Racin'
Stuff:
By Tom Avenengo
First things, first:
There are times when I’ll post things on various forums and/or message boards – things I think race fans, drivers and teams might be interested in. At times, what I post is taken right from the Internet – from a tracks website, or from other areas of the Internet. And, at times, I post things that I’ve been told, either verbally, in person, or via e-mails or even from “Facebook”. In a majority of the cases, those that give me information do know that I write about motor sports, and chances are pretty good that what I’m told, will eventually end up for all to see.
This past week, I did post information about the tires that are to be used at the Easter States Weekend that’s coming up in a little over a week from now. I’ve attempted to get that info previously from the track itself, in hopes of getting the info out to the teams and drivers, so they would have a chance to get whatever tires are required, prior to even going to OCFS for that weekend. No one really knew just what tires would be mandatory, until it came out on the OCFS website on October 2nd. So, I’m figuring that maybe not everyone visits the OC website, and does a quick “search” to find that particular info, so I posted it on the Internet in different forums and/or message boards.
This past Monday, I inquired, via “Facebook”, for some info from a driver that was at the practice session at OCFS this past Sunday, asking him if he was on the required ESW tires, and if so, how was the tire wear? He responded with what I’ve copied and am pasting, below, and what is rather strange is that I had heard the same info – well par t of it, anyway, from another driver.
His response:
"No, I was on used worn out
OCFS tires. Testing for end of race set ups. American
Racer & OCFS did their test already.5 Drivers tested. Tim hindley, Jermey Markel, Jimmy Johnson,
Clinton Mills and ?. Went with same tie USNA used at
Well, on one particular forum, this kind of opened a “can of
worms” so to say. Apparently, what is
quoted above MIGHT not be correct? What
I’ve highlighted in bold is what I had previously heard from another
driver. That, above, did cause someone
from OCFS to post on that forum, and requested that people not go by what is
said on the Internet, but to contact that person either by phone or via an
e-mail, for more accurate info. So,
around midday on Wednesday, I did send that person an e-mail, and in that
e-mail I requested info as to the tire situation for ESW. Said person might be up at
Note: The individual from
OCFS did get back to me, and yes, most of what was said is true. It could not be verified by him on the “100”
figure as to how many of the tires would be brought in, only that he’s been
assured that there would be an ample supply.
He also said that they have received numerous phone calls from race
teams about the tires, and they’ve been referred to the individual that sells
tires at OC – since the track does not sell tires.
Some of my thoughts:
The Internet can be a wonderful thing, and it can also be a pain in the “you know what”. Hey, quite a while ago, it was decided that I was misbehaving on a certain message board, and I did get “punished” for it. But just how far should one go – especially if they have a problem with someone, some place or even with a track, itself? And, if you say - over the Internet, something that might be harmful about a track, shall we say, do you think that track should ask you not to return? Personally, I’m not sure on that.
Going
back, in time:
On
October 8th, in:
1890
Eddie Rickenbacker ...
Born ... An American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient.
He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant
in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation. Rickenbacker
raced in the 1912, 1914, 1915 and 1916
1910
Travis "Spider" Webb...
Born ... AAA driver, ran 6 Indy 500's
1919
Jack McGrath... Born ...
AAA driver from the 1940's & 50's, ran 8 Indy
500's. He was killed in the final race of the 1955 season in
1949
Bill Holland won the AAA
Eastern Sprint Car race at the Richmond Int. Raceway,
1950
Tommy Hinnershitz won
the AAA Eastern Sprint Car race at the Charlotte Speedway (3/4d),
1954
Bobby Grim won the IMCA
Sprint Car race at the Birmingham Int. Raceway, Birmingham, AL.
1955
Bill Elliott... Born ... A former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of
1960
Johnny Mackison won the
Super Modified race at the Lincoln Speedway, Hanover,PA.
1961
Parnelli Jones, in the #
1 Fike Plumbing Special, won the USAC Sprint Car race at the Williams Grove
Speedway, Williams Grove,PA.
1965
Mitch Smith won the
Super Modified race at the Bedford Speedway, Bedford,PA.
Bob Elbin was second followed by Lynn Paxton, Bob Foor and
1966
Bruce Walkup won the CRA
Sprint Car race at the Ascot Park Speedway, Gardena,CA.
Jiggs Peters and Joe Csiki won the ARDC Midget feature races at the
Bloomsburg Fairgrounds, Bloomsburg,PA.
1967
Mel Kenyon won the USAC
Midget race at the Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville,TN.
Gary Bettenhausen was second followed by Bob Tattersall, Bob Wente and Chuck
Arnold.
1972
Bobby Allen won the
Super Sprint Car race at the Lincoln Speedway, Hanover,PA.
Dub May was second followed by Lynn Paxton, Steve Smith and Ed Zirkle.
Tom Bigelow won the USAC
Sprint Car race at the New
Buddy Cochran won the Sprint Car race over Lou Blaney, Ted Wise, Rick Ferkel and Lynn Geisler at the Tri-City Speedway, Franklin,PA
Coming
up:
Ok,
it’s over a month away, but on Sunday, November 8th, the annual
Lobitz Movie Party/EMMR Auction will be held in
You
can call Lynn Paxton for information on this at: 717-432-8188.
The number I’ve found for the Lobitz Catering Hall is: 570-455-2037.
If you plan on attending, get there early – at least before noon. And, if you have something you’d like to
contribute for the auction, all the better!
Note: I’ll continue to post this item throughout
the month of October.
Racing
on TV - http://www.racefantv.com/USTV.htm
Actual live racing on TV:
Saturday,
October 10th:
1:00
PM to 4:00 PM on SPEED – Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series –
4:00
PM to 7:00 PM on Versus – IRL Indycar Series Firestone 300 from
4:30
PM to 7:00 PM on ESPN2 – Nationwide Copart 300 from
Sunday,
October 11th:
3:15
PM to 7:30 PM on ABC – Cup race from
7:00
PM to 10:00 PM on ESPN2 – NHRA Eliminations from
10:00
PM to 12:00 AM on SPEED – ARCA RE/MAX Series American 200 from
Other
forums/message boards and websites:
From
the Track Forum - http://www.trackforum.com/forums/
An
interesting thread about the Indy 500, World 600, starting times for both, and
the possibility of doing the double, can be seen if you go here: http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129297
From
Jayski - http://www.jayski.com/
Danica talking
to Hendrick about NASCAR ride UPDATE 2 MWR?: Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., may
soon be involved in a limited NASCAR arrangement, NASCAR team owner Rick
Hendrick confirmed to SI.com.
The other side of the Patrick puzzle may soon fall into place as Hendrick said
Sunday afternoon that Patrick's agent at IMG has met with the team about a
limited schedule of ARCA and NASCAR Nationwide Series races to go along with
the IndyCar Series contract she signed to remain at Andretti Green Racing.
According to Hendrick, the plan would be to put Patrick in the JR Motorsports
team that is owned by Hendrick driver Earnhardt, Jr. with sponsorship from
GoDaddy.com. "We have no deal but she has spoke
with Kelley Earnhardt [Dale Jr's sister who handles that teams business
affairs] about a limited number of NASCAR races in that car," Hendrick
told SI.com. "I have had some conversation and Kelley Earnhardt has had
some conversation with that but Kelly is heading that up. GoDaddy.com would be
involved because of their involvement with Danica and with JR Motorsports.
Kelley talked to her in the last week. We are looking at how it matches up with
her IndyCar schedule. We are interested and think it would be neat but it has
to work out for both sides." Patrick signed a three-year IndyCar Series
contract with team owner Michael Andretti two weeks ago but has remained quiet
on that subject because of sponsor demands who want to have a major press
conference to announce the signing. According to IndyCar Series sources, one of
Patrick's sponsor contracts in IndyCar is about to expire so that announcement
will not be made until the sponsor is ready to make the announcement. "She
has signed the contract, they just want to make sure the sponsor is ready to
make the announcement," said an IndyCar Series official Saturday
afternoon. While details of Patrick's new contract have not been disclosed,
Andretti indicated there are limits to how much racing she can do outside of
IndyCar. Andretti wants his high-paid driver to focus on what he signed her to
do -- try to become the first female driver ever to win the
UPDATE: Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, the president of JR Motorsports that
is co-owned by Sprint Cup star Dale Earnhardt Jr., said on Monday she is
exploring options that could put Danica Patrick in a limited number of
Nationwide Series races next year. "There is a natural fit at JRM with
Dale Jr. and Danica both serving as spokespersons for GoDaddy.com," Elledge
said. "As a female managing one of the top Nationwide Series teams in the
sport, I would be excited to have Danica within the JR Motorsports fold if she
decides to enter the world of NASCAR." Elledge said Patrick would split
time with Earnhardt and several other drivers in the #5. Kelly Bires recently
was signed to replace Brad Keselowski in the #88 car next season. "Kelly
bires will run 88 full time," Elledge said in a
text. "So she will be part time in 2nd car."(ESPN.com)(10-6-2009)
UPDATE 2: Add Michael Waltrip Racing to the list of NASCAR suitors for
IndyCar Series star Danica Patrick for 2010. Team owner Michael Waltrip said on
Tuesday he's met with Patrick and given her a tour of the team facility. He is
willing to put her in limited number of races in the Nationwide and Truck
Series, "whatever she wants,'' he said. "We've certainly talked to
her and are interested in what she's going to do,'' Waltrip said. "We have
sort of done that without a whole lot of people knowing. She knows we're
interested when she knows what she's going to do." Waltrip doesn't believe
the rivalry between Japanese car manufacturers will be a stumbling block.
Patrick drives a Honda in the IndyCar Series; Waltrip's team fields
Toyotas."There's not a Honda over here [in NASCAR], so she's going to
drive something besides that,'' he said.(ESPN.com)(10-6-2009)
Note: Seems like everyone and anyone is after
Danica, doesn’t it?
Another F1
Driver looking to move to NASCAR UPDATE: Nelson Piquet Jr., who became the source of a
recent scandal known as 'crash-gate', will be testing in the NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series with an eye towards a future in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series
with in two years. Piquet Jr., will get behind the wheel of a Toyota Tundra for
Red Horse Racing on October 12th [at
UPDATE: Brazilian natives, Nelson Piquet, Jr. and Vitor Meira will test
a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota Tundra at Little Rock for Red Horse
Racing. The one day test scheduled for Monday, October 12th, will be the first
time behind the wheel of a stock car for Formula 1 driver, Nelson Piquet, and
IndyCar Series driver, Vitor Meira. Red Horse Racing will field two Toyota
Tundras (both displaying #1) for Piquet and Meira to test on the short track at
Rockingham Speedway. Red Horse Drivers Timothy Peters and TJ Bell will also be
on hand to help the open wheel drivers acclimate to their first stock car test.
Both Piquet and Meira plan to use this test with Red Horse Racing to evaluate a
future career among the NASCAR ranks. Both extremely successful in their
respective series, Piquet and Meira look forward to a new challenge. Pacific
Mobile will be a sponsor of the test as they are also evaluating NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series Racing. "We look forward to helping Vitor Meira and
Nelson Piquet make the transition into NASCAR," said Red Horse Racing
Owner, Tom DeLoach. "It's not an easy thing to do to go from an open wheel
background to racing stock cars but they are both immensely talented and have
the ability to be successful in any series they chose to race in".(Red Horse Racing)(10-5-2009)
Note: I guess this show you just how far out in
left field Open Wheel racing is here in the
Changes at
Dodge/Chrysler: Chrysler's new Italian management has once again shaken up the
automaker's executive team, announcing the departure of two recently appointed
brand CEOs and splitting the Dodge brand into two groups, one focusing on
trucks and the other on cars. The moves, announced Monday, marked the second
management shake-up since Fiat Group SpA CEO Sergio Marchionne took control of
Chrysler on June 10 when it emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Peter Fong, president and CEO of the Chrysler brand and the company's top sales
executive, and Michael Accavitti, president and CEO of the Dodge brand,
abruptly left the company, Fong for personal reasons and Accavitti to pursue
other interests, Chrysler said in a statement.
Chrysler sales spokesman Gualberto Ranieri would not comment when asked if the
departures were related to Chrysler's sales performance. Chrysler said that it
would split the Dodge brand into truck and car groups. The truck group will be
led by Fred Diaz Jr., who previously ran the company's
Vice President of Design Ralph Gilles will take over leadership of the Dodge
car brand, which includes minivans, in addition to his current design
responsibilities, the company said. The two men replace Accavitti, who resigned
to pursue other interests, Chrysler said. Accavitti was appointed to head Dodge
by Marchionne in June when Chrysler emerged from Chapter 11.
The company also said Fong resigned for personal reasons, and he was replaced
by an executive from Fiat, Oliver Francois, as Chrysler brand president and
CEO. Francois served as head of the Lancia brand, Chrysler
said in a statement.(Michigan Live). No word how
this could affect Dodge's involvement with NASCAR. Also see articles at the Orlando
Sentinel and Detroit
News.(10-5-2009).
Note: Somehow, in the back of my mind, I have this
feeling that Chrysler/Dodge won’t be around auto racing very much longer.
NASCAR announces
uniform start times for 2010: NASCAR will conduct a special teleconference at
3:00pm/et this afternoon with NASCAR CEO Brian France, FOX Sports Chair David
Hill, David Levy of Turner, and John Skipper of ESPN. Speculation is that they
will announce more uniform race start times for next season.(10-7-2009)
UPDATE: NASCAR and its television broadcast partners announced earlier,
uniform start times for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2010. NASCAR worked
closely with FOX, Turner, ESPN/ABC and the tracks on this project for the fans.
The race start times for NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 2010 in the Eastern and
Central regions of the country will begin at 1 p.m. ET, West Coast events will
begin at 3 p.m. ET, and night races will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET. (The one
exception is NASCAR's longest night race, the Coca-Cola 600, which will have
the same 5:45 p.m. ET start time.) Following the invocation and national
anthem, the green flag will drop at approximately 15-20 minutes past the hour
after each listed race start time. A total of 28 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in
2010 will be held at an earlier time compared to 2009, with 20 races moved to 1
p.m. ET, including the Daytona 500. Moving up the start of "The Great
American Race" two-and-a-half hours will produce the earliest start time
for the Daytona 500 since 2003, when the race was also scheduled for 1 p.m. Five races move earlier to a 3 p.m. ET start and three races
start earlier at 7:30 p.m. ET. In making the decision for earlier, more uniform
start times, NASCAR consulted its Fan Council, comprised of 12,000 avid fans
who serve as a sounding board on important topics. Half of NASCAR avid fans
said they are often unclear about what time NASCAR races actually start. When
given the chance to choose a start time, more than two-thirds of avid NASCAR
fans preferred early Sunday afternoon.(NASCAR
PR), see the complete list of start times on my 2010 Cup Schedule page.(10-7-2009)
Note: Notice that ONE exception on the night racing? Uh huh – the 600 from
NASCAR.com: http://www.nascar.com/
The
economy and how it affects NASCAR – interested?
Check it out, here: http://community.nascar.com/madcowracing/blog/2009/10/06/looking_at_nascars_economical_status
Dirt
Track Digest’s forum: http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/forum/index.php
With it being reported that the WoO Sprint Car Series gong from Hoosier tires to Goodyears, some interesting thoughts are being said on the DDT’s forum: http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=32193
http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/
Tracks:
OCFS
- http://www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net/
From their website:
APPROVED
TIRES FOR EASTERN STATES
Standard
OCFS Tire Choices:
29.0/11.0-15DTW D3B
OCS RR
27.5/11.0-15DTW D1B
OCS LR
26.0/10.5-15DT D1B
OCS RF
26.0/10.5-15DT SH
SD48 LF
Optional
Extra Hard RR for Eastern States Weekend (BB & SB Mod)
29.0/11.0-15DTW D4B
Bridgeport Hard
tires should be legal. They are the same compounds as the OCFS tires.
The legal Pro Stock
tire is the 29.0/11.0-15DTW MD56 MRTW, which is the weekly tire at OCFS.
And, if you go to
the OCFS website, most any info you might want about Eastern States Weekend –
October 16th, 17th and 18th can be found as
soon as the website opens up.
Accord
- http://www.accordspeedway.com/
From
their website, for October 10th:
October 10th
Wreckage
in the Catskills
4 cyl Demo Derby $500 to win
Based on 25 entries for each division-Reg. form in "form" section
8 cyl
Demo Derby$500 to win
Based on
25 entries for each division-Reg. form in "form" section
4 cyl Enduro$1000 to win
Based on 25 entries
for each division-Reg
form in "form" section
8 cyl Enduro $1000 to win
Based on 25 entries
for each division-Reg
form in "form" section
Pro Stock-$400 to win
Open Tires 25 laps
Based on 20
entries-Reg form in "forms" section
Pure
Stock-$200 to win
Open
Tires 25 laps
Based on 20
entries-Reg form in "forms" section
"Run
What Ya Brung"-$1000 to win
based on 20
entries-Reg form in "forms" section
Modified Sportsman Spec Sportsman Style Race Car-Open Tires
Powder Puff Race-
Pure stock-no previous stock car experience
Pit Gates open
at 11 AM
Spec Gates open at 12
Registration form located in the
"forms" section
2009 Rules located in the "rules" section
Even though
“One more track that has agreed that stock steel bodies will be
allowed in 2010.
Bethel Motor Speedway in White Lake New York (formerly Kauneonga Speedway) has
been running dirt Sportsman on the 1/4 mile pavement as a regular class. When the promoter
was asked if other body options would be considered...his response was that
he'd love to see some other body styles and "as long as it looks like a
Modified" he doesn't care if it meets DIRT rules (DIRT specs will be the
maximum allowed).
He actually thought that encouraging some variety in bodies would be good for
the class and the track in general. Hopefully some teams there will take advantage
and create some unique looking Sportsman cars.”
Note: If you read my
columns on http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/ you would have seen the
photo of the PT Cruiser on the modified chassis – that was on my September 24th
column. However, I must say this - it’s
being reported that that photo is not an actual photo, but one that someone
that is good at “Photoshop” has created.
Still – it looks pretty cool!
OVRP’s
Dirt Oval - http://www.ovrpdirtoval.com/
The
Dirt Oval is still having regular point races on October 10th and 17th.
Info on “Octoberfest”, October 23rd, 24th and 25th, which was “Novembefest” in years past, can be found, if you go here:
http://www.ovrpdirtoval.com/Octoberfest.html
As
for “Octoberfest” – below is basically the last thing I posted on the 4 Cycle
forums, regarding rooms for the weekend.
Here are some prices.
Most all say to call and make reservations ASAP. Make sure you tell them you
have AAA or AARP for discount, in some cases. And also mention that you’re
racing at Octoberfest at OVRP in Cuddebackville, or something similar, which is
indicated, below in certain motel infos - that might get you into more
discounts if enough call the same place (s) – with maybe ten rooms needed for
the discount. Calls were made, or visits made, by me, on either Tuesday, 9/29
or Wednesday, 9/30.
Comfort
Myers Motel on Rt 209 in Milford Pa - 570-296-7223 - $85 - $95
Red Carpet @ exit 46 I-84, in Milford - 570-296-9444 - $80.00 + tax
Cornucopia - between Cuddebackville and Port Jervis on Rt 209 845-856-5361 -
$60.00 for one double bed only and only a couple of rooms avail.
Days Inn -
Days Inn - Wurtsboro on Rt 209 - 845-888-2727 - $115
Erie Hotel - Port Jervis - 845-858-4100 – rooms available @ $75.00/night.
Hampton Inn - Middletown - 845-692-7600 - $149 with 15% off if mentioning OVRP
Heritage Motel - Middletown - 845-361-1211 – none available
Holiday Inn - Middletown - 845-343-1471 – wrong number, correct number is:
877-863-4780, and they have about 9 no smoking only for $165.
Milford Motel - Rt 209 Milford Pa - 570-296-6411 - $75.00
Best Western - Matamoras, Pa at exit 53 (1st or last exit in Pa) – 570-491-2400
– see more info in a previous post - # 29
Hampton Inn (Hilton) – Matamoras, Pa at exit 53 – 570-491-5280 – this one is
brand new – see more info in a previous post - # 29
Note: Both of these last two are across from exit 53 E on I-84
Again, I’m more or less the “messenger” here, not saying which are good, bad or
indifferent. Good luck, and hopefully we'll have great weather!
Note: If you've already called one of those above, and reserved a room, or two,
and you find something cheaper, either with those above, or another one
someplace else, I do suppose you could call and cancel?
OVRP’s
road course: http://www.ovrp.com/ovrp/pages/home.asp
From their website:
Sunday,
October 11th
Endurance
Race
SOLD OUT!
Sign up
early for October 25th
Endurance Race
Former
OVRP Dirt Oval runners:
There really isn’t
much to report on this week.
At
At
Jacob
Hendershot won the 270 Micro Sprint feature at Wyalusing, while Rick Casario
finished 3rd.
Billy
VanInwegen ended up being the National and Regional champion in the Tobias
SpeedSTR racing series for 2009.
Justin
Grosz is 24th in points with the ARDC Midgets.
I
imagine I’ve missed some, so, in case I did – sorry!
Family members in racing:
Since my last column, a different racecar is
now in my garage – a dirt modified which will be for
the 2010 racing season. More than likely
in the Sportsman class at OCFS and with a crate engine.
As for grandson Brett, it looks like he’ll be
returning to OVRP’s Dirt Oval again this coming Saturday – weather permitting,
of course.
Other racin’ stuff:
Super Dirt Week is scheduled for this
week/weekend at the mile track up in
As of 8:00 PM on Tuesday, per
the weather on Yahoo!, here is the forecast for the
Tonight: Windy. Rain
showers early becoming less numerous overnight. Low 48F.
Winds WNW at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Winds
could occasionally gust over 40 mph early.
Tomorrow: Intervals of
clouds and sunshine. High 64F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow night: Cloudy with
occasional light rain after midnight. Low around 50F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain
70%.
Friday: Rain showers in
the morning then thundershowers in the afternoon. High 63F.
Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Saturday: Cloudy with
showers and thunderstorms.. Highs in
the low 60s and lows in the upper 40s.
Sunday: Clouds giving
way to sun . Highs in the low 50s
and lows in the low 40s.
I checked the
extended forecast and it shows showers for Monday, with rain and SNOW showers
for Tuesday.
Note: Practice for Wednesday, October 7th,
and racing at Can Am, was rained out.
Some way to get the week started, huh?
Short Track
Supernationals:
Brett Deyo is promoting this show, again,
this year at the Five Mile Point Speedway, and it’s this coming Saturday,
October 10th. All the
information you need can be found here:
http://www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com/supernationals.shtml
NASCAR Cup
Points, as they were and as they are – from Jayski’s website:
Listed below are
the 2009 point standings for Cup, with points - without the chase first, and
with the chase, second.
UNOFFICIAL Sprint
Cup CLASSIC - the OLD way - Driver Points Standings
[after Kansas, race 29 of 36]:
pos, car#, driver, points, behind
1) #14-Tony Stewart, 4260
2) #24-Jeff Gordon, 4065, -195
3) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 4037, -223
4) #11-Denny Hamlin, 3923, -337
5) #5-Mark Martin, 3802, -458
6) #2-Kurt Busch, 3772, -488
7) #42-Juan Montoya, 3751, -509
8) #16-Greg Biffle, 3686, -574
9) #99-Carl Edwards, 3666, -594
10) #39-Ryan Newman, 3659, -601
11) #9-Kasey Kahne, 3621, -639
12) #18-Kyle Busch, 3522, -738
13) #83-Brian Vickers, 3494, -766
14) #17-Matt Kenseth, 3475, -785
15) #00-David Reutimann, 3417, -843
16) #33-Clint Bowyer, 3411, -849
UNOFFICIAL Sprint
Cup CHASE Standings
[after Kansas, Chase race 3 of 10; Season race 29 of 36]:
pos, car#, driver, points, behind, [wins], race finish
1) #5-Mark Martin [5 wins], 5551, finished 7th
2) #48-Jimmie Johnson [4 wins], 5533, -18, 9th
3) #42-Juan Montoya 5500, -51, 4th
4) #14-Tony Stewart [4 wins] 5484, -67, WON
5) #2-Kurt Busch [1 win], 5460, -91, 11th
6) #11-Denny Hamlin [2 wins], 5452, -99, 5th
7) #24-Jeff Gordon [1 win], 5448, -103, 2nd
8) #16-Greg Biffle 5437, -114, 3rd
9) #39-Ryan Newman 5387, -164, 22nd
10) #99-Carl Edwards 5386, -165, 10th
11) #9-Kasey Kahne [2 wins], 5361, -190, 6th
12) #83-Brian Vickers [1 wins], 5301, -250, 37th
For drivers and owners points standings, see the Drivers
Points Standings page.(10-4-2009)
The
History of the Sport:
At times, we’ve lost drivers while they were
competing on the speedways. Here, below,
is just a small, partial list of those that have perished while doing what they
loved to do – alphabetically, with a partial list of last names
beginning with the letter “W”, this week.
I imagine that you might recognize some of the names listed. Later on, in future columns, I’ll continue
my way through the alphabet. If you
click on the names, below, you’ll go right to the Motorsports Memorial website
and info on that particular driver.
Billy Wade, J. A. Wade, Curly Wadsworth, Bob Wagner, Don Waite, Stoley "Coolie" Waiters, Walt Walasek,
Bob Walker, Doc Walker, Pete Walker, Jack Walkup, Joe Wallace, Alvin Wallace, Brian Wallace, Horace Wallace,
Bill Walters, Leon Waltz, Mike Waltz, Merritt Wandling, John Ward, Nelson Ward, Roger Warren, Paul Warwick,
Johnny Wasem, John Waterhouse, Wendy Wathen, Don Watson, John Watts, Joe Weatherly, Clay Weatherly,
Lou Webb, Jim Webber, Charlie Webster, Sammy Weiss, Gene Welch, John Wenderski, Billy Wertz, Robert West,
David West, Barry Westmoreland, Keri Wheeler, Joe Whitcomb, Bob White, Nolan White, Carl White, Drexel White,
Tony White, Dave Whitehorse, Donovan Whitehurst, Ruy Whiting, Tom Whitling, Buck Whitmer and Dave Whitehorse.
Video
time:
Again,
if you don’t like “Country Music”, you best skip the link below. I stumbled upon some videos of some well
known country singers from “Back in the Day”, so to say, and they were gathered
together, and having a grand old time singing songs that they’ve sung in days
long ago. As I watched one, I’d check
over on the right, and, as usual, find many more videos, and I’d watch them
too. How many? I don’t know, for sure, but it was
countless. So, enjoy Ed Bruce in the
link, below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1zMw6ytC3U&feature=related
Other (non racing)
news:
Health care – what it
MIGHT cost, down the road:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_overhaul
A cross, on private
land, and it is getting the attention of our Supreme Court? Unbelievable!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091007/ap_on_go_su_co/us_supreme_court_mojave_cross
Closing with this:
I received the following in e-mails from different people, over these past few days.
Think about this:
1. Cows
2. The Constitution
3. The Ten Commandments
COWS
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow
epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three
years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington? And,
they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11
million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each
of them a cow.
THE CONSTITUTION
They
keep talking about drafting a Constitution for
THE 10 COMMANDMENTS
The
real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments
posted in a courthouse or Congress is this --you cannot post 'Thou Shalt Not Steal' 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery'
and 'Thou Shall Not Lie' in a building full of politicians
.... it creates a hostile
work environment.
Also, think about this ... if you don't
want to forward this for fear of offending
someone -- YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM! It is time for
Maybe we need another “Operation
Wetback”, as far as the “Illegals” go?
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