Racin' Stuff:

By Tom Avenengo

First things, first:

This coming weekend – Friday, Saturday and Sunday is the annual Eastern States Weekend at the Orange County Fair Speedway. Did you get your tickets yet? In the ½ covered grandstand, from the bottom up to row “J” is general admission and not reserved seating. The top row is row “Q”, so actually “J” isn’t all that far from the top – lie only 7 rows, or so.

Okay – Time for me to be Mr. “Doom and Gloom” as I’m referred to as, when I make mention of the weather forecasts.

As of 1:00 PM on Monday, October 12^th:

Not really all that bad, but could cause problems.

Thursday: Few showers. Highs in the mid 40s and lows in the upper 30s.

Friday: Mainly cloudy and rainy. Highs in the upper 40s and lows in the mid 30s.

Saturday: Few showers – high of 51 and lows in the 40’s

Sunday: Partly cloudy – high 52 and low of 40.

As of 8:30 PM on Tuesday, October 13^th:

Getting a little better! Still we’ll have to dress warmly.

Thursday: Cloudy skies early. A few showers developing later in the day. High 49F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

Friday: Showers possible in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 40s and lows in the mid 30s.

Saturday: Times of sun and clouds. Highs in the mid 40s and lows in the upper 30s.

Sunday: Few showers. High of 52 and a low of 37.

As of 9:45 AM on Wednesday, October 14^th:

Not so good, now. Check out what we might get on Friday!

Tomorrow: Cloudy with occasional showers. High 47F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

Tomorrow night: Rain showers early changing to mixed rain and snow later at night. Some sleet may mix in. Low 37F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of precip 70%.

Friday: Mix of rain and snow. Highs in the low 40s and lows in the mid 30s.

Saturday: Few showers. Highs in the upper 40s and lows in the low 40s.

Sunday: Occasional showers possible. Highs in the upper 40s and lows in the upper 30s.

And:

As of 8:45 PM on Wednesday, October 14^th:

At least the SNOW has been taken out, but overall, the forecast really does suck.

Tomorrow: Showers early becoming a steady rain later in the day. Cold. High 42F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.

Tomorrow night: Rain likely. Low 39F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near a half an inch.

Friday: A steady rain in the morning. Showers continuing in the afternoon. Cold. High 42F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.

Saturday: Cloudy, periods of rain. Highs in the low 40s and lows in the upper 30s.

Sunday: Showers possible. Highs in the mid 40s and lows in the low 40s.

Note: Well it sure does look like Friday will be a bust. There is quite a lot of racing scheduled for Friday, as you can see:

Friday
October 16th

48th ANNUAL EASTERN STATES WEEKEND

- Pit Gates / Drive In Gates Open 8:00 AM
- Grandstand Gates Open 10:00 AM
- 358 Modified Hot Laps 12:00 PM
- WLR CONSTRUCTION presents 358 Modified Time Trials (Top 6 Qualify)
- 305 Sprint Hot Laps
- Modified Hot Laps
- WLR CONSTRUCTION presents Modified Time Trials (Top 6 Qualify)
- 305 Sprint Heat Races
- 358 Modified Heat Races (24 Qualify)
- 305 Sprint B-Main

Saturday is also quite full, too:

Saturday
October 17^th

- Pit Gates / Grandstands Open 8:00 AM
- Modified / 358 Modified Hot Laps 9:00 AM
- 358 Modified Consi’s
- Modified Heat Races
- Eastern States 358 Modified Championship - 100 Laps
- VICTORY LANE FOR 358 MODIFIEDS
- CLEAR PIT AREA
- SPORTSMAN / PURE STOCKS / 305 SPRINTS ENTER PITS
- Hot Laps for Sportsman / Pure Stocks/ 305 Sprints
- Sportsman Time Trials
- 305 Sprint Car Dash
- Sportsman Heat Races
- Eastern States Veteran Pure Stock Championship 20 Laps
- Eastern States Amateur Pure Stock Championship 20 Laps
- Sportsman Consi's
- Eastern States 305 Sprint Car Championship 25 Laps
- Eastern States Sportsman Championship 50 Laps
- VICTORY LANE FOR SPORTSMAN / 305 SPRINTS / PURE STOCKS

Quite interesting, isn’t it? Maybe they are scheduling way to many classes/events? Yeah, I know – the “Back Gate monies”. Hey, “Back in the day” it was just a Modified show – no additional classes. I imagine they’ll be pumping a lot of water out of the infield and pit areas. I wouldn’t be surprised if the track ends up being quite dusty, too, if they get any of the show in this weekend. Kind of like Syracuse was like when they had all that rain a week ago. That rain also caused some havoc with the racing surface, too, I believe.

So, I guess it’s best you keep an eye on the OCFS website for any up-coming news for the weekend.

Here: http://www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net/index1.htm - look for the GREEN over on the right.

Or here: http://www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net/ - Not sure if they’ll post race day info on this link.

Some of my thoughts:

I watched – well, really - I read what was happening up in Syracuse about Super Dirt Week, on my computer over part of the weekend. A truly great job was done by the Dirt Track Digest guys, for sure, in keeping us up to date with what was happening and even throwing in some still photos and videos, too. But I’m really beginning to wonder – is it worthwhile racing just one weekend on a track, today? Granted, they had a lot of rain, but I was reading about, and hearing the drivers comments about, how the track had really “gone to pot”.

Going back, in time – part one:

Maybe I should have included these two drivers last week, but on October 10, 1948, the great Ted Horn had his last race. Two days later, on October 12, 1948, midget great Johnny Ritter was fatally injured while he was changing a tire on his midget, and was hit by an out of control car. Back then, there was a place in Paterson, NJ called “Gasoline Alley”. A lot of race cars were kept in the garages there, along with those of Horn and Ritter. Both Horn and Ritter called Paterson, their hometown.

Going back, in time – part two:

On October 15^th, in:

1920

Chris Economaki ... Born ... Racing journalist, TV commentator and Publisher of National Speed Sport News.

1950

Duke Dinsmore won the AAA sanctioned Golden State 100 on the 1 Mile Dirt Oval California State Fairgrounds in Sacramento, California. Bill Schindler was second followed by Henry Banks, Chuck Stevenson and Fred Agabashian.

1955

Jackie McLaughlin won the URC Sprint Car race over Lou Johnson at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds,Winston-Salem, NC.

1961

Parnelli Jones won the USAC Sprint Car race at the Indianapolis Raceway Park (5/8p), Indianapolis, IN.

Dick Tobias won the Super Modified race over Johnny Mackison, Lorenz Alwine, Neil Haight and Jackie McLaughlin at the Williams Grove Speedway, Williams Grove,PA.

1964

Craig Breedlove became the first man to drive 500 mph when he set a new World Land Speed Record of 526.277 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in his "Spirit of America". He crashed and wrecked the jet car at the end of the second run when his brakes failed. When the dust cleared, Breedlove emerged shaken from the vehicle as the not-so-proud record-holder for the longest skid marks ever recorded. Nevertheless, Breedlove, who already held the land-speed record, did manage to break the 500 mph speed barrier that year, just as he had broken the 400 mph barrier the year before, and just as he would surpass 600 mph in the year following.

1967

Buddy Baker scored his first NASCAR Grand National victory when he won The National 500 Grand National (NASCAR) race Charlotte, North Carolina.

Ray Tilley won the Super Sprint Car race over Bobby Gerhart, Kenny Weld, Mitch Smith and Ted Wise at the Williams Grove Speedway, Williams Grove,PA.

Sonny Ates won 2 and Larry Dickson won the other feature race in the Triple 33s USAC Sprint Car races at the Dayton Speedway , Dayton,OH.

Going back, in time – part three:

Ralph Corwin has more photos from “Back in the Day” posted in his “Victory Speedway” section on his website, and you can see all of them if you go here: http://ralphcorwinphotos.com/VictorySpeedway1.htm

Coming up:

Ok, it’s over a month away, but on Sunday, November 8^th, the annual Lobitz Movie Party/EMMR Auction will be held in Hazelton, Pa. This function is always a blast to attend, and is for such a worthy cause – raising monies for the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing. One never knows just who might show up, too. Quite a few vendors are in attendance, as well as photographers with tons of photos from “Back in the day”, so to say. Race drivers and racecar owners from yesteryear are always in attendance. During the auction part, there is always a lot of “busting chops”, if you know what I mean. There’s a free lunch, and later on, somewhere around 5:00, there is a sit down dinner, too – also on Stan. Stan has done this for over 20 years now.

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.

Indoor Go-Kart racing returns to Syracuse on December 12^th. We always had a blast when we went up there to race. From what I remember, the place is heated and ventilated. A healthy amount of “Coke” syrup is put down on the track to help with traction, and man, does it help! Up until two years ago, they had races in December and again in March, or thereabouts, but last year it was just the December date. Looking at the new info, it looks like they’ll have that March date back again. Info on the Syracuse indoor racing can be seen if you go here: http://www.cnyroadrace.com/indoor/

Racing on TV - http://www.racefantv.com/USTV.htm

Actual live racing on TV:

Friday, October 16^th:

8:00 PM to 11:30 PM on ESPN2 – Nationwide race from Lowes

Saturday, October 17^th,

7:25 PM to 11:30 PM on ABC – Cup race from Lowes

Sunday, October 18^th:

11:30 AM to2:00 PM on SPEED – Formula One Grand Prix from Brazil

5:00 PM to 6:00 PM on SPEED – FIM 250 World Championship from Australia

6:00 PM to 7:00 PM on SPEED – FIM MotoGP World Championship from Australia

Other forums/message boards and websites:

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

Quite a while ago it was announced that there would be a big possibility that “Pony” cars would be what would be racing in the Nationwide Series come 2010. You know – Camaros, Mustangs, ‘cudas, etc etc. Well, it seems that those “Pony” cars have evolved into another COT car, as you can see if you check out the thread about Jack Roush unveiling the “Mustang” Nationwide car. Here is the link to the thread: http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129543

No, not to many people, so far, are happy about it – the Mustang, that is.

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

Phantom caution issue raised by Kahne: The [phantom debris] issue has come roaring back behind #9-Kasey Kahne's accusation that NASCAR threw a bogus caution Sunday to bunch up the field and avoid a boring runaway win by Jimmie Johnson at Auto Club Speedway. Kahne was likely headed to a top-10 finish when he was wrecked on a restart with 12 laps to go. Kurt Busch started the accident when he bounced off the wall and into Kahne. The contact sent Kahne into Greg Biffle, and both cars spun through the grass with enough damage to ruin their race. "It's disappointing that we had a bad race because of a caution to put a show on for the fans. That's a good part of the sport - we have to keep the fans excited - but sometimes it ruins people's days," said Kahne. There's one small problem with Kahne's contention. There was clearly debris on the track. "There was debris on the track, it was talked about on the (NASCAR) radio, it was identified as something being there and the caution was thrown," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Monday. And if NASCAR had been wrong, and there was nothing on the track? Oh well. "NASCAR is always going to put the safety of the competitors first, and when it comes to identifying something on the track, we're always going to err on the side of caution," Poston said. And that's what will forever keep this issue alive. Because sometimes there may not be debris on the track, competitors and fans will always form their own opinions on NASCAR's intent at the time of the caution.(Associated Press)(10-13-2009)

Note: Wow! So someone – a driver no less, has finally come out and voiced their feelings about these “Debris” cautions? Kasey had best watch his pit road speed and possible “rubbin’ is racin’ this coming weekend and also the rest of this season.

Race and Commercial Breakdown of the 2009 Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway: For those of you NASCAR fans that like stats and love to hate commercials, or wonder how often your driver was focused on, here is the breakdown for Sunday's race. ABC was the broadcast team for this event.
Total number of commercials: 123
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 74
Total number of brief promos of products/services during the race broadcast: 41
Start time to record race/commercial periods: 3:15 PM
End time to record race/commercial periods: 7:25 PM
Total minutes: 250
Minutes of race broadcast: 199
Minutes of commercials: 51
Number of missed restarts: 0
Number of 'mystery cautions' (debris not shown): 2
Number of debris cautions where the debris WAS shown: 1
Total race brdcst time 199 Total comm. brdcst time 51
See more on my TV Commercials page.(10-12-2009)

Note: Might that one “Debris” caution that wasn’t shown be the one that Kasey Kahne was mentioning?

Reutimann needs additional sponsorship: Michael Waltrip wants to race next year but the priority at Michael Waltrip Racing is to fill the sponsorship for Sprint Cup driver #00-David Reutimann next year, MWR vice president and general manager Ty Norris said Sunday. Depending on how deals fall in the next few weeks, Reutimann could have as many as 12 races open. Aaron's is going to be the sponsor for half the season for Reutimann. "We may be as few as six or as many as [needing] 12," Norris said prior to the Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway. "It depends on how contracts fall the next couple of weeks. & We are going to make some announcements in the next two or three weeks on a number of other [sponsors]."(SceneDaily)(10-12-2009)

Note: As I’ve said, previously, it’s going to be extremely difficult for some teams, even some of the better teams, too, to land good sponsors for 2010 and possibly further on down the road.

NASCAR's First Father-Daughter Duo To Compete At Talladega: For the first time in NASCAR's history, a father-daughter duo will race in a national series event. Mike Wallace and his 21-year-old daughter, Chrissy Wallace, are slated to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Mountain Dew 250 fueled by Fred's at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 31. Mike Wallace will pilot the #48 Chevy for Andy Hillenburg. He has 113 series starts with four wins and finished fifth last season in the NCWTS race at Talladega. Chrissy will be behind the wheel of an entry for Rick Ware Racing. She is without a guaranteed starting position in the field and must earn a spot in qualifying. The younger Wallace made her series debut at Martinsville Speedway in 2008. She finished ninth in the ARCA Re/MAX Series race at Talladega last year. Though this will mark the first time for a father-daughter duo, father-son combinations have appeared across NASCAR's national racing series all throughout its 61-year history. Lee and Richard Petty; Richard and Kyle Petty; Bobby and Davey Allison; Buck and Buddy Baker; Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are just a few. In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Mike and Dustin Skinner, the late Bobby Hamilton and Bobby Hamilton Jr., and Ron Hornaday Jr. and Ronnie Hornaday have raced each other.(NASCAR)(10-14-2009)

Note: What? Turning her loose at Talladega? Bad call, in my opinion.

NASCAR.com: http://www.nascar.com/

There’s an interesting article about Bobby Allison which you can read if you go to the link, below. Seeing that article kind of reminded me of the time I went to the Motorsports show down in Pennsylvania, one put on by the AARN, and I happened to go by a booth that Bobby was in. I was somewhat amazed that there was NO ONE there talking too or with him.

http://www.nascar.com/2009/news/features/10/13/1on1.bobby.allison/index.html

Dirt Track Digest’s forum: http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/forum/index.php

I was not in attendance at SDW up in Syracuse this past weekend, so I really can’t say or give my thoughts on what occurred up there. However, there are some thought being posted by others, and they can be seen here:

http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=32360

http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/

On this website you’ll find some race reports for OVRP’s Dirt Oval, photos from Ralph Corwin, and this column, too. There are 25 photos up from last week in case you didn’t know of them, and they can be viewed if you go to “Going back in Time Vol 1”. More photos will be coming soon! I was asked by someone that had seen those photos about where are the photos from my “Horse and buggy racing days”, but unfortunately, those were buried - along with the artist that painted them. J

Tracks:

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

From their website:

By going to the link above, it takes you right to information for ESW.

And, some not so good news:

“Attention: Due to the local Town of Wallkill laws, please be advised that there will absolutely be NO OPEN FLAME FIRES permitted on Fairgrounds property. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.”

Note: There was an article in our local paper the other day about it not being legal to burn leaves and some other burning restrictions, that will go into law this past Wednesday.

Here is a link to the new Burning Laws in New York State: http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/58519.html

Also, I had read that there would be no “power” for the campers, either. Kinda sucks. On top of those two items above, we now have to deal with a weather forecast that looks worse every day. If needed, might they use the following weekend as a rain date? There are races scheduled for then at Hagerstown – well on Saturday and Sunday, October 24^th and 25^th. No special sanctioning for either event – ESW or Hagerstown.

And, this, below, taken off of the OCFS website at 9:00 PM on Wednesday, October 14^th, regarding the tires for ESW:

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.

SPORTSMAN - Lebanon Valley Rear Tires are Acceptable - Must Be a LVS regular to use this tire - Must have OCFS front tires

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

From their website:

October 17th

Scarecrow Showdown
October 17th 24th & 31st

Racing-Quads Bikes Slingshots 4 & 2 cyl Karts

Gates open at 3 Racing at 5

CHECK OUT THE MID WEEK MADNESS SECTION
FOR CLASSES
Call 845-626-3478 for more info

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

The Dirt Oval is still having regular point races on October 17^th.

Info on “Octoberfest”, October 23^rd, 24^th and 25^th, which was “Novembefest” in years past, can be found, if you go here:

http://www.ovrpdirtoval.com/Octoberfest.html

OVRP’s road course: http://www.ovrp.com/ovrp/pages/home.asp

From their website:

Thursday, October 15^th
& Friday, October 16^th

Practice 12:00pm-6:00pm

Practice 12:00pm-6:00pm

Saturday, October 17^th
Open Practice 

10:00am-3:00pm
-3:00pm

Sunday, October 18^th
OVRP Race Series
Gates open at 8:30am
Race practice starts at 10:00am

Former OVRP Dirt Oval runners:

Roger Coss went down to Lanier in Georgia again and came home with a 5^th place finish in the Nationals.

Brad Szulewski was 3^rd in his 600 Modified at Linda’s Speedway.

In the Modified 200 at Syracuse, Tim Hindley was 9^th and Michael Storms 44^th. In the Sportsman race, Mike Ruggiero was 18^th and Matt Hitchcock 22^nd.

At Rolling Wheels, in the modified feature, Danny Creeden was 11^th.

At Wyalusing Speedway, in the 270 Micro Sprints, Jacob Hendershot was 4^th and Rick Casario 6^th.

Danny Creeden has a guaranteed starting spot in the Big Block Modified 200 lap race this coming weekend at OCFS due to his being in the top 10 (6^th) in points. And, if the top five in points get a guaranteed starting spot in the Sportsman feature for ESW, then Mike Ruggiero, Matt Hitchcock and Rich Coons would get one, too, since they are the top three – point wise.

Family members in racing:

Last Saturday at OVRP’s Dirt Oval, grandson Brett was 6^th in the 4 Cycle Light feature. Next up: Octoberfest at OVRP on the 23^rd, 24^th and 25^th of October. Might there be a problem here if the Eastern States Weekend of racing at OCFS gets canceled this coming weekend due to rain, and OCFS goes the following week? More news about this, next week – maybe!

Other racin’ stuff:

The American Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) will be having their banquet on November 28^th. Here are a couple of messages that are on their website:

“Save this Date! Saturday, November 28th, 2009 ARDC 70th Anniversary Celebration, Awards Banquet and Charity Fundraiser Night to be held at Lobitz Catering Hall in Hazelton, PA. Please mark your calendars and join us.”

“The Banquet Committee is searching for folks with pieces of ARDC history .... photos, cars from our past generations (could be something as simple as a steering wheel, hood... tail ... etc..), books, old old yearbooks, perhaps an old banquet program, driver's suit, helmet ...etc... or perhaps old trophies .... anything from our ARDC eras gone by .... Please call Deanna Kobylarz at 610-763-6025 if you can loan us your piece of ARDC history for a day or two. Old photos are needed!”

Note: Deanna can also be reached, via e-mail at: bsktracer@aol.com

More racin’ stuff:

Well, there are now five members in the new NASCAR Hall of Fame:

Bill France, Sr., Richard Petty, Bill France, Jr., Dale Earnhardt and Junior Johnson.

Richard Petty had some interesting things to say – like this – which can be found in the link, below:

“That wouldn’t have been my pick”, when he learned about France, Jr. “Anybody that won 105 races and didn’t make the cut—somebody ain’t adding right,” Petty said of Pearson.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=ap-nascar-halloffame&prov=ap&type=lgns

Note: I wonder what the criteria is, and will be, for one to get nominated and voted into that Hall of Fame? Don’t count on seeing to many of the NASCAR Modified drivers getting the nod, though – my thoughts, of course.

NASCAR Cup Points, as they were and as they are – from Jayski’s website:

UNOFFICIAL Sprint Cup CLASSIC - the OLD way - Driver Points Standings
[after Auto Club, race 30 of 36]:
pos, car#, driver, points, behind
1 #14-Tony Stewart,4420
2 #24-Jeff Gordon 4240, -180
3 #48-Jimmie Johnson 4232, -188
4 #11-Denny Hamlin 3980, -440
5 #5-Mark Martin 3967, -453
6 #42-Juan Montoya 3921, -499
7 #2-Kurt Busch 3919, -501
8 #99-Carl Edwards 3816, -604
9 #16-Greg Biffle 3789, -631
10 #39-Ryan Newman 3777, -643
11 #9-Kasey Kahne 3682, -738
12 #18-Kyle Busch 3613, -807
13 #17-Matt Kenseth 3599, -821
14 #83-Brian Vickers 3570, -850
15 #33-Clint Bowyer 3549, -871
16 #00-David Reutimann 3526, -894

UNOFFICIAL Sprint Cup CHASE Standings
[after Auuto Club, Chase race 4 of 10; Season race 30 of 36]:
pos, car#, driver, points, behind, [wins], race finish
1) #48-Jimmie Johnson [5 wins], 5728, finished 1st
2) #5-Mark Martin [5 wins], 5716, -12, 4th
3) #42-Juan Montoya 5670, -58, 3rd
4) #14-Tony Stewart [4 wins], 5644 -84, 5th
5) #24-Jeff Gordon [1 win], 5623 -105, 2nd
6) #2-Kurt Busch [1 win], 5607, -121, 8th
7) #16-Greg Biffle 5540, -188, 20th
8) #99-Carl Edwards 5536, -192, 6th
9) #11-Denny Hamlin [2 wins], 5509, -219, 37th
10) #39-Ryan Newman 5505, -223, 15th
11) #9-Kasey Kahne [2 wins], 5422, -306, 34th
12) #83-Brian Vickers [1 win], 5377, -351,2 9th

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 – and finishing with names starting 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.

Donovan Whitehurst, Ruy Whiting, Tom Whitling, Buck Whitmer, Jimmy Whitson Jr., Rico Whitton, C. H. Whorton,

Max Wicke, Bob Wilder, Lanny Gene Wilkens, Todd "Judge" Wilkes, Bob Wilkey, Ken Wilkinson, Don Williams.

Chris Williams, Derrick Williams, Mark Williams, Tony Williams, Scott Williams, Billy Williams, Larry Williams,

Erwin Williams, Roger Williamson, Tim Williamson, Tony Willman, Mark Wilson, John "Mouse" Wilson, Brian Wilson,

Bill Winand, Fred Wingate, Sandra Winklhofer*, Billy Winn, Joe "Fonzie" Winne, Tommy Wise, Hank Wise, Randy

Witkum, Gary Witter, Joe Wofford, David Wojtusik, Mary Wollesen, Mark Wolleson, Johnny Wood, Dwight Wrich,

Joe Wright, Bob Wright, Marshall Wuertley and Louis Wusterhausen

*Sandra Winklhofer was a eight year old kart driver. She died in a race reserved to child racers at the Garching-Hochbrück kart track in Munich, Germany. Her kart rolled after hitting the machine of another child competitor stalled on the circuit.

Sandra had inherited the enthusiasm for kart racing from her father Richard, who was the vice-president of the 1. Kart Klub München, the main kart club of the town

Video time:

I attempted to get a rather recent video of an ESW race, but as far as a recent race at OCFS, I did find this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hLSRNQUjRA&feature=related

And one from an ESW in the early 70’s:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zei6hE8qLw

Other (non racing) news:

Chicago Cubs baseball team – bankrupt – yes, so they can sell the team quicker. Gotta love this stuff!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091012/ap_on_sp_ot/us_cubs_bankruptcy

The Reverend Al Sharpton doesn’t think that Rush Limbaugh should be able to purchase The St. Louis Rams football team. Huh? As far as this writer is concerned about the “Reverend” is that his butt should be in jail until he makes good on payment to the law officer that he’s supposed to pay about the Tawana Brawley case some years back.

The Governor of California – you know him - Arnold Schwarzenegger – well it’s been reported that his wife, Maria Shriver, was seen, on more than one occasion, using her cell phone while driving. Hmmm. That’s against the law – especially in California. One would think that the Governor’s wife would have a handsfree device, wouldn’t one? Check it out, here:

http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20091014/ap_on_hi_te/us_shriver_cell_phone

But really what is more scary is the amount of people – mostly the younger generation, that are getting hooked on texting with their cell phones, and you just know that eventually, they’ll text when driving. Surely something drastic will have to be done, but you just know that some smart lawyer will find out a way – probably with one of the amendments to our constitution, that will allow it to continue.

Did you see this one coming – Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner – it’s being said that he was “ultimately responsible” for those nice big fat bonuses that went to the AIG’s big wigs. Nah! Really? Coulda fooled me! And this guy is in charge or our Treasury? Must be nice, huh? Imagine the bonuses and other perks this guy will be getting down the road. Yup – we gotta get all these so called lawyers out of office, folks. They’re all selling us out. It’s really getting sickening.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091014/ap_on_bi_ge/us_aig_bonuses

Note: I watched that little video that is linked to in that article. Kind of funny that none of those that were talking about this thing actually came out and said, “Remember – the AIG insures all the pensions of the government workers”. Wonder why?

$250.00 for Seniors?

Hmm, for each “Senior”? Well, it says that President Obama wants seniors to get $250.00 because we’ll be getting no increase in Social Security in 2010. Check it out, here: http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/payments-1267436-obama-social.html

Closing with this:

I’ve received the following on numerous occasions, and again on Wednesday evening, this time from my friend Ralph Laino, down in Lakeland Florida:

*Perks of reaching 50 or being over 60 and heading towards 70!

1.  Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
2.  In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.
3.  No one expects you to run--anywhere.
4.  People call at 9 pm and ask, did I wake you?
5.  People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
6.  There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
7.  Things you buy now won't wear out..
8.  You can eat supper at 4 pm.
9.  You can live without sex but not your glasses.
10. You get into heated arguments about pension plans.
11. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.
12. You quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter who walks into the
room.
13. You sing along with elevator music.
14. Your eyes won't get much worse.
15. Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.
16. Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather
service.
17. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.
18. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.
19. You can't remember who sent you this list.

And you notice these are all in Big Print for your convenience.

Forward this to every one you can remember right now!

And never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on
the same night.

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