN
(1) John Snyder, (2) Matt Noles, (3) JR Kennerup
NEWS
(1) Kyle Hardner, (2) Len Sammons, (3) Dino Oberto
Brice’s
Auto Parts, Inc./NAPA/EMPA Photography Contest Award Winners
ACTION
(1) Dave Pratt, (2), and (3) Dave Pratt
CRASH
ACTION (1) Mike Petrucci, (2) Jim Smith, (3) Lee
Smith
DON
MARKS MEMORIAL ACTION SEQUENCE (1) Tommy Hein,
PICTURE
PORTRAIT
AND PERSONALITY (1) Mike Petrucci, (2) Paul Arch, (3)
Mike Petrucci
FEATURE
(1) Rebecca Eisele, (2) Dave Dalesandro,
(3) Rick Sweeten
UNPUBLISHED
COLOR (1) Dave Dalesandro, (2) Rick Sweeten, (3)
Brent Smith
PURE
ART (1) Brent Smith, (2) Debbie Gastelu, (3) Bob Yurko
PORTFOLIO OF THE YEAR
BEST
OF SHOW Rebecca Eisele
JANICE
BRICE “HONORABLE MENTION” AWARD Jim Smith
Coming up:
The AARN's annual
Motor Sports show - January 20th, 21st & 22nd, 2012.
Greater
For GPS use this address:
484-754-3976
http://www.aarn.com/motorsports2012.html
Atlantic City Indoor Race 2012
February 3rd & 4th, 2012
Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall 2301 Boardwalk
http://www.aarn.com/acindoorrace2012.html
Accord Speedway Banquet info from their website:
BANQUET UPDATE:
In an effort to be sensitive to the
economic environment a decision has been made to change the venue for the 2011
banquet.
The 2011 Award Banquet is being held
at the Brookside Manor in Middletown Speedway
reservation form CAN BE FOUND IN THE
“FILE” SECTION
http://www.accordspeedway.com/
“
Are you aware that the
It’s website: www.needforspeedexpo.com”
Found
on Jayski’s website:
Team owner Haas
being sued:
A Miami-Dade
lawsuit over a real estate deal gone awry could put a significant dent in
NASCAR team owner Gene Haas' Sprint Cup [#14-Tony Stewart] championship spoils.
Haas made the winning bid on two multimillion-dollar
Rusty Wallace
Racing closing: UPDATES:
Rusty Wallace is in
AND:
Reliable sources
say that Rusty Wallace, Inc., will close its doors at the end of business
[Friday], laying off a majority of its employees.
Expect an official announcement within the hour.(Sirius
Speedway)(1-6-2012)
UPDATE:
Rusty Wallace is a
man of his word. In September, the former NASCAR champion and current team
owner warned if there wasn't enough money to run his Nationwide Series program,
he'd put the shop in mothballs. Unfortunately, that day has come. Rusty Wallace
Inc. is expected to shut its doors next Friday, sources told FOXSports.com.(Fox
Sports)(1-6-2012)
UPDATE:
Officials of Rusty
Wallace Racing, LLC (RWR) announced today that the team's on-track activities
will be put on a temporary hiatus. While the organization's day-to-day
competition activities will temporarily cease, key elements of RWR's business staff will remain in place to continue
development of future opportunities. The team is currently assisting #66 driver, Steve Wallace, in exploring several exciting
opportunities for 2012, with backing from his current RWR sponsors. RWR will
continue to maintain and manage those sponsor relationships on Wallace's
behalf. #62 driver, Michael Annett has been released from the team and will
pursue other 2012 opportunities with his longtime family sponsor, Pilot Flying
J.(Rusty Wallace
Racing)(1-6-2012)
Martin driving for
Gibbs at
Joe Gibbs Racing
announces that Mark Martin will drive the Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry in
the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series race in
JR Motorsports' flagship team will compete for a NASCAR
Nationwide Series championship with one of the sport's up-and-coming stars, as
Cole Whitt has been tabbed to drive the company's flagship #88 Chevy in 2012. Whitt, a 20-year-old native of Alpine,
UPDATE:
JR Motorsports has hired Bruce Cook as crew chief for the #5 team, which will run primarily with Earnhardt Jr. in select races. Cook comes to JR Motorsports from Kevin Harvick, Inc., where he served as crew chief in 2011 in the Camping World Truck Series, predominately for the #2 KHI Chevrolet, which won the owner's championship. With Cook atop the pit box, his team scored six wins, 19 top-fives and 22 top-10s. Cook was also the winning crew chief of the Nationwide Series season-opener at Daytona in 2011 with driver Tony Stewart.(JR Motorsports PR)(12-5-2012)
Kahne & Sweet to split #38 in
2012:
Turner Motorsports,
along with Great Clips, Inc., announced that Kasey Kahne
will increase his time behind the wheel of the #38 Great Clips Chevy in 2012 to
compete in 15 NASCAR Nationwide Series events. Up and coming driver, Brad
Sweet, who has competed on a limited basis in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
for the last two years and in the USAC Sprint Car Series and World of Outlaws
Series for Kasey Kahne Racing (KKR) for the last four
seasons, will make a run for the Rookie of the Year title and will round out
the balance of the 33-race NNS schedule when Kahne is
not behind the wheel.(Turner Motorsports)(1-2-2012)
Kyle Busch may not
run Nationwide in 2012:
Kyle Busch is
unlikely to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2012, at the
request of Joe Gibbs Racing and their Sprint Cup Series sponsor, M&Ms. Kyle
Busch Motorsports General Manager Rick Ren confirmed
today that there is "a high probability" that Busch will withdraw
from the 2012 Truck Series. "That topic is being discussed almost
constantly around here right now," he said, adding, "It is not
necessarily something that Kyle chose. If he doesn't run Trucks this year, it
will be at the request (of JGR). Not by demand, but by request. Things change
on an hour-by-hour basis," said Ren today,
"but if I had to answer you right now, I'd say he will probably not race
in the Truck Series next year. There is a possibility of him running no Nationwide races under certain circumstances, as well. There
are a lot of things being discussed right now, which makes it pretty tough on
me. I've been trying to figure out whether Kyle's going to be available to run
our Trucks and Nationwide cars, then determine whether the individual sponsors
will stay around without him behind the wheel." Ren
said many of the team's sponsors came aboard with the understanding that Busch
would drive a specified number of races in their entries. How, with Busch's
participation uncertain at best, many of those negotiations are back to square
one. I believe Kyle will drive a KBM Nationwide Series Toyota in a certain
number of races next year," said Ren. "I
can't swear to it, but that's what it look like today." (Sirius
Speedway)(12-23-2011)
Leffler's plans still up in the air:
Despite a strong
season, things are up in the air for Jason Leffler
and 2011 may have been his best opportunity at the championship. Steve Turner
and the folks at Turner Motorsports are making some changes for the future and
it doesn't look good for Leffler. After six seasons
with Leffler, sponsor Great Clips has told Turner
Motorsports it would like to be partnered with a different driver. And in
October, Turner said he would put up to four cars on the track but only one,
driven by Justin Allgaier, would compete full time.
The other three would be a rotating combination of current Turner drivers,
up-and-coming drivers and Cup Series veterans. So right now, things are
uncertain for Leffler. If he stays at Turner, it
looks to be in a part-time role. Leffler could look
to run for another team, but at 36, he doesn't exactly have youth on his side. Leffler has expressed a desire to run in the Cup Series
again, but rides there are at a premium and it doesn't appear owners are
pounding at Leffler's door.(NASCAR.com)(12-23-2011)
Kurt Busch still
expected to drive for Kyle:
On Thursday,
Phoenix Racing announced it had hired [Kurt Busch] to drive for its #51 Chevy
team next season. The #51 entered every Cup race in 2011 with several different
drivers. The news release announcing Busch's move said he would drive a
"full schedule" with the team. Busch is also expected to join forces
with his younger brother, Kyle, and drive for Kyle's Nationwide
series team in 2012. One option being considered is for Kurt Busch to run the
full Nationwide schedule and compete for the series
championship, multiple sources said. Under NASCAR's current system, Busch will
only be able to earn driver points in only one series. It remains unclear what
effect Thursday's Cup announcement will have on the Nationwide
plans. A spokesman for Kyle Busch Motorsports said Friday the team was still
finalizing its driver lineup and would not have any official announcements
until after Jan. 1. (Charlotte
Observer)(12-22-2011)
Norris denies Pastrana Waltrip will shut down:
UPDATE:
Michael Waltrip Racing General Manager Ty Norris is moving to quell
speculation that the team will shut down its Pastrana
Waltrip Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series team and
highly successful NASCAR K&N Pro Series East operation due to lack of
sponsorship. Former Pastrana Waltrip
Racing crewchief Jerry Baxter left the team recently
to accept a new position as Cale Gale's NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series crew chief at Eddie Sharp Racing. Since then, rumors
have circulated that MWR will shutter its Nationwide and K&N Pro Series
East operations and lay off a number of employees. Norris denied those reports
today, saying, "I know where they came from, and they are absolutely
untrue." Norris revealed that PWR is contractually committed to run seven
NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2012 with Pastrana
and sponsor Boost Mobile, saying the team "will absolutely honor that
commitment. The plan was to run the full K&N Pro Series East schedule with
Travis, then use the personnel from the K&N team to support our Nationwide
effort," said Norris. "But we simply don't have the funding to do the
K&N East Series right now. We've been hanging onto those (employees) since
September because we don't want to break up a championship team. The question
is, how long do we wait when the funding is not
there?" Norris doubles as MWR's Executive Vice
President of Business Development, and said there are three companies talking
about expanding Pastrana's 2012 schedule. As of now,
however, seven Nationwide races are all the team has sold.(Sirius
Speedway)(12-15-2011)
UPDATE:
Veteran crew chief
Jerry Baxter will join Eddie Sharp Racing to compete for the NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series championship with Cale Gale during
the 2012 season. With 20 years of experience in the motorsports industry, the
#71 team not
returning in 2012? UPDATE:
Sirius XM NASCAR
Radio's Sirius Speedway with Dave Moody has learned that the #71 TRG
Motorsports NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team will not return in 2012. Sources
close to the team say TRG will announce later this week that it has shuttered
its NASCAR operation and will compete only on the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car
Series in 2012. TRG finished 36th in Sprint Cup owner points last season, and
would not have been a guaranteed starter for the season-opening Daytona 500.
TRG Motorsports made a total of 106 starts since joining the NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series in 2009, with a pair of Top-10 finishes to its credit. Bobby Labonte claimed a 10th-place finish for the team at
UPDATE:
Buckler has
suspended operations of his #71 Ford, which carried Andy Lally
to series' Rookie of the Year honors. TRG Motorsports made 106 starts from
2009-11 and scored two top-10 finishes. Buckler used 11 drivers in those three
seasons, including 2000 Cup champion Bobby Labonte
and former Truck Series champions Mike Skinner and Mike Bliss. "I want to
be in Cup, but I want to be there with a proper program," Buckler said.
"I don't think the way the economy is right now and the amount of money
required right now that a single-car team can make it as a good program. I
don't want to go without a good program." Buckler said he's putting his
NASCAR aspirations "on hold" but hopes to return when he collects the
right firepower. "I know what to do now," he said. "How many
guys say, 'I'm going NASCAR racing,' then make it through the ranks and run Cup
for three straight years? I feel very fortunate. I had some great partners that
worked with me and backed me and we learned a lot. It was an expensive lesson
that won't go wasted. If somebody showed up with a check and wanted to go
NASCAR racing, we've got a program for them." And so Buckler's full
attention has fallen back to GT road racing and his massive Porsche-based
racing operation and extraordinary preparations needed to win the Rolex
24."My enthusiasm for road racing has never waned," he said.
"TRG Motorsports is still alive and well. We will continue to look for the
right Cup opportunity and right partner. When that happens, we're back in
NASCAR."(Daytona
Beach News Journal)(1-9-2012)
Kurt Busch running
limited NNS schedule with
Phoenix Racing
announced that in addition to running the complete NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
schedule with Kurt Busch, they will field the #1 Chevy in a limited amount of
NASCAR Nationwide Series races, starting at Daytona with Kurt Busch. The team
plans on running all major events and are looking for sponsorship for these races."Everyone at Phoenix Racing is excited about competing
on the Nationwide circuit this year," said Steve Barkdoll, General Manager of Phoenix Racing. "Our
Nationwide Series team is a proven, winning organization and we're looking
forward to Busch continuing the tradition. This is a great opportunity for a
company to partner with a top-notch program."(Breaking Limits)(1-9-2012)
Robby Gordon /
Another history
making day for Team Speed and the Robby Gordon Motorsports Hummers as Nasser
Al-Attiyah wins Stage 7, his 2nd in the 2012 Rally,
and teammate Robby Gordon coming in 2nd place, 7 minutes and 30 seconds behind.
It's the first time RGM built cars finish 1st and 2nd on the podium during a
Dakar Rally. Gordon now sits in 3rd place - 13 minutes and 9 seconds behind the
leader Peterhansel. Qatari sits in 6th place over
all, nearly 43 minutes behind. It's been an eventful Rally thus far for the
Team Speed Hummers. Robby Gordon has been quite consistent, finishing in the
top 5 - 5 out of the 6 stages that have been completed. Consistency is what
wins the Dakar Rally. As the team prepares the cars for the journey into the
Atacama Desert of Chile, then on to the new territory of Peru, they will rest
their heads with one thing on their mind - an overall win on January 15th.(RGM)
To follow the team's journey to compete in the upcoming Dakar, and for updated
race team coverage, log onto speedenergy.com, toyotires.com, robbygordon.com, planetrobby.com
and dakar.com.(1-8-2012)
Robby Gordon /
Robby Gordon and
the #303 SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires HUMMER dominated Stage 9 of the 2012 Dakar
Rally, winning by 1 minute and 38 seconds over Stephane
Peterhansel. Gordon, with the help of his navigator
Johnny Campbell, lead the entire stage with 3 MINIs breathing down their necks. Unfortunately, Nasser Al-Attiyah's day would end completely different. Al-Attiyah encountered the same issue today as he did
yesterday when a serpentine belt popped off, not once but three times. Using
all of his spares, Al-Attiyah was stranded near KM
200 of the 556 km stage. Being more than an hour down to the overall leader,
Al-Attiyah made the tough decision to end his efforts
for a repeat championship and dropped out of the stage. For Gordon and
Campbell, the race to become the first Americans to win
To follow the team's journey to compete in the upcoming
2012 NASCAR
Preseason Thunder at Daytona set for this Week:
NASCAR is back in
full gear as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams hit the pavement at Daytona
International Speedway this week for three days of preseason testing. The main
focus of the test is for teams to work on their final preparations for 2012 Speedweeks in particular, the 54th running of the
Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 26. "This is an opportunity we are providing
to the competitors to implement and test the new Daytona rules package for
2012," said Robin Pemberton, vice president of competition. "It's a
chance for them to get comfortable with the cooling package, the smaller
spoiler and to practice drafting for next month's Daytona 500." The new
rules package is a result of information gathered during recent tests at
The new rules package includes:
· Smaller radiators
o Maximum of 2 gallon capacity
· Smaller overflow tank
o Maximum capacity of ½ gallon
· Radiator inlet is moved up closer into the front center bumper area
· Rate reduction in the springs softer springs
· Smaller rear spoiler
· Base line restrictor plate of 29/32 inch (1/64 inch larger than plate size
for the 2011 Daytona 500)
"This three-day test will allow the engine tuners for these teams to be
able to work with their engine packages and see how they relate and react to
the new cooling regulations," Pemberton said. Next month's Daytona 500
will be only the third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points event ran on the repaved
Daytona International Speedway. This year's Preseason Thunder will continue to
be an opportunity for teams and drivers to test their skills on a relatively
fresh surface in addition to the new rules. Complementing the testing portion
of this weekend's festivities, the track is also offering fans an opportunity
to be part of a special two-day Fan Fest event. Fan Fest sessions are scheduled
for Thursday, Jan. 12 and Friday, Jan. 13 and include autograph sessions,
driver question and answer sessions, show cars and displays, music and a photo
opportunity with the 2012 Harley J. Earl Daytona 500 trophy. In addition, fans
can ride the high banks under the lights by purchasing a Richard Petty Driving
Experience ride along.
Tickets for Daytona Preseason Thunder Fan Fest are $20 and available by calling
1-800-PITSHOP or online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com. Children 12
and under will receive free admission.
Daytona International Speedway will also host special driver chat sessions on
the speedway's social media channels following the end of testing Thursday and
Friday evenings. Fans can submit questions for Twitter chats by using #daytonatesting, with answers, updates and testing
information coming from Daytona International Speedway's Twitter feed @DISUpdates. Fans can also submit questions on Facebook for LiveStream chats
with drivers on www.facebook.com/DaytonaInternationalSpeedway.
NASCAR's official Twitter feed @NASCAR will also provide updates throughout the
three-day session.
SPEED will broadcast live coverage of testing on all three days from 1-5 p.m.
ET. Additionally, SPEEDTV.com will stream testing live from 9 a.m.-noon ET each
day.(NASCAR)(1-10-2012)
NOTE: Check the TV section below, for some
different times other than those noted, above.
TAG Heuer Eyewear will sponsor Kurt Busch:
TAG Heuer Eyewear announced that it has entered into a
multi-race sponsorship agreement with Sprint Cup Series champion Kurt Busch and
Phoenix Racing. Busch, who will drive the # 51 Chevy for Phoenix Racing in the
entire 2012 Sprint Cup season, has a personal services agreement with the
eyewear company. TAG Heuer Eyewear will be featured
as the primary sponsor on the # 51 Chevy for the Feb. 18 Budweiser Shootout at
Daytona International Speedway, where Busch is the defending winner.
Additionally, TAG Heuer Eyewear will serve as an associate
sponsor on the # 51 Chevy during the 54th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 26
and again on March 11 for the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las
Vegas Motor Speedway, Busch's hometown track.(TrueSpeed Communications)(1-11-2012)
Hamilton, Jr. files for bankruptcy:
Former NASCAR
Sprint Cup driver Bobby Hamilton Jr. has filed for bankruptcy to reorganize his
debts, according to U.S. Bankruptcy Court in
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
January 13th to January 19th
JANUARY 13
1959
Ernie Irvan...
Born ... NASCAR Winston Cup driver
1990
John Heydenreich
won the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals at the
Race report: http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/report/1_13_90-1.html
2007
Danny Oakes... Died ... In
the 1940s and 50s, he was one of
JANUARY 14
1982
Johnny Matera ... Died ...
AAA driver from the 1930's and 40's.
1994
Myron Fohr
... Died ... AAA driver from the 1940's.
1999
Thomas Binford,
founding member of USAC, former USAC president and Indy 500 Chief Steward, dies
of cerebral hemorrhage in his office in
2001
Carl Hogan former CART team
owner, died at home in
JANUARY 15
1900
William Lynn Jr.... Born ... aka : "Tee
Linn", used the alias to escape the clutches of his prominent
1919
Bill Stroppe...
Born ... Car builder and off-road racer
1970
Rick Treadway...
Born ... Indy Racing League driver. Finished 29th in
the 2002 Indy 500
1978
Sonny Easley... Died ...
Easley was best known for competing in the NASCAR Winston West Series and a
handful of Winston Cup Series events. Easley tallied nine Winston West
victories over his career, including a victory in the first stock car race ever
held at the Laguna Seca Raceway road course. He
finished 2nd in Winston West points on two different occasions, in 1973 and
1975. In 19 career Cup starts, Easley had a best finish of 5th place at the
January 16, 1977 Winston Western 500 at Riverside International Raceway. During
practice for a NASCAR modified sportsman race at
JANUARY 16
1930
Rollie Beale... Born ... USAC driver from the 60's &
70's
1935
A.J. Foyt...
Born ... Considered by many as the greatest American automobile racing driver
of all time.
1944
Bill Tempero
... Born ... Indy car driver. He raced in the CART Championship Car series from
1980 to 1984.
2007
Benny Parsons... Died ...
BP drove in Winston Cup for almost 20 years and won the 1973 championship, and
is the answer to a popular trivia question of who is the only driver to win
championships in Cup and ARCA (1969). In 1988 he retired from driving and went
straight into the TV booth, where he was a regular for ABC, ESPN, and from
2001-06 NBC; BP was the first star driver to make such a full-time career
change, and he became even more loved by the public because of it. Benny died
of cancer, he was 65.
JANUARY 17
1895
John Duff... Born ... a Canadian racecar driver who won many races and has been
inducted in the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. Finished 9th in the
1926 Indy 500
1936
Mickey Rupp... Born ...
Started the Rupp Kart Co. in 1959 that lasted until 1978. Drove USAC Sprints
& 1 Indy 500 (1965)
1965
Dan Gurney took his 3rd
straight 'Motor Trend 500' NASCAR Grand National win at Riverside International
Raceway. Gurney drove the Wood Brothers Ford into the lead to stay with 55 laps
left, coming home 27 seconds ahead of Junior Johnson's Ford. Marvin Panch finished one lap down in third, also in a Ford. No
factory Dodges or Plymouths were entered by Chrysler Corporation in protest of
NASCAR's new rules for 1965 banning their hemi engine. With 16 laps to go, A.J.
Foyt was attempting to overtake Johnson for second
when his brakes failed at the end of the mile long backstraight.
Rather than hit Johnson and the turn 9 wall, Foyt
steered off an infield drop off, sending his Ford on a series of end over end
flips. Foyt suffered a broken back and fractured left
heel in the crash. Ned Jarrett ran with the leaders until his Ford burst into
flames during a pit stop on lap 94. The safety crew quickly extinguished the
fire and no one was injured. A crowd of 61,474 watched Gurney average 87.708
mph on the 2.62 mile road course. Racing on his international license, Gurney
was ineligible for NASCAR points, making Johnson the points
leader.
Race report: http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/report/1_17_65-1.html
1994
Andrew Craig was hired as
President and CEO of CART.
2000
Carl Forberg...
Died ... Midget driver, midget and sprint car owner, and Duane "Pancho" Carter's father-in- law
JANUARY 18
1932
Johnny White... Born ...
USAC sprint & Indy car driver from the 1960's
1940
Pedro Rodriguez... Born ... F1 and sportscar racer.
1945
Jimmy Caruthers... Born ... USAC midget, sprint and Indy car driver from
1950
Gilles Villeneuve... Born
... F1 driver
1951
John DePalma...
Died ... AAA driver, he was the brother of 1915 Indy winner Ralph DePalma and the uncle of 1925 Indy winner Pete DePaolo.
1968
Andy Granatelli
sued USAC for witholding his membership, preventing
him from racing, and passing "illegal" rules (broke 3-year engine
rule) that crippled his turbine-car racing effort.
1971
Christian Fittipaldi... Born ... Brazilian racing
driver who competed in Formula One, Champ Car and NASCAR.
JANUARY 19
1899
Joe Caccia...
Born ... AAA driver, died in 1931 Indy 500 practice
1929
Red Amick...
Born ... USAC driver
1934
Don Nordhorn
... Born ... USAC driver
1958
Johnnie Tolan
won the 100 mile USAC Midget race at the Riverside International Speedway,
Note: Yes, that was on the road course.
Results: http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/race.php?raceid=4500
1963
CAMRA, the Canadian
American Modified Racing Association, is formed in a meeting held in
1964
Joe Weatherly... Died ... NASCAR driver. He died from head injuries sustained
in a racing accident at the fifth race of the 1964 season at Riverside
International Raceway. His head went outside the car and struck a retaining
wall. Weatherly's death would light the fire under NASCAR to mandate the window
net, which was mandated in 1971. Window nets are used in most stockcar racing series to this day.
1968
Ray Harroun
... Died ... The winner of the first
News
from the AARN:
From
their January 3rd issue:
The
winner of next years Forrest Rogers Memorial Race at the Grandview Speedway
will get a $10,000.00 bonus if it’s a track regular, so it would be a possible
$20,000.00 pay day. Nice!
In
the AARN’s first issue from June 14, 1963 – Vol 1 No. 1 – only New Egypt (then a ¼ mile paved track)
and the Orange County Fair Speedway remain as racing facilities.
Pete
Britten has won a couple of races “down under” in seven days.
Noted
Micro Stock drivers Tom Ervin and John Kazmierski
lost their Micro Stocks and other items, when a fire destroyed the garage on Ervins property.
Paul
Lotier is building a radical TQ for the indoor races
down in
Erick
Rudolph will run 5-6 Whelen Modified races in 2012
and more 358 dirt modified events at Merrittville and
Ransomville in a self owned car, for the dirt racing.
Len
Sammons:
Mr.
Sammons was talking about how the AARN has done over its 50 years in
publication. The first issue had 4 pages
and 5 photos. Harold Rulon,
a racing scorer, along with Leonard J. Sammon, Jr. were the two columnists.
Flemington,
Steve
Barrick:
Steve
is a new to the staff of the AARN. I’m
not positive if he is still going to be doing racing programs for various
tracks, or not. In his first column, he
has an article about the track in
Note: Check at the end of News from the AARN, for
some info as to what’s happening.
Steve
also had another article in the paper with information on the New Egypt
Speedway. For 2012 – Big Blocks – 2550
lbs Open Small Blocks – 2450 lbs and Pa Small Blocks – 2350 lbs.
The
TSRS 305 Sprint Cars will have 14 races with Crate Sportsman and Fastrack LM’s. The 305’s all get the same amount of money,
no matter where they finish.
Ernie
Saxton:
Mr.
Saxton does not do Facebook, twitter or other
forums. He does have contacts with Linkein, though. To
the best of his knowledge, IndyCar will be a no-go
for a race in
Brett
Deyo:
Brett
says that Billy Bauch, Jr. will be in the Petruska # 66 modified and wil
run at New Egypt with it, along with some selected Accord and other special
shows in the area – 40 races. They will
go no further north than 5 Mile Point.
Big
Diamond will have a “Little Diamond” track inside the current one, with racing
starting on it after May 12th, starting with Slingshots and then
followed by other Saturday night classes.
Those classes that will run on Saturday nights are:
ARDC
Midgets, 305 Sprint Cars, SpeedSTR’s, Pro Stocks,
Thunder Cars, Legend Cars, AMA Flat Track Bikes, Xcel 600’s and Super
Sportsman. No not all
classes will run every Saturday.
On the ARDC’s message board, it is said that
the ARDC will run the outer track. The
Saturday schedule, as of now will go from April 7th to September 8th.
Todd
Heintzelman:
There
is still talks about the handicapping at Williams Grove
and Lincoln Speedways, with some drivers comments due out in the next
issue. Mufflers will be mandatory at
Steve
Smith returns as the “Black Bandit” again, in a car owned by Chad Clemens and
Chris Luck. Smith now hails from
The
website: www.theblackbandit.com
Ron
Mentus:
Ron
says the IndyCar schedule is way “Off Course”. Five years ago in 2007, there were 17 races,
12 on ovals. In 2012, of the 17 races
that were held in 2007, ten are no longer on the schedule, with nine of them
being ovals.
Organizers
of the Baltimore GP are considering a proposal which would see a company
takeover to save the IndyCar race – scheduled for
September 2nd, from bankruptcy.
Share holders will vote on whether or not to accept.
John
Snyder:
Mr.
Snyder is starting his 37th year with the AARN. Back when he started, the “Big six” tracks
were:
John
goes on to talk about how the modified bodies have changed over the years, and
how those bodies have affected the surfaces of the racetracks.
Ken
Kuhlman:
Mr.
Kuhlman beats Mr. Snyder by ten years as far as being a member of the AARN team
and an auto racing journalist.
Gary
London:
He
has part two of racing in and around
There
are quite a few names mentioned in this weeks AARN of some that were associated
with racing, in one way or another, that have left us.
They
are:
Cecil King, 62, who ran LM’s
at Shangri-La, on December 23rd.
Robert F. “Bob” Warren, Sr. 76, a nationally ranked
Go-Kart racer.
Joe
Gerber, 77, an RoC promoter,
on December 17th.
Charlie Svetec, 63, former
URC champion, on December 25th.
Richard G. “Dick” Disbrow,
Sr., 71, who ran at Wall stadium, on December 19th.
Ricky
Miller, 63, a racing writer from
Michale Christopher Berton, 24,
son of former modified driver Chris Berton and his
wife, Bonnie,on December 18th. He was also the nephew of Brett and Bobby
Hearn.
Lee
Elwell, 67,
James
“Mitch” Brudy, 54, the 1st Truck champion
at Wall Stadium in 1996, on December 22nd.
In AARN
This
Week – January 10th issue:
Doug
Hoffman Signs
Multi-Year Operating Lease
For Bridgeport
410 Sprint Shakeup:
Kreitz Hires Ryan Smith
Test At Newly Paved
Is Huge Success
DIRT Sanction,
Big Block Modifieds
In At
EMPA Honors Past,
Present Racing Greats
At Convention
Will Cagle, Reutimann Brothers
Coming To Motorsports 2012 Show
Modified Car Owner
Roger Hill Passes Suddenly
Former
It looks like Joey
Bruning, Chris Daley, Kyle Kania
and Eric Zeh will be racing Champ Karts at
Racing and
television:
CLICK HERE FOR U.S.
LISTINGS WITHOUT THE SPEED CHANNEL (PDF FORMAT)
http://www.racefantv.com/xUSTV-NS.pdf
And this: CLICK HERE FOR
U.S. LISTINGS WITHOUT NASCAR (PDF FORMAT)
http://www.racefantv.com/xUSTV-NN.pdf
Also this one: CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE PDF VERSION
http://www.racefantv.com/xUSTV.pdf
SPEED will
broadcast live coverage of testing on all three days from 1-5 p.m. ET.
Additionally, SPEEDTV.com will stream testing live from 9 a.m.-noon ET each day.(NASCAR)(1-10-2012)
NOTE: To see exactly what three days this testing
was being done, I went to the SPEED website.
It seems that they are on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. HOWEVER, the times shown on SPEED are quite a
bit different than what is said in the article on Jayski. SPEED has it for 1:00, 3:00 and 6:00 PM on
Thursday and Friday, and 1:00 and 3:00 on Saturday.
Reutimann returns to Truck Series with RBR
The '04
In part:
"David Reutimann, the 2004 Truck Series rookie of the year, plans to return to the series in 2012, agreeing this week to run up to 15 races in the No. 92 Chevrolet for Ricky Benton Racing, mainly companion events associated with his part-time Cup schedule with Tommy Baldwin Racing.
Team spokesman Rick Benton said Saturday that talks began in earnest after the team hired crew chief Jason Overstreet in early December.
"We heard about [Reutimann's]
situation after being released from Michael Waltrip
Racing,"
"He's a very marketable guy and we thought he'd be a good fit for what we like to do business with a lot of clients. It all came together and that's where we're at."
More on this if you go here: http://www.nascar.com/news/120107/dreutimann-truck-2012-ricky-benton-racing/index.html
I
get e-mails:
I am really concerned about
After all, Kim Jung Un (pronounced Kim's young-un?) had NO military experience whatsoever before daddy made him a four-star general in the military. This is a snot-nose twerp who has never accomplished anything in his life that would even come close to military leadership: he hasn't even so much as led a cub scout troop, coached a sports team or commanded a military platoon... ...So, setting that aside, next they make him the "Beloved Leader" of the country. Terrific!!!
Oh,
crap! I'm sorry. I just remembered that we did the same thing here. We took a
community organizer who has never worn a uniform and made this Dumbo; Commander-in-Chief; a Dumbo who has never led anything more than an ACORN
demonstration and made that Dumbo the leader of this
country.
I'm
sorry I brought this up.
Never
mind.
Some non-racing stuff:
Miss.
In
part:
"
Circuit
Judge Tomie Green issued an injunction late Wednesday
at the request of Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood.
Hood
said he believes Barbour might've violated the state constitution by pardoning
some inmates who failed to give sufficient public notice that they were seeking
to have their records cleared.
Barbour
said in a statement Wednesday, a day after leaving office,
that he believes people have misunderstood why he gave reprieves to more
than 200 inmates. Most received full pardons, while others received suspended
sentences because of medical conditions. Barbour said 189 of the inmates had
already completed their incarceration.
Mississippi
Department of Corrections spokeswoman Suzanne Singletary told The Associated
Press that five inmates let out over the weekend are the only ones on Barbour's
list who had been released as of Wednesday evening. She said the 21 were still
in custody because processing paperwork generally takes several days. Among
other, things, state law requires the department to give victims 48 hours'
notice before an inmate is released.
Neither
Hipp nor Barbour's lead staff attorney, Amanda Jones Tollison, responded to questions about whether Barbour's
staff verified that pardoned inmates had met the 30 days' publication
requirement.
Each
of the five inmates released this past weekend had worked as a trusty at the
Governor's Mansion. They are David Gatlin, convicted of killing his estranged
wife in 1993; Joseph Ozment, convicted in 1994 of
killing a man during a robbery; Anthony McCray, convicted in 2001 of killing
his wife; Charles Hooker, sentenced to life in 1992 for murder; and Nathan
Kern, sentenced to life in 1982 for burglary after at least two prior
convictions.
Singletary
said each of the five men published legal notices in local newspapers within
the past month.
A
little more on this can be found here:
http://news.yahoo.com/miss-court-halts-quick-release-pardoned-005735624.html
Is
this true?:
The “American Dream” – should it be earned, or given? You might be surprised as to what some college sophomores think. Scary? You bet!
Check this video out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxHfYNTrnic&feature=youtu.be
Video time:
Did you ever have
a favorite car as you were growing up?
Here’s a video of one that did.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bz-nO6WvOYw
Photos:
Note: The photos are not available on Dirt Track
Digest, only on New England Tractor - http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/
With all the race track
results I’ve received, along with some drivers win lists, from the midget racing
from “Back in the day”, I thought it would be kind of appropriate to put up a
photo of one of the stars from back then – Al Keller, as he’s pictured in the
Turner “Startdust” # 17 midget that was metallic
blue, in color. I dunno,
maybe it’s me, but I think the midgets of that era are better looking than what
we have, today. One thing for sure, you
can sure see the driver, and watch him “work” that wheel “Back in the day”, not
like it is today!
Closing with these:
I
suppose it is time for some "Blonde" jokes, huh?
A blonde & her husband are lying in bed listening to the next-door neighbor's dog. It has been in the backyard barking for hours & hours. The blonde jumps up out of bed and says, "I've had enough of this". She goes downstairs.
The
blonde finally comes back up to bed and her husband says, "The dog is
still barking, what have you been doing?"
The
blonde says, "I put the dog in our backyard, let's see how THEY like it!
Two
Blondes With Hammers...
Lynn
& Judy were doing some carpenter work on a Habitat for Humanity House.
Judy,
figuring this was worth looking into, asked, "Why are you throwing those
nails away?"
Judy
got completely upset & yelled, "You moron! Those nails aren't
defective! They're for the other side of the house!"
You
might have to think twice about this one.
A blonde hurried into the emergency room late
one night with the tip
of her index finger shot off.. 'How did this happen?' the
emergency room doctor asked her.
'Well,
I was trying to commit suicide,' the blonde replied..
'What?'
sputtered the doctor. 'You tried to commit suicide by
shooting off your finger?'
'No,
silly' the blonde said. 'First I put the gun to my chest, & then I thought,
'I just paid $6, 000.00 for these implants...
I'm
not shooting myself in the chest.'
'So
then?' asked the doctor.
'Then
I put the gun in my mouth, & I thought, 'I just paid $3,000..00 to get my teeth straightened I'm not shooting myself in
the mouth.'
'So then?'
"Then
I put the gun to my ear, & I thought: 'This is going to make a loud noise.'
So I put my finger in my other ear before I pulled the trigger"
A
blonde was driving home after a game & got caught in a really bad hailstorm.. Her car was covered with dents, so the next day she took
it to a repair shop. The shop owner saw that she was a blonde, so he decided to
have some fun.... He told her to go home and blow into the tail pipe really
hard, & all the dents would pop out.
So,
the blonde went home, got down on her hands & knees & started blowing
into her tailpipe.. Nothing happened..
So she blew a little harder, & still nothing happened.
Her
blonde roommate saw her & asked, 'What are you doing?' The first blonde
told her how the repairman had instructed her to blow into the tail pipe in
order to get all the dents to pop out. The roommate rolled her eyes & said,
'Uh, like hello! You need to roll up the
windows first.'
A
blonde was shopping at Target & came across a shiny silver thermos. She was
quite fascinated by it, so she picked it up & took it to the clerk to ask
what it was.
The
clerk said, 'Why, that's a thermos... It keeps hot things hot, And cold things
cold.'
'Wow,
said the blonde, 'that's amazing.....I'm going to buy it!' So she bought the
thermos & took it to work the next day.
Her
boss saw it on her desk. 'What's that,' he asked?
'Why,
that's a thermos..... It keeps hot things hot & cold things cold,' she
replied..
Her
boss inquired, 'What do you have in it?'
The
blond replied... 'Two popsicles & some coffee.'
AND
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
A
blonde goes into work one morning crying her eyes out.
Her
boss asked sympathetically, 'What's the matter?'
The
blonde replies, 'Early this morning I got a phone call saying that my mother
had passed away.'
The
boss, feeling sorry for her, says, 'Why don't you go home for the day? Take the
day off to relax & rest.'
'Thanks,
but I'd be better off here. I need to keep my mind off it & I have the best
chance of doing that here.'
The
boss agrees & allows the blonde to work as usual. A couple of hours pass & the boss decides
to check on the blonde.
He
looks out from his office & sees the blonde crying hysterically....
'What's
so bad now? Are you gonna be okay?' he asks.
'No!'
exclaims the blonde. 'I just received a horrible call from my sister. Her
mother died, too!'
Blondes Are The Best!!!
Is this true:
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