Motorsports Newsletter 6/19/24

By Richard Parks 1) EDITORIAL: As part of the PlayNHRA initiative, NHRA has partnered with an industry-leading firm, IC360, to educate employees, race teams and other stakeholders about sports betting and to maintain the integrity of the sport through data intelligence, fraud prevention and monitoring of wagering patterns. “NHRA is committed to maintaining the integrity […]

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By Richard Parks

1) EDITORIAL: As part of the PlayNHRA initiative, NHRA has partnered with an industry-leading firm, IC360, to educate employees, race teams and other stakeholders about sports betting and to maintain the integrity of the sport through
data intelligence, fraud prevention and monitoring of wagering patterns. “NHRA is committed to maintaining the integrity
of our sport. By partnering with IC360, as well as licensed and regulated sportsbooks and fantasy operators, NHRA will
help ensure everyone who engages with PlayNHRA will enjoy a safe and well-regulated betting and gaming environ-
ment,” NHRA Vice President and General Counsel Alen Cisija said. “This was a vital step in the creation and rollout of
PlayNHRA.” 140 Via Verde, Suite 100, San Dimas, CA 91773, nhracommunications@nhra.com.
AND: Sad news. Don Smith passed yesterday. I just confirmed. No details but I’ll send when I hear more. John Towle
JOHN: A terrible, sad loss. Don supported the Motorsports Newsletter and was a constant news gatherer and friend.
He will be missed so much. I hope our readers send in tributes to him.
AND: Bruce Kessler, race car driver, yacht captain and TV director, passed away at 88. He participated in the 24
Hours of Le Mans. He directed episodes of shows including The Monkees, It Takes a Thief, The Rockford Files, McCloud,
Adam-12, The Fall Guy, The Commish, and many other shows. Kessler also designed boats and circled the globe in a yacht. He was 88. Article by Mike Barnes with Stephen Kessler. Sent in by Doug Stokes. See https://www.hollywood
reporter.com/tv/tv-news/bruce-kessler-dead-race-car-driver-tv-director-1235868279/.
AND: Watch this gambling thing. There is a lot of negative stuff coming from both racers and a few fans. Obviously,
we have no way of knowing for sure, that this is not going to succeed. Perhaps this current administration at NHRA has seen the explosion of gambling in other sports and think they can get a piece of it. Many people do not agree. Anon
AND: It isn’t the money, NHRA will actually have to PAY to take on this project. What NHRA seeks to gain is, a)
oversight, and b) Exposure to a larger audience. That exposure is hoped will increase TV and in-person viewers of
drag racing. Increased viewership helps in reducing NHRA’s TV costs, as they have to pay/buy ads to compensate.
AND: I saw some big money change hands at OCIR in the 1970’s when Big Willy and his gang ran the midnight
drags. We could announce their top speed trap times, but no ET’s as they made their warmup runs and they wanted
the ET’s to be secret. Better to sandbag the match racing. Big John Morehead Las Vegas
AND: The Ultimate Guide on NHRA Drag Racing Series Betting in the US. If it is going to happen; the following might
be of interest. https://nxtbets.com/the-ultimate-guide-on-nhra-drag-racing-series-betting-in-the-us/. John Towle
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2) Hidden Pioneers bring you the industry leaders of today & tomorrow of transportation & technology. Meet & talk
with some of these pioneers at the Summit. Take a look at this video ‘Jennifer Hudson Surprises Kid Sports Reporter Jeremiah Fennell & Mom,’ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgUNXT1WMFk.
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3) Lions Automobilia Foundation & Museum is Proud to Announce the 2024 Hall of Fame Inductees and Event. Join
founder Rick Lorenzen as they introduce the third annual class of inductees on Thursday, November 14, 2024. Awards dinner and silent auction fundraiser at the Lions in Rancho Dominguez, California will honor the following individuals:
JC Agajanian, Jack Chrisman, Steve Gibbs, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Wally Parks, Carroll Shelby, and Bill Stroppe.
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4) From Jim Miller, AHRF.com. (Gas/Fuel wars, serialized): “Basically, using doped fuels was well known way before,
maybe 25 years or so, the NHRA came on the scene. It would have been easy to establish Fuel and Gas classes in
the beginning to eliminate the whole problem. I have to point out the SCTA was just as bad, early on there were no
fuel and gas classes or even blown and unblown classes. How about the fact that there is a Top Fuel class and a Top
Alcohol Class in drag racing today. That means there are actually two Fuel classes. I can point out that running fuel in
a gas class is sometimes legal? When you go to any gas station (in California) the gas contains a minimum of 8%
Ethanol (E10). Ya gotta check the class rules for your track up front. And yes, the world is a complicated place. Jim
Miller, Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame member in the Historian Category, Miller212.842@sbcglobal.net. (continued)
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5) ABOUT ALT SPORTS DATA ALT Sports Data is the leading source of official and unofficial alternative sports trading
data unlocking millions of participatory fans and potential bettors for sportsbook operators, media platforms and event producers. This enables partners to offer real-time dynamic trading data from a robust sports portfolio and engage with
one billion global alternative sports fans. The proprietary trading platform covers the full wagering lifecycle for all offered events. Pre-match and live odds service generates independent, algorithm-driven, and mathematically correct betting markets using dedicated models. Where available, specialist sports seamlessly incorporate in-play betting markets
aligned with the enthralling nature of the associated live sports. ALT Sports Data, email connect@altsportsdata.com or
visit altsportsdata.com. From: National Hot Rod Association nhracommunications@nhra.com.
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6) More on Dave Nicholas: “Two developer friends of his asked if he would manage a golf course near Queens, NY. He turned the struggling operation into a very profitable business. Along with the same friends, they sold that business and acquired a small golf course in southern Maryland with Dave Nicholas as manager. Eventually not finding this situation
to his liking, Nicholas sold his share and looked for a new opportunity. Another friend contacted him with an offer to join
him in a new business but with one catch, the opportunity was in Hawaii.” (to be continued).
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7) Paul Chamberlain’s story continued. “The NHRA offices were housed in a single story, mid-1950’s style office build-
ing sandwiched between two earlier structures on busy Vermont Avenue. The prime location was because Petersen
Publishing was only about a mile away up at 5959 Hollywood Blvd, an easy, quick car scoot back and forth. Keep in
mind this era was way before any internet, iphone or other such space-age communication. We only had desk phones (remember those). Wally Parks was both NHRA president and Hot Rod magazine editor. So, stuff was constantly on
the move between Wally’s office at PPC and our offices. As I recall, my main task was to keep stuff moving back and
forth, as well as going anywhere in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas that needed a drop-off or pick-up.”
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8) Ice Speedway Racing History: These bests of the best riders readily adapt to the new Universal World ICE Bike and crossover from all disciplines of motorcycle racing including Flat Track and Speedway dirt track, Motocross, SuperMoto, Road Racing and even FreeStyle MX to the level playing field of the indoor ice oval. In fact, at the first race of the new Manufacturers World Cup on December 16th, 2005, arguably the most talented group of riders ever assembled for an
ICE race converged on the Rose Quarter Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. Among those competing was none
other than X-Games and dirt track star “Showtime” Johnny Murphree, “Smokin” Joe Kopp, Shaun Russell, Dan Stanley, Shane Vance, Donnie Steward and Seth Church. http://icespeedway.com/history_ice_racing.html (to be continued)
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9) Greg Sharp explores the 1940’s and early-’50’s track roadster racing. Also, Brad and Penny Grimes’ inline-powered,
mild custom ’51 Chevy from Virginia, the work of hot rod fine artist Roy Jones. Our “Parts is Parts” article pits a quick-change against a 9-inch Ford to determine whether quick-changes really do rob horsepower. From Steve Coonan
customerservice@roddersjournal.com, 24848 Meeting House Road, Denton, Maryland 21629. Sent in by Don Smith.
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10) Trakbytes website at www.trakbytes.co.uk: There were new records in Top Fuel as well, and many people will
remember Freddy Fagerstrom leaving one of his doors lying on the track. 2004 also sees the addition of details of
Dave Wilson’s continuing campaign in Top Alcohol in the USA. This update includes a couple of very detailed entries
from Long Marston in 1975, submitted by long-time contributor Jerry Cookson. These cover the beginnings of the
NDRC (Midlands) association with the venue. From: Chris Dossett chris@trakbytes.co.uk
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11) Please put this on your Motorsports Newsletter. The 2024 Bonneville/EL Mirage Rules & Records booklet, with the Performance Directory is the “yellow pages” of the LAND SPEED RACING WORLD! Still only $10. Shop (scta-bni.org). Thanks, Ron Main (ron@speeddemon.us)
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12) Alex Berg was a guest on my Cars Yeah podcast last year. Sharp young man. https://carsyeah.com/ourportfolio/
1712-alex-berg/. Mark Greene, at 253-905-3306, or Mark@CarsYeah.com.
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13) SCTA & BNI event calendar for 2024. Always check the SCTA website for information regarding the events before attending. July 14, 2024 (El Mirage Dry Lake). Bonneville (Utah) Speedweek, August 3-9, 2024. September 15, 2024
(El Mirage Dry Lake). Bonneville (Utah) World Finals, September 28-October 1, 2024. October 20, 2024 (El Mirage
Dry Lake). November 9-10, 2024 (two-day event, El Mirage Dry Lake). rulebookinfo@scta-bni.org, 661-802-1355.
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14) Father’s Day weekend at the PAM June 15 & 16. On Display 1956 Porsche 356A By Valkyrie Racing. Off Display 1964/1998 Porsche 356 Emory Special. Off Display 1962 Porsche 804. Lowrider’s First Lady, Tina Blankenship-Early stories BEST IN LOW. Host Daniel Valdez sits down with Nissan’s designer, Ken Lee. From: Petersen Automotive Museum info@petersen.org.
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15) DRAGSTRIPS in the USA and Canada. National Speedway Directory, 2504 Lake Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois.
US 36 Raceway, Osbourn, Missouri, Dragstrips Length: 1/8-mile.
US 43 Raceway Park, Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, Dragstrips Length: 1/8-mile.
US 60 Dragway, Hardinsburg, Kentucky, Dragstrips Length: 1/8-mile.
Virginia Motorsports Park, Petersburg, Virginia, Dragstrips Length: 1/4-mile.
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16) Duffy Livingstone, by Dick Martin. “That’s Duffy (front and center) at the Pasadena Rose Bowl in 1938. Gordon
Babb (R) owned Ace Model Shop in Pasadena where the first tether cars were created, and Duffy worked. Popular
Science Magazine shot this photo for a story on the gasoline-powered model cars. Babb began making special tires
for the racers because the model airplane tires would rip to shreds. ‘All the foreign cars had all those fancy names: Testarossa, Scuderia Ferrari (Ferrari Stable) and so on. So, I added Tihsepa to the Eliminator name when I dropped
in the Chevy. I never told them what it stood for. It blew me away; it took them about three months to figure it out. I
hear through the grapevine they were going over the entry blanks when they got to Tihsepa and the guy figured out
what it meant by spelling it backwards. I had to remove the Tihsepa part. Now there’s a Tihsepa kart club.'”
https://www.motortrend.com/staff/dick-martin/)
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17) The remaining NHRA YES (Youth & Education Services) events the Hidden Pioneers plan to support. 2024 NHRA
Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Season Schedule. Oct 10-13, 2024, 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals, Texas Motorplex, Dallas. To purchase tickets, please visit www.nhra.com. Hidden Pioneers hiddenpioneers@gmail.com.
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18) ED PINK story, by Dick Martin 2012 (captions left in text, to be serialized) “Drag racing was raking in the crowds
and new racers. Ed needed to attract a much larger pool of customers who were already racing with competitors’
engines and get them to switch over to his. ‘I decided the best way to do this would be to get a dragster again and go
race against them to prove they needed to be in my stable, not someplace else.’ Don Long, a well-respected chassis builder, built the ‘Old Master’ dragster for Ed (he was in his thirties). ‘The very first competitive race we ran was Long Beach; Mike Snively drove it and we won.'” Captioned photographs at https://www.motortrend.com/staff/dick-martin/.
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19) Stay tuned for the next Art Center show as they raise the bar of design and excellence as seen in the past and
future. I like events like these that help me stay focused and share with the high school students a pathway to a good
future here in the USA. I hope to bring the Art Center into more high schools in every school in the nation working with
the Hidden Pioneers team. The people doing what they love to do or see to teach others. CSI Bill Montgomery
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20) Roar of Lions Nitro Car Show on Saturday, June 22, 9am-2pm. Isky’s Birthday Bash! July 13, 9am-2pm. “Craft of Speed” Mooneyes Documentary Screening, July 20 at 4pm. Hall of Fame Thursday, November 14. Lions Automobilia Foundation & Museum at media@lionsautomobilia.org.
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21) APRIL 19, 1993, Copyright 1993/The Times Mirror Company. Jim Murray, Long Beach Grand Prix. Roger Penske,
reprinted courtesy of Linda Murray. “Great Expectations Become Prophecy You Want a Good Driver? Check with
Roger Penske. It used to be said, if you wanted a baseball player, you checked with Branch Rickey. He could spot
a 20-game winner from the window of a moving train, so the legend went. If you wanted a football player, you went with Knute Rockne. He could get George Gipp out of a pool hall. Needing a fighter, you would go to Cus d’Amato and tell
him whether you wanted a Patterson or a Mike Tyson. A Louis B. Mayer could find star quality in a guy parking cars at
the studio lot. But if you want a race car driver and ones named Unser or Andretti aren’t available check with Roger.”
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22) BLAST FROM THE PAST…… From the Wally & Barbara Parks story, We Did It Our Way.1 NOVEMBER 1944. Veda
Orr kept up a constant communication with the members in the military and reprinted their letters in the SCTA News and then sending out the latest issue with financial help from the SCTA Treasury Fund, her husband Karl Orr and others. She even typed out personal letters to some of the men on the back of the newsletters; Veda was probably the most loved member of the SCTA and for a time the only woman allowed in the association. Veda deliberately excluded “Racing”
from the title of the newsletter; before the war it was known as the SCTA Racing News, but during the war it was simply “News” of the SCTA members. “SCTA News; Published in the interest of members and friends of the Southern California Timing Association for distribution to those in the Armed Services and on the Home Front. Editors – Karl and Veda Orr. Advisory Board – Ed Adams, Wally Parks & Bozzy Willis. Office of publication 4213 Vinton Av, Culver City, Cal.”
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23) In addition to boosting the profile and format of the Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Classics, HSR and IMSA are looking at adding some promotional enhancements to all of their events. “Why not feature marques and grand marshals
at every race on the tour,” Chris Ward asks? “We are looking at these ‘pluses’ for all races to make the across-the-board experience more enjoyable from top to bottom for our competitors and fans.” And speaking of fans, both John Doonan
and Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) President Chris Ward are well aware that both the fan base and HSR’s competitor
and member base is growing and evolving. From: adam@saalgood.ccsend.com.
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24) Books and Manuals from CarTech Publishing, 6118 Main Street, North Branch, Minnesota 55056, 1-800-551-4754,
www.CarTechBooks.com. High-Perfomance Chevy Small-Block Cylinder Heads. Camaro Special Editions, by Matt Avery. High-Performance Chevy Small-Block Cams & Valvetrains. How to Restore your Camaro 1967-1969, by Tony Huntimer and Brian Henderson. How to Build Chevy Small-Block Circle-Track Racing Engines.
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25) BOOK REVIEW: Where They Raced; Auto racing venues in Los Angeles, 1900-1990, by Harold L. Osmer (to be serialized). The book’s paper is thick white matte bond and has an interesting front and rear cover. It is 64 pages long
but has an amazing amount of information and should be read as a history and trivia book for the true racing fan. There
are 4 color photos, one color drawing, two black and white drawings, 66 black and white photos, 16 maps, one Ad and
2 black and white programs of the era. There is a short preface by the author and a fine Table of Contents. In addition
there is a List of Figures, which is an index of the photos. There are five chapters and a selected bibliography in the
back of the book, which is short but informative. Osmer includes an interesting series of appendices, which the reader
may want to study as it gives all sorts of data that a true racing fan would enjoy. There is no index.
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26) BILL HINES, written by Anna Marco at anna.osr@gmail.com, 20 May 2016. He lived to the age of 94 despite heavy metal toxicity in his blood (23% lead, if he were a crystal goblet he would ring). He turned lead into gold via rolling
chariots called custom cars that were so innovative they influenced the Batmobile. With a twinkle in his eye, he wouldn’t distinguish whether or not it was his own “Bat” or George Barris’ (for whom he had worked for early in his career). How-
ever, when asked what his favorite car of all time was, he said; “Mine.” Visions of customs never stopped dancing in his head. He once owned 28 of them. (requested by Dick Martin; to be continued)
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27) CEO of McLaren Racing, Zak Brown has demonstrated the ability to take the tough decisions needed to make an F1 team successful. Brown co-founded and co-owns United Autosports, a leading racing team competing in international sportscar racing, the Supercars Championship in Australia, and various historic racing events around the world. Outside
of work, Zak is an avid collector of historical documents, baseball and ice hockey memorabilia, and both road and racing cars. He lives in Surrey in the UK. Tickets at https://imrrc-1948.square.site/product/argetsinger-award-ticket/124?cp=true
&sa=true&sbp=false&q=false. The event is expected to sell out quickly. From: Judy Stropus jvstropus@gmail.com.
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28) DRAGSTRIPS in the USA and Canada. National Speedway Directory, 2504 Lake Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois
Walla Walla Drag Strip, Walla Walla, Washington, Dragstrips Length: 1/8-mile.
Ware Shoals Dragway, Ware Shoals, South Carolina, Dragstrips Length: 1/8-mile.
Wayne County Drag Strip, Pikeville, North Carolina, Dragstrips Length: 1/8-mile.
Wendover Raceway, Wendover, Utah, Dragstrips Length: 1/4-mile.
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29) Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Unveils 2025 Induction Class (continued). MSHFA is housed in the Daytona International Speedway (DIS) Ticket & Tours Building located in front of the famed 2.5-mile DIS tri-oval. Access to the MSFHA museum is included with every Daytona International Speedway tour, which run throughout each day, or as a museum-only ticket. The museum is open daily 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. nearly year-round except major holidays. It is visited by
more than 150,000 guests annually from every state in America and countries all over the world. The Motorsports Hall
of Fame of America is on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Adam Saal at SaalGoodPR@gmail.com.
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30) BLAST FROM THE PAST…… From the Wally & Barbara Parks story, We Did It Our Way. 25 OCTOBER 1945 SCTA Board meeting; “The meeting was called to order by our President, Boswell Willis. Mel Leighton reported that on account
of the services rendered by the Snyder Ambulance Service. Otto Crocker, our official timer, presented a statement of his services as follows: October 7, 1945, $10; October 21, 1945, $40 for a total of $50. Connie Weidell reported another possible location for the paved strip, and tentative arrangements were made for inspecting these locations by air when
we are ready to go further with the project.
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31) Know your motorsports personality. Stephan Papadakis, Owner of Papadakis Racing. Stephan is a legend of sport-compact racing. His winning vehicles defy expectations and lead industry trends, and has developed a loyal following
for his uniquely accessible brand of technical content on the popular PapadakisRacing YouTube channel. Epartrade.
John Waraniak, CEO of Have Blue, Automotive Executive Advisor of Troy Lee Designs. “Sustainable Growth and Innovation Through Design and Racing.” Compiled from Epartrade.
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32) Hidden Pioneers Bring you the Industry Leaders of today & tomorrow of Transportation & Technology. Meet & talk
with some of these Pioneers at the Summit. Produced and Directed by the Hidden Pioneers 1 day before the surprise
gift provided by Jennifer Hudson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFmg9iWwPKc
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33) TEXAS LEGEND: Jim Hall and his Chaparrals, by George Levy, with Jim Hall. US price $80, CDN $100, ISBN: 9781910505663. Format: 9.4in x 8.3in, Hardback, 484 Illustration: 486 photos. Judy Stropus jstropus@earthlink.net.
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34) This serialized story is by Dave Nicholas. “Selling his house and apartment, Nicholas and family headed to Hawaii.
This opportunity turned sour after two years but as luck would have it, he was asked to organize a new sporting event sponsored by a Waikiki Tourism Group. It was to be the world championship of surf lifesaving which became known as
the Hawaiian Oceanfest. For the inaugural contest, they had a TV agreement with the Eastern Sports Network cable company (which became ESPN). The event became a huge success, ESPN signed on another 3 years.” (continued).
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35) Wolf Motorsports and co-drivers Alex Koreiba and James French win second-consecutive HSR Prototype Challenge presented by IMSA race at Watkins Glen International. Koreiba and French first repeat race winners with
overall and Pro-Am Victory in the 90-minute race in the #25 Wolf Motorsports Ligier JS P320. Third different Am-Class winner to start the season as Timothy Day and Wyatt Foster charge to victory and an overall podium finish in
the #8 Pierce AutoSport Ligier JS P3. From: HSR Communications pr@saalgood.ccsend.com.
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36) On July 26, 2024, the Saratoga Automobile Museum presents its Annual Gala, celebrating the Saratoga Automobile Museum and the 2024 feature exhibition, “Enzo Ferrari: An Obsession with Speed.” Contact Megan Hennessey at 518-
401-5185, or megan@saratogaautomuseum.org. From: Judy Stropus.
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37) Randy Walls continued. “My mother was Lois Fern Dutschke, and she was born in March 1917 in Breckenridge
County, Kentucky. Lois was a very wonderful person and mom, and she worked as a postmaster in different locations.
Lois was also a member of many women’s organizations. My mother’s father was Elmer Dutschke, and he had a farm
where my mom and her siblings were raised. Elmer died at the early age of 37 from a heart attack and my grandmother, Cora Bennett Dutschke raised her five children all by herself. She was a wonderful lady and both of my grandparents
on my mother’s side were highly respected in the local community. My older sister, Sherry Walls Barger, was born in November 1939. I was born on January 14, 1941, in Sample, Breckenridge County, Kentucky. Sherry married Kenneth Barger and they had three children: Kent, Becky and Bryan. My nephew Bryan worked on my race team when I was
racing back east. Sherry was a schoolteacher, and we were very close. Sherry passed away in 2004 on Easter Sunday
from breast cancer. I was born in Sample, Kentucky in a general store that we lived in on one side and the store was
on the other side. My grandmother was the midwife.” (to be continued)
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38) MARCH 29, 1984, Copyright Times Mirror, by Jim Murray. “The first guy who put a steering wheel in Andretti’s hands should go down in history with the guy who first put a bat in Ty Cobb’s. Most teenagers’ first love interest is their home
room teacher or Sandra Dee. Mario’s was Hudson Hornet. Most people think a car is a car, a track is a track and if you
can drive a school bus, you can drive anything. In reality, the three forms of driving are as different as golf and tennis. In Europe, the tracks wind around the forests of Germany or the shores of the Low Countries or the vineyards of France,
and the thrill is you might hit a cow or a tree or a guy eating ice cream on a bale of hay. In America, you hit a wall. You
have to remember you can only turn left. They used to cant the cars in that direction as a reminder. If the car went right,
you went to the hospital. Or the morgue.” (to be continued)
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39) Harley Night 1, Costa Mesa Speedway 5/11/24 (serialized). “Although Speedway is not considered a contact sport
the saying ‘rubbing is racing’ is surely true here. The machines are lightweight frames with a 500cc motor stuffed in them and these alcohol powered bikes have NO Brakes. To slow down the rider must apply full throttle. It sounds crazy because it is crazy, but it is the truth. A stellar program with all the hot shoes including National Champion #1 Max Ruml, “Outlaw Racing” #7 Austin Novratil, #14 “Fast” Eddie Castro, Ascot/Chris Agajanian sponsored #98 Broc Nicol, multi
gold medal winner #11 Bobby Schwartz, 4-time World Champion Greg Hancock, son #117 Wilbur Hancock, Perris Speedway promoter #46 Aaron Fox, #6 Shawn McConnell, #28 Slater Lightcap, #30 Alex Martin, #312 Russell Green,
#214 Michael Wells, #137 Justin Almon, #123 Jordan Vanderham, #49 John Wilder and #68 Mark Fillebrown. There
are 18 racers for the lower 2nd and 3rd divisions, plus ten 1000cc Sidecar jockeys and you have a program that will
keep you on the edge of your seat all night.” Howie Zechner (to be continued).
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40) Wally’s stories: courtesy of DRIVE Magazine, by Wally Parks (to be serialized in coming newsletters). TWIN
BARRELS article for DRIVE Magazine by Wally Parks. ‘We’re off and running,’ as my friend Tom Medley, creator of
the Stroker McGurk cartoon series that first appeared in Hot Rod Magazine in 1948, used to say. It was always a
prelude to some adventure to be shared, when we were part of a team devoted to having as much FUN as possible
with car escapades that we shared with our readers. Those were times when being car-crazy usually meant that you
were attached in some way to a loud-sounding vehicle, sans its fenders and with little or no covering to shelter its
strange-looking engine. (to be continued)
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41) Marty Fiolka is the promoter of Crandon International Raceway and the annual Red Bull Crandon World Cup,
largest off-road short course race event in the world. Compiled from Epartrade.
Josie Rimmer, Head of Strategy & Women in Motorsport Coordinator of DirtFish. DirtFish now runs year-round,
All-Women’s Driving Programs, as well as an annual Summit event which, in 2023, saw 500 participants and hosted
Michèle Mouton and Pernilla Solberg as just a few of its panelists. Compiled from Epartrade.
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42) Lake Speed Jr is a certified lubrication specialist that worked for Joe Gibbs Driven motor oils. He’s the son of former NASCAR driver and team owner Lake Speed. A former crew member for Bill Elliott at Melling Racing, Speed Jr joined
the Joe Gibbs team in 2004. Today Lake is Total Seal’s VP of marketing and sales. Lake has decades of experience in tribology, racing, technology development in all types of engines, and his dedication to the sport and industry are
recognized in the motorsport’s environment. From: Dimitri Elgin dema@elgincams.com.
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43) Joondalup Festival of Motoring. https://indd.adobe.com/view/8931f083-d4e9-4526-b4b7-1a670c4bb615. Vintage
Metal Magazine, Vintage Sports Car Club of Western Australia.
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44) For the first time at Pacific Raceways, fans will be treated to night racing from the nitro-burning machines of the
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series at the 35th annual NHRA Northwest Nationals, July 19-21.
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45) Royce Rumsey just published “Molsheim à Irvine,” at https://roycer924.exposure.co/molsheim-a-irvine.
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46) Ron Knoch, President, NADM (National Association of Diesel Motorsport), joined us for Race Industry Week 2023. Hosted by Joe Castello of WFO Radio. From: team@epartrade.com.
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47) Alex Berg Racing Newsletter #63 ROKiT British F4 Championship Certified by FIA Race meeting #4, Thruxton
Circuit Andover, United Kingdom June 8th-9th, 2024, post-event recap. Alex abjr@allenbergracingschools.com to
be added to his newsletter.
AND: Good job Alex, you are on the right path! I wish you the best. Yves Morizot (from Stand 21).
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48) BMC 1100/1300 (ADO16) Austin, Morris, MG, Riley, Wolseley & Vanden Plas models £19.99, written by Matthew
Vale, Paperback, 21×14.8cm, 112 pages, 118 pictures in stock soon. Also in the series: Triumph & Standard, Morris,
Rootes (Hillman, Humber, Singer, Sunbeam, Talbot), Rover, Austin, Ford, Riley & Wolseley, Citroën and Jaguar.
From: Veloce – fine automotive books newsletter@veloce.co.uk.
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49) https://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/events/indy500/event-info/live-grid. “This is America’s Race. This is
the four-wheeled Kentucky Derby, the automotive World Series, the heavyweight title fight, a motorized Super Bowl.”
Jim Murray, 5-23-1996. From: Jim Murray Memorial Foundation at linda@jimmurrayfoundation.ccsend.com.
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50) The dropped valve story, by Dale Cook (serialized). “Due to insufficient valve-to-piston clearance, the engine blew, destroying the block, one piston and connecting rod, nearly cutting the oil pan in half, and cracking at least one rocker
arm, the damage showing up while being used on a subsequent vehicle. In the late 1960’s, Butch Rogers and I did
some racing at Brainerd Optimist Drag Strip (East Ridge, Tennessee) and Drag City (Ringgold, Georgia). One car we
were working with was a 1934 Pontiac. It had previously been owned by ‘Red’ Harris, later by another friend, Jon
Thorne, and eventually by Butch. Butch also at one time had the ‘Little Casper,’ a previous Record-Setter.”
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51) Sherm Porter’s Schedule of car shows and events (fuely32@sbcglobal.net)
JULY 6 Hot Rods on the Green car show, Twin Lakes Church, Aptos, CA. 9am-4pm, www.TLC.ORG/KINGSMEN.
JULY 13 ISKY’S 103rd Birthday, Lions Automobilia Foundation Museum, www.lionsutomobilia.org/events.
JULY 13 Westside Auto Club’s Linguica Run 2023, Henry Miller Park, Gustine, CA. Don 209-765-1273.
JULY 13 PARK PALOOZA, San Luis Obispo County Parks, 11am, www.MY805TIX.com/e/park-palooza.
JULY 14 MAD BOMBERZ Car Show, 1150 W. Foster Rd, Jimmy 805-264-5954, Madbomberzcarclub@gmail.com.
JULY 14 El Mirage time trials for the Southern California Timing Association (founded 1937) www.scta-bni.org.
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52) BLAST FROM THE PAST…… From the Wally & Barbara Parks story, We Did It Our Way. 1 December 1944 SCTA
News volume 1, #2 by Veda & Karl Orr. The second issue of the SCTA News came out December 1st. Karl Orr had a deferment from the military service and many of the members who were not in the military were working in the defense industry. The government would give small contracts to machinists who bought their own equipment and then supplied
the military with parts. There is a feeling that those that stayed home and worked in the defense industry were not as important as those who did the fighting. This is patently wrong and muddleheaded thinking. It was just the opposite.
We won the war because men and women produced a flood of war materiel for the war effort.
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53) This Week on Cars Yeah Mark Greene will interview David Hobbs, Mike Dale, Warren Tracy and Judy Stropus.
From: Mark Greene at Cars Yeah info@carsyeah.com.
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54) Sounds like you need to write an article for Hot Rod magazine on this subject (exotic racing fuels), including the beginning uses for the war and then how racers experimented with it. Fascinating! Mark Hampton
MARK: Jim Miller wrote the article on nitromethane and other exotic fuels. Jim is a Hall of Fame member of the Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame in the Historian Class and a chief researcher for the American Hot Rod Foundation.
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55) Little Sparks, Toolbelts 9am-10pm June 15. Avila Beach Rally June 22-23. June 28 Silent Disco Night 6pm-10pm.
July 7 All American Cruise-In 8am-11am. July 12 Movie Night: Barbie 6pm-10pm. From: Petersen info@petersen.org.
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56) Duffy Livingstone, by Dick Martin (To see the photographs go to https://www.motortrend.com/staff/dick-martin/). Everybody was running torsion bars at Indy, so Duffy got a set and mounted them on the rear when he put the Chevy in
it. “I didn’t know what I was doing,” says Duff. “I went to Pomona, and it ran beautifully down the straight (the Pomona
Drag Strip part of the road course) but I had to tippy toe through the corners. It wasn’t cornering very good. When I got it home, I was trying to figure out what was wrong with it. I put a jack under one frame rail. I could only raise it an inch and
a half and it would pick up the inside wheel off the ground. I ended up putting a ’40 Ford Spring in the back and I moved
the spring back a foot behind the axle to clear the quick-change rearend. It was the best thing I ever did to the car. I put
four Ford Houdaille shocks on the back end. At the time they were adjustable. With that I could jack up the frame rail 6 inches and it wouldn’t lift the wheel off the ground. After that it cornered like it was on rails.” (to be continued)
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57) HSR Classic 6 Hours of ‘The Glen’ at Watkins Glen International: David Porter and Richard Bradley win in run
Group A in 1975 #205 Toj SC205. Dave Handy and Peter McLaughlin co-drive 1982 #05 March 822 Can-Am to run
Group B win. Pierce Marshall and Eric Foss secure second consecutive “HSR Classics” Victory in the Matador
Motorsports 2017 #02 Cadillac DPi. From: adam-hsrrace.com@shared1.ccsend.com.
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58) Ice Speedway Racing History: ICE Has the future of World Championship ICE Racing focused and in its sites. Manufacturers World Cup Bikes, Nitro Speedway Bikes, Unlimited Outlaw Quads, X-KARTS, Mad Dog Bikes and
ICE Breaker Amateur Quads. There’s something for everyone at an ICE Race. Our goal is to take is to take World Championship ICE Racing to a lofty position in motorsports history. http://icespeedway.com/history_ice_racing.html.
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59) ED PINK story, written by Dick Martin 2012 (captions left in text, to be serialized). The 1965 US Fuel and Gas Championship were where an astounding 128 Top Fuel cars had assembled when Ed and Snively arrived to do battle.
Only 64 of the 128 dragsters were able to run on Saturday. “We were one of the 64 cars, and we got down to the last
round on Saturday, which I think we ran six or seven rounds. We were going to race Don Garlits and my engine
wouldn’t start. Garlits made a solo run to win. We came back Sunday. There were 32 of the quickest Top Fuel cars
from Saturday, which we were one of them who returned. We got down to the last round on Sunday and raced Garlits
again, and he beat us.” To see the captioned photographs go to https://www.motortrend.com/staff/dick-martin/.
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60) MARCH 29, 1984, Copyright Times Mirror, by Jim Murray. “The Andretti family settled in Nazareth, Pennsylvania,
(an uncle lived there), where Mario met and married his high-school sweetheart. Dee Ann never had to worry where he
was a night. He was in a sprint car. When he dreamed at night it wasn’t of pneumatic blondes, it was of turbocharged roadsters. Mario never wanted to be anything but the world’s greatest race driver. When people say of most immigrants,
‘He speaks English like a native,’ they mean a native of Krakow, but Mario spoke English like a native of, well, Nazareth. And the first thing he found out was that no matter what you did as a race driver, if you didn’t do it at Indianapolis, it
didn’t count. ‘I won the national driving championship as a rookie,’ he said, ‘but when I went on TV, this impressed
nobody. The announcer said I finished third and was rookie of the year at Indy, and they gave me a standing ovation.’”
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61) “When an Australian bicycle race promoter wanted to hold an event in Hawaii he contacted Dave Nicholas’ group.
They began holding mountain bike races which were a success. It wasn’t much of a stretch to expand the events into a triathlon but using trails instead of roads for part of the event. In 1996, they held the first event called XTERRA. Owning
the rights to the name, they sold the name to Nissan who used it for their first SUV. By the time they sold the company, XTERRA was a worldwide series of events, numbering approximately 200 races in 30 countries. These events are now known as Cross Triathlon and are still very popular around the world, much to Nicholas’ credit.” davnik6@gmail.com.
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62) “In the past, both fans and competitors seem to have age paired with the cars,” Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) President Chris Ward said. “There now appears to be a new generation showing interest, and it is directly related to
the introduction of more modern machinery retired from competition. I even saw firsthand at Sebring how the sound
of our Historic Stock Cars lights up the faces of our younger fans in attendance. We are on the cusp right now of a
new generation of historic and vintage racing fans. As the audience changes so does the criteria for what makes up
a car suitable and eligible for HSR competition in addition to being of interest to our competitors,” added Ward.
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63) Hi Richard, Want some off-the-wall Ak Miller stories? If you do give me a call. Tim Kraushaar (also known as)
Weed, the starter at Lions Drag Strip. Tim is at thewonderfulweed@gmail.com.
WEED: Yes, I do want more stories on Ak, but I also want more stories on everyone. I’ll start the chain mail Ak
stories and readers can add to them (and anyone else) and send it back to me to keep the chain mail stories going.
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64) Please support our mission here at Museum of American Speed museum@museumofamericanspeed.ccsend.com,
599 Oak Creek Drive, Lincoln, NE 68528.
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65) The Ultimate Guide on NHRA Drag Racing Series Betting in the US. The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series
was founded in 1951. With cars that boast over 11,000 horsepower and speed down-track at over 330 mph, drag racing
has captivated the interest of many, including renowned corporate sponsors such as Toyota, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford,
IN-N-Out Burger, US Air Force, and many others. This distinctiveness has fueled its growth and progress, thus
establishing it as one of the top motorsport giants. https://nxtbets.com/the-ultimate-guide-on-nhra-drag-racing-series-
betting-in-the-us/. John Towle
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66) Jon Oberhofer, Co-Crew Chief for JR Todd’s Nitro Funny Car owned by Connie Kalitta; Rob Flynn, Crew Chief for
Mike Salinas (1st 300 mph on an 1/8 mile); and Aaron Brookes, Crew Chief for Bob Tasca, Funny Car, joined us for
Race Industry Week 2023. Hosted by Joe Castello of WFO Radio. From: team@epartrade.com
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67) The Pro Modifieds of the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association (NEOPMA) and Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA) will return to Empire Dragway in Leicester, NY this weekend in the first of two scheduled weekend shows for
2024. Last year, Pro Modifieds from both series ran successfully on the NY state 1/8-mile drag strip and this year’s
event promises to provide more action and cars in this popular door-slammer class. bruce@jajentertainment.com
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68) Sahlen’s Packing Company joins September 12 Argetsinger Award dinner honoring McLaren Racing’s Zak Brown.
NASCAR, Watkins Glen International and IMSA are co-presenters for the evening, which precedes the Go Bowling at
The Glen NASCAR race weekend at WGI on September 13-15. From: Judy Stropus jstropus@earthlink.net
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69) Known as “The People’s Champ,” Dave Darland, the third driver to claim all three USAC National Championships:
Silver Crown, Sprint Car and Midget, joined us for Race Industry Week 2023. Hosted by Joe Castello of WFO Radio.
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70) I had 4 new books/screenplays come out this past week. This is one of the screenplays that will be sold in stores,
United States Space Force: Project Jupiter screenplay by Paul D. Escudero at railstankers666@aol.com.
READERS: Paul is a prolific and talented writer in psychology and Sci-Fi genre. His interests include engineering,
trains, fast cars and trucks, airplanes and much more. Check out his books and screenplays on the internet, in book
stores, and distributors.
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71) June 22-23 Avila Beach Rally and Air Strip runs. On display 2005 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1959 Porsche 718 RSK
#023, 1954 Porsche 550 Spyder #06. Cam and Rory Ingram. Carl Renner GM Designer. WAGONFEST June 22, 10
am-12pm. Silent Disco Night June 28, 6pm-10pm. Exclusive Porsche Panel June 29, 6:30pm-9pm. All American
Cruise-In, July 7, 8am-11am. Movie: Barbie July 12, 6pm-10pm. Petersen Automotive Museum info@petersen.org.
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72) Featured Racing Series: Figure 8 Racing Jonathan Byrd, President & General Manager, Indianapolis Speedrome,
joined us for Race Industry Week 2023. Hosted by Mike Kerchner of RACER.com. From: team@epartrade.com.
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