Racin' & Internet Stuff:
By Tom Avenengo
07/19/2012
First:
I’ve only seen photos on Facebook
on the racing at the “little Track” at OCFS from last Friday night. Kinda looks like
they had a fair amount of entrants in some classes, while only one Legends car
was shown, and no Bandelaros shown. There were rumors
out there that the “purse” wasn’t all that bad, either. I noticed a Lightning Sprint was running with
the 600 Micros – less wings. Neither class was listed as being in
competition, but they had about 7 cars entered, altogether? Also read that there were two Lightning
Sprints and they ran with the 600’s, but scored separately. Unfortunately, there appears to be no results
out on the Internet from those races.
Second:
Found on Jayski’s
website:
Bires
to make Sprint Cup debut:
Note: I’m really
trying to figure out – was he actually a “Start & Park” driver, so is it a
good thing or bad thing for him by “finishing” 42nd? What has he really gained by being on the
track for only 19 laps? Do the sponsors
know that it will be a “Start & Park” and will get probably no TV coverage,
at all? How long will sponsors continue
to spend their dollars for basically nothing?
Third:
In the small amount that I saw on the Cup
race at Loudon, I did notice some aluminum showing in the stands, which, today,
is really the norm. Would races with
less mileage, a one day show, and less costly seats help improve
attendance? Might having two races on
Sunday help?
Fourth:
Found on Jayski’s
website:
Sad News - Bill Slater:
It was learned Sunday, July 15 that New England Auto Racing
Hall of Fame member “Wild Bill” Slater has passed-away. A member of the
first-class inducted into the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1998, Slater drove his first race at
Fifth:
Note: Hey, as much as I’d like to
see it happen, I kinda think it ain’t
gonna!
Sixth:
The weather: Ok, it’s summer time and it should be a little more than “warm”,
but, jeez, this ain’t
High yesterday: 94
Record high: 98 in 1991. Record low:
45 in 1954
Precip – 24 hrs ending 4 PM: 0.00”
Month to date: 0.83”
Normal month to date: 2.23”
Year to date: 9.54”
Normal year to date: 22.98”
Seventh:
Bye Bye National Guard?
Over on the Track Forum, a thread about
sponsorship from our Armed Forces.
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?167136-Bye-Bye-National-Guard
A few things
said:
“Sponsoring Dale Jr
was a total waste of moneyWashington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) expressed her
outrage and disbelief at the level of waste in the National Guard’s recruitment
budget.
In 2012, the National Guard is spending $26.5
million to sponsor Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s #88 car in NASCAR races for the purposes of recruitment. Over
the past five years Earnhardt’s racing team has received over $136 million in
taxpayer funds from the National Guard – making him the highest paid military
contractor in professional sports.
Total Cost of
National Guard Sponsorship of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s
#88 Car
Fiscal Year 2008: $18.12 million
Fiscal Year 2009: $27.35 million
Fiscal Year 2010: $35.27 million
Fiscal Year 2011: $28.86 million
Fiscal Year 2012: $26.54 million
5 Year Total:
$136.14 million
Today,
an online USA Today story by Dustin Long cites the National Guard’s contracts
manager for recruitment, Maj. Brian Creech, explaining the effectiveness of
this taxpayer investment in military recruiting.
“In fiscal year 2012, the National Guard has
been contacted by more than 24,800 individuals interested in joining because of
the race sponsorship. Of those, Creech said 20 were qualified candidates and
that none joined,” according to the USA Today story.
That’s right, ZERO RECRUITS JOINED. The
National Guard spent $26.5 million for ZERO recruits.
“The Pentagon’s NASCAR sponsorship program is
an outrageous waste of taxpayer money and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta should
terminate these sponsorship programs immediately. Spending $26 million on a
NASCAR racing team – in the name of national security – for zero recruits tells
me the Pentagon can painlessly absorb some serious budget cuts,” McCollum said.
“This Pentagon failure is particularly
outrageous in light of the fact that last week House Republicans voted to kick
200,000 low-income kids out of the school lunch program and eliminate funding
for “Meals on Wheels” for home-bound seniors in order to add $55 billion to the
defense budget.”
Yesterday, an amendment to stop funding
Pentagon sponsorship of NASCAR and other professional sports was offered by
Rep. McCollum and Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) to fiscal year 2013 Defense
appropriations bill. The amendment passed on a voice vote and will now go to
the House floor as part of the $608 billion defense spending bill. http://mccollum.house.gov/press-rele...rdt-jr-results
when you publish figures like that.... I don't
care what type of intangible benefits like you claim to gain from the
sponsorships, it's toast.”
“Actually as a race fan, that's kind of scary, 1 in a 1000 very scary”
“and dubious. It's very
difficult to believe.”
“That's what I was thinking. Less than 1% of those
interested had what it took to join theNational
Guard?
I just think they left a couple of zeros off
of that figure. Unless NASCAR fans as a whole are even fatter, drunker and
dumber than I thought.”
“Listening to Moody, the representative supporting the bill
just stated the bill does include IndyCar. However,
it was voted down earlier today.”
“Voted down? You mean the whole Congress has to vote on
things and two publicity seeking representatives don't enact legislation on
their own?”
And, this is
the one post that started it all:
“Bye Bye National Guard?
It doesn't
look good for continued military sponsorships.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...onsors/?page=2”
Eighth:
What follows
came out on Facebook around 9:15 PM on Wednesday,
7/18:
By Shawn Courchesne
From the article:
“Less than four years ago NASCAR celebrated Ed Whelan as its Whelen Modified Tour championship winning team owner.”
“Wednesday Whelan told NASCAR goodbye.
Whelan said Wednesday that he is shutting down
his Whelen Modified Tour team and selling the
equipment he has.
Whelen had fielded a team for Ted Christopher, the 2008
series champion and the division’s third winningest
driver of all-time.
“I’m done,” Whelan said. “I’m not coming back
due to the purses going where they’re going, the car counts going where they’re
going, the rules changes going where they’re going ...
“My deciding factor was the spec motor
performance at New Hampshire [Motor Speedway Saturday]. The division is going
in a place where I don’t want to continue spending more money. I don’t want to
be spending $4,000 to win $2,8000.”
Some
owners in the series have accused NASCAR of manipulating the rules in the
series to push teams to use a Robert Yates Racing Engine spec motor instead of
traditionally built motors.
Ron Silk’s Ed Partridge owned team used the spec
motor for this past weekend’s Town Fair Tire 100 at New Hampshire Motor
Speedway. Silk blitzed the field in qualifying and ran first or second the
entire event. He lost by three-thousandsts of a
second to Mike Stefanik at the finish.
“Why not try to sell my motors now while they’re
still worth something,” Whelan said.
Whelan said the costs of running the series have
too far outdistanced the return in purses to make it worth running any longer.
“I love the sport,” Whelan said. "I love Modifieds. Unfortunately I’m not going to spend the money
that it takes to race competitively in this division. Ten years ago you could
win a race at
“Unfortunately, where NASCAR is taking it, I
choose not to be part of that. I feel bad for Teddy and the crew. Teddy will
have a ride next week. We spent $4,000 to go to [the Waterford Speedbowl for the Mr. Rooter 161 on June 23]. We finished
ninth and I got a check for $600. How much longer can you continue being involved
in something like that? Why is the car count the way it is? The purses are just
ridiculous. It just came to the point where the cost of doing it became a
bigger burden compared to the passion I have for the sport.”
The 54-year old Christopher has 18 victories and
48 top-five finishes in 92 starts for Whelan dating back to the 2006 season.
Last August, after a bad weekend of competition at New Hampshire
Motor Speedway, Whelan shut the team down. The team missed the 10th and 11th
events of the season, at
So far this year, through six of the scheduled 14 events, the team had one
top-five finish and three top-10’s and no victories
and sits 11th in the series standings. Christopher was 29th of 34 cars in
Saturday’s Town Fair Tire 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after being
involved in an accident.
Christopher has 42 career Whelen
Modified Tour victories, two behind second place all-time Reggie Ruggiero, who
has 44. Seven-time series champion Mike Stefanik, who
won Saturday at NHMS, is
the division’s all-time leader in victories with 72.
After Christopher's previous Modified Tour team, Mystique Motorsports, was shut
down suddenly early in the 2006 season because of legal issues involving team
owner Jim Galante, Christopher connected with Whelan
for the fourth event of the season and went on to finish third in the
standings.
After finishing fifth in their first full season together in 2007, the team
reached the pinnacle by winning the series champion in 2008. It was the first,
and still only, series title, for Christopher. The team had back-to-back third
place finishes in the standings in 2009 and 2010.
Christopher said he expects to compete in the next Whelen
Modified Tour event, July 28 at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway, for car owner Wayne
Anderson. Christopher has been competing semi-regularly this year at Riverhead
weekly for
More
on this, mostly comments at the end of the article can be found here:
TV listings:
Mainly
NASCAR stuff.
http://www.jayski.com/pages/tv.htm
Coming up:
At Accord, this coming Friday,
the CRSA 305 Sprint Cars will be an added attraction. No 4 Cyl or
Lightning Sprints.
Not sure yet, if I’ll make it
there or not. A lot depends on how the
“War Department” is feeling. Love the
Sprint Cars – especially on a short track.
Now, if they’d take off those wings and let the drivers have more input!
No racing at OCFS this
Saturday, but there is the 358 race on Thursday night. Winner gets outside pole for the ESW 358
race. Open tire rule for the 358’s. Also on Thursday, Sportsman, Rookie Sportsman
and Vintage cars will be in action. I
have not seen any word as to whether the drive-in will be open, or not, so I’m
figuring that it will be.
Note: The drive-in will be open, yes. Admission:
$14.00 per – not sure on freebies for kids, though. No Senior discount.
Methinks I might try out the
Drive-in on Thursday. Weather
permitting.
On Sunday,
September 2nd, the Sunday of the Labor Day Weekend, the “Racing
Expo” that’s been held at the Hinchliffe Stadium in
This years show will take place on Sunday September 2, 2012 of Labor Day
weekend
Gates open to paticipants
at 10 am
Show starts at 12 noon and runs all day
Admission is FREE
Hinchliffe Stadium is located in Paterson, N.J., on the corner
of Liberty St. and Maple St. next to the Great Falls.
Come out and show your support for the Stadium.
While your there you can check out the Great Falls Festival. There is something
for everyone. See you at the SHOW!
Note: I’ve read that Bill Claren, who had a 2nd place finish in the midget
feature on 9/2/47 will be in attendance.
Found
on Jayski’s website:
Penske Supports Allmendinger
But Has 'Options':
While
saying he remains committed to embattled driver AJ Allmendinger,
team owner Roger Penske also said Sunday [on SPEED's Raceday] he has "lots of options" if a vacancy
appears in his #22 Sprint Cup cars. Penske said Sunday morning that he hopes Allmendinger passes a second NASCAR drug test and that the
team can move on. "My goal is if this thing goes in AJ's
corner and he can be back in the car and this is a speed bump," Penske
said. "I'm more concerned with him as an individual than I am the
circumstance. We'll deal with the circumstance in a business way and support
him one way or another. This could give us a chance potentially to look at
drivers that might be wanting a ride in the 22. With
that, we have lots of options." Joey Logano, who
is in a contract year at Joe Gibbs Racing, is rumored to be one of the drivers
in tentative talks with the Penske operation. Allmendinger
was temporarily suspended by NASCAR on the Saturday of the Daytona race weekend
after a random drug test produced a positive. The so-called "B"
sample from that test will be checked next week. If positive, Allmendinger is likely to be suspended indefinitely. Penske
said Sunday that Sam Hornish Jr. probably will
continue to fill in for Allmendinger at races that
don't conflict with Hornish's Nationwide Series schedule.
"But there are some conflicts," Penske said. "We need to
continue to run for the championship in Nationwide. We have commitments to
sponsors. What we can't do is turn that upside-down. This is a great chance for
him (Hornish) to show us what he has. He would
obviously be someone we would consider if the 22 seat became open." Penske
didn't rule out the possibility of continuing to work with Allmendinger
if the second test sample reveals a positive. "I think what you have to do
is look at what those circumstances are," he said. "What are the
issues? Ultimately, that will be my decision on whether he would come back, and
I don't want to make that call right now."(SPEED)(7-15-2012)
Penske Racing hasn't heard from Allmendinger
or NASCAR:
Penske
Racing hasn't been in touch with NASCAR about A.J. Allmendinger
since his temporary suspension, but many drivers are trying to get in touch with
the Sprint Cup team. NASCAR hasn't informed the team of the substance that
caused Allmendinger's failed test and many are
wondering what the long-term plans are for the Shell car. Penske Racing
president Tim Cindric said the phone began ringing
not long after Allmendinger was yanked from the #22
Dodge hours before the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Sam Hornish Jr. substituted for Allmendinger
at Daytona and this weekend at
"Without a doubt, starting Saturday
afternoon in Daytona, like (team owner) Roger (Penske) said, all of a sudden
you're the prettiest girl in town, as far as other drivers are concerned,"
Cindric said Saturday in victory lane at
Penske also was in attendance for Saturday's
race but didn't speak to media after joining in Keselowski's
celebration. Team officials said he had to leave quickly after the win because
of a prior commitment. Cindric said the Penske brass
hadn't met with NASCAR execs this weekend. "The way we see it, it's
between NASCAR and A.J. at this point in time," Cindric
said. "Obviously he's our driver, but it's not something that we
control."
Cindric said Shell had been "amazingly patient"
while awaiting the fate of Allmendinger who seemed to
be headed for a contract extension after signing a one-year deal to replace
Kurt Busch. "They've stood behind A.J.," Cindric
said. "We had those two top-10s and had a lot of momentum. We felt we
might be at a turning point then. We thought we would go forward. We had to sit
out and take a timeout." Cindric said the team
and sponsor had mulled scenarios depending on the results of the "B"
sample test. "In our job we have to talk about all kinds of different
scenarios," he said. "We haven't made any decisions. We've just tried
to role play a bit with all the different outcomes. We also have to see how
(Sunday) goes as well. You take it a step at a time because you have two or three things
happening in parallel.(in part from the USA Today)(7-15-2012)
RCR Minority Partner Considering Selling Equity
Position:
Richard
Childress Racing has advised its employees, drivers and key sponsors that Chartwell Investments is considering exiting its minority
equity position in RCR. "Since 2003, I have had a minority partner at RCR
in Chartwell Investments," said Richard
Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. "Like any
private equity business, Chartwell has a duty to its
investors to return capital and maximize profits in a reasonable timeframe.
With my support, they have determined that now is an appropriate time to exit
their investment in RCR. Chartwell has been a great
partner and I will always be appreciative of our partnership. We will remain
good friends. We have informed the key people and sponsors of RCR about Chartwell's decision and assured them this will have no
impact on the current affairs at RCR or our continued vision for strong
performance on and off the track. We have advised them that if a new investor
comes on board as RCR's new partner they will be
strategically chosen to help RCR continue to grow. Our family of corporate
partners has all been very appreciative of our letting them know and remain
committed to moving forward. I love what I do and plan to be involved in NASCAR
and in running RCR for many years to come."
"RCR is one of the elite NASCAR
organizations and we are honored to be a part of the RCR family and partners
with racing icon Richard Childress for close to ten years," said Michael Shein, Managing Partner of Chartwell
Investments. "During this period, RCR has continued to prosper, more than
doubling the size of its business. We are equally optimistic about RCR's future performance both on and off the track,
remaining confident in NASCAR's long-term potential. We have engaged The Raine Group to explore the potential sale of our interest
in RCR in order to monetize our investment." The Raine
Group is a global merchant bank focused exclusively on the
digital, media & entertainment and sports & lifestyle sectors.(RCR)(7-16-2012)
AJ Allmendinger:
UPDATE B Sample Test Set for Allmendinger:
Statement
from Tara Ragan, Vice President, Walldinger Racing
Inc. "We now have a confirmed date for the testing of AJ's
"B" (split specimen) Sample. The test will take place on Tuesday,
July 24 at 8:00am CDT and be conducted at the Aegis Analytical Laboratories in
Kurt Busch to Andretti ride?
Hearing that Kurt Busch could be headed to the Andretti
Sprint Cup Series Team in 2013 with Dodge as the manufacturer. See past news about Michael
Andretti possibly starting a Sprint Cup Series team on my New Teams News page.(7-17-2012)
Yeley
moving to Tommy Baldwin Racing:
J.J.
Yeley, who has been driving the #49 for Robinson-Blakeney Racing, tweeted Wednesday morning, "Making some positive changes for
the remainder of 2012. Moving over to TBR". No
additional details available yet.(7-18-2012)
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”.
This week I’ll cover from July 19th
to July 25th.
JULY 19
1902
Chet Miller ...
Born ... AAA driver 1928 to 1953. Ran the Indy 500
sixteen times with a best finish of 3rd in 1938. He was killed at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway during practice for the 1953
1959
Van Johnson... Died ... USAC driver. First name Dale, he was killed in a race at Williams Grove Speedway
just 5 weeks after winning his first champ car race. Rodger Ward won the race
followed by Eddie Sachs, Jim Packard, Johnny Thomson and A.J. Foyt.
JULY 20
1931
Red Riegel... Born ...ARDC,
URC and USAC driver from Leesport PA. Died in a USAC
Sprint car race at the Reading Fairgrounds Speedway in the same crash which
also claimed the life of Jud Larson.
1999
Emil Andres ... Died ...
AAA driver from 1935 to 1950
JULY 21
1904
Louis Meyer... Born ... American Hall of Fame race car
driver best known as the first three-time winner of the
1990
Rich Vogler ...
Died ... USAC Midget and Sprint Car driver. Inductee in the
National Sprint Car Hall of fame. First to win both
the USAC Sprint Car and Midget Championships in the same season. His 134
wins (95 Midget, 35 Sprint, and four Silver Crown wins) in national events is second only to A. J. Foyt's
169. Vogler had 170 total USAC wins, and won over 200
"outlaw" (non-USAC) midget races. Five starts at Indy, best finish -
eighth in 1989 driving a Penske. In the last race of his life, July 21, 1990
during an ESPN "Saturday Night Thunder" national broadcast, he was
killed while leading a sprint car race at the
JULY 22
1980
Scott Dixon ... Born ...
Scott won the 92nd running of the
JULY 23
1936
Dave MacDonald ... Born ...
MacDonald became noted on the West Coast for his performance in the sports car
circuits. He competed in seven NASCAR Grand National races, finishing second in
one race each in both 1963 and 1964. He was one of two drivers killed during
the 1964
1973
Eddie Rickenbacker ... Died
... 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
JULY 24
1897
Charles Glenn Howard... Born ... AAA driver from the
1920's.
JULY 25
1911
Len Duncan... Born ... Len Duncan, of
George Marshman... Born ...
Race car driver, builder and promoter. Father of Bobby Marshman, 1961
1959
Rodger Ward defeated the creme of US sportscar racers when
he won the Formula Libra race at Lime Rock in an Offenhauser
powered Kurtis midget.
Note: A photo of Ward, after winning that race is
down in the “Photo” section.
1965
Johnny Roberts ... Died ...
NASCAR Modified Champion died as a result of a crash at the Lincoln Speedway in
Found on the Internet:
NASCAR Decision Makers Are
Overlooking Some Basics
Tuesday, July 17th, 2012 at 1:08 am
The television was full of
NASCAR coverage.
The Cup, Nationwide, and Trucks
series all had their weekend races televised. Time trials for all three were
also broadcast. There was even plenty of practice
programs shown to millions of TV screens. Loudon and
But none of those signals
beamed anything containing NASCAR Modifieds.
The Modifieds
also had a race on the New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend. A fantastic one, for that matter. A race that everyone with
any respectable knowledge of motorsports knows darn well would be, by far, the
best race of the weekend.
Too bad. The executives and decision makers did not make a
deal to air it.
SPEED, ESPN, NASCAR, TNT… it
doesn’t matter, pick your acronym. The fact that the television broadcast media
ignored the Modifieds, is an absolute shame.
I asked around to find out
why the fabulous Saturday Modified race was not on. Everyone I knew within the
sanctioning body or connected to a media outlet said the decision lied
elsewhere.
Terrific. Plenty of people collecting paychecks but nobody had
any actual responsibility for what I am trying to research.
The major complaint from fans
about so many decisions made about our beloved sport is that the calls do not
come from racers. They come from somebody who was hired outside of the sport
and is trying to appeal to who? That’s right… racers.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
lends itself to wonderful open-wheel racing. The Mod Squad and the Indycars put on tremendous races, filled with passing. The
heavier, fendered stockers put on a follow-the-leader
type of event. NHMS is the type of place I would buy a ticket to, watch the
Modified Tour race, and then head for home.
Mike Stefanik
and Ron Silk traded the lead 17 times within a 48-lap stretch, and the
checkered waved at 100 laps with Stefanik edging Silk
by three-thousandths of a second. That looks like .003 on the scoring clock.
By contrast, Sunday’s Cup
race had 16 total lead changes for 301 laps. Only two of those changes were
cars passing at speed.
I have heard the explanation
of how much a broadcast costs versus advertising dollars. You will get no
argument from me. But doesn’t airing time trials and practices cost money too?
And the snooze-inducing single car runs and practice sessions have a bigger
profit margin than an actual race? And NASCAR sanctions that actual race? And
is staged at a speedway you are already broadcasting from? And all the
equipment and personnel are already in place so it doesn’t cost a dime more to
bring in said equipment and personnel?
As a race fan for 36 years, I
confidently ask, “What the heck is going on here?”
NASCAR has stated for years
that the “on-track product” is the most important item they sell.
After Saturday’s ignoring of
the Modifieds once again, the highest quality
“on-track product” NASCAR had to offer, I have a hard time believing what they
claim to be important.
(Patrick Reynolds is a former
professional NASCAR team mechanic who hosts Motor Week LIVE! on RacersReunion Radio Mondays at 7pm ET/ 4pm PT)
Tagged with:
Filed under: Modifieds • NASCAR • Patrick's Column
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The above was found
here:
http://motorweeklive.com/nascar-decision-makers-are-overlooking-some-basics/
And, along with that, above:
Best race of weekend at Loudon
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?167039-Best-race-of-the-weekend-at-Loudon....
Can a race
track that’s been in trouble, be saved?
News
from the AARN:
From
the July 10th issue:
Lenny
Sammons:
He
had quite a bit about the failure of the Goodyear tires on the Sprint cars
during the PA Speed Week races. The
desired tires were not available from the tire truck. The WoO/Goodyear
contract is over a the end of this season.
Richie
“Toby Jr” Tobias will run the Silver Crown races at
Ernie
Saxton:
Had quite a bit about Richard Petty. Ernie thinks the races today are too long,
and might be better if they were 250-300 miles in length. Also, way too much practice.
Richard
Childress wants to sell his home that he has near Emigrant,
Mike
Mallett:
Makes
mention of Mike Kinney wrecking his ESS Sprint Car at Rolling Wheels, how he,
his team and other ESS embers spent the night at Jeff Cook’s house, then
everyone chipped in and got Mike’s car fixed so he could race on Saturday
night.
Other
news:
There
was one whole page devoted to the Tyler Walker “Meltdown” at Williams Grove, a
week ago.
I’m
trying to figure out what has happened to the TQ racing in the area – only 11 TQ’s at Mahoning Valley, and only a few, weekly, at Borgers.
Fred
Rahmer won the PA Speed Week championship with no
wins, and a best finish of 3rd.
How
is it that the Lebanon Valley Speedway can attract 44 Pure Stocks – almost
weekly, while other tracks are struggling?
The
410 Sprint Car drivers were not too happy with track conditions during the PA
Speed Week at Big Diamond,
Note: Gee, maybe the tracks would be better if the
wings were taken off the cars?
Fritz
& Kristin Roehrig, owners of Big Diamond, are
denying the rumors of the track closing – mostly because of the tax rate gong
from 5% to 10%.
From
the Big Diamond website:
AN OPEN LETTER FROM THE BIG DIAMOND
In response to the
persistent rumors regarding the Big Diamond Speedway -
Owners Fritz and Krista Roehrig, and Race Director, Jake Smulley,
have been inundated with inquiries as to the closure of the track by race
teams, car owners and fans alike. This was due to a very public and ongoing
dispute between the Cass Township Supervisors/Police Department and Big Diamond
Speedway.
The simple word is this:
THE BIG DIAMOND
At the center of the dispute is a
10% Amusement Tax that was levied against the speedway on March 29, 2012 which
doubles the current rate of 5%. The presence of ticket counters at both the Big
Diamond main and pit gates, in addition to the presence of the
“This is simply not the case,”
said Krista Roehrig. “Our attorney, Paul Ober of
"We would like to thank the
car owners, drivers, race teams and especially the fans who continue to support
us during this trying time. We appreciate your continued support."
From this weeks
(July 17th edition):
In AARN
This Week:
King Sammy XXIX: Swindell
Claims Third Career
Kings Royal & $50,000
Stefanik Beats Silk in
Loudon WMT Photo Finish
- By .003 Seconds
Jamie Mills Claims Modified
Checkard At
Duane Howard Hikes
Mod Win Total To Eight
Blaney Memorial At
Goes To Brad Sweet
Bobby Varin
Triumphs Over
Hearn In Brett's
Bolland Suspended From DIRT
Over Lernerville Incident
Blewett Caught Up In Wall Tire
Snafu After Improbable Win
First Mod Win At NES
For 17-Year Old Sammy Piazza
Former
I missed these, from last week:
Mike Mammana was a DNQ at
Davie Franek was 4th in the URC race at
New Egypt.
Molly Chambers was 9th at Greenwood
Valley Action Track in the 600 Micro feature.
From this past weekend:
Danny Creeden was 1st
and Brian Krummel 7th in the Modified
feature at Accord. Anthony Perrego won the Sportsman feature with Tyler Dippel 3rd and Brad Szulewski
4th. Dippel
won the Spec Sportsman feature with Tyler Boniface 6th, Kyle VanDuser 8th and RJ Smykla
10th.
Alex Bell won the Modified feature at Devils Bowl.
In the Modified feature at OCFS, Clinton Mills was 2nd,
Tim Hindley 4th, Mike Ruggeiro
9th and Billy VanInwegen 22nd. Brian Krummel was 2nd,
Matt Hitchcock 3rd, Matt Janiak 4th,
Anthony Perrego 10th and Zack Vavricka 19th in the Sportsman feature, while
Keith Still was a DNQ.
At Albany/Saratoga, Bobby Hackel,
IV was 15th in the Budget Sportsman “A” Main and 12th in
the “B”.
Nick Pecko had a second
place finish in the Modified feature at Mountain Speedway.
Danny Creeden was 4th
in the Modified feature at 5 Mile.
Johnny Guarino was 8th
in the held over feature from 7/7 and 14th in the regular scheduled
feature at New Egypt.
Rich Coons won the Sportsman feature at
Kyle Rohner was 5th
in the 1st Sportsman feature and 3rd in the second feature
at Penn Can.
Wyatt Clark was 4th in the All-Star
Slingshot feature at Hamlin. Mike Cassario was 5th,
his brother Rick 12th and Jacob Hendershot
15th in the 270 Micro Sprint feature. Kyle Rohner was 8th
and Molly Chambers 13th in the 600 Micro feature. Paul Tigue was 10th
in the Junior Slingshot feature.
Kolby
Schroder was 5th and Kyle Armstrong 8th in the Modified
feature at
AJ Filbeck was 4th
in the Sportsman feature at Utica/Rome on 7/12.
Grandson John Rizzo, up from Florida for an extended
stay, picked up a ride at the Unity Raceway, in Unity Maine, in the “Flyin’ 4” race and finished 7th.
Going back, in time at OVRP’s Dirt Oval:
July 24, 2004:
http://www.whowon.com/Results.asp?TrackID=1904&StoryID=127313
July 19, 2003:
http://www.whowon.com/Results.asp?TrackID=1904&StoryID=95853
July 27, 2002:
http://www.whowon.com/Results.asp?TrackID=1904&StoryID=68709
October 20, 2002:
http://www.whowon.com/Results.asp?TrackID=1904&StoryID=76533
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?167046-The-Dinger-delimna
Hinchliffe Stadium Midget results for
1947, 48, 49 & 50
1947
April 6 1. Bill Schindler 2. Favinger 3. George Fonder
April
27 rain during feature
May
4 rain
May
8? 1. Art Cross 2. Walt Fair 3. Ted Tappett from 4/27
May
8? 1. Al Keller 2. Bill Schindler 3. Ernie McCoy
May 9 1. Ted Tappett 2. Len Duncan 3. Art Cross
May 20 1. Bill Schindler 2. Al Keller 3. Dutch Schaefer
May 23 1. Bill Schindler 2. Walt Fair 3. Art Cross
May 27 1. Rex Records 2. Joe Barzda 3. Al Duffy
May 30 1. Bill Schindler 2. Rex Records 3. Art Cross
June 3 1. Art Cross 2. Rex Records 3. Andy Van Heusen
June 6 1. Bill Schindler 2. Johnny Carpenter 3. Art Cross
June 10 1. Rex Records 2. Johnny Ritter 3. Bob Disbrow
June 13 1. George Fonder 2. Dutch
Schaefer 3. Bob Disbrow
June 17 1. Rex Records
June
20
June
24
June 27 1. Art Cross 2. Al Keller 3.
July
1
July 4 1. Art Cross 2. Al Keller 3. Ted Tappett
July
8 rain
July 11 1. Art Cross 2. Bill Schindler 3. Harry Sheeler
July 15 1. Johnny Ritter 2. Bill Schindler 3. Art Cross
July
18
July
22
July 25 1. George Rice 2. Johnny Ritter 3. Art Cross 50 laps
July 29 1. Dutch Schaefer 2. Mike Nazaruk
3. Bill Schindler
August 1 1. Andy Van Heusen 2. Johnny
Ritter 3. George Rice
August 5 1. Tony Bonadies 2. Bill Schindler 3. Johnny Ringger
August
8
August 12 1. George Rice 2. Tony Bonadies 3. Len Duncan
August 15 1. Art Cross 2. Johnny Ritter 3. Tony Bonadies
August 19 1. Bill Schindler 2. Mike Nazaruk 3. Johnny
Ritter
August 22 1. Art Cross 2. Lloyd Christopher 3. Johnny
Ritter
August
26
August 29 1. Al Keller 2. Art Cross 3. Dutch Schaefer 50
laps
Sept. 2 1. Johnny Ritter 2. Bill Claren 3. Bob Disbrow
Sept. 5 1. George Rice 2. Stan Disbrow
3. Art Cross
Sept. 9 1. Lloyd Christopher 2. Tony Bonadies 3. Art
Cross
Sept. 12 1. Art Cross 2. George Rice 3.
Sept. 16 1. Al Keller 2. Dutch Schaefer 3. Shorty McAndrews
Sept.
19 rain after semi-finals
Sept. 23 1. George Rice 2.
Sept. 23 1. Bob Disbrow 2. Tony Bonadies
3. Lloyd Christopher
Sept.
26
Sept. 30 1. Bill Schindler 2. George Rice 3. Tony Bonadies
Oct.
3
Oct. 7 1. Al Keller 2. Johnny Ritter 3. Joe Barzda
Oct.
10
Oct. 14 1. Art Cross 2. Bill Schindler 3. George Rice 50
laps Offy
Oct. 14 1. Ernie McCoy 2. Art Cross 3. Bob Disbrow 50 laps Ford
Art
Cross Champion
1948
May 4 1. Bill Schindler 2. Chet Gibbons 3. Dutch Schaefer
May
7 rain
May 11 1. Bill Schindler 2. Tony Bonadies 3. Dick Dowd
May
14 rain
May 18 1. Dee Toran 2. Dutch Schaefer
3. Ernie McCoy
May 21 1. Bill Schindler 2. George Rice 3. Russ Klar
May
25 rain
May 28 1. Bill Schindler 2. Rex Records 3. Al Keller
June 1 1. George Rice 2. Bill
Schindler 3. Rex Records
June 4 1. Mike Nazaruk 2. Dutch
Schaefer 3. Bob Disbrow
June 8 1. Al Keller 2. Joe Barzda 3. Rex Records
June
11 rain
June 15 1. Al Keller 2. Dee Toran 3. Bob Disbrow
June 15 1. Bill Schindler 2. Andy Van Heusen 3. Len Duncan
June 18 1. Bill Schindler 2. Mike Nazaruk 3. Al Keller
June
22 rain
June 25 1. Bill Schindler 2. Al Keller 3. Joe Barzda
June 29 1. Art Cross 2. Bill Schindler 3. Joe Barzda 50 laps
July 2 1. Al Keller 2. Bill Schindler 3. Rex Records
July 6 1. Mike Nazaruk 2. Bill Schindler 3. Mike
Josephs
July 9 1. Mike Nazaruk 2. Bill Schindler 3. Bob Disbrow
July
13 rain
July 16 1. Al Keller 2. Buddy Chase 3. Tony Bonadies
July 20 1. George Rice 2. Joe Barzda 3. Art Cross
July
23 rain
July 27 1. Rex Records 2. Mike Nazaruk 3. Al Keller
July 30 1. Bill Schindler 2. Henry Renard 3. Mike Nazaruk 75 laps
August
3 rain
August 6 1. Bob Disbrow 2. Bill Schindler 3. Art Cross
August 10 1. Bill Schindler 2. Tony Bonadies 3. Art Cross
August 13 1. Dutch Schaefer 2. Bill Schindler 3. Bill
Baker
August 17 1. Al Keller 2. Mike Nazaruk 3. Andy Van Heusen
August
20 rain
August
24 ran 2 heats, races canceled not enough cars
August 27 1. Bill Schindler 2. Stan Disbrow
3. Lloyd Christopher
August 31 1. Len Fanelli 2. Art Cross
3. Mike Nazaruk
Sept. 3 1. Don Morris 2. Art Cross 3. Mike Nazaruk
Sept. 7 1. Bill Schindler 2. Art Cross 3. Len Fanelli
Sept.
10 rain
Sept. 14 1. Art Cross 2. Mike Nazaruk
3.
1949
April 10 1. Len Duncan 2. Stan Disbrow
3. Dee Toran
April 17 1. Don Morris 2. Joe Barzda 3. Andy Van Heusen
April 24 1. Art Cross 2. Tony Martino 3.
May 3 1. Mike Nazaruk 2. Bill Schindler 3. George Flemke
May
6 rain after 4 heats
May
10 rain
May 13 1. Ernie McCoy 2. Art Cross 3. Bob Disbrow from 5/6
May 13 1. Ernie McCoy 2. Art Cross 3. Joe Barzda
May
20 rain
May 27 1. Bob Disbrow 2. Art Cross
3. Henry Renard
June 3 1. Mike Nazaruk 2. Art Cross
3. Bob Disbrow
June 10 1. Bob Disbrow 2. Mike Nazaruk
3. Art Cross 50 laps
June 17 1. Bob Disbrow 2. Lloyd Christopher 3. Art
Cross
June 24 1. Jiggs Peters 2. Bob Disbrow
3. Lloyd Christopher
July 1 1. Art Cross
2. Bob Disbrow 3. Mike Nazaruk
July 8 1. Mike Nazaruk 2. Art Cross
3. Henry Renard
July
15 feature rained out
July 22 1. Jim Reed 2. Steve McGrath 3. Bob Disbrow
from 7/15
July 22 1. Stan Disbrow 2. Jim
Reed 3. Andy Van Heusen
July 29 1. Bob Disbrow 2. Ernie McCoy 3. Buddy Chase
100
laps Johnny Ritter Memorial
August 5 1. Don Morris 2. Dick Dowd 3. Art Cross
Last
weekly midget race at Hinchliffe due to poor
attendance
Champion:
Art Cross
1950
Jan. 1 1. Art Cross
2. Hawley Kight 2. Nick Fornoro
"Gasoline
Bowl" 2000 spectators
Press Releases:
News from the King of the Can - 'It's Good To
Be King'
Media Contact: Brett Deyo - 845.728.2781 or Deyo99H@aol.com
For Immediate Release/July 16, 2012
Memories Are
Made Annually at Penn Can
SUSQUEHANNA,
PA - Memories are
made at this event.
The 'King of the Can' at Penn Can Speedway is known for spectacular finishes,
including last November's down-to-the-wire brawl involving Stewart Friesen and
Jeff Strunk. Race fans and competitors are already
anticipating the 2012 version, planned for Friday night, Oct. 12.
Friesen, of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., took
advantage of a restart with two laps remaining to unseat
Registration is now open for the 'King of
the Can' event, headlined by a 50-lap feature for the big-block/small-block Modifieds at the one-third-mile oval. The 'King of the Can'
is a co-promotion involving track managers Reed Miller
and Al Wilcox and special events promoter Brett Deyo.
Don's Automotive Mall,
The 2012 'King of the Can' victor earns
$5,000 plus lap money and contingency awards. It marks the 13th running of the
year-end spectacular.
To reward the strong racer support
received for the 'Clash at the Can' at Penn Can in June (57 Modifieds
signed in for the midweek special) and to celebrate the race's 13th
edition, the green money for the 'King of the Can' has been boosted to $313. It
is an increase of $113 over the '11 running, which paid $200 to start.
Modified entry forms have been posted on
the BD Motorsports Media website atwww.bdmotorsportsmedia.com.
Early entries, received prior to Oct. 5, are $15. The entry fee increases to
$20 after Oct. 5. The first entry
has already been received from
Pre-entered drivers are entered into a
drawing for a pair of $50 gas cards. The drawing takes place at the drivers'
meeting on race night.
Joining the Modifieds
on the program are Crate (602) Sportsman and Street Stocks.
The 'King of the Can' was first run in
1999 with Brian Weaver of
To learn more about the 2012 'King of the
Can' contact Brett Deyo by phone at 845.728.2781 orDeyo99H@aol.com. On the
web: www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com. Lap sponsorships
and other marketing opportunities are available.
Past King of the Can Modified Winners
2011 - Stewart Friesen
2010
- Kevin Bates
2009
- Weather
2008
- Duane Howard
2007
- Jeff Rudalavage
2006
- Joey Grammes
2005
- Brian Weaver
2004
- Doug Hoffman
2003
- Jamie Shea
2002
- Jeff Rudalavage
2001
- Keith Hoffman
2000
- Kirk Horton
1999
- Brian Weaver
I
get e-mails:
Not sure how true what follows is, but, hey, ya never know, right?
WASH
THEM FIRST Please DON'T ERASE this message before forwarding on!
This incident happened recently in
A woman went boating one Sunday taking with her
some cans of coke
which she put into the refrigerator of the
boat.
On Monday she was taken to the hospital and
placed in the Intensive Care Unit.
She died on Wednesday.
The autopsy concluded she died of Leptospirosis.
This was traced to the can of coke she drank
from, not using a glass.
Tests showed that the can was infected by dried
rat urine and
hence the disease Leptospirosis.
Rat urine contains toxic and deathly
substances.
It is highly recommended to thoroughly wash the
upper part
of all soda cans before drinking out
of them.
The cans are typically stocked in warehouses and
transported straight to the shops without being cleaned.
A study at NYCU showed that the tops of all
soda cans are more contaminated than public toilets (i.e.). full
of germs and bacteria. So wash them with water before putting them to the mouth
to avoid any kind of illness...or worse!
Please forward this message to all the people
you care about.
I JUST DID
And,
from one of my Yahoo! Race History friends:
“It is a shame the internet was not
born when we began our racing careers. With the collective knowledge of this RH
group, we all could have been champions !!!”
Then
there was this one, too:
“Most
of us over the seasons have witnessed occasions when, after a driver suffered
serious, prolonged injuries, he lo and behold wins on his first time back in
action. Don't ask me to name names, but I've seen this happen several times.
Would you say that extending a one time free pass is a spoken or unspoken
understanding among racers? Or was there no such understanding in the first
place? I've never heard it openly discussed.”
Found on Facebook:
In part:
“Now we see why. Obama’s “Uncle Omar” never had anything
to worry about. Judicial Watch – which had to sue to obtain the
information – has now reported that Obama’s uncle the illegal
alien fugitive was granted a special stay from deportation from
the Obama Administration.
This, despite his overstaying a tourist visa from
More on
this can be found, here:
Note:
Some interesting comments on this, if you scroll down a little.
And:
CONFIRMED OBAMA BIRTH CERTICATE IS A FAKE ! MAKE VIRAL !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrQp6qSgX_I&feature=share
Note:
I’ll let you decide on this for yourself.
Just wondering:
How
does this stuff really happen?
In part:
“Dayna Donovan was in for a surprise when she learned two strangers had
been living in her
On Thursday, a judge in
More on this, along with a TON of comments,
below the article, can be found here:
http://gma.yahoo.com/colo-family-tries-regain-home-occupiers-192530141--abc-news-money.html
Some non-racing stuff:
In part:
“Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg is giving new meaning to the term
"the one percent."
The Facebook
Inc. (FB) founder refinanced a $5.95 million
mortgage on his
While almost all lending rates have
reached historical lows this year, the borrowing costs available to
high-net-worth individuals are even lower if the person is willing to bear the
risk of monthly interest rate adjustments, said Greg McBride, senior financial
analyst with Bankrate Inc., a North Palm Beach,
Florida-based firm that tracks interest rates. Large increases are unlikely
anytime soon with the Federal Reserve signaling it will keep interest rates
near zero for at least two years.
"When you can borrow at a rate below
inflation, you're borrowing for free," McBride said in an e-mail.
"This is the concept of using other people's money and it preserves
financial flexibility for the borrower."
More on this can be seen here:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/zuckerbergs-loan-gives-meaning-1-040001347.html
And, how about
this?
A lot of comments on this subject, too! Just scroll down from the article, a little.
Video time:
Going back to a couple of tracks that don’t exist
anymore – Flemington & Langhorne, and a young Jeff Gordon, who somehow, has
forgotten his roots.
For
those of you that were never fortunate to have seen the racing on either
Flemington or Langhorne, I feel for ya! Nothing can compare.
It
would be great if, and when a new track is ever built, that it be made like
Flemington!
Flemington,
the “Square”, prior to it being paved was great. I only saw one race on the paved track – the
first one, I believe. We got there early
and, believe it or not, they were WATERING the track! Yup, to cool it off!
Langhorne, had an oiled dirt surface, prior to it being paved.
If the wind was right, there were a lot of “colored” people at the races that
particular day! When it was paved, it
was shaped like a “D”. From the air,
Flemington was mostly a square track while Langhorne was almost a perfect
circle.
CD Coville
at Flemington
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxCnMutNqGk
Flemington 10/27/90
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=dQqDHTbhPGk&NR=1
1965 SMRC Midgets at Flemington
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eicmwatBBwk&feature=related
Langhorne Champ Cars 1964
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ilCmFCNpBI
And, how a certain driver has
forgotten his roots
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5QKLNyjWUE&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqcuBHZEzGM&feature=relmfu
Photos of the two tracks –
Sorry, not available on Dirt Track Digest.
The “Square” – found on Facebook, believe it or not, just prior to finishing this
column!
And the “Horne” – found via an Internet
search of “Langhorne Speedway photos”.
Note:
“Puke Hollow” was where the darker section is, on the left. If you look close, you can see that the
grandstand was at track level in what could be the fourth turn area, top right,
then due to the track being made lower in the first turn area, for drainage,
I’ve heard, the grandstand, being level, was higher at it’s end by that first
turn – that’s if you can call them first and fourth turns, that is.
Photos:
Note: These photos are not available on Dirt Track
Digest, only on New England Tractor - http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/
A mentioned above, here is a photo of Rodger
Ward after he won the “Formula Libra” race on the mile and a half road course at Lime Rock, Ct.
racing against Sports/racing cars and Grand Prix cars as well as along with
other midgets. The Midget was 12 years
old at the time, and has since been re-stored.
Closing with these:
Tips From
the Redneck Book of Manners
1. Never take a beer to a job
interview.
2. Always identify people in
your yard before shooting at them.
3. It's
considered poor taste to take a cooler to church.
4. If you have to vacuum the
bed, it is time to change the sheets.
5. Even if you're certain
that you are included in the will, it is still considered tacky to drive a
U-Haul to the funeral home.
Dining Out
1. If drinking directly from
the bottle, always hold it with your fingers covering the label.
2. Avoid throwing bones and
food scraps on the floor as the restaurant may not have dogs.
ENTERTAINING IN YOUR HOME
1. A centerpiece for the
table should never be anything prepared by a taxidermist.
2. Do not allow the dog to
eat at the table no matter how good his manners are.
PERSONAL HYGIENE
1. While ears need to be
cleaned regularly, this is a job that should be done in private using one's OWN
truck keys
2. Proper use of toiletries
can forestall bathing for several days. However, if you live alone, deodorant
is a waste of good money.
3. Dirt and grease under the
fingernails is a social no-no, as they tend to detract from a woman's jewelry
and alter the taste of finger foods.
DATING (OUTSIDE THE FAMILY)
1. Always offer to bait your
date's hook, especially on the first date.
2. Be
aggressive. Let her know you're interested: 'I've been
wanting to go out with you since I read that stuff on the bathroom wall
two years ago.'
3. Establish with her parents
what time she is expected back. Some will say 10:00 PM; others might say
'Monday.' If the latter is the answer, it is the man's responsibility to get
her to school on time.
4. Always have a positive
comment about your date's appearance, such as, 'Ya'll
sure don't sweat much for a fat gal.'
More next
week.
May “Guardian Angels” sit on the shoulders of all of our race drivers and race fans, and guide them safely around the tracks!
Drive safe!
As usual, you can reach me
at: ygordad@yahoo.com