2015-05-28

By Tom Avenengo

This week’s photo:

In this Frank Smith photo, taken at the Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, NJ, is Andy VanHuesen.  The car was one of five that Pappy Hough owned.  Yes, for quite a while, they were all powered with Ford V-8’s.  It’s been said that Pappy was known to change the tails on the cars when time trials were held and one car was faster than the other four.  Yes, all five cars were towed on one trailer, by car, with two on the bottom, two up above them, and one way up on top of all other four.  The late Nick Fornoro confided in me one time, that when he drove for Pappy, he would sleep in the back seat of the car, with his helmet on.  The reason:  The back seat shelf was loaded with small parts, and if Pappy had to get on the brakes hard, some would fly off.  The numbers on those midgets were 78, 79, 80, 81 & 82.



Some personal/family stuff:

OK, I really have no idea as to what made me put the link to that video to start this week’s column, but, yes, I really do miss the love of my life – my late wife.  I’ll admit there are many times when I’m here alone, that I wish so much that she was here with me.  She really liked it down here in Cape Coral, and as to how much pain she had in her knees, she would still make it a point to get her walker and go out and take a walk.   It’s almost a year now since she left us.

Racin’ stuff:

Exclusive: Stepfather details decision that led Gordon to NASCAR

http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/jeff-gordon-indianapolis-500-john-bickford-details-decision-that-led-to-nascar-052315?adbpr=22199141&adbsc=social_20150523_46342406&adbid=602142503790256130&adbpl=tw

Best Indy 500 Drivers Ever

http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php/194887-Best-Indy-500-Drivers-Eve

James Hinchcliffe Released from Hospital …

https://speedwaysightings.wordpress.com/2015/05/27/james-hinchcliffe-released-from-hospital/

From Jayski:

http://www.jayski.com/

Kyle Busch feels good after 600 miles:

#18-Kyle Busch finished 11th in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was his first points race back since the XFINTIY Series accident at Daytona in February. Busch missed 11 races. Busch started the race in 17th position, running in the top-10 most of the race running as high as second on lap 295. But the handling went away just a bit for Busch following his lap-329 pit stop, and he dropped back to fifth with 33 laps remaining in the 400-lap race. Busch pitted for the final time for four tires and fuel with 21 laps to go, but the aforementioned six cars made it the rest of the way on fuel, turning Busch’s possible fifth-place finish into an 11th place finish. Busch Discusses the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte:

“I feel pretty good. All in all, I felt like that was a great race for us with our Skittles Camry. We ran really strong. We ran up front, and we showed we had some speed. You know, it certainly is frustrating to finish where we did. That’s disappointing. But sometimes you do win these things by fuel mileage races, so congratulations to our teammates, Carl (Edwards) and Matt (Kenseth). They finished up front there. But all in all, I can’t say enough about everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and just all of our partners that have stuck behind me, with Skittles here and M&M’s Crispy, SNICKERS, Pedigree, Interstate Batteries and Toyota. Everyone pulling for me and cheering for me and helping me get back into this racecar, and to get out there and have a strong run means a lot. I’m really proud of my guys. Adam Stevens (crew chief) made some great calls tonight and got ourselves in some really good spots and up toward the front. We raced up toward the front. We battled side-by-side, door-to-door with guys for a little while and it felt good.”(JGR/TrueSpeed)(5-25-20)

Bud Moore turns 90 years old…Happy Birthday:

On Monday, Memorial Day [May 25, 2015], as people across America pause to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country, a truly outstanding member of the Greatest Generation celebrates a milestone birthday. Walter “Bud” Moore, World War II hero and NASCAR legend, turns 90 years old on Monday. Moore, a life-long resident of Spartanburg, S.C., is like many a member of America’s Greatest Generation. He grew up during the Depression, went off to war as a young man to fight for the United States in World War II, then returned home and built a thriving business. Moore was the second-oldest child in a family of ten and was the son of a farmer in the grocery business. As soon as Moore finished high school, Uncle Sam came calling.

“I got out of school on June 1, 1943, and I got my draft papers on June 2,” Moore said last week as he took a break from mowing the pastures on his cattle farm. When Moore returned home, he and long-time friend Joe Eubanks went into the used-car business. Before long, they traded a 1939 Ford for a race car, and the rest is NASCAR history. In 37 years as a car owner in NASCAR’s elite series, Moore’s cars won 63 races, 43 poles and two championships of the series now known as Sprint Cup. He also won numerous sports car races and was the crew chief for Buck Baker’s championship run in 1957. In 2011, he was inducted into the second class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Among the people who have come to know and respect Moore over the years are several generations of the Wood Brothers racing team. Eddie Wood said the greatest thing Moore has given him, and everyone else today, is his service in World War II. “Hearing what Bud Moore has said about his experiences at Normandy really makes you think how lucky we all are that people like him did what they did,” he said, adding that there really should have been a movie made about Moore’s life. If they had ever made a movie, there’s only one actor who could have done him justice, and that’s John Wayne.” See the full article at Wood Bothers Racing.(5-25-2015)

Jeff Gordon: no plans to race after this season:

#24-Jeff Gordon, Official Pace Car driver for the 99th Indianapolis 500, met with members of the media prior to leading the field to the green flag. Below is the press conference transcript in part:

Q). Jeff, I know you’ve said as a boy growing up in Pittsboro, your dream was to start the Indianapolis 500. In some ways, do you feel this is starting the Indianapolis 500?

JEFF GORDON: I guess in a way, yes. In some ways it’s even greater. To be honored as the pace car driver, again, it’s just kind of blowing me away right now that this whole experience is happening. This whole year has just been incredible from the fan interaction, racetracks, this phone call, this moment. This is a very, very special year. I mean, there’s no doubt in my mind that one thing that maybe I feel like I’ve accomplished more than I ever expected or hoped to in racing, but the one thing that did kind of did allude me and we pursued – I say ‘we’, my dad, my mom, and myself – when we were trying to go to the next level, was getting a chance to race here in the Indianapolis 500. I’ve said this many times, I still believe it. Winning the inaugural Brickyard 400, to me, fulfilled that dream. Now I’ve had a chance to win it four more times. This is a special place for me. I love getting a chance to race here. Would I have liked to have at least run one Indy 500, know what it’s like? Sure, I would have. It won’t be happening, but I would have liked to have known what that was like. But as far as being honored to a whole ‘nother level, this today is it.

Q.What about next year?

JEFF GORDON: I’ll be in the FOX booth next year (laughter). I’m so glad that deal worked out because I wouldn’t have a better excuse for you.

Q. Jeff, you’ve talked about you’re not going to be driving next year full-time. Have you picked the races you might drive part-time and would Indianapolis be one of them?

JEFF GORDON: The way I set that up is because I’ve known too many drivers that I respect and have raced with that, you know, said, Okay, I’m retiring, stepping away, then they come back. I’m not quite ready, want to run a few more races. That’s why I didn’t say this is my final year of ever competing at a single event. But it really, truly is. It really is. As I get further into the year, as things come together, I don’t see myself doing any races. If I do a race, maybe a Martinsville or a short track. There’s so much that goes into preparing a car and a team at Hendrick Motorsports, which is the only car I would ever do it with, and team, that would take away from their performance. Why would I really be doing it? I’ll be in the booth. I’m going to fulfill my desire to be a part of the sport by being in the booth. I can go do some racing with my kids hopefully, some other ways. I don’t plan on doing any racing. I have no set plans to do any after Homestead.(Team Chevy)(5-24-2015)

Larson could run the Indy 500 one day:

Team owner [#1, #42] Chip Ganassi is leaving the door open for rising NASCAR star #42-Kyle Larson to someday compete in the Indianapolis 500. The 22-year-old Larson was signed by Ganassi as a developmental driver in 2012, shot through the Truck Series and Xfinity Series, and began racing full-time in the Sprint Cup Series last year. He has also raced for Ganassi in the 24 Hours of Daytona. Ganassi said Friday that he spoke with Larson “just yesterday” about eventually racing in the Indy 500. Ganassi has won the race four times, and has five cars in Sunday’s edition. Asked how the conversations with Larson go, Ganassi replied: “They go good all the time. We haven’t said no to him. We haven’t said yes, either.”(Associated Press)(5-23-2015)

Teams penalized after Charlotte:

Three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams have been penalized following last week’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The #1 team has been penalized for an infraction occurring during pre-qualifying inspection May 21. The right rear quarter panel wheel opening was modified after qualifying inspection. The infraction is a P2 level penalty and violates the following Sections in the 2015 NASCAR rule book:

12.1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing.

20.4.b: Body; All approved OEM-manufactured body components must be used as supplied except as required to stiffen, or to attach to other vehicle components. Tolerances from CAD surfaces and template tolerances are provided to allow for manufacturing, fabrication, and installation variability. Approved Parts: GM R: NSCS

0786. Part Name: Quarter Panel RS, Effective date Aug. 1, 2012.

20.4.2: Surface Conformance (a). Coordinate measuring machines, scanning equipment, and templates, among other tools, will be used to inspect body surfaces for conformance to the approved OEM and NASCAR CAD files.

As a result of this violation, crew chief Matt McCall has been placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31.

Additionally, two teams — the #48 and #51 — have been assessed P1 level penalties for receiving written warnings in two consecutive events, both at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The #48 team received a warning from the May 16 event and also received one from pre-qualifying inspection from last week’s event. In addition to receiving a warning from the May 16 event, the #51 team also received one from pre-race inspection from last week’s event. Per Section 12.5.3.1 of the NASCAR rule book:

Warnings and P1 penalty options: b. Multiple warnings issued to the same member or team will result in one or more P1 penalties; c. If the same team receives two warnings during the same event or two warnings during two consecutive events, whether the events are championship or non-championship, then this may result in one or more … P1 penalties at NASCAR’s discretion.

As a result of these infractions the #48 and #51 teams will receive the last two choices in the pit selection process, respective to qualifying results, for this weekend’s event at Dover International Speedway.(NASCAR)(5-27-2015)

Closing for Nashville Superspeedway extended again:

The closing deadline on the sale of Nashville Superspeedway in Wilson County by Dover Motorsports Inc. to NeXovation Inc. has been extended for a seventh time to July 27. NeXovation Inc. announced in May 2014 an agreement to purchase the race track from Dover Motorsports and its subsidiary Nashville Speedway U.S.A. Inc. for nearly $46 million — $27 million in cash and the assumption of about $18.8 million in bond obligations owed to Wilson County. NeXovation made a nonrefundable $400,000 payment for the most recent extension, according to a recent filing by Dover Motorsports to the Securities and Exchange Commission. A prorated amount can be applied against the purchase price depending on when closing takes place, according to the filing. NeXovation also agreed to replenish the escrow by depositing $1.5 million as earnest money by June 1. The previous deadline extension was set for May 27, which NeXovation had referred to as a final closing period when it was made in March. Efforts to reach representatives of NeXovation were unsuccessful. NeXovation has now invested about $2.9 million in the racetrack.(Tennessean)(5-27-2015)

Found on the Internet (Facebook):

If I New, Years ago what I know today. I would have been lazy and on the system. I would have had so much more!!

dont believe that knowin u.like me always worked for what u wanted only way.

How does someone with food stamps drive away from the Grocery store with a 50,000 car?

Oh yes, go to gas pump with a well fair card?

They game the system. You work every day and subsidize them with your taxes. Hopefully they said thank you, but I doubt it.

From Track Forum:

http://www.trackforum.com/forums/forum.php

Has Indy become NASCAR?

http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php/194904-Has-Indy-become-NASCAR

From the Dirt Track Digest Forum:

http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/DTD/

So, you’re thinking of getting into auto racing?  Thinking of maybe getting a dirt sportsman car?

Here ya go:  http://www.dirttrackdigest.com/DTD/index.php?/topic/53617-question/

From the AARN:

NASCAR Names Modified Great Jerry CookTo Its Hall Of Fame

Chuck Hebing Sweeps ESS 360 Sprint Weekend

Back On Track: Tim Shaffer Ends Drought With $10,000 To Win Fremont All Star Score

Sammy Reakes IV Sweeps Patriot 360 Sprint Weekend

Glenn Donnelly Returns To Racing As Rolling Wheels Promoter

Josh Richards Sweeps World Of Outlaws LM Weekend

Patrick Emering Scores Breakthrough RoC Win At Shangri-La II

Big SDS Win For Matt Sheppard In CMP Corcoran Memorial

Woody Pitkat Stars In VMRS Stafford Springs Race

Montoya Wins Second Indianapolis 500, Fifteen Years After His First One

I’m not sure how to take this –

Glenn Donnelly, in an interview with the AARN, touched on this:  “Wait ’til you hear them (other promoters) scream after I come up with for next year”, said Donnelly, and it won’t be competition to any of them.  I’m building an entirely new program  that will blow them all away”.

Glen Ridge will remain as a Friday night track.

Good to see the ARDC get over 20 entrants, with 21 of them, at Grandview.

Ken Kuhlman had a nice write up on Midget, Sprint Car and Indy driver Ernest Musser.  What?  You never heard of him?  Oh!  Sorry, that was his real name.  His “Racing name” will be at the end of this week’s column.

Former OVRP Dirt Oval racers:

Accord:

Note:  I’m really surprised that there were hardly any OCFS driver go up to Accord on Friday with OC not racing last Saturday, or some other Saturday tracks. Must be different tires used by each track, maybe?  Ah, for the good old days!

Anthony Perrego was 11th in the modified feature at U/R, while Brett Wright was 15th.

A.J. Filbeck was 5th in the Sportsman feature.

Anthony Perrego was 21st in the modified feature at Canandaigua.  He was also 20th in the Victoria 200 at U/R.

A.J. Filbeck was 4th in the Sportsman feature.

Davie Franek was 9th in the ESS main at U/R and 4th at Fonda.

Joe Kata was 3rd, Brian Krummel 4th, Josh Pieniazek 8th, Billy V 11th and Emily VanInwegen 16th, in the CRSA Sprint car feature at I-88.

Winter Mead was 2nd in the Spec Sportsman feature at Accord.

Wyatt Clark won the All Star Slingshot feature, with Tyler Pirone 4th.

Danny Creeden was 8th in the Modified feature at Penn Can.

Brian Sobus was 2nd in the Jim Shampine Memorial race for Super Modifieds at Oswego.

Joe Morris was 6th and JB Morris 7th in the 4 Cylinder Advanced feature at Bethel.

Davie Franek was 24th in the WoO Sprint Car feature at New Egypt.

Johnny Guarino was 2nd in the 358 Modified feature at New Egypt.

Alex Bell was 4th and Brett Wright 9th and Bobby Hackel, IV, 24th at A/S in the Modified feature.  Kyle Armstrong was a DNS.

Kolby Schroder was 13th and Kyle Armstrong 18th in the Modified feature at Lebanon Valley.

Matt Pappa was 4th and John Virgilio 7th in the Sportsman feature.

Danny Creeden won the Modified feature at 5 Mile.

Tyler Pirone won the All Star Slingshot feature at Hamlin, while Jacob Hendershot won the 270 Micro feature.

Nick Pecko was 17th and Roger Coss 28th,  in the Modified feature at Shangri-La II.

Anthony Perrego was 5th, Clinton Mills 20th and Danny Creeden 26th at Accord in the Modified “Battle of the Bullring” feature.

LJ Lombardo won the Sportsman feature with Brian Krummel 3rd and Matt Janiak 13th.

Midget Racing from “Back in the Day”:

OK, in this space, I usually have something to say about the car/driver that is pictured at the beginning of my columns.  I really don’t have much at all about the driver in this week’s photo – Andy Van Huesen.  But I did see him race many times way back in the mid – late 40’s.  Yes, he was a part of the Pappy Hough team.  Over time, Pappy did have quite a few different drivers in his “Five Little Pigs” as they were called.  I imagine the best was Art Cross.  Art decided to give the Indy 500 a try and in his first outing in that race, in 1952,  he crossed the finish line in 5th place.  The following year he was 2nd.  In his last two runs in the 500 he had finishes of  11th &17th.  In the 1953 500, where he ended up 2nd behind the great Bill Vukovich, Art was one of only a few that ran the whole 500 miles without relief.

I always enjoyed watching Art race.  One race that I’ll never forget was at the Kingsbridge Armory, an indoor 1/5 mile track in the Bronx that raced during the winter months – sometimes twice a week.  I believe it was during a 100 lap race when, from what I can recall, we all thought he was going to make a pit stop.  The pits were at one end of the building, off of the first turn.  We were sitting in the balcony.  Art, that night, was driving a nice looking red and white # 2 Offy.  The “guardrails” around the track were basically 12×12’s, with nothing really behind them, save for some empty 55 gallon drums, which some “brave” pit crew members got up on, to watch the racing.  Well, Art clipped the end of one of those timbers, and that caused it to spin around.  As it spun, it knocked those 55 gallon drums all over the place, and those on them, and also on the 12×12’s, went flying through the air.  Unknown to us, the throttle on that midget had stuck wide open.  In a flash, Art stuffed it into the wall of the building, suffering a broken arm in the process.  Jigger Sirois and Art became friends later on.  When I had found out that Jigger was making a trip to Indiana and would  see Art and his wife, Margaret,  I asked Jigger to ask Art if he remembered that Kingsbridge accident.  Jigger told me that Art rolled up the sleeve on his right arm and showed him the nice, big scar he had from that accident, when his arm hit the windshield.

A little about Art can be found here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Cross

Press Releases:

In part:

News from the Short Track Super Series Fueled By Hi-Tek

Media Contact: Brett Deyo – bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com or 845.728.2781

For Immediate Release/May 29, 2015

Brett Hearn Makes Rare Appearance As ‘Hired Gun’ Thursday, June 11 For Lentini Auto Salvage ‘Dirty Jersey 3’ At New Egypt Speedway; Sussex, N.J., Star To Pilot Petruska Family No. 66 For $10,000-To-Win Short Track Super Series Event

NEW EGYPT, NJ – In a rare appearance outside the seat of his familiar Madsen Motorsports No. 20, superstar driver Brett Hearn will serve as a ‘hired gun’ at New Egypt Speedway Thursday, June 11.

When Lentini Auto Salvage presents ‘Dirty Jersey 3’ at the Garden State showplace, the Sussex, N.J., resident will be at the wheel of the Petruska family’s potent No. 66 Atlas Paving Teo-Pro car. The ‘Dirty Jersey 3’ is headlined by a $10,000-plus to win big-block/small-block Modified 40-lap special with a total purse of more than $30,000. The NES appearance is Round No. 3 of the STSS Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc. South Region Presented By Scotty’s Speed & Diesel.

Mike Petruska Sr., patriarch of the racing family, had Hearn in the seat of his car some three decades ago for select events. He and Hearn, both north Jersey residents, have maintained a friendship through the years, sparking a reunion.

“We’ve got some unfinished business together,” Petruska Sr. said. “We’ve never won a race as a team. As we get later in both of our careers, it’s something we would like to do.”

The primary No. 66 driver – Duane Howard – was not available to compete in the ‘Dirty Jersey 3’ event for Petruska as he is already committed to Glenn Hyneman’s Keystone Racing No. 126 for the entire STSS South Region.

“We’ve got equipment sitting here ready to race,” Petruska said of his team’s arsenal. “Duane was committed to Glenn for this race. My son (Jared) wanted to run, and we’ve always enjoyed New Egypt, so we put this deal together with Brett. Hopefully, it goes well.”

Hearn will be part of a talented cast at NES with the hefty purse structure on the line plus contingency awards, bonuses and product certificates. Tenth-place in the 40-lap main pays $1,000 with $400 reserved to take the green flag.

Rick Laubach of Hellertown, Pa., leads the STSS South Region standings into New Egypt after winning at Bridgeport (N.J.) and Big Diamond (Pa.) to open the season.

A rules package favorable to ALL race teams has been devised by the event’s promotional team to attract a wide base of cars from across the Northeast.

American Racer tires will be utilized for the ‘Dirty Jersey’ Modified special. Minimum compounds are as follows: 33 or harder across the front; 44 or harder left-rear; 48 or harder right-rear.

Spec head small-blocks, Pennsylvania or New Egypt Speedway legal, will be permitted to utilize sail panels at this event. Spec head engines on gasoline weigh a minimum of 2,275 lbs. Spec head engines on alcohol weigh a minimum of 2,350 lbs.

All other engine combinations are required to utilize standard window bodywork. Small-blocks (max. 363 cubic inch) weigh 2,400 lbs. Big-blocks (max. 477 cubic inch) weigh 2,500 lbs. And Delaware big-blocks (478 cubic inch and up) weigh 2,600 lbs.

Drivers will draw for starting positions in 10-lap heat races. Consolations, 10 laps in distance, will set the remainder of the starting field. Top qualifiers from the heat races will redraw.

The complete purse structure is as follows: 1) $10,000; 2) $3,500; 3) $2,000; 4) $1,500; 5) $1,400; 6) $1,150; 7) $1,125; 8) $1,100; 9) $1,050; 10) $1,000; 11) $750; 12) $650; 13) $550; 14) $450; 15) $425; 16) $415; 17) $405; 18-24) $400; Provisional Starters) $200.

Also on the ‘Dirty Jersey 3’ card are the reborn United Racing Club 360 Sprint Cars in a $3,000-to-win, 25-lap event and Crate 602 Sportsman racing for a $750 winner’s share.

Complete times, rules and information for the ‘Dirty Jersey 3’ have been posted at: http://bdmotorsportsmedia.com/dirty-jersey-3-general-rules-prices-information/

In part:

News from the Short Track Super Series Fueled By Hi-Tek

Media Contact: Brett Deyo – bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com or 845.728.2781

For Immediate Release/May 27, 2015

360 Sprint Cars Featured In ‘Turnpike 25’ Thursday, June 11 At New Egypt Speedway; $3,000-to-win 25-Lap Event Offers $12,775 Total Purse; United Racing Club Set For Only 2015 NES Visit With Invite To Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints

NEW EGYPT, NJ –360 Sprint Cars prepare for their only visit to New Egypt Speedway in 2015 on Thursday, June 11.

United Racing Club (URC) 360 Sprint Cars will be featured in the Lentini Auto Salvage ‘Dirty Jersey 3’ promotion at the Garden State facility as part of a unique midweek tripleheader. Also on the program are the Short Track Super Series Fueled By Hi-Tek big-block/small-block Modifieds and Crate 602 Sportsman.

For the second straight year, a lucrative purse structure has been put into place for the 360 Sprint Cars. Again, an invite has been extended to the competitors of the New York-based Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS) with the reborn URC group offering full points at this event.

The ‘Turnpike 25’ will offer $3,000 to the race winner plus lap money. Fifth-place pays $600, 10th-place $400, with $250 reserved to take the green flag. The total purse structure is $12,775.

Laps are currently on sale at $20/lap by contacting Brett Deyo via e-mail:bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com.

Davie Franek of Wantage, N.J., is the defending ‘Turnpike 25’ 360 Sprint Car winner at New Egypt Speedway. Last year, he bested Robbie Stillwaggon, Kyle Reinhardt, Brian Carber and Curt Michael to score the $3,125 payday.

Complete times, rules and information for the ‘Dirty Jersey 3’ have been posted at: http://bdmotorsportsmedia.com/dirty-jersey-3-general-rules-prices-information/

A link to 360 Sprint Car rules and pay structure is at the following link:http://bdmotorsportsmedia.com/360-sprint-car-rules-and-payout/

To learn more about the Short Track Super Series or BD Motorsports Media, 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.

Located in New Egypt, N.J., New Egypt Speedway features a daylight-quality lighting system and excellent sightlines from any seat in the house. There are clean, heated restrooms, a monitored playground area for young fans and restaurant-quality concession stands serving up a full menu at family style prices. The racy, 7/16ths-mile clay oval hosts tight, wheel-to-wheel, all-out competition. New Egypt Speedway’s GPS address is 720 Route 539 New Egypt, NJ 08533 and the speedway website is www.newegyptspeedway.net.

emails:

On some occasions I get some very interesting emails, like this one:

THANK GOD – SOMEONE IS STANDING UP FOR THE RIGHT TO EXPRESS YOUR OWN OPINION!

Very interesting — the University is standing by their professor and not bowing down to special interest groups!

To://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/wichman.asp

Professor Wichman E-mail

Claim: A Michigan professor sent an e-mail telling Muslim students to leave the country.

Status: True.

The story begins at Michigan State University with a mechanical engineering professor named Indred Wichman.

Wichman sent an e-mail to the Muslim Student’s Association.

The e-mail was in response to the students’ protest of the Danish cartoons

That portrayed the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist.

The group had complained the cartoons were ‘hate speech.’

============

Enter Professor Wichman.

==========================================

In his e-mail, he said the following:

===============================

Dear Muslim Association,

As a professor of Mechanical Engineering here at MSU I intend to protest your protest.

I am offended not by cartoons, but by more mundane things like beheadings of civilians,

Cowardly attacks on public buildings, suicide murders, murders of Catholic priests (the latest in Turkey),

Burnings of Christian churches, the continued persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt,

The imposition of Sharia law on non-Muslims,

The rapes of Scandinavian girls and women (called ‘whores’ in your culture),

The murder of film directors in Holland,

And the rioting and looting in Paris France.

This is what offends me, a soft-spoken person and academic,

And many, many of my colleagues.

I counsel you dissatisfied, aggressive, brutal, and uncivilized slave-trading Muslims

To be very aware of this as you proceed with your infantile ‘protests.’

If you do not like the values of the West – see the First Amendment –

You are free to leave.

I hope for God’s sake that most of you choose that option.

Please return to your ancestral homelands and build them up yourselves

Instead of troubling Americans.

Cordially,

I. S. Wichman

Professor of Mechanical Engineering

=============================

As you can imagine,

The Muslim group at the university didn’t like this too well.

They’re demanding that Wichman be reprimanded,

That the university impose mandatory diversity training for faculty,

And mandate a seminar on hate and discrimination for all freshmen.

Now, the local chapter of CAIR has jumped into the fray.

CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations,

Apparently doesn’t believe that the good professor

Had the right to express his opinion.

==========

For its part, the university is standing its ground in support of Professor Wichman,

Saying the e-mail was private, and they don’t intend to publicly condemn his remarks.

=========================================================

Send this to your friends, and ask them to do the same.

Tell them to keep passing it around until the whole country gets it.

We are in a war.

This political correctness crap is getting old and killing us.

==================

If you agree with this,

Please send it to all your friends,

If not, simply delete it.

Found on the Internet (Facebook):

It is with much concern that I write this post. Joe Grandinetti has been admitted to Abington Hospital with HUGE blood clots in both legs. I ask our TSRS family, fans, and EVERYONE to PLEASE pray for Joe’s swift and complete recovery. Cards of well wishing can be sent to Joe at:

Abington Hospital

c/o Joe Grandinetti

6th Floor of Buerger Building

Room 6H20-2

1200 Old York Road

Abington, PA 19001

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers … Mares .

In 1952 President Truman Established one day a year as a “National

Day of Prayer.”

In 1988 President Reagan Designated the first Thursday in May of each

year as The National Day of Prayer.

In June 2007 (then) Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Declared that

the USA “Was no longer a Christian nation.

In 2009 President Obama Canceled the 21st annual National Day of

Prayer ceremony at the White House under the ruse of “not wanting to

offend anyone”

HOWEVER… On September 25, 2009 From 4 AM until 7 PM, A National Day

of Prayer FOR THE MUSLIM RELIGION Was Held on Capitol Hill, inside

the White House. There were over 50,000 Muslims In D.C. that day.

PRESIDENT OBAMA PRAYED WITH THE MUSLIMS!

I guess it doesn’t matter if “Christians” were offended by this event

– We obviously don’t count as “anyone” anymore.

Now President Obama is encouraging schools to teach the Quran for

extra credit, while at the same time, they cannot even talk about the

Bible, God, pray, or salute the American Flag.

The direction this country is headed should strike fear in the heart

of every Christian, especially knowing that the Muslim religion

believes that if Christians cannot be converted, they should be

annihilated.

Video time:

Here’s a Rare Video of an Incredible Elvis Performance Just a Few Weeks Before He Would Die

In 1977, just six weeks prior to his death, Elvis Presley agreed to do a television special. Little did he know it would be his last. This rare video shows part of that footage, in which he sang Unchained Melody.

He was obviously not quite at the top of his game in this clip, but he played the song and sang his heart out for his devoted and loyal fans.

From up above in this week’s column, where I made mention of  Ernest Musser – his “Racing name” was Ernie McCoy.

Non racin’ stuff:

Texting and driving – yes it can be dangerous and deadly.

Wow!  When I was up north, both my daughter Judy, and I would go to Hazelton, Pa. most every November to attend the movie party, lunch & sit down dinner at Stan Lobitz’s Catering Hall.

Pennsylvania city faces fiscal pain for immigration law

http://news.yahoo.com/pennsylvania-city-faces-fiscal-pain-immigration-law-154823436–business.html

GM says you don’t own your car, you just license it

By Cory Doctorow at 7:00 am Thu, May 21, 2015

GM has joined with John Deere in asking the government to confirm that you literally cannot own your car because of the software in its engine.

Like Deere, GM wants to stop the Copyright Office from granting an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that would allow you to jailbreak the code in your car’s engine so that you can take it to a non-GM mechanic for service, or fix it yourself. By controlling who can service your car, GM can force you to buy only official, expensive parts, protecting its bottom line.

As Consumerist quips, GM wants you to know that the car in the driveway is “literallynot your father’s Oldsmobile.”

GM’s claim is all about copyright and software code, and it’s the same claim John Deere is making about their tractors. The TL;DR version of the argument goes something like this:

* Cars work because software tells all the parts how to operate

* The software that tells all the parts to operate is customized code

* That code is subject to copyright

* GM owns the copyright on that code and that software

* A modern car cannot run without that software; it is integral to all systems

* Therefore, the purchase or use of that car is a licensing agreement

* And since it is subject to a licensing agreement, GM is the owner and can allow/disallow certain uses or access.

Really?  For  real?

City of Ferguson Installing Memorial Plaque For Mike Brown

http://truthuncensored.net/city-of-ferguson-installing-memorial-plaque-for-mike brown/#sthash.opOrgsVW.dpuf

And:

Ferguson ‘Protesters’ Are Now Protesting That They Didn’t Get Paid

http://news.investors.com/Blogs-Capital-Hill/052015-753642-ferguson-protesters-complain-about-not-getting-paid.htm
This week’s joke:

“Sugar why don’t you sit down by the table and we’ll start supper.” Said Dorothy to her Husband of 50 years.

“Sure thing,” said her husband settling himself down.

“Now darling, would you like the soup first or the salad?” Questioned Dorothy.

“Umm I guess I’ll take the soup.” He responded.

After a whole meal of one endearing term after another, their guest Bob couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer. Bob snuck into the kitchen and asked,

“Dorothy do you always talk to your husband like that?”

“Bob, I’ll be honest with you,” Dorothy replied.

“It’s been five years now, I just can’t remember his name, and I am just too embarrassed to ask him!”

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:  The New England Tractor website has been fixed, to a degree.  Some columns are missing and best I know, they will be added on.

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