By TOM AVENENGO
This week’s photo:
The late Johnny Ritter in his Canary Yellow # 3 Offy. When I first went to the midget races – back in 1946 at Hinchliffe Stadium, in Paterson, NJ, with my father and brother, little Johnny Ritter was driving a different car – a Canary Yellow Outboard powered midget with a taped on # 163 on its tail. Besides him driving that Outboard, I really think it was his size that made me a fan of his. He stood just a tad over five feet tall. Eventually, that number changed to just plain 3. And, yes, it was just like the number on the car above. Johnny also drove other midgets back then – well, until in September of 1947, he was able to get the Offy pictured. On October 12, 1948, he was fatally injured – not while racing, but while changing a flat tire in the infield, after getting hit by another car. I can still vividly recall my father meeting me at school in Montvale, NJ to tell me the sad news. Yes, I was heartbroken. In time, like most of us, I was able to get over it, in a way. Some 11 years later, Rodger Ward drove the former Ritter Offy to a win on the road course in Lime Rock, Ct. Ken Brenn owned it at that time. Later on in this column I’ll have the win record of midget wins that Ritter had over his career.
Some personal/family stuff:
Plans had been made and a place in North Carolina was obtained for a family gathering in June. Usually, things like that go smoothly. Well, a “Monkey wrench” was thrown into the plans, and now the whole deal is off. There still might be a small chance for my daughter Sandy – whom I’m living with, now, and my son Eric and his wife Catherine, to get a cabin of our own. That, too will also be in North Carolina. If it happens, I know Eric will be job hunting – IF nothing has come up prior to then. Time will tell, I suppose?
Racin’ stuff:
It looks like the 2015 racing season in the Northeast will finally get going – as long as “Mother Nature” behaves, that is. Looking at reports from the Accord Speedway, I was kinda shocked at the low car count in the modified class. On the other hand, at OCFS last Saturday, there were quite a few cars entered. Sad that they can still only get one truck for the truck racing class. They also ran 4 cylinder cars and only four of them showed. I’m wondering if they’ll return the next time they’re on the schedule, or might they go to Bethel? I’m not positive, but I thought I saw that those 4 Cylinder drivers were just racing for trophies.
Billy Moyer Jr. Announces Indefinite Leave From Racing
http://www.onedirt.com/news/billy-moyer-jr-announces-indefinite-leave-from-racing/
Hey! Wanna own a dirt track? Ya got deep pockets? Any idea as to what kind of equipment ya might need?
http://www.hotrod.com/features/1502-dirt-track-prep-procedures/
Trying something here:
I’ve often wondered how many read my columns. And, I’ve often wondered how many are fans from racing from “Back in the day”. More than likely, some of the “old timers” might get this one.
Back in 1952, Bill Vukovich almost won the Indy 500 in the Howard Keck Fuel Injection roadster. He came back to win that race in 1953 & 1954, in that same car. He also drove that car in one other race. Any idea as to where it was? My email address is at the end of my columns. If you think you know, how about sending me an email? No, no prizes are being offered.
NASCAR issues additions to Rule Book:
http://nascartalk.nbcsports.com/2015/04/22/nascar-issues-additions-to-rule-book/
2015 Indianapolis 500 entry update, Round 2:
http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2015/04/21/2015-indianapolis-500-entry-update-round-2/
From Jayski:
http://www.jayski.com/
Sad News – Steve Byrnes:
Mr. Steven Patrick Byrnes, age 56, of Fort Mill, S.C., went to be with the Lord on April 21, 2015.
Surviving are his wife of 22 years, Karen Byrnes; son Bryson, 12, a sixth grader at Charlotte Christian School; parents Jerry and Claire Byrnes of Charlotte; sister Betsy Byrnes of Charlotte; brother Dan Byrnes and wife Tammy of Charlotte; nephews Tyler, 21, and Dylan Byrnes, 17; and niece Samantha Byrnes, 13, of Charlotte.
Steve was born April 14, 1959, in Chicago, and was raised in New Carrollton, Md. He attended Church of Christ at Gold Hill Road, was a 1981 graduate of the University of Maryland with a degree in Radio, Television and Film, and played football for one year at James Madison University before transferring to the University of Maryland.
Steve enjoyed a successful and highly respected television broadcasting career for 30 years. He joined the FOX Sports family in 2001, hosting and reporting for multiple NASCAR programs and serving as a pit road reporter for NASCAR on FOX’s broadcast of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races from 2001-2014. Most recently, he was the play-by-play announcer for FOX Sports 1 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and was co-host of NASCAR Race Hub for the network.
Prior to joining FOX, Steve also hosted Darrell Waltrip’s Racers on TNN, worked as a pit road reporter for CBS, WTBS and TNN, and hosted a variety of NASCAR programs for The History Channel and TNN, for which he moved to Charlotte in 1985 and remained in the area ever since. His first on-air job was at WCIV-TV in Charleston, S.C., in 1982, after commencing his television career as weekend sports producer at WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C., immediately following graduation from college. Steve also called play-by-play for a Carolina Panthers/Minnesota Vikings NFL game on FOX and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races for DirecTV Hot Pass.
Despite all his career accolades, Steve’s greatest accomplishment was his son, Bryson, who is growing into a more Godly, compassionate and respectable young man every day. Steve’s passion was spending every moment possible with Bryson, especially watching him play football and basketball and helping prepare him to play for the Charlotte Christian School football team as a seventh grader in the 2015-’16 school year. The other light of his life was Karen, with whom his relationship extended well beyond that of a spouse. The two were inseparable since meeting in 1988 while she was the public relations representative for Benny Parsons in his last season as a NASCAR driver.
Attending Appalachian State University football games was one of the family’s favorite activities, in addition to cheering for the University of Maryland’s football and basketball teams; the Washington Redskins; the Carolina Panthers; following NASCAR; and watching nephews Tyler and Dylan play baseball. Steve also delighted in gardening, travel with his family, photographing sports, nature and sunsets.
In addition to being a wonderful, loving and Godly husband, father, son and brother, Steve was an excellent friend, colleague and mentor to all who knew and loved him. His indelible impact extended even to the millions of television viewers who watched him every week over the years, as evidenced by the outpouring of public support he received following his cancer diagnosis in August 2013. Steve became a tangible example of strength, courage and fortitude to all who witnessed his battle with cancer and his personal crusade to spend as many days as possible with Karen and Bryson. He was honored to be designated as the keynote speaker at the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life on June 7, 2014, in Charlotte, where he shared the inspiring story of his battle with hundreds of cancer survivors, caregivers and families during the Luminaria Ceremony that evening.
A public figure who always made time for others and made strangers feel like longtime and valued friends, Steve took particular solace in his private life with his family. He was always smiling, supportive, selfless and loving. Upon his original diagnosis, Steve quickly found the positive in the situation and put his entire focus into his treatments, simultaneously vowing not to miss a single moment with his son. His motto and daily inspiration became “Be present” in every moment of his family’s lives. Now Steve is present with the Lord, and until we see him again, he is present in our hearts and memories forever.
Steve, we give you back to the Lord with eternal love and great appreciation for His gift of you to us. We love you.
Funeral services are pending.(Fox Sports)(4-21-2015)
Memorials: In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Steve’s honor to any of the following:
Church of Christ at Gold Hill Road, 1055 Gold Hill Road, Fort Mill, SC 29708
Charlotte Christian School, 7301 Sardis Road, Charlotte, NC 28270
NASCAR Foundation, One Daytona Blvd., 6th Floor, Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Charlotte Christian School – Byrnes Fund
Attn: Barry Giller
7301 Sardis Road, Charlotte, NC 28270(4-21-2015)
NASCAR Statement on Steve Byrnes:
“NASCAR extends its condolences to the many friends, FOX Sports colleagues and family of Steve Byrnes. Whether you had the privilege of knowing him or if you watched him on television for the last three decades, Steve’s work ethic and authenticity made him a beloved individual inside and outside the garage. His level of professionalism was matched only by the warmth he showed everyone he met. He battled cancer with tenacity, and was a true inspiration to everyone in the NASCAR family. Simply stated, we’ll miss Steve dearly. Our thoughts are especially with his wife Karen and son Bryson during this difficult time.” – NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian France(NASCAR)(4-21-2015)
Note: While checking out the Internet on Wednesday night, I came across a short video of Steve. It was all still photos. But I was amazed as to how much he had changed just prior to his passing. My late wife passed away due to cancer – well, maybe she did. Her heart had stopped for something like 20 minutes after they performed some surgery on her. I just thank God that she did not “waste” away like a lot of cancer victims do.
Darby leaving NASCAR:
NASCAR confirmed Wednesday that John Darby, who formerly oversaw the Sprint Cup garage, will be leaving the series soon. No reason was given. Darby had been working on special projects most recently for NASCAR. He served as the Sprint Cup Series director from 2002-13 before Richard Buck took over in 2014. NASCAR initially announced that Darby was leaving his position as Cup director in 2010, but it took four years to replace him. Darby replaced Gary Nelson as Cup series director in 2002. Darby was the director of what is now the Xfinity Series from 1999-2001 before moving to Cup.(NBC Sports)(4-22-2015)
UPDATE:
John Darby won’t spend a lot of time talking about the details of his departure from NASCAR. Yes, he’s leaving. But the hows and the whys are not something to be talked about as much as his three decades in the sport. Darby had served as the Sprint Cup Series director for 12 years before being replaced by Richard Buck prior to the 2014 season. A former racer before becoming a track official in Rockford, Illinois, Darby spent more than 25 years working for NASCAR and was the director of what is now the Xfinity Series from 1999-2001 prior to his promotion to run the sport’s top series. Calling himself a “blessed individual,” Darby is in his final days at NASCAR with no job on the horizon. “I think I’m going to take a month and sit on a beach and figure out what I really want to do next,” the 59-year-old said in a phone interview Wednesday. So was he fired? Was it one of those mutual “parting of the ways” or what? NASCAR officials would only confirm that he’s leaving. “I’ll be honest with you, the importance of that part, to me, is nothing,” Darby said when asked whether his leaving was a mutual decision. “What’s more important is where I’ve been, what I’ve been involved in and what I hope to see grow in the future. At the end of the day, as I do leave the company, I will never leave the sport,” Darby said. “It’s in my heart and my veins and it will always be there. At the same time, I think that I’m leaving it in a better spot than what it was when I got here. That’s all that matters to me. … Everything is good. I’m still a stronghold and an ally for NASCAR and the sport of NASCAR. That is something that will never go away.”(ESPN.com)(4-22-2015)
Bristol TV Ratings:
Rain-delayed NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Bristol earned a 1.4 overnight rating on Fox Sports 1 Sunday evening, down 22% from rain-delayed coverage of the same race last year (1.8). This year’s coverage aired from 6:30-10:30pm/et, while last year’s aired from 7-9:45pm. The race was originally scheduled to air on FOX, which earned a 2.9 overnight for less than 15 minutes of live racing – down 29% from a 4.1 for 45 minutes of racing last year.(Sports Media Watch)(4-22-2015)
Removal of Sprint Tower at Daytona completed:
On Friday afternoon, Daytona International Speedway reached another crucial milestone as part of its $400 million DAYTONA Rising project. The final piece of the iconic Sprint Tower was removed by a 490-foot Manitowoc 2250 Crawler Crane. During the last several weeks, the crane disassembled the tower by removing 30 large individual sections (representing 1,000 gross tons of steel).(DIS)(4-18-2015)
Hamlin expects to be fine for Richmond races:
Less than a week after neck spasms forced him to hand over his car to a relief driver 22 laps into Sunday’s waterlogged event at Bristol Motor Speedway, #11-Denny Hamlin plans to be back behind the wheel for Saturday night’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Hamlin, who turned over his seat to Joe Gibbs Racing XFINITY Series driver Erik Jones in Thunder Valley, also expects to compete in Friday night’s XFINITY race at RIR. Hamlin watched most of Sunday’s race at Bristol from the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing team pit box as Jones brought his Toyota home in 26th. “Obviously, getting out of the car on Sunday was a very tough decision, and Erik did an admirable job under difficult circumstances,” Hamlin said in a team release issued Wednesday morning. After treatment this week, I feel close to 100 percent, and I’m confident that I’ll be good to go this weekend in Richmond. It’s a great track for our team, and one that means a lot to me personally. Hopefully, we can go out there and compete for the win on Saturday night.”(FoxSports)(4-22-2015)
From Track Forum:
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/forum.php
IndyCar a single engine spec series in 2016?
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php/193628-IndyCar-a-single-engine-spec-series-in-2016
2015 NE racing schedule:
http://jw4.proboards.com/thread/308/small-block-modified-master-schedule
From the Dirt Track Digest Forum:
http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/DTD/
FIVE DIVISIONS IN RACING ACTION SATURDAY, APRIL 25 AT ORANGE COUNTY FAIR SPEEDWAY
http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/DTD/index.php?/topic/53291-five-divisions-in-racing-action-saturday-april-25-at-orange-county-fair-speedway/
Note #1: 1. Big Block Modifieds, 2. Small Blocks, 3. Sportsman, 4. Rookie Sportsman, 5. Street Stocks and 6. 4 Cylinders. Seems to me that comes out to six divisions?
Note # 2: For their “opening” week, last Saturday, OCFS did have quite a healthy turn out of cars in most classes.
From the AARN:
Short Track ARDC’ Shines At Linda’s, Path Valley; Stratton, Greth Score
New Utica-Rome, Same Mod Masters: Sheppard, Friesen Split Twin Bill Opener
Jackie Brown (Accord), Rick Laubach (Bridgport) Enriched By Big Victories
Doctor Loves FMP: Wins Second Big Mod Main In Six Days
Tommy Classic At Williams Grove Is All Stevie Smith’s
Godown New Egypt Mod Win Stranglehold Continues
Perennial Winners Mills, Elliott Claim Delaware Internationa Openers
Rodney Franklin Tribute Race Won By Gregg Satterlee
Last-To-First: Mega Fonda Winner Friesen Opens Season With Strong Win Statement
And some more that I found:
Ya know the racing season is upon us when the list of feature winners takes up almost one half of a page.
Under new management, the ARDC will be running half of their events on dirt tracks that will be 1/4 mile or less.
Kenny Brightbill, all of 67 years old, has some eye surgery during the off season. He’s basically just running the Tobias SpeedSTR cars at the Kutztown Fairgrounds over these last couple of years. He’s waiting to get some practice on Monday, May 11th, to see how he does.
Ernie Saxton was comparing Danica Patrick to Janet Guthrie, in NASCAR racing. Seems Danica has run some 89 Cup races so far, with no top 5’s to show for it. Janet, on the other hand, had five top 5 finishes in just 33 Cup races – and did so in equipment nowhere as good as Danica’s.
The Cup race at the Texas Motor Speedway earned a 2.9 overnight rating on FOX. That’s down 17% from 2013. That’s the lowest rating for a Cup race, on FOX, since 2001.
This Saturday, when they open the gates at Wall Stadium, it marks the 65th year of racing at that track.
The ARDC had only 16 cars at Linda’s and only 12 at Path Valley.
Note: Quite remarkable how midget racing has gone so far down hill, isn’t it? I still think engine costs and types are the main culprits. I’m not positive on this, but I believe the ARDC does not award any monies to their drivers as for as how they finished in the points for the year. True?
Former OVRP Dirt Oval racers:
Davie Franek won the 360 Sprint Car main at Selinsgrove.
Anthony Perrego was 10th and Tyler Dippel 22nd at Bridgeport in the STSS Series race. In the Sportsman feature, Mike Mammana was 14th.
Brad Szulewski was 4th in the Sportsman feature at Accord. Winter Mead was 5th and Zach Mead 7th in the Crate feature.
Bobby Hackel, IV was 19th and Brett Wright 23rd at A/S, while Alex Bell was a DNQ in the modified feature. Hunter Bates was 2nd in the Sportsman feature, while Cody Bleau was 28th.
At Big Diamond, Mike Mammana was 5th in the Sportsman feature.
At OCFS, Anthony Perrego was 1st, Tim Hindley 2nd, Tyler Dippel 3rd, Mike Kolka 6th, Danny Creeden 9th, Mike Ruggiero 12th and Billy V 14th, in the Modified feature. Lebanon Valley regular, Kyle Armstrong was a DNS.
Creeden was 2nd in the Small Block feature, with LJ Lombardo 12th and Tim Hindley 24th.
Matt Janiak was 1st, Brian Krummel 2nd, Joe Conklin 3rd, Matt Hitchcock 4th, LJ Lombardo 9th, Anthony Falanga 16th, Zack Vavricka 17th, Dominic Roselli, Jr 18th, John Illanovsky 22nd and Joey Bruning 23rd. Joe Falanga was a DNQ.
Brendan Finley was 2nd in the Rookie Crate Sportsman feature.
Johnny Guarino was 7th in the Modified feature at New Egypt, while Danny Bouc was 20th.
At Utica/Rome, Brett Wright was 24th and 21st in the Modified features. AJ Filbeck was 2nd in the 602 Sportsman feature.
At Accord, Tyler Dippel was 7th, and Anthony Perrego 10th in the Modified feature.
Brad Szulewski was 2nd, and Joey Bruning 12th, in the Sportsman feature. Zach Mead was a DNQ.
Wyatt Clark was 2nd in the Slingshot feature.
Matt Pappa was 26th in the Sportsman feature at Fonda.
At Hamlin, Jacob Hendershot won the 270 feature. Tyler Pirone was 11th in the Slingshots.
At Linda’s Jacob was 21st in the 270 feature.
At Accord, on Friday, Wyatt Clark was 2nd and Tyler Pirone a DNS in the Slingshots.
Note: As you can see, the list is slowly growing. I’m 99% sure on all the names above having run at the OV Dirt Oval. At times I might get a “Brain Fart” and list someone that hasn’t. And, it’s possible some have run there, and I’ve missed them, too.
Midget Racing from “Back in the Day”:
The Johnny Ritter Midget race wins:
Johnny Ritter feature wins
1937
September 6 Escanaba, MI Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds
November 21 Chicago, IL Armory Elto 30 laps
Johnny drove the Holzbaugh #3 outboard during at least part of the season.
1938
May 1 Detroit, MI Zeiter’s Midget Speedway 20 laps
May 5 Detroit, MI Zeiter’s Midget Speedway 20 laps
May 12 Detroit, MI Zeiter’s Midget Speedway 20 laps
Postponed feature from Sunday 5/8.
May 12 Detroit, MI Zeiter’s Midget Speedway 20 laps
May 22 Detroit, MI Zeiter’s Midget Speedway 20 laps
September 5 Bronx, NY Castle Hill Speedway 20 laps
October 30 Nutley, NJ Nutley Velodrome
Zeiter’s became Motor City Speedway in later years.
1939
March 19 Nutley, NJ Nutley Velodrome #23 Ritter Elto
April 2 Nutley, NJ Nutley Velodrome
May 26 New York, NY Castle Hill Speedway 35 laps
June 18 New York, NY Coney Island Velodrome 35 laps
June 25 New York, NY Coney Island Velodrome 35 laps
June 27 New York, NY Castle Hill Speedway 35 laps
July 2 New York, NY Coney Island Velodrome 35 laps
July 4 New York, NY Castle Hill Speedway 35 laps
July 9 New York, NY Coney Island Velodrome 35 laps
July 23 New York, NY Coney Island Velodrome 35 laps
August 9 Nutley, NJ Nutley Velodrome
August 12 Nutley, NJ Nutley Velodrome
August 16 Nutley, NJ Nutley Velodrome
August 23 Nutley, NJ Nutley Velodrome
August 26 Nutley, NJ Nutley Velodrome
September 5 New York, NY Castle Hill Speedway 35 laps
1939 Notes
During the 1939 season, Ritter won the track championships at the following speedways: Nutley Velodrome, Coney Island Velodrome and the Castle Hill Speedway in New York. At the Castle Hill Speedway he ran 29 of the 33 races held, placing in the first five, in feature events, 24 times.
1940
May 21 New York, NY Castle Hill Speedway
June 2 Union, NJ Tri-City Stadium accident 19 laps
July 2 New York, NY Castle Hill Speedway 30 laps
July 9 New York, NY Castle Hill Speedway
July 16? New York, NY Castle Hill Speedway
September 15 Union, NY Tri-City Stadium 25 laps
October 18 New York, NY Castle Hill Speedway 150 laps Time 41:35.0
November 3 New York, NY New York Coliseum 30 laps
Drove his own yellow Elto during the season.
1941
May 13 New York, NY Castle Hill Speedway 30 laps
1939 and 1940 track Champ
May 20 New York, NY Castile Hill Speedway
May 25 Union, NJ Tri-City Stadium 25 laps
June 17 Freeport, L.I., NY Freeport Stadium
June 20 Freeport, L.I., NY Freeport Stadium
June 24 Freeport, L.I., NY Freeport Stadium 25 laps
July 14 Freeport, L.I., NY Freeport Stadium
July 15 Freeport, L.I., NY Freeport Stadium 25 laps
July 18 Freeport, L.I., NY Freeport Stadium
July 29 Freeport, L.I., NY Freeport Stadium
August 1 Freeport, L.I., NY Freeport Stadium
August 6 Union, NJ Tri-City Stadium 25 laps
August 15 Freeport, L.I., NY Freeport Stadium
September 23 Freeport, L.I., NY Freeport Stadium
1942
May 17 Allentown, PA Dorney Park Speedway 25 laps
1946
May 9 Philadelphia, PA Yellow Jacket Speedway 25 laps
May 26 Paterson, NJ Hinchliffe Stadium 25 laps
June 9 Paterson, NJ Hinchliffe Stadium 25 laps
August 20 Paterson, NJ Hinchliffe Stadium 50 laps
September 3 Paterson, NJ Hinchliffe Stadium 25 laps
October 15 Paterson, NJ Hinchliffe Stadium 25 laps
October 15 Paterson, NJ Hinchliffe Stadium 50 laps
Two Features run on 10/15
1947
February 19 New York City, NY Kingsbridge Armory
May 29 Philadelphia, PA Yellow Jacket Speedway
June 12 Philadelphia, PA Yellow Jacket Speedway 25 laps
July 15 Paterson, NJ Hinchliffe Stadium Jerry Willets Offy #31
August 4 Bridgeport, CT Candlelite Stadium
September 2 Paterson, NJ Hinchliffe Stadium 25 laps
September 28 Danbury, CT Danbury Fairgrounds
October 12 Avon, CT Cherry Park Speedway 75 laps
November 12 New York City, NY Kingsbridge Armory 25 laps
Johnny debuted his new Kurtis Offy in September of 1947. This is the same car that Rodger Ward drove at Lime Rock, CT many years later and won the Formula Libra race against some of the world’s best drivers and road racing cars.
1948
March 3 New York City, NY Kingsbridge Armory 25 laps
March 27 New York City, NY Kingsbridge Armory 25 laps
August 18 Buffalo, NY Buffalo Civic Stadium
September 16 Agawam, MA Riverside Park Speedway
Johnny Ritter was born on August 27, 1910 in Austria, and moved to the U.S. in 1920, and settled in Saginaw, Michigan. He started racing big cars in 1934 at Davison, Michigan. Ritter was killed in October 1948 in a pit accident (hit by an out of control midget driven by Carl Faulkenham of Leicester, MA) at the Medford Bowl, in MA, which resulted in a broken neck, which was listed as the cause of death. Helping Ritter change the tire on that night was Robert Van Blarcon 26, of Ridgewood who received leg injuries. Also injured was George Hatfield owner of the track. During his midget career he drove the following cars: His outboards #3 and #163, the Jerry Willets “Sugar Blues” #31 Offy, the Gordon #2, Holzbaugh #3 outboard and the Allen #18 Outboard, along with his own Offy #3. He also drove the Cheeseman #8 at the 100-mile midget race at Goshen, NY, and at Nutley, cars numbered 2, 23 & 28. He was married to Nadine, and they had two children, a daughter, Sharyn and a son, John, Jr. He was 38 years old at the time of his death.
Note: The above paragraph, with a few additions by me, was included in his race winning records when they were sent to me.
Press Releases:
NEWS FROM
Orange County Fair Speedway
CONTACT
Mike Gurda
239 Wisner Avenue Middletown, NY10940
845-342-2573
FOR RELEASE BEGINNING SUNDAY, APRIL 19
FIVE DIVISIONS IN RACING ACTION SATURDAY, APRIL 25 AT ORANGE COUNTY FAIR SPEEDWAY
Orange County Kids Club has activities for the youngsters
MIDDLETOWN, NY (April 17)……..Double your pleasure; double your fun! Both the earth-shaking 467-cid Big-Block Modifieds and the exciting Small-Block Modifieds headline racing action this coming Saturday night, April 25 at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York.
Both divisions are scheduled to race in their own series of qualifying heats and feature races—25 laps for the Small-Block cars and 30-laps for the Big-Block Modifieds. They’ll be joined by the unpredictable Sportsman, Rookie Sportsman, Street Stocks, and the new-to-Orange County 4-Cylinder race cars. The full night of racing gets underway promptly at 7:00 pm.
“With five divisions in competition, we may have nearly two-dozen separate races, so as soon as one race is completed, the next one is on the track and ready to get the green flag,” says track general manager Ken Sands.
The popular Orange County Kids Club also has activities planned for the youngsters.
Many of Orange County’s top big-block Modified drivers also compete in the 358 Modified division. This gives fans a double-header of Modified racing action—two star-laden feature fields thundering around the five-eighths-mile clay track.
Sponsors for the night of action include Halmar International, Smokers Choice, and Jumpin’ Jakes.
Admission prices for the April 25 race meet remain at $14 adults, $12 seniors, and $1 for children 12 and under.
Advance ticket sales and track information is available at the speedway website, www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net, or from at the Track Office. Call 845-342-2573 during business hours
UPCOMING: Saturday, May 2 — Modifieds, Sportsman, Rookie Sportsman, Street Stocks, Thunder Trucks, and CRSA Sprint Cars
NEWS FROM Orange County Fair Speedway
CONTACT
Mike Gurda
239 Wisner Avenue
845-342-2573
Middletown, NY10940
Attention: Due to my travel schedule, this release is being forwarded early. Thank you for your cooperation. (JS)
FOR RELEASE BY APRIL 26
CRSA SPRINT CARS ADDED TO THE MAY 2 RACING PROGRAM AT ORANGE COUNTY FAIR SPEEDWAY
MIDDLETOWN, NY (April 26)……..The open-wheel Capital Region Sprint Agency (CRSA) Sprint Cars will make its first 2015 appearance at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York on Saturday, May 2. CRSA is a regional sprint car sanctioning body that features its cars powered by 305 cid engines and other restrictions to equalize and enhance competition.
The CRSA Sprint Cars will be an added attraction to the weekly racing program of Big-Block Modifieds, the ever exciting Sportsman division, Rookie Sportsman, the full-bodied Street Stocks, and the Thunder Trucks for a thrilling night of racing on the five-eighths-mile Hard Clay speedway. Qualifying heat races and consolation dashes will set the fields for each division’s main event.
The CRSA Sprints Cars appeared at Orange County on five nights in 2014, with five different drivers reaching Victory Lane. Winning Sprint Car drivers included Scott Flammer, Josh Pienazek, Emily Van Inwegen, Brittany Tresch, and Jeremy Quick.
Johnstons Toyota and 1340 WALL Radio are the evening’s sponsors.
Admission prices for the May 2 race meet remain at $14 adults, $12 seniors, and $1 for children 12 and under. The full night of racing begins promptly at 7:00 pm.
Advance ticket sales and track information is available at the Orange County website, www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net, or from the Track Office. Call 845-342-2573 during business hours.
UPCOMING: May 9 — Modifieds, Small-Block Modifieds, Sportsman, Street Stocks, and 4-Cylinders; Vintage Stock Cars added attraction
News from the Short Track Super Series Fueled By Hi-Tek (In part):
Media Contact: Brett Deyo – bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com or 845.728.2781
For Immediate Release/April 21, 2015
North Meets South Tuesday, May 5 When The Short Track Super Series Fueled By Hi-Tek Invades Big Diamond Speedway; Return Of The ‘Anthracite Assault’ Offers Points For Both STSS North & South Regions; Modifieds To Use Sail Panels
MINERSVILLE, PA – Pennsylvania’s Coal Region will be the meeting point between North and South on Tuesday, May 5.
For the only time this season, the North and South Regions of the Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled By Hi-Tek will meet at Big Diamond Speedway with the ‘Anthracite Assault’ special event. This 50-lap big-block/small-block Modified clash will feature one of the most diverse and talented fields seen at any venue all season, drawing from the north, south, east and west.
A purse of more than $25,000 has been posted, with the winner taking home $5,000-plus, 10th-place paying $1,000 and $400 to take the green flag. Lap money, contingency awards and bonuses will make the ‘Anthracite Assault’ even more attractive for competitors.
Valuable STSS points will be at stake for two point funds: the Bob Hilbert Sportswear North Region ($15,000 title from a $38,000 total fund) and Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc. South Region presented by Scotty’s Speed & Diesel ($7,500 championship from a $20,000 point fund).
Heading into Big Diamond, Stewart Friesen of Sprakers, N.Y., leads the STSS North Region chase, having won the opener at N.Y.’s Orange County Fair Speedway on April 11 over Jerry Higbie Jr., Danny Johnson, Tommy Meier and Brett Hearn.
The South Region began at Bridgeport (N.J.) Speedway on April 19 with Hellertown, Pa.’s Rick Laubach scoring the inaugural ‘South Jersey Shootout’ victory. David Van Horn Jr., Craig Von Dohren, Ryan Watt and Jack Swain chased the ‘Quaker Shaker’ across the line.
Unique to the ‘Anthracite Assault’ at Big Diamond: the Modifieds will utilize sail panels for the only time this season. Sail panels are a staple of the STSS North Region and will be used during South Region events at Big Diamond and N.J.’s New Egypt Speedway June 11.
The 2015 ‘Anthracite Assault’ running will be the second edition of this race. The first took place nearly four years ago, on July 26, 2011, and was won by Friesen, narrowly holding off Duane Howard.
STSS Modifieds will be joined on the program by Sportsman (Open vs. Crate 602) in a $1,000-to-win, $100-to-start 25-lap main. Doug Borger’s XCel 600 Modifieds will be in action with $1,000 on the line for the winner of the 20-lap special.
BD Motorsports Media LLC takes on a co-promotional role for the Tuesday night special. A rain date is set for Wednesday, May 6.
Gates, both in the grandstand and pit areas, will open at 4 p.m. in the grandstand and pit areas. The drivers’ meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Hot laps hit the track at 7 p.m. with racing at 7:30 p.m.
Adult grandstand admission is $25. Kids under 12 and active military with ID are admitted free. Pit admission is $35, with no license required.
Complete race rules and general information have been posted on the STSS website at:http://bdmotorsportsmedia.com/general-information-and-rules/
The complete pay structure is also available: http://bdmotorsportsmedia.com/modified-pay-structure/
To learn more about the Short Track Super Series or BD Motorsports Media LLC, visitwww.shortttracksuperseries.com or www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com, call 845.728.2781 or e-mailbdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com. “Like” Short Track Super Series on Facebook or follow @ShortTrackSS on Twitter.
Big Diamond Speedway is a three-eighths-mile clay oval located in Minersville, Pa., just miles from Pottsville. The facility offers free parking, state-of-the-art concession areas and restrooms and not a “bad seat” in the house, with hillside grandstands overlooking the on-track action. The speedway GPS address is 392 Forest Lane Pottsville, PA 17901. The official website is www.bigdspeedway.com.
Video time:
I’ve always enjoyed listening to this guy! Hard to believe that he’s been gone for over 6 years now!
Danny Wayland “Dan” Seals (February 8, 1948 – March 25, 2009)
In 2008, Seals completed radiation treatments for mantle cell lymphoma at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville and at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and received a stem cell transplant at NIH in Maryland. Seals died at the age of 61, on March 25, 2009, at his daughter’s home in Nashville.
Non racin’ stuff:
Only a politician could use this many words and say absolutely
NOTHING!
You don’t wanna pass this one up! Pass it on to all in your directory!
Even to our liberal “friends.”
Quote of the day, no, of the week, make that a month, yet it probably is
quote of the year!
No, DECADE. Wait a minute. It’s the greatest quote EVER!
“My accomplishments as Secretary of State? Well, I’m glad you asked! My proudest accomplishment in which I take the most pride, mostly because of the opposition it faced early on, you know… the remnants of prior situations and mindsets that were too narrowly focused in a manner whereby they may have overlooked the bigger picture and we didn’t do that and I’m proud of that. Very proud. I would say that’s a major accomplishment.”
Hillary Clinton 11 March 2014
Could someone please tell me what she just said?
And she is running for President?
Note: Huh?
I came across this the other day, while looking for things for this week’s column:
15 Most Cancer-Causing Foods in Our Everyday Diet
Microwave Popcorn
Non-Organic Fruits
Canned Tomatoes
Processed Meats
Farmed Salmon
Potato Chips
Hydrogenated Oils
Smoked, Salted, or Pickled Foods
Highly Processed White Flours
GMOs
Refined Sugars
Artificial Sweeteners
Alcohol
Red Meat
Soda
http://www.answers.com/article/1268907/15-most-cancer-causing-foods-in-our-everyday-diet?paramt=null¶m4=ysa-us-de-food¶m1=null¶m2=null¶m5=939016¶m6=30233787422#slide=48
This weeks joke:
Some more of the “Affair” stories:
The 3rd Affair
A mortician was working late one night.
He examined the body of Mr. Schwartz, about to be cremated, and made a startling discovery. Schwartz had the largest private part he had ever seen!
‘I’m sorry Mr. Schwartz,’ the mortician commented, ‘I can’t allow you to be cremated
with such an impressive private part. It must be saved for posterity.’
So, he removed it, stuffed it into his briefcase, and took it home.
‘I have something to show you won’t believe,’ he said to his wife, opening his briefcase.
‘My God!’ the wife exclaimed, ‘Schwartz is dead!’
Until my next column – next week
Columns are available on the Dirt Track Digest at: http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/ at Contributing Columnists
And:
http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/
Note: There has been a problem with the New England Tractor getting my last few column up and running. Hopefully, it will be fixed ASAP.
As usual, I can be reached, via email at: ygordad@yahoo.com