Racin' & Internet Stuff:

Racin' & Internet Stuff:

By Tom Avenengo

Volume # 96

04/12/2012

First:

Really, now, who woulda thought that the winner of the US Masters would be a fella named “Bubba”??

In a way, I don’t think golf really requires one to be much of an athlete. However, it can be quite an experience when playing the game, with most, if you’re like me, not too good at it, getting “upset” when things don’t go as planned.

Second:

I found this via a link on the Track Forum - Why no driver "cross overs" anymore.

http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/7778239/nascar-there-more-aj-foyts-mario-andrettis

And on the Track Forum: http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?162419-Great-article-by-Ed-Hinton-on-why-there-s-no-drivers-running-multiple-types-of-races

Third:

Some photos shown on Facebook, from the practice session at OCFS this past Saturday, do show work starting on the “Inner” track at OCFS. From what I’ve seen, it does not look like it would be a ¼ mile track, as it was said to be when word of it first came out. I’ll be at OC this coming Saturday so I’ll have a better idea as to its size.

Note: More news about OCFS that came out on Facebook, is below, in “Twelfth”.

Fourth:

Last weekend, on Saturday, I accompanied my son¸ Eric, while he took his son (my grandson), Dillon, down to Virginia, so Dillon could spend a week with his mother. With us leaving early in the AM, I decided not to attend the first practice session at the Accord Speedway. Hopefully, I’ll make it this coming Friday to check out the changes made at the “Big A”. One thing I will miss at Accord will be the Sail Panels.

Fifth:

A couple of weeks ago, it was mentioned on the Internet that another race trailer had been stolen – I think it was in upstate New York. I’m wondering if that trailer had any markings on its roof – something that the thieves might not be able to see, from the ground, but could be spotted easily from the air.

And while on the subject of things being stolen, or “mistakenly taken”, I had heard that when they had the fund raiser for Brad Szulewski last Friday night at OVRP, on part of the road course, with those that went able to “race” Karts on the pavement, somehow, at the end of the night, Brad was missing his two racing helmets. I hope they were returned!

Sixth:

Gas prices – hey, I guess I’m fortunate as to where I live when it comes to the price of gas, today. New Jersey and Pennsylvania are but minutes away, and they are quite a bit cheaper than New York – as of now. But in reality, I can see myself cutting back as far as some possible traveling to race meets goes. Yup, I can see how this will affect both the fan count and later on in the season, car counts, too.

I’ve seen the price go up ten cents in one day over in New Jersey. Latest price was $3.83+ per gallon. No, I don’t foresee prices coming down for quite some time, but to continue to increase, and that sucks.

Seventh:

This Saturday is opening night for OCFS. Now, wouldn’t you know it – the extended forecast a few days ago, for this coming Saturday showed bright sun shine. It’s remarkable how it seems to always change. Looking at my paper on Tuesday morning, the forecast has changed – somewhat – to maybe being a little wet. And, as of 11:00 PM on Wednesday, per Yahoo! Weather, one thing says mostly cloudy, while another says mostly sunny.

Eighth:

Somehow, I forgot to put this in last weeks column – about “Health Codes”:

While watching the news one night, last week, there was an item about an eating place out in California that specialized in chicken breast sandwiches. The place was so popular that there was quite a line, outside the place, waiting to be served. While watching the show, I made mention to the wife – “None of them making the sandwiches, are wearing gloves”. Aren’t gloves mandatory when working on food that will not be cooked prior to serving? And, why, I ask, don’t the news people make mention of that?

Ninth:

If you’re on Facebook, then I imagine you might have seen this video. No idea as to what the driver of the SUV was doing, but it looks like he had been touching his brakes prior to making contact with the box truck. Was he/she on his/her cell? How about texting? Drop a smoke? Putting on make-up? Doze off? Regardless, the ending was disastrous. Even SUV’s don’t have much of a chance against a tractor-trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW6EqUNn1cs

Tenth:

Commercials and TV. Yeah, way back when cable first came out, we were all hoodwinked into believing that commercials would be a thing of the past. Yeah, right!

But have you noticed – the commercials for the Ram trucks – not one mention of DODGE? Wonder why?

Eleventh:

From Benzee, on Facebook:

“Payment due by Sun April 15th for everyone attending the Dover NASCAR Trip on Sun June 3rd . For those on the waiting list , there is a good chance to make the motorcoach as we have a lot not paid as of now . Message me for payment info or to get on the waiting list.

From column # 92, on the above:

We will be returning to Dover on Sun June 3rd for the Nascar Race .
We have secured the hospitality Tent at the track through the NLEOMF
Includes

R/T Deluxe Motorcoach
4 am depart Middletown Wal Mart
430 Monroe Wal Mart
One motorcoach only hosted by Benzee

Reserved Premium Race Ticket Turn #1 or #2 ( $84 section )

Hospitality Tent at Hospitality Village at track
All you can eat cont breakfast
All you can eat full lunch
All you can drink refreshments and adult beverages as well

Nascar Driver Meet Q and A ( Driver TBA )
NOTE : 2010 race we seen Greg Biffle

Pre Race Trackside Tour

Entertainment , Raffles and Door Prizes

Cost is $180 per person

Money order , check , cash or pay pal

Contact Erwin " Benzee" Benz
benzee95@hotmail.com
C- 845 234 5323

Twelfth:

Hmm, interesting stuff that I just found (Wednesday evening at 8:00 PM) on Facebook. It’s posted that this was found in this weeks AARN about OCFS:

“Whelen modifieds will have a few test sessions this yr and possibly a scheduled tour race in 2013”

Also, for the small track, again, from the AARN:

“Also talks about the small track to start testing in May, 600's, 270's, Slingshots, legends and speedstrs..”

Found on Jayski’s website:

http://www.jayski.com/

Darlington Raceway to honor Yarborough:

With Cale Yarborough now having been inducted into the third class of the NASCAR's Hall of Fame, Darlington Raceway will celebrate and honor his achievements during the upcoming Sprint Cup Series Bojangles' Southern 500 race weekend on May 11-12. Darlington and the NASCAR Hall of Fame are partnering on a special ticket offer for fans, which will include an exclusive meet-and-greet and autograph session with the NASCAR legend and hometown hero from Timmonsville, S.C. For $59, each fan will receive a ticket in the Pearson grandstand for the Bojangles' Southern 500, a ticket to the NASCAR Hall of Fame (redeemable throughout the season), a 2012 Hall of Fame Yearbook and the opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with Yarborough on race day. The package is a savings of $36 if individual tickets were purchased for each venue separately. Packages can be purchased by calling 866-459-7223 or by visiting www.DarlingtonRaceway.com/congratscale. "Congratulations to Cale on his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Cale is very deserving of his induction and his commitment and dedication to the growth and success of NASCAR and stock car racing is unparalleled," Darlington president Chris Browning said. "To have a hometown hero like Cale have success at the sports greatest level is wonderful for our state. We are proud of the fact that he still calls his native Timmonsville home and Darlington Raceway his hometown track." Yarborough will be on hand during the Bojangles' Southern 500 race weekend participating in various activities, including being honored during pre-race ceremonies for the track's 109th Sprint Cup race. Yarborough is from Timmonsville, just 15 miles from The Lady in Black, is a local hero to race fans of all generations who call Darlington County home, where they witnessed one of the greatest stock car drivers of his time win five Southern 500 races from 1968-1982.(Darlington Raceway)(4-7-2012)

Hendrick Motorsports retires #48 Daytona car:

In case you're wondering whether Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson will bring the infamous C-post Daytona 500 car to Talladega Superspeedway next month, let me help. No. Team owner Rick Hendrick told [ESPN's David Newton] on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway the #48 car that NASCAR deemed illegal, the one that cost him 30 days of "hell'' fighting the penalties, will be laid to rest in the woods surrounding Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s property in Cleveland County, N.C. It'll be in Junior's car graveyard with the mangled #42 that Juan Pablo Montoya drove into a jet dryer to cause a two-hour delay in the Daytona 500 and more than 50 other cars Earnhardt calls "yard ornaments." So is this an admission that the car was illegal, even though chief appellate officer John Middlebrook overturned the 25-point deduction for Johnson and six-week suspensions to crew chief Knaus and car chief Ron Malec? No. Hendrick's just not willing to test the governing body and possibly create another 30 days of turmoil.(ESPN)(4-6-2012)

Max Q Motorsports looking for deal to keep team running:

Larry Gunselman, owner of the Max Q Motorsports #37 Sprint Cup team is seeking new opportunities to keep his #37 team operational. The RWR plans to purchase Max Q and run for Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year fell through when negotiations to purchase a top 35 team after race 5 failed. "Rick Ware and I have been good friends for many years and I wish RWR the best of luck and we may put another program together in the future," stated Gunselman. "The #37 team is back-up for sale and having made every attempt in 2012 the team would be in the next 2 races in case of a rain out. Our goal is to put a new program together in the next couple of weeks or I will be forced to liquidate company assets." The team is in the process of moving from the RWR shop in Thomasville back to their fully operational shop in Mooresville and has a fleet of seven Sprint Cup racecars, transportation equipment including a truck, transporter and pit equipment, as well as, all of the equipment necessary to run a small and efficient Sprint Cup operation.(Max Q PR)(4-5-2012)

Testing at Pocono UPDATE:

Hearing that there will be two testing sessions at Pocono Raceway, which is being repaved before the Sprint Cup race in June. Supposedly the Goodyear tire tests are scheduled for April 24th and 25th, 2012. And supposedly teams will be able to test at Pocono on June 6th and 7th, the days before practices at the track on June 8th. The Sprint Cup Series race is scheduled for June 10th.(3-28-2012)

Free Grandstand Admission at Pocono for Goodyear Tire Testing:

Goodyear Tire, the Official Tire of NASCAR, recently announced that April 24 & 25, 2012 will be the dates for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series tire tests at Pocono Raceway. The Raceway is in the final stages of repaving the entire track and it’s essentially a brand new track. Goodyear engineers will provide a number of different tire compounds and will determine, through this test, what are the best compounds based on results of the test. Goodyear will then produce the tires that will be used in the June 10, 2012 Pocono 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
The drivers and teams tentatively schedule for the Pocono test are: #1-Jamie McMurray (Chevy); #5-Kasey Kahne (Chevy); #20-Joey Logano (Toyota); #22-A.J. Allmendinger (Dodge) and #43-Aric Almirola (Ford). Fans will be permitted to view both days of the test from the grandstand area at no charge. Fans should enter the parking lots via Gate # 5 (Andretti Rd.) with Gate # 11 opening at 9:00 AM. Fans will be directed to grandstand seating areas near the Start/Finish line. Concession stands will be open both dates of the test. NASCAR will allow all Sprint Cup Series teams to test the new Pocono surface with a specially scheduled test on June 6-7. Grandstands will not be open for this test, however, race fans that have Trackside RV, Reserved Fence Line RV, Reserved Infield RV or Early Bird Infield RV tickets for the Pocono 400 will have the opportunity to view the test session on Thursday for no additional charge. In fact, Gate # 1 tunnel entrance and Gate # 4 (for Trackside RV) will open at 9:00 AM on June 7 to allow early access for these fans. For ticket information call 1-800-RACEWAY (1-800-722-3929) or visit www.poconoraceway.com.(Pocono Raceway)(4-9-2012)

Pastrana named Grand Marshal for Samsung Mobile 500:

Travis Pastrana, X Games icon and one of NASCAR's newest superstars, will serve as the Grand Marshal for Saturday's Samsung Mobile 500 Sprint Cup Series race. PastranaPastrana, an 11-time X Games medalist, turned his attention to NASCAR in 2011 and will compete for Pastrana 199 Racing in select Nationwide Series races this year. However, Pastrana will remain true to his extreme sports roots, competing in the 2012 Global Rallycross Championship that makes a stop at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 9, to combine for a doubleheader with the Firestone 550 IZOD IndyCar Series race.(TMS)(4-10-2012)

FAS Lane Racing gets a new sponsor and driver for Texas:

FAS Lane Racing announced that Jani-King will sponsor the teams NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Additionally, the team announces that Reed Sorenson will make his debut for the team as he will pilot the #32 Jani-King Ford in the running of the Samsung Mobile 500 under the lights on Saturday night. "We welcome the opportunity to represent Texas-based Jani-King in what has quickly become a popular night race at Texas Motor Speedway," stated FAS Lane Racing team owner Frank Stoddard. "The team was able to regroup a little with the off week for the holiday and we are ready to get back to work this week in Texas and provide Jani-King with a solid performance on Saturday night. We also look forward to the addition of Reed for this week and putting together a good run." FAS Lane Racing team also welcomes back C&J Energy Services as a Major Associate Sponsor this week. Additionally the #32 Jani-King Ford will feature the logo of the elegant Omni Dallas Hotel at Park West which will once again serve as home for the FAS Lane Racing team this weekend. And rounding out the sponsor line-up for Texas is TMone who returns once again to FAS Lane Racing and will serve as an Associate Sponsor for the Samsung Mobile 500. After enjoying a rare weekend off, FAS Lane Racing heads to Texas Motor Speedway locked into the ever important top-35 in the owner's standings and they look to improve on that this weekend with Reed Sorenson and the #32 Jani-King Ford. Sorenson will be making his 10th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at the 1.5-mile Texas track.(FAS Lane Racing/Integrity Sports Marketing)(4-11-2012)

Nominees announced for 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame Class:

Determination and innovation, two qualities existing in abundance in the men and women who built NASCAR, characterize the 25 nominees for the 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame class. NASCAR announced those 25 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame's fourth induction class, and included among the diverse group are five newcomers who make this list arguably the most intriguing in the hall's history. Of the 25 nominees, 20 return from last year's group. Five are first-timers, and all vary in expertise: NASCAR's first treasurer and secretary Anne Bledsoe France, engine builder and owner Ray Fox, trailblazing driver Wendell Scott, promoter and sponsor executive Ralph Seagraves and driver champion Rusty Wallace. Of those new five, two represent 'firsts' for the hall: Scott the first African-American nominee; France the first female nominee. From that list, five inductees will be elected by the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel, which includes a nationwide fan vote on NASCAR.COM. Voting Day for the 2013 class will be May 23, and once again, fans can attend the announcement live at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. This round of nominees was selected by a 21-person nominating committee consisting of representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and track owners from both major facilities and historic short tracks. The committee's votes were tabulated by accounting firm Ernst & Young. The NHOF's 2013 inductees will be determined by the Voting Panel, which includes the entire Nominating Committee, media members, manufacturer representatives, retired competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs) and recognized industry leaders. In addition, the fan vote will result in the Voting Panel's final ballot. Fan voting on NASCAR.COM opens today, April 11, and closes May 16 at midnight.

Following are the 25 nominees, listed alphabetically:

Buck Baker, first driver to win consecutive NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series titles (1956-57)

Red Byron, first NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion, in 1949

Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series

Jerry Cook, six-time NASCAR Modified champion

H. Clay Earles, founder of Martinsville Speedway

Tim Flock, two-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

Ray Fox, legendary engine builder and owner of cars driven by Buck Baker, Junior Johnson and others

Anne Bledsoe France, helped build the sport with husband Bill France Sr. Affectionately known as "Annie B.," she is the first woman to be nominated for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Rick Hendrick, 13-time car owner champion in NASCAR's three national series

Jack Ingram, two-time NASCAR Busch (now Nationwide) Series champion and three-time Late Model Sportsman champion

Bobby Isaac, 1970 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

Fred Lorenzen, 26 wins and winner of the Daytona 500 and World 600

Cotton Owens, driver-owner, won 1966 owner championship with David Pearson

Raymond Parks, NASCAR's first champion car owner

Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

Les Richter, former NASCAR executive; former president of Riverside International Raceway

Fireball Roberts, 33 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series wins, including the 1962 Daytona 500

T. Wayne Robertson, helped raise NASCAR popularity as R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company senior VP

Wendell Scott, NASCAR trailblazer was the first African-American NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series race winner, and first to be nominated for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Ralph Seagraves, formed groundbreaking Winston-NASCAR partnership as executive with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company

Herb Thomas, first two-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion, 1951, '53

Curtis Turner, early personality, called the "Babe Ruth of stock car racing"

Rusty Wallace, 1989 NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

Joe Weatherly, two-time NASCAR premier (now Sprint Cup) series champion

Leonard Wood, part-owner and former crew chief for Wood Brothers, revolutionized pit stops

The 21-person Nominating Committee is:
NASCAR Hall of Fame: Executive Director Winston Kelley; Historian Buz McKim.
NASCAR Officials: Chairman/CEO Brian France; Vice Chairman Jim France; Senior Vice President Paul Brooks; President Mike Helton; Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton; Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Steve O'Donnell; Competition Administrator Jerry Cook; former Vice President Ken Clapp.
Track Owners/Operators: International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa Kennedy; Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell; Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage; Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark; former Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Tony George; Dover Motorsports CEO Denis McGlynn; Pocono Raceway board of director member Looie McNally; Bowman Gray Stadium operator Dale Pinilis; Riverhead Raceway operators Jim and Barbara Cromarty (1 vote); former Toyota Speedway at Irwindale operator Jim Williams; Rockford Speedway owner Jody Deery.(NASCAR)(4-11-2012)

This was also found on Jayski's website via links that he supplies.

NASCAR Sprint Cup: 10 Reasons Attendance Is Falling Across the Board

In part:

"It is hardly a secret that attendance has dropped off at NASCAR tracks and nowhere was that more evident than recently at Bristol Motor Speedway. There is a convergence of reasons that have led to this phenomenon.

NASCAR racing, especially at its highest level, the Sprint Cup Series, has displayed some of the most competitive races we have seen in years.

With all the great racing we have seen this season, it seems there is more at play than just the economy that has caused the drop in ticket sales at each venue.

Overall, the younger generation doesn't get exposed to working on cars, going to local short tracks and having the fascination with automobiles that the prior generations did.

The COT was introduced in 2007 by NASCAR. It was known as the Car of Tomorrow and has now become known as the Car of Today.

The fans didn't accept the uniformity of all the cars that had no resemblance to cars seen in the local dealer showrooms.

The COT no doubt contributed to some fans drifting away from NASCAR.

Unfortunately, the price we pay at the pump has become a burden on the general public, despite the addition of ethanol.

Traveling to a race is expensive and even if it is a one day trip, the cost of getting there has reached a level many cannot afford or justify.

Today, we have our high definition, big-screen televisions in the comfort of our homes. Some enhance the experience with surround sound or the magic of media rooms.

Even if money is not a problem, it may be hard to take ourselves from the comforts of home to view a race in person.

Lodging is one of the most important parts of the NASCAR experience for those who attend races. Fans may stay from one night to more than a week.

Those who wish to stay for less than two or three nights, often are out of luck with the minimum number of nights mandated by local hotels and motels.

These same hotels and motels are also allowed to gouge the public with room rates going to two, three, four or more times the regular nightly rate during NASCAR events.”

More on this, and more possible reasons, can be found, here:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1134784-nascar-sprint-cup-10-reasons-attendance-is-falling-across-the-board#/articles/1134784-nascar-sprint-cup-10-reasons-attendance-is-falling-across-the-board

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”.

For this week, I’m covering from April 6^th to April 12^th:

April 6

1885

Jules Goux... Born ... AAA driver from 1913 to 1923. He was a Grand Prix racing champion and the first Frenchman to win the Indianapolis 500 (1913) as well as the first European to do so.

1898

Pete DePaolo... Born ... AAA driver from 1922 to 1934. He won the 1925 Indy 500, but needed relief from Norm Batten for laps 106-127 while his blistered hands were taped up.

1912

Tommy Hinnershitz... Born ... Eastern AAA driver from 1932 to 1960. Also known as "The Flying Dutchman" and “Flying Farmer”, Hinnershitz ran in the Indy 500 three times with a best finish of 9th in 1948. He captured seven Eastern sprint-car championships and posted 103 feature victories during his 30-year racing career. While he first gained success and popularity near his Pennsylvania home, racing at the Reading Fairgrounds and Williams Grove Speedway, he also was very popular with fans and fellow racers in the Corn Belt. From the very start of his career, Hinnershitz preferred driving his own cars as opposed to wheeling machinery owned by others. He was an excellent mechanic and did all the work on his cars, including rebuilds on his Offenhauser engines. During the midget racing boom in the late 1930s, Hinnershitz wheeled an outboard-engine car with great success on the board track at the Nutley (N.J.) Velodrome. He was one of a handful of racers, who won races on dirt, asphalt and boards. He retired from driving in 1960, only hours after his friend and rival, Johnny Thomson, was killed in a race at the Allentown Fairgrounds. Hinnershitz was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in the first class in 1990.

1923

Dick Linder... Born ... In the late 1940's and early 1950's, the Linder name was one of the biggest in racing in the entire country. Dick Linder's career was cut short in a USAC "big car" event at Trenton in 1959. He was Indy-bound and had the talent to become one of the real good ones.

Note: I was at Trenton that day. Linder tried to squeeze between a spinning car and the fence as they were going into the fourth turn. His ride up and over the fence, to me, seemed to be in slow motion. I still remember a wheel and tire coming back up over the fence and onto the track.

Herb Thomas... Born ... A NASCAR pioneer who won the Grand National Racing (now Winston Cup) championship in 1951 and 1953; ranks 12th on the career victory list with 48 wins in 230 starts; won Southern 500 three times in the 1950s; inducted in International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994.

1941

Don "The Snake" Prudhomme... Born ... Funny Car and Top Fuel racer.

1968

Affonso Giaffone... Born ... IRL driver 1996-1998.

1975

A.J. Foyt scored a milestone victory, earning his 50th career USAC Champ Car win in the 200 mile race at Trenton Speedway. Foyt's 50th win came in his 229th start and 2nd on the active drivers list at the time was Mario Andretti with 32. With gusting winds and below freezing temperatures cancelling qualifying, a draw determined the grid for just the second time in USAC Champ racing history to that point. Tom Sneva drew the pole and Foyt 10th as just 16 cars lined up, and when Jim McElreath's Brabham-Chevy failed to start, just 15 cars took the green flag, the smallest field at Trenton since 13 cars started the 1958 race. With 20 to 30 mph winds and a wind chill of 10 degrees, drivers requested the first 5 laps be run as green/yellow in order to warm up tires. Sneva held the early lead and when Johnny Rutherford ran out of fuel and coasted to the pits on lap 47, Foyt took over for good. Other than the 5 lap warm-up period, the yellow did not fly and Foyt averaged 154.625 mph around the unusual, 1.5 mile peanut shaped track. It was Foyt's 13th career win at Trenton. The win also was Foyt's 3rd in four 1975 races.

2008

Shane Hammond ... Died ... Shane was a NEMA midget driver that died as a result of crash at the Thompson International Speedway , Thompson, CT.

Article: http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/report/4_6_2008-1.html

April 7

1966

Walt Hansgen... Died ... A driver from the United States. He participated in 2 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on October 8, 1961. He scored a total of 2 championship points. Hansgen also raced in the 1964 and 1965 Indianapolis 500 races finishing 13th and 14th. In addition to Formula One, Walt Hansgen was an active road racer from the early 1960's through his death. He participated in several runnings of the 24 hours of Daytona and Le Mans as well as the 12 hours of Sebring endurance races. He was notable for introducing Mark Donohue to professional road racing. He was killed when he crashed a 7-liter Ford Mk2 sports car at the Le Mans tests during the spring of 1966.

Loy Allen Jr. ... Born ... NASCAR stockcar driver.

1968

Jim (or Jimmy) Clark... Died ... He was the dominant driver of his era, winning two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965. At the time of his death, he had won more Grand Prix races (25) and more pole positions (33) than any driver up to that time. He also competed in the Indianapolis 500 five times, and won it once, in 1965. Jim Clark's life tragically ended in a crash. He was originally slated to drive in the BOAC 1000 km sportscar race at Brands Hatch but instead chose to drive in a minor Formula 2 race for Lotus at the Hockenheimring in Germany, mostly due to contractual obligations with Firestone. On the fifth lap, his Lotus 48 veered off the track and crashed into the trees, killing him instantly.

April 8

1903

Frank Lockhart... Born ... AAA driver 1925 to 1927. Won the Indy 500 in 1926.

1905

Fred Winnai... Born ... AAA driver 1927 to 1946.

1910

The Los Angeles Motordome, the first board track built for Auto Racing opened near Playa Del Rey, California, under the direction of Fred Moskovics and Jack Prince. The 1 mile circular track had 20 degree banking. Barney Oldfield turned a lap of 99 mph in a Benz.

1916

Bob Burman... Died ... AAA driver 1909 to 1916. Burman and his riding mechanic were killed in a wreck caused when a rear wheel collapsed during the Corona Road Races in Calif.

1924

Junie Donlavey... Born ... NASCAR team owner.

1945

Derrick Walker... Born ... CART team owner

1952

Eddie Wood... Born ... NASCAR's Wood Brothers team manager.

1959

Robert Pressley... Born ... NASCAR driver

1966

Mark Blundell... Born ... F1, and CART driver 1996 to 2000

April 9

1922

Johnny Thomson... Born ... AAA / USAC . He won the 1952 AAA Eastern division Midget championship. He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1953-1960 seasons with 69 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 races in each season. He finished in the top ten 43 times, with 7 victories. His best Indy finish was third in 1959. Roy Sherman, the first National Midget Champion, was his chief mechanic for several Indy 500s. He was the first driver to win a 100 mile dirt track race in less than an hour at Langhorne, Pennsylvania. His champ car's average speed was 100.174 miles per hour. Thomson was the 1958 USAC Sprint Car Series champion. He won the Eastern Sprint Car championship in 1954. He died at a sprint car event at the 1960 edition of the Allentown Fair when his car crashed through the fence and flipped into the infield. Thomson was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1996 and the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1997.

2002

Pat Flaherty... Died ... He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1950, 1953-1956, 1958-1959, and 1963 seasons with 19 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 races in 1950, 1953, 1955, 1956, and 1959. He finished in the top ten 9 times, with victories in 1955 and 1956 at Milwaukee as well as the 1956 Indianapolis 500.

April 10

1913

Duke Dinsmore... Born ... AAA / USAC driver from 1946 to 1960

1914

Paul Russo... Born ... AAA / USAC driver from 1934 to 1965. He started racing midget cars in 1934. He went with a contigent of midget car drivers to Hawaii in the winter of 1934-35. He was the 1938 AAA Eastern Midget Champion. Russo won the first race held at the Nutley Velodrome in New Jersey in 1938. He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1940-1941, 1946-1954, 1956-1959 and 1962 seasons with 85 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 races in each year but 1951 and 1952. He finished in the top ten 49 times, with 3 victories, at Springfield (1950), Detroit (1951), and Williams Grove (1952). His best finish at Indy was fourth in 1957, although he co-drove with Tony Bettenhausen to a second place finish in 1955. His brother Joe and nephew Eddie have also raced at the Indianapolis 500. Russo was inducted in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1992.

Note: A photo of Paul Russo will be at the end of this weeks column

April 11

1896

Ralph Hepburn... Born ... A pioneer of American motorcycle racing champion from 1914 to 1924 and a AAA and Indianapolis 500 racecar driver from 1924 to 1948.

1920

Al Keller... Born ... Keller participated in the NASCAR "Strictly Stock"/"Grand National" (predecessors to the current NEXTEL Cup) series from 1949 to 1956 with 29 career starts. He won two races during the 1954 season and was the only driver in the history of NASCAR's top division to have won a race in a foreign-built car, winning the 1954 Grand National road-race at the Linden Airport in New Jersey, driving a Jaguar. In 1954 Keller began a transition to champ cars. He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1954-1959 and 1961 seasons with 32 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 races in all but the first of those years. He finished in the top ten 13 times, with his best finish in 2nd position, in 1956 at Atlanta and in 1961 at Milwaukee. His best Indy finish was 5th in 1961. Al Keller also drove ARDC Midgets prior to his racing stock cars with NASCAR.

Note: A photo of Al Keller will be at the end of this weeks column.

1953

National Hot Rod Association holds its first sanctioned drag racing event, at Pomona, California.

April 12

1924

Curtis Turner ... Born ... One of NASCAR's earliest starts and among its most controversial drivers....won 17 poles and 17 races in his career, which spanned 1949 through 1968....he won the fourth Winston Cup race of its inaugural season of 1949, then won 16 more, almost all of them during the '50s....he was suspended fron competition by NASCAR president Bill France, Sr. in 1960 because he tried to organize the drivers for the Teamsters Union...was the first president of the Charlotte Motor Speedway, and needed a loan from the Teamsters in 1960 to repay creditors....when France got wind of it, he banned Turner until late in the 1965 season. During the time that he was banned from NASCAR Turner raced in the USAC stock car series....he died in a plane crash in 1970.

1964

Ross Cheever... Born ... an American race car driver and is the younger brother of former Formula One driver and Indianapolis 500 champion Eddie Cheever. Born in Rome, Ross never completed a full season in elite level motorsport, however, he did make four CART starts for A.J. Foyt Enterprises in 1992 and drove for Dome in Formula 3000 and Japanese Formula Three in the early 1990's. He retired in 1994 but returned to become a test driver for Eddie's Cheever Racing in 2000 as the team transitioned to Infiniti engines. He was entered in a second Cheever Racing car for the Indianapolis 500 and completed rookie orientation but did not make a qualifying attempt.

News from the AARN:

http://www.aarn.com/

From their April 3^rd issue:

Lenny Sammons:

He noted that both the New Egypt and Bridgeport Speedways “took rubber” on the inside lane, and wore the tires out on the Modifieds.

Note: Methinks a little less down force on the cars might help eliminate this? Maybe putting cones down during hot laps, forcing the cars to go higher, might also result in less wear and tear on the inner lanes, too – maybe?

Ernie Saxton:

Ernie had quite a bit about Nationwide driver Blake Koch, and his not being able to use a sponsor, due to ESPN rejecting it. A little too much about politics and religion in a commercial and also a referral to Koch’s own website, which promotes his ministry.

Note: Huh? What next?

He is listing some prices for the US Grand Prix, to be held along the Hudson River, in New Jersey, with New York City directly across the river – that race to be in 2013 – The Grand Prix of the America. A three day general admission ticket will go for anywhere from $400.00 to $500.00. Better yet, how about a three day “Hospitality” package – one person – from $3,000.00 to $4,000.00 – which includes a seat above the pit area and also includes catered food and drink. They think they’ll have 110,000 in attendance. Oh, an dif you have $15,000,000.00 laying around, they’re looking for a sponsor for the race, too.

Ernie makes mention of watching a “Trackside” show on SPEED. Things got to be so ridiculous, he turned the program off.

Jeff Ulrich:

Tells us the Tim Fuller is dropping out of the WoO Late Model Series for now, due to sponsorship. He’ll run more regional races, which include running the Joe Knoth & Steve Hastings # 74 Modified.

Herb Anastor:

He had quite an extended article about the late Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins who passed away on March 29^th. Reports are that Bill had two heart attacks in recent weeks, and was recovering from the second one.

Dave Roberts:

Making note of the sad state of full blown Asphalt Modifieds with car counts down and most every track.

Todd Heintzelman:

He notes that Jason Meyers has ended his 14 race “Appreciation” tour that he had announced earlier in the year. He’ll be spending time with his family, but he’s also scheduled to run in the Knoxville Nationals in 410’s and 360’s.

Debbie Smith:

She has a preview of the 2012 season for the ARDC Midgets. The 2011 champion, Drew Heistand, will not be defending his championship, mainly due to his being promoted to Sergeant in the Wrightsville, Pa Police Department.

Other news:

Jack Johnson, Pete Bicknell and Ovide Doiron are the three drivers that will be inducted into the DIRT HoF.

Special Honorees: Diane Tobias, Cheryl Kirkland and Carol Flannigan.

The Gene DeWitt Car Owner award will go to Alton and Carol Palmer.

Mechanic of the year to Billy Colton.

The Lenonard Sammons, Jr. Memorial award goes to Jack Speno.

There are 44 pages featuring 99% of the area tracks and their schedules in the annual “Season Preview”. Locally, I did not see schedules for the Accord Speedway or either track at Oakland Valley.

Obituaries listed were for: Delbert Spencer, 86, who passed away on March 29^th. He was a co-founder of Spencer Speedway.

Sal Accardi, Sr. – who passed on on March 21^st. He was a Modified driver from Long Island.

Sandra Brochard, who left us on March 28^th. She was the wife of veteran South Jersey stockcar racer Ralph Brochard.

And here are some things that will be covered in the issue of April 10^th:

In AARN
This Week:

American Racer Cup Offers
Top Short Trackers $150,000

URC Expands Loyalty Incentives
To Competitors

"The Doctor" Was in -
Victory Lane - At Canandaigua

Hodnett Hot;
Sweeps Weekend Double
At Grove, Port

Time For Central New York's
Mod Men To Choose Where To Race

Tim Buckwalter
Kicks Off ARDC Season
On With Big Diamond Win

NASCAR Whelen Mods,
Valenti Mod Racing Series Mods,
ACT Series Seasons Previewed

Pauch Is Back
In New Egypt's Winners Circle

First Time Winner
In Fonda's Mod Opener

Former Oakland Valley Speedway (Dirt Oval) runners:

Last Friday, at Glen Ridge, Tyler Dippel was 3^rd in the Rookie Sportsman feature.

At Williams Grove, in the 358 Sprint Car feature, Davie Franek was 9^th.

Billy VanInwegen was 25^th in the SDS Big Block race at Canadaigua, last Saturday.

At Five Mile Point, on Saturday, Anthony Perrego was 6^th and Brad Szulewski was 10^th in the Sportsman feature.

Johnny Guarino was 5^th in the Modified feature at New Egypt, last Saturday.

Mike Mammana was 17^th in the Modified feature at Big Diamond, last Sunday.

More racin’ stuff:

This coming weekend, the Cup and Nationwide cars race at the Texas Speedway, while the trucks will be running at Rockingham. Car counts for Texas – Cup 47 and Nationwide 45. There are 42 trucks entered at Rockingham, and two drivers, David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne are scheduled to run the Cup race on Saturday night, and the truck race on Sunday. Kahne is also entered in the Nationwide race, too, which is on Friday night. Per the info below, from Jayski’s website, I have no idea as to how Kahne will qualify for the truck race, or what happens if these two drivers miss the “Mandatory” drivers meeting – to the rear, Maybe, if they both qualify?

Reutimann double-duty weekend; McCumbee to help out:

Ricky Benton Racing Enterprises #92 BTS Tire and Wheel Distributors/fleetHQ.com/QMI team and driver David Reutimann are ready to tackle the high banks of the Rockingham Speedway for the inaugural Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 presented by Cheerwine at the venerable one-mile track. Reutimann will have to race the truck to the front if the team makes the race. Due to Reutimann's Sprint Cup commitment at Texas Motor Speedway, ARCA veteran Chad McCumbee will be practicing and qualifying the #92. Per NASCAR rules, a driver change between qualifying and the race requires the truck start at the rear of the field.(RBR PR)(4-10-2012)

Kahne annouces plans to run Rockingham truck race: UPDATE more info:

Kasey Kahne, who drives the #5 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, joined host Steve Byrnes on the set of NASCAR Race Hub for the first time in his career. The occasion: to announce that Kahne is set to pilot the #4 Turner Motorsports, Rockwell Tools-sponsored entry in the upcoming NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Rockingham Speedway on Sunday, April 15, a race that can be seen live on SPEED starting with NCWTS Set Up at 12:30pm/et. When asked if this is a one-race deal, Kahne responded "(Steve Turner; team owner) is open to doing more races. But as of right now, it's one race with Turner and Rockwell Tools. I'm racing the Great Clips car on Friday night (April 13) in Texas, the Farmers Insurance Car (April 14) on Saturday night in Texas, then fly to The Rock.(SPEEDtv.com)(3-30-2012)

UPDATE:

Rockingham Speedway and Positec Tool Corp., a global company that manufactures and markets power tools and lawn and garden equipment, announced today that Positec's Rockwell Tools brand will serve as the "Official Power Tool" of Rockingham Speedway and as the primary sponsor of the #4 Turner Motorsports entry driven by Kasey Kahne for the upcoming NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on April 15 in Rockingham, N.C. "As soon as I heard that NASCAR was adding the Rockingham truck race to the schedule, I wanted to run it," said Kahne, who will compete for his fourth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win in five career starts. "I think it is great for the sport and the fans that we are going back to Rockingham. I'm looking forward to having Rockwell Tools on board for their first NASCAR truck race. Hopefully we can put on a good show for the fans." Like the speedway itself, which shut down operations for several years, Positec acquired the Rockwell brand for power tools after it was taken off of the market in the mid-1980's and re-introduced it back into the market in 2005. Today, the Rockwell brand of power tools and accessories is available at thousands of home improvement retailers in the United States and Canada.(Rockingham Speedway PR)(3-30-2011)

The Rockingham schedule:

Thursday, April 12th
6:30 PM NCWTS HAULERS ENTER

Friday, April 13th
8:30 AM NCWTS REGISTRATION OPENS
9:00 AM NCWTS GARAGE OPENS
11:00 AM NCWTS RANDOM DRAWING
11:30 AM NCWTS MANDATORY DRIVERS & SPOTTER MEETINGS
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM NCWTS PRACTICE
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM NCWTS PRACTICE
5:00 PM NCWTS REGISTRATION CLOSES
7:00 PM NCWTS GARAGE CLOSES

Saturday, April 14th
7:00 AM NCWTS GARAGE & REGISTRATION OPENS
9:00 AM - 9:55 AM NCWTS PRACTICE
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM NCWTS FINAL PRACTICE
3:35 PM NCWTS QUALIFYING (TWO LAPS, ALL POSITIONS)
4:00 PM NCWTS REGISTRATION CLOSES
5:00 PM NCWTS GARAGE CLOSES

Sunday, April 15th
8:30 AM NCWTS GARAGE & REGISTRATION OPENS
8:30 AM 11:30 AM NCWTS Minor's Admitted into Garage Area [With Proper Credentials]
10:00 AM NCWTS GRID TRUCKS ON APRON ON THE FRONT STRETCH
10:30 AM NCWTS DRIVER / CREW CHIEF MEETING
12:30 PM NCWTS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS-SECURITYCLEAR PIT ROAD
1:00 PM NCWTS RACE (200 LAPS, 200 MILES)
1:30 PM NCWTS REGISTRATION CLOSES

Note: All times listed are Eastern Time Zone and are tentataive, subject to change.

Press Releases:

News from the Clash at the Can - "Making History, One Dollar At A Time"

Media Contact: Brett Deyo - Deyo99H@aol.com or 845.728.2781

For Immediate Release/April 10, 2012

'Clash at the Can' RoC Modified Winner Won't Leave Hungry; Harford Subway Offers Victor Six-Foot Sub for Penn Can Speedway Tuesday, June 12 Spectacular; Souvenir Program Book Will Be Published

SUSQUEHANNA, PA - The winner of Penn Can Speedway's rich 'Clash at the Can' won't go away hungry.

The Harford, Pa., Subway store will provide a six-foot sub to the winner of the Race of Champions Dirt Modified Tour big-block/small-block Modified event on Tuesday, June 12. The 60-lap event, sponsored by VP Racing Fuels and Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc., offers an all-time high $10,000 to the winner. Race of Champions Street Stocks join the powerful Modifieds for the two-division program.

"Making history, one dollar at a time" is the theme of the co-promotion involving Brett Deyo and track managers Al Wilcox and Reed Miller. The total purse is the most lucrative since the Susquehanna County facility was constructed in 1952.

The Harford Subway is located at the Liberty Travel Plaza off Interstate 81 Exit 217. The Liberty Travel Plaza offers gasoline and diesel along with a convenience store open 24 hours per day. The Liberty Travel Plaza guarantees the lowest cash price for diesel on the interstate from the New York State border to the I-80 interchange in Hazelton, Pa.

The Subway store is open 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and Saturday and 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Sunday.

For the first time, a souvenir program book will be produced for the 'Clash at the Can' event. The 28-page program will be published by AARN Publishing of Trenton, N.J., the producers of Area Auto Racing News. It will be 28 pages with full color covers and eight total pages of color. BD Motorsports Media will manage advertising, content and distribution of the program. All advertisers will receive a free lap sponsorship, offering added exposure. Contact Brett Deyo at 845.728.2781 or Deyo99H@aol.com for advertising rates.

The winner of the 'Clash at the Can' earns a guaranteed starting berth in the Sept. 29 Outlaw 200 at N.Y.'s Fulton Speedway, an event paying $20,000 to the winner.

Thanks to Trackside Products of Endicott, N.Y., leading lap 30 - the halfway mark - of the RoC Modified event will be lucrative. The halfway leader will have the option of two prizes: a 55-gallon drum of VP Racing Fuels C12 gasoline or two drums of VP Racing Fuels M1 methanol. The halfway prizes are valued at approximately $500 cash.

A number of contingency sponsors have come on board for the event, including Trackside Products, Shiley Fabrication, S&D Bodyline, American Racer/Lias Tire, MTL Motorsports, S&W Awards and more.

The 'Clash at the Can' will offer combination points on the Race of Champions Dirt Modified Tour title race of 2012. Two regions will comprise the '12 RoC schedule. At the 'Clash at the Can' fans will enjoy stars of the North and South colliding in an epic short-track battle.

In its two previous runnings, the 'Clash at the Can' main event has evolved into a standoff between Modified superstars and weekend warriors.

Last June, it was eventual RoC champion Billy Decker, driving John Wight's Gypsum Racing No. 91, besting Accord (N.Y.) Speedway weekend racer Danny Tyler of Cottekill, N.Y. The upstart Tyler led much of the event, proved a formidable match for Decker and guided his family owned No. 22 home to second.

The star of the '10 'Clash at the Can' was Carbondale, Pa.-based Penn Can regular Brett Tonkin, whose No. 15 repelled the advances of eventual victor Duane Howard of Oley, Pa., using the outside lane.

Penn Can's racy one-third-mile layout has proven a great equalizer: expensive and powerful engines aren't the key to success. The surface is tire-wear-friendly. Truly "anyone" can take $10,000 home from this show!

Keep posted to www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com for updates on the '12 'Clash at the Can' event. Penn Can Speedway is on the web at www.penncan.com. BD Motorsports Media can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bdmotorsportsmedia and Twitter @BrettDeyo.

Entry forms have been posted on the BD Motorsports Media website.

The 2012 'Clash at the Can' is presented by VP Racing Fuels, Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc., G&G Towing & Scrap Recycling, Trackside Products, American Racer/Lias Tire, Shiley Fabrication, S&D Bodyline, MTL Motorsports, Fulton Speedway, Bob Hilbert Sportswear, Harford Subway, S&W Awards, and Four Star Lettering.

BD Motorsports Media Co-Promotion Penn Can Speedway History

November 13, 2011 (King of the Can 50 laps) - STEWART FRIESEN - Jeff Strunk - Pat Ward - Jimmy Phelps - Justin Holland

June 7, 2011 (Clash at the Can RoC 60 laps) - BILLY DECKER - Danny Tyler - Jimmy Phelps - Duane Howard - Matt Sheppard

August 10, 2010 - (Hot Summer Night RoC 60 laps) - STEWART FRIESEN - Alan Rudalavage - Duane Howard - Bobby Varin - Joey Grammes

June 8, 2010 (Clash at the Can RoC 60 laps) - DUANE HOWARD - Danny Johnson - Stewart Friesen - Brett Tonkin - Ryan Godown

BD Motorsports Media Promotions All-Time Modified Win List

Stewart Friesen - 3 (Penn Can Nov. 13, 2011; Big Diamond July 26, 2011; Penn Can Aug. 10, 2010)

Duane Howard - 2 (Five Mile Point Oct. 8, 2011; Penn Can June 8, 2010)

Billy Decker - 1 (Penn Can June 7, 2011)

Justin Holland - 1 (Five Mile Point Oct. 9, 2010)

Kevin Hirthler - 1 (Five Mile Point Oct. 10, 2009)

Mike Ricci - 1 (Afton Oct. 7, 2006)

And:

Borgers PR

Media Contact

Bob Snyder

bobsnyderphoto@enter.net

Borgers Paving Complete.

The top coat of asphalt and the paving of the infield at Borgers Speedway have been completed and all is set for the first of two practice days Saturday April 14 and April 21 at 1:00 p.m. If there is no weather issues with the practice days the season opener is set for April 28. “With the forecast of cold temperatures and rain next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this is what the asphalt needs to properly set” remarked speedway owner Glenn Borger. “Northeast Site Contractors did a fantastic job.”

Speedway owner Glenn Borger, “It took us an extra week with the weather and the additional paving of the infield but I feel it is worth the wait. With the infield paved there will be no issues with dirt being drug onto the track from the infield.”

Creature comfort at Borgers Speedway will be a major concern for the 2012 racing season and speedway owner Glenn Borger has spared no expense. Borgers Speedway will have restrooms like no other racetracks in the area. Entering the restroom area race goers will find a spacious room with drinking fountains and diaper changing stations. This room will lead to large and well lighted men’s and women’s restrooms. The restrooms will be heated and air conditioned with two running water sinks in each restroom. Four separate stalls in each restroom and a handicap accessible stall should assure no long lines. Exhaust fans and a tile floor have also been installed. Glenn Borger, “Our restrooms will be more like a “5 Star Hotel” then the deplorable conditions you find at most racetracks. People will be in for a long day at Borgers Speedway and they deserve the very best.”

The paving of Borgers Speedway has opened up many challenges and many new opportunities. Co-promoter Bob Snyder, “My roots are in dirt track racing and I will always love the dirt tracks but times are changing. When I was a kid we did not care about getting dirty at a race. In fact the dirtier we got the more we loved it. At Borgers Speedway the neighbors forced us to pave the track but that may in the long run prove to be a blessing in disguise. This is just the start and big things will be happening at Borgers Speedway. We have something unique that no one else has, a 1/7 mile asphalt speedway. We also have an opportunity to build a spectator base which is almost non-existent at other small car tracks. New spectators coming into racing do not want to sit in the dust and the dirt. They also want creature comfort and this is what we will give them at Borgers Speedway.”

The two practice sessions Saturday April 14 and 21 will be free spectator admission to the grandstand. A pit pass of $20 will be required for anyone entering the pits but there will be no car entry fee.

For further information or weather cancellations check the Borgers Speedway web-site www.borgers-speedway.com or for weather cancellations the Borgers Speedway Weather Hot Line. 570-992-8131,

I get e-mails:

When I opened up an e-mail that I received from old time racer JR Williams, who still races, I should add, I was amazed, and shook my head, at what I was reading, and thought that somehow, I’d have to get it into my column – or in this case, columns. It’s about WW II and the figures on the planes and losses that were endured. It was quite large, so I’ve decided to break it down to a few parts and will continue it in the next column, or two.

If you’re into the history of WW II, sit back and take in some unbelievable facts and figures. Truly amazing!

Amazing WWII Aircraft Facts

No matter how one looks at it, these are incredible statistics. Aside from the figures on aircraft, consider this statement from the article: On average 6600 American service men died per MONTH, during WWII (about 220 a day).

Most Americans who were not adults during WWII have no understanding of the magnitude of it. This listing of some of the aircraft facts gives a bit of insight to it.

276,000 aircraft manufactured in the US. 43,000 planes lost overseas, including 23,000 in combat. 14,000 lost in the continental U.S.

The US civilian population maintained a dedicated effort for four years, many working long hours seven days per week and often also volunteering for other work. WWII was the largest human effort in history. Statistics from Flight Journal magazine.THE COST of DOING BUSINESS ---- The staggering cost of war.

THE PRICE OF VICTORY (cost of an aircraft in WWII dollars)

B-17       $204,370.     P-40       $44,892.
B-24       $215,516.     P-47       $85,578.
B-25       $142,194.     P-51       $51,572.
B-26       $192,426.     C-47       $88,574.
B-29       $605,360.     PT-17     $15,052.
P-38         $97,147.     AT-6       $22,952.

PLANES A DAY WORLDWIDE From Germany's invasion of Poland Sept. 1, 1939 and ending with Japan's surrender on Sept. 2, 1945 --- 2,433 days. From 1942 onward, America averaged 170 planes lost a day.

How many is a 1,000 planes? B-17 production (12,731) wingtip to wingtip would extend 250 miles. 1,000 B-17s carried 2.5 million gallons of high octane fuel and required 10,000 airmen to fly and fight in them.

THE NUMBERS GAME
9.7 billion gallons of gasoline consumed, 1942-1945.
107.8 million hours flown, 1943-1945.
459.7 billion rounds of aircraft ammo fired overseas, 1942-1945.
7.9 million bombs dropped overseas, 1943-1945.
2.3 million combat sorties, 1941-1945 (one sortie = one takeoff).
299,230 aircraft accepted, 1940-1945.
808,471 aircraft engines accepted, 1940-1945.
799,972 propellers accepted, 1940-1945.

WWII MOST-PRODUCED COMBAT AIRCRAFT

Ilyushin IL-2 Sturmovik 36,183

Yakolev Yak-1,-3,-7, -9 31,000+

Messerschmitt Bf-109 30,480

Focke-Wulf Fw-190 29,001

Supermarine Spitfire/Seafire 20,351

Convair B-24/PB4Y Liberator/Privateer 18,482

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt 15,686

North American P-51 Mustang 15,875

Junkers Ju-88 15,000

Hawker Hurricane 14,533

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk 13,738

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress 12,731

Vought F4U Corsair 12,571

Grumman F6F Hellcat 12,275

Petlyakov Pe-2 11,400

Lockheed P-38 Lightning 10,037

Mitsubishi A6M Zero 10,449

North American B-25 Mitchell 9,984

Lavochkin LaGG-5 9,920

Note: The LaGG-5 was produced with both water-cooled and air-cooled engines.

Grumman TBM Avenger 9,837

Bell P-39 Airacobra 9,584

Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar 5,919

DeHavilland Mosquito 7,780

Avro Lancaster 7,377

Heinkel He-111 6,508

Handley-Page Halifax 6,176

Messerschmitt Bf-110 6,150

Lavochkin LaGG-7 5,753

Boeing B-29 Superfortress 3,970

Short Stirling 2,383

Note: More to come, next week. However, if you’d like to see what follows, quicker, e-mail me and I’ll be happy to forward the e-mail to you, which has photos of each of the aircraft that are mentioned, above.

I get e-mails and is this one true?:

This venerable and much honored WW II vet is well known in Hawaii

for his seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body, he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now. He dictated this letter to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president.

Dear President Obama,

My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don't believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.

I enlisted in the U. S . Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos'n Mate. Now I live in a "rest home" located on the western end of Pearl Harbor , allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.

One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.

So here goes.

I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.

I can't figure out what country you are the president of.

You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like:

" We're no longer a Christian nation"

" America is arrogant" - (Your wife even

announced to the world," America is mean-

spirited. " Please tell her to try preaching

that nonsense to 23 generations of our

war dead buried all over the globe who

died for no other reason than to free a

whole lot of strangers from tyranny and

hopelessness.)

I'd say shame on the both of you, but I don't think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.

After 9/11 you said," America hasn't lived up to her ideals."

Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War? I hope you didn't mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.

I don't think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.

Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man.

Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don't, I'll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue . You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.

And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don't want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts , who was putting up a fight? You don't mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don't want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.

One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you're the Commander-in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of.

You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president.

You're not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That's not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now.

And I sure as hell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle...

Sincerely,

Harold B. Estes

Snopes confirms as true:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/haroldestes.asp

When a 95 year old hero of the "the Greatest Generation" stands up and speaks out like this, I think we owe it to him to send his words to as many Americans as we can. Please pass it on.

Some non-racing stuff:

A few columns ago, I made mention of how New York State was going to go into the estates of past Medicaid recipients, and pay itself back for monies paid out. Well, here’s some great news (for now, anyway) – an article about it in the Tuesday edition of my local paper:

Better With Age: NY seniors win as Legislature drops provision

In part:

“Expanded estate recovery for Medicaid is no more!

For those who have been following my column, you know what this means. In last year's state budget bill, a provision was slipped in affecting the families of everyone who ever received Medicaid.

It allowed the state to dig into the estates of all past Medicaid recipients and pay itself back for every penny it spent on them. This legalization of state-authorized "grave robbing" was planned to include IRAs, savings accounts left to your grandchildren, and even your interest in your home. Now, a year later, this threat to the well-being of the families of seniors has been repealed.”

More on this, if you’re interested, can be found here:

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120410/BIZ/204100328/-1/NEWS

And, how about this?

Deportable illegal aliens now getting free dental care

In part:

"Last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a press release detailing the how the agency now “provides quality medical care to detainees.”

According to the release, more than 900 Public Health Service-commissioned officers, civil servants and privately contracted staff now make up the ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC) in order “to serve as the medical authority for ICE on a wide range of medical issues, including the agency's comprehensive detainee health care program.”

IHSC sees to the medical needs of approximately 15,000 illegal alien detainees at 21specialized medical facilities throughout the country as well as to another 17,000 illegal alien detainees being housed in several non-medical facilities

A detainee's health care begins the moment they walk through the facility's doors. Within the first 12 hours of their admission, all detainees undergo a preliminary health screening, which includes an evaluation of the individual's medical, dental and mental health status and within the next 14 days, a more detailed physical examination takes place, said Dr. Krohmer.

At a time when millions of Americans are out of work and many more can no longer afford their own health care, it is more than outrageous that these same Americans are being forced to pay for medical treatment that goes above and beyond what is reasonable for illegal aliens, many of whom have committed other serious crimes while in this country.

When the federal government should be removing the magnets that draw millions to this country illegally, so that we can take care of our own, the government is instead offering free dental and psychological care to foreign criminals…Is it any wonder they keep coming?”