Racin'
Stuff:
By
Tom Avenengo
First things, first:
My schedule for last weekend was to hit Accord on Friday
for the return visit of the ARDC midgets and the restored cars of the Atlantic
Coast Old Timers (ACOT), then onto OCFS on Saturday, for “Nostalgia Night” and
ACOT’s appearance. At Accord, the
midgets put on (for me and my grandson, Brett) a whale of a show. Drew Heistand went from 16th to
the lead in about 6 laps. He was maybe
75’ ahead of 2nd place, with second and
third fairly close to each other, then there was a race long battle for the
next place among about 8 cars. I was
somewhat concerned about the car count for the ARDC since there was a race
scheduled for Williams Grove the next day – you know “The GROVE”. ARDC, itself had 22 cars and they were joined
by three Quad 4 midgets, for a total of 25.
Due to time restraints, the cars of ACOT didn’t get any track time, and
for some of the “old timers” I know that kinda hurt some. ACOT had a real nice turn out of cars, a lot more than what was at Greenwood Valley
last week.
The weather forecast for Saturday wasn’t very nice at
all, and it was overcast all day long.
To go to OC or not – that was the question. The forecast called for a 90% chance of
storms. If we went, and it rained out,
then we would have to probably go next Saturday to use the rain checks. However, next Saturday we’re having a
graduation party for grandson Brett and his sister Samantha who graduated
college. So, that led to us not hitting
OC. Yes, they rained out after a few
heat races, but they still had their “Nostalgia Night” which I really wanted to
attend. Oh well – “Stuff” happens! It wasn’t until this past Sunday that I was
told that the graduation party was going to start at noon! Damn!
Could have gone, seen some of the old guys, and used the rain check this
coming Saturday!
Some of my thoughts – part I:
At Accord last Friday, the track did something that made
me happy – they ran the ARDC feature rather early in the evening – feature wise. With whatever
could go wrong on a race night actually going wrong, they were unable to get
all of the features in due to the 11:30 PM curfew. Not that it would save much time, but I
wonder what the reason was to push the midgets from between turns one and two,
where they come onto the track, all the way around to the homestretch, in quite
a few cases, to push them off? And isn’t
it possible for some of the larger quads to push the midgets fast enough to get
them started?
Some of my thoughts – part II:
Last week I had this, in this section:
“Some of my thoughts – part II:
Have you ever heard of “Revolution Racing Engines”? They’re out in San Miguel, California. I found out about them when I visited the
ARDC’s message board. They make a
“Chevy” midget engine that cost less than $10,000.00 – complete. I’ve said, many, many times,
that the high cost of midget engines is what has really hurt the sport. Engines running three to four times that
$10,000.00 figure have been out there – and to race for what I consider small
purses. Just how they might compete
against the “big buck” engines remains to be seen. Still, maybe it’s what might be needed to
give midget racing a kick start in getting more competitors into the
sport. I, personally, will be interested
in seeing how the members of the ARDC respond about this engine on their
message board. Maybe, just maybe, with a
cheaper engine and more owners/drivers coming into the ARDC, they can enlarge
their schedule some? That would be
nice. Or – maybe a
second “class”? Heck, NEMA has
what they are calling NEMA “lights” now, with what I believe uses Ford Focus
and Quad 4 midgets?
The website for Revolution Racing Engines: http://www.revolutionracingengines.com/Welcome%20.html”
While I was at Accord, I met up with the former President
of the ARDC, Ron Lauer. We spoke about
those engines and his response was that they would not be competitive with the
ARDC cars due to their lower horsepower.
I wonder how much slower they’d be at a track like Accord? Might they be faster than the Quad 4
cars? At Accord the Quad 4’s did run at
the tail of the field, and I believe had gotten lapped, too. So, even though they might not be competitive
with ARDC’s cars, still, might it be possible for a second class, then? Reading on their website, I see that it is
already being done in some parts of the country.
Some of my thoughts – part III:
Maybe it’s me? I
just can’t get into watching the Indy cars on these street courses with the
Jersey Barriers on each side of the “track” and the huge over hang from the
safety fences. It’s like racing in a
tunnel. They, the tracks, are not wide
enough, to begin with. The drivers are
constantly going into blind corners. It
surely isn’t for the fans, since they sure can’t see much of the race. The sad thing is that Indycar has really gone
over to being CART II. I believe they
have a string of five races that do not have an oval race. Sad.
Some
of my thoughts – part IV:
Last Saturday
night I watched a good part of the Cup race.
Unfortunately, I also watched an idiot, Jimmy Fallon, with the command
“Gentlemen Start Your Engines”. To me
that “person” was a sorry excuse for what is supposed to be a human being. A grown “man” acting like
a spoiled three year old brat. One would
think that when you’re in the public eye and in front of thousands of people,
that one would act civilized. And clowns
like him make millions? Disgusting, as
far as I’m concerned!
Note: A link to a thread about this can be seen,
here: http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125930
Going
back, in time – part I:
On July
16th, in:
1926
Wally
Campbell ... Born
... A stock car, midget, and sprint car racer from Trenton, New Jersey.
He was the 1951 NASCAR Modified Champion and the 1953 AAA Eastern Division
Sprint car rookie of the year. Wally was killed practicing for an AAA
Midwestern Division sprint car race at Salem
Indiana on July 17, 1954. He was
one day past his 28th birthday. Campbell began
his stock car career at Flemington Fairgrounds in New Jersey in 1947 where he promptly rolled
the car over. By the end of 1947 he was the champion of the newly formed
American Stock Car Racing Association (ASCRA). He finished 6th in points in
1948, then won the title in both 1949 and 1950. 1951 brought the NASCAR
Modified title and in 1952 he finished 2nd in points to Buck Baker in the
NASCAR Speedway division. In 1953 he won five AAA sprint car races after
getting a late start in August. He attempted qualifying at Indianapolis in 1954 but was sent home to get
"more experience". He made two AAA Championship Car
race starts later that year at Langhorne Speedway and Darlington Speedway but
failed to finish in both races. He was leading the AAA Eastern Division
in points at the time of his death.
1928
Jim
Rathmann ...
Born ... (born Richard Rathmann from Alhambra, California) is a former American race car driver who won
the Indianapolis
500 in 1960. He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series in the
1949-1950 and 1952-1963 seasons with 42 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in each of those seasons.
Rathmann also participated in the two runnings of the Race of Two Worlds at the
Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy,
winning the 1958 event. He had 6 victories in addition to his Indy 500 win. He
also drove in 3 races in the NASCAR series from 1949-1951.
Note: Notice the names?
1950
Duane
Carter won the
AAA Sprint Car race at the Salem Speedway, Salem, IN.
1960
Chuck
Arnold won the
ARDC Midget race at the Danbury Fairgrounds, Danbury,CT.
1965
Bob
Rossell won the Modified Stock Car race and Al Herman won the Limited Sportsman
race at the East Windsor Speedway, Hightstown,
NJ.
Al
Tasnady won the Modified Stock Car race at the Reading Fairgrounds Speedway, Reading, PA.
Lynn
Paxton won the Modified Stock Car race at the Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA.
Frankie
Schneider won the Modified Stock Car race at the Harmony Speedway, Harmony, NJ.
Ernie
Borrelli ...
Died ... ARDC Midget Car driver died in a midget race at the Hatfield Speedway,
Hatfield, PA.
1966
Ron Lux ... Died ... Ron Lux was a
resident of Buffalo, New York. He also drove under the pseudonym
of Bucky Buckholtz, and also drove using a borrowed USAC license from Bob
Hodgson. He was trying to avoid sanctions from USAC, which at the time did not
permit their drivers to run in non-sanctioned events. Ron Lux was the
Supermodified driver points champion of New York's Oswego
Speedway in 1965, with a #2, and won the Orange County Eastern States 200 in
1965. He also set fast time with a #45 for the first
asphalt Langhorne National Open (Race of Champions) event in 1965. He died in a
USAC Sprint Car accident in Tulsa,
OK
Larry
Dickson won the
USAC Sprint car race at the Tulsa Fairgrounds, Tulsa, OK.
1967
Mario
Andretti won
the USAC Sprint car race at the Oswego Speedway, Oswego, NY.
Going
back, in time – part II:
I keep saying
that time goes by so fast. And, yes, as
we get older, it seems to go by so much faster.
However, it seems like it was just months ago – July 13, 1993 – over
sixteen years ago, when we lost Davey Allison at Talladega from that helicopter crash.
Some
info on Davey can be found, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davey_Allison#Death
Racing on TV:
Check out what’s on TV, racing wise, here: http://www.racefantv.com/USTV.htm
Other
forums/message boards and websites:
From the Track Forum - http://www.trackforum.com/forums/
Danica Patrick to NASCAR? Some interesting things
being said about that on the TF.
I’d have to go along with what Roger Penske said on Wind Tunnel – she
would have a year or so in ARCA and Nationwide cars before a move to Cup. Would she be willing to be
“out of the spotlight” for a year or so?
Check it out, here:
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126006
From
Jayski - http://www.jayski.com/
Are
you interested in what MIGHT happen in NASCAR Cup racing in 2010? Jayski has some thoughts and “news” which can
be seen, here: http://www.jayski.com/pages/2010teams.htm
Harvick wants out at RCR? Kevin Harvick has told Richard Childress he
would like to leave after this season, according to multiple sources. Harvick
has one year remaining on his contract with RCR, but the Shell/Pennzoil
sponsorship deal on the #29 Chvey ends at the end of this season, and Harvick
is trying to move with it to Stewart-Haas. Tony Stewart has said his team is
interested in running a third car in Sprint Cup in 2010. Childress is in a
tough spot. He could hold Harvick to the contract and try to re-sign
Shell/Pennzoil, but in a performance-based business, the Stewart-Haas option,
undoubtedly, is more appealing to the gas and oil company. If Shell/Penzoil
decides to leave, Childress has to find $15 million to $20 million in
sponsorship to replace it -- a very difficult prospect in this economy. Harvick
would also bring additional Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series
capability to the organization, joining the JR Motorsports operation owned by
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Hendrick. Kevin Harvick Inc. competes in both
series.(Sports
Illustrated)(7-14-2009)
UPDATE: The following is a statement from Richard
Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing, regarding recent
reports about RCR team sponsor Shell-Pennzoil and Kevin Harvick, driver of the
#29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:
“Richard Childress Racing has a multi-year contract with Shell-Pennzoil that
includes the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Shell-Pennzoil remains a
great partner for RCR and Kevin Harvick as well as our sport overall. RCR also
has a multi-year contract with Kevin Harvick that includes the 2010 season.
That said, Shell will be the sponsor and Kevin will be the driver of RCR’s No.
29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS in 2010.”(RCR site)
UPDATE 2:Richard Childress Racing driver Kevin Harvick
would like to be released from the final year of his contract that expires in
2010, a source close to the situation said on Wednesday. "He's making that
evident," the source said. The SI.com report said Shell's contract expires
after this season, but multiple sources told ESPN.com the deal runs through
2010. Sources added that it is unlikely RCR owner Richard Childress would let
both the driver and sponsor go, particularly in today's economic climate. A
spokesman for Harvick had no comment when contacted by ESPN.com.(ESPN)(7-15-2009)
Note: Is this
gonna get “messy”? Sad to say, but in
today’s world, “contracts” don’t really mean much.
Keselowski to Penske next year? UPDATE Red Bull?: For the second straight season, Brad Keselowski is the
top candidate for the #12 Penske Racing Dodge. David Stremme has experienced a
couple of miserable weeks at the racetrack and is currently 32nd in the point
standings. Keselowski said on Friday he does not have a deal signed for next
year. Certainly for a self-proclaimed "Eastsider," partnering with
fellow Detroit-based Roger Penske would be an honor. Keselowski was offered the
#12 ride last year after Ryan Newman announced he was leaving the ride to join
Stewart-Haas Racing.(Fox Sports)(7-11-2009)
UPDATE: Brad Keselowski's racing team for 2010 is still undecided. The
25-year-old Keselowski hoped a recent meeting with team owner Rick Hendrick
would answer some questions about where he'd be racing next season. Keselowski
wants a full-time ride next year, and he's optimistic he can stay affiliated
with Hendrick Motorsports. He discussed several possibilities with Hendrick,
though no final decision was reached. "I have some preferences, but I
haven't gotten very far with them," Keselowski said. "I'm not really
close on anything." No matter where he ends up, Keselowski felt he would
have a full-time ride next season. "I feel pretty confident that's the way
it's heading," he said. "It would have to be a big problem to come up
for that not to happen."(Associated
Press)(7-12-2009)
UPDATE 2: #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said there's "only a 10 percent
chance" he'll move his JR Motorsports team from the Nationwide to the Cup
series next year. "I basically just wanted to put feelers out there and
see what kind of interest there was from sponsors," he said. "I would
have to drive the car myself (to get a sponsor) and I'm going to be working for
Rick for the next couple of years, at least."(Indianapolis
Star)
UPDATE 3: Brad Keselowski wasn't kidding
when he said he had "options" for next season. In addition to being
close to re-signing a deal with JR Motorsports to run in the Nationwide Series,
the latest buzz has Keselowski paired with Red Bull Racing. If Keselowski
indeed stays with JRM, the only scenario that would work on the Cup side would
be with a Chevy team. Maybe Red Bull is closer to inking a Chevy deal. Rick
Hendrick said on Saturday that HMS has the resources to include Red Bull in its
engine program.(FoxSports)(7-13-2009)
UPDATE 4: been told by sources that no one at Red Bull Racing has talked to
Keselowski about driving for the team in 2010.(7-15-2009)
Note: And this segment of the
NASCAR “Soap Opera” will, more than likely, be
continued.
The Jeremy
Mayfield saga continues:
Note, this,
below, which is on Jayski’s website, is quite lengthy:
Mayfield talks on Sirius Late Shift [this is a long
post]: On Wednesday's "Late Shift" on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, hosts Nate
Ryan and and Buddy Baker spoke with NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield. NASCAR filed
a motion with a federal appeals court saying Mayfield tested positive for methamphetamine
in a second round of drug tests and should have his suspension from the sport
reinstated.
Host, Nate Ryan: "Your reaction to [the allegations]?"
Jeremy Mayfield: "Well, first of all I didn't think they were going
to come back and say I was clean you know what I mean? Because that's just not,
doesn't seem which way they want to work anymore. I had a test done before
their test and I had a test done 30, 35 minutes after their test that got
different results than what they're mentioning there. We'll hear more about
that tomorrow, more detail on that. But it's just part of the deal that's going
on. It's just a bad deal all the way around for everybody involved and stuff
just keeps popping up, one thing after another. It'll all come out and at the
end we'll all know. And I think a lot of you guys that I've known and seen the
past for years know for sure without a shadow of doubt there's nothing wrong
here, nothing going on. And they have a hard time admitting when they're wrong
or done something wrong and we all know that, whether we admit it or not, we
know that and it's just part of the battle, part of the things we're going to
have to fight here."
Host, Buddy Baker: "There was also a report there that your
stepmother had suggested that she had watched you use drugs. What in the world
is going on there?"
Mayfield: "I'm not even going to call that lady my stepmom. That
was a lady who was married to my dad who is very, very angry at me. And that's
all going to come out too. It's a whole different subject. A lady who pretty
much shot and killed my dad and that'll all, in the next few days you'll be
hearing more about that. It's just another part of my life that's going on that
I've had to get figured out. I had private investigators and everything on my
dad's case when it all happened in '07. She's a very evil lady and obviously
can be bought and her time's coming. And it's definitely somebody that doesn't
like me whatsoever and doesn't deserve to even have the Mayfield last name.
She's, like I said, very angry and obviously out to do whatever she's got to do
and NASCAR jumps right on the bandwagon. And I guess when you get paid to say
something you can say whatever you want to say. But, like I said, that's a
whole different, separate thing that's going on in my life that you'll be
hearing about more in the next couple of days with a wrongful death situation
that she's involved in and trying everything she can to get back at me. And
what do you say? I damn sure won't call her a stepmom, I tell you that. She
never was."
Ryan: "Going back to what you were saying
there about the testing, when NASCAR did its test a week ago, on Monday, you
did a test at another facility? Are you saying those test results will show
that you didn't test positive for methamphetamine?"
Mayfield: "Yeah, definitely. And I took it at two different
facilities. One was at the Piedmont Urgent Care before their test and another
one actually at an emergency room right after their test. And the one I took
after their test was, I'm going to say 30, 35 minutes
later just to let you know the timeline there. I promise you they'll show
different results than what they show."
Baker: "What has this done to your life as far as just walking
around? A lot of people know you and think highly of you but have you noticed a
difference in just daily life since this came about?"
Mayfield: "Oh, definitely, Buddy. It's something that we're dealing
with on a daily basis. Every day, all day long, this is what we deal with and
have been since it happened. But I can tell you this: I'm not going to lay down. I'm going to stand up for what's right. That's the
way I am and who I am. And they can try and throw every little tactical thing
they can throw at me but I can promise you I'm not going down. I want the world
to know that. And if I do anything at all hopefully it'll make their drug
policy like it needs to be and it helps another driver or several drivers in
the future. At least give them a fair shake and this won't happen again. And
that's what bothers me more than anything, is how wrong, and the lie that you
have to sit here and read every day on the internet and see how wrong this
whole situation is. I haven't said anything for awhile. I've been real quiet,
letting them do their own deal. Let Ramsey [Poston] run his mouth on a daily
basis. And I just can't take it no more and I need to tell the truth. I need to
let everybody know that what's right is right and what's wrong is wrong. And I
find it hard for a guy in Brian France's position to sit here and tell the
world how great and how strong their drug policy is and basically, you look at
the World Anti-Doping Association - I said this last week in an interview - you
go ask anybody in any kind of sporting series in the world what kind of policy
we have and it's the worst out there. And I have a hard time when Brian wants
to sit there and tell all the race fans out there how strong and how great
their policy is when in fact it's not. And I just don't believe in things like
that and it's time to tell it. It's time for the world to know that kind of
stuff."
Ryan: "Another contention from NASCAR is
that you attempted to dilute this drug test and that was the reason for the delay, that you had attempted to dilute it by ingesting
large quantities of water. Would you care to respond to that?"
Mayfield: "Yeah, I'd love to respond to it. The day after this
happened, day one, we started shooting a documentary on all this, some buddies
of mine and friends of mine in the past that I worked with,
they're in the movie business kinda, out in L.A. And we started shooting a documentary of
our lives every day since then. And Buddy asked the question: How'd this change
your life? We're going to show on TV, and the world's
going to know how it's changed our life because they've been with us every day,
24/7. And that day there they were with us and watched. They met the NASCAR
security and, I guess, the collectors at my front porch. Nobody held them off
for 10 minutes. Nobody had done any of that stuff. Nobody was running and
hiding. I waited here at my house for an hour and a half and it's documented on
tape, live, waiting for them to get here. And they say, 'Well, you ran from
this, ran from that.' They give me 18 minutes. My attorney told me - I had a
meeting on Monday - I had 18 minutes to get to the lab of their choice,
whatever it was, to go take my test. Well, there's no way I could make it in 18
minutes. And I got mad about it. I was like, 'There's no way I can make it
there.' So we went and got our own test right before just to show the world I was
not trying to hide anything. So we've got all this documented and it's all
going to come out and the truth will be known."
Ryan: "What can you tell us about your NASCAR career at this point?
Do you have any designs on even racing in NASCAR right now or is it more just
about trying to prove your point here and not really worrying about continuing
your career?"
Mayfield: "I'm not worried about continuing my career because, you
know, we all know what happens when you buck the system and you go back and try
to race again. It's not going to work out for me for whatever reason that we
all know. My deal now is I can't afford to sit there and pay employees and pay
people to work on race cars when we don't have the money to do that. And we're
putting all of our resources, everything we got now, into fighting this to the
end. And that's what we intend to do and [are] going to do. And I just can't
keep people on the payroll for no reason, you know?"
Ryan: "What's the next step from here? Where do you expect this
case to go and does this mean we aren't going to see you at the racetrack again
anytime soon?"
Mayfield:
"I doubt you will. The case, like I said, I'm fighting it to the end,
whatever I've got to do. It's just like if somebody accuses you. They say,
'Hey, man, you're going to jail.' For what reason they don't
tell you. They send you to jail and you've got to explain later how
you're going to get out, this, that and the other. You're not going to do that.
You're not going to take the fall for somebody else. You're going to stand up
and be a man about it and fight for what's right and that's what I gotta
do."
Baker: "Like you said, right or wrong, we'll know the truth here
pretty soon."
Mayfield: "Right, that's the whole deal right there. And, like I
said, we've had a camera crew with us 24/7 that's
going to be [unintelligible] every bit of this and we'll all see it. And one
other thing as I sit here and think about this: You know, Brian France out
there talking about effective drug policy, it's kind of like Al Capone talking
about effective law enforcement. And that's the way I feel about it. The pot
shouldn't be calling the kettle black, you know what
I'm saying? And I think the world needs to hear that, too."
Ryan: "NASCAR has said they have not tested the B sample yet from
what they collected from you. Was your test observed, the one you conducted at
an independent laboratory? Was that observed by someone and was there a B
sample for that?"
Mayfield: "Yes, there is a B sample and, yes, it was at a
professional lab. When you go take these drug tests and everybody that's had
one - and by the way I'm getting them, I've been getting them since this
happened about every three or four days I go get a drug test. I'll say in the
next couple weeks I'll probably have up to 15 or 16 different tests that show
clean and the only two that show positive are the ones that come from [Dr.]
David Black down at his lab. And the B sample, their deal with the B sample was
we told them what lab to send it to, send our B sample, since that belongs to
me supposedly, send it to a credible lab. We told them
what lab to send it to. They didn't want to send it to that lab. They wanted to
send it to the lab they wanted to send it to. Well, if it's my sample why can't
it be my choice? There again, policy-wise, that's the way it is in all sports.
You send it - the B sample belongs to the donor - you send it to the lab you
want it sent it to. And [for] some reason they're not doing that. They can sit
there and say what they want to and make up all the excuses they want to.
That's the truth. They did not want to send it to the lab we wanted it sent
to."
Ryan: "Do you feel as if you've been targeted here? Do you feel as
if NASCAR is singling you out and, if so, what would be the motive for
that?"
Mayfield:
"I feel like I was definitely targeted and definitely was going to be,
they thought, a good example for their drug policy. I'd go away for thirty days
or whatever and come back, got my own team, and drive again. But nobody, like I
said, nobody in their right mind would do that and that's when you got to stand
for something or you'll fall for anything, you know? And the deal with me, they
got me and I was a good example for their policy. Remember policy,
that Brian talks about all the time? If they got me then none of their
stars would ever have to go down for a positive drug test, which Brian said the
other day they have all the time, positive drug tests. There again, if it's a
zero policy, zero tolerance on their policy, then how
do you have a bunch of positive drug tests? Why was mine the only one positive
that was going to have to be used for an example?"
(SIRIUS XM NASCAR Radio)(7-16-2009)
And,
Mayfield
defends himself; suing stepmother: Jeremy Mayfield didn't spare his stepmother
or NASCAR in defending himself against Wednesday's report that he has again
tested positive for methamphetamines. NASCAR filed court papers on Wednesday
saying that his most recent drug test came back positive and including an
affidavit from Mayfield's stepmother Lisa who claims to have seen the racer
using drugs on numerous occasions. Mayfield said he does not trust NASCAR
testing and saved his strongest words for his stepmother. "She's basically
a whore," he told ESPN.com's David Newton. "She shot and killed my
dad." Mayfield's father Terry died in 2007 at age 56,
and Mayfield told ESPN.com that his stepmother will be served with a wrongful
death suit on Thursday. "She knows what we've got on her," Mayfield
said. "For her to come out and do this is pretty ballsy. Everybody that's ever know me knows I never, ever have been around her
for more than 10 hours of my life. She's a gold digger. I knew that from Day
1." Although he said he has no proof, Mayfield claimed that NASCAR paid
Lisa Mayfield for her affidavit. "It wouldn't take much money. She tried
to get money from me," Mayfield said. "I have a very short fuse when
it comes to her." Mayfield said he has been tested for drugs every two to
five days by an independent lab and never tested positive. He said it was no
coincidence that the tests by NASCAR's lab resulted in his suspension and now
another positive test. In blasting NASCAR, he went straight for the top,
chairman Brian France.(more at ESPN.com)(7-16-2009)
NASCAR: Mayfield again tests positive for meth:
NASCAR says Jeremy Mayfield has again tested positive for methamphetamine and
wants the federal judge who lifted the driver's drug suspension to reinstate
the ban. The positive result from a July 6 random test was included in a U.S.
District Court filing Wednesday. The filing includes an affidavit from
Mayfield's stepmother, who claims she personally witnessed the driver using
methamphetamine at least 30 times over seven years. NASCAR says in its filings
that the "A" sample had levels of methamphetamine consistent with
habitual users who consume high doses. The filing also claims Mayfield and his
attorneys have failed to select a qualified laboratory to test the backup
"B" sample.(Associated
Press)
AND The general manager of Jeremy Mayfield's race team says he has left the
organization because he doesn't believe Mayfield Motorsports will return to the
race track. Bobby Wooten says he was the last remaining employee. The team was
started this season, and Mayfield said in court documents he had to lay off 10
employees since NASCAR suspended him in May for failing a random drug test. A
federal judge has lifted that suspension, but Mayfield did not bring the #41 Toyota to the track in
the two races since he was reinstated. Wooten says he does not believe Mayfield
has any interest in resurrecting the team.(Associated
Press)(7-15-2009)
Note: What can one say about this whole deal? Is he or isn’t he guilty? Is there a vendetta against him for bucking
the system? Might he run out of money
while he fights NASCAR, and is NASCAR counting on that?
Truex's car too high: The #1 Chevy driven by
Martin Truex Jr. did not pass a post-race inspection when NASCAR officials
discovered the right rear quarter panel was too high on the car. Truex finished
16th in the LifeLock 400 race at Chicagoland Speedway. The car will be taken
back to the NASCAR Research and Development
Center in Concord, N.C.,
for further evaluations. NASCAR officials will determine if the height problem
is a violation that requires a penalty. Any announcement of the process will
come later this week, likely on Tuesday or Wednesday. Similar height situations
have resulted in championship point reductions and fines in the past.(ESPN.com)(7-12-2009)
Note: Hmmm, it comes out that Truex will run for
Mikey next year and now his car was “to high”? Seems I said something in a previous column
about Truex maybe getting some bad stuff, or something similar to that?
OK, I had this in
last weeks column:
“Note: In a way, I hope this
doesn’t hurt Truex as far as the rest of this season goes, with some not so
good cars.”
Keselowski
to Penske next year? UPDATE: For the second straight season, Brad Keselowski is
the top candidate for the #12 Penske Racing Dodge. David Stremme has
experienced a couple of miserable weeks at the racetrack and is currently 32nd
in the point standings. Keselowski said on Friday he does not have a deal
signed for next year. Certainly for a self-proclaimed "Eastsider,"
partnering with fellow Detroit-based Roger Penske would be an honor. Keselowski
was offered the #12 ride last year after Ryan Newman announced he was leaving
the ride to join Stewart-Haas Racing.(Fox
Sports)(7-11-2009)
UPDATE: Brad Keselowski's racing team for 2010 is still undecided. The
25-year-old Keselowski hoped a recent meeting with team owner Rick Hendrick
would answer some questions about where he'd be racing next season. Keselowski
wants a full-time ride next year, and he's optimistic he can stay affiliated
with Hendrick Motorsports. He discussed several possibilities with Hendrick,
though no final decision was reached. "I have some preferences, but I
haven't gotten very far with them," Keselowski said. "I'm not really
close on anything." No matter where he ends up, Keselowski felt he would
have a full-time ride next season. "I feel pretty confident that's the way
it's heading," he said. "It would have to be a big problem to come up
for that not to happen."(Associated
Press)(7-12-2009)
Note: I’d be really surprised if Brad were to go to
another team. Then again, there are
rumors of Hendricks absorbing the Red Bull team, so…………………..
Double-file restarts still
causing confusion: The new double-file restart rule is still causing confusion for
drivers and their crew chiefs. Race director David Hoots was questioned about
restarts several times during the prerace Sprint Cup drivers meeting at
Chicagoland. First, #48-Jimmie Johnson's crew chief Chad Knaus asked about
which car controls the start of the race if the leader pulls off to make a late
pit stop. Hoots answered that all cars would simply move up in their line
instead of reshuffling the whole field, and the second-place car would get to
control the restart - even if it had the outside position. Then, #2-Kurt
Busch's crew chief Pat Tryson wondered about the scenario that occurred in
Friday night's Nationwide Series race, when Carl Edwards illegally passed Brian
Vickers on the outside before the start/finish line but gave the spot back and
was not penalized."I'd stress to you drivers that you're good enough that
you shouldn't be getting yourself in that position - stay in line until you
cross the start/finish line," Hoots said. Hoots then said that NASCAR
officials let drivers figure it out for the first six races, but that they
should have the restart procedures down by now. #24- Jeff Gordon to ask Hoots
if there was a "grace period" for making mistakes like Edwards did in
the Nationwide race. "The grace period is
over," Hoots said. "We're serious about it tonight."(SceneDaily)(7-12-2009)
Note: Already the “best thing to hit NASCAR” is
causing grief among some of the drivers.
One driver, Jeff Burton, who was always so “rah-rah” for NASCAR and it’s
way of presenting “racing”, so to say, said that he doesn’t like the double
file restarts.
Ford
hasn't cut support this year: Last week there was a call placed to Ford Motor
Company's Brian Wolfe in Dearborn,
Mich., to get an idea where those
boys at the Blue Oval were going with their stock-car racing program. Ford, he
says, drafted a slimmed down business plan under the company's new CEO Alan
Mulally, and yes, cuts were made to the racing budget -- last year. "For
our part at Ford, our story hasn't changed a whole lot since the start of the season,
other than we haven't won enough races," Wolfe howled. "We're in a
little different position than two of the other players in the sport."
Those players are GM and Chrysler, which competes in NASCAR with its Dodge
brand. Wolfe said Ford had to make some "tough cuts" at the end of
the 2008 season, which included an end to direct financial support to
Nationwide and Truck Series race teams. "But we have kept our engineering
support," he said. "That is really critical; that hasn't changed. The
Cup teams, that we have long-term contracts with, have stayed the same. We're
pushing along with our plan."(Daytona
Beach News Journal)(7-11-2009)
Note: I wonder how long the “Big Three” will
continue to do what they’re doing today?
General Motors
Cuts Sports Spending: In
order to emerge from bankruptcy protection, General Motors had the legal right
to reject contracts that it had previously signed. GM has now emerged from
bankruptcy, but 54 sponsorship agreements it terminated as part of the
bankruptcy were filed with the courts yesterday. Some NASCAR related cuts
mentioned in the article:
Track Agreements
California Speedway Corp. (Fontana) -– 70 suite passes w/ pit row access, 35
VIP parking passes
Daytona International Speedway –- 65 seats w/ 77 tickets, 11 parking passes
Dover International Speedway –- 50 seats w/65 suite passes, 30 VIP
Lowe's Motor Speedway –- 66 suite tickets, 16 pit passes, 10 parking passes
Richmond International Speedway –- 60 person suite, 30 pit passes, 15 parking
passes
Racing Team Sponsorship Agreements
Jeff Burton, personal service agreement (RCR)
Ryan Newman Motorsports
Other Sponsorships Agreements
IMG Worldwide (official car)(CNBC)(7-14-2009)
Note: Hmm, this is the beginning of the answers to
my previous “Note”, maybe?
Labonte & Menard out at Yates? Hearing Yates Racing will
clean house with its current driver roster at the end of the season. After the
example that Tony Stewart has set at Stewart-Haas Racing on how a satellite
operation should be run, is there any question why Jack Roush would not
consider unloading #96-Bobby Labonte and #98-Paul Menard, who are 27th and 31st
respectively, in the point standings? Yes, Menard brings decent money to the
table, but with Ask.com shopping its sponsorship there is certainly reason for
concern for the #96 Ford.(Fox
Sports)(7-11-2009)
Note: In a lot of cases, I think that sponsorship
will play a big part in who goes where, who stays put and who might not even
race.
Earnhardt
says he'd like to run Indy 500 someday: #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he would jump at the
chance to drive in the Indianapolis
500 if there were not a conflicting NASCAR race on the same day. Rain washed
out his plans for a ride in a two-seat Indy car on Thursday. Instead, he
strapped himself behind the wheel and received a 10-minute driving lesson from
former 500 winner Dan Wheldon. Earnhardt said he
"picked his brains as hard as I could." And he said driving at Indianapolis "definitely interests me," though
he has NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte,
N.C., on the same day. However,
he said he and many other NASCAR drivers would try Indy if the schedules could
be resolved.(Associated
Press)(7-10-2009)
Note
# 1: Junior in an Indy car? It would be nice, but in a way, I kind of
doubt it. Could a driver possibly do a
one of a kind race in racecars that are so completely different? Extremely difficult in my way of thinking,
and what if a big name doesn’t qualify?
Of course it all depends on one of the races – Indy or Charlotte getting
moved to a different day and/or time.
With the “popularity” of both series on a down turn, maybe this is something
that might help – NASCAR drivers in the 500?
What other races might some NASCAR drivers enter – as a warm up?
Note
# 2: Years ago, there were some NASCAR
drivers that ran Indy cars. Bobby
Allison ran six races – Indianapolis
in 1973 & 1975. Ontario, twice in 1973. Pocono and Michigan
in 1975. His best finish was a 6th
at a race at Ontario.
His
brother, Donnie also ran in six Indy car races – Indy in 1970 & 1971, Milwaukee in 1971, Pocono and Ontario in 1971. His best finish was a 4th at Indy
in
Cale
Yarborough ran in 14 Indy car races with a best finish of 5th at Michigan in 1971. Other tracks he ran at were:
Rafaela Argentina, Phoenix, Trenton, Pocono, Michigan, Milwaukee and Ontario.
LeeRoy
Yarbrough ran in seven Indy car races, with a best finish of 3rd at Trenton in 1971. He was a “regular” at Indy in 1966. 67. 68.
69 & 70 and was a DNQ in 71. His
other track was Ontario
in 1970.
Bobby
Johns ran Indy cars but only at Indianapolis,
and he ran it in 1964 (DNQ), 1965 (7th), 1966, 67 & 68 (DNQ),
1969 (10th) and 1971 (DNQ).
Junior Johnson even
attempted to qualify for the Indy 500 in 1963, but failed to make the field.
There were others
that ran stock cars and Indy cars, like Paul Goldsmith, to name just one more.
Dirt Track
Digest’s forum: http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/forum/index.php
Check it out and
see what everyone is saying, and check out race results, too.
http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/
Besides photos
being on Ralph Corwins web site, he also has some on
this website. Also John Schoebel has his
OVRP Dirt Oval race reports there, too.
This writer also has his columns over there – kinda like the “Three
Stooges”!
OCFS - http://www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net/
Yep, “Mother
Nature” messed up the big night that was planned for OCFS last Saturday. They managed to get four heat races in before
they had to call it a night. There was a
good turn out of fans for the “Nostalgia Night” - I understand.
From the OCFS
website:
“358 MODIFIEDS BACK
AT ORANGE COUNTY FAIR SPEEDWAY
Five divisions, a
make-up feature, and Sportsman Elimination race highlight a Camp and Autograph
night on the Hard Clay
MIDDLETOWN, NY
(July 11)……..The popular 358 Modifieds will be back in action on Saturday, July
18 at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York. The small-block
speedsters join the powerful big-block Modifieds, Sportsman, Pro Stock and Pure
Stock classes in a full five-division night of exciting dirt track racing.
Orange County welcomes all summer campers
wearing camp tee shirts to the speedway. It’s also Autograph Night, a chance
for fans to meet many of the track’s drivers and get their autographs.
And as a special
double bonus, the Sportsman cars will be running their make-up feature that was
curtailed by weather back on June 13, and then the top-ten Sportsman drivers
will be competing in a special Elimination event that was popular with the fans
when the Modified Elimination was held earlier in the season.
Steve Dodd Plumbing
& Heating is he sponsor for Autograph and Camp Night.
The Sportsman Elimination race is sponsored by Precision Seamless Gutters.
Admission prices
for the July 18 race meet remain at $14 adults, $12 seniors, and free for
children 12 and under. The full night of racing begins promptly at 6:00 pm.
SEVEN NIGHTS OF
TRACK ACTION DURING THE 169TH ANNUAL
ORANGE COUNTY
FAIR
Stock cars, sprint
cars, enduros, motorcycles, quads, and demolition derby cars to thrill fans in
a frenzy of fast-paced motorsports in Middletown
MIDDLETOWN, NY
(July 15)……..The 169th Annual Orange County Fair opens Thursday, July 23 and
kicks off seven nights of motorsports action on the historic Middletown, New
York “Hard Clay” speedway.
First up on
Thursday evening is a 100-lap Enduro race. That’s followed the next evening,
Friday, July 24, by motorcycle and quad races on the big five-eighths-mile oval.
On Saturday, July
25, Mid Valley Dry Wall, Pine Bush Equipment, and Awisco present a full night
of stock car racing featuring the track’s Modified, Sportsman, Pro Stock, and
Pure Stock divisions.
The stock cars
return the following Saturday, August 1, with the popular 358 Modifieds the
headline attraction. The Sportsman, Pro Stocks and Pure Stocks are also on the
program. And as a special bonus, the 305 sprint cars of the Capitol Region
Sprint Association will be returning to Orange County
in a make-up appearance for an earlier date rainout. Howard Johnson of Middletown and Super 8 of
Middletown are the night’s presenting sponsors.
The first of two
Demolition Derbies is set to smash and crash on Sunday, July 26, with a return
engagement on Sunday, August 2, the last day of the Fair.
And on Wednesday,
July 29, the Pro Stocks, Pure Stock, and Sportsman racers have their own night
on the big speedway, with the headline race a 100-lap feature for the Sportsman
cars.
Ticket prices,
starting times, and other important information for Orange County Fair Speedway
programs during the Fair are available at
www.orangecountyfair.com/entertainment/grandstand.
Advance ticket
sales and track information for all remaining Orange County Fair Speedway race
dates, including the 48th Annual Eastern States Weekend, can be found at the Orange County
website, www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net, or from the Track Office. Call
845-342-2573 during business hours.
Important
Announcement from OCFS
By: OCFS Office
July 15th 2009
The DRIVE IN
SECTION will NOT BE OPEN during the upcoming Mid-Week shows - July 23rd and
July 29th - The GRANDSTANDS WILL BE OPEN ONLY - Note: The DRIVE IN SECTION will
be OPEN for all REGULAR SATURDAY NIGHT PROGRAMS.”
Note: I do believe the CRSA sprinters will have a
feature only on August 1st.
Bethel Motor Speedway: http://www.bethelmotorspeedway.com/BethelMotorSpeedway/HomePage.html
Unfortunately,
Bethel has their website set up so one can’t copy and past info from it, but
this coming Saturday the Legend Cars are returning to go along with the other
classes that normally run there on Saturday nights. And, it’s only five bucks for admission!
Hamlin
Speedway: http://www.hamlinspeedway.com/
For
this coming Saturday:
*Wingless
600cc Micro Sprints "Summer Showdown!" 30 Lap Feature
If
24 cars $700 To Win! Entry fee: $50
All
divisions will be racing, and the larger classes that were rained out last
week, will run their main events (Slingshots, Super Slingers, 270’s and
wingless 600’s).
Accord
- http://www.accordspeedway.com/
For this coming Friday, this is posted on their website:
Joe Winnie Memorial
Sponsored by
B. Millen & Son Recycling
Modifieds $3000 to win
Eastern States 200 Qualifier
+ all other
divisions
Note: I’m not sure just what they might be running
from this past weeks show that had to be cut short due
to the curfew. And, I’m not positive,
but I think they still have a Pro Stock feature to run from another Friday
night? Again, I’m not positive on that. And I believe the Joe Winne Memorial race is
a 55 lapper.
OVRP’s
Dirt Oval - http://www.ovrpdirtoval.com/
The Dirt Oval got
most of a show in last Saturday. John
Schoebel has his race report on the website I linked to, above.
There is this
info on their website:
RAIN OUT INFORMATION:
On Saturday July 18th, we will be
running the rest of the show from July 11th and then we will run 2 heats and a
feature. There will only be 1 round of practice.
The slingshots will be completing their
makeup from Saturday June 13th. If any new slingshots show up, they will be
allowed to enter, but they will have to start in the rear of the field.
The slingshots will be completing their
makeup from July 11th on Saturday July 25th.
Former
OVRP Dirt Oval runners:
On
July 8th, at Five Mile, in the RoC race, Danny Creeden was 12th.
At
Penn Can, last Friday, Danny was 2nd in the hold over feature and 3rd
in the regular nights feature.
At Stafford, in the SK Light feature, David Webb was 10th
and Lauren Cooper 11th.
At Whip City,
in the 1200 Mini Sprints, RJ Tufano was 12th and in the Quad 4’s he
was 1st.
At
Borgers, in the 270 Micro Sprints, Tiffany Wambold was 6th.
At
Wall Stadium, in the Ledgends feature, Roger Coss was the winner. In the Micro Stocks, Nick Cottone was first,
again, with Tom Ervin 2nd, Dennis Hiddeman 3rd, Bill
Kreiger, Sr. 4th, Bill Kreiger, Jr 6th and Andy Hiddeman
7th.
At
New Egypt, this past Tuesday, in a special Sportsman 50 lap race, Mike Ruggiero
was 7th.
Up
in Canada,
at Autodrome St-Eustache, in the Tobias SpeedSTR feature, Billy VanInwegen was
7th, on Sunday, while Jeff Gallup was 9th.
At
Wyalusing, in the 270 Micro Sprints, Jacob Hendershot was 4th and
Luke Schostkewitz was 5th. In
the 600 Micros, Cait and Molly Chambers, along with Luke, were DNQ’s.
At
Accord, with the ARDC Midgets, Justin Grosz was 16th and RJ Tufano
was 22nd, in his Quad 4 midget.
In the Sportsman feature, Mike Ruggiero was 1st and Brian
Krummel 3rd. Keith Leonard
was a DNQ. Due to curfew, the modifieds
and Spec Sportsman features were not run.
At
the Thunder on the Hill show at Grandview,
last night (Wednesday), Justin Grosz was 19th in the ARDC’s
feature. A little sad news about that 19th
place finish was found in the race report that’s on the ARDC’s message board,
which had this in it:
“Bumps
and Bruises: Besides Readinger's sore back, Justin Grosz was shaken up as well.
In a flip that brought out an early race red, Grosz' no. 39 Spike Fontana suffered
extensive damage and Grosz suffered a headache and neck pain when he removed
his helmet. He left the speedway in an ambulance and was taken for observation.
No further details were available at the time of this report..”
And,
from his website: “Justin was treated and
released as of 1 am this morning with a neck sprain and still had the headaches
as of his release. The car did take quite a bit of damage, but should be ready
to go for next weeks race at Bridgeport.”
Family
members in racing:
No racing with either grandson this past weekend. Not sure about John down in Florida, but up here, we won’t be racing
this coming Saturday due to a graduation party for Brett and his sister
Samantha, who graduated from college.
Our next race might be Hamlin with the Micro Sprint – minus the
wing. We’re thinking of a move in the
future - from the Micro to a 305 sprinter.
Other racin’ stuff:
Is NASCAR
racing getting “boring”? It just might
be. Check out what Richard Allen has to
say, by clicking on this link:
http://racingwithrich.com/?p=872
That article, along with many
others can be found on Jayski’s website if you go here:
http://www.jayski.com/pages/stories.htm
More racin’ stuff:
Uh oh! Guess what?
I was watching “Wind Tunnel” on TV last Sunday night. Dave Despain had Roger Penske on. They spoke about the 100th
anniversary of the Indy 500. Dave has
said that he’d like to see some “alternative” powered cars for that race. Mr. Penske kind of disagreed on that, but did
offer up this: Have 40 cars in the
race. Change a race date – between the
World 600 and the Indy 500 – saying that it could be done. He’d like to see some of the NASCAR guys
competing – like Stewart, Gordon and others.
Now get this – to get more passing, Mr. Penske came out and said, “MAYBE
WE SHOLD GET RID OF THE WINGS”!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mr. Penske – I LOVE you! I’ve
been saying that for I don’t know how long, now. It can be done, folks, really. And get away from the one chassis, one engine
deal, too.
Note: Check out video # 2 that is linked to, below
in the “Video time” section.
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 from “G” throuogh “I”. I imagine that you might recognize some of
the names listed. Later on, in future
columns, I’ll continue my way through the alphabet.
David
Gaines, George Gancarz, Chet Gardner and his brother Dean Gardner, Chris
Gehrke, Whitey Gerken, George Gervais, Jimmy Gibbons, Terry Gibson, Don
Gillette, Kevin Gobrecht, Daryl Gohn, Mike Grbac, Cecil Green, Henry Guerand,
Eddie Haddad, Johnny Hannon, Walt Hansgen, Johnny Hargett, Kathleen Harnisch,
D. D. "Rebel" Harris, Lucky Harris, Harry Hart, Otto Harwi, Friday
Hassler, Carl Hattel, Jim Hemmings, Kara Hendrick, Hank Henry, Ralph Hepburn,
Al Herman, Jim Hickman, Ted Horn, Bill Horstmeyer, Steve Howard, Jerry Hoyt,
John Hubbard, Ron Hughes Jr., Denny Hulme, Anthony Imbimbo, Kenny Irwin and Bobby
Isaac
Note: Rather ironic that when Guerand and Haddad
were fatally injured - at Nutley,
Johnny Ritter was leading in both of those races.
Video
time:
Video
# 1:
Something
a little different this week, for you. I would imagine that most of
the guys reading this column would like to have, at one time, done this,
below. I always get a kick out of
listening to Orientals talking in their native tongues. I think I could make out one “Ah, so” in this
video:
http://www.wimp.com/rollingtires/
Video
# 2:
Going
back in time here – back to 1965 and the Indianapolis
500. Look close.
Yes, they are racing without wings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpbpZoG1dpc&feature=related
Other (non racing)
news:
Our National Anthem:
I imagine that I’m not
alone when I cringe when hearing it sung in ways that it was not written to be
sung? Aside from that, there are certain
things that one should do as it’s being played, as you can see, below:
“THE UNITED STATES CODE
title 36
subtitle I
part A
chapter 3
§ (subsection ?) 301
§ 301. National anthem
(a) Designation.- The composition consisting of the
words and music known as the Star-Spangled Banner is the national anthem.
(b) Conduct During Playing.- During a rendition of the national anthem-
(1) when the flag is displayed-
(A) all present except those in uniform should stand at attention facing the
flag with the right hand over the heart;
(B) men not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and
hold the headdress at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart; and
(C) individuals in uniform should give the military salute at the first note of
the anthem and maintain that position until the last note; and
(2) when the flag is not displayed, all present should face toward the music
and act in the same manner they would if the flag were displayed.”
And how about “God Bless America”? This, below, is just one post in quite a
thread about “A little bit of respect needed”, that
appears on the Track Forum, to which I’m linking, below.
“Thanks for the lead in with God Bless America. It is
not our National Anthem, nor is the song America (Oh beautiful etc.). One
does not need to stand for that song, regardless of what many people at Indy
tell me. It is a pretty song, nothing else.”
Yes, I believe we just have to stand for the
National Anthem. Was it God Bless America that
was sung during the 7th inning of the All Star game the other night,
and the fans were requested to stand?
The link to “A little bit of respect needed”: http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126055
So
sad, but how true!
Darrell “Shifty” Powers died last month at the age of
eighty-six. Like millions of other Americans during the 1940s, Shifty
Powers volunteered to serve his country in the military. Shifty just
happened to choose a little more adventuresome way of doing it. He joined
the 101st Airborne Division, combat jumped
into Normandy AND Arnhem,
and participated in a number of legendary military battles, such as
Operation Market Garden, the assault on Brecourt Manor, and the defense of Bastogne during the Battle
of the Bulge. If you’ve see “Band of Brothers,” then you know a
little about Shifty’s military accomplishments. His character was
featured in all ten episodes. You can read more about Shifty Powers at
the following links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrell_%22Shifty%22_Powers
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/208832
http://www.swvatoday.com/comments/shifty_powers_of_band_of_brothers_fame_dies/news/5460/
Most of you probably didn’t know about Shifty Powers’ death,
because the major American news networks don’t care about the passing of military
heroes. Michael Jackson dies and it’s 24/7 news coverage. A genuine
American military hero dies and there’s not a mention of it in the national
news (Medal of Honor recipient Ed “Too Tall” Freeman’s death in August of
2008 was also essentially ignored).
The above was sent to me (in part) via an e-mail.
Note: I believe that Brian
Williams made mention of this, on the news, on Wednesday evening.
You really gotta love
this stuff! Rick Wagoner – remember
him? He’s the former CEO of General
Motors – yep, one of those guys that flew in a private jet to the Congressional
hearings some time ago. He has been
ousted by the Obama administration, and for that, take a guess as to just “how
sweet it is” for him to leave. It must
be nice, folks. Sad thing is, I imagine a lot of the bucks he’ll be getting are from the
taxpayers.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/14/rick-wagoner-gets-82-mill_n_232339.html
Are things getting
better with our economy? No, not
really. Go to the link, below, to see
some rather gloomy figures and reasons why things aren’t so “peachy”:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Nine-Reasons-the-Economy-is-usnews-1021116601.html?x=0&.v=1
On top of that,
foreclosures are on the rise, too. Heck,
in my local –paper, on a daily basis, there are at least 30 foreclosure
notices.
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090716/NEWS90/90716016
Closing with this:
How lucky we old folks are!
Silver in the Hair
Gold in
the teeth
Stones in the Kidneys
Sugar in
the Blood.
Lead in the Feet.
Iron in the Arteries.
And an
inexhaustible supply of Natural Gas.
We never thought we'd accumulate such wealth.
Thank you, Elaine, for sending
that!
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