From the Bob and Tom Show...
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The Coca-Cola 600 By The Numbers
STATISTICS PROVIDED BY DARNELL COMMUNICATIONS FOR DODGE MOTORSPORTS
THE NUMBERS for the Coca-Cola 600 (600 only) Charlotte Motor Speedway
1 – fewest cars on the lead lap at finish of Coca-Cola 600 (eight times, most recent 1962)
2 – fewest cautions for the Coca-Cola 600 (twice, most recent 1963)
4 – fewest leaders (1972)
5 – fewest laps led by race winner (David Reutimann, 2009)
5 – most 600 wins (Darrell Waltrip)
6 – number of jet dryers available for track drying this weekend
6 – most 600 poles (Ryan Newman & David Pearson)
8 – wins from the pole
11 – fewest lead changes (twice, most recent 1967)
21 – most leaders (2005)
22 – most cautions (2005)
26 – most cars on lead lap at finish (2009)
27 – different pole winners
29 – different race winners
31 – most Coca-Cola 600 starts (Buddy Baker & Richard Petty)
54 – most lead changes (1979)
113 – most caution laps (1980)
120 minutes – approximate amount of time it takes to dry the 1.5-mile track after a significant rainfall
335 – most laps led by race winner (Jim Paschal, 1967)
2011 Caution Update
4 – fewest cautions this season (Fontana)
16 – most cautions this season (Daytona)
92 – number of cautions in the first 11 races of 2011; includes 45 for accidents, 16 for debris and 16 for spins
465 of 3,679 – number of laps under caution in 2011
581.429 of 4,368.500 – miles under caution in the first 11 races
Alex Tagliani Earns the PEAK Performance Pole Award
Check out the handsome gentleman behind Alex about midway through his interview taking pictures. That's a good-looking man...or so his mommy keeps telling him.
St. Louis Children's Hospital to benefit from NASCAR star-packed dirt race
Tony Stewart's Prelude to the Dream race at Eldora Speedway, the Ohio-based dirt track he owns, has for several years been a top draw in the racing world. Broadcast via pay-per-view on HBO, the event features a who's who of racing covering a spectrum of motorsports such as Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, seven-time AMA national supercross champion Ricky Carmichael, St. Louis native and winner of the inaugural event Kenny Wallace, two-time NHRA Full Throttle Series Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon, and many more. In the past, proceeds have gone to a number of charities and this year, St. Louis Children's Hospital is one of four medical facilities on the receiving end of Stewart's philanthropy.
THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE 2011 PRELUDE TO THE DREAM
The event, held in Rossburg, Ohio, on June 8, will see the biggest names in motorsports piloting 2,300-pound dirt Late Model stock cars capable of putting out more than 800 horsepower. St. Louis Children's Hospital, along with Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, N.C (www.LevineChildrensHospital.org), Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (www.choa.org), and Children’s Medical Center Dallas (www.childrens.com), will each be respresented by driver teams with the St. Louis team featuring Wallace, Riverton, Ill., native Justin Allgaier, former Gateway International Raceway winners Kyle Busch and Ron Hornaday, Carmichael, Kasey Kahne, and former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte.
Founded in 1879, St. Louis Children's Hospital is one of the premier children’s hospitals in the United States. It serves not just the children of St. Louis, but children across the world. The hospital provides a full range of pediatric services to the St. Louis metropolitan area and a primary service region covering six states. As the pediatric teaching hospital for Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Children’s Hospital offers nationally recognized programs for physician training and research.
“St. Louis Children’s Hospital is grateful to be selected as a beneficiary hospital by Tony Stewart’s Prelude to the Dream,” said Lee Fetter, president of St. Louis Children’s Hospital, in a statement Wednesday. “Many of our young patients and their parents are NASCAR fans, and I know they’ll find this race especially thrilling. I imagine we’ll create some new fans before the end of the race – especially those in our Pediatric Neurocritical Care Program.”
The drivers' points will be tallied at the end of the night based on their finishes and the team with the best average finish will earn 30 percent of the pay-per-view's net proceeds to their respective hospital. Second place will receive 25 percent and third and fourth place will each receive 20 percent of the net pay-per-view proceeds. The lowest team score wins, and only the top-five drivers from each team will be scored. For example, if Team St. Louis has finishes of first, fourth, seventh, 11th and 18th, respectively, from its top-five drivers, its score will be 41. In the event of a tie, the sixth driver will be scored.
Tickets are available online at www.EldoraSpeedway.com or by calling the track office (937) 338-3815. The live, commercial-free broadcast will begin at 8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. PDT) with an immediate replay. Ordering information and up-to-the minute racing information is available at either www.PreludeToTheDream.org or www.HBO.com. Updates can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PreludeToDream and on Twitter at twitter.com/PreludetoDream.
Race fans can follow the St. Louis Motorsports Examiner on Facebook and on Twitter.
THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE 2011 PRELUDE TO THE DREAM
The event, held in Rossburg, Ohio, on June 8, will see the biggest names in motorsports piloting 2,300-pound dirt Late Model stock cars capable of putting out more than 800 horsepower. St. Louis Children's Hospital, along with Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, N.C (www.LevineChildrensHospital.org), Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (www.choa.org), and Children’s Medical Center Dallas (www.childrens.com), will each be respresented by driver teams with the St. Louis team featuring Wallace, Riverton, Ill., native Justin Allgaier, former Gateway International Raceway winners Kyle Busch and Ron Hornaday, Carmichael, Kasey Kahne, and former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte.
“St. Louis Children’s Hospital is grateful to be selected as a beneficiary hospital by Tony Stewart’s Prelude to the Dream,” said Lee Fetter, president of St. Louis Children’s Hospital, in a statement Wednesday. “Many of our young patients and their parents are NASCAR fans, and I know they’ll find this race especially thrilling. I imagine we’ll create some new fans before the end of the race – especially those in our Pediatric Neurocritical Care Program.”
The drivers' points will be tallied at the end of the night based on their finishes and the team with the best average finish will earn 30 percent of the pay-per-view's net proceeds to their respective hospital. Second place will receive 25 percent and third and fourth place will each receive 20 percent of the net pay-per-view proceeds. The lowest team score wins, and only the top-five drivers from each team will be scored. For example, if Team St. Louis has finishes of first, fourth, seventh, 11th and 18th, respectively, from its top-five drivers, its score will be 41. In the event of a tie, the sixth driver will be scored.
Tickets are available online at www.EldoraSpeedway.com or by calling the track office (937) 338-3815. The live, commercial-free broadcast will begin at 8 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. PDT) with an immediate replay. Ordering information and up-to-the minute racing information is available at either www.PreludeToTheDream.org or www.HBO.com. Updates can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PreludeToDream and on Twitter at twitter.com/PreludetoDream.
Race fans can follow the St. Louis Motorsports Examiner on Facebook and on Twitter.
More Than 100 Indy 500 Vets On Hand for Autograph Session
The most impressive gathering of Indianapolis 500 veterans in history - more than 100 drivers - will sign autographs at "The World's Largest Autograph Session" during A.J. Foyt Day festivities Saturday, May 28 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
An added attraction to the autograph session will be the participation of 95-year-old Dick Harroun, the son of inaugural Indianapolis 500 winner Ray Harroun. Dick Harroun's father drove the famed Marmon "Wasp" to victory in 1911.
All activities during A.J. Foyt Day are free, including the autograph sessions. Public gates open at 8 a.m.
Thirteen retired Indianapolis 500 winners will sign autographs with this year's starting field of 33 drivers, which includes five active past winners, from 9-10 a.m. in the Pagoda Plaza.
More than 100 retired Indianapolis 500 veterans and Dick Harroun will sign from noon-4 p.m. in the Pagoda Plaza.
Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt will sign in an exclusive autograph session from 11:55 a.m.-12:25 p.m. in the Pagoda Plaza. One-hundred wristbands will be distributed for the autograph session at 9 a.m. in the Pagoda Plaza, with one per person.
No wristbands are required for the other two autograph sessions.
Other fan-friendly activities Saturday at IMS include:
•A public question-and-answer session with Chase Rookie of the Year candidates on the Coca-Cola Stage in the Pagoda Plaza from 8:45-9 a.m.
•A full-scale memorabilia show from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in the IMS infield already so popular that vendor space sold out within 48 hours.
•The annual drivers' meeting from 10:30-11 a.m. on pit road adjacent to the Tower Terrace grandstand, which includes awards presentations and last-minute instructions to the starting field.
•Live music by Nadine Bernecker from 11-11:30 a.m. on the Coca-Cola Stage.
•A.J. Foyt will participate in a question-and-answer session from 11:30-11:45 a.m. on the Coca-Cola Stage.
•An all-day display of 19 vintage sprint and midget race cars in the IMS infield, with several driven by the greatest legends of the Brickyard: Foyt, Andretti, Rutherford and the Unsers.
•The Red Bull Battle at the Brickyard will showcase top bicycle motocross riders from around the world competing on a concrete playground from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Flag Lot. The Flatland BMX competition is similar to break-dancing on a bicycle.
•A display of cars from the Mazda Road To Indy that is grooming the future stars of the Indianapolis 500. Cars from The Cooper Tires presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda, the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear and Firestone Indy Lights will be on display starting at 11 a.m. in the Pagoda Plaza.
•Book signings featuring authors of new books about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and its history.
•A "Virtual Indy 500" that will feature fans across the world racing in a full-length Indianapolis 500 on the PC simulation iRacing.com at noon. Selected fans also will compete at 3:30 p.m. against Indianapolis 500 drivers in an iRacing.com sprint race appearing on the large video boards at IMS, with prizes including Race Day packages to the 2011 Indianapolis 500 and more.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum will be open with its incredible new exhibition of 67 Indianapolis 500-winning cars. Museum admission is just $5 for adults and $3 for ages 6-15, with children under 6 free.
WORLD'S LARGEST AUTOGRAPH SESSION PARTICIPANTS
(Participants subject to change)
Past Winners Signing from 9-10 a.m.*
* -- Also signing from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Friday, May 27 at IMS Hall of Fame Museum
Veterans Signing from Noon-4 p.m.
Race Day ticket prices start at just $30. Fans can buy tickets online at www.imstix.com, by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700, or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, or by visiting the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday.
Children 12 and under will be receive free general admission to any IMS event in 2011 when accompanied by an adult general admission ticket holder.
Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.
An added attraction to the autograph session will be the participation of 95-year-old Dick Harroun, the son of inaugural Indianapolis 500 winner Ray Harroun. Dick Harroun's father drove the famed Marmon "Wasp" to victory in 1911.
All activities during A.J. Foyt Day are free, including the autograph sessions. Public gates open at 8 a.m.
Thirteen retired Indianapolis 500 winners will sign autographs with this year's starting field of 33 drivers, which includes five active past winners, from 9-10 a.m. in the Pagoda Plaza.
More than 100 retired Indianapolis 500 veterans and Dick Harroun will sign from noon-4 p.m. in the Pagoda Plaza.
Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt will sign in an exclusive autograph session from 11:55 a.m.-12:25 p.m. in the Pagoda Plaza. One-hundred wristbands will be distributed for the autograph session at 9 a.m. in the Pagoda Plaza, with one per person.
No wristbands are required for the other two autograph sessions.
Other fan-friendly activities Saturday at IMS include:
•A public question-and-answer session with Chase Rookie of the Year candidates on the Coca-Cola Stage in the Pagoda Plaza from 8:45-9 a.m.
•A full-scale memorabilia show from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in the IMS infield already so popular that vendor space sold out within 48 hours.
•The annual drivers' meeting from 10:30-11 a.m. on pit road adjacent to the Tower Terrace grandstand, which includes awards presentations and last-minute instructions to the starting field.
•Live music by Nadine Bernecker from 11-11:30 a.m. on the Coca-Cola Stage.
•A.J. Foyt will participate in a question-and-answer session from 11:30-11:45 a.m. on the Coca-Cola Stage.
•An all-day display of 19 vintage sprint and midget race cars in the IMS infield, with several driven by the greatest legends of the Brickyard: Foyt, Andretti, Rutherford and the Unsers.
•The Red Bull Battle at the Brickyard will showcase top bicycle motocross riders from around the world competing on a concrete playground from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Flag Lot. The Flatland BMX competition is similar to break-dancing on a bicycle.
•A display of cars from the Mazda Road To Indy that is grooming the future stars of the Indianapolis 500. Cars from The Cooper Tires presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda, the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear and Firestone Indy Lights will be on display starting at 11 a.m. in the Pagoda Plaza.
•Book signings featuring authors of new books about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and its history.
•A "Virtual Indy 500" that will feature fans across the world racing in a full-length Indianapolis 500 on the PC simulation iRacing.com at noon. Selected fans also will compete at 3:30 p.m. against Indianapolis 500 drivers in an iRacing.com sprint race appearing on the large video boards at IMS, with prizes including Race Day packages to the 2011 Indianapolis 500 and more.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum will be open with its incredible new exhibition of 67 Indianapolis 500-winning cars. Museum admission is just $5 for adults and $3 for ages 6-15, with children under 6 free.
WORLD'S LARGEST AUTOGRAPH SESSION PARTICIPANTS
(Participants subject to change)
Past Winners Signing from 9-10 a.m.*
Mario Andretti |
| Kenny Brack |
| Eddie Cheever Jr. |
| Gil de Ferran |
| Emerson Fittipaldi |
| Parnelli Jones |
| Arie Luyendyk |
| Rick Mears |
| Johnny Rutherford |
| Tom Sneva |
| Al Unser |
| Al Unser Jr. |
| Bobby Unser |
Veterans Signing from Noon-4 p.m.
Donnie Allison |
| Bill Alsup |
| Jeff Andretti |
| Eric Bachelart |
| Tom Bagley |
| Patrick Bedard |
| Donnie Beechler |
| Gary Bettenhausen |
| Tom Bigelow |
| Billy Boat |
| Raul Boesel |
| Claude Bourbonnais |
| Buzz Calkins |
| Tyce Carlson |
| Pancho Carter |
| Michael Chandler |
| Steve Chassey |
| P.J. Chesson |
| Wally Dallenbach |
| Derek Daly |
| Dominic Dobson |
| Paul Durant |
| Don Edmunds |
| Billy Englehart |
| Wim Eyckmans |
| Teo Fabi |
| Dennis Firestone |
| Spike Gehlhausen |
| Phil Giebler |
| Paul Goldsmith |
| Scott Goodyear |
| Stephan Gregoire |
| Mike Groff |
| Roberto Guerrero |
| Dan Gurney |
| Janet Guthrie |
| Jim Guthrie |
| Dean Hall |
| Pete Halsmer |
| Bob Harkey |
| Scott Harrington |
| Shigeaki Hattori |
| Jon Herb |
| Jack Hewitt |
| Andy Hillenburg |
| Mike Hiss |
| Howdy Holmes |
| Chuck Hulse |
| Stefan Johansson |
| Bobby Johns |
| Herm Johnson |
| John Jones |
| PJ Jones |
| Bernard Jourdain |
| Mel Kenyon |
| Jimmy Kite |
| Steve Knapp |
| Phil Krueger |
| Lee Kunzman |
| Bob Lazier |
| Jaques Lazier |
| Greg Leffler |
| Joe Leonard |
| Randy Lewis |
| Jeff MacPherson |
| George Mack |
| Art Malone |
| John Martin |
| Hideshi Matsuda |
| Hiro Matsushita |
| Jim McElreath |
| Robby McGehee |
| Roger Mears |
| Jack Miller |
| Rocky Moran |
| Roberto Moreno |
| Tero Palmroth |
| Max Papis |
| Johnny Parsons |
| Ted Prappas |
| Scott Pruett |
| Bill Puterbaugh |
| Eldon Rasmussen |
| Hector Rebaque |
| Willy T. Ribbs |
| Billy Roe |
| Lyn St. James |
| Eliseo Salazar |
| Joe Saldana |
| Vern Schuppan |
| Bill Simpson |
| Jerry Sneva |
| George Snider |
| Didier Theys |
| Brian Till |
| Johnny Unser |
| Bill Vukovich II |
| Bruce Walkup |
| Chuck Weyant |
| Bill Whittington |
| Don Whittington |
| Cory Witherill |
| Denny Zimmerman |
***
2011 Indianapolis 500 tickets: Tickets are on sale for the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500, "The Most Important Race in History," on Sunday, May 29, 2011 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.Race Day ticket prices start at just $30. Fans can buy tickets online at www.imstix.com, by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700, or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, or by visiting the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday.
Children 12 and under will be receive free general admission to any IMS event in 2011 when accompanied by an adult general admission ticket holder.
Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.
Stenhouse Jr. to Fill in for Bayne; Make Sprint Cup Debut in Coca-Coca 600
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., will fill in for Trevor Bayne in the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford in this Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race will mark the Sprint Cup debut for the 2010 Nationwide Series rookie of the year, who won his first Nationwide Series race last weekend at Iowa Speedway.
“Obviously its not the circumstances that you want to make your first Sprint Cup start,” said Stenhouse. “But you grow up dreaming about this moment and I am excited and grateful for the opportunity; to not only make my first start, but to be able to drive the No. 21 Ford of the Wood Brothers in one of the biggest races of the season.
“Trevor is a very good friend of mine and he’s going to be around this weekend and I know that his help with the transition will be instrumental. Hopefully we can give him an effort that will make him proud before we turn the car back over to him for the rest of the season.”
“We can’t wait to have Trevor back with us, but we can’t think of a better driver to fill in than Ricky,” said Wood Brothers co-owner Eddie Wood. “Ricky has been doing an outstanding job in the Nationwide Series. Like Trevor, he is definitely one of the up and coming drivers in our sport and we are happy that he accepted the offer to step in before Trevor comes back for our next race.”
Matt Kenseth will drive Roush Fenway’s No. 16 Fastenal Ford in Saturday’s Nationwide Series race at Charlotte. It will be the 20th NNS start for Kenseth at Charlotte, where he has won twice in the Nationwide Series.
“Charlotte has always been a good track for both me and Roush Fenway in the Nationwide Series,” said Kenseth. “I’m excited to be a part of the three-car Fastenal fleet that we’ll have out there on Saturday and hopefully one of us will end up back in victory lane.”
Bayne will make his return to NASCAR next weekend in the Nationwide Series at Chicagoland. He will make his next Sprint Cup start in the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford two weeks later at Michigan.
“Obviously its not the circumstances that you want to make your first Sprint Cup start,” said Stenhouse. “But you grow up dreaming about this moment and I am excited and grateful for the opportunity; to not only make my first start, but to be able to drive the No. 21 Ford of the Wood Brothers in one of the biggest races of the season.
“Trevor is a very good friend of mine and he’s going to be around this weekend and I know that his help with the transition will be instrumental. Hopefully we can give him an effort that will make him proud before we turn the car back over to him for the rest of the season.”
“We can’t wait to have Trevor back with us, but we can’t think of a better driver to fill in than Ricky,” said Wood Brothers co-owner Eddie Wood. “Ricky has been doing an outstanding job in the Nationwide Series. Like Trevor, he is definitely one of the up and coming drivers in our sport and we are happy that he accepted the offer to step in before Trevor comes back for our next race.”
Matt Kenseth will drive Roush Fenway’s No. 16 Fastenal Ford in Saturday’s Nationwide Series race at Charlotte. It will be the 20th NNS start for Kenseth at Charlotte, where he has won twice in the Nationwide Series.
“Charlotte has always been a good track for both me and Roush Fenway in the Nationwide Series,” said Kenseth. “I’m excited to be a part of the three-car Fastenal fleet that we’ll have out there on Saturday and hopefully one of us will end up back in victory lane.”
Bayne will make his return to NASCAR next weekend in the Nationwide Series at Chicagoland. He will make his next Sprint Cup start in the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford two weeks later at Michigan.
2011 Indianapolis 500 Pole Day
Harkening back to the glory days of the event, Pole Day and Bump Day for the Indianapolis 500 saw high drama, including the possibility of one of racing's most visible stars, Danica Patrick, not making the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. While Danica did, in fact, make the show along with her Andretti Autosport teammates John Andretti and Marco Andretti, her other two AA partners, Ryan Hunter Reay and Mike Conway, did not qualify (both, ironically, are the last two winners of the Grand Prix of Long Beach). Thanks to a paycheck from Michael Andretti to AJ Foyt, RHR will make the field (for the straight skinny on that deal, check out new HSM fave Pressdog.com).
Be sure to follow HSM for all the action this weekend as well as the PEAK Performance Facebook and Twitter pages. For pics of Pole Day, click HERE. To see pics of the PEAK Performance Front Row, click HERE.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Big Daddy Talks 4-Wide, Sportsman Racing, Corporate Sponsorships
zMAX is a little different than the drag strip you built back in the day.
“Back in 1959, in Tampa or just outside of Tampa, we built a drag strip. We got this piece of property out in this field from this guy and put a piece of asphalt down through it and put in a tiny tower. We thought we really had something. It was a little better than those airstrips that we were running on. I look at this place here and it just boggles my mind. I’ve never seen anything quite like it for drag racing. It really shows you how far the sport has come in the last 60 years.”
What’s it been like to be a part of NHRA’s 60th anniversary?
“First of wall, I’m really enjoying this year because I’m doing a lot of participation with NHRA at some of their events. I had kind of slowed down as little bit and didn’t do too much last year. I’ve got a real sick wife at home and I’ve been staying pretty close with her. Her sister’s helping me out with her, (my wife’s) got a younger sister. But I just wanted to get out here and help celebrate this 60th. It’s a milestone in my opinion. I’ve seen a lot in drag racing. I remember when all it was when the guys would come out to the race at one of those old airports that were given up by the government when the war was over, World War II. Everybody drove to the event. We didn’t have clocks. All the speedometers read about 80 miles per hour at the end and we were happy with it! We never had any idea it would do what it did. It was so funny. Each major breakthrough, I remember when we broke a hundred miles per hour, we got a big fancy jacket, a silk jacket, the Century Club. We never thought, maybe a little faster than that. Then there was the 150 mile per hour club. That was really something. A California guy did that with two engines in a car called the Bustle Bomb. We really thought that was the most we were ever going to be able to do. Then it went right on up to 200, 250, 275, 300, 325, 335. I guess they were going to go 350 and then they decided, hey! They’re going a little too fast for what we’re trying to do and I think that was a good move because that’s when they put the brakes on them. But now they’re doing about the same speed in the thousand foot, so my question is, what’s next?”
Are you disappointed that you didn’t get to race 4-Wide on this level?
“Kinda. I got out of it just as the really big sponsorships were coming in and they were building the real fancy facilities. I did come back and make a few runs in 2003 and got to go 300 miles per hour and I enjoyed that. But I had gotten a little bit too old for that kind of racing. It puts a lot of strain on your body, your eyes, everything about it. I knew that I couldn’t continue on, so I dropped out. I do Sportsman racing now just for fun, you know? Actually, it wasn’t me, it was my wife who really insisted that I quit. She said it just scared her so bad to see me get in the car and go 300 miles per hour. Then when they came out with this drag pack car, she said, ‘Honey, why don’t you get you one of those? They only go 130, that would be OK. That wouldn’t scare me!’”
Are you disappointed that they didn’t have 4-Wide racing back then?
“Now see, you’re not informed. I raced a lot of 4-Wide. Not at this level, but Top Fuel. We put four Top Fuelers on the drag strip and went down at York, Pennsylvania; Detroit Dragway; Fresno, California; it’s exciting to do that, go 4-Wide with four cars on the track at the same time. It was the same deal, it’s just that this is much faster.”
What was it like to run 4-Wide back then?
“The one thing was, the difference was they didn’t have the single-lane timing like they do today, so the winner was the only one who got a time. The ET that was recorded was the winning car. Everybody else, they didn’t know what they turned and that was one of the things we didn’t like about it. But the crowds loved it! They ate it up. The problem we were faced with back then usually when we had the 4-Wide, it wasn’t usually a big national event where there was a lot of cars. There was maybe only eight cars that were scheduled in. So you did two runs and you only did the two cars, the two winners, so the show was shut off a little bit soon. I think that’s why it didn’t really catch on back then, they didn’t really have enough cars to participate. Now they did 4-Wide in Bakersfield (Calif.) back in 1965 where they had 125 Fuel dragsters. That might have really got some attention. They could have done it there because it was a nice, wide track. I don’t know why they didn’t. We were all concerned because—you all got the big barrier in the center here and you’ve got two separate drag strips and we didn’t have it that way. The four cars were on the track there side by side much closer than we have here. The tracks were a little bit wider, but not as wide as this facility. I think they thought about it all and there was some danger involved and it was just kinda done away with. This was quite a deal when they came back with it here. I have to make this observation of what I’ve seen. I think there’s something that should be really considered is to run these stockers 4-Wide, like the stock classes, the Stock Eliminator that I’m in. There’s 59 cars here in that class. We could have some real good racing 4-Wide due to the fact you’ve got a lot of cars. I think it would cause the stock Sportsmen classes to be a lot more exciting to send four of them down at a time versus the two and you’ve got plenty of cars so it would be a big show. I think it would create a lot more interest in that division. You’ve got a lot of cars back there with a lot of money involved in them, they just don’t go as fast. With four on the track at the same time, it would be a lot more exciting. That’s just my personal opinion. That’s just what I see.”
Your thoughts on the evolution of the sport.
“It’s a fantastic thing that has happened to the sport. The exposure that we’re getting, the television, we never dreamed we’d get that kind of exposure or even acceptance by the general public. When I got started, drag racers were considered black-leather jacketed hoodlums racing through school zones. For the sport to reach this plateau that it’s at now with the professionalism, the sponsorship, the television. When someone would spend the money to build a facility like this, it really speaks highly of the sport that they’re talking with their pocketbooks that we believe in the product. So there’s a lot more left. I would have never thought it. We’re living in a little economic downturn right now, so I don’t think we should pay attention to what’s happening right this minute. I think that’ll change, it always has. There’s a lot of people who like this sport. They enjoy it. I was talking to some people, there’s been a lot who have come over by (our pits) and they said, ‘We were just going through going home on our way to Canada, we thought we’d stop and watch this 4-Wide.’ So the word is getting out that it’s getting exciting to watch. It’s going to be interesting.”
How is your racing this weekend?
“They ran the class off this morning and I got beat and the guy that beat me won the deal. These guys are good. I mean they know exactly what their car will do every time. I don’t have enough seat time in my car because I’m not really in it to win championships or anything. I’m just out here having some fun. (Saturday) we have Stock Eliminator and that one, you dial what you think your car will run and then you gotta leave first and run pretty close to whatever time you put on your windshield. I’m gonna put like a 10.15 on mine and that’s what I hope I can run, leave with the competitor and run a 10.15 and that will keep me in there. There’s 59 cars in my class so there’ll be a lot of rounds to go. It’s really different. I have to say about the Sportsman racing, they’re a really nice bunch of people back there. It kind of reminds me of the old days because when I started, it was just stock automobiles. It was all Sportsman racing. There wasn’t any money involved and everybody helped if you broke something. Everybody come over and worked on your car. That’s how they are in the Sportsman pits. If anything happened to my car, I can go back there to any one of those guys, they’ll help me, they’ll give me parts, they’ll let me use their lifts or trailer or whatever. The professional drag racing got away from that. It got a little bit tough because the corporate sponsorship. You just can’t do that. You can’t have your team going over and helping someone else. That would be really bad. So I kinda enjoy that in the Sportsman racing because it reminds me of the old days.”
Could you imagine racing like they do today with the big corporate sponsors?
“In 1986 and 1987 when the major sponsorships were coming in and I had a taste of it. I was with Mopar and Kendall and it was starting to really get tough. Your team had to be dead on, everybody had to be uniformed up and all cleaned up real nice and you had to say the right thing when the television cameras were on you. It was very controlled and it was corporate. Without the corporate sponsorship, you weren’t going to be able to do it, so you had to keep your sponsor and there were lots of little rules. You’d be surprised back there in those pits. I won’t call any names, but some of those teams have some very serious rules for the workers, the people who do the work. Some of them aren’t even allowed to stand around with their hands in their pockets! They’ve got to be doing something and be busy. It’s their rules and it’s all because of the corporate involvement now.”
Friday, April 1, 2011
Want to Read Some Great Motorsports News?
Well, "great" is subjective, but I'm pretty happy with the content of the St. Louis Motorsports Examiner and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Examiner. Both are a part of Examiner.com and provide a great vehicle for racing fans to find out the latest information on racing in every form.
(BTW, YOU can be a writer for Examiner.com. Just click HERE, find a topic you are knowledgeable about, whether it's on a local or national level, send in your application, and begin writing. And making some cash!)
St. Louis-area racing fans can check out the latest by heading to Examiner.com, Facebook, or Twitter, and fans of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series can visit its page on Examiner.com as well as Facebook and Twitter.
If you have story ideas for either the St. Louis or Camping World Truck Series scenes, drop me an e-mail HERE.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Disappointing Rd. 1 Loss Sends Zizzo Racing Home Early
TJ Zizzo is a pretty optimistic guy most of the time, but a first-round loss in the NHRA season opener at Pomona Sunday showed that he and the rest of Zizzo Racing aren't happy with just making the show. For the full story, click HERE.
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