Racin' & Different Stuff:
By Tom Avenengo
Volume # 136
04/25/2013
First:
My putting in
subjects last week, while eliminating the links on Dirt Track Digest, seemed to
work pretty well, so I’ll continue doing that.
Meanwhile, a change on Dirt Track Digest has been made, and to view my
columns, one must now click on “Recent Columns” at the top of the website page.
Second:
Made another trip to OCFS last Saturday night. Great track,
different grooves for the racers, but as the night wore on, it got somewhat
“chilly”. As expected, the drive-in was
fairly full, while the stands were the opposite. Car counts were somewhat down in the Modified
and Sportsman classes. A good turn out
with the Small Blocks, however. Street
Stocks – so-so, even with Accord cancelled again on Friday.
Third:
No idea if traffic was backed up on East Main
Street, due to the drive-in not being opened until 5:00. Did it open earlier? I was a passenger to the track, and son went
another way, just to miss East Main, if the it was the
same as last week. As
he says “An accident waiting to happen”.
Fourth:
I have no idea as to who set up the racing schedule
for the nights racing, but for some reason, the Small Block heats were held
just prior to the Big Block heats. Keep
in mind, there were drivers doing double-duty.
As the third and last Small Block heat was finished, a race that had
Chris Schultz and Chuck McKee in it, they announce the first Big Block heat as
it was starting to pull out onto the track.
Two names that were mentioned – Schultz & McKee! Schultz made it; McKee didn’t, and had to
pick up the tail of the last heat which, to me, was a more competitive
heat. So why wasn’t a Street Stock heat
held between those two classes? Hope
McKee gave whoever was in charge a piece of his mind! And as for maybe Sportsman between the two
Modified classes, if my memory serves me right, there were some that ran in the
Sportsman and Small Block classes? Yes,
Brian Krummel did.
Fifth:
Keeping with OCFS – this came out on the Dirt
Track Digest Forum:
Looks like RACING has
returned to OCFS.Widening the track by bringing the
barriers in has given the drivers some room to race side by side and move up
through the field.Last night also saw the return of
the popular Small Block division.A strong field of
cars showed up for their first week of racing.A very
good sign.It was won by Gary Edwards who was utilizing
the new Crate CT525 from what ive been told.He ran the 2nd fastest feature lap time of the night.Even faster than every Modified except Tim Hindley.Hindley ran a 21.3 and Edwards ran a 21.4.If this
catches on this division could be huge for "Modified" racing.Any thoughts about the addition of this class, the
crate engine or the changes made to the track?
Sixth:
When I do research for my
columns, I usually hit race track websites.
Strange how so many of them have no “Results” section. Wonder why?
Seventh:
I don’t know about you, but I
sure wish I could afford to buy gold like actorWilliam
Devane can – or so he says. Somewhere I think I saw what a minimum order
was. What was it - $150.00? Yeah, right – right away!
Eighth:
A.J. Foyt
Undergoes Successful Back Surgery
Although the surgery was
originally scheduled to be Wednesday, Foyt asked for
the earlier surgery to hasten his recovery period. He is planning to be at
Ninth:
Matt Kenseth's
engine under scrutiny
The above came out prior to Jayski making mention of this.
From Jayski:
Kenseth's engine fails post race inspection: The engine in
#20-Matt Kenseth's race-winning car from
UPDATE: Penalties have been
handed down to the #20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team as a result of rule
violations discovered in the post-race engine inspection April 23 at the NASCAR
Research and
• Crew chief Jason Ratcliff has
been fined $200,000 and suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next
six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events (a period of time that
also includes the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race) and placed on
probation until Dec. 31.
• Car owner Joe Gibbs has
lost 50 championship car owner points; the first place finish from April 21 at
Kansas Speedway will not earn bonus points toward the accumulated aggregate car
owner points total after the completion of the first 26 events of the current
season and will not be credited towards the eligibility for a car owner Wild
Card position; has had the owner's license for the #20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
car suspended until the completion of the next six championship points events,
therefore being ineligible to receive championship car owner points during that
period of time.
• Driver Matt Kenseth has lost 50 championship driver points; the Coors
Light Pole award from April 19 at Kansas Speedway will not be allowed for
eligibility into the 2014 Sprint Unlimited; the first place finish from April
21 at Kansas Speedway will not earn bonus points toward the accumulated
aggregate driver points total after the completion of the first 26 events of
the current season and will not be credited towards the eligibility for a
driver Wild Card position.
• The loss of five NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series Manufacturer Championship points.
(NASCAR)(4-24-2013)
UPDATE 2: Joe Gibbs Racing
Statement: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is aware of the penalty issued by NASCAR
today regarding the engine in our #20 car used in last week's Sprint Cup Series
race in Kansas. It is our understanding that one of the eight connecting rods
on the engine was ruled too light. We are working with our partners at TRD on
this issue. In the meantime we will plan to appeal the penalty.(JGR)(4-24-2013)
Note: I’m not of an engine person, but I do know
one that is, and he posted this, on Facebook:
“from first hand experience
with assembling and dyno testing many engines during
my past career with Texaco R&D I can assure you that one connecting rod
being under weight by LESS than 3 grams would not be detectable on any
dynamometer that I know of and would certainly never, ever be seen at the rear
contact patches after 85 percent mechanical losses in the drive train. And
besides did the light rod bring the rotating/reciprocating assembly into
balance or out of balance on the crank balancer???? This is purely cruel and
unusual punishment for a crime NASCAR has always been sensitive to, but I'm
afraid this is over the top.”
Tenth:
Not racing related, but for
some unknown reason, this writer does not believe that the two brothers that
bombed the Boston Marathon did so on their own, with no outside help, as the
main news media is telling us.
Also, why are cuts being made
on air controllers, while our government is coming out with more programs that
are funded with our monies?
It’s being said that there’s
a possibility that remote control cars might have played a part in the Boston
Marathon bombing?
The House will be holding new
hearings on
In part: "Marathon bombings mastermind Tamerlan Tsarnaev was living on
taxpayer-funded state welfare benefits even as he was delving deep into the world
of radical anti-American Islamism, the Herald has learned."
On top of that, you just know
that he sure as hell ain’t gonna
be paying on that HUGE hospital bill that he’ll be running up. No sir!
You and I are paying that one.
Ya know it kinda pisses me off
when I’ve been paying on our part on a Hospital bill from when they put in the Medi-port in the wife.
Started off with $10.00/month and then I
increased payments to $20.00/month. I
even sent in payments when I did not receive a statement. The, lo and behold, I get a notice – not from
the hospital, mind you, but from a COLLECTION AGENCY, on said bill! The last I had heard from
Eleventh:
I can see more of this
coming:
Twelfth:
Some members of my family are
heading south, to
Going back in time:
On April 25th in:
1884
Arthur Chevrolet... Born ... AAA driver 1909 to 1920. One of 3 brothers that emigrated to
1910
Herb Ardinger...
Born ... AAA driver 1934 to 1947. Ran
the Indy 500 6 times with a best finish of 4th in 1947.
1928
Frank Lockhart... Died ... AAA driver 1925 to 1927. Won the
Indy 500 in 1926. He was killed in the crash of his Stutz Blackhawk
during a land speed record attempt on the beach at
1942
Wally Zale... Died ... Wally
Zale hailed from
1948
Ted Horn drove his T.H.E.
Special to victory in the 100 mile AAA Championship race on the 1 & 1/16
mile Arlington Downs dirt track in
Spider Webb won the AAA
Sprint Car race at the Salem Speedway,
1953
Mike Nazaruk
won the AAA Sprint car feature at the Dayton Speedway,
1954
Eddie Sachs won the AAA
Sprint car feature at the Fort Wayne Speedway,
Wally Campbell won the AAA
Eastern Sprint car feature at the Williams Grove Speedway,
Bobby Grim won the IMCA
Sprint car feature at the Salem Speedway,
1962
Fred Frame... Died ... AAA driver from the 1920's and 1930's. Ran the Indy
500 8 times and won in 1932.
1965
Fred Lorenzen
led the final 332 laps to win the NASCAR Grand National 'Virginia 500' at
Martinsville Speedway. It was Lorenzen's 4th straight
win at
Jim McElreath
won the rain shortened USAC Championship race on the 1 mile paved
Jimmy Davies won the USAC
Midget feature at the Orange Show Speedway,
1970
Larry Dickson drove to
victory in the USAC Sprint Car feature over Lee Kunzman,
Karl Busson, Merle Bettenhausen
and Bruce Walkup, on the 1/2 dirt oval at the Reading Fairgrounds in Reading,
Pennsylvania.
1971
Mike Mosley drove the A.J.
Watson Eagle to his first career USAC Indy Car win,
taking the 200 mile race on the 1.5 mile paved "peanut" shaped
Trenton Speedway in
Lee Kunzman
won the USAC Midget feature at the Queen City Speedway,
1976
Darrell Waltrip
won the NASCAR GN 'Virginia 500' on the .525 mile paved
1978
Darrell Waltrip
won the NASCAR Winston Cup race at
1981
Dave Peperak
drove to victory in the Don Branson/Jud Larson Memorial USAC Sprint Car
feature, over Larry Gates, Tom Bigelow, Jack Hewitt and Sheldon Kinser at the Eldora Speedway in
Barry Camp won the Super
Sprint Car feature over Allen Klinger, Gary Krout,
Jan Opperman and Maynard Yingst,
at the Selinsgrove Speedway,
Sammy Swindell,
in the # 1n Nance house car, won the World of Outlaws Sprint Car feature over
Doug Wolfgang, Lee Osborne, Fred Linder and Bobby Marshall, at the Paragon
Speedway, Paragon,IN
Fred Harbach,
the "Flying Dutchman", won the NASCAR Winston Racing Series Modified
feature at the Islip Speedway,
Craig VonDohren
won the Pro-Sportsman feature at the Grandview Speedway,
Keith Kauffman won the Super
Sprint Car race at the Port Royal Speedway,
George Ferguson Jr won the Super Sprint Car race at the Lincoln Speedway,
Brett Hearn won the Modified
Stock Car race at the Orange County Fair Speedway,
Charlie Kremer Jr won the Modified Stock Car race at the Wall Stadium,
Jimmy Horton won the Modified
Stock Car race at the Bridgeport Speedway,
Johnny Murphy won the Super
Sportsman race at the Silver Spring Speedway,
Mike Petruska
won the Eastern States 75 lap Sportsman Championship Stock Car race at the
Orange County Fair Speedway,
Richie Evans won the 150 lap
NASCAR National Championship Modified Stock Car race at the Martinsville
Speedway,
Tom Hager won the Modified
Stock Car race at the Flemington Speedway,
Don Kreitz
Jr won the Modified Stock Car race at the U.S. 13
Speedway,
Note: Sammy Swindell,
Craig VonDohren, Keith Kauffman, Brett Hearn, Jimmy
Horton and Don Kreitz, Jr. are still active today,
some 32 years later.
1982
Harry Gant wins the Virginia
National Bank 500 over Butch Lindley at the Martinsville Speedway
,
1987
Mike Perrotte
won the Stock Car race at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway in
Ken Hamilton won the USAC Supermodified race at the Mesa Marin Raceway in
Andy Hillenburg
won the Sprint Car race at the Bloomington Speedway in
Brett Hearn won the Schaefer
Light Eastern States 200 Modified Stock Car race at the Orange County Fair
Speedway in
Steve Kinser
won the World of Outlaws Sprint Car race at the Knoxville Raceway in
Doug Hoffman won the Miller
American Tri-Track 100 Modified Stock Car race at the Orange County Fair
Speedway in
Rick Ungar
won the USAC Sprint Car feature at the Eldora Speedway in
Joe Shear won the ARTGO Late
Model Stock Car race at the Grundy County Speedway in
Dan Dietrich won the Super
Sprint Car feature over Joey Allen, Steve Smith, Steve Siegel and Frankie Kerr,
at the Lincoln Speedway, Hanover,PA
Bobby Allen won the All Star
Super Sprint Car feature over Doug Wolfgang, Fred Rahmer,
Paul Lotier and Joe Gaerte,
at the Port Royal Speedway,
Andy Hillenburg
won the Champ Dirt Car race at the Tulsa Speedway in
Sleepy Tripp drove to victory
over P.J. Jones in the USAC Midget feature and Larry Derwin
won the USAC TQ Midget feature at the Ventura Raceway,
Brad Noffsinger
won the CRA Sprint Car race at the
Mark Fluery
won the Modified Stock Car feature over John Hewitt, John Flach,
Ken Tremont and Eddie Marshall, at the Lebanon Valley Speedway,
Tim Leiphart
won the Super Sportsman feature at the Silver Spring Speedway,
Chuck Ward won the Sprint Car
race at the Selinsgrove Speedway,
Dave Wenger won the
Sportsman-Modified race at the Grandview Speedway,
Jimmy Sills drove to victory
over Robby Flock, Robbie Stanley, Joe Gaerte and
Sleepy Tripp in the USAC Midget feature and Marc Hart won the USAC TQ Midget
feature at the Ventura Raceway,
1993
Rusty Wallace wins the Hanes
500 over Davey Allison at the Martinsville Speedway ,
1999
Dale Earnhardt wins the DieHard 500 over Dale Jarrett at the Talladega Superspeedway ,
2004
Jeff Gordon wins the Aaron's
499 over Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the Talladega Superspeedway ,
Some racin’
stuff:
While checking out the above,
I’m wondering just how many might remember back to April 25, 1987 and what went
on at OCFS. Quite a
day of racing. Willing to bet
there wasn’t an empty seat in the old place!
While doing research, I came
across the following. How many remember
April 25, 1987?
Brett Hearn won the
Schaefer Light Eastern States 200 Modified Stock Car race at the Orange County
Fair Speedway in
Race report: http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/report/4_25_87-5.html
Then, this, also:
Doug Hoffman won the Miller
American Tri-Track 100 Modified Stock Car race at the Orange County Fair
Speedway in
Race report: http://www.wheelsofspeed.com/report/4_25_87-7.html
Dodge Coming Back to NASCAR?
Link: http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php...nding-approved
And, from Jayski’s
website:
UPDATE: allpar.com has added
an update to this post: While it appears that Ralph Gilles did speak with Ray
on this topic, there was a misunderstanding as to the context. Mr. Gilles
appears to have been referring to why Dodge pulled out of NASCAR, and was
essentially saying that it was not a funding issue the funding had been
approved, but there were other issues. At this time we are awaiting
clarification from Chrysler, but it appears that Chrysler had the money
earmarked for another NASCAR run but lost key personnel such as engine builders
and top-tier teams.(4-22-2013)
UPDATE2 - NASCAR funding
story off target: Yesterday [Sunday], Allpar broke
the news that Ralph Gilles had confirmed Chrysler's funding of NASCAR racing
again. Unfortunately, while Mr. Gilles did say that funding for NASCAR had been
approved, he was referring to the reasons why Dodge left NASCAR shortly before
winning the championship last year, in essence saying that the budget was there
for another season, but there were other reasons for leaving. In short, Mr.
Gilles was quoted with the correct words but in the wrong context.
A Chrysler spokesman wrote,
"Chrysler Group's decision to leave NASCAR competition at the end of the
2012 season was based solely on not being able to develop the correct structure
to fit our overall business and competitive objectives." At the time
Chrysler withdrew, Mr. Gilles said that Penske had offered a "one-stop
shop" for engines, drivers, and sponsors that could not be replaced in a
way that would allow SRT to race at the level that was desired, in the time
available. Mr. Gilles was contacted by the spokesman, and confirmed that he did
not say that funding had been approved for a new run, but was saying that
funding had been approved for the current season, when other factors caused the
company to withdraw.(allpar.com)(4-22-2013)
Danica Patrick told, ‘shut up and race’
Danica Patrick isn't a terrible driver. She's ranked 25th
right now in the Sprint Cup series, ahead of notables such as Juan Pablo
Montoya and Bobby Labonte, within sight of names like
Jeff Burton and Tony Stewart, and ahead of the David Cabal: Ragan, Reutimann, Gilliland and Stremme.
However, Patrick receives
attention far out of proportion to her actual racing statistics, and for that
reason, she tends to draw more heat (and notice) than most drivers. So when she
gets to talking, other drivers aren't always willing to listen.
Case in point: Sunday's
[Related: Ill-timed caution
costs Dale Earnhardt Jr. a chance to win]
She didn't carry through on
her threat to break out the chrome horn, however. Nor did she give any postrace interviews at the track. Gilliland, who finished
23rd, had a simple message for Patrick, delivered through his PR rep:
"Shut up and race."
You know, that's solid advice
right there, not just for the track, but for life. David Gilliland, speedway
philosopher.
-
Group qualifying coming to
Sprint Cup on road courses
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR
announced Monday that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will implement the
group-based road course qualifying procedure used in NASCAR Nationwide and
NASCAR Touring Series competition during its road-course events at Sonoma
Raceway and Watkins Glen International. Under the new procedure, cars will
qualify in groups instead of the traditional single-car qualifying runs held on
oval race tracks.
"The change will add an
exciting element to road-course qualifying," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR
vice president of competition. "Fans will be treated to new strategy and
increased competition with several cars on track at once."
The new qualifying rules for
the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at road courses are as follows:
� Cars
attempting to qualify will be divided into groups. The number of groups, and
amount of cars in each, will depend on the number of cars that practice for the
event.
� Group
assignments will be based on final practice times.
� Each qualifying group will be on-track for a set period of
time, determined by the Series Director.
� A car's best lap time during the group session will be the
qualifying lap time of record.
� A group's time begins when the first car receives the green
flag at the start/finish line.
"This is going to be a
terrific new format for our NASCAR weekend," said Steve Page, president
and general manager of Sonoma Raceway. "It will intensify the action, with
multiple cars on the track at the same time. It's a very positive development
for our fans."
"The new format of
qualifying at Watkins Glen International enhances the fan experience which is
our top priority," said Michael Printup,
president of Watkins Glen. "Qualifying on Saturday for our Cheez-It 355 at The Glen is even more of a not-to-be missed
aspect of a weekend of high-quality racing."
The new format will debut
with the Toyota Save-Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 23and will return at
Watkins Glen for the Cheez-It355 at the Glen on August 11.
Link: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/group-qualifying-coming-sprint-cup-210100058--nascar.html
As of Monday, there were only 43 cars
entered for the Cup race at
Penske Racing to plead case
to appeal panel May 1
Link: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/penske-racing-plead-case-appeal-192305297--nascar.html
Coming up:
Most tracks are in operation now, so this section will deal
with keeping you informed of some of the bigger events that will be coming up
in the future.
Found
on Jayski’s website:
Penske: team was working in
the gray area:
Roger Penske maintained
Saturday his team was working in a gray area of the rule book when NASCAR
confiscated parts from the cars of defending Sprint Cup champion #2-Brad Keselowski and teammate #22-Joey Logano.
"I certainly don't think it's cheating," Penske told The Associated
Press on Saturday at the IndyCar race in
Hamlin hopes to return at
Injured #11-Denny Hamlin told
ESPN.com on Saturday there is a 50-50 chance he'll return to his Sprint Cup car
next weekend at
Note: He will not race at
Keselowski says parts were approved:
#2-Brad Keselowski
says the parts that NASCAR confiscated from his car and Penske Racing teammate #22-Joey Logano's
last week at Texas Motor Speedway were approved. NASCAR says the parts from the
rear end housing were not approved. That will be at issue when the National
Stock Car Racing Commission hears Penske Racing's appeal to the fines, suspensions
and point deductions issued on Tuesday. "Obviously, we're in an
agree-to-disagree stage between Penske Racing and NASCAR," Keselowski said on Friday at Kansas Speedway. "And,
thankfully, there's a third group to settle those disagreements." Keselowski and Logano were docked
25 points each. Their crew chiefs, car chiefs and lead engineers -- as well as Keselowski team manager Travis Geisler
-- were suspended for six point races and the All-Star race. Those suspensions
won't begin until after the appeal, and then only if they are upheld. No date
has been given. But Keselowski believes Penske Racing
has a case just as Hendrick Motorsports had one last
year when it appealed penalties against Jimmie Johnson's team for an illegal
C-post. Most of those penalties were reversed on the second and final level of
appeal. "Yeah, there's definitely some similarities," Keselowski said. "I'm not going to say it's an
identical situation, but there definitely are some similarities." The
difference, according to NASCAR, is it was emphatic no changes could be made to
the rear-end housings late last season. That, according to many in the garage,
was re-emphasized repeatedly during the offseason.(ESPN)(4-20-2013)
Dish Network to make bid for
Sprint Nextel UPDATE2: Dish Network Corp, the No. 2 U.S. satellite television
provider, offered to buy Sprint Nextel Corp for $25.5 billion in cash and
stock, a move that could thwart the proposed acquisition of Sprint by Japan's SoftBank Corp. Sprint shares soared 16.2 percent to their
highest level since September 2008, leaving them well above the value of the
Dish offer on Monday. Dish's surprise bid is the latest development as the
UPDATE: Sprint said it would
evaluate the proposal but declined further comment. Some analysts said the Dish
offer could lead to a bidding war with SoftBank. The
combined entity would have 63.1 million retail subscribers and $50 billion in
annual revenues, Dish said in a regulatory filing. The play for Sprint came
together in the last few months as Dish started to think through all of its
alternatives to gain even more spectrum, according to a source familiar with
the matter. As much as Dish wants a wireless partner, analysts said Sprint also
needs a deal to compete more effectively. Wells Fargo analyst Jennifer Fritzsche said Sprint management likely prefers the SoftBank offer, given the Japanese company's deeper
background in the wireless market.(Money /
MSN)(4-16-2013)
UPDATE 2: Sprint Nextel has
formed a committee of independent directors to review a $25.5 billion buyout
offer from Dish Network. The committee has retained Bank of America Merrill
Lynch to act as its financial adviser and will provide an assessment to the
full board, the company said Monday. Dish said Monday that it's pleased with
the news. Dish Network Corp., the third-largest
Former OVRP Dirt Oval
runners:
Roger Coss
was 6th in the Modified feature at
At OCFS, in the Big Block
Modified feature, Tim Hindley had his second straight
2nd place finish, Clinton Mills was 5th, Billy VanInwegen 12th, Mike
Ruggiero is listed as a DQ. In the Small
Block Modified feature, RJ SMykla was 9th,
Danny Creeden 20th, Brian Krummel 21st, and John Lodini
listed as a DNS. Joey Bruning found out that the wall between turns 3 & 4
does not move, as he had contact with it in his heat race, and was a DNQ for
the feature. In the Sportsman class, Joe
Conklin won the feature, with Krummel 2nd,
Tyler Boniface 3rd, LJ Lombardo 6th, John Illanovsky 7th, Joey Falanga
12th, Zack Vavricka 17th,
Anthony Perrego 21st and Matt Janiak 22nd.
Andrew Reeves was a DNQ.
At Hamlin, in the All Star
Slingshots, Tyler Pirone was 3rd and Wyatt
Clark 9th. In the 270 Micro
Sprints, Jacob Hendershot was 2nd. In the 600 Micro Sprints, Kyle Rohner was 2nd and Molly Chambers 19th. In the Super Slingshots, Wyatt Clark was 3rd.
Note: I have no idea as to the difference between
“All Star” and “Super” Slingshots!
At
AJ Filbeck
was 3rd at Utica/Rome in the Sportsman feature.
29 names
this week.
News from the AARN:
Note: Don’t forget – if you’re a subscriber to the
AARN, you can have the free digital version.
That is available on Tuesday mornings.
From their April
23rd edition – picked up from the Digital Service:
Remember this,
from last week?
“Don & Jo Ann Davies:
It looks like Matt Sheppard will be
traveling to Albany/Saratoga on Fridays and
I posted that on the Dirt Track Digest
Forum. Didn’t stuff hit the fan on
that! Above was in my own words, but
taken from what was in the Davies’ column, in a way.
From this week:
Lenny Sammons:
Lenny starts of this weeks column with news about lawsuits coming out on the
accident at
Another part of his column
asked “Drug testing coming to Sprint Car racing?” Yes, there are some concerns after it was
said that Tyler Walker might return to the PA area to race again.
Ernie Saxton:
In part of his column, he had
this: “NOT IN THE SPIRIT OF THE
RULES”. What does that really mean? Did they break the rules or pushing the
limits with what they had?
Todd Heintzelman:
Makes not that Kyle Larson is
due to run in the Bob Weikert Memorial race this
Saturday, at
Steve Barrick:
Steve has an article about
the Waterford Speedbowl and how the owner, Terry
Eames, says the 2013 season is secure.
The track runs twice a week, with SK Modifieds,
Late Models and a host of support classes on Saturdays and a series of four
cylinder divisions racing on Wednesdays during the summer.
Gary London:
Most of this weeks column
deals with the late Mike Nazaruk and what occurred at
Langhorne back on May 1, 1955, the day Mike took his last ride. The actual cause of the accident still is not
really clear. Some say a wheel broke,
although in a photo I have of the car, after the accident, it does not look
like there was a broken wheel. Others,
like me, say that Mike was seen wiping off his goggles just prior to his
accident. Might he have had only one
hand on the steering wheel as he went through “Puke Hollow”?
In his article,
Note: I’m not about to argue with Bette on
this! In fact, after typing in her name,
I had to call her about this. She got a
laugh when I told her I wouldn’t argue with her about it.
And, on Wednesday evening,
Brian Caruso, grandson of Mike Caruso, tells me he also pronounced the name as
Gary and Bette do.
Don and Jo Ann Davies:
In their column, they make
mention of Tyler Dippel going to Utica Rome with his
Open Sportsman, and hoping to make that track a weekly stop. However, after running his heat, young Dippel (14 years old) was not allowed to run the feature
due to Insurance regulations. They also
make mention of what was hinted at in their column last week and Matt Sheppard
possibly racing at A/S and the Valley in 2013.
The cost of the trips is what will keep Sheppard away from those two
tracks on a weekly basis.
Dino Oberto:
Dino had a write-up on the
ATQMRA opening races for this year – races held at
Herb Anastor:
Herb goes back to when they
attempted to run Ford flat head engines at Indy and in the 500. Seems they didn’t work out too well.
Guy Smith:
Guy, one of the “Race
Chasers” was at US 24 Speedway in
Hard to believe but Steve Kinser just won his first WoO
feature of 2103 last week at
Wall Stadium is getting ready
for it’s 64th season.
Other items covered in this
week:
Owens Blitzes
Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model
Series
Field At
Season Secure At Speedbowl,
Says Owner-Promoter Eames
URC Season Preview:
Opener At
Big Diamond This Week
Pennink Takes Charge
Of Monadnock
To Win VMRS Race
Deflating Tire No Obstacle
To
Eric Beers Bests Mahoning Mod
Field
Historic 47th Modified Win
For Jeff Heotzler
At OCFS
Ronnie Johnson Outruns
Decker;
Grabs
Defending
Back In Mod
ARDC's Buckwalters Dazzle
In New
With One-Two Finish
Stout Field, Snow Flurries
Fail To Impede
Friesen's
Press releases:
Borgers PR
Media Contact
Bob Snyder
bobsnyderphoto@enter.net
Jack VanVarick
Verses Jared Silfee
This is one of those feel
good stories that just needs sharing.
April 13 Jack VanVarick made his debut in the
Kid Kart division at Borgers Speedway. This was his first ride in a Kart and Karting
Director Dan Shupp, concerned with him having no one
to run with and getting discouraged, asked me if Jared Silfee
could run with him. I said Dan you don’t
have to ask me anything as I trust your judgment.
Like a “Big Brother” Jared
ran with Jack in warm ups, the heat and feature. Most of the time Jared would stay out in
front and not run away from Jack showing him how to run the track. In an act of “Total Class” coming out of the
fourth turn for the checkered flag Jared dropped back and let Jack take his
first checkered flag. Pretty damn
impressive for a young kid in a world that tends to point out how worthless the
younger generation is.
This is what builds and
brings young people into the sport we all love so much. The e-mails, text messages, and phone calls I
received after this was in the news story last week were overwhelming. It did not hit me until later that night
doing the results what has just occurred earlier that afternoon. I have been in this sport for more then 40
years and I had just witnessed what this sport is all about.
I
get e-mails:
In late March 2013, 17 year
old De’Marquis Elkins shot and killed
an 13 month old baby who was sitting in a stroller.
Elkins shot the infant in the
face after the mother refused to give him money.
He also shot the mother in
the leg and the neck in
De’Marquis Elkins is not a member of the NRA.
He did not use an assault
rifle.
He did not get his stolen
pistol from a gun show.
His favorite music is rap.
He did not attend Christian
school, nor was he home schooled.
He did attend multicultural
public education,
and was not instructed in the Ten Commandments.
His Momma was on welfare, got
food stamps, and lived in public housing.
His daddy was not around, and
his two brothers have a different daddy.
He already has a record for
violent crimes.
He is gang member.
His mom, grandma, and Aunty
all voted for Obama.
He never earned his hunter
safety card, nor did he shoot CMP,
Junior NRA,
or 4H Air Rifle Competitions.
He was never instructed in
gun safety from his father or grandfather.
His public education and
family taught him that the white man owes him something.
He went to collect it.
He has no plans on getting
married, but does have a Baby Momma, and no,
he is not supporting her baby.
He smokes dope.
He does respect Kayne West.
While he has no job, nor is
looking for one, he is well fed.
He has no skills outside of
crime.
He speaks Ebonics, and is not
capable of doing a professional
interview, even though he spent 11 years in public education.
He is one of millions.
This is what we are up
against. Make no mistake that people
like
Elkins will have their
guns. There are people wanting to deny
you the right to arm yourself. Your tax dollars are paying for
the continuation of a system that breeds pieces of s**t
like this one.
Found on Facebook:
Criminals obey gun control
laws in the same manner politicians follow their oaths of office.
I’m one of the people who pays for all the “free” stuff Obama gives you.
Mr. Obama,
Instead of penalizing the
people for not having health insurance, why don’t you penalize the insurance
companies for making their premiums so high the people can’t afford them?
Sincerely,
An American tax payer
Religious Organizations in
the
Where is the church and state
separation?
Is this charitable use of
funds?
$71 billion tax exemption
Something is very wrong.
Over the weekend, we came
four votes away from the United States Senate giving our Constitutional rights
over to the United Nations. In a 53-46 vote, the senate narrowly passed a
measure that will stop the
The Statement of Purpose from
the bill read:
To uphold Second
Amendment rights and prevent the
The U.N. Small Arms Treaty,
which has been championed by the Obama Administration, would have effectively
placed a global ban on the import and export of small firearms. The ban would
have affected all private gun owners in the
Astonishingly, 46 of our
Here are the 46 senators that
voted to give your rights to the U.N.
Baldwin (D-WI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bennet (D-CO)
Blumenthal (D-CT)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Coons (D-DE)
Cowan (D-MA)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hirono (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kaine (D-VA)
King (I-ME)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murphy (D-CT)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schatz (D-HI)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Warner (D-VA)
Warren (D-MA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR
People this needs to go
viral. These Senators voted to let the UN take our guns. They need to lose the
election. We have been betrayed.
46 Senators Voted to Give
your 2nd Amendment Constitutional Rights to the U.N.
Found on the
Internet:
Beck Breaks Exclusive
Information on Saudi National Once Considered a Person of Interest in
In part: "Background points:
A Saudi national originally
identified as a "person of interest" in the Boston Marathon bombing
was set to be deported under section 212 3B -- "Security and related grounds"
-- "Terrorist activities" after the bombing
As the story gained traction,
TheBlaze's Chief Content Officer Joel Cheatwood received word that the government may not deport
the Saudi national, originally identified as Abdul Rahman
Ali Alharbi
Homeland Security Secretary
Janet Napolitano refused to answer questions on the subject when confronted by
Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) on Capitol Hill.
An ICE official said a
different Saudi national is in custody, but is "in no way" connected
to the bombings.
A congressional source,
however, says that the file on Alharbi was created,
that he was "linked" in some way to the
Key congressmen of the
Committee on Homeland Security request a classified briefing with Napolitano
Fox News' Todd Starnes
reports that Alharbi was allegedly flagged on a
terrorist watch list and granted a student visa without being properly
vetted. Sources close to the
investigation also told him the Saudi is still set for deportation.
New information provided to TheBlaze reveals Alharbi's file
was altered early Wednesday evening to disassociate him from the initial
charges
Sources say the Saudi's
student visa specifically allows him to go to school in
Monday morning Glenn Beck
laid out what he knows about the Saudi connection to the
But now a number of
congressional sources have confirmed that the story is as TheBlaze
reported last week, and Beck is presenting more pieces of the big picture.
"This week has changed
me," he said at the top of his radio program on Monday. "The events in
We crossed an
"extraordinarily disturbing threshold" last week, Beck said, but we
know "exactly who we're dealing with now."
Beck continued, noting that
after Secretary of State John Kerry met with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud on
Tuesday, the FBI began backtracking on the Saudi national from suspect, to
person of interest, to witness, to victim, to nobody.
Then, on Wednesday, President
Obama had a "chance" encounter with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud and
Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir.
"Wednesday at 5:35 p.m.
the file is altered," Beck said.
"This is unheard of, this is impossible in the timeline due to the
severity of the charge....You don't one day put a 212 3B charge against
somebody with deportation, and then the next day take it off. It would require too much to do it."
Various comments regarding the sequester:
The failure of our country to
operate is in direct response to the failure of our government to operate
correctly. Our governments failure to do the job they
were elected to do is the greatest domestic threat there is to the stability of
our nation today. And they have passed laws protecting themselves from being
thrown out of office just in case of instances like this too!
Anyone else notice the press
never seem to really report on or ask the right questions?
This is a political ploy by
our politicians with absolutely no regard for the taxpayer and voter. They're
out of freaking control with our money and I for one am going to vote
anti-incumbent until either I give up or something changes. This is not about
Democrat and Republican, it has been our Royalty taking what they want from us
and it is time for a change of minds.
Obama had a choice and he
chose to make us feel every inch of this sequestration. There were e-mails to
back it up too.
This is a (blame the
Republicans) game that Obama is playing to try to win back the House in 2014.
The truth is that the government has more money to spend this year after the sequester than they spent last year. The
sequester did not cut spending it was a cut in the rate of growth. The
money is there to pay everyone who worked for the government last year and then
some.
Funny how there is still
money for elaborate concerts at the White House for the Obama's and guests.
it gives me lttle solace in
the fact that i voted against obama
--twice-----there were too many people out there who wanted a hand out. unless we change our system of values and work ethic, this
country will continue to elect officials who promise a free lunch and then
don't deliver and then we will all have to pay for their inadequencies
On Facebook, on
Anyone who travels to a
hotbed of terrorist activity and training for an extended period of time, should not be permitted to re-enter the
The American way, spend tens
of thousands of dollars to save his life, millions on a trial, then he will get
the death penalty so we can spend millions more on appeals and hundreds of
thousands on incareration until with any luck 20
years from now we can spend a few more thousand to execute him.
you where made to stay inside because of a 19yr old
sorry NO
While this deserves full news
coverage, I wonder if the non-stop sensationalist media encourages this sort of
crime and others of mass murder/distruction by making
these sick perps famous. Maybe tone it down a notch
or two.
Welcomed to the U.S. and
granted citizenship, educated and supported by it's taxpayers, provided the
best of medical care by the very community he terrorized, and soon to receive
free legal services in an attempt to save his sorry life. INGRATE!
Most parents do not know what
their children are capable of, whether here in the
The Quran contains at least
109 verses that call Muslims to war with nonbelievers for the sake of Islamic
rule. Some are quite graphic, with commands to chop off heads and fingers and
kill infidels wherever they may be hiding. Muslims who do not join the fight
are called 'hypocrites' and warned that Allah will send them to Hell if they do
not join the slaughter.
And who's paying for this
very expensive medical care? Oh yea, we are.
From the article: "He
looked and noticed something was off about his boat, so he got his ladder, and
he put his ladder up on the side of the boat and climbed up, and then he saw
blood on it, and he thought he saw what was a body laying in the boat."
Well, what do you know...
people ARE as clueless as they're portrayed in horror films, seeing danger and
going to investigate it alone instead of calling for help.
I think if I saw "something was off" with my boat with a fugitive
loose in the area, just after a lockdown was lifted on my house, I'd call the
authorities immediately and wouldn't take one step closer until it was
investigated.
Everyone is so excited about
this punk being captured alive so we can ask him why he did it. I will save
everyone some time. He is a muslim
and wants to kill Americans! Was that so hard?
Did these two work anywhere
or was they being paid by the govt. because they were aliens, they seemed to
live pretty well..
The enemy is in the gate.
Political correctness has got to go. Common sense.
Bottom line...if they are Muslim....how do you know? How do you know if they
are a radical or not...or supporting radicals? None of the attacks on
The guy who did it was
already deported to
This guy is not inclined to
talk and won't voluntarily give up information.
Does anyone know why 2 Saudi
Arab persons are being deported
I believe if I read it
correct on tues? the 2 individuals are currently in the hospital
are they connected to the bombings? or
will we not be told anything about it is this another hush hush
Part of the jihad movement is
to try to destroy us from within. Keeping us a very polarized, divided populace,
is part of the plan.
Some
non-racing stuff:
BREAKING: Napolitano Admits
DHS Knew of Boston Bomber’s Russia Trip
In part: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
stunned a Senate panel when she admitted that her agency knew of Chechen
terrorist Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s
trip to Russia last year even though his name was misspelled on a travel
document, as she testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on sweeping
immigration amnesty legislation.
The admission that her
department was aware of Tsarnaev’s six-month trip to
Dagestan – a hotbed of radical Islamic activity - surprised two ‘Gang of Eight’ senators,
Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who had been using an the
hearing to try and establish that the DHS didn’t catch his travels under the
current visa system, and that their ‘Gang of 8′ Amnesty bill would ‘fix
the glitch’, only to be corrected by Big Sis – leaving Schumer speechless as
his talking points evaporated.
The revelation raises further
disturbing questions about why
Both senators had claimed
that the misspelling caused the FBI to miss the trip. Graham,
told the secretary that it contradicted what he’d been told by the FBI:
“They told me that they had
no knowledge of him leaving or coming back so I would like to talk to you more
about this case,” Graham told Napolitano.
Napolitano said that even
though Tsarnaev’s name was misspelled, “redundancies
in the system” allowed his departure to be captured by
“The system pinged when he
was leaving the
Yet another claim by the
amnesty advocates is exposed, and a new twist to the disturbing story of the “jihadist
who got away” emerges which further undermines trust that the DHS can
effectively protect Americans from the massive increase of foreigners with
visas that the ‘Gang of Eight’ bill would bring to our shores.”
Something Stinks in
Report: Russian Officials
Warned FBI Alleged
Link: http://tv.yahoo.com/news/report-russian-officials-warned-fbi-boston-marathon-bomber-145700687.html
Retired Army officer warns:
DHS preparing for war against American citizens
The Saudi National,
Opthalmologists walk out of Obamacare talk
at national medical meeting
Note: Ya have to check
out the comments!
DeMint: Taxpayers Would Pay
for Amnesty
In part: "The core problem with amnesty is clear:
It encourages more unlawful immigration in hopes of future amnesties, and it
treats unlawful immigrants more favorably than more than 4 million law-abiding
people who wait outside our borders, following the rules, for their chance to
come to contribute to the economic and social well-being of America."
Link: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/04/22/demint-costs-of-unlawful-immigration/
Rand Paul Calls for
Immigration Bill to be Slowed After Boston
Senate to Vote on Online
Sales Tax Measure
Link: http://www.unitedliberty.org/articles/13395-senate-to-vote-on-online-sales-tax-measure
Obama says new taxes aren’t
negotiable
In part: "President Obama on Wednesday unveiled
his $3.77 trillion budget for next fiscal year, calling for higher taxes in
exchange for cost reductions in Social Security and Medicare, setting the stage
for another fight with Congress over the nation’s fiscal priorities.
Within the president’s budget
— which would produce a $744 billion deficit in 2014 — are
roughly $800 billion in new taxes, including a higher levy on tobacco products.
Obama’s proposal would raise taxes on cigarettes by 94 cents per pack, up to
$1.95."
Link: http://washingtonexaminer.com/article/2526775#.UXSd4hzmcxs.facebook
President Obama was a no show
at Margaret Thatcher's funeral despite being invited to attend and thus
snubbing
Obama Decision on
Interrogating Suspect Draws Criticism
John Kerry On
Wal-Mart's CEO paid $20.7
million in 2012
Link: http://news.yahoo.com/wal-marts-ceo-paid-20-223927140.html
Note: What the article failed to address is how
Wal-Mart employees are paid and what they have to do to survive.
Mortgage Relief Checks Go
Out, Only to Bounce
Link: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/mortgage-relief-checks-only-bounce-150612906.html
GOP congressman threatens
impeachment if Obama uses executive action for gun control
Report: DHS Failed to Deport
SHOCK: FBI Investigated
Fisker spent $660,000 on each $103,000 plug-in car
Link: http://autos.yahoo.com/news/fisker-spent--660-000-on-each--103-000-plug-in-car-185612779.html
Note: You can't imagine what else they got away
with!
And, more on Fisker:
How the Wheels Came Off for Fisker
Link: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/wheels-came-off-fisker-080900822.html
Note: Again, some good comments under the article.
Pension-law proposal would
hit some retirees
Judge Sides With ICE Agents:
Says Obama Admin. Can’t Refuse to Deport Illegal Aliens
Video time –
music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWTjjm-Gg3c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6ktvEadtC4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwAw9ThDQmk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T7WujWrn7c&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9muzyOd4Lh8&feature=related
Video time – racin stuff:
From this past Saturday night: OCFS Fans salute those in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=d_Z-rtK_0cc
Note: In last weeks video
from OCFS, I was under the impression it was from last Saturday. It wasn’t.
It was from a race back in 2012.
My bad!
Here’s one about
a couple of World Driving Champions – James Hunt and Nicki
Lauda. I
enjoyed it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TclhSAfOZQI
Note: There’s a soon to be released Ron Howard
movie on James Hunt and Nicki Lauda.
“Rush” — a new movie about the historic 1976
Formula One race car battle between James Hunt and Niki
Lauda
http://film-book.com/rush-2013-us-movie-trailer-james-hunt-niki-lauda-rivalry-film/
Photos:
Note: The photos are not available on Dirt Track
Digest, only on New England Tractor - http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/
It was going
to be a toss up this week as to what photo I might have here. One, taken way back when the Indy Cars ran
over in Italy at Monza, or one from a Sprint Car race here in the states, some
years ago – 1972. I decided to put in
both.
This first
photo shows racing great Jimmy Bryan as he went up the
Next, in a
photo I found on the Coastal 181 website, with thanks to Bob Mays and Phil Dullinger and Coastal 181, too!
The caption
under this photo:
“#778 - When his sprint cars showed up
for the 1972 Gopher 200 at St. Paul, IMCA’s Executive
Director Bill Hitz decided to try to spice things up
by allowing Jerry Hansen to run his Formula 500 Lola. The circle track guys,
represented by Dick Sutcliffe, were none too pleased, and most of a rainy
Saturday was spent in argument. In the end Hitz gave
Hansen the okay. It might not have been the most popular decision he could have
made. Here’s Hansen blowing off Bill Madsen in the Madsen-Palmer #17 Chevy
sprinter on his way to winning by three laps. From BIG CAR THUNDER –
More Sprint Cars on America’s Fair Circuit, Volume II, by Bob Mays. (Phil Dullinger
Photo).
Note: One has to wonder – what if they did not
outlaw rear engine Sprint cars back then.
Would the “Road to Indy” still be USAC instead of us having the influx
of road courses and foreign drivers?
Would drivers like Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne be in Open Wheel instead of NASCAR?
Closing with
these – continued from last week:
7. If your government
believes that the best way to eradicate trillions of dollars of debt is to
spend trillions more… you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run
by idiots.
8. If a seven year old boy
can be thrown out of school for saying his teacher is cute, but hosting a
sexual exploration or diversity class in grade school is perfectly acceptable…
you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
9. If children are forcibly
removed from parents who discipline them with spankings while children of
addicts are left in filth and drug infested homes… you might live in a country
founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
10. If hard work and success
are met with higher taxes and more government intrusion, while not working is
rewarded with EBT cards, WIC checks, Medicaid, subsidized housing, and free
cell phones… you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
11. If you pay your mortgage
faithfully, denying yourself the newest big screen TV while your neighbor buys iPhones, TVs and new cars, and the government forgives his
debt when he defaults on his mortgage… you might live in a country founded by
geniuses but run by idiots.
12. If being stripped of the
ability to defend yourself makes you more safe
according to the government… you might live in a country founded by geniuses
but run by idiots.
Until next week,
folks!
As usual, you can reach me
at: ygordad@yahoo.com