Racin' Stuff:
By Tom Avenengo - OWR Staff

                                                                                    May 7, 2009

 

First things, first:

Don’t ya just love this “Spring” weather?  The forecast for the rest of the week ain’t so hot, either – especially here in the northeast.  As for other areas, like Darlington, where there is Cup racing on Saturday night ( local track promoters possible nightmare!) and out in Indianapolis, where they have qualifying on Saturday, the weather is forecast to be better.

Due to some at home issues, you might find this column a little shorter than normal.

 

 

Going back, in time:

This week, I’m starting something a little different.  Most of what will appear in this section will be about what’s happened in my area, through the years, by dates close to when the column is published.  In some cases, you’ll surely recognize the names.  Hey, maybe you might have even been in attendance at the events I make mention of.

May 5, 1968:

Johnny Coy won the ARDC Midget feature and Jiggs Peters won the URC Sprint car feature at the Orange County Fair Speedway, Middletown,NY

May 7, 1950: 

Troy Ruttman won the AAA Sprint car race over Jackie Holmes at the Winchester Speedway, Winchester, IN

Tommy Hinnershitz won the AAA Eastern Sprint car race at the Lakewood Speedway (1.0d) 25 laps, Atlanta, GA

May 7, 1955:

George Fonder won the AAA Midget race at the Hatfield Speedway, Hatfield,PA

May 7, 1957:

Lloyd Ruby won the AAA Midget race at the Taft Stadium, Oklahoma City, OK

May 7, 1960:

Ernie McCoy won the ARDC Midget race at the Hatfield Speedway, Hatfield,PA

May 7, 1966:

King Carpenter won the ARDC Midget race at the Orange County Fair Speedway, Middletown,NY

May 7, 1972:

Gary Bettenhausen becomes the first to lap the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at over 190 mph. He hits 190.285 in his Penske McLaren- Offy.

Johnny Hubbard won both twin 50's ARDC Midget racees at the Flemington Fair Speedway , Flemington,NJ

Kenny Weld won the Super Sprint car race over Milt Miller, Smokey Snellbaker, Lynn Paxton and Bobby Allen at the Hagerstown Speedway, Hagerstown,MD

May 7, 1976:

Bobby Allen won the KARS Super Sprint car feature over Kramer Williamson, Keith Kauffman, Van May and Steve Smith at the Williams Grove Speedway, Williams Grove,PA

May 7, 1989:

Davey Allison won the Winston 500 over Terry Labonte at the Talladega Superspeedway , Talladega, AL.

May 8, 1964:

Bobby Allen won the Super Modified race over Bud Johnson and Curly Curtis at the Medley Stadium, Palmetto,FL

May 8, 1965:

Mel Kenyon won the USAC Midget race at the Sportsdrome Speedway, Jeffersonville,IN  Note:  Mel is still racing!

May 8, 1970:

Johnny Coy won the ARDC Midget race over Sonny Saunders, Hank Stevens, Jerry Wall and Billy Hughes at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta,NY

Jim Sheaffer won the Super Sprint car race over Kenny Weld, Lynn Paxton, Billy Cassella and Rick Schmelyun at the Williams Grove Speedway, Williams Grove,PA

May 8, 1976:

Lynn Paxton won the Super Sprint car race over Keith Kauffman, Jim Nace, Rick Ferkel and Ted Young at the Port Royal Speedway, Port Royal,PA

Kramer Williamson won the Super Sprint car race over Paul Pitzer, Todd Rittenhouse, Ben Showers and Mitch Smith at the Selinsgrove Speedway, Selinsgrove,PA

Steve Smith won the Super Sprint car race over Jim Edwards, Bobby Brooks, Irvin King and Doug Stambaugh at the Lincoln Speedway, Hanover,PA

May 8, 1982:

Kevin Collins and Buck Buckley won the Super Sprint car features at the Flemington Fair Speedway, Flemington,NJ

Nick Fornoro Jr won the ARDC Midget race over Drew Fornoro, Lew Blair, John Jenkins and Hank Rogers Jr at the Orange County Fair Speedway, Middletown,NY

May 8,1983:

Jack Hewitt won the USAC Tony Hulman Classic Sprint car feature over Ken Schrader, Kelly Kinser, Larry Dickson and Randy Kinser at the Terre Haute Action Track , Terre Haute,IN

May 8, 1987:

Doug Wolfgang, in the Bob Weikert # 29, won the All Star Sprint car race over Bobby Allen, Steve Siegel, Fred Rahmer and Paul Lotier at the Williams Grove Speedway, Williams Grove,PA

Glenn Fitzcharles won the URC Sprint car race over Glenn Clarke, Buck Buckley, Brian Seidel and Paul Molz at the Bridgeport Speedway, Bridgeport,NJ

May 9, 1948:

George Rice won the ARDC Midget race at the Cherry Park Speedway,Avon, CT.

May 9, 1953:

Russ Klar won the AAA Midget race at the Freeport Speedway, Freeport, NY.

May 9, 1971:

Benny Parsons won the Halifax County 100 NASCAR Winston Cup race over Richard Petty, James Hylton, Walter Ballard and Cecil Gordon at the .357 mile paved South Boston Speedway, South Boston, VA

May 9, 1981:

Hank Rogers Jr won the ARDC Midget race over Nick Fornoro Jr, P.J. Roberts, Bob Cicconi and Brian Seidel at the Orange County Fair Speedway, Middletown,NY

May 9, 1984:

Mario Andretti ran the first unofficial 210 mph lap (210.575) at Indy.

May 9, 1992:

Roberto Guerrero set an Indianapolis 500 qualifying record, driving his Lola-Buick to an average speed of 232.483 mph and set the single lap record at 232.618 mph.

May 9, 2001:

Smokey Yunick... Died ... NASCAR and Indy mechanic and owner of the "Best Damn Garage in Town" in Daytona, Florida, died of leukemia at age 77.

May 10, 1952:

Buck Baker drove his Cadillac powered car to victory in a 200 mile event at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. It was the debut race for the NASCAR Speedway division, a class for Championship cars powered by stock block engines. The class first appeared in February with "speed trials" on the Daytona beach during Speedweek, but Darlington marked the first race. When qualifications during the week before the race saw many cars not ready and those on hand plagued terribly by overheating, worried officials quickly added a Grand National Stock Car event as a support race. 21 cars started, led by New Jersey speed shop operator Tom Cherry, who won the pole by turning 4 laps around the 1.25 mile oval at 102.42 mph in his Mercury powered car. Ford powered the most entries with 6, but other engines represented were Cadillac, Mercury, Hudson, Studebaker, Nash, DeSoto and even one GMC. The race was remarkably competitive with 15 lead changes among 5 drivers. Baker took the lead to stay on lap 114 and went on to take the checkered 3 laps ahead of Bill Miller's Olds powered car. Cherry wound up another lap back in 3rd. Surprisingly, 14 cars were running at the finish. Notable drivers in the field: future Indy drivers Al Keller and Dick Rathmann (both then regulars on the GN circuit), fellow GN regulars Jack Smith and brothers Jimmy & Speedy Thompson, Modified ace Buddy Shuman and New Jersey's Wally Campbell, who was at home in both Stocks and open wheelers. The division would have car count problems, which in turn made promoters reluctant to schedule events. After 7 races in May and June, NASCAR pulled the plug on the season.

 

Note:  Most of the above is from:  http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/history.html

 

 

 

Coming up:

Up at Loudon, New Hampshire, the annual Vintage Race Car meet will be going on from May 12th to May 17th:

From the track’s website:

Vintage Racing Celebration

 

19th Annual Vintage Racing Celebration

Tuesday, May 12 - Sunday, May 17, 2009 | 8:00am

Motorsports history will come alive as legendary racing machines from around the world gather to compete at the Nineteenth Annual Vintage Racing Celebration at NHMS.  This year's Grand Marshal is three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, Johnny Rutherford.

On Tuesday, May 12 through Thursday, May 14, many of the most famous Midgets, Sprint Cars, Champ Cars, Roadsters, and NASCAR stock cars will fill the speedway's 1.058 mile oval.  Fans will have the opportunity to meet and talk with the drivers and car owners who wrote early racing history.

From Friday, May 15 to Sunday, May 17, the 1.6 mile road course at NHMS will challenge veteran competitors from the world of road racing.  The action will be friendly, but fierce as these vintage sports cars, formula cars, and motorcycles compete for bragging rights.

Join us on Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17 for the Classic and Custom Car Show along with the NHMS Automotive Flea Market.  If you love cars, this is the event for you!

Tickets, which include infield admission, are $10 per day or $25 for the entire event.  Children age 11 and under are admitted free.  Tickets will be available at the Speedway Main Gate each day of the show.  Gates will open every day at 9:00 a.m.” 

 

 

Racing on TV:

I’m just going to supply a link to this website:  :  http://www.racefantv.com/USTV.htm  If, at times there’s something noteworthy, I’ll make mention of it.

For the Indycar fans:

Saturday from 12:00 noon to 6:30 PM (time on right coast) on the Versus channel – Pole day qualifying from Indianapolis

Then on Sunday, at the same times, the second day of qualifying.

 

 

Other forums/message boards and websites:

A strange thing happened the other day – I attempted to put a link up from the Dirt Track Digest’s forum, onto the South Jersey Dirt Tracks message board.  Guess what?  The SJDR message board will not accept anything that mentions “Dirt Track Digest”.  Actually, the DTD’s message board is really quite a lot better than some others I’ve been on, believe me!

 

 

 

From the Track Forum - http://www.trackforum.com/forums/

 

An interesting thread about the big time problems in asphalt NASCAR modified racing can be seen if you go to this link:

 

http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122258

 

Saturday night Cup racing – how might it affect our local tracks.  Some interesting thoughts can be seen, here:

http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122379

 

 

 

From Jayski - http://www.jayski.com/

 

Richmond overnight TV Ratings: NASCAR on Fox posted a 3.7/7 for primetime racing from Richmond, off -12% from last year's 4.2/8. FOX's 3.6/7 primetime average was just good enough to win the night, edging out second-place NBC's 3.5/6, CBS' 3.4/6, and ABC's 2.5/5. For the season-to-date, NASCAR On FOX is averaging a 4.7/10, down -15% from last year's 5.5/11. For season and race TV Ratings, see my 2009 TV Ratings page.(5-4-2009)

 

Note:  Yep, this is a continuing trend.

 

Chrysler (Dodge) to file for bankruptcy UPDATE 3: Chrysler will file for bankruptcy after talks with a small group of creditors crumbled just a day before a government deadline for the automaker to come up with a restructuring plan, two administration officials said Thursday. The Obama administration had long hoped to stave off bankruptcy for Chrysler LLC, but it became clear that a holdout group wouldn't budge on proposals to reduce Chrysler's $6.9 billion in secured debt, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the filing plans are not public. Clearing those debts was a needed step for Chrysler restructure by the Thursday night deadline. Bankruptcy doesn't mean the nation's third largest automaker will shut down. And the privately-held Chrysler is expected to sign a partnership agreement with the Italian company Fiat as early as Thursday as part of its restructuring plan. A Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing would allow a judge to decide how much the company's creditors would get.(ABC News), NO word how or if this will effect Dodge's involvement in NASCAR.(4-30-2009)
UPDATE: Chrysler remains committed to the Sprint Cup series despite Thursday's announcement it will file for bankruptcy protection and form a partnership with Italian automaker Fiat SpA. "The partnership not only will transform Chrysler into a new, stronger car company with many strategic advantages, it will enable the company to better serve our customers with a broader and more comprehensive lineup of vehicles," said Mike Accavitti, Chrysler's director of brand marketing and strategy for Dodge Motorsports. "NASCAR is a strategic part of our marketing plan and the Dodge brand. We plan to continue our Dodge sponsorship and relationship into the foreseeable future." The bankruptcy filing was the first step in wiping Chrysler's balance sheet clean and beginning the automaker's rebuilding process. The White House forced the move after talks between the company's creditors and the Treasury Department failed to reach an agreement.(ESPN)(4-30-2009)
UPDATE 2: At first blush, it doesn't look like Chrysler's filing for bankruptcy protection on Thursday will have any immediate effect on the seven Sprint Cup teams backed by Dodge. Chrysler was quick to issue a statement on Thursday reaffirming their commitment to NASCAR. But how long, exactly, is the foreseeable future? Several people I [Lars Anderson] talked to involved with NASCAR on Friday morning, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, strongly believed that Chrysler would pull its NASCAR funding in 2010. (The company already slashed its motor sports budget by 30% this year.) Then the question would become this: What would happen to the seven teams that Dodge supports? That is the great unknown.(Sports Illustrated)(5-2-2009)
UPDATE 3: Roger Penske denied on Saturday a report that Chrysler will pull its support from NASCAR after this season. The Sports Illustrated report came on Friday after Chrysler announced it would file for bankruptcy protection and form a partnership with Italian automaker Fiat SpA. "Chrysler guys contacted us and said they were going to continue to support NASCAR," said Penske, the owner of Penske Racing and several Chrysler dealerships. "Hopefully, they can do that based on what the government allows them to do. We're cautiously optimistic right now.'" Penske is a close friend of Chrysler chairman Robert Nardelli, who reportedly will step down after the bankruptcy process is complete. Although the manufacturer has cut some financial support, he has been given no indication that it will pull out of the sport.(ESPN.com)(5-3-2009)

 

Note:  I was watching “Wind Tunnel” the other night, and at the end of the show, the gentleman that they had on said that he could see the 2009 contracts being fulfilled, but he doubted that Chrysler would still be in motor sports (as we’ve known them to be) in 2010.  In a way, I think he might be correct.  As for what might happen with GM – who really knows at this time (see note below).

 

Army Official says sponsorships worth money: The U.S. Army will pay Stewart-Haas Racing $11.6 million to sponsor Ryan Newman's #39 car for 23 races this season, and the Army official who oversees it says the money is worth it. Army and National Guard (#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.) were the only branches of the military that served as primary sponsors for cars in Saturday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway. Lt. Gen. Benjamim Freakley said the Army looks at different ways to determine if the sponsorship is worthwhile but admits it comes down to one thing. "At the end of the day, for the Army, it's does someone join the Army or not," Freakley said. He said 41 people agreed Saturday at the Army's booth at the track to be interviewed by an Army recruiter. "That's powerful," Freakley said. Army sponsorship is a year-to-year agreement. Because Congress controls the money that goes to the military, the budget can fluctuate from year to year. That, Freakley says, makes it challenging to do multi-year deals. He said he won't know his budget until this summer. He said he and his group have started to assess the sponsorship and what they want to do for 2010 but no decisions have been made. (Hampton Roads)(5-3-2009)

 

Note:  As much as I know that sponsors are a “necessary evil” in racing, today, it somehow does not seem right, to this writer, that our tax monies should help sponsor a race team – or a ball park, either.

 

SMI willing to move one of its races to Kentucky: Speedway Motorsports Inc. officials say they have made an official request with NASCAR to add Kentucky to the 2010 Sprint Cup Series schedule. SMI is willing to give up a date at one of its seven other race tracks to get Kentucky on the schedule. SMI chairman Bruton Smith agreed to pay $78.3 million last year for the Sparta track. Kentucky's former ownership group filed a 2005 antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. over Kentucky's failure to land a Sprint Cup date. The suit was dismissed in early 2008, but the case is on appeal. NASCAR has said it will not consider Kentucky for a race until the suit is dropped. Smith says he has so far been unsuccessful in trying to persuade the group to drop the appeal.(Associated Press)(5-4-2009)

Note:  Ah, the question now would be – which track would lose a date? 

SMI has:

Atlanta, which struggles to sell out their two races, Bristol – why one would take a race away from there would be a great “boo-boo”, Infineon – hey I don’t mind stock cars on a road course, Las Vegas –  Hey, even they are looking for a second race!, Loudon – heck, they sell out both of their races, but, they are kind of “out of the way”, and we all know there are no race fans up here in the northeast, right?  Lowes – nah, they’d never take a race away from there.  Look at the way the town reacted when Bruton threatened to move the track a few miles away.  Texas?  I can’t see them losing a race, either.  Your thoughts?

 

Martin to run full Sprint Cup season in 2010: Mark Martin will return to drive the #5 Chevy of Hendrick Motorsports for the entire 36-race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season in 2010. It will be the 22nd full-time Cup campaign of Martin's career and his second with car owner Rick Hendrick. Last July, Martin signed a two-year contract with Hendrick Motorsports covering one full Sprint Cup season in 2009 and one part-time schedule of 26 events in 2010. The revised agreement was signed this week. "Week in and week out, Mark continues to be one of the best race car drivers in the world," Hendrick said. "He's already made an incredible contribution to Hendrick Motorsports, and our entire company is excited about running another full season and winning races with him in 2010." With his April 18 victory at Phoenix, Martin became just the fourth driver to record 400 top-10 finishes in Sprint Cup competition. It was his 36th career win in NASCAR's top series. "It means a lot to drive the #5 Chevy for Rick and for Hendrick Motorsports," said Martin, 50, of Batesville, Ark. "I'm in the best condition of my life, I'm recharged, and I'm motivated. Going to the racetrack every weekend is still really fun, and that's the key. There's more gas in my tank." Martin will continue to work alongside crew chief Alan Gustafson in 2010. Gustafson has led the #5 team since 2005, recording five wins and two berths in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup. The #5 team's sponsorship lineup for 2010 has not been determined.(HMS PR)(5-6-2009)

Note:  I’ve been waiting for this announcement to come out.  It should be interesting of Junior comes out with a Cup car for Brad Keselowski in 2010.

Note:  Regarding the message above about GM and what they might do, in the article about Chrysler -  It seems that GM will be shutting down some of it’s “parts” plants, including some engine plants.  I wonder if this might affect the “Crate” engines?

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090506/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gm_factories

 

 

From the Dirt Track Digest - http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/forum/index.php?showforum=1

Hey, if you don’t visit the forum, you might want to check out this, about a new “leader” for DIRTcar racing here in the northeast:

 

http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=28693

 

And, how about what folks are saying about the Sportsman “Crate” engines?  Interested?  Lots of good stuff to read about if you go here:

 

http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=28704

 

 

OCFS - http://www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net/

It’s quite strange how one reads things on the internet about OCFS.  As an example, I read that for last Saturday, one fan said it was the most fans he’s seen in the covered stands in years, while another says the stands were empty.  Meanwhile it seems the drive-in section is doing pretty good every week.  I have a daughter who is now working for Dave’s Collectibles, at OCFS, and she told me that from what she could see, the stands had quite a few people in them, last Saturday, while the drive-in might have had a few less cars than from the previous week.  Look for the drive-in to be a complete sell-out on Wednesday, June 17th, when Brett Hearn promotes the SDS race and if you have five people in your car, you’ll get into the drive-in for a total of 50 bucks – that’s 10 bucks a person.

 

 

 

Accord - http://www.accordspeedway.com/

Last week, “Mother Nature” threw a monkey wrench into the weeks scheduled racing activities.  Hopefully, it won’t this week.  It’s highly doubtful that this writer will be in attendance, due to some possible “eye” work on Thursday.

 

 

 

OVRP’s Dirt Oval - http://www.ovrpdirtoval.com/

Last week, and as it usually happens, the Dirt Oval was able to get it’s racing show in, despite the weather conditions.  I’d expect the same this week for what is a scheduled double point night.

 

As for the results that used to be on OWR, I see that John Schoebel is now sending them here:

http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/

 

 

 

Former OVRP Dirt Oval runners:

Not to much to report on this week, since last week end we lost some shows due to weather.  However, here is how some of those that have run and, in some cases, still might occasionally run at OVRP’s Dirt Oval, did last weekend.

At Fonda, in the re-scheduled CRSA 305 sprint car feature, Danny Hennessey was 2nd, and Chuck Alessi was 11th.  Billy VanInwegen and John Lodini didn’t make the return trip from the previous weeks rain out.

Up at Whip City, RJ Tufano was 16th in the Mini Sprint feature.

At New Egypt, John Guarino was 22nd in the modified feature.

At Rolling Wheels, last Sunday, Mike Storms was 17th in the modified feature while Matt Hitchcock was 10th in the Sportsman feature.

At Hamlin, Billy V was 12th, Brittney Tresch 14th, Molly Chambers 15th and Robbie Fairweather 16th in the wingless 600 Micro feature.  From what I understand, these four were all DNF’s.  In the 270 Micros, Rick Casario was a DNF and placed 15th while Jacob Hendershot was a DNS.  In the Slingshots, Emily VanInwegen was 11th in the feature.

Saving the best for last – at OCFS, in the modifeds, Clinton Mills was 6th, Mike Storms 8th and Danny Creeden 14th.  In the sportsman feature, Joe Conklin was 1st, Mike Ruggiero 2nd, Bobby Hassenmayer 3rd, Matt Janiak 4th, Doc Young 5th, (how about that, folks – the top five!), Matt Hitchcock 8th, Rich Coons 12th and Anthony Perrego 23rd.

 

 

 

Family members in racing:

Nothing really to report on this week.  Grandson John Rizzo should be back racing this weekend in a newer car, down in Florida.  Brett won’t be racing, yet.  Parts are in for the engine, as long as we don’t find anymore problems when the engines is apart.  Then we have some family things coming up, like graduations, so it will still probably be a while for the Micro to get back on the track.

 

 

Other racin’ stuff:

Ralph Corwin:  As you might know, Ralph is spending the whole month out in Indianapolis.  Ralph usually has his photos on OWR, but with OWR down, he’s seen fit to have them posted on his own website.  If you’re interested, might I suggest you check his site out, here, for the Indy photos:  http://ralphcorwinphotos.com/Indy2009Sitemap.htm and check it out on a daily basis.

 

 

More racin’ stuff:

I imagine that a good many of you reading this know that Brett Hearn has been interested in promoting racing events, and was quite interested in promoting them at OCFS.  Had the economy not soured as it has, I imagine that the chances of him being the promoter this season would have been pretty good.  But, rather than promote the entire race season, he has opted to promote just one event (for now?) and that will be the SDS race on Wednesday, June 17th, with a rain date (how often do you see an SDS rain date?) for the following Wednesday.  Apparently, Brett has a list of 100 drivers that he’d like to see run in this event – well attempt to qualify for it, really, and knowing Brett, I imagine he’ll get pretty close to that figure.  He’s also offering a a special deal for thse that might want to watch from the drive-in section at OCFS – five people in a car for $50.00.  In case you are not aware, the drive-in section at OCFS is along the whole backstretch, and is about 6 or 7 rows high.  The top row is usually for motor homes, etc.

And, if you don’t visit the forum on DTD, might I suggest you at least check out this thread, which is about this race:

http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=28721

 

 

The History of the Sport (This is similar to my “Going back, in time” section.):

 

Some names from the past – could be drivers, car owners, photographers, writers or anyone else associated with racing, get included in these lists that I come out with, on occasion.  Some you’ll know – some you won’t.

From the Langhorne book – continued:

Bert Brooks, Bill Brown, Ray Brown, Walt Brown, Jimmy Bryan, Holly Bunn, Red Byron, Will Cagle, Wally Campbell, King Carpenter, Duane Carter, Neal Carter, Rags Carter, Mike Caruso, Billy Cassella, Gerald Chamberlain, H A Chapman, Buddy Chase, Bill Cheesbourg, Tom Cherry, Joie Chitwood, Bob Christie, Lloyd Christopher, Pat Clancy, Bill Claren and Emory Collins

 

www.openwheelracers.com and/or www.openwheelracers.net:

 

If you’ve come over to my columns here on DTD, from OWR, I really can’t tell you much about either of these websites, above.  I requested some info, a couple of days ago, as to whether there has been any headway made, and as of 11:50 PM on Wednesday night – May 6th, I’ve had no response.  I really hate saying this, but it looks like we probably have seen the last of OWR.  Of course I hope I’m wrong!  Hey, it was great while it lasted.  My going to their chat room, and my answering the “Trivia” stuff got Lenny Calinoff and John LeVan on my case about writing for them.  Eventually, I caved in, and tried it.  This writer made many friends while writing for OWR, either with my columns, or with most anything else that I wrote that was motor sports orientated.  It was, for me, a great eight years.  With me having been able to get press credentials, it opened up new doors for me, and I enjoyed that very much.  Of course if things should change, I’ll make sure those of you that read my stuff would be informed!

 

 

 

Other (non racing) news:

We’re getting along into the spring season, and have you noticed?  Gas prices are slowly going UP.  Think they’ll hit $3.00/gallon by late summer?

The economy – and how the banks made out in their “stress test”:

Well, not so good, I’d say.  I paid a visit to my bank yesterday, and no, they didn’t have any coffee pots out for their customers.  Oh yes, my bank – BoA.  Gotta love it when the banks get billions of dollars, then lower the interest rates on our savings.

For news on how some of the banks did, please check it out, here:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_banks_stress_tests_results

As for the AIG and it’s bonuses - http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/22134;_ylt=AucTA89qPSpPZGbS_7jSIfIDW7oF

Remember, the AIG is who “insures” the pensions of most of our government workers, folks.  I guess it’s still a “you take care of me and I’ll take care of you” deal, huh?

While checking out Yahoo! News, I came across a little tid-bit about how some foreclosed houses were being demolished.  It was a video, and I really didn’t go to it.  However, I find it to be quite a shame that some houses, and some of them probably still in good condition, are being leveled due to foreclosure.  Wouldn’t it be better for those mortgage holders to get something out of the homes they hold?  Seems to me that they’re just rubbing our faces into the problems that some of us are having.  Oh yes, and those that run those financial institutions will be getting some nice BONUSES, ya just know it.

 

 

Video time:

Hey, remember I told you I was a fan of country music?  Well, if you’re not one, you might want to skip the following link – one to a song by John Anderson.  While I was doing a little research on John, yesterday, Wednesday, I came upon this disturbing bit of news:

“News & Announcements

Darel DeCounter Long Time John Anderson Band Member Dies


Nashville, TN (5/1/09)

 

Darel DeCounter, veteran keyboardist/vocalist for the John Anderson Band quietly passed away in his sleep at his home in Whitehouse, Tennessee last evening. 

 

DeCounter held down the keyboard chair for John Anderson for sixteen years, previously performing with Bill Anderson, Jerry Reed, and Randy Travis. 

John Anderson commented from his home in Smithville, Tennessee today stating, “Darel was our musical brother.  We’ll always love and miss him.  Our heart felt condolences to Kate [devoted wife of Darel Decounter].” 

Decounter is survived by his wife Kate.

 

I read that members of the John Anderson band would be his pallbearers.  

 

I do believe that it is Darel, over on the right side of the stage, at the keyboard, in this video:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOqADwinTKc&feature=related

 

Closing with this:

No joke of funny, but I received this in an e-mail on Wednesday afternoon.  In a way, it makes sense.

 

....this was interesting reading..... 

In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - even their job. So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track. Let's get behind her!

My grandson likes Hershey's candy. I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more. My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico now.  I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.

This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60 W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to theGE brand I normally buy was an off brand labeled, "Everyday Value." I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats - they were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA in a company in Cleveland , Ohio.

So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here.

So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets....yep, you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA ! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!

So my challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA -the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies! (We should have awakened a decade ago......)  

Let's get with the program.... help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U.S.A.

Note:  I must say something here – about those light bulbs.  Do you have any idea as to why they’ve been pushing those imported from China - curly round light bulbs that have Mercury in them, and, if broken, must be handled with extreme care?

 

 

May “Guardian Angels” sit on the shoulders of all of our race drivers and guide them safely around the tracks!

 

Drive safe! 

 

As usual, you can reach me at:  ygordad@yahoo.com