Mostly
Racin' Stuff
By Tom Avenengo
Volume # 206
12/18/2014
Some
personal/family stuff:
My wife, who left us on
July 3, 2014.
Remember, photos can only be seen on the
New England Tractor/Race Report website, which is linked to at the end of my
columns.
This will be my last column
for 2014. Also, when they return in
2015, I'll no long have the photo of my late wife to lead things off. Over the course of the year, I'll have some other
photos of her.
And, the "More
memories" section will also be dropped for a while, too.
More
memories:
I was moving some things around in my room
the other day. One of them was a straw
hat that we had bought for the wife last winter when we were down here. I often asked others to take a photo of her
with it on, but never had one taken. She
would take her daily walks with her walker, and I'd watch her as she moseyed
along
So, on Tuesday evening, I attend a school
concert that my great grandson, Naji, is in. My daughter Sandy & I eat dinner then
leave, just as it's getting dark. I pull into the parking lot, and park the
car. We get out and head for the
school. Next thing I know, I'm flat on
my face on the pavement. Never saw the
damn concrete curbing that was on the pavement in front of my car for cars
parked heading towards mine - you know the kind - where your front wheels
touch, to inform you that's where you
must stop. Got some
"road rash" on both palms, a cut on left pinky finger & left ring
finger, along with a scrape or two on left knee. Right knee area was sore, as well as my right
elbow area. Thank God nothing was
broken. Right knee and elbow area are
still quite sore on Wednesday morning.
"Road rash" is doing better.
Chances are also that during
these coming winter months my column will be bi-weekly instead of weekly. There's isn't all that much, racing wise, as
you well know.
If you recall, I had this in
last weeks column:
" Something tells me that between this week's column and my
column next week, there will be some news coming from a track that should make
quite a lot of race fans happy."
I was hoping for a PR from Brett Deyo on this prior to this column being published. Might still get it, and if so, it will be
right under this news:
Per Lenny Sammons in this week's
AARN: Look for Brett Deyo
to now become a part of the promotion of the season closing Eastern States 200
Weekend and OCFS, but not with STSS (Short Track Super Series) sanctioning, but
in helping running the event.
Also:
as you know, OCFS will continue to use Hoosier tires. The Brett Deyo STSS
specifies American Racer tires. The STSS
will open its 2015 season at OCFS with a $30,000.00 purse on April 7th. It will pay $5,000.00 to win, $1,000.00 for
10th and $500.00 to take the green. All
Small Block weight classifications will be permitted Sail Panels. Big Blocks will be outfitted with windows.
I checked with Brett, via an email, on the
sail panel thing. His response: " The 2500 lb
weight will be windows. All others sail
panels".
Racin’ stuff:
Answer to last weeks
trivia question: Ed Elisian
and Gary Bettenhausen are the
only two drivers in Indy 500 history to stop a
non-damaged car to help another driver.
NASCAR: Tony Stewart discusses planned fifth surgery on right leg
http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2014/12/11/nascar-tony-stewart-discusses-planned-fifth-surgery-on-right-leg/
NASCAR fan who climbed fence
during race convicted
http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2014/12/11/7378229/nascar-fan-climbed-fence-convicted-richmond
NASCAR: Kyle Busch undergoes scheduled left foot surgery
http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2014/12/11/nascar-kyle-busch-undergoes-scheduled-left-foot-surgery/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs
Ganassi and Harry Scott to field 1 Xfinity
entry
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ganassi-harry-scott-field-1-xfinity-entry-163929063--nascar.html
Top NASCAR stories of
2014: No. 17 - Kyle Larson, super rookie
http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2014/12/15/top-nascar-stories-of-2014-no-17-kyle-larson-super-rookie/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs
Lime Rock article - the day a midget beat some of the world's best road
racing cars:
http://bangshift.com/bangshiftapex/epic-win-the-story-behind-the-greatest-racing-upset-in-american-motorsports-history/
Note: Photo of Rodger Ward in the Brenn Offy, at Lime Rock is
towards the end of this weeks column
American Racing
Drivers Club - ARDC
- Facebook on 12/11
There has been a lot of discussion in the last year in the ARDC
about the engine rules. With “opening” the rules in 2014 the BOG is focused on
continuing the parity of chassis and engine
combinations that has been the backbone of this organization
The BOG has gone into this next season with 2 things in mind. How
do increase our numbers? And how do we keep parity in our group but still
invite other racers to check us out
With that being said we have approved (by unanimous vote) two
rules for the 2015 racing season
#1- a Hoosier SP3 or SP4 will be required on the RR at all times
This will take full effect after the 4th completed race of the
2015 season
#2 – heat race and feature handicapping will be on a season
average for example if you compete in three events and then you miss 3 events
when you return your average will be based on the events you competed at.
If you have no average you will tag the rear of the field. If you
race into a qualifying position (invert) you would start 12th in the feature . everyone else 13th to
24th would line up by finish position (heads up)
Temporary Permits holders would enter each event with no points
and would only be able to start in the 12th position of the feature
The handicapping will be based on Driver points only
NEMA News (From Facebook on 12/15:
Tim Bertrand North Eastern Midget
Association (NEMA)
NEMA Board
Finalizes Rules Package & Exciting Changes for 2015 Season
The newly
elected NEMA Board wasted no time getting to work, as they met for the first
time after being elected last weekend to ratify the 2015 rules proposals this
past Sunday, and also agreed on a number of exciting
changes for the 2015 season.
The biggest
change for the NEMA series will be the addition of staggered heat race points
for both divisions, as decided on by the Board. The heat winner will get 20
points, 2nd place 18 points, with 2 points between positions down to 6th place
- at which all remaining cars will get 10 points. The Board felt that this
change will encourage a better show for the fans during the heat races and
reward those who run well in the heat races.
Also
exciting for the 2015 season, the Board has adopted the inclusion of a Rookie
Development program. Full details will be announced later in the winter, but
the intent of the Rookie Development Program will be to provide track time,
driver coaching and safety education to new teams and drivers. Drivers falling
into the newly adopted age brackets (those who turn 13 during the competition
season for the Lites, and 15 years old for NEMA -
both with previous experience) must pass the Rookie Development Program and be
approved by the NEMA Board prior to competing with NEMA.
NEMA will
also be bringing back its NEMA Fan of the Week program in 2015, after a
successful program the last couple of seasons. The Fan of the Week gets a free
pit pass for themselves and a guest, as well as a tour of the NEMA pit, time
with the drivers, and other benefits throughout the evening. In addition, the
club will be providing a printed program each week at the race track versus its
traditional year book, and will continue its Meet & Greet program under the
leadership of Bill Van Slyke.
As
previously announced, NEMA will also continue its relationship with Hoosier
Tire, as the club signed an exclusive 3 year deal with Hoosier for its current
plated NEMA tires. Hoosier East and NEMA have selected Seymour Enterprises as
its authorized distributor for the 2015 season.
A number of
technical rules were passed as well, and will be posted onwww.nemaracing.com this coming week.
World of Outlaws legend Steve Kinser
isn't retiring after all
Legendary sprint car driver Steve Kinser
isn't retiring after all.
His boss, Tony Stewart, said the 60-year-old
Stewart said Thursday that it was an easy conversation to have
with the seven-time WoO champion.
"Did I have to talk him into it?" Stewart said at the
Performance Racing Industry trade show at the
Kinser has won a record 577 feature races,
nearly twice the number of Sammy Swindell in second
place. Only three other Outlaw drivers have as many as 100 such wins.
"This is a scenario where (Kinser)
is the greatest driver in the sport, and you know there are a lot of drivers
who later in their career have to quit for financial reasons, or different
reasons," Stewart said. "He's a guy that I think has earned the right
to race till he decides that he's ready to retire.
"As long as he wants to race we're going to have a car for
him."
http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/motor/2014/12/11/world-of-outlaws-legend-steve-kinser-isnt-retiring-after-all/20250221/
A little OCFS info:
The
covered grandstand was built in 1923 to replace the stands that had collapsed
under a heavy load of snow and ice the year before. The construction of the
grandstands took only 60 days to complete! The half-covered stands were built
in 1926. Total capacity for both grandstands is 3,800. In the years to come,
crowds at the Annual Race grew, hitting a peak in 1933. The first and fourth
turn bleachers were built in the 1950's to accommodate the thousands of fans
who turned out for the "Stock Car" races.
Bill Vukovich
- Didja know?
Sometime nicknamed as the
"Mad Russian", Bill Vukovich was born with
the given name of Vaso. This was changed by the time he entered the
public school system to William John.
His parents were natives of the Serbian region, and arrived with the
surname Vucurovic, which was legally changed to Vukurovich, and again changed to Vukovich
at the suggestion of the judge who presided over their naturalization hearing
making them legal citizens of the
A little Chili Bowl info:
Since the Chili Bowl will be
telecast live on MAV TV, and since I do not get MAV TV, I sent an email to the
"contact" on the Chili Bowl's website, asking if it might be tape
delayed, as in the past.
Their response:
"They usually do re-air it but we don't know when.
I think last year it was sometime in February."
Thank you,
Staci Hahn
Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals
Lucas Oil ASCS
Sprint Car Dirt Series
918-838-3777
And while on some
Chili Bowl info - I came across this - On the Saturday night
If not, check this
out:
http://espn.go.com/espnw/athletes-life/article/10696824/harli-hero-espnw
Back
in time:
1966 was not a
good year as far as racing in the
Some drivers:
Bob McLean, Walt Hansgen, Chuck Rodee, Lucky Harris, Jimmy Davies, Jud Larson, Red Riegel, Sherman Cleveland, Dave Ridenour, Ron Lux (also known as Bucky Buckholtz
or Bob Hodgson), Ken Miles, Don Branson, Dick Atkins,
At Sebring, on
March 26th, one accident took the life of four spectators - Patricia Heacock, Willis Edenfield, Sr.,
Willis Edenfield, Jr. and Mark Edenfield.
http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/query.php?db=ct&q=year&n=1966
From
Jayski:
Sprint will not return as Series sponsor:
Citing a
need to focus more directly on its core business priorities, Sprint announced
it has informed NASCAR it will not extend the title sponsorship of the NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series after the current agreement expires at the end of the 2016
season. "We are proud of our association with NASCAR's top series but have
made the decision not to extend our sponsorship beyond the next two
years," said Steve Gaffney, vice president-Marketing, Sprint. "As we
look to the future, Sprint is focused on investing in maintaining a competitive
edge and providing consumers with the best value in wireless.Sprint
has long benefitted from the unprecedented level of brand integration available
in NASCAR, and the passionate fan base that is the most loyal in sports.
Without question, the NASCAR sponsorship property has been a valuable
investment for us and will be for our successor."
Since the partnership began in 2004, Sprint has worked closely with NASCAR to
bring many fan-friendly innovations to life, including the introduction of the FanView next generation scanner (2005), the creation of the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile wireless application (2008) and the debut of Miss
Sprint Cup (2007), an ambassador program that now has more than 1.5 million
social media followers. The constant evolution of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star
Race pre-race show and the improvements to the Sprint Vision trackside
programming also highlight Sprint's portfolio of fan enhancements.
"We genuinely appreciate the fans, teams, drivers, tracks and media who
have been so supportive and welcoming to us during these many race
seasons," said Gaffney. "We look forward to our remaining time as
sponsor of the Sprint Cup Series and eventually assisting with the transition
to NASCAR's next title partner."
The sponsorship extends back to 2004 when Nextel signed a 10-year partnership
with NASCAR for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The name changed to the NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series in 2008 as a result of the Nextel/Sprint corporate merger. At
the conclusion of the first 10 years, Sprint extended the partnership an
additional three years taking the contract through the end of the 2016 season(Sprint)
NASCAR Statement: "NASCAR and Sprint have enjoyed a
long and productive partnership that has returned significant value to both
parties. We understand significant changes within Sprint and the highly
competitive business environment it is in has led to a decision not to extend
its Cup Series entitlement position following the 2016 season. The NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series is a very unique, premium sports marketing platform with
strong momentum, so we are very confident of moving forward in 2017 with an
outstanding new partner. In the meantime, we look forward to Sprint's
partnership on the best racing series in the world for the next two seasons."(12-16-2014)
Daytona Rising Reaches 1,000 Daily On-Site Workers
for First Time:
Daytona
Rising, the historic $400 million redevelopment project at Daytona
International Speedway, reached a major milestone on Wednesday when, for the
first time since the project broke ground in July 2013, the on-site daily
construction worker count exceeded 1,000. Construction of Daytona Rising is
cited in ManpowerGroup's Employment Outlook Survey as
a primary reason the Deltona,
NASCAR will let teams regulate lug nuts during pit stops in 2015:
One rule
that stands out as a game changer will be the fact that NASCAR is letting teams
regulate lug nuts during their stops. Basically, NASCAR won't penalize or
monitor missed lug nuts or lug nuts that get knocked off during a stop. The new
rule...or lack of rule, could be a huge gain for teams
that want to gamble. Everyone knows that it doesn't take all 5 nuts tight to
keep a tire on. The tricky part is how many nuts does it take? There are
stories floating around pit road of teams that have come into victory lane with
1,2 and 3 nuts on a wheel, and everyone is amazed.
Every situation is different and every situation could have a different
outcome, but hitting only 3 or 4 nuts per side could speed up a stop and if
teams are willing to gamble on that then it could pay off. In the past, teams
had to make sure all 5 nuts were on the studs and if an official were to see a
nut get knocked off they would hold the car until the nut was put back on.
Changers were very aware of the rules and hit nuts with a speed they could
control. Jack men were also aware of the rule and MOST would wait on the left
side for all 5 to get hit. Now, all that changes.
The risk: there is always risk with reward and there is
plenty of risks associated with taking this rule out. The first and most
obvious risk is a loose wheel. Most changers are very concerned with the
repercussions of a loose wheel and won't risk it for a standard stop. This rule
comes into play when teams are at a place that eats tires up and a caution with
10 laps to go comes out and the whole field comes down to pit. This is when
teams will gamble and may only hit 3-4 nuts and let it ride. With only a few
laps left in the race, why not! That's when this rule will become interesting.
It should be mentioned that NASCAR will still penalize a team if a tire comes
off the car during a run due to a loose wheel. You don't see that very often
but it has and does happen.(Pit Talks)(12-11-2014)
Atlanta
Motor Speedway's parent company, Speedway Motorsports, Inc., announced Tuesday
that they will remove 17,000 seats from the track's grandstands. The company
anticipates using those areas for premium hospitality, advertising and other
facility purposes. Their sister track, Charlotte Motor Speedway, is losing
41,000 seats.(wgxa.tv), see image of the CMS construction at Slugger Labbe's
Twitter.(12-10-2014)
UPDATE:
Alterations
announced this week are in line with a trend of tracks removing seats.
At its peak in 2007, International Speedway Corp.'s 12 major tracks had 1.1
million grandstand seats (not including suites). After the Daytona renovation,
ISC will be down 30 percent to approximately 761,000 seats.
In 2013 alone, the following ISC tracks cut seats:
With the current
2015 Sprint Unlimited Field to feature Chase drivers, Daytona 500 pole
winners:
Coming off
an exciting 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup finale, NASCAR announced all
16 Chase drivers will be eligible to compete in the 2015 Sprint Unlimited at
Daytona International Speedway. The 75-lap, non-points race will once again
kick off the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing season Saturday, Feb. 14 (FOX, MRN
Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and will feature an
expanded field of drivers based on new eligibility requirements. A minimum of
25 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers are eligible to participate in the Sprint
Unlimited at DIS. In addition to the 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
participants, the field also will include 2014 Coors Light Pole Award winners,
as well as former Sprint Unlimited race winners and Daytona 500 pole winners
who competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series full time in 2014. Any remaining
spots will be filled by drivers highest in 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver
championship points who are not already eligible. The
2015 eligible participants include:
" #18-Kyle Busch (2014 pole winner)
" #3-Austin Dillon (2014 pole winner)
" #24-Jeff Gordon (2014 pole winner)
" #38-David Gilliland (2014 pole winner)
" #11-Denny Hamlin (2014 pole winner)
" #4-Kevin Harvick (2014 pole winner)
" #48-Jimmie Johnson (2014 pole winner)
" #20-Matt Kenseth (2014 pole winner)
" #2-Brad Keselowski (2014 pole winner)
" #42-Kyle Larson (2014 pole winner)
" #22-Joey Logano (2014 pole winner)
" #1-Jamie McMurray (2014 pole winner)
" #33-Brian Scott (2014 pole winner)
" #14-Tony Stewart (2014 pole winner)
" #55-Brian Vickers* (2014 pole winner)
" #41-Kurt Busch (former Unlimited winner)
" #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. (former Unlimited winner)
" #19-Carl Edwards (former D500 pole winner)
" #10-Danica Patrick (former D500 pole winner)
" #16-Greg Biffle (former D500 pole winner)
" #78-Martin Truex Jr. (former D500 pole winner)
" #31-Ryan Newman (2014 Chase driver)
" #47-AJ Allmendinger (2014 Chase driver)
" #5-Kasey Kahne (2014 Chase driver)
" #43-Aric Almirola (2014 Chase driver)
(* - Michael Waltrip Racing today announced that
Brian Vickers will not be available to race during the early part of the 2015
NASCAR Sprint Cup season due to health issues.) (NASCAR)(12-15-2014)
Vickers to miss start of season:
Michael Waltrip Racing driver Brian Vickers will not be available
to race during the early part of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season due to
health issues. In 58 races driving MWR's #55 Aaron's
VICKERS STATEMENT:
"First,
I want to thank everyone for their sincere support. I have faced obstacles
before and it has made victory that much sweeter and I know that will be the
case again. My previous experiences have given me a very keen understanding of my
body. Late last week I knew something wasn't right, so I went to the hospital
to be checked out. Following several tests, it was discovered that my body was
rejecting an artificial patch that was inserted in 2010 to fix a hole in my
heart. Saturday, I had to have corrective surgery to repair the hole and now I
am beginning the recovery process. I will need plenty
of time, rest and rehab but this temporary setback will not stop me from
pursuing my dream of becoming a NASCAR Sprint Cup champion."(MWR)(12-15-2014)
Gordon comments about retirement:
from a
#24-Jeff Gordon Q&A by Ryan McGee on ESPN.com:
McGee: "This was your best finish in
seven years. Under the old Chase system, you'd have finally won a fifth title.
But we writers still come at you with retirement questions. So
... retirement?"
Gordon: "I don't believe in retirement,
No. 1, but I know that I won't always be a full-time Cup driver. That time is
coming. Remember in May, my back got so bad I couldn't get out of bed, let
alone into a race car? So will that play a role in retirement sooner rather
than later? It's very possible. It seems to be the one limiting factor that I
have right now. But there's no plan. There's no countdown. I'm racing."(see full Q&A at ESPN.com)(12-15-2014)
Congress cuts National Guard sponsorship funds:
Congress
has stripped funding for the Army National Guard's sponsorship of motor sports
following revelations that advertising on race cars did little to generate
recruits. Lawmakers cut the Guard's advertising budget by $13.8 million, the
same amount the service had requested to sponsor race cars, said Maj. Earl
Brown, a Guard spokesman. In August, the Guard announced that it was ending its
sponsorships of Dale Earnhardt Jr. of NASCAR and Graham Rahal
in the Indy Racing League. In 2014, the Guard spent $105 million on advertising
aimed at attracting recruits and enhancing its image. That included
sponsorships for NASCAR that cost $32 million and $12 million on IndyCar. The Guard has said it sponsorship of NASCAR was
aimed at building "brand awareness" for the service.(USA Today)(12-15-2014)
Stewart ok with Busch running the Double again:
If Kurt
Busch decides to do "The Double" again in 2015, he has the blessing
of teammate and Stewart-Haas Racing team co-owner Tony Stewart. Busch, who
became the first driver to attempt The Double in a decade this past May, is
reportedly mulling over an encore performance for next Memorial Day weekend
where he'd again race in the Indianapolis 500 in the early afternoon, hop a
plane to Charlotte and then race in that evening's Coca-Cola 600 for an encore.
If Busch wants to do it, he's got Stewart's vote. Of course, Stewart is a bit
biased - he tried The Double twice in his career, the last time being in 2001,
when he finished sixth in the
Additional changes to pit rules:
There was a
meeting this week between NASCAR and the sport's various pit crew coaches
regarding the new pit road rules for 2015. The main story line we've seen
emphasized this week is the fact that NASCAR is no longer going to enforce a
lug nut rule. But that isn't the only thing to come out of that meeting. There
are other new rules and ways of enforcement that could have much more drastic
impacts on races.
The big move for next season is the removal of more officials from pit road.
Starting at Daytona, a new video system will monitor pit road, and penalties
will be called from a central video-review location. That means far fewer
"judgement" calls by officials. Cut and dry
video evidence will rule. And the one area that nobody in the media has
mentioned that will be affected the most is crews jumping from the wall early.
The rule for when crews can leave the wall goes like this: teams are allowed to
be on the ground in their pit stall as soon as their car crosses the back line
of the stall directly behind their own. You didn't see this rule enforced all
that often, because it had to be fairly blatant for an official to even notice
it. Now, if a crew member is down even a split second early, the penalty will
be called. Supposedly once NASCAR started testing this video system late in
2014, they were hundreds of "jumping early" penalties flagged by the
system. What this means, is that you could potentially see a lot of these
penalties called early in the season until pit crews figure out what they can
and can't get away with. All coaches are emphasizing this point to their teams
this offseason, but it will be an issue in 2015.
Another rule that will be more actively enforced with this video system is the
drivers rolling through too many pit boxes before their own on entry. Drivers
are only allowed to drive through three (I think) pit boxes before they enter
their own. This was also a judgement call in the
past, but this new video system will catch more of these in the future.
Other smaller points of emphasis for NASCAR included the elimination of helping
your neighbor on pit road gather up his tires by being over the wall. You would
often see a member of another pit crew over the wall helping a team corral it's tires. Now, if a crewman wants to help, they have to stay
behind the wall. NASCAR is also going to pay closer attention to tire control
by the pit crews. If tires aren't in control of a crewman at least half way
back to the wall, NASCAR will call a penalty. This rule isn't new, but will be
more actively enforced.(NASCAR Insiders)(12-14-2014)
On Facebook on 12/16/14:
sad to see shippensburg
speedway has shut down operations and put everything up for sale.
SprintCarMania.com has confirmed that
Bryan Clauson is taking a different path for the 2015
season and has parted ways with Tony Stewart Racing.
Looks like 2015 could see Clauson piloting a variety of race cars, from the historic
Indianapolis Motor Speedway in an Indy Car to the bullrings in a USAC Midget
and Sprint Car.
Clauson might also have interest in dabbling more
into the world of winged sprint cars. Perhaps making the A-Main at last years
Knoxville Nationals has given Clauson a desire to run
more of the winged machines.
It should
be interesting to see how Clauson’s 2015 race
schedule shapes up
And this, too:
12/16/2014
UPDATE #1 - STRONG RUMOR - (12-16-14 @
8:20 PM CST) - FROM WHAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO GATHER REGARDING THIS SPLIT IS THAT
IT IS MORE OF A SHUT DOWN. TONY (OR HIS BUSINESS MANAGER) PULLED THE PLUG ON
THE USAC SPRINT CAR TEAMS AND ALL EMPLOYEES THAT WORKED ON THE USAC TEAMS WILL
BE WITHOUT A JOB EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2015. MY SOURCE TELLS ME THE TEAMS DO NOT
MAKE ANY MONEY AND THAT IS THE REASON FOR THE SHUT DOWN. FROM WHAT I'VE BEEN
TOLD, TONY'S USAC TEAMS HAVE NEVER MADE MONEY BUT TONY WANTED TO KEEP THEM
GOING. I'M ASSUMING THAT WITH THE EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE IN 2014, THE PLAY
MONEY IS LIMITED RIGHT NOW AND THAT IS THE REASON FOR THE SHUT DOWN RIGHT NOW.
From
Track Forum:
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/forum.php
Indy Car 2018
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php/190948-Indy-Car-2018
From the Dirt Track Digest Forum:
Cutting costs in crate racing
http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/DTD/index.php?/topic/52718-cutting-costs-in-crate-racing/
From
the AARN:
Note:
The AARN will not be published for these next two weeks.
This week in AARN:
Season End AARN
Issue Features Track, Series Standings; Top Champs Profiled
Top Winner Keith
Rocco Is AARN Driver Of The Year With 31 Victories
Richard Petty’s Superbird Coming To Motorsports
2015 Show
PRI Show
Showcased The Industry’s Movers, Shakers Last Week In
Indy
Hesston Speedway
Sold To
All Star
Sprints, WoO Sprints, Late Models Release 2015
Schedules
New NASCAR Whelen Modified Wing Opened At
Charlotte’s Hall Of Fame
Rutherford,
Hunter 600 Micro Sprint Team Splits; Hehnly Takes
Hunter Seat
USAC, NASCAR,
And this too,
that was found in the AARN:
Hesston
Speedway to reopen in 2015 under Eric Ritchey and Jon Claycomb,
with a limited schedule.
No ARDC midgets
at New Egypt in 2015. When the USAC
Sprints go to New Egypt on 6/4, the midgets will be replaced by crate
sportsman.
Top feature
winners here in the northeast:
1. Keith Rocco - 31 wins. 2.
Stewart Friesen -29, Matt Sheppard - 25, Brett Hearn - 22 and Dale Blaney 20.
Chuck Merrill
has sold the Maxim Sprint Car Chassis business to Dan & Ron Musselman.
Davis
Technologies was showing off their new traction control products that were
recently used in drag racing. They were
also showing their oval track traction control.
The AARN's Motor Sports show, to be held at the Greater
Philadelphia Expo Center, in Oaks, PA, is scheduled for January 23, 24 &
25.
This weeks edition had point standings for a majority of the
tracks and organizations. Checking
through them, I found these former OVRP Dirt Oval racers and how they finished,
point wise. In most cases, only the top
10 in points were shown.
Accord: Anthony Perrego 2nd
in Mods, Joey Bruning 4th
in Spec Sportsman and Wyatt Clark 1st in All Star Slingshots.
A/S: Hunter Bates 3rd in Sportsman.
CSRA 305's: Joe Kata, III 4th,
Josh Peiniazek 5th and Emily VanInwegen
7th.
5 Mile: Anthony Perrego 5th
in mods.
Kutztown: Danny Buccafusca
1st in Slingshots.
Mahoning: Roger Coss 8th in mods.
OCFS: Tim HIndley 1st,
Mike Ruggiero 6th and Clinton Mills 8th in mods. Danny Creeden
2nd in small blocks. LJ Lombardo 1st, Matt Janiak 2nd and
Brian Krummel 3rd in Sportsman.
RoC Dirt - not final until April 2015: Anthony Perrego
4th.
Brett Deyo's STSS: Danny Creeden 4th and Tyler Dippel 8th.
Selinsgrove:
URC:
Note: It would be interesting to see how many
drivers have graduated from other Kart tracks and gone into bigger forms of
racing. Yes, at times, I've had over 40
names in a week listed in my columns for former Dirt Oval racers. In most cases, they've done extremely well.
Press Releases:
|
Contact:
Joshua Joiner World
of Outlaws Late Model Series PR Director/DIRTcar
Racing PR jjoiner@dirtcar.com | 850-232-9331 Busy 2015 Speedweeks
Schedule Features Action in Four DIRTcar Racing
Divisions at Five Tracks DIRTcar Racing action scheduled at four CONCORD,
N.C. - Nov. 6, 2014 - The 2015 DIRTcar Racing season
will get off to a hot start this winter with Speedweeks
action in four divisions spread among five dirt tracks and two months. The
traditional stretch of early-season racing begins in late January with Winternationals and culminates with the DIRTcar Nationals presented by Summit Racing Equipment in
mid-February. DIRTcar UMP Modifieds The
DIRTcar UMP Modifieds
kick off Speedweeks with the Winternationals
at East Bay Raceway in ·
Jan. 29-31 - Winternationals, ·
Feb. 5 and 6 - ·
Feb. 7 and 8 -
North Florida ·
Feb. 10-17 - DIRTcar Nationals presented by Summit, plus the Gator
Championship, Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville,
Fla. World of Outlaws Late
Model Series and DIRTcar Late Models For
12 nights at tracks in ·
Feb. 6 and 7
Winter Freeze, ·
Feb. 8 North
Florida ·
Feb. 13-15
Winter Nationals, ·
Feb. 16-21 DIRTcar Nationals presented by World of Outlaws STP
Sprint Car Series and UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions Joining
the modifieds and late models during Speedweeks are the sprint cars of the World of Outlaws
STP Sprint Car Series and the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions. The two
series make stops at ·
Feb. 5-7 Winter
Nationals, ·
Feb. 11-13 DIRTcar Nationals presented by ·
Feb. 13-15 DIRTcar Nationals presented by Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Series The
Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds
take on Volusia during DIRTcar Nationals Feb. 18-21
with a $5,000-to-win feature on the final night. ·
Feb. 18-21 DIRTcar Nationals presented by A
full schedule and ticket information for each event is available online at http://www.DIRTcar.com. DIRTcar racing
action is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and
partners, including: American Racing Custom Wheels (Official Custom Wheel),
Arizona Sport Shirts (Official Apparel Company), Armor All (Official Car Care
Products), Hoosier Racing Tires (Official Racing Tires), Lincoln Welder
(Official Welder), STP (Official Fuel Treatment), VP Racing Fuel (Official
Racing Fuel), DirtonDirt.com (Hard Charger Award) and McCarthy's One Hour
Heating & Air Conditioning (Raye Vest Memorial
Pill Draw Award); in addition to contingency sponsors: Butlerbuilt,
Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock,
JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, Mobil 1, MSD, Ohlins
Shocks, QuarterMaster, Penske Shocks, Roush Yates
Performance Parts, Superflow Dynos
and Wrisco Aluminum; along with manufacturer
sponsors Capital Race Cars, Integra Shocks, Intercomp,
Jake's Carts, Racing Electronics, Rocket Chassis, and TNT Rescue. |
|
Note: No mention of the modified race in The Action Track USA / Speedway Entertainment Awards Banquet
will be held Sat. January 10,2015 at the Bear Creek Resort in Macungie,PA The top 10 in SpeedSTR points at the Action Track and the
Illustrious 11 in the All Pro SpeedSTR National Championship will be honored
along with all regular classes at the Action Track and Slingshot Tour
champions. Action Track USA Top 10: Billy Pauch,Jr./Billy
Pauch,Sr./Kenny Brightbill/Jeff
Strunk/Earl Paules/Mike Bednar/Kyle Weiss/Brad Brightbill/Larry
Solomon and Frank Cozze Illustrious 11National Tour :Billy Pauch,Sr./Maxime
Plante/Frank Cozze/Billy Pauch,Jr./Tim Buckwalter/Josianne
Plante/Wayne Weaver/Frank Yankowski/Francis
Methot/Kenny Brightbill/Brad
Brightbill Tickets are now available at $45 per person, youth tickets 14
and under $40.Payment can be made by check or CC. Thanks for a competitive and exciting racing season both at the
Action Track and the tour stops. Rich. |
Christmas:
Yes, it's getting closer and closer. Here are some links to some websites that
might interest you as far as gifts go:
Someone in
your family a race driver? If so, you might want to give this some
thought - Insurance - http://www.stida.com/
Models & toys:
http://www.davesracing.com/
http://www.hotlapsracin.com/hotparts.htm
http://www.modelroundup.com/category-s/94.htm
Books, videos etc:
http://www.coastal181.com/
http://www.emmr.org/
Racing papers:
http://aarn.com/ -A gift to
someone for a years subscription is $51.00. If you go for two gift subscriptions, then
the second will cost $49.00
To see if you're a racer, or
not:
http://speeddls.wix.com/ssspeedways-gokarts
Go-Kart stuff:
http://www.tbrwins.com/
Amanda Chmiola
Eshenour Eastern Museum of Motor
Racing
·
Dick Wallen's Racing Classics DVD are
now on sale for $24.95. We have the following DVD's in stock and can be shipped
to you for any last minute Christmas gifts you need. Tax and shipping will be
added when orders are placed. Please message me or email me at admin@emmr.org
or stop into the Museum on Fridays and December 21st to place your order.
1932 Ascot
1970 Championship Highlights
1970's Championship Revolution
Barnstormers
Championship & Sprint Car Classics #201
Championship & Sprint Car Classics #202
Checkered's Past
Classic Thrills & Spills
Distant Thunder
Fabulous 50's
Indy Cars Built in LA
Midget Classics
Midget History 1914 - 1956
Racing Classics #206
Rear Engine Invasion
Riverside Palace of Speed
Roar from the 60s Vol 1
Roar from the 60s Vol 2
Sacramento Mile
Short Track Legends
Sprint Car Classics Vol 2
Sprint Car Classics Vol 4
Sprint Car Classics Vol 5
(Garry & Larry Vol 1)
Sprint Car Classics Vol 6
(Garry & Larry Vol 2)
Sprint Car Classics Vol 7
Sprint Car Classics Vol 8
Sprint Car Rodeo
Sprint Cars Thrills Vol 2
Stock Car Classics Vol 1
Stock Car Classics Vol 2
Stock Car Classics Vol 3
Stock Cars The Early Years
Thunder From the 50s
http://emmr.org/
This week’s photo:
A photo from the Joe Corbett
Archives of Rodger Ward in the Ken Brenn # 24 Offy Midget at Lime Rock.
Yes, car was at least 12 years old, having come out in 1947 under the
ownership of Johnny Ritter.
Non racin' stuff:
From an email I
received on 12/14/14:
Interesting
that the LA times did this. Lou Dobbs reported this on CNN and it cost him his
job. The only network we would see this on would be FOX. All the others are
staying away from it. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican this should be
of great interest to you! Just
From the
1.
40% of all workers in
2.
95% of warrants for murder in
3.
75% of people on the most wanted list in
4.
Over 2/3 of all births in
5.
Nearly 35% of all inmates in
6.
Over 300,000 illegal aliens in
7.
The FBI reports half of all gang members in
8
Nearly 60% of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal.
9.
21 radio stations in
10.
In
(All
10 of the above facts were published in the Los Angeles Times)
Less
than 2% of illegal aliens are picking our crops, but 29% are on welfare. Over
70% of the
We
are fools for letting this continue.
HOW
CAN YOU HELP?
Send
copies of this letter to at least two other people. 100 would be even better.
This
is only one State...............If this doesn't open your eyes nothing will,
and you wonder why Nancy Pelosi wants them to become voters!
IF YOU DON'T AGREE JUST DELETE--IF YOU DO--PASS
IT ON! WHERE DO WE GET THESE MORONS?
Windfall
Tax on Retirement Income Adding a tax to your retirement is simply another way
of saying to the American people, you're so darn stupid that we're going to
keep doing this until we drain every cent from you. Nancy Pelosi wants a
Windfall Tax on Retirement Income. In other words tax what you have made by
investing toward your retirement. This woman is a nut case! You aren't going to
believe this.
Nancy
Pelosi wants to put a Windfall Tax on all stock market profits (including
Retirement fund, 401K and Mutual Funds!
Alas,
it is true -- all to help the 12 Million Illegal Immigrants and other
unemployed Minorities! This woman is frightening. She quotes...' We need to
work toward the goal of equalizing income, (didn't Marx say something like
this?), in our country and at the same time limiting
the amount the rich can invest. (I am not rich, are you?)
When
asked how these new tax dollars would be spent, she replied:
'We
need to raise the standard of living of our poor, unemployed and minorities.
For example, we have an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in our country
who need our help along with millions of unemployed minorities. Stock market
windfall profits taxes could go a long way to guarantee these people the
standard of living they would like to have as 'Americans''.
(Read that
quote again and again and let it sink in.) 'Lower your retirement,
give it to others who have not worked as you have for it.' Send it on to your
friends. I just did! This lady is out of her mind!!!!!
AND OBAMA WANTS TO GIVE THEM AMNESTY!!!!!!!
Just a bit of comedy for ya:
From another
email I received the other day.
Subject:
Keynote
speaker: Fritz Coleman - NBC
Weathercaster
This takes about
15 minutes, folks. Guaranteed you'll get
a kick out of what he has to say!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/LR2qZ0A8vic?rel=0
This weeks joke:
One sunny day
in January, 2017, an old man approaches the White House from across
The following
day the same man approaches the White House and says to the same Marine, “I
would like to go in and meet with President Obama.” The Marine again tells the
man, “Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Obama is no longer president and no longer
resides here.” The man thanks him and again walks away.
On the third
day, the same man approaches the White House and speaks to the very same U.S.
Marine, saying, “I would like to go in and meet with President Obama.” The
Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looks at the man and says, “Sir,
this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Obama.
I’ve told you already that Mr. Obama is no longer the president and no longer
resides here. Don’t you understand?”
The old man
looks at the Marine and says,“Oh,
I understand. I just love hearing it.” The Marine snaps to attention, salutes,
and says, “See you tomorrow, Sir!”
Of course this column would not be
complete without this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmAk0FVxIjU
|
Until my next column – due out on January 8, 2015. Wishing
all my readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy, prosperous New Year! Columns
are available on the Dirt Track Digest at:
http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/ (Click on “Recent Columns – and I hope
it works!) And: http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/ |
As usual, I can always be
reached via email at ygordad@yahoo.com