The year 2016 is about done. Ticket gates are closed, and the waft of burgers, fries and parade laps have shut down for the season. In the wake of this, many teams are reconstituting for next year.
One of my reports regarding 2016, includes the maturation of Sye Lynch, of Apollo, PA. According to his Grandmother (Jean Lynch), told me, that he is using wings out the proverbial hind Quarter. He is resolute in improving and I suspect he will be.
Does this car look eerily similar. 🙂
In a shocking headline, Donnie Schatz won! With only 25 feature wins, in the Tony Stewart owned #15. The car looks good! The driver is enjoying a large run and it is doubtful he will catch the King, but who knows. He struggled with only 77 top 10s and 60, top 5’s. Oh and 11,321 points and a margin of 361 points.
East Bar Raceway Park, Tampa. Looks like Dylan Colding is going to cinch the 2016, Sprint cars and yet another title for the Nosbisch family with Jack Jr. behind the wheel.
Brother Keith keeps winning.
A little later and I will produce another, after suffering from the effects of Epilepsy.
This singer from the Philippines will shock you. Below is a cover rendition of ‘Secret Love Song. You will be awed. Guaranteed. She is 20 years old and can range from G#3 to G#7/A7
Drivers come and go. Some more memorable, but even the less talent contribute and make racing what is. By and by, numbers and drivers leave, but never truly forgotten. This week, I learned that Doug Hoffman who drove the 125 and 60 cars at places like East Windsor and Flemington Speedways and a myriad of tracks through the Northeast.
Emotional race to honor Doug Hoffman in New Jersey
The best racing action this weekend is also expected to produce a lot of emotion for those traveling to Bridgeport Speedway in Bridgeport, N.J., for the Race of Champions Modified Tour.
The 60-over Special on Saturday will honor former racer and promoter Doug Hoffman, who passed away just over three months ago.
Hoffman was a long-time follower of the Super DIRT Series and won 482 features in his career, including the 200 Classic at Super DIRT Week in 1996.
In recent years Hoffman traded his driver’s suit for a promoter’s hat. He successfully promoted Mahoning Valley Speedway in Pennsylvania for several years before taking over the promoter’s job at Bridgeport Speedway last year. It led to the track’ most successful season in recent memory.
Jimmy Horton won last week’s RoC race at New Egypt Speedway and will be hoping to win his second in a row this weekend at Bridgeport. Horton was two years older than Hoffman and raced against him on many occasions as the two rose through the ranks. Horton recalled the first few years they raced together, although not very fondly.
“He was running small blocks back then.” Horton said. “We probably didn’t like each other back then, but at that time we were racers and racers don’t usually like each other at the racetrack anyway.” Like all racers, the two had their dust ups on the track.
“He was aggressive.”
Horton said, “He ran to win!
That was the reason why he was so good. He had the desire all the time to win. It was a battle. It’s just our mentality I guess. We just wanna win the race and you gotta run as hard as you can.”
Their relationship changed as both matured and as Hoffman went into the promotional side of racing.
“You get to know the guy, you get to know how to race him, how to race against him.
He was was pretty good,” Horton said. “And then when he started the promoter end of it, he was real good. He was bringing the racetrack around and he was listening to people. It was a good deal.”
And as if Horton didn’t already have motivation to win at Bridgeport, he is currently driving the famed Deiter Schmidt-owned No. 5 — a ride Hoffman was in for several years.
“He drove for Dieter for a long time.” Horton said, “I’ll betcha he drove for him for 10 years off and on, special shows and East Windsor every Friday night. And we raced against him.
“So, it’s kind of a good deal, we’d probably like to win that one for Doug and his family — even for Dieter.”
And like a lot of folks, Horton will try his best to stay focused on the racing. But even he is wondering when it will all hit him.
“I don’t know.” Horton said, “It’s something that you really don’t think about until it’s over. And that’s probably the way I’m going to be. I don’t want to say it won’t phase me. It’s something I won’t be thinking about until the night’s over.”
Rock Launcher Canceled
Saturday’s other racing slate, the Rock Launcher at Black Rock Speedway, was canceled due to wet track conditions.
In the World of Outlaws, the King has lt the house as Donnie Schatz amassed 31 wins and winning the title by 544 points. Is Donnie that great or was it, combination of talent, drive and money? Even Jean Lynch said as much, regarding finance. with a well-funded teams with an apparent advantage so striking, that it defies belief!
The 2016 season may just end the same way, although the Lion, Rico Abreu, who would be nice on the tour, full season. By the way, Abreu won 2 features on a limited schedule. Craig Dollanaky’s future may be uncertain with Brad Sweet, Joey Saldana and Daryn Pittman vying for wins.
Forty years ago! I cannot believe how time flew and how we progressed from the local dime stores, Philadelphia Sales and Western Auto to Walmart. Bank of America to HDTV.
Being the Bi-Centennial you had the patriotic look going on with many of the drivers but pictured above is Herbie Green of Elmira, NY. At one time this Late Model warrior even drove a rather cool looking Ford Torino sporting his usual #88 car.
Back in the seventies we had fins and hatchbacks, spoilers and Superbirds. By that time I was also twenty years old and in the military for just about two years, working at Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville, Arkansas.
At that time I worked in the 314th Field Maintenance Squadron in the Survival Equipment Shop and was an Airman First Class. (E-2)
Going back to New York or any hometown while serving is about a big an event as getting a card from your honey in Basic Training. Nearing home you would see the Exit for your town and feel a warmth and sense of community. I got my first car, a dazzling 1974 Gremlin-X. I remember listening to Olivia Newton John and a song like, ‘If Not For You’ resonating with me as I went by the track, now closed for the winter and I conjectured as to what was happening and who was winning what.
This program was the 25th Anniversary of Eli Bodine’s Chemung Speedrome. The older version that is and often featured drivers like Geoff Bodine and Brett Bodine both. I am not sure if Todd raced there but he probably did. And Geoff won a lot of races at the track his family built.
One of the coolest features in the program are the ads. You can see what was being sold as far as cars, TVs and Refrigerators. It just seemed so much more simple although by now the Vietnam War was over and Jimmy Carter was the President of the United States.
Gail Barber was the featured driver and driver of the week for that week. He moved from the Late Models into the Modifieds with modest success both, both there and at the Old Shangri-La which also shut down there for awhile and was relocated and known as Shangri-La II these days. At the old Skyline Park. The park is gone and the track is nice but part of me thinks back to when I was a kid and this small park located on a hill was a fun spot.
I remember riding bumper cars and some hippies crashed the party and the cops were called in. One of the hippies decided on singing a song at the cops arrival which probably featured Dick Casterline, the driver of the #577 Pontiac.
The times were different yet the same. New ticket takers, track owners and a lot of new drivers and fans but the legend of the Speedrome stands resolute against those changes and future generations of drivers and fans forget or never know of 1976 and boldly tell their elders they could care less. But the true racing fan cares because it is those who shared popcorn and discussions of the great past where drivers did not wear helmets and if they did, they were not like today.
This is a true story and the results of doing a good thing is often repaid richly. This is no exception. Back in the 90s I worked as a Support Group Facilitator for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America in Tampa. During my stint as facilitator I also volunteered to do the annual Bowl-A-Thon fundraiser.
One of my first stops was the racetrack at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Florida. The track manager was a former Air Force veteran and he got me going as well as connected with the track on a more or less permanent basis. Ron Braaten gave me the names of drivers who love to participate in charities, so I purchased photographs of drivers and their cars and then got autographs.
We had twenty-two race car drivers from that track, two big radio stations, one TV station, Jazz singer Belinda Womack and twenty-two football players from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The year previous the CCCFA had only two lanes and we had twenty-two. That number keeps popping up. Oh by the way, we made a record $22,000 for that day and the drivers, fans and football players all coalesced to a good cause.
I got mentioned on Channel 10 and Reginald Roundtree, the anchor at NewsTen called me and asked me how I did it and I said, “I didn’t, we did”. But I am going to tell you, this event and others helped the track and the community. I was also working with the Tampa Tribune’s Weather page and a friend of the sports racing division, a Miss Holly Cain. She also helped with a friend who was able to get a week-by-week accounting of his racing exploits.
We’ve done events with the Taste of Town n’ Country, Florida Blood Services of Tampa at Hooters near the Airport, Crohn’s and Colitis of Tampa and a few others. I even used to do tropical forecasts for a local Christian Radio Station DJ who was one of the sweetest, kindest men of the cloth that I have ever known. This while I was working for Q-105, WWBA and about 80-90 stations across the country.
#22 of Johnny Gilbertson of Tampa. I remember Johnny’s old #10 sprint car owned by Gary White and later he moved on to the #3 owned by Kenny Mulligan, #42 of Paulie Milum. Johnny was one of the first and I knew him since he was around 20ish.
Bruce Watkins of the B12, modified and limited late model. Talked with him a lot on the phone and he too was there with the racing stuff on the day of the big bowling event.
Did a lot with David Schmauss shown here in the Cardinal #105 Late Model. He went on to be track champion at least once in his career.
Bobby Alexander is an interesting story. A big time star on both the asphalt and dirt tracks, he used to race at Golden Gate Speedway, East Bay Speedway, Tampa Fairgrounds and quite a few others including Tom Stimus’ Desoto Speedway. While he was racing at what is now the Oldsmar Flea Market outside of Tampa, he had befriended Gordon Solie, the former WTBS-Ted Turner-owned Wrestling Program. Tony Atlas and those days. Gordon was track promoter at Golden Gate and had Bobby improvise, TNT style. Funny stories there but promotions and intel matter.
One of my first friends at this track and since the Bowling Event. he has either won or came in 2nd in points around ten times. One of the classiest level-headed guys going and well-respected for that. I remember when he sons were young and now all grown up.
Kenny Adams was a national star in many respects and a big winner at East Bay. I was told that his wife wanted him to come out of retirement just to beat Gene Lasker. LOL. Kenny was also a multi-time champ with ASCS Southern Tour and garnered some interest from upstate NY, PA and CA.
Gene Lasker – Too many people see the wild side but if you have a need and are his friend, he would do about most anything to that end. We have done several events together for charities. Kids just love him to death and a lot of adults are wary or intimidated by him and I think he doesn’t care either way. He was the former American Winged Outlaw Champion in around 1996 and East Bay Champion in 1997. He has raced for Hulk Hogan and Bubba the Love Sponge (gimmick) Clem.
I have known the DeCaire family since father Terry DeCaire piloted the USA#1 Late Model at East Bay. The family also helped with that as did Dirt Devil’s Speedway.
The Lynch family is from outside of the Pittsburgh area where Ed Lynch Jr, a second generation driver has totalled well over 200 feature wins. I have worked with his Mom for over 25 years and have done charities where they helped out with raffle items much as we did with the bowl-a-thon. The Lynches are racing royalty with Ed’s father and mother in the Sprint Car Hall-of-Fame in Knoxville, IA. What gets things done is partnering with a common goal and the sky is the limit. Not one of the drivers who have helped have failed to have a winning career. That is no accident whatsoever because if you strive to help others, good things will follow. Drivers rally together to help each other and their families.
So rather than mumble, get out and rumble with life. It matters!
I remember riding back on a bus from a wrestling tournament in which I did fairly well beating the number one seed and then getting pinned. lol. Charlie Brown couldn’t catch a break either, I guess. On the bus with the snow heavily falling I remember Don McLean wistfully popping off esoteric lyrics; many of which had resonated with me. I remember dancing in the gym and being born in February and making me shiver and the thought of my crush possibly seeing someone else.
It was a day when Rock and Roll and God were permitted to be sung or said. Idealistic maybe, but at the end of the day, that will be what matters most. And as we wax poetically in a cape of invincibility, the pieces all fit together. “And the jester on the sidelines in a cast.” And my main blog being, ‘The Times Are Changin’. A reverent nod to Bob Dylan and the perspicacity of the young McClean. Who like in Vincent painted an indelible statue on the pantheon of auto racing history. Likewise with the brand of our cars and stock cars they seemed almost perfect in form and in function.
The eclectic poets put down their pens. The past which was ours is stilled remembered, like a Polaroid snapshot we sung with our whiskey and rye much like our school’s fight song, “you bring the scotch and I’ll bring the rye”.
Good times, a bit of self-delusion, we built a city within arenas playing the National Anthem and the song ‘Proud Mary’ which blared from cracked intercom speakers during breaks in racing activity and the intermission. A time of Drive-in theatres and Woodstock. We encapsulated in a bubble, a kind of time capsule in an era of war and rebirth.
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I do not know of a time in racing in which racing that had so much mystique as the day of Chevy and in particular but not restricted to, the 55 Chevy. In fact, the popularity today is continuing with restorations of privately owned personal automobiles as the stock car that once was such a fixture in short track racing.
Like the Pinto and Gremlins and J-2000s which dominated modifieds, the 55 is a marvel in itself. Our own dad helped Dick Casterline with his #577 which was not a Chevy but of that era. Ike Edmister’s old race car hauler which we used to slide through our yard with. The old truck with a Late Model engine and besides Ike was pretty cool.
I remember my dad and Dick partying, coming into my room and lifting weights with one hand (120 lbs) and me kind of shocked there. Anyhow, it is awesome how an era can say so much and the music reflecting the mood of those turbulent times. We had this and this was enough.
To all my old and new friends, this song is dedicated to you. To the drivers, our parents and our children. These were the days!!!!
“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.”
― Shannon L. Alder
For most this young man’s life came to an end way too soon.
Death is something we are never really ready for but when I heard about Dalton Myers being dead and him being only 18 years old, I didn’t know what to say. When I left Tampa Bay in 2009 that would have made him only 12 years old.
So my racing friends we lost a good kid and a pretty racer too. I want to extend my condolences to the family and friends of East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, FL. Everyone will miss you soon and you will always be in our dreams.
Obituary
MYERS, Dalton
18, passed away unexpectedly May 21, 2015. Dalton was a free spirit with a zest for life. He began his MotoX career at the age of 3. His oldest brother, Chris, realized his talent and was the driving force behind his rise through the ranks! His fearlessness and passion for the sport led him to the top of his game. His smile and shaggy hair lit up any room he walked into, he was and remains-a bright spot in many peoples lives. His older sister, Whitney Wortham and her daughter Makayla Baker were the bright spots in his life. For them, there is nothing he would not do! Dalton was a free spirit who loved MotoX, fast cars and beautiful women. Dalton was predeceased by his mother, Kathy Myers, his paternal grandfather James Hill and his paternal grandmother Evelyn Myers. Dalton is survived by his father, Kevin Myers, sister Summer Myers, brother and mentor Christain Hancock their daughter Julia Kizer, son Nicholas Schneider, granddaughter Raycin Kyler. His brother, Michael Wortham Jr. their daughter Kielyn, his sister, Whitney Wortham and her daughter, Makayla Baker. His maternal grandmother, Maxine Hill, his uncle, James Hill, his aunt, Diane and uncle Gary Hampel and numerous cousins, aunts and uncles. Dalton was always soaring towards the heavens, he’s earned his angel wings. In our lives briefly, in our hearts forever.
A lot of you military veterans may have heard of this racetrack in Little Rock, Arkansas called I-30 Speedway but this is way before most of you were even born. That being the 1970s during the time of Sidney Moncrief, Ron Brewer and Marvin Delph, the Triplets and not too long after the University of Arkansas won the National Championship in college football in 1964.
For those of you that haven’t then you need to need that it is not far from Jacksonville, AR’s Little Rock Air Force Base where I was stationed from late 1974 through Aug, 1981. Shout outs to Edie Panther and Starr Olson at the base. While at the base I got to see the late Jerry Inman in the D-7 Late Model and another Late Model with the # UFO. Anyone with a picture of that car let me know.
I also remember a guy from Dallas in the sprint car that came to the track to race and I think his name was Finch in the #7 car. Anyhow, a lady behind me apparently did not like him all that much because she said and I quote, ” I hope that son-of-a-bitch wrecks hard”. He did and nearly got killed and it was just seconds after she said that. She was sheepish after he flipped end over end while safety crews were extricating him from the car.
Passions run high in racing and it is one of the few events in sports where you know and can even talk to the stars- the drivers. And good drivers you have had a few great drivers in more than one division. They include Mark Martin, Billy Moyer, Jerry Inman and the list is too long as is Billy Moyer and his records. Oh and his son in the 21JR.
Below is #84 of Bob Senneker and the #2 of Mark Martin.
The new season is getting ready to start but has been pushed back one week with the test and tune next practice next Thursday and Opening night Saturday at 5:30PM.
Every track has their legends and along with those stories we get sad stories too. The #99 car was driven by Dick Trickle and every Middle School boy would get a laugh out of the name but Mr. Trickle was the Richard Petty of the ASA and ARTGO series.
After being the all-time winning driver with those series above, Dick Trickle raced NASCAR and raced against some of the all time great drivers and on great tracks as Golden Sands Speedway and the Fairgrounds it is easy to make to make the connection between the races there and who we have seen and now see in NASCAR.
Dick Trickle, Tom Reffner, Bob Sennecker, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Mike Eddy, Ted Musgrave, Gary St. Amant, Butch Miller and the list goes on and on and on. This coming May the track will run a memorial Late Model event for the late Dick Trickle. Trickle was a big name at the track and committed suicide not too long ago.
I remember seeing Trickle and the series called ASA and ARTGO and it was pretty good racing. A smallish tight track it belied it’s comfy confines. Below is a remembrance of Bob Senneker, another great in the annals or Wisconsin racing.
I highly recommend this track and the Super Late Model series and by all means support your local tracks because you just might make a difference and find a new passion/Hobby.
The East Bay Nationals had a plenty full schedule but the weather was brutal thanks to high winds and cold temperatures. With that said, the Lucas Oil Nationals were again the highlight of the month long racing program. Weather had an impact as a make-up was done so no loss of racing in that division.
In fact, the only issue was the very last day during the Wingless Sprint Car Race on Saturday. This was the USAC event and of course this kind of weather inspires people to stay home and stay warm. Away from the tedium of getting to the track and suffer through the cold. Add the chill factor and one needs to cut losses and call it a day.
The Lucas Oil Late Model series featured the racing exploits of veteran late model champion Billy Moyer of Arkansas and his own son and namesake Billy Moyer Jr.
The event featured the return of Josh Richards after an extended illness in 2014. The event was captured and aired on Youtube.
Honest to God everyone but these nationals are a good deal with the weather notwithstanding.
Below is the site for all the racing action and the results of the racing that spanned a period of one month and by the end, everyone is ready for a break. The regular season starts this Saturday, so if you get the chance go out to the track and say hi to Al Varnadore.
Racing Short Track Style 