By TOM AVENENGO
Something a tad different this week. The above photo is of the Kingsbridge Armory, in the Bronx, NY. Below are the results for the 1947 – 1948 racing season. Sorry that the photo is a tad “blurry”, but it’s the only one I have. Yes, the Armory is still there, but I doubt there would ever be racing there, again. Another track that drew a ton of fans, for sure! To continue doing this week’s column a tad different, I’ll start off with the late 1947 to the early 1948 season at the Armory.
The indoor racing at the Kingsbridge Armory was mainly run during the winter months. Surprisingly, there were not many races not run due to weather – like snow. I kinda think it would be a tad different today, for sure. What follows are the results I have for the winter series from November 1, 1947 to the series ending race held on April 3, 1948. I imagine if it was easier to get to the Armory, we would have gone more often. It was quite a deal getting there, especially since we didn’t take our car all the way, but had to use the subway, too. One thing I can recall is that there was always a ton of race fans in attendance. We normally sat in the upper seats that overlooked the track. As for the track – best I can recall is that they only used 1/2 the building for the track, itself. At the other end it was usually dark, but one could see the cannons, Jeeps and tanks. The worst accident I saw was when Art Cross, in a basically all white # 2 Offy midget, have his throttle stick as he came down the front straightaway. I can still recall seeing him putting up his right arm in front of his face, just before he made contact with the end of a 12×12 – part of the “guardrail”. That 12×12 spun around and those that were standing on it went flying through the air. That 12×12 also knocked some 55 gallon drums that were behind it, in the air, too. Arts forward progress was stopped when he hit the wall of the building. His right arm was broken when it hit the car’s windshield.”Racing Rich”, Rich Boteler once visited Art on Art’s farm in Indiana after Art had retired. I asked Rich to check with Art to see if he recalled that accident. Art did, and rolled up his shirt sleeve to show Rich the scar. Of course with the races being held indoors, the Outboard powered midgets, due to their heavy smoke, were not allowed to run. Fords and Offy’s made up the majority of the fields, with a few cycle powered midgets also in attendance.
Note: Check out the days/dates on when they raced in the Armory. It wasn’t weekly, for sure. Also, I have to say that Tony Bonadies took to the track like a duck to water, with quite a few wins over the “season”.
1947-48
Nov. 1, 1947: 1. Tony Bonadies 2. Ted Tappett 3. Al Keller 4. Bill Baker 5. Johnny Ringger
Nov. 5 1. Ted Tappett 2. Bob Disbrow
Nov. 8 1. Ted Tappett Curtis Offy 2. Johnny Ritter Ritter Offy 3. Stan Disbrow Bopp V-8 4. Larry Bloomer Paxson V-8 5. Bob Disbrow Frick V-8
Nov. 12 1. Johnny Ritter Ritter Offy 2. Ted Tappett Curtis Offy 3. Tony Bonadies Willets Offy 4. Al Keller Willets Offy 5. Bill Baker Croft V-8 6. Andy Van Heusen
Nov. 15 1. Len Duncan Pollock Offy 2. Larry Bloomer 3. Johnny Ringger 4. Art Cross 5. Ted Tappett 6. Henry Renard
Nov. 19 1. Len Duncan
Nov. 22 1. Ted Tappett 2. Al Keller 3. Johnny Ringger 25 laps 5:16.61 NTR – 8000 spectators
Nov. 26 1. Al Keller Willets Offy 2. Ted Tappett Curtis Offy 3. Larry Bloomer 4. Mike Josephs 5. Len Duncan Pollock Offy 6. Bob Disbrow
Nov. 29 1. Ted Tappett Curtis Offy 2. Al Keller Willetts Offy 3. Art Cross Hough Offy 4. Johnny Ritter 5. Bill Baker Croft V-8 6. Bob Disbrow
Dec. 3 1. Johnny Ringger 2. Len Duncan 3. Tony Bonadies
Dec. 6 1. Al Keller Willetts #41 Offy 2. Bob Disbrow Frick V-8 3. Tony Bonadies Willetts #31 Offy 4. Len Duncan Pollock Offy 5. Andy Van Heusen Hough V-8
Dec. 10 1. Tony Bonadies 2. Al Keller 3. Henry Renard 4. Len Duncan 5. Art Cross
Dec. 13 1. Tony Bonadies 2. Ted Tappett 3. Art Cross
Dec. 17 1. Ted Tappett Curtis Offy 2. Johnny Ringger Wheeler #62 3. Tony Bonadies Willets #31 4. Jack Duffy V-8 5. Vernon Land 6. Bob Disbrow
Dec. 20 1. Al Keller Willets #41 2. Johnny Ringger 3. Ted Tappett 4. Chet Conklin 5. Bob Disbrow 6. Walt Fair
1948
Jan. 3 canceled-snow
Jan. 10 1. Tony Bonadies Willets Offy #31 2. Bob Disbrow Frick V-8 3. Bill Baker Croft V-8 4. Larry Bloomer Paxton V-8 5. Stan Disbrow Bopp V-8 6. Ernie McCoy 7. Jack Duffy 8. Johnny Ritter 9. Al Keller Willets Offy #41 10. Andy Van Heusen
Jan. 17, 1948 1. Tony Bonadies Willets Offy #31 2. Johnny Ritter Ritter Offy 3. Johnny Ringger Wheeler Offy 4. Bob Disbrow Frick V-8 5. Art Cross Wilson Offy 6. Vernon Land 7. Bill Baker Croft V-8 8. Andy Van Heusen Eckert V-8 9. Bert Brooks
Jan. 24 ?
Jan. 31 1. Tony Bonadies 2. Al Keller 3. Bob Disbrow 4. Larry Shurter 5. Johnny Ringger 6. Ernie McCoy – 100 laps
Feb. 7 1. Al Keller Willetts Offy 2. Tony Bonadies Willetts Offy 3. Johnny Ringger 4. Bob Disbrow 5. Jack Duffy 6. Walt Fair 7. Vernon Land 8. Andy Van Heusen 9. Larry Bloomer 10. Don Morris
Feb. 11 ?
Feb. 14 1. Tony Bonadies 2. Johnny Ringger 3. Larry Bloomer 4. Johnny Zeke 5. Bob Disbrow 6. Andy Van Heusen 7. Stan Disbrow 8. Steve McGrath 9. Vernon Land 10. Ralph Lund
Feb. 18
1 Tony Bonadies 2. Russ Klar 3. Larry Bloomer Paxson V-8 4. Johnny Ringger Wheeler Offy 5. Bob Disbrow Frick V-8 6. Larry Shurter 7. Stan Disbrow Bopp V-8 8. Steve McGrath Jokko V-8 9. Andy Van Heusen Stroppoli V-8 10. Nick Fornoro 11. Rex Records
Feb. 21 ?
Feb. 25 ?
Feb. 28 1. Tony Bonadies Willets Offy #31 2. Johnny Ringger Wheeler Offy 3. Bill Schindler Hough Offy 4. Walt Fair Frankenfield V-8 5. Larry Bloomer Paxson V-8 6. Al Keller Frick Offy 7. Rex Records Caruso Miller 8. Larry Shurter Muir V-8 9. Russ Klar 10. Mike Nazaruk “Sweet Sue” V-8 100 laps
March 3 1. Johnny Ritter 2. Tony Bonadies 3. Al Keller 4. Bill Schindler 5. Bob Disbrow 6. Ernie McCoy 7. Len Duncan 8. Rex Records 9. Johnny Zeke 10. Johnny Ringger 11. Larry Bloomer 12. Ray Nestor 13. Vernon Land 14. Jack Duffy
March 6 1. Tony Bonadies 2. Al Keller 3. Len Duncan
March 10 ?
March 13 ?
March 17 ?
March 20 1. Len Duncan Willets Offy 2. Tony Bonadies Willets Offy 3. Bill Schindler Hough V-8 4. Larry Bloomer Paxson V-8 5. Don Morris Stroppoli V-8 6. Stan Disbrow Bopp V-8 7. Bob Disbrow Frick V-8
March 24 ?
March 27 1. Johnny Ritter Ritter Offy 2. Tony Bonadies Willets Offy 3. Larry Bloomer Willets Offy 4. Ernie McCoy Wheeler Offy 5. Stan Disbrow Bopp V-8 6. Len Duncan Willets Offy #41 7. Nick Fornoro Frankenfield V-8 8. Larry Shurter Muir V-8 9. Bob Disbrow 10. Joe Barzda
April 3 1. Ted Tappett Curtis Offy 2. Ray Nestor Wheeler Offy 3. Johnny Ritter 4. Len Duncan 5. Bob Disbrow 6. Al Keller 7. Stan Disbrow 8. Tony Bonadies 9. Bill Schindler 10. Walt Fair 11. Larry Shurter 12. Ernie McCoy
Note: Did you notice how many wins Tony Bonadies had? Tappett?
From the results I have:
Bonadies: 1, 3, 3, 3, 1, 1, 3, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 2, 2, 8 – 18 top 3 out of the 30 race results that I have, above – 10 wins.
Tappett: 2, 1, 1, 2, 5, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 3, 1 – 17 top 3 out of the 30 race results that I have, above – 9 wins.
If you read the results, above, you would have seen the name Johnny Ritter. Here he is in his # 3 Canary Yellow Offy powered midget. This car was a Ken Brenn # 24 after Ritter was fatally injured, back on 10/12/48. Thanks to his daughter, Sharyn, for sending me this photo!
Also, out of all the names up above, best I know is that Al Keller, Len Duncan, Art Cross, Bill Schindler and Ernie McCoy are the only drivers from the ARDC that ran in the Indy 500.
Pretty sure that Russ Klar, Joe Barzda and Tony Bonadies might have gone to Indy, but failed to qualify for the race. Kinda remarkable, huh?
A little news from Indy:
WHAT’S IN A NUMBER? A LOT FOR FOYT RACING NO. 35
As if competing in the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil wasn’t significant enough, Alex Tagliani and AJ Foyt Racing have upped the ante with their entry for the monumental event.
The driver and team unveiled Tuesday the No. 35 Alfe Heat Treating Special Honda that Tagliani will drive in both the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course May 14 and in the epic 100th Indy 500 on the 2.5-mile oval May 29. The private ceremony took place at the Foyt Wine Vault in Speedway, Ind., less than a mile from the Brickyard.
The car number commemorates the 35 consecutive races that team owner A.J. Foyt made in the Indianapolis 500, one of numerous records that the first four-time Indy 500 winner holds.
“I never thought I’d make 35 races or last that long, but it’s great to have a car (to honor) 35 races,” Foyt said at the unveiling. “It brings back a lot of memories, but like I told ‘em, I’m too old to get back in it.”
The black and orange livery is also reminiscent of the paint schemes Foyt drove later in his career. For Kurt Westman, founder and CEO of Indiana-based Alfe Heat Treating, it provides an opportunity to honor a living legend in Foyt and extend a sponsor relationship in its sixth year.
“It’s kind of like getting to hang out with Babe Ruth,” Westman said. “Getting to know him and his stories over the years, it’s really been a legend.
“Our 35 car is dedicated to that,” Westman added. “We came up with that because that’s the number of A.J.’s consecutive starts and it also happens to be the year he was born (1935), so we really think it’s going to be a lucky number for us.”
Tagliani has no illusions heading into the Angie’s List Grand Prix. A seven-time Indy 500 starter, it will be his first race on the 2.439-mile road course and his first Indy car road course event anywhere since he finished 10th at Toronto in July 2013.
“It’s up to me to make best use of the practice that I have to get back in the game and, by (grand prix) race day, just do the best job that we can and use it to get ready for the 500,” the 42-year-old Canadian said. “I don’t think I could ask for a better position to be in because, looking at everything the team is doing in preparation for the 500, they’re doing everything right. They really want to do well.
“Plus, representing Alfe Heat Treating, a company that is from Fort Wayne, Ind., they will have a lot of fans here. And it’s going to be my eighth consecutive race at the 500. A.J. was in 35, so I can’t compare.”
Finally, Tagliani added with a laugh, “I think I just got the job because A.J. didn’t fit in the suit and I fit in the suit.”
Note: The above was found here: http://www.indycar.com/News/2016/05/05-10-Notes-Tagliani-Rossi-Pigot
Kinda sad:
On last Friday afternoon I started watching the Truck race at Dover, on TV. I’m not sure if it’s beneficial to NASCAR to have all three classes at the same speedway on one weekend. Granted, the weather wasn’t the best (rain falling off & on), but from what I saw, there weren’t many butts in the seats. I wonder if the three classes were run on separate weekends, if more race fans would attend?
I watched the Cup race on Sunday – off & on. Did you see the huge wreck – 18 cars – on a restart with 46 laps to go? Jimmie Johnson was starting on the outside of the first row. As he shifted from 2nd to 3rd, a problem developed in his transmission. After that, cars just plowed into the cars in front of them – well, most of the cars from the second to the ninth row, piled in.
As for the end – an unreal battle between winner Matt Kenseth, 2nd place Kyle Larson and 3rd place Chase Elliott. Yes, it was more exciting with them racing on a mile track compared to bigger tracks, as far as I’m concerned.
Well, sad to say, but it looks like “Mother Nature” wasn’t too kind to the race tracks up in the New York area again this past weekend.
Some cancellations from this past weekend:
Last Friday: Georgetown, Accord, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Motor Speedway, Penn Can, Big Diamond, Albany-Saratoga, Granby, Glen Ridge
Last Saturday: New Egypt, Wall Stadium, Bethel, Thunder Mountain, Sharon, Mercer, Can Am, Bridgeport, Merrittville, Stateline, Delaware, Canandaigua, Port Royal, Orange County, Woodhull Raceway- Patriot Sprint Tour rescheduled for Saturday June 11th, CRSA Sprints portion at Five Mile has been cancelled, Fulton,
Five Mile cancelled all events. Still on for tomorrow, Fulton, Selinsgrove, Grandview, Brockville
Note: Believe it or not, down here in Cape Coral, Florida, we lost Internet service on most of Sunday and into mid-morning on Monday. Gotta love it!
The Super Dirt Car Series has a race scheduled for Williams Grove on Wednesday, June 22nd, 2016.
Sad sight – the race at Indy on Saturday with almost completely empty grandstands. Is it ticket cost, or is it the lack of American drivers? On top of that, there was a wreck between two cars in the first turn at the start.
Note: The same can be said for the NASCAR race at Dover on Saturday – a ton of empty stands. As for Sunday at Dover, the crowd really wasn’t all that bad, but there were some complete stands that had no one in them – third turn, I believe. There was a time when you had to get on a waiting list to get tickets for a NASCAR race at Dover. The empty stands might be caused by the economy, or race fans have left due to the recent rule changes that NASCAR has come out with.
One must keep in mind that when auto racing started to get popular – back in the mid to late ’40’s, race drivers usually had to race, and do good, to make any monies to be able to make a living. Today, things are a lot different in some series, like NASCAR, mostly due to sponsorship. Check out what the top 13 NASCAR drivers, make/made, money wise:
13 Joey Logano: Total earnings: $11.4 million Salary/winnings: $9.7 million Endorsements/licensing: $1.7 million
12 Brad Keselowski: Total earnings: $11.5 million Salary/winnings: $10 million Endorsements/licensing: $1.5 million
11 Kasey Kahne: Total earnings: $11.7 million Salary/winnings: $10.3 million Endorsements/licensing: $1.5 million
10 Matt Kenseth: Total earnings: $11.9 million Salary/winnings: $10.5 million Endorsements/licensing: $1.4 million
9 Carl Edwards: Total earnings: $12.1 million Salary/winnings: $10.6 million Endorsements/licensing: $1.5 million
8 Tony Stewart: Total earnings: $12.8 million Salary/winnings: $9.8 million Endorsements/licensing: $3 million
7 Danica Patrick: Total earnings: $13.4 million Salary/winnings: $7.9 million Endorsements/licensing: $5.5 million
6 Kyle Busch: Total earnings: $15 million Salary/winnings: $13.3 million Endorsements/licensing: $1.7 million
5 Denny Hamlin: Total earnings: $15.1 million Salary/winnings: $13.1 million Endorsements/licensing: $2 million
4 Kevin Harvick: Total earnings: $15.5 million Salary/winnings: $12 million Endorsements/licensing: $3.5 million
3 Jeff Gordon: Total earnings: $21.2 million Salary/winnings: $14.6 million Endorsements/licensing: $7 million
2 Jimmie Johnson: Total earnings: $22.2 million Salary/winnings: $16.4 million Endorsements/licensing: $5.8 million
1 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Total earnings: $23.5 million Salary/winnings: $15 million Endorsements/licensing: $8.5 million
Note: The above was found here: http://www3.forbes.com/business/nascars-highest-paid-drivers-2016/14/
Legal battle over Earnhardt last name escalates
http://sports.yahoo.com/m/ace855c5-07e2-3b5b-8fba-0bf686c1eeaf/ss_legal-battle-over-earnhardt.html?nhp=1
“Can a Superkart beat a V8? Find out as Murph and Andrew Hall face off at Hampton Downs”
https://www.facebook.com/skysportnz/videos/1024031554333176/
Note prepare for a big surprise!
Here are some results of how some former OVRP runners did in some events that were held this past weekend:
At I-88, Danny Creeden was 13th in the modified feature.
At Lebanon Valley: Kolby Schroder was 8th and Kyle Armstrong 13th in the modified feature.
At 5 Mile on Sunday: STAR SERIES CRATE SPORTSMAN OFFICIAL FEATURE FINISH (called official after 28 laps due to snow): Kyle Rohner 3rd
At Georgetown in the URC feature, it was Davie Franek as the day’s winner.
Note: Hard to believe that’s about it for last weekend, up north. Those tracks that did run were: Brewerton, 5 Mile (Sun), Lebanon Valley and I-88
ROC DIRT MODIFIED SERIES KICKS OFF WITH PRESTIGIOUS VICTORIA EVENT AT UTICA-ROME
VERNON, NY – The Ferris Mowers Race of Champions Series fueled by Sunoco is ready to kick off the dirt portion of the series with the “Victoria 200” on tap at the Utica-Rome Speedway on Sunday night May 22. The 2016 edition of the historic race is scheduled to be a 55-lap feature with a $5,500 payday going to the winner.
For more information, contact;
Race of Champions Media at media@rocmodifiedseries.com
INDY 500: Rules rundown for the 100th Running
TIRES:
Firestone provides each entry a maximum of 36 sets of tires for the event in each lease agreement.
QUALIFYING PROCEDURE:
If you thought last year’s qualifying procedure was a complicated mess, wait until you digest what’s in store for 2016.
To understand the basic flow of qualifying, take a look at the schedule for Saturday and Sunday before we delve into the mechanics of how it will work.
Saturday, May 21
8:00 a.m.–8:30 a.m., Indy 500 Practice: Group 1
8:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m., Indy 500 Practice: Group 2
9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m., Indy 500 Practice: Entire field
11:00 a.m.–5:50 p.m., Indy 500 Qualifying (Top nine drivers advance to Fast 9)
Sunday, May 22
12:00—12:30 p.m., Indy 500 Practice — P22-33
12:45 p.m.–1:15 p.m., Indy 500 Practice — P10-21
1:30 p.m.–2:00 p.m., Indy 500 Practice — Fast 9
2:45 p.m.–4:45 p.m., Indy 500 Qualifying — P10-33
5:00 p.m.–5:45 p.m., Indy 500 Fast 9 Qualifying — P1-9
So, IndyCar will once again use two days of qualifying to set the field of 33.
More info can be found here: http://www.racer.com/indycar/item/129546-indy-500-rules-rundown-for-the-100th-running?showall=&limitstart=1
Note: Speaking of the Indy 500 – best I can figure, as far as any American Open Wheel drivers that have raced in other open wheel events, are: Bryan Clauson, Ed Carpenter and Buddy Lazier. Granted, there are some other “American” drivers entered, but, best I know no others have run midgets, sprint cars or champ cars. Pretty sad, huh? Any idea as to why no American race drivers don’t run Indy anymore? Is it the huge influx of the RE cars, and racing more on road type courses rather than racing on ovals? Do today’s Indy drivers just make too much, money wise, now – especially with some of the contracts they have?
Going back in time – Fred “Jiggs” Peters:
Back in the mid to late ’40’s, there were quite a few schools for future race drivers to attend. One of the better drivers from those schools was Fred “Jiggs” Peters, being shown here in the Curtis Offy sprint car. Jiggs was born in Edison, NJ. on September 28, 1920. He left us on December 25, 1993. Jiggs had quite a career, that’s for sure! From what I can recall, he did not have too many accidents. He did serve in the U.S. Army and while in Italy, he was wounded in combat and lost part of his right foot which was repaired by having a steel plate inserted in his heel.
In 1947, he attended the Lou Volk driving school. He started racing in 1948. He was the ARDC driving champion in 1951. He went into racing sprint cars. In 1955, he tried to qualify for the Indy 500, but was not successful. He returned again in 1957 and tried qualifying the Glessner Offy. He wasn’t quite fast enough on the first weekend of qualifying, but was fast enough on the second weekend, but decided to return back home and race locally to make money, rather than sit in Indianapolis for the remainder of the month.
Jiggs was exceptional in long distance races, winning numerous times at Trenton and Langhorne. In 1969, he was injured in a URC sprint car race at the Bedford Speedway. That’s when he retired from racing. After he passed away, he was cremated and his ashes ended up at the dirt oval at the Latimore Valley Fairgrounds.
Note: If you’re interested in reading more about Jiggs, you can find something here: http://www.empaonline.org/fred-ldquojiggsrdquo-peters.html
Some Pocono news:
For Sunday, June 5th, one can get 4 grandstand tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 Coca Cola products and 1 full day of fun for only $99.00.
Check it out, here: http://www.poconoraceway.com/trickytrackpack.html
News found on http://www.jayski.com/
New rules coming for All-Star Race? More behind the scenes are the changes to the aero rules to try to improve the already much-better racing this season. There have been minor tweaks a few times this year, and it sounds as if there will be more set for the Sprint All-Star Race next week. “It seems everything is changing for that race — we have race cars and the format is different,” said Joey Logano when asked about the All-Star Race. “I am sure you guys in the media center will be plenty busy with plenty to write about.” In light of the Logano remarks, it would seem that the NASCSAR drivers know something that hasn’t been announced. NASCAR won’t confirm nor deny that it will introduce new rules for the Sprint All-Star Race, but the garage is buzzing about a potential change that will impact the aerodynamics and side forces of the car. It wasn’t clear if the changes Logano alluded to will be for the All-Star Race this year, will be used in points events or looking ahead to 2017. NASCAR last year had hoped to experiment with some new rules for 2016 at the 2015 All-Star Race and then scrapped that decision.(ESPN.com)(5-15-2016)
UPDATE: Updates to the current rules package aimed at reducing both downforce and side force will be in place this weekend when NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams travel to Charlotte Motor Speedway to compete in the Sprint Showdown and Sprint All-Star race. According to Gene Stefanyshyn, senior vice president of innovation and racing development for the sanctioning body, three areas have been addressed with the updates. They involve truck trailing arm and crossmember assembly, electric fans used for cooling purposes on the cars and rear wheel toe alignment.The trailing arm issue was actually addressed previously with a change put into place before the series competed earlier this month at Kansas Speedway. Teams must now weld truck trailing arm mounting brackets (and mounting tabs, if used) to prevent movement. That change will remain in place for the remainder of the 2016 season.
Limiting the number of cooling fans will provide “a good efficiency improvement as far as managing or attenuating some costs … and it also gave us a downforce reduction,” he said. “So it was a win-win. Some of those fans were driving things like bigger fans, bigger alternators, bigger batteries … that kind of thing.”
Rear toe alignment changes will decrease the amount of skew (slant) allowed in a car’s setup. “We currently allow them to set up the car with some skew that provides not only a turning advantage but also a side force advantage,” he said. “Usually the way a team would set that up is on the right side they take 0.6 degrees of toe out and on the left side they do about 0.3 degrees of toe in. We’re going to change the specifications so it’s going to be neutral; it will be zero setup. That will take some of the skew out of the car, which will take some of the side force off the car.” It is also expected to reduce corner speeds approximately 3 mph at a track such as Charlotte. Because the Sprint All-Star Race is a non-points event, it provides officials and teams the opportunity to observe the impact of the changes without the fear of upsetting the integrity of the regular season. “Depending on how the journey goes and what we find out, that could be something we could consider for ’17.”(NASCAR.com)(5-16-2016)
Lineups for the Sprint All Star race and the Sprint Showdown:
The Sprint All-Star Race
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Charlotte Motor Speedway – 5/21/2016
Car #
Driver
Manufacturer
Sponsor
Owner
1
1
Jamie McMurray
Chevy
Bass Pro Shop / National Turkey Federation
Chip Ganassi Racing
2
2
Brad Keselowski
Ford
Miller Lite
Team Penske
3
4
Kevin Harvick
Chevy
Busch Light
Stewart-Haas Racing
4
5
Kasey Kahne
Chevy
Drive Home a Winner
Hendrick Motorsports
5
11
Denny Hamlin
Toyota
FedEx Express
Joe Gibbs Racing
6
14
Tony Stewart
Chevy
Bass Pro Shop
Stewart-Haas Racing
7
19
Carl Edwards
Toyota
ARRIS Surfboard
Joe Gibbs Racing
8
20
Matt Kenseth
Toyota
Dollar General
Joe Gibbs Racing
9
22
Joey Logano
Ford
Shell Pennzoil
Team Penske
10
31
Ryan Newman
Chevy
Caterpillar / Grainger
Richard Childress Racing
11
41
Kurt Busch
Chevy
Haas Automation / Monster Energy
Stewart-Haas Racing
12
48
Jimmie Johnson
Chevy
Lowe’s
Hendrick Motorsports
13
75
Kyle Busch
Toyota
M&M’s 75th Anniversary
Joe Gibbs Racing
14
78
Martin Truex Jr.
Toyota
Furniture Row
Furniture Row Racing
15
88
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Chevy
Mountain Dew
Hendrick Motorsports
Sprint All-Star Race Entry List (pdf)
The Sprint Showdown
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Charlotte Motor Speedway – 5/20/2016
Car #
Driver
Manufacturer
Sponsor
Owner
1
3
Austin Dillon
Chevy
Dow
Richard Childress Racing
2
6
Trevor Bayne
Ford
AdvoCare
Roush Fenway Racing
3
7
Regan Smith
Chevy
Nikko RC / Toy State
Tommy Baldwin Racing
4
10
Danica Patrick
Chevy
Nature’s Bakery
Stewart-Haas Racing
5
13
Casey Mears
Chevy
GEICO
Germain Racing
6
15
Clint Bowyer
Chevy
5-Hour Energy
HScott Motorsports
7
16
Greg Biffle
Ford
Cheez-It
Roush Fenway Racing
8
17
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Ford
Ford EcoBoost
Roush Fenway Racing
9
21
Ryan Blaney #
Ford
Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center
Wood Brothers Racing
10
23
David Ragan
Toyota
BUBBA burger
BK Racing
11
24
Chase Elliott #
Chevy
3M
Hendrick Motorsports
12
27
Paul Menard
Chevy
Knauf / Menards
Richard Childress Racing
13
30
Josh Wise
Chevy
Curtis Key Plumbing
The Motorsports Group
14
32
Jeffrey Earnhardt
Ford
TBD
GO FAS Racing
15
34
Chris Buescher #
Ford
CSX Play it Safe
Front Row Motorsports
16
38
Landon Cassill
Ford
MDS Transport
Front Row Motorsports
17
42
Kyle Larson
Chevy
Target
Chip Ganassi Racing
18
43
Aric Almirola
Ford
Smithfield
Richard Petty Motorsports
19
44
Brian Scott #
Ford
TBD
Richard Petty Motorsports
20
46
Michael Annett
Chevy
Pilot Flying J
HScott Motorsports
21
47
A.J. Allmendinger
Chevy
Uwharrie Bank
JTG Daugherty Racing
22
55
Reed Sorenson
Toyota
World Record Striper Company
Premium Motorsports
23
83
Matt Dibenedetto
Toyota
Hope for the Warriors & Cosmo Motors
BK Racing
24
95
Michael McDowell
Chevy
WRL General Contractors
Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing
25
98
Cole Whitt
Chevy
Vydox Plus
Premium Motorsports
Kahne fails post-race inspection: Kasey Kahne’s #5 Chevrolet failed post-race laser inspection station and will be taken to the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, North Carolina, for further evaluation. If penalties are warranted, they will be announced later this week.(NASCAR Wire Service)(5-16-2016)
Roush not likely to move back to 4 cars soon: Now that the organization is headed back in the right direction when it comes to their performance, Roush president Steve Newmark said Sunday the focus is on the immediate future of fighting for a Chase berth and not what their driver lineup is going to be. With three drivers running full-time in the XFINITY Series, three more under their banner in Cup, and Chris Buescher on loan to Front Row Motorsports, decisions will soon have to be made of who is running where. When the company felt [Buescher] was ready to be in Cup instead of running a third year in the XFINITY Series, they coordinated with Bob Jenkins and Front Row, who Buescher was already familiar with, to compete in their camp. In a perfect world, admitted Newmark, Roush will get him back under their roof sooner rather than later. “There’s a combination of factors that will go into that,” he said. “Ideally, we’ll have him in one of our cars in the next few years, but I think the focus right now is we got to get him running better in the 34.” Under NASCAR’s new ownership rules of only being able to run four full-time cars, plus the addition of the Charter System this year, Roush has been in a box. The chance of ever going back to four full-time cars looks slim, but Newmark won’t close the door on any possibility. “Jack would rather run 10 cars; he would run as many cars as he would be enabled,” Newmark joked. “It really will depend exactly on the driver, sponsorship, and then now you also have to have a charter, so I don’t think we would run a (fourth) full-time, but you never know.”(Popular Speed)(5-16-2016)
New number for Kyle Busch at All-Star race: M&M’s Racing announced Friday on their Facebook page that Kyle Busch will drive the #75 at the Sprint All Star Race in Charlotte. The number honors M&M’s 75th anniversary. See an image of the car on the #18 team paint schemes page.(5-13-2016)
Larson still interested in running the Indy 500
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson says he would jump at the chance to race in the Indianapolis 500 one day.
The 23-year-old Californian, who scored six wins in USAC National midget racing in 2011, was hired by Ganassi for NASCAR racing, and Larson won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East title in 2012. He followed this up with Rookie of the Year titles in Xfinity (2013) and Sprint Cup (2014), but has long expressed an interest in returning to his open-wheel roots one day.
He said: “I would love to [race the Indianapolis 500]. I was always a big fan growing up, mainly I think because my dad is a big Indy 500 and IndyCar fan.
“To me, this is the biggest race in the world by far, so I would love to race it some day.”
Larson stunned the sportscar regulars with his pace in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona and in 2015 won the race with Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and NASCAR teammate Jamie McMurray.
He said: “Driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, he has so many types of vehicle that you hopefully get the opportunity to run some day. I’ve been lucky enough to run in the Rolex 24 and win that, and so it would be incredible to start the 500 one day in my career.
“It’s more up to [Chip] but he’s been a great team owner for me and hopefully after I win a Cup race or two … or three… and maybe a championship, then I can run the 500.”
The above was found here: http://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/larson-still-interested-in-running-the-indy-500-737479/
Kerry, Teresa Earnhardt in battle over last name:
UPDATE: Teresa Earnhardt has battled for four years to try to get her stepson Kerry Earnhardt to change the name for a collection of homes Kerry and his wife design and promote through the “Earnhardt Collection” brand. Why? Her attorneys issued a statement approved by Dale Earnhardt Inc., which has been solely owned by Teresa since the seven-time Sprint Cup champion’s death on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. “The naming of any project called ‘Earnhardt Collection’ causes confusion as being associated with Dale Earnhardt, as the Dale Earnhardt brands and marks are so diverse across multiple industries and philanthropic causes. … [And it] could be used to exclude Dale Earnhardt Inc., the designated steward of Dale’s legacy, from the same use,” law firm Alston & Bird said in its statement. It went on to say it has not requested any payment from Kerry Earnhardt. “By not coordinating these [trademark] activities rightfully, these individuals and entities fail to recognize the true legacy of Dale Earnhardt,” the statement said about anyone who attempts to use the Dale Earnhardt and Earnhardt marks. Could there be a settlement? Well, take this for what it’s worth: A Kerry Earnhardt filing Thursday stated that Kerry and his wife are open to mediation. Teresa? Her filing states: “The parties have to date been unable to settle their dispute. Further mediation would not be fruitful.”(ESPN.com)(5-14-2016)
Race Coverage of the Sprint All-Star Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, May 21, 2016.
Television (TV): 9:00pm/et; Pre-race 8:30pm/et; approx green flag 9:16pm/et.
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
TBA
Race Coverage of the Sprint Showdown Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is scheduled for Friday, May 20, 2016.
Television (TV): FS1 at 7:00 pm/et;
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
TBA
Coverage of Qualifying for the Sprint All-Star Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, May 21, 2015 at 7:00pm/et.
Television (TV): FoxSports1 (FS1), 7:00pm/et;
Radio: Live online at Motor Racing Network (MRN)
Scheduled Qualifying Re-Air: TBA.
Coverage of Qualifying for the Sprint Showdown Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is scheduled for Friday, May 20, 2015 at 4:15pm/et.
Television (TV): FoxSports1 (FS1), 4:00pm/et
Radio: Live online at Motor Racing Network (MRN)
Scheduled Qualifying Re-Air: TBA.
THE SPRINT ALL-STAR RACE
Eligibility rules for the All-Star Race:
1st criteria: Drivers who have won races in the current and preceding year.
If a driver leaves a team with which they won a race,
the driver remains eligible (through the last race before The All-Star Race),
the team does NOT
2nd criteria: Drivers who are past Cup champions
3rd criteria: Drivers who have won The All-Star Race
4th criteria: Driver who wins Segment 1 of the Showdown
5th criteria: Driver who wins Segment 2 of the Showdown
6th criteria: The winning driver of the Showdown
7th criteria: Driver voted in by the fans
NEWS FROM
Orange County Fair Speedway
239 Wisner Avenue
Middletown, NY10940
CONTACT
Mike Gurda
845-342-2573
TWIN-20S FEATURES FOR THE MODIFIEDS RESCHEDULED
TO MAY 21 AT ORANGE COUNTY FAIR SPEEDWAY
MIDDLETOWN, NY (May 9)……Due to inclement weather, the racing program originally scheduled for May 14, featuring Twin 20-lap features for the headline Big-Block Modifieds is now set for this coming Saturday evening, May 21 at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York.
Led by defending point champion Jerry Higbie, the earth-shaking, 800 horse power Modifieds will have two chances to win on the lightning fast five-eighths-mile Middletown “Hard Clay” oval. Also on the evening’s program are the Small-Block Modifieds, the Sportsman division, and the always unpredictable Street Stocks. The night’s activities are sponsored by Halmar International and Superior Building Supply of Neversink.
The winner of each 20-lap Modified feature race will earn $2,500. Should a driver capture both features, he’ll take home an extra $2,500 bonus. The purse enhancements have been made possible by the continued generosity of Chris Larsen and Halmar International.
With two features on tap, there’s bound to be a shakeup in the Modified point standings. In three feature races to date, three drivers have tasted victory champagne, the latest former track point champion Jeff Heotzler who registered his 50th Orange County career Modified win this past Saturday. The season’s other two Modified features were won by Bob McGannon and Tommy Meier. With Higbie, along with nearly two-dozen other Modified drivers, still looking for their first 2016 victory, the Twin-20s race night is bound to be action-packed from first lap through to the evening’s final checkered flag!
Admission prices for the May 21 race meet remain at $15 adults, $13 seniors, and $1.00 for children 12 and under. The full night of racing begins promptly at 6:30 pm.
Information for all Orange County Fair Speedway action is available at the speedway website, www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net, or from at the Track Office. Call 845-342-2573 during business hours.
UPCOMING:
May 22 – Kenny Wallace Dirt Driving Experience
May 28 – Memorial Day Weekend – NO RACING
June 4 – Tire King of Sussex/Frank Stevens & Sons Roofing Night, NOSTALGIA NIGHT, Modifieds, Small-Block Modifieds, Sportsman, Rookie Sportsman (Marky Traverse Memorial Race, $500-to-win), Vintage Modifieds, Atlantic Coast Old Timers, GIANT AUTOGRAPH SESSION, SPECIAL 6:00 PM STARTING TIME
On occasion, I do get mailings sent to me from back north. I got a pretty good one this past Monday.
Orange Counties “Social Host Law”:
Will carry the following punishments:
First Offense: Shall constitute a violation and carry a fine of $500.00. The court will also order the completion of an alcohol awareness program and/or an appropriate amount of community service time, not exceed 30 hrs.
Second Offense: Will constitute an unclassified misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $1,000.00 and a jail term, not exceed one year; or both a fine and imprisonment.
They’re informing all those that have “parties” not to let minors have any alcoholic beverages.
Major University discovery STUNS Alzheimer’s community
Could this “orange aspirin” really be the “secret weapon” to curing Alzheimer’s disease?
It sounds a little crazy, but researchers from UCLA and Texas A&M may have just cracked the Alzheimer’s puzzle…
Thanks to a “weird” substance we are calling “orange aspirin,” Alzheimer’s patients are seeing a remarkable recovery in just 90 days!
In clinical trials it’s rescued Alzheimer’s patients from complete incontinence and delusional behavior to living quietly at home with their families.
This is a must see for any American over 55.
Click here to discover their unlikely story.
Well, that’s about it for this week. Don’t forget, I can always be reached at: ygordad@yahoo.com
Let’s all hope that this coming weekend will be almost 100% better than last weekend, huh?