Loading Engine For Stefko
2013 Program Moving Along
Bob and Gehrig secure our 602 Crate in the back of the pick up truck. On Friday Nonie and I took it to Stefko where John installed the double timing chain. This engine had the oil pan and balancer already on it and only needed the timing chain replaced. We are getting our car ready for this years CME show in February, part of our effort to promote our 40th Anniversary with Quaker State. We still have a lot to do on the car, the suspension, and engine must be installed before the body goes back on. The body is getting painted and should be done by Monday, then by the end of this coming week we send the car to Creative Edge for lettering. More pictures to follow today and during this week.
Stefko Engines
Crate Gets Final Adjustment To Make 70 More HP….Very Nice
Well maybe not 70, or even one HP, but John did install a double timing chain to help the engine stay together. This 602 only has one night on it and should be good for a while. John was very busy building some drag race engines and took the time to help us get our enigne in and out quick so we could install it before the body goes on. We are on schedule for the CME show, we will be in the booth with Lincoln Electric. The show will run from February 8th to 10th at the International building in Mississauga, Derry Road and Airport Road. More on that and our progress to come.
Chassis Going Together
Bob Secures Fuel Lines
We are well underway with our race program. More pictures will go up soon as we had a glitch with our site that halted posting for a few days. Our plan is to have our car in the CME show, as well, have our Quaker State 40th Anniversary souvenir program ready….more soon.
Chassis Almost Complete
.jpg)
Crew Works Hard To Get Engine, Suspension In
On the weekend our crew worked all day getting the suspension on the car and the engine installed. Bob, Matt, Gehrig and Andrew worked on a number of areas helping prepare for the body that was out getting painted….more to come.
Body Panels Painted
.jpg)
Anil Gets Panels Painted
These panels were painted inside and out. A lot of work and prep to do this, and I understand many teams wouldn’t bother, but we have always wanted to present our cars in this way. It’s a big year for us with Quaker State, 40 seasons as our sponsor, and we want to do this year bigger than ever. Thanks to everyone who has and is helping us get ready for our first show of the season, the CME event on February 8-10th….more to come.
Body Going On
.jpg)
Bob Oversees Nathan and Paul Securing Panels
Bob, Paul, Nathan and I installed all the body panels on our car on Wednesday night. It is destined for Steve Lyons and Creative Edge for Friday. Hopefully the car will be ready next week, then we need to get a good picture of it for the front cover of our 40th Anniversary Quaker State souvenir program….wow!!! lots of work, but very much appreciate the good help. Nathan just joined our team for 2013, Paul (hidden below) will work more on our team this year, and Bob our crew chief will start his 3rd season with us. Matt and Ryan are back for 2013 but they both live over an hour and a half away making it tough to get down. Matt is helping me with producing some Ads for the new book, and he’s doing an amazing job creating them. We have a lot to announce soon, but need to be cramming on the car and the book. Time is flying by, the car will be done first and in plenty of time, the book will be worked on right up to the final hour.
Ready For Lettering
.jpg)
Big Push Gets Us This Far
The boys have worked hard, and our painter Anil. We are right on schedule to have the car lettered by the 16th and then work on a good picture for the front of our souvenir program. We need a good picture for both book, the poster and our apparel. Special thanks to Bob, Paul, Nathan, Matt and Gehrig for working together and getting our car this far. Steve Lyons and his crew will do their magic and it will be awesome as usual…more to come.
Race Car At Creative Edge
.jpg)
Buttons To Oversee Graphics & Lettering
We finished our car Thursday night, got it loaded and headed to Steve Lyons at Creative Edge. Steve is a master at lettering our car and will put his masterful touch on our 2013 car. Though this is our 45th year racing, the real story for our team in 2013 is the celebration of our 40th year with Quaker State. Steve has a long list of things to go on our car and it should be ready by next Thursday……Buttons came along and when not on the roof of the car, was running around the shop excitely wagging her tail and barking at the employees who were busy working on other projects…..our book is coming along, on pace to be completed by the 31st of January, and we are also working on apparel. This is the year to do it up right because of our long time, world record sponsorship with Quaker State…more pictures soon.
Creative Edge
.jpg)
Cory Jones CVM….Then Us
The awesome shop at Creative Edge is well lit, and big enough to have 4 cars, or a tractor trailer and 2 cars, as well as a few go-karts. The work done here is as good as anywhere on earth. In the back ground Bevin is finishing the lettering on Cory Jones #82 CVM Coupe. Our car will be next and should be done by this Friday. Then we send the go-kart for lettering and if all goes well, our Mini Stock in 2 weeks. Hopefully the 3 race machines will be in the CME show on the weekend of February 8th to 10th…….currently Jake Collison is rebuilding the go-kart engine for Lauren’s kart, and Dave Watson is working on the Honda. The biggest project we have right now is our Quaker State souvenir program, and that is steadily coming together. This winter has been very busy for our team, and I’m glad all systems are go, and on schedule….more updates to follow.
Mini Stock Getting Sheet Metal
Dave Watson…Master Of The Mini Stock
While the Late Model gets lettered and the go-kart an engine rebuild, our Mini Stock is at Dave Watson’s getting new front fenders, hood, and bumper installed as well as some frame and suspension work. Here Dave has the fenders on, is fitting the front bumper, then the hood and the sides are next. This car should be ready hopefully for paint in 2 weeks and then the lettering by the first week of February….our go-kart engine should be done soon, the chassis was painted black and the pods have been lettered by Creative Edge. Everything is on schedule, our souvenir progam is also looking good. It needs to be completed by January 26th, we are about 75% complete on that project….its a busy year for us, but it’s also an milestone celebrating 40 years with Quaker State. Some rest will be needed after the CME until the end of February, but good luck with that. In spite of the work load we’re getting it done.
Creative Edge Magic
,jpg)
Another Great Effort By Steve & The Boys At Creative Edge
Since 2007 Steve Lyons and his team have been lettering our race car and the work they do is amazing. They take a lot of pride in their work, making sure the customers get what they want. Of course painting, preparing and knowing what you want helps, but even if you weren’t sure, just gave a few ideas, they have enough experience to make your car look awesome for your sponsors and fans……we will add the missing pieces on the car this week end, then get it ready for a photo shoot very soon. We need a picture for both the front cover and our poster for our souvenir program. We will start on it Saturday and hope to have the window of weather to get a good shot somewhere. A nice indoor warehouse would be good, but we don’t know anyoe to offer that luxury, plus time is the issue for us now with the book more so than our car, although 10 more hours work and the car will be show ready…..I also appreciate the creativity shown for our sign, sitting by the car. Steve gave credit for that to his newest employee Bevin, who designed it knowing what the theme was and with the info that was to go on the sign. Thanks from all of us to everyone at Cretive Edge, you did an awesome job, we are a happy customer.
CME On The Horizon…..Getting Closer
Preparing For The CME Show
Our car will be in the Lincoln Welders display at the CME show from February 8th to 10th. In this shot we have 2 hoods, one that will be used for most of our shows and races and the other for special events, like the CME show and featuring Lincoln Welders. We still have a lot to get done before the show, but we are miles ahead of last year and that’s a good thing. Our main concern right now is getting a good picture of the car for the front of our Quaker State 40th Anniversary souvenir program…..meanwhile the go-kart frame is painted and pods getting lettered, and the Mini Stock is about ready for paint….All sytems including the book are right on schedule thanks to my crew, sponsors and those doing work for us…thank you.
Ready For CME
.jpg)
Ready To Go In Plenty Of Time
Thanks to our crew we completed our car this past week so we could get photos for our program. It’s not race ready, but show ready. Bob Periera allowed us his shop to get this picture and one of our sponsors Urban Warner took some photo’s. We’ve sent the pictures to our graphic people and they will let me know if they will work for the front cover………..We are almost done the Quaker State souvenir book and it looks awesome. Our graphic artist is amazing and all the Ads coming in are very good. Lots of color and info in this book. It will be 52 pages with a poster pull out. As for the rest of our program, the Mini Stock is just about ready for paint and the go-kart should be done by the middle of next week….we will continue working to be well prepared for the CME show on February 8th to the 10th.
2013 Schedule
Our 2013 Schedule…31 Events
We have settled on 31 race nights for 2013. There is a good possibility we’ll run less because of weather, or more because of opportunity, but with the pressure I’m getting from my family, I doubt it will be more. There is no letting up now, or at least not for 2013, not for me. It’s our 45th year and 40th with Quaker State, meaning we want to be in the race arenas as often as possible. Times like this for example, the winter months, are nights we don’t race…because we can’t in this country. So when the race season is upon us, be prepared to do what you love, race!!!……..our car is set for the CME show next weekend. We will be in the Lincoln Electric booth, a sponsor that’s been with us for 10 seasons. We thank all our sponsors for giving us a great program in 2013, and our crew for comitting to make a run at the Sunset Speedway points title. It won’t be easy, but neither were the two Championships we won in the CVM in 89′ and 99′, in fact those seasons included 30 nights in 1989 and 24 nights in 1999, (nights raced, there were more scheduled). The CVM roster was filled with tough competitors, not one or two but many more. In 1989, there were 16 different feature winners. At Sunset last year only 4 drivers won features in the Late Model class, not really a competitive field for wins. A big field of fast cars is awesome from every aspect, for the promoters, fans and the drivers who like full fields and lots of talent. Besides the regular hot shoes at Sunset, this year we’ll see a few more coming, Dwayne Baker, Shawn Chenoweth, Andy Kamrath and John Mitchell!! This will be the best Late Model field in Ontario…….come a see us at the CME show, we’ll have our 40th Anniversary book available then.
CME Show This Week End
.jpg)
Quaker State Team In Lincoln Electric Display
We are excited to be in this years CME show with many of our racing peers. We’re just as excited to be in the booth with our sponsor Lincoln Electric, our 10th year with them. Many things had to happen for our team to make it to this years CME show. Thanks to our crew for working on the car to get it ready, to all our sponsors for partnering with us this coming season and to those who did special work for us, paint, parts and lettering…….we also have our Quaker State 40th Anniversary souvenir program available. Our book is a tribute to our 40 year sponsorship with Quaker State, the longest in sports history. Though we don’t know that for sure, one thing is true, if there is someone as long or longer we’ll here about it, and then we have a challenge. Kenny Bernstein was with Budweiser for 32 years and John Force continues his sponsorship with Castrol now in it’s 28th year. Our book has both a poster pull out of every car sponsored by Quaker State and a contest to guess where and when our 2500th race will be, what track, date and what specific race…..the CME show is at the International building on Airport Road and Derry Road. I’m thinking many will come on ski-doo’s or some kind of sled, today especially with this big snow storm, and for once I agree this is a good snow storm, worst in 5 years, or best depending which way you look at it. Those with sleds are like kids at Disney Land, school kids got a “snow day”, many companies let people go home early, some with pay and those individuals with snow plows who get paid by the hour will make a fortune the next few days, working non stop, no sleep. I’m guessing the company owner that signed a contract to have his snow removal done will get his years investment back just from this storm…….We’re heading down this afternoon and we’re fairly certain our F-250 4X4 will get us there, and just as certain the traffic will be light….hope to see our fans at the show this weekend. Drop by our display, see the awesome Lincoln equipment available.
One Happy Fan
.jpg)
Getting In A Race Car….Priceless
We had quite a few kids, big and small, boy and in this case young lady, get in our car for a picture. Cathy, the Event Chair for Formula North 2013 and her friend Chriselle, both got in our car and loved the moment of experiencing the inside of a real race car. There were many fans and visitors on Saturday and Sunday as the weather turned from blizzard snow conditions on Thursday and Friday to beautiful bright sunny days, though a little chilly……we will post a few more pictures the rest of this week and prepare our Mini Stock and CVM for the next show, Mega Speed, in late March…..meanwhile we wish Cathy a very successful Formula North 2013 event on May 23 to 26th.
Lincoln Electric
.jpg)
Lincoln Electric Display….10 Years With Lincoln Electric As Sponsor
We were part of the Lincoln Electric display at the CME show this past weekend. Our relationship with Lincoln Welders started in 2003. We now go into our 11th season together and we may have a special announcement very soon regarding Lincoln Electric and our team….more pictures to follow.
Quaker State….40th Book Featuring Poster
.jpg)
Celebrating 40 Years With Quaker State…..Collectors 40th Anniversary Souvenir Book
A few years ago we planned on putting together a special collectors book to celebtate our 40 year milestone with Quaker State. We are so thankful to Quaker State and their support for our team for the past four decades, as well as all our sponsors. Having this 40th Anniversary celebration means everyone will join in on the ride through 2013 enjoying all the fun and excitement it will bring……Thanks to our advertisers, and the awesome work of Inscapes, we are proud to present our 40th Anniversary book to our friends and fans. This book is 52 pages, full color and fairly thick in terms of stock. There is a contest in the book to guess our 2500th race, and a 22″ X 17″ poster showing every car sponsored by Quaker State since the beginning. The book also features stories of some great racers in our sport, Junior Hanley, Glen Schurr, Ray Hughes, Jim Collison and others. The book is available now for $5 and will sell at Sunset and other tracks throughout the summer. We will donate $1 from every book sold to the local Food Banks….if you would like to order a book, let us know by emailing me at gelliot@cogeco.ca…..thank you.
2013 Schedule
31 Races Booked For 2013
We’ve set our 2013 schedule at 31 races. We ran 28 in 2012, in Late Models and the Coupe. We will race 4 CVM shows and 27 Late Model races this coming season. Most of our Late Model races will be at Sunset, however we’ll race twice at Sauble, twice at Flamboro and once at Peterborough Speedways, the remaining 22 shows will be at our home track. The four CVM shows will see two at Sunset Speedway, one at FLamboro and one at Delaware. ………Gehrig returns to Mini Stocks for one more year running Sunset most every race, but also going with us to specials when it includes Mini’s, and isn’t running Sunset……Lauren will race her Quaker State go-cart for the full season at Flamboro with her friends in the WKRC…..Our season will be full again as we promote our sponsors at various car shows, displays and apprearances……2013 is highlighted by our celebration of 40 years with Quaker State and we intend to once again promote the Quaker State brand every chance we get on and off the track, and of course all our loyal sponsors……it will be a busy season for us, but we look forward to getting back in the game after the 7 month rest in the off season
Racing Family Loses A Beautiful Person
Jamie Ramsay, A hard Racing Gentleman….We Will Miss You Friend
The shocking news of the passing of Jamie Ramsay was released on Friday February 22nd. Even now it’s impossible to think we won’t see him again. I loved racing against Jamie and Luke. They were one of a few of the Delaware regulars who travelled to shows in Ontario. We raced against them at Sunset, Peterborough, Sauble and Flamboro Speedways as well as Delaware. Jamie was a gentleman on the race track, but he drove hard, not wanting to destroy his stuff or anyone elses, just a first class racer and person. His team were always willing to help anyone who needed parts, gears or whatever they brought with them. We raced many times in competition and Jamie was one driver who not only loved the sport but the drivers in it. I was so shocked when hearing about his passing. None of us knew he was sick, and maybe his family kept it that way, and I understand. But it is no secret that he was an awesome person, friend and racer and I will miss him very much……..all of us at Gary Elliott Motorsport extended our deepest sympathies and condolences to Jamies family and friends……. Jamie, I hope to see you again in a place where there is no cancer, no pain, no tears, no sorrow and most of all no death. God bless you friend.
Coupe Gets Upgrade
33 Chev To Run All CVM Races
We recently sent out CVM to Ron Easton at Oakville Trailers for some upgrades and repairs. It will then go for paint and then lettering at Creative Edge. We will have this car in the Mega Speed show on March 22nd weekend in Mississauga at the International building…..The past two seasons Rick Schurr has graced the wheel of our car winning Rookie of the Year his first season, and almost picking up a win in 2012. Rick purchased the immaculate #95 of Steve March, removed the $12,000 inline and put in a $3500 V8 ( I just had to mention that). We wish Rick and his team all the best in the coming season……as of this writing, Tyler Brown will pilot our car for many of the races in 2013. I am confirmed to race it 4 times, Tyler will definetly do the Iron Man Triple Crown series at Flamboro Speedway (more on that soon). Although we’re sponsoring the mini series, I cannot make any of the three dates because of Late Model commitments. However Tyler will do just fine representing our team and sponsors……Chris Brading and his team will run the car at least once, maybe twice. It is possible that Tyler will run all the remianing shows, although another person, soon to be named, may want to run a few shows as well. Regardless, our plans are to compete in the entire CVM season for 2013. We will post more info on the other drivers and their schedules as soon as they are confirmed.
Coupe Gets Wide 5 Set Up
Ron Easton Finishes Off Our Coupe
Ron Easton installed new wide 5 hubs, and rotors, 2 rebuilt calipers, and a little sheet metal work. The car will go for paint later this week and then to Creative Edge for lettering. Ron does awesome work, plus can build and safety trailers as well as service most vehicles. I will pick up the Coupe on Monday and take it for paint tomorrow afternoon…….our Mini Stock should be done within a week, then it to will go for paint and lettering…..our Coupe and Late Model will both be in the Mega Speed car show from March 22nd to March 24th. More on that and other news soon.
Preparing For Paint
Coupe Waits For Paint
We are preparing the Coupe for the Mega Speed show at International Building from March 22nd to 24th. Not sure how many other CVM cars will be in the show, but we’ll have CVM schedules with the car. Our CVM will be in the Lincoln Electric display. Our Late Model will be one of a few cars in the Sunset Speedway display as well……very soon we will post our press release regarding Quaker State. There’s lots going on right now with all our cars having work done, or needing work to be done. Everything should be finished before mid April for practice day as the 2013 race season gets closer each week……the Mini Stock should be ready for paint by late next week, the Go-Cart needs a seat, our Late Model needs a retro fit to update the chassis and David’s 2012 Late Model will be painted like our Quaker State car and used for shows and a few Pro Late Model races…..It was our hope to have a new Late Model, but we are likely not going to be able to get a new car, though we have another week to see if it will happen, all indication from our team is that we’ll be doing a retro fit on our 10 year old Late Modle, and it desperately needs it because we will compete against many new cars at Sunset this summmer. If we do update our car, over gettting a new one, we are confident it will be good enough to give us a shot at the title, our goal for 2013……. the Coupe will hopefully make most of the 15 CVM schedule in 2013, half the series for sure. I am racing the car four times and Tyler Brown will make his debut in a Vintage Mod for the Triple Crown series and possibly more….we will also post a press release on the Iron Man Triple Crown series as well…yikes, we need our own TV news station…keep tuning in for updates and thanks for visiting our site.
40th Anniversary
Press Release Announcing Our 40th Year With Quaker State
Thank you to Quaker State for being with us for this our 40th season together.
Coupe Ready For Creative Edge
Lincoln Electric….Quaker State Coupe
Our CVM has been painted and somewhat prepared for the Mega Speed show this weekend coming. March 22nd to March 24th at the International Building in Mississauga. This car will be in the Lincoln Electric booth. Lincoln Welders is the primary sponsor for our Coupe, although Quaker State will be well represented on the black and red Coupe. All of our sponsors will be included, although smaller than they are on the much larger Late Model body……..Our Late Model will also be in the show as part of the Sunset Speedway display…….special thanks for the help we got today. Bob, Nathan, Lauren and Gehrig helped with cleaning and making the car show condition, although we will have a final touch up session once it’s lettered at Creative Edge, it heads there Monday morning and will get it’s beauty treatment from Steve, Bevin and the boys.
42nd Season With CVM
Lincoln Welders—-Quaker State Coupe Ready For Lettering
Our CVM has been painted and somewhat prepared for the Mega Speed show this weekend coming. March 22nd to March 24th at the International Building in Mississauga. This car will be in the Lincoln Electric booth. Lincoln Welders is the primary sponsor for our Coupe, although Quaker State will be well represented on the black and red Coupe. All of our sponsors will be included, although smaller than they are on the much larger Late Model body……..Our Late Model will also be in the show as part of the Sunset Speedway display…….special thanks for the help we got today. Bob, Nathan, Lauren and Gehrig helped with cleaning and making the car show condition, although we will have a final touch up session once it’s lettered at Creative Edge, it heads there Monday morning and will get it’s beauty treatment from Steve, Bevin and the boys.
33 Chev At The Race Car Beauty Spa
.jpg)
Coupe Waits For The Magic Touch
Dropped our Coupe off at Creative Edge this afternoon. I left home at 9:30, got almost to Freelton when two young women beside me started blowing their horn and waving at me. I thought they were in distress. Turns out they wanted to tell me of my pending doom….a flat tire on the left rear of the trailer. I pondered for a minute, should I try to make it to Kitchener, I remembered we did that back in 1971 once. Steve wanted the car early to get it ready by Wednesday for the Mega Speed Show. Plus, have you ever started out on a journey and just didn’t want to turn back, for any reason. I kept driving until I got to the north end of Freelton, then after the fourth person telling me about my flat tire, I decided to head to Grisdales. By the time I made it there was not much left of the carcass. I really was going to turn around…….anyway 3 hours later I was at Creative Edge, went over the list of things to go on the car and headed home. I left the trailer there, but checked my fuel gauge and it read 72k to empty. I did make it to the Millgrove cut off on highway six and filled my truck with diesel fuel at $1.25 a liter, compared to $1.30 almost everywhere else. That wasn’t really as stupid as the tire deal, because even though I didn’t try to make it to Kitchener, it was dumb even to consider it, but hey!!! I was by myself and really didn’t have a lot of people to discuss it, except the ones blowing the horn. The gas deal paid off and still had 9k to the good. It’s full now and the Coupe is in good hands. It will be ready Wednesday night for pick up.
Mega Speed Show This Wekend
Late Model In Sunset Speedway Display
We will have this car in the Sunset Speedway display with some great competitors. The show runs from Friday the 22nd to Sunday the 24th. Our Coupe will also be there, in the Lincoln Electric booth. Should be a great show, but wow, a year ago it was 70 degrees this day and now it’s just above freezing. However, when I was a kid we had snow until late March, even mid April then spring came almost over night…….we will also have our Quaker State 40th Anniversary souvenir programs there as well……Hope to see lots of friends at the show……special thanks to Joe Archer for making this promo flyer, Joe does all kinds graphics, his logo is on the bottom right corner, check him out.
Mega Speed
Vintage Mod With Lincoln Electric
Our Lincoln Welders Qukaer State Coupe has it’s own 20 X 20 display at the Mega Speed show. Friday night was busy, but not as busy as both Saturday and Sunday will be. There are some very incredibly beautiful hot rods, custom cars and trucks, not to mention all the awesome looking race cars….hope to see you there today.
Best Stock Car In Show
Quaker State Late Model Wins Best Stock Car In Show
There were close to 25 cars representing many oval classes in this years Mega Speed show. We were pleasently surprised to win the top award, we never thought we’d win it, in fact kind of forgot about it. Then our grand son came by and told us we won and we were very happy. Our team worked hard to get the car looking as good as it did, and of course the lettering by the Creative Edge gave us an excellent car to show case our sponsors, tracks we run and our sport…..the Mega Speed show was very busy on Saturday and Sunday. There were many fans and friends pass by our display, with another 8 race cars. We were in Sunset’s display with a Mini Stock, Thunder Car, 3 Suoer Late Models, 2 OSCAAR Mods and a Super Modified. It was good to see so many people all week end……..We got out of there very quickly because the Late Model was mobile and the Coupe was light enough for our team to push. We also got some extra help from Pro 4 ace Brian Nanticoke who pushed our CVM to the trailer with his all wheel buggy. Thank you Brian, that was a blessing for sure, my guys loved it………Our Late Model is now at McColl’s where the engine, half the body and some other parts will be removed to access the chassis and get the right stuff installed. We have no chance if we go back with the car as it was, no chance to win a feature, and no chance to try and topple Tom Walters for the track championship. That’s our goal, to win the title. With an updated car, the addition to our existing awesome crew of David, Jim and Eddie, we hope to be a contender all season. The car should be completed by the first week of April and when it leaves McColl’s it will be ready for practice. We are looking forward to getting back on the track…….Our CVM needs some work done to it. We spent a lot pf money upgrading it but one of the new calipers we got is leaking. Once that is fixed it should be ready for practice as well….the Mini Stock will go for paint next week, and the Go-Cart gets a new seat and then scaled to finish it off. That leaves our Pro Late Model, (David’s) that needs a body, paint and lettering. Then we’ll be completely ready, time to rest, well not really, time to get to work and race…..yes!!!!
Next!!!!!!
.jpg)
Honda Heading To Body Shop
Our Honda has been repaired by Dave Watson and now needs some small prep to get it ready for paint. It goes to John Bear GMC tomorrow and should be ready in a week or so to go to Creative Edge for lettering……all our cars need a little work, except of course the Late Model. It’s at McColl’s getting a chassis face lift. That should put us a little closer to being competitive. There are another dozen cars all doing the same thing, so when the season starts, the car will be one of half a dozen things that need to be right to run with the Late Model pack at Sunset. We’re doing everything we can to give us a good chance to do just that. Our goal is to win the points, a very challenging goal, but with our crew and everything else in place I feel with some luck we have a chance. Of course I’ll know better once we get on the track with the other rockets. It will take a few weeks to sort everyone out, we want and plan to be ready for the first green flag…….the rest of our fleet are close. The CVM needs a right front caliper repair, then brakes bled and engine fired. The Go-cart needs a seat and set up. Once these four are done, our Pro Late Model will need a re-skin and then a beauty treatment. The good news is that we are on schedule and that’s what counts….More on our team as the repairs and updates get completed.
It Is Finished
Christians Follow A Risen Savior
Approximately 2000 years ago God showed how much He loved us by becoming a man, shedding His blood on the cross to pay our debt against Him. The Bible says that “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not parish but have eternal life”. Easter is a great time of year, a year when new life springs out of the ground. When new life comes from the animal kingdom through the many babies that are born. New life is for us to when we accept the forgiveness God gave us at Calvary, on the cross. In John 2:19 Jesus was standing outside the temple in Jerusalem and said “destroy this temple and I will raise it again in 3 days”. They argued that it took 46 years to build the temple, but Jesus wasn’t talking about the building, He was referring to His own body. After His death, Mary went to the tomb to see Jesus and as they approached the tomb the Angel asked them who they were looking for and they said Jesus. The Angel replied “He is not here, He is risen like He said”. This picture is titled Forgiven. It tells an awesome story of a man (representing all of us) holding a hammer and nails, exhausted by the sins of his own life and this world. Behind him is the risen Savior, holding the man up. An incredible reflection that even when we hate God He is there for us trying to show us His incredible love, mercy, grace and forgiveness. The gift of life has been given to all of us through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, who not only died, but rose again. Christians follow a living God who’s mandate is love and forgiveness. Happy Easter.
Mega Speed To……..Mega Update
Late Model Gets Sunset Speedway Technology
With 5 race cars on the go, it was a bit of a dillusion to think our Late Model was almost ready. There were no funds to prepare the car earlier in the year, so I made the decision to get it ready for the CME show in February and concentrate on our Quaker State Souvenir book. Once the show was over, we were still lacking the sponsorship monies for the upgrade. It was decided that right after the Mega Speed show I would head to McColl’s and strip it down myself to save some labour dollars. Arriving at 8:15 am, getting the tools I needed and knowing what needed to come off, I just went at it steady until 3:45. When finished, the car was ready to go on the jig to make sure the frame and pick up points were not bent after our Autumn Colors crash. We could see the right side rail was not quite straight, so getting it on the jig was a needed expense……….McColl’s will spend a lot of time, and many parts to reproduce as close as possible a new car. The frame design, though 10 years old, is still the basic one used today. The fact the total weight and left side weight percent is very easily attainable, the car is not close to being obsolete. However, the way it was, competition wise, could only be competitive in a Pro Late Model series…….McColl’s will install new upper and lower control arms, spindles, ball joints and a new cross member for the 5″ geometry. The reason we struggled so much in 2012 was because our car was built for a 4″ ride height not 5″. We tried our best to be competitive but with the car not turning like the top 6 cars, we were fighting an uphill battle. There were at least 8 or more fast cars at Sunset in 2012, and though we worked hard to race with them, we were severely handicapped and outdated………This year there will be 4 or 5 more new cars with the proper set up. New Port City cars are heading to Sunset, more talented drivers are coming and they will add to the very tough field of competitors that are there now. It was 100% necessary for us to upgrade our car. When it’s finished we should have a good piece. Our goal is to win the Championship. That is accomplished by being a consistent runner every week, including heats. We also want to win a feature, it will be our 36th, when we get it. Beisdes the chassis and suspension up grades, we will add a new exhaust, like the rest have. We have been running the magnaflow mufflers since 2005. None of the top runners have that system within 500 miles of their garage. Mike McColl said the exhaust and muffler we had was hurting us. After getting a quote, the green light was given to install that as well. I gladly pulled the old exhaust stuff off. We will also install an altenator and the newer waterpump pulleys and belts that will increase power slightly, as will the exhaust. New shocks and springs, will be put on our car. I told Mike when I left that our team didn’t want to leave anything on the table that would help us, not horse power items, and definetly nothing that would make the car turn better. He assured me that wouldn’t be the case. We should have our Late Model back in 2 weeks, allowing us to finish our other projects. Thanks to our crew who have dedicated time and effort to help us get this far. It’s been exhausting but our chances look much better to be competitive.
Roll Cage Painted
Show Car Gets Interior Face Lift
Spent most of today in the garage cleaning and repainting the interior bars. Bob went away for the weekend and no one else was able to help. By the end of the Leaf game I was done. Shocks are off as well and they will be sent out to be dyno’d. At this point, we’re waiting for the interior panels to be painted and the body to come in next week. Once the interior is in the car, we can assemble a new body, everything but the roof and trunk. Hope to have it painted by later April and lettered for the first week of May………..Our show car was created in hopes of making all the shows we had opportunity to be in, and not worry about using our regular car after a nights racing, or early in the week when we were doing maintenance on it. The show car has it’s first appearance on May 11th in Orangeville and so we need to hustle to make sure it will be ready for that event……….our Mini Stock is getting painted now, then should be heading out for lettering, and the Go-Cart and CVM just need to be scaled. Our main Late Model is at McColl’s and will be there for at least another week getting some steroid suspension parts…..things are on schedule so far though it’s been a busy hectic winter.
Mini Stock Heads To Creative Edge
Mini Stock Paint Completed….Off To Get Beautified
After some body work and suspension repairs and an awesome paint job, our Mini Stock is heading to Creative Edge for lettering and graphic work. This car will hold the basic color scheme of all our cars in 2013, except the black Coupe that still has all of our sponors adorning the body, but takes on the Lincoln Welders colors…….All of our cars are still incomplete although the Go-Cart and CVM have minimal repairs. The Mini Stock will be done by the middle of next week, about the same time as our Late Model at McColls. That leaves our show car, David’s Pro Late Model. It has undergone a remake so we can have a second car that looks exactly the same as our Sunset Late Model. Unfortunately it cannot fill in for us if anything should happen to our Sunset car. It’s function is to attend all our shows and then race at the Gold Rush, Octoberfest and Autumn Colors. It has recently had all the interior panels painted green and a new body has arrived that we will start to fit this week. Then it goes for paint and lettering and needs to be done by the end of April, so we’re busy but on schedule……yikes!!!!
Interior Goes Back In Pro Late Model
.jpg)
Pro Late Model Looking Good….Bob Looking Sad…Leafs Lose In Shootout
David took me to the hockey game on Monday night to watch my favourite team the New York Rangers take on the much improved Leafs. I admit it was a great game, and I was glad to see Kessel come out of his slump, but I would have sooner seen him do it against any other team than the Rangers, a team I have cheered for since I was 12, when only 6 teams were in the NHL, when a kid could name almost every player on every team. Anyhow, the Rangers lost Monday night, but the rematch was last night and we had it on the TV. Bob loves me, but is a Leaf fan, and by the look on his face he is not happy they lost in the shoot out. But Kessel got 2 more goals and New York got 2 very important points…………meanwhile we spent a lot of time last night cleaning up old stuff from our trailers, a lot of stuff was thrown out, still need to sort through some parts. We won’t throw anything out we can give to another team, although to be honest, we are now one of the teams needing stuff. Almost every we car we compete against is new, and our spare parts won’t be any good to the teams with brand new cars, or cars a year old. Kind of the same reason they are no good to us because we have had to upgrade our Sunset car……Bob and Nathan were a big help last night getting the interior back in the car. We will finish the seat, belts, roll cage padding, shifters and electrical before the body starts to go back on……..the Mini Stock was dropped off at Creative Edge, and is in good hands with the fine people there….Our Sunset Late Model is on the jig at McColls and needed some chassis repairs. That car should be ready by next week and will be scaled on the 20th and ready for practice by the 27th…..we’re busy, getting there. Oakville Trailers saftied our newest trailer, and will do the other one next week. We need to make sure all our stuff is good, especially when we are travelling much further now on the highways…..more updates soon….I know what you’re thinking!! it’s crazy, but I’m in my world, so it’s all good.
Mini Stock Waits Lettering
Honda Soon To Get Beautified At Creative Edge
All of our race cars, except for the Coupe are being finalized for the coming season, which is fast approaching. Our Sunset Late Model is off the jig and ready for reassemble of all the parts removed to get it on the jig. The Pro Late Model is getting the body put on it now, should be done by Saturday. Our Go-Cart just needs led added and scaled and of course the Mini Stock is in it’s final stage of being ready waiting for the magic of Steve and the boys to finish the lettering……next weekend is practice day, but we will not be ready for then, but will make it out the next weekend, April 27th with both cars.
On The Jig……Getting Upgraded….So Nice!!!!
.jpg)
Bent Frame Rails Replaced…New Cross Member Installed
On April 1st I made the trip to McColl’s to remove everything bolted onto the chassis from the windshield forward, including the body. It was originally decided just to do the upgrades on the chassis to give us the same suspension most of the cars already had at Sunset Speedway. Once the engine, body and suspension were removed it was clear the car needed to go on the jig, an extra expense, but a good idea to make sure everything was straight. As it worked out the good idea became a blessing because the frame was bent from the crash at Autumn Colors. It wasn’t that noticeable until it was put on the jig and the key pick up points checked. The frame rails are not usually replaced for the upgrade, but it was necessary for our car, and can be seen here in this picture, with a lot of new steel tubing in the front end. On Monday April 15th I will head out again (all our crew are working, plus it saves a little money) and reinstall many of the parts that were removed, only this time with help from one of Mikes employees. Our team will go out next weekend to help with final race set up. We hope to have the car back at home Saturday the 20th……..Meanwhile our crew came to our shop to work on the Pro Late Model (show car). We made some good headway and pictures of that will be up soon. We appreciate Ryan and Matt (who live 2 hours away) making the trip to help us get the car closer to completion. Bob guided our crew through the work load, Gehrig and Nathan helped out letting us get much done on this cold damp day……….Tyler, Darrell and Mike came over to work on the CVM. They got a lot done with chassis set up. It still needs breaks bled and some led added. The addition of wide 5’s on our car has made the Coupe lighter and that weight will go right on the left side of the. We are about three percentage points from the legal limit and that’s a ton of left side to be giving up. Our goal is to make our Chevy competitive in every way for Tyler, Derrick and me for the coming CVM season……The Mini Stock should be home by late next week and our Go-Cart will be completed also this week……..Practice for our Late Model is scheduled for April 27th at Sunset Speedway, it will be too much of a rush to go next weekend……thanks to all our crew for an excellent day of work on our Pro Late Model.
Going Back Together
.jpg)
All The Right Stuff
Well, maybe not ALL the right stuff, but for sure a lot better than what we had in 2012. Here Mike and Denny out some early adjustments on the front end, just for mounting purpose, much more to do on this car this week………I worked on our Late Model from 10:30 until 7:30 on Monday night at McColl’s and we made some great headway. The plan is to have a few of our crew come out this Saturday and finish the chassis set up. I will go back out again Wednesday Apirl 17th to finish whatever I can to help speed up the process. There is still lots to do but the main fabrication is done……on Wednesday I will hook up all the engine components, intstall the drive shaft, a shifter, the led on the front frame rails, the rad as much more as I can do. I must admit, I am almost burnt out. This year has been incredibly busy for me and kind of stressful. Deadlines and finances are the two issues. Our team has done awesome with sponsors and tried hard to stay on budget but many many things were missed, some small, some not so small and even though they are perhaps not shocking in the dollar amount, put 15 items together and you find you under budgeted by five or six thousand. The trouble is we don’t want to leave McColl’s without having a decent competitive car. That’s a great attitude, but if not careful, a huge hit in the budget can develop and it’s not just here. Our trailers needed to be saftied. I know it’s easy to let it pass and take a chance the MTO won’t stop your team, they have never stopped us ever. So, assuming we did have another year of no fear of being checked out, the remaining issue is safety period. Our one trailer needed brake parts and four tires. The other trailer needed at least one tire but I put four on and used the other three decent tires for the Mini Stock trailer because it’s not carrying as much weight. The budget has been compromised a little, but not extreme, and the good news is that every vehicle we have, the Go-Cart, Mini Stock, CVM, Late Model and Pro Late Model have been given what they need to be competitive and all look as planned, so I am very happy, very tired, but very happy………I picked up the Mini Stock today at Creative Edge. It looks exactly like our Late Model. The boys did a great job as usual. It’s not the running around that is tiring, it’s hooking up the trailers, tying down the cars, loading and unloading, all things that wear you out. I get little rest and though that is a factor, no resting, with only 2 weeks to go…no kidding no resting!!!!! go, go, go…..The Coupe got some much needed left side weight added, and the brakes bled. It is 95% ready, will be done tomorrow. Go-Cart should be ready by the weekend, as well as the Mini Stock that needs one wheel. Our Sunset Late Model, pictured here, will be race ready Saturday morning around 11:45am. The show car is complete body wise and will go out for paint by the end of this month. As for our race cars, they will all be ready by this Saturday, then I could rest—–I think 🙂
Mini Stock Finished………Almost
.jpg)
Honda Needs A New Wheel & Cleaned Up
Our Mini Stock was lettered this week at Creative Edge. Steve and the boys did a great job again. Gehrig will get to practice either this coming Saturday or on April 27th when we take our Late Model out. Our season starts May 4th. The Honda needs one wheel on the right rear, the electric fan fixed and a complete cleaning. Gehrig will start his second season of Stock Car racing and is looking forward to the challenge this class brings him…….we have three of five cars on the verge of being ready. The Mini Stock, G0-Cart and CVM are all within hours of completion. Our Sunset Late Model needs the rest of this week, and our show car is ready for paint but that won’t happen until the end of this month….I head out to McColl’s today to re-attach some engine and driveline parts….more on our progress by tonight.
Jim Welds Fender Support
.jpg)
Deadline Saturday…..Should Be Done
My day at McColl’s found more things to fix rather than getting things off the list. I got the led bolted on the frame rails. I was going to simply drill through and then bolt the led, but the proper way to do is to put steel tubes, or runners for the bolts to go through, that way it keeps the frame stonger. It took longer but was done right, a natural thing for these guys. I tried installing the drive shaft, but for some reason the yoke would not go far in the housing so it had to come apart, be filed, reassemled and reinstalled, but it got done. The fuel cell was lowered, that also took time to relocate the mounts. The problem with that deal was when we lowered the cell the lid stopped it from going down, so the lid was removed, trimmed, reinstalled and completed. It was a day of doing things twice for me. The u-bolts on the drive shaft stripped, but not unitl I had one clamp in. I was working on the fourth nut and it was stripped. By the time I got through messing with that little thing I ate up at least an hour. On Monday I scraped my back on a car frame when I backed up to eye something up, and today I put a nice groove in my finger with the cordless grinder, no doubt a candidate for Canada’s Handiman. I just kept going because I would lose time, plus the way things were going I was bound to cut, break, burn or scrape another part of my body before I was done. My final whack came when Kenny and I were putting the transmission back in. Before I was quite in position he lifted it and on it’s way up clipped my forehead. However no damage to me or the tranny. I may go back on Friday to assemble the rad and shroud and a few other parts. Then whatever is left we will finish Saturday morning……the CVM was finished off tonight. The brakes work good, led is in, car starts and runs and all gears work. The final step was to put some decals below the dash for the driver when shifting R-1-2-3…The Mini Stock just needs a wheel, and the Go-Cart just needs to be scaled, so we are closing in on completion and have 2 weeks until opening day. As Borat would say…”So nice”!!!!
Now On The Plate
Slowly Coming Together
We put the car on the plate, where all scaling and set up is done. In this case we are still reassembling parts. The new altenator is in, the trans and driveshaft, lead, fuel cell and some of the suspension. We still need to install the shifters, exhaust, rad, shroud, grill and other stuff but it’s coming. I will go out again tomorrow and see how I can injure myself again……the weather is quite nuts. 45 degrees, then 70 then 46, up an down. If we don’t get to practice at Sunset we’ll go to Flamboro on a Tuesday night to shake the car down and make sure all systems are working, however if we get a good day on April 28th we will go to Sunset….very busy, but still on schedule.
Final Set Up
David, Jim, Mike Complete Final Scaling, Steering Geometry & Bump Stop…Mike Likes What We Have Now
When we left the Mega Speed car show we were picked Best Stock Car In Show, quite an honor. When we left McColl’s we were given the thumbs up by Mike for investing into our car all the good stuff needed to give us a chance to be competitive. All I ever want from my racing is a chance to win. I have no issue with many drivers winning, I think it’s a testament to the rules and class when lots of drivers win a feature. In 1989 there were 16 dsifferent feature winners in the CVM, and we were one of them. However, we won the biggest prize, the club Championship, our first ever……..our goal in 2013 is to win the Late Model Championship at Sunset Speedway. It will be a challenge, but we have the crew,the experience, the great sponsors, and now a great car. Hopefully those ingredients mixed in with some luck will give us a chance at our first Late Model feature win in five years, and our first ever Late Model Championship……In this picture David eyes up the string for the frame height measurements and Jim talks to Mike about the set up on our car. Mike is incredible in so many ways. He explains what he does so the simple minded (me) can grasp, and he makes suggestions to improve your car, letting you know which ones will make the biggest improvement for the dollar spent. We made lots of changes, and turned down a few. The ones we made will improve our horsepower and handling. Two things our race team desperately needs. We’re giving up a little on the driver because it would only seem common sense that 20 to 30 year old drivers should have a huge advantage on drivers 40 to 50. I don’t fit in either category, but have not slowed down because of my body. Putting any driver in a new or newer car would be a huge move upward. Given the fact the top cars had little room to improve, because tires and engine limitations would dictate how much faster we can go, the news for the guys at the top from 2012 is “get ready, you’re going to have company, and lots of it”. Anyone from 2012 that thought they won because of themselves will get a wake up call when 8 cars show up with all the right stuff. That’s not saying that Bentley, Walters or Morrow won’t be the cars to beat, because they will be up there. Only thing is, now they will have have a field or more of very fast competitive, ego driven young, old, drivers vying for the same space. The Championship in 2013 will be determined by prep, set up, abitility to diagnose the car and luck. Assuming there are 12 teams that fit in this category, the driver that makes the smartest timley moves could be the factor to give his team the glory of winning the title. Being smart in a race dosen’t go well with an ego to win at no cost, but we’re talking the goal to win the Championship, and ego should be left at home in the garage…..our teams are close and more pictures can be seen on our Diary Of A Season 2013…..more to come and soon…..13 days until the 2013 season opener!!!!
Three Of Five Ready
Honey I Shrunk The Driveway
Well as the nice weather seems to be making it’s presenc, and may finally here to stay, certainly more noticeable lately, the cars came out of the garage for a picture taking session. Gehrig and Lauren pushed the cars in to position and Gehrig climbe a tree to get everything in the photo including our Sunset Late Model sitting in the garage on stands. Our show car, David’s Pro Late Model is waiting for painting and will hopefully be sent out in the next week, then off to get lettered……our plans are to practice this weekend at Sunset if our Late Model can be completed to satisfaction…..in this photo is Gehrigs Honda Mini Stock, Laurens Go-Cart and of course our 1933 Chev Coupe, a member of our race team since 1990, 23 years…..racing starts on May 4th for all cars except the Coupe. The first CVM race is May 11th….more on that soon.
We’ll Miss You Fred Poets
Fred Poets Crosses The Finish Line
It is with sadness that we announce the passing today of Hobby racing legend Fred Poets. Fred had retired from racing in the late 90’s but still attended many races before moving out west. There was no racer tougher back in the 70’s than the #54 of Fred Poets. He was dominant on the track, winning the Championship in 1970. He still holds the record of 17 feature wins in one season, a feat completed back in the day when running 30 nights was common……….Fred moved to Late Models in the mid 70’s where he had some success, but returned to the Hobby class in the early 80’s, continuing his winning ways. Fred influenced many young racers, convincing them to join the Hobby club, and giving them a helping hand. Fred took #58 when he returned to race with the Hobbies, because one of his fans took the #54 when he was racing Late Models……..It ‘s an honor for our team to have known Fred. He was a great encouragement to me when I first became President of the Hobby club in 83, and again in the late 80’s. Our current car body, the black 1933 Chev 3 window Coupe, was purchased from Fred in 1990……..In 1991 Fred was inducted into the Hobby Hall of Fame. His work with other racers, and his incredible ability to win were factors in him becoming a natural to be part of this historic and nostalgic fraternity of racers………In this 1985 picture Fred is waiting to head onto the track at Kalamazoo Speedway in Michigan. Behind Fred is Ken Jorgenson #96. At the end of the night, everyone was behind Fred when he held the checker for the feature win. It was our first trip of 12 to Michigan and Fred showed he still had the skill to win………Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to his family and friends who will miss him dearly. Thanks for everything Ole Fella’, we’ll miss you.
Gehrig Has Great Test Session
Sunset Speedway Testing Good For Our Mini Stock Team
Gehrig made it out for three practice sesions. He felt right at home in the car. The good news is there were no problems with the car. Here he battles with Eric Yorke the Sunset Speedway 2012 Mini Stock Champion. Gherig turns 15 in July and we hope he has a fun year racing. Moving up a class in 2014 is a consideration for Gehrig, but we will make that move only if he is comfortable in doing so………Lauren starts her carting season this weekend. We will have a picture of her cart on our site soon. Her machine has been redone and hopefully with the experience she already has she can have fun competiting in the very tough field of drivers. She sure has intentions of not being pushed around like she was in 2012. Lauren intends to move up next season, so Mini Stock for her is likely going to happen in 2014……our Late Model had a tough outing on Saturday, but worth every second as we discovered a number of problems to deal with. A list of 25 items are on the board, and must be completed for our opening day on May 4th…..the CVM is in Tyler Brown’s care and he starts his season on May 11th at Flamboro Speedway. Tyler wanted to get back into stock car racing and we had the opportunity to team up with him in our car. He will race it at least 6 times including all of the Iron Man Triple Crown series. (more on that soon). We wish Tyler and his team a very successful 2013 season.
Lauren All Smiles…Racing Soon
Quaker State Go-Cart Team Ready For 2013 Carting Season
The new look Go-Cart is ready to go. Lauren was out on Sunday for practice and needed some changes to be happy with her cart, and totally within the rules. Weight needed to be added, as well as seat padding. That work has been done and she is set to take on the very competitive field of Carts in her class. Lauren is determined to be a contender this season. Her biggest deterent isn’t her effort, or the effort of those who pit for her, namely her Mom Shirley, brother Gehrig and when possible Jason Green. Her problem is, that we know very little about Go-Carts. Jake Collison was tremendous with setting up the cart and rebuilding the engine. Now it’s show time and hopefully we can keep her that way throuhgout the season. Shirley is amazing and does awesome work with both her children to help them enjoy the sport. Shirley also has many other racing families she can ask for help. Go get em’ Lauren, you’re ready to flex some muscle.
45th Season About To Start…….Opening Day Eve
Car, Crew, Equipment and Driver Ready To Go
I don’t think I’ve been this excited the night before a season started in a long time. I have always been excited, all 44 years past, but this one seems different for many reasons. We knew after last year that without a good car, chances of being competitive would be doubtful. We ran as strong as we could with an outdated car, a 4″ car jacked up by load bolts to make it legal. An inferior suspension and chassis set up, an outdated horsepower sucking exhaust system and definetly not the latest in chassis technology. Well we have it this year, the chassis, added horsepower, set up and even more than all of that, about 70 years of racing experience added to our pit crew through the addition of David, Jim and Eddie joining our awesome and dedicated 2013 crew. I am pumped but I also know the following. No matter how much our team and all others improved, the cars to beat have not changed. They remain Tom Walters and Mike Bentley. It’s one thing to move closer to the bench mark, it’s another thing to actually get there. We think we have 95% of the car the rest have. This field will be full of teams with new cars, or one year old redone cars. This may be the best field of talent assembled in a long time for a regular race series. Besides the 2 mentioned, Dwayne Baker, Andy Kamwrath, Anthony Simone, Nick Goetz, Doug Hanchard, Jeff Lapcevich, Herb Walters and John Mitchell are a few new drivers who will join the Sunset Late Model field. Chris Morrow, Jason Witty, Teylor Holdaway, Scott Beatty and Sean Grossman are drivers who’s teams have improved over 2012…..YIKES….it’s going to be a great season for the fans and promotoers, and if you like running with tough racers like we do, it will be a blast for us as well. I remember in 1989 the Hobby club had 16 different feature winners in that very talent-laidened year. In 2012 there were 5 feature winners in the Sunset Late Model class, I think this season we’ll see more than 5 teams hit the winners circle, and we’re hoping our team is one of them…….in 2013 we’re looking for our first feature win since 2008, a long drought for sure, but our goal is to win the track Championship, we feel we have all the right pieces to get it done………Our next feature win will be our 36th all time, kind of cool in this milestone year. We will also hit our 2500th race in 2013, another kind of special event that we’re looking forward to, that carries with it a contest to guess when that date, track and race will be. More on that later………no matter what lies ahead, our team is ready and we are exited……..Bob, my awesome friend and crew chief is in this picture. Bob has been an incredible help all winter and likely won’t get much sleep as we head north early in the morning…….pit gates open at noon, races start at 6pm, hope to see you there.
15 Seconds Into 2013
Say It Ain’t So……Wow, Never Seen It Coming…Neither Did Jason Witty, The Bakers Or The Fans
This was just unbelievable. The bad news is our car was just at the point of getting better and is now back to January somewhere, maybe even back to Autumn Colors. The perfect storm was brewing, and all the ingredients were there to make us pay for a small mistake, but a bad decision on my part. Our three sets of hot laps were showing signs of progressing, and we were getting a little faster, still a long way from the top cars, but gaining ground. Last week we purchased a new helmet harness, new ear plugs and had all our radio’s updated. There was no issue with the radio’s prior to the first heat race. We drew #1, and thought maybe the gods who deal out luck were on our side, but we soon found out, at least I did, that the only God to trust or count on dosen’t hand out good starting spots, eternal life, blessing, healings and things like that, but as for luck on the race track, not so much, but He could, that’s just not His promise………Starting #1 actually was a killer for us, but even with that this mess could have been avoided. We always test our radio’s before leaving the pits “ALWAYS”, but we didn’t this time. I always test my radio before gonig on the track, but because I was behind and needed to hustle to get in the line up (starting pole) I just assumed it was working. My crew, who worked hard on the car during hot laps and getting the car ready for the heat also assumed everything was okay. I got to the line up grid, but by the time I got there, 7 cars were in front of me. I tried making my way to the front but there was little room to pass cars in the staging area so I sat still knowing I could catch up on the track. We got going and finally I got out of the staging lane and on the track. My first thought was to get to my spot. We knew the car was good enough to run with these cars, the stop watch showed that. I slowly and carefully made my way through cars that were warming up their tires and after once around was up to about 4th and then realized I had not had any contact from my spotter. I got on the radio “test one, two, test”. There was no reply. I checked my ear plug to make sure it was in, because by now I should have heard something. Maybe they weren’t there yet. “Hello, test one two”, but still no reply. I checked the radio and it was on. The starter was moving me ahead, still a few cars to pass and it was me who was out of position, no one else. “Hello”!! I called a few more times, but still no response. I was a little desperate. I was almost in my position and I spotted Bob who was pointing to his head set, so I called out again. They could here me, but I couldn’t hear them. I didn’t want to take my spot, I absolutely hate driving driving these cars without a spotter because of the fact I cannot see any other cars. I do not want to wreck my car or anyone else, and not knowing where other cars are on the track is suicide. But, I decided to take the chance, maybe the boys would get their radio’s working, I hoped, but that wouldn’t happen because the problem was the rear conncection for my helmet, was not in far enough, and I could not reach it regardless. The green flew, so did the field. The bad decision came to bite me very quickly, and by this picture, a few of my good friends (well, they use to be), got wrecked, all starting just before the start finish line. Some have said it wasn’t my fault, it started behind me and I got turned because the car beside me was hit. I don’t know if any of that is the case, no driver has said that, there is no video, so I took ownership of it regardless. I made the rounds and apologized to my crew first, the #19, #40 and #48. Two of the three other teams were kinda okay, one not so much. I waited an hour before I went to them, but the heat of the moment sometimes lingers on for some. That’s all I can say now, but the whole story, including the amazing work of our crew will be on Diary Of A Season 2013, on our Message Board by tonight. Can’t do it today, I’m busy getting parts picked up, and stuff fixed…..Overall I am so blessed to have this awesome crew and the wonderful people surrounding me who are part of our team…….Thanks to Jason Witty for being forgiving, understanding and extending some grace, and he got it the worst. His car was brand new 🙁
Skid Plate Sparking
Getting In Every Race Possible Is Important….Not Pretty But We Got Back Out
Our crew worked very fast to get us back out for the heat race. We had no proper spare parts, and didn’t know all the damage at this point. Two bent shocks was obvious, but we also had damage to the right side lower control arm and spindle, as well as the left upper control arm. Taylor Holdaway loaned us the upper , and our team never stopped working to get the car ready for the 2nd heat…..one issue was the shock we had for the right front, it was too short and our car bottomed out going into the turn, sending an array of sparks from the skid plate bottoming out. After the second heat the crew made more changes, to make the car better for the main, in spite of the bent and wrong parts….…..I went to McColl’s on Monday to have all our front end parts checked, many needed replacing but we now have all the right parts to put the front end back together, and doors are being painted. We should be ready to go by Thursday, Friday at the latest…..once again, I can’t express the gratitude towards my crew, who worked together to get us the most competitive car possible for the feature.
The Rebuild
Reassembling Front End…..Crew Chief Bob Working On RF Shock
On Sunday all the parts were removed from the car. Then early Monday morning, Buttons and I headed to McColl’s to get all the suspension parts diagnosed. We did not want to take any chances of putting bent parts back on the car. The trip to Mikes was worth it, well, in terms of knowing what was good and what was no good. It didn’t take them long to see the lower control arm was done, the spindle, uppers on both sides, both shocks, . Most of what I took was damaged. Mike had all the parts, and thanks to the generosity of one of my sponsors, all these parts were covered…thank you!!!!….I returned home and at night Bob and I reassembled them in our garage. Taking the car to McColl’s would have been a huge expense, so we did save a ton by taking all the damaged parts off and putting them back on again…..the left side body brace and steel pipe from the frame to the roll cage was also bent, and we will get that fixed by Thursday. As well, the doors are painted and will be lettered today and installed tomorrow. We will put on the small decals, but the door numbers are beyond our capabilities, unless air bubbles and wrinkles are what you’re looking for, and no I’m not, so we’ll let the experts at Creative Edge put the big stuff on….we’ll set the bump stop, scale and car and go over it Thursday night and should be ready by late Thursday or at the latest Friday……thanks to everyone who has helped, both at the track and at home.
Iron Man Triple Crown Starts Tonight
Our Coupe Will Not Be In The First Iron Man Triple Crown Race
In late 2012 a few CVM members took the initiative to try to get more races at Flamboro Speedway. They succeeded in doing so, but committee officials did not want to fit the races into the regular schedule, and deemed them non points nights, something I find insane to have in a schedule for a few reasons, one the car count and two the perception by a promoter who is hoping and needs strong car turn outs. Though not racing full time with the CVM any longer, I was concerned about the decision to make the races non points, they only run 12 races to beging with. After some thought, our team decided to sponsor the three “non points” races and give them some meaning and life. The Iron Man Triple Crown idea was presented to the committee and accepted. Our team will put up cash and plaques to the top five in the mini series that begins tonight. I knew at the beginning I could not make any of the dates because of our commitment in the Late Model class at Sunset Speedway. We made arrangements with Tyler Brown to race our car a few times in 2013, including the Iron Man Triple Crown series. Unfortunately, Tyler did not get any seat time in our Coupe. The first time he set out to practice it rained, and last Tuesday he went to Flamboro Speedway and the rear end seized from no oil in the differential. That was totally my fault. I decided for the Mega Speed car show, not to put oil in the diff and do it before the car went out on the track. However, as most of you know, our race program with two Late Models, the Mini Stock, Go-Cart and Coupe was incredibly over the top busy and I messed up by not putting Quaker State in the rear end. The car is ready to go now, another set of gears and new driveshaft installed, but will not make the show tonight. With no hot laps, or previous CVM, or open wheel experience, Tyler and his team will not take the Coupe to Flamboro. I’m hoping it rains or freezes out at Sunset Speedway and I will race the car myself, but it looks like that won’t happen either. Kind of disappointing but humans make mistakes, at least this one does and it hurts to not be in this special race sponsored by our team. I hope there is a good turn out of cars and it’s a great show……….the Late Model was completed last night. Besides the suspension parts, wheels, tires, doors and numerous other little things, there were a dozen decals on each side of the car to be installed as well. The car is completely ready thanks to Bob, Dave, Eddie, Jim and Chris. If we do race, and it’s going to be very cold, we’re hoping for a better fate tonight…..Next weekend is a double header for us, we will run the Late Model Saturday at Sunset and the Coupe at Flamboro on Sunday….hope to see you there.
Bruce Rankin #55…2nd Heat
Woes Continue, But Team & Driver Are Not Giving Up
This past Saturday night sure was frustrating for our team. We missed warm ups after discovering a leaking water pump fitting. We tried to fix it, but lost time trying the repair making it impossible to get any practice. The leak was from the top of the water pump and new fittings and lots of tape didn’t stop it, in fact it got worse. Fred Holdaway came to our aid not only with a new water pump but also an hour’s worth of labour to help Matt Ryan and I get ready for our heat race. We finally got the new pump on, and discovered a very slight leak still from the fitting. We were able to race with it like that and would replace the fitting for next week…….David, Jim and Ken arrived just after 6, but in time to spot for us. Ryan was going to spot in practice but unfortunately we didn’t get out. With no hot laps we decided to take scratch in our heat, meaning we’d be scratch all night. That’s okay with me. When a car is struggling the best place is away from the action to dissect the problems. If you’re in the middle of a pack you’ll more than likely get pushed off the track because you can’t keep up. That was our issue all night; we couldn’t run with the cars we ran with in 2012. We know where part of the problem is and will fix that this week. There is a vibration in the driveline, the engine is flat power wise, and until those are fixed the handling will need to wait. The good news is we got out of Sunset Speedway without any further damage to the car and can start working on the other issues this week……..oh my, big plans turn into big disappointments, and so early in the season. It’s hard to imagine we are out of the points chase already, but reality says it’s so. A 17th and 19th in the features, and 4 heats races finishing at the back have accumulated very few points. We can argue it’s a long season, I can be accused of being a defeatist, but the truth is, even if we finished in the top 5 each night, the battle would be tough, now it is it’s certainly out of reach. If it appears I’m giving up, let’s be an optimist. There is a scenario, a way where we can bounce back and close the gap. To work it needs the top 8 cars right now, to all DNF over the next 2 weeks, but not on the same night. The top runners have to have nights like we’ve had including the heat races, where 20 points is earned by winning both heats. We’ve earned 4 points in 4 heats. If the Championship is out of reach, we can still shoot for a top 5, and if we get a long run of great finishes, maybe a top three. There is still a goal, it’s just been lowered a little…..thanks to Matt, Ryan, David, Jim and Ken for doing their best all night. We are working hard in specific areas this week with hopes of having a faster car this weekend.
Gehrig Has Great Night
Quaker State Mini Getting Better Every Race
After a top 10 feature finish in week one, Gehrig repeated that feat with an 8th on Saturday night at Sunset Speedway. Unfortunately he is out powered by the Mustangs and a few other cars, by a fair margin. However, he is learning how to race, making moves in traffic, avoiding contact with other cars and bringing his own car home in one piece. As well, Gehrig had two good heat finishes, taking a 3rd and 5th. He has improved a lot over 2012 already, and as his seat time accumulates, it will allow him to make up more ground in the corners. We encourage him to do his best and have fun. He has done awesome in the early going of 2013 recording four top five heat finishes and two strong feature runs……..His crew consisted of Mom Shirley, and sister Lauren this past week as two of his crew members were unable to make it out. Of course he has our boys to help him whenever or if ever he needs our support, we are one parking spot away…..Good show Gehrig, keep having fun.
Maybe This Weekend
Quaker State Team Anxious To Turn The Season Around
Some fans of mine were watching us race last Saturday night and heard a few around them comment why the #36 was holding back, staying back out of the action. Of course no one would know what was going on with our car, and could rightly assume that after a bad expensive wreck on opening night (ok, not as bad as last year) that maybe Gary was taking it easy and wanted to stay clear of the action so his car wouldn’t get wrecked again. I understand that thought, but it is a 180 degrees away from the truth of what was going on. It’s true for our first heat race, the decision to go scratch, to take it easy, was the plan because we missed hot laps. No crew, and an incredible streak of luck with failed parts kept us off the track for testing after our opening night, first race, first lap wreck. However, this comment was made during the feature, and in that race our plan was to race, not cruise and watch. If my racing gets to cruising, I’m selling everything, buying a 33 Chev Coupe and cruise with the other hot rodders and take it easy. But that was NOT the case. We set the car up the best we could with no testing and for the feature, since we were starting scratch would come into pit row for more chassis changes if needed. After 2 pit stops the car wasn’t pushing. I ran 3rd gear to pick up another 150 RPM and hit the chip once on the back chute. I love the “bap, bap bap” noise of the engine cutting out from hitting the rev limiter at the end of the back chute. Three times is perfect, maybe 2 is, but we hit it once, and only one time. At the end of the feature, turning times in the 15:3’s, faster than week one, though most all of our suspension parts were bent up, I was very frustrated. I was driving in as hard as I could, but had could not catch the pack. When the checker fell I radio’d to my crew “man, I can’t keep up with any of these guys, and many I could beat last year”….fast forward Monday night in the shop….timing mark is dead on, spark plugs look great, all valves are adjusted properly. We now check the throttle linkage, and I’m in the car and David leans over the engine and says “push it all the way down”. I do and then he says “what, are you kidding”. So far I like what I hear because everything else we checked was good. Then David asks me to do it again and says “Wow, I can’ believe this. Hey Bob check it out, Dad only has half throttle, no wonder he couldn’t keep up or get any power”. Now I was smiling, not upset that we missed it somewhere along the line, but glad that we found the reason for us being so far off. The last thing our team needed to do was to handicap the driver. We think it happened when I pulled the engine out at McColl’s. I honestly don’t care, I’m so glad we found it, now we need to readjust the chassis because it was pushing from me driving in too far. “Hey Dad, how did you hit the chip even once”……….Anyway, all of us are happy about this find, now we really need to find the handle on that checker flag.
CVM Season Opener May 19th Flamboro Speedway
We Start Our 42nd Season With CVM
From 1972 to 2004 we ran those 33 season missing only 15 nights in total. We had 25 of the 33 with 100% attendance. Thirty feature wins and quite a few checkers in heats and consi’s have made our tenure with the CVM a very memorable experience. The two Championships were awesome, very tough to get one in this club with so many talented racers. In 1989, our first Championship, there were 16 different feature winners, that was amazing. Over the years we ran 24 nights minimum and many of the seasons saw schedules with over 30 race nights. We are planning on running 4 events with the Hobby club in 2013, that will be 30% of the schedule, but it’s all we can commit to because of our Late Model schedule that is close to 25 nights………This class is nothing like Late Models, totally different in so many ways. Both classes require a different style of driving. The Late Model smooth, the CVM more agressive and kind of wild. Imagine the same engine as in our Late Model, only in a car that is 400 pounds lighter. Wow, if the Coupe had 8″ Hoosiers it would be an incredible ride, it is anyhow……….Our hope is to be competitive, but not racing with the club regularily makes running competitive very tough. I respect the boys racing now, and know even to keep pace with them will be a chore. However, I’m looking forward to racing in the season opener, our 42nd year, and hope for a clean finish and a competitive performance. Races start at 6, hope to see you there.
Billy “The Bump” Zardo Takes Feature Win
McColl Streak Comes To An End….Hanley Car Wins Feature
What a night for the Zardo family. Billy wins the very fast and competitive Late Model feature with a determined bump and run move on Mike Bentley going into turn three. Billy came off turn four beating “Lights Out” at the line. It’s the first win for a non McColl car in some time, and the first Late Model feature win for Billy Zardo in a while. Grandpa Bill Zardo came into our trailer asking us if we had Junior Hanley’s phone number, and we did, and we have Mike McColl’s to. David gave Bill senior the number and in an excited and shaking voice the Z’ called Junior to let him know the good news they finally won a feature…..just awesome for this family, we are very proud of them. congrats Billy for an exciting victory……..also congrats to Lane Zardo who finished 2nd in the Super Stock feature. It was a night of celebration for the 46 team, making everyone, especially Grandpa very proud…….the win by the Zardo team is manifest of how much all the competitors have stepped up their programs in 2013, and this one with success………I think there will be more new faces in the winners circle this year….good job Billy!!!!!
Chris Morrow #11
Sunset Speedway Ace Chris Morrow Currently 3rd In The 2013 Points Chase
Racing with Chris is fun because he has no interest in wrecking his own stuff and usually runs his competitors clean. Chris had a rough outing last week but has ran consistent in his heats and feature so far this season. Chris and his crew, like many others, are always willing to help teams who need parts or tips. The Morrow team is one of many bright spots at Sunset Speedway…….I really don’t need to give him so much room
Sunset Speedway May 25th
A Win Or Rain This Weekend….Either Would Be Good Right Now
I know what those who know me would think about me even hinting that rain would be a good thing. There is a good reason that I say that of course, and it has nothing to do with our performance, but rather that we are doing a show next week in Sturgeon Falls, and don’t really need any trouble this weekend. If we raced and won, it would be awesome. Maybe I should say if I actually raced at all this season it would be awesome. The past two seasons, including this one, have been crazy trying getting out of the gate quick and trying to catch up to our competitors. For the third time in my career, I’m the worst or slowest car on the track, and it hurts huge. The first time we held that recognition was in our Mini Stock days. We were terrible. My Dad often said “the only thing behind us is the next race”. That was brutal, not what he said, that was funny, but being so slow, in the way, not being able to keep up. Back then I was so stubborn, I raced everyone usually wrecking, rolling or wrecking them. But this year is nothing like that, or at least it should not have any comparison, but in the darkest sense, there is a likeness…….We are stunned beyond belief why our car is taking so long to run with the pack. It won’t turn, sometimes maybe, but 90% of the time it’s tight, pushing, plowing, washing up, over steering….whatever!!!! I’m not frustrated, I’m in shock, literally speechless when it comes to understanding why we are running so far off where we should be. A five year old come up to me a few weeks ago and asked “where’s the guy that drove that car last year”. I said “where’s your baby sitter”….just kidding, but now I get no respect, and it’s not that we’re not trying, it’s a combination of everything going wrong that could go wrong having a field day on our team. IF a rep from Murphy’s Law came by and we asked if there was anything we could do. He would say “no, this is awesome, you guys are writing your own chapter on what could go wrong will go wrong”. He’s right, but our team isn’t listening because we know we should be better, and though we’re close, we are still a long way from running with this very fast, stout pack of Limited ($50K each) Late Models. Our team needs a boost. I think we need to go in one of those Marathon’s with street runners. I know cars aren’t allowed, but winning that would give me some confidence. It’s crazy, my fans, friends, sponsors are all looking somewhat bewildered that our awesome looking race car is so inept. I have been frustrated before, years ago with blowing up the In Line Sixes so many times, but this is the most frustrating I’ve ever been. A good friend and sponsor used the term “we’re discouraged but not defeated”. Last week I was so dejected from not being able to keep up that I was almost in tears…WHAT!!!…yes tears, how is that fun???? Well the truth is, it’s not fun, but every Sunday after Church, I unload the car and get it ready for Monday night maintenance and repairs with my crew chief Bob, and now David (the other members live too far away to make it, or are working nights) and we give our selves a pep talk, find things wrong, or things that can be better and prepare for another week, there is no quitting. There have been 4 feature winners so far in 2013. I know the very competitive field at Sunset Speedway sees at least 4 or 5 more (excluding us) that could easily take the checker. If we can get the car right, and the power issue is just because of handling, I know without a doubt that a win would allow us to forget the first four nights of 2013. So this weekend we want to hold the checker in the feature…..or let it rain so we’re ready for our show next Friday and can rest next week…..thanks to my crew for not giving up….thanks to our sponsors for believing in us….thanks to Pamela Guppy for this great shot….more on the show early next week.
Gehrig Wins First Stock Car Race
What A Night For Gehrig….For All Of Us
Many of our friends and fans at the track, and of course us as well, could see that it wouldn’t be long before Gehrig ended up in Victory Lane. He made it twice on Saturday night picking up two heat wins, then capped off the night with a 7th in the feature. It was a great night for us to see him finally win a race. His car was equipped with 14″ tires from 15″. However the change was too much, making the car fast, but also gaining a lot of RPM. He was asked to run the middle of the track for the night until we could fix the problem by installing another transmission that would lower the RPM enough to allow him to race hard. Though still much better than all weeks prior, a transmission change is mandatory now, or the 7800 RPM will take out the engine. We’re looking for 7200 and then he can race anywhere on the track……..this was a very good points night for our Mini Stock team, securing his 5th place in the point standings…..congrats to Gehrig, Shirley, Nathan and Lauren for having a great night and making us all proud.
Arctic Ad For Friday June 7th
We Headed North To Sturgeon Falls For Show #4, To Support Our Sponsor Arctica Mechanical Services
Last year, as part of our sponsorship agreement with Arctica Mechanical Services, we agreed to come to Sturgeon Falls to put our car on display for their special promotional event with Reliance, the home heating product supplier. It was a good day, considering the threat of rain was in the forecast, however we were blessed to get the day in with the sun coming out a few times and many people dropping by…..thanks to West Nipissing Tribune for supplying us this Ad…..we have two more events coming up this week to celebrate Fathers Day. One at West Highland Baptist church, and the other at Clearview Community Church in Wasaga Beach.
As Si Would Say….”Wrong Way Jack”
Troubles Continue As A Brake Caliper Pin Let Go…….Lucky No Other Damage….Good Heads Up Andrew
I’ve been in slumps before, many over the years, but this one is so puzzling. We may have turned the corner with getting the car to handle, it seems better, but overall we are still not even where we were last year. Our car is lacking power punch. We’ve made some changes in the HP department and intend to make a few more. We are flat on the straights, and have needed to put more gear and tend to over drive to make up, but it’s not the answer, nor is it working. My crew are amazing, they know we can do better and none are giving up. I’m trying not to make my disappointment an issue, but it is very frustrating to say the least, and I think if you get punched enough, soon you just get use to it, and I’m almost there. I would hate to accept the fact that not being competitive is the norm for this year, but that’s been the story so far in 5 nights at Sunset………in this awesome Pamela Guppy shot, Andrew Kamrath #35 hits the dirt and both #19 Jason Witty and #35 Scott Beatty go around and all is well…….the crew got the car ready for the feature and though we handled perhaps the best yet, we were clearly suffering in the power department, not a lot, but enough to only allow us to keep up. Maybe next week we find the cause, we’re working on it, and we’ll get it.
Out Of Sinc At Sunset Speedway
What’s Wrong With This Car?????
To look at it, maybe nothing seems amiss, it’s a great looking race car, but stats from the first five nights, and watching us on the track, has raised concerns, and prompted some to ask “what’s wrong with the car”. So far in 2013 we have not finished better than 10th in the feature, or 4th in the heats. Our car was suffering handling problems the first few weeks, but we seem to have the handle on that now….we think! What seems clear to us, to me, is the power. Our car can run with the pack, at the back, explaining why no feature better than 10th, but has no power to maneuver past other cars. We can’t beat cars we passed in 2012, and our car should be a much better piece, we invested in all the right places. Here’s what we think is wrong, or at least the cause of our ineptness. I’ve been complaining most all of this early season, that I can barely keep up with the competition. We’ve finally got the handling very close, but at times I have been over driving the turns, causing issues with getting our car to turn. I drive too hard in and the car pushes up, or I get on the gas too soon and the car washes up. So why am I overdriving? The reason is simple, to make up for not enough power. The impressions and feedback from our crew, fans and sponsors is that we are close, but lacking that jam needed to get in the hunt, to battle for an elite position, in our case anywhere in the top 10, although the magic number for me is top 5. I want so bad to be competing with the best cars, but we’re not there yet. This week we’ve made some changes to the car suggested by VDL carb expert Dan. If these don’t work, our next move is to do a leak down test of our new 602 Crate engine. If the numbers show more than 6% loss in pressure, we may be looking at either replacing or fixing our engine. If that’s the case, it would be kind of a shock to me. The motor only has 6 nights on it, one last year and the rest in 2013. I did the break in process exactly like the book said, time consuming, but exactly to the letter of the steps to properly break in that engine. Our hope for this weekend is to be competitive. It’s possible Dan may have turned us around, because we’ve done exactly everything he said to do, but we won’t know until Saturday. It’s been such an incredibly frustrating season for my awesome crew as well, and for their sake I want to see us run competitive. Talking to one of our crew members, he has suggested that I take my eyes off everything and just have fun. He sees my stress, in fact all my crew do, and all have tried to get me to take it easy because this has really got to me. My crew now are suggesting not to worry about points, finishes or what anyone thinks, just have fun and we’ll keep working at it until we get our car to where we should be. They all know very well, that having fun is not usually attained by the way we’ve ran so far this year, but their point is well taken. Once we find the main culprit, we think it’s to do with the engine now, we will be having fun because we’ll find ourselves potentially getting a chance to hold the checker flag, or certainly a podium finish. Any solid run will bring a smile, and smiles are consistent with fun. Our hope is that we get it right this weekend, and put the first five nights behind us, and to this point in the season, there hasn’t been anything we’d want to remember in those first five nights………Saturday morning we are on display in Hamilton at the West Highland Baptist church classic car show. We will be there from 9 until 12, drop by and see all the beautiful hot rods, and our awesome looking Quaker State Impala……..oh and maybe give us a hug, it should help, although a good night at Sunset Speedway will do wonders.
Was This Exactly What It Looked Like Or Different?
Chris Morrow Get’s Caught In Front Chute Wreck…That Should Never Have Happened
This mess happened with three laps to go. Walters lapped all but 7 cars before a caution on lap 58. He was much faster than he was the night before, not even close. On about lap 62, he was spun out by Mike Bentley with 13 to go. I don’t get that either. How Mike would not be able to race hard against Tom and not spin him is puzzling. Most racers when they get a car sideways a little back out. when any of these guys hit someone it’s over, someone gets turned, mostly because they don’t really care. Both cars went to the rear (6th and 7th). Walters was clearly the fastest car on the track, by far, no one had anything for him. He moved from the 6th to 2nd in less than 10 laps passing some very fast cars like they were broke. He got into 2nd and was quickly running down Dwayne Baker with 6 to go. Baker was fast but we all could see Tom was quicker. It looked like the 47 would catch him at the end but maybe not have enough time to pass. However, with three laps to go the yellow came out, making for potentially, a very exciting finish…..On the restart they ran hard into one, side by side. Going down the back chute Walters moved slightly ahead as the cars flew into three. Tom got a good run off four and Baker was inside but just before the start finish the 48 moved up catching the rear quarter of the 47 turning him into the inside cement wall. Walters bounced off the wall and was t-boned by Chris Morrow #11 who could not stop. Baker spun out going into one…….First off, Tom didn’t cut down. He was ahead by 3/4 of a car. All he had to do was go into turn one, leave the bottom open for a hard dive by the 48 and then smoke Baker down the back chute. Dwayne had to settle for 2nd, he was the 2nd fastest at that point, Bentley was the 2nd fastest, but didn’t have enough time to get up with too many cars between him and Baker…..so why did this happen????….was it an accident, really? Who was spotting for the 48, why was he up in the high lane when there was no room? He’s a Champion, and surely would know there was no room, unless he was told it was clear and it clearly wasn’t…..Walters was furious after the wreck and tried to get at Baker, but was restrained….the worst part of this deal was the wreck of Chris Morrow #11, he got caught up in it. As much as Walters detests me, because I want fair racing, I feel he this deal was just as wrong against him. It was his race to win and he should not have been turned, mistake or not. But was it a mistake, a spotter error, or a driver not listening to the spotter? I think it had to be, because the only other conclusion was that Baker deliberately turned Walters. They’ve been buddies since the winter, or at least have shown that in public and at the track, laughing, talking. I suspect Baker will call Walters and apologize. I hope so, he should, but what’s more important is that if he doesn’t we could see retaliation and that kind of garbage hurts innocent racers who go to have fun, like Morrow. I get that it’s racing and stuff happens, but deliberate stuff should be punishable by a suspension. If it was an accident, then lets hear it, from both sides. Hopefully Tom gets his car fixed, and the apology as well, then we all can move on.
Dwayne Baker Makes It Right
There Was An Apology, An Explanation, No Intent To Wreck, Just Trying Hard To Win
In this controversial incident, many racers, fans and those truly concerned about the sport in general wondered what happened to create this very bad wreck. There was severe damage to a few cars, and damage to others caught up in the melee’. Everyone from the Sunset Speedway area knows of the feud between Tom Walters and Dwayne Baker, from an incident 2 years ago. Maybe what some don’t know is that Dwayne and Tom had since made amends, it was over. This past winter and the since the season began they had been talking, and socializing, with no issues on the table at all. This wreck certainly caused many to think that maybe the feud wasn’t over. Even Tom got out of his car and had to be restrained by the officials to stop him from going after Dwayne Baker to at least yell at him. Adrenalin fuel does amazing things. Getting wrecked while leading a 75 lap race certainly produces even more adrenalin. Many of us were left to our own conclusions. Our assumptions from what we saw were the same opinions used by any human whether on staff, promoting or being on one of the two teams involved. There would be some who were adamant it was deliberate, there would be others who blamed Walters, some Baker, others just kind of stunned by it. The fans would have the right to call it like they seen it. After all, that’s what referees, umpires, judges and race directors do, they call it like they seen it and sometimes they get the agreement of the majority, other times they don’t, sometimes they are right, sometimes they’re not….I phoned Dwayne because I do respect him as a racer and I really believe he cares about the sport and all the aspects of it, and I wanted to know what happened. He said sincerely that it was an accident, he got into Tom. He got high, thought maybe he got loose coming off four and on correcting, his front end got into the rear bumper of the #47. He also said it was an accident, his fault perhaps, but not intentional. He said Walters door slammed him in one and two, but that was racing as they both touched a few times trying to get the win…….coming off four Dwayne had no choice but to surrender the lead, or give it all he had. He still wanted to win. Tom had the outside and preferred lane, so Dwayne jammed the gas as soon as he could to stay close. In doing so his car broke loose, and resulted in the two cars locking front and rear horns, as shown in this great shot by Ashley McCubbin…….in the picture below, I felt that if this was the case, that Dwayne should apologize if he felt it was his, and to his credit he did do that, although he felt it was a racing deal. The apology was more because it happened rather than admission of full guilt, because much of this was from hard racing. The most amazing news is that Dwayne offered his spare car to Tom for next weekend, if his does not get fixed in time. What a gesture by Baker, first class all the way, and such good news to hear……maybe a lesson to be learned by many racers, crew members and those on teams that get messed up. When someone apologizes, understand the humility expressed and accept it with grace. Maybe the person has no car to offer, no garage to fix it, but it shouldn’t be a political thing, it should be a sign that a racer made a mistake, or at least felt the need to make it right. When you don’t accept it, you leave it on the table kind of simmering, and you disrespect the one apologizing. Remember, none of us are perfect.
Quaker State Promotion
Promoting Quaker State, And All Our Sponsors At True North Chevrolet….June 21st In North Bay
We have been invited to attend a big promotional event in North Bay at True North Chevrolet. It was only 2 weeks ago that we went to Sturgeon Falls to support one of our sponsors, Arctica Mechanical Services. It sure is beautiful up that way and I’m looking forward to the trip and spending the day at the GM Dealership….we will give away some of our Quaker State 40th Anniversary souvenir books for prizes for the True North customers, also hand out Sunset Speedway souvenir programs, and sign our autograph cards……This will be our 7th show of 2013. It is very important for us to support our sponsors every chance we get, and even though this event is aimed at selling and promoting Quaker State Full Synthetic oil, all our sponsors benefit when we hand out our autograph cards and talk about our various sponsors…..the management team of True North are excited to have us, and I can’t wait to get there and show our car, our sponsors and our sport….if you’re going through drop by, the car will be at True North from 9am until 4pm, or longer if there are people asking questions or wanting to see the car…..I return Saturday to race at Sunset Speedway on June 22nd, where I meet my crew and hopefully get a chance to hold a checker flag…..maybe see you at Sunset Speedway on Saturday, races start at 6:30.
North Bay Display Great Success
A Little Rain On Friday….Sunset Speedway Gets Cancelled Today From Rain & Threat Of More Rain
We travelled to North Bay Ontario to be part of a community event held by True North Chevrolet. It rained a little in the morning and again around noon, but after that it was just overcast but no rain. This amazing Dealership offered a barbeque to those who attended, which was anyone who came in. True North is one of the biggest Dealers in the area, selling the most trucks, and the most Quaker State………Mat Noualy had his rock crawling vehicle on display as well. Mat competes regularly in rock climbing competition. This was the 2nd show we did together, the first at New Roads Chevrolet in New Market………I headed to Sunset Speedway on Saturday morning. My crew were going to meet there. I was the first car at the track. Soon the rain came, then it stopped. However with the threat of rain in the area suppose to be on and off all day, the Sunset staff decided to cancel the races for this week………our next display is tomorrow, a private affair, I will post on that after I get pictures, and our next race is at another one of my favorite tracks, Sauble Speedway. The first of a home and home series put on by the track owners and promoters…..an awesome idea.
Gary Baverstock Coldwell Banker Function
Show #8…Butterflies in 3D
We were invited to attend Gary and Debbie Baverstock’s special event for their clients, friends, family and neighbors. There were over 150 adults and kids who came to spend a few hours of their day. They went through the conservatory, saw insects, butterflies up close, had strawberry short cake, and got a close look at our race car, many kids big and small got in our car for a picture. We handed out autograph cards, our Quaker State 40th anniversary book as well as the Sunset Speedway schedule. It was very hot and humid, I’m not complaining, it was better than rain, and much better than being cold, it was an awesome day, well planned and attended……….I got a chance to go through the “conservatory”. what an experience!!! It was so peaceful in there. The butterflies flew right up to those walking around, it was as though they were in 3D, or that I was in a 3D movie, it was weird. They flew up in slow motion, so content and friendly. It was beautiful, peaceful and so nice to see the many varieties and colors of butterflies. There was a glass display of cock roaches, that was as Borat would say “Not so nice”………I was like a kid in there, it was a great day, and now after the rain out this weekend, we have 8 race nights and 8 shows/events….next weekend will change that with a double header, Late Model at Sauble Speedway Saturday for the Home and Home series, and then race our 33 Chev Coupe at Sunset Speedway on Sunday for the CVM special…..no rain please!!!
Sauble Sunset Home & Home Series
Promoters Work Together To Have An Exciting Series….Home & Home Show #1 Suable Speedway
This is a great idea, and I hope it’s just as great a success. These two tracks have always been my favourite over the years for many reasons. They have done excellent work in trying to make our sport alive, interesting, fan driven, sponsor supportive and providing a great venue to race…….Sauble is a very stable track, balanced overall, but offers two lanes of racing, although things can get nuts coming off four if your side by side. Respect is needed here, but this short 30 lap feature will have all the ingredients of a 100 lapper for many reasons. The line up will be stellar because all the top shoes at Sunset will be racing against the top racers at Sauble. Every car is getting 100 points to show up, whether they make the show or not. I’m not sure the format, it doesn’t say how many qualify out of each heat, but I suspect there will be 30 cars, ten in each heat, 6 qualify through the heat races, giving us 18 cars, and the final 6 spots will be earned by the top 6 in the consi, or last chance. It will be exciting for sure……I like the idea of this home and home series, it’s brilliant and I hope it continues, but maybe make it 50 laps instead of 30, and for sure, get the purse up. The payoff is weak and should have been improved to help with travelling, but even more, because it’s going to be a good draw with a lot of strong running Ontario Late Model drivers fighting for a spot in the feature……we have done well in the past, 2nd in 2008, in the Quaker State 100 and qualifying pole in 2009 with David inside and us outside, but we both had mechanical failures…..I like the track, so my attitude will be good. The built engines at Sauble are stout, so the parity may not be so close, but some of the altered, rebuilt Crates from Sunset may have a chance….hope you can make it, if nothing else it should be a barn burner for the win, we hope to be a contender, and we’ll know by the 2nd set of hot laps.
Sunset Speedway CVM Feature
Our Best Feature Finish In 2013…So Far…Comes In Our 33 Chev Vintage Modified
After a decent run Saturday at Sauble in the Late Model, I couldn’t wait to get in the Vintage Modified and see how it would run after Ron Easton changed the front end geometry. Tyler liked it at Flamboro 2 weeks ago and finished 9th in the feature, although he was up to 6th. The car ran well, still stiff to steer, even once it’s going, but handles much better than when I drove at Flamboro on May 19th…..there were 21 cars and we finished 5th, taking the spot on the final lap coming off turn four…..our next Coupe race will be Delaware, and the final show at Sunset Speedway’s Velocity weekend….thanks to Alain Thiboutot for this great picture.
Back To Sunset Speedway
Regular Racing Resumes At Sunset Speedway July 6th
All regular classes will return for racing tonight at Sunset Speedway. The Home and Home series with Sauble Speedway last weekend was a great success, that special continues next weekend when Sauble cars come to Sunset………Gehrig has been running very strong this season and currently holds on to 4th place in the points. Warren Paxton #33, the Sunset Speedway 2012 Mini Stock Champion is at the top of the class so far in 2013. Should be a good night of racing, very very hot in the race cars with the humidity high today….we are hoping to turn our Late Model campaign around. It’s been a tough season so far but things have improved lightly the last two outings…..races start at 6:30
Sunset Speedway Feature July 6th
First Time To Qualify In 2013…..Fall Back To 9th…..Slight Push Enough To Kill Us
In this Ashley McCubbin photo, we are leading the feature on lap three, but it’s short lived and over the next 27 laps we lose one position every 3 laps………There was a bright spot in qualifying. Our combined heat race finishes of a 5th and 8th finally gave us enough points to get our handicap spot for the feature, pole…..On the green and for a two laps, Frank Davey #49 and I ran side by side. I got a push and went a little high in the middle of one and two and Anthony Simone #95 got under and pulled me down the back chute, he has a built engine. We raced into three, 3-wide, 95-36-49. This picture shows us coming off turn four. I lead this lap but that’s it. Simone got by, then the #88, another built engine, then the #29 and for the next 24 laps we lost a spot every 3 laps or so to 6 more cars, it was a bad feeling……we did have a handling problem, but not that severe, at least not that I could tell inside the car. Perhaps I should have slowed down a little going into the turns. I tend to go in too hard, and that can make the car push coming off the turns……As the race progressed I was losing confidence, feeling I was in the way as my spotter kept telling me cars were inside. I trust my spotter fully and if he says inside I’m not diving down, I will stay up. Even more so when I want to go high, I will hold my spot until I am clear to go high because I do not want to wreck my car or anyone else’s…….we finished 9th, and though it was our best feature finish of 2013, I was just over the top stressed about it. I feel so bad for all our team, our sponsors, fans and most of all our crew, who work so hard and cannot get a break performance wise on the track. I don’t think the car was that bad and at the end of the race we were in a pack of cars, but starting first and finishing 9th, isn’t good enough for us this time of the season, we need to get better finishes. I will admit, the car was better in warm ups and in the second heat race. We need to concentrate on getting our car to turn, period. If our car did respond better in the turns I think we may have finished a few spots better, maybe a top five. We will work on the car this week and improve it for next weekend…….thanks to all my crew for sticking with me, it’s been tough and I sense we will get a break-through, I just hope it’s soon.
Race Camp Sunset Speedway Correction
Exciting Race Camp Coming….Still Room Left For Kids!!!…Family Faith Night on Saturday July 20th
The first ever SU Motor Racing Camp will be held at Sunset Speedway from July 16th to July 19th, followed by Family Faith Night on July 20th. There is still room left for your children or grand children to be part of this special exciting week. Go to scriptureunion.ca/innisfil and register your son or daughter for this camp that will include Go Cart rides, a seminar about racing with our Quaker State Late Model, many fun games and gifts including a ticket to the VIP area on July 20th Family Faith Night. I will also be giving our 40th Anniversary Quaker State books to every child that is registered.
Kings & Classics Car Show
On Display All Day At Rockton Fair Kings and Classic’s 6th Anniversary
Rockin” Ray Michaels, radio personality from CKOC 1150 held his 6th Kings and Classic event at Rockton Fair. There were 10 Elvis impersonators competing in the show and 50 beautiful classic cars. Here we are setting up early. It was a hot day but the music was great and we had an awesome time….I got to meet stock car Ace, Harvey Walsh who drove a Late Model back in the early 60’s. He was #49. There were other racers there, including the only used parts peddler. Bryon had some amazing pictures of Super Modified racers from back in the day, Oswego, Flamboro, Nilestown, Delaware and many other tracks. It was a good day, and Button’s wouldn’t let me out of her site. She had a good time as well…..off to Motor Racing Camp this week coming until Friday….this little dog is such a blessing. She is a family dog, but wants to go with me everywhere I go. She goes to the Go-Cart races with Shirley and then to Sunset at night, loves the cars, and people. She watches me like a hawk, every move.
Scripture Union Supports Sunset Speedway
Thanks To Our Sponsor Scripture Union For Being Part Of Our Awesome Sport
Next Saturday night is Family Faith Night Sunset Speedway. Many of the Sunset teams support the track by introducing to their sponsors the possibility of sponsoring a night. The track puts that revenue to good use and the sponsor gets exposure at one of the best race tracks in North America. Each of us, drivers, crew, family, other sponsors, need to help our race tracks as much as possible, we help ourselves when we help track promoters and sponsors. We should also thank Nightly Sponsors for supporting our sport, so thank you Scripture Union for being involved at Sunset Speedway………and of course with our team……sorry that I did not update Diary OF A Season 2013, Race #12. It was very hectic the past 2 days with the car show Sunday and heading to the kids camp today, there was no time….next week or by the end of this week for sure….thanks for visiting our web site.
Scripture Union Motor Racing Camp A Blast
Kids Get Ready To Hit The Track
We got this neat picture thanks to Sarah, the Motor Racing Camp leader. The kids loved the race camp week at Sunset Speedway, run by Scripture Union. In spite of the heat and humidity it was informative, exciting and most of all fun. I got to show them our race car up close and teach a few basics with a spiritual conclusion. I thoroughly enjoyed the week. Thanks to the staff from Scripture Union and Steve Slaughter for working so good with me and to the kids for making the week a memorable and joyful experience for me….we gave away our Quaker State 40th Anniversary book, Bibles, a CD and a football supplied by Permatex, one of our sponsors…..Here Ighor gets ready to lead Nathan, Mikey, Abby, Anthony and Cam out on the track for testing and some fast laps.
Delaware Speedway Tonight
5 Race Nights, 6 Features In 10 Nights
We will be busy the next week. Starting tonight until next Sunday we will compete in 5 shows at 3 different tracks. It starts tonight with the Outlaw Pro 4 and our CVM 33 Chev Coupe at Delaware Speedway. Then on Tuesday I head to Sauble Speedway, we were invited by the track to come up Tuesday night and show our car on the beach for Cruise Night to display the various race cars at Sauble, and to compete in the 50 lap Dash for Cash on Wednesday . The next weekend, the long weekend, we have a double header at Sunset Speedway, regular racing Saturday night and a 75 lap Late Model Invitational on Sunday. Special thanks to Dave, Terry and Cliff Hodgkinson for giving me the ride in the Pro 4 and suggesting to letter it like our car…we almost had it painted but the humid weather made it impossible….we are at 2472 races in our chase for 2500. We have a contest through our new Quaker State 40th Anniversary book. Books are being sold at Sunset Speedway with a $1 from every sale going to the Food Bank in Innisfil….most of my crew are off this week, although Matt and Don are coming this weekend.
Historic Win…36th Career Feature Win
Outlaw Pro Four Brings First Ever Feature Win At Delaware Speedway July 26th
What an amazing night for us at Delaware Speedway. A night to remember and break some long draughts. This was our first feature win in 5 years, our 36th career win, but more importantly, our first ever at Delaware Speedway. We had a few 2nds at the big half in the Coupes over the years, but never a win. I was intimidated at the start to race this Outlaw Pro Four against the club veterans, and on a big fast track. I wasn’t really comfortable with the car. I didn’t know it very well. We had one lap in practice before an oil cap came off and I had to pull back into the pits. I missed the rest of the practice sessions, but we did find the oil cap……Matt, Cheryl and Don came with me and they were a big help, trying to run two race cars, the Outlaw and the CVM…….I must admit the Pro 4 was excellent in power and handling. We won our heat from the pole and the feature from 7th. It was our first ever feature win at Delaware and came in a car I was in for the first time…..I want to thank Dave Hodgkinson, his wife Terry, their son Cliff and daughter Lisa for all their help. it was a great fun night for us, and I am truly grateful. I’ve been having a terrible season with the Late Model and this helped restore some confidence….thanks Matt, Cheryl and Don for being there to help and part of this historic night.
Sauble Speedway July 31st
Dash for Cash Wednesday Night July 31st Sauble Speedway
This Wednesday night we head north to Sauble for their first Dash for Cash race. It’s a 50 lap race and we’re looking forward to race with the boys at Sauble Speedway. The mid week race will be our 17th night of the season. On Tuesday I will put my car on display at the Beach to support the show with other racers……On Monday night, Matt, Gehrig and Steve Cashmore joined me at Mike McColls to go over our car. We found a lot of things wrong with the car and hopefully we have got it to the point of being able to turn better. Sauble will be a good test because being tight or having a push is very common at the small, fast, beautiful oval……this coming weekend we are back at Sunset Speedway for a double header on Saturday and Sunday.
Chassis Tune Up At McColls
Hoping To Get This MIA Back On Track
We went to McColl Enterprises on Monday night to go over the car complete. Mike changed a few things. It started with ride height. I am so dumb, I thought they checked with me in the car, and apparently it’s with me not in the car, so our 5 3/4 ride height was a little high. We also changed the front shocks, the right front spring, the right rear spring the right rear axle and made some other changes I can mention in case Mike Bentley or Tom Walters read this and find out…..kidding…..anyway when we left the car was in Mikes eyes, much better. We did get some hot laps at Sauble and the car was much more on the loose side. Mike was there and made another change but rains spoiled our hopes of racing and we ended up going back to the Sunset set up…….special thanks to Matt Smith, Steve Cashmore, Paul Geniole Jr. and our grand son Gehrig for coming and helping me. Let’s hope we can get our car back in the action because for sure so far in 2013 we have been Missing In Action…..hey where’s that Outlaw Mod’
Sauble Speedway Promoting At The Beach
Classic Car Show Awesome Place To Promote Sauble Speedway
I headed up to Sauble Beach on Tuesday during the day, got my room in Owen Sound and then got to the beach around 6. There were 152 Classic cars and close to 800 people. The show was a great success for Sauble Speedway. Jason Thom, track owner, asked me to come up to the Cruise Night back at the Mega Speed show and I agreed. The plan was to be at this event on Tuesday, stay over, then race the Dash for Cash the next day. The show was a tremendous success. I started signing autographs around 6:40. Someone asked me if I was going to get around and see the cars and of course I thought for sure I would. But the race cars were such an attraction for those there that I never stopped signing autograph cars, or having kids in our car until 9 pm. It was an awesome and busy night…… the bad news was we got rained out on the Wednesday, but did get to practice with the car on the track and it felt very good, a little loose but otherwise awesome…….I am slowly catching up on the race reports, three more to do.
Gold Rush Coming Soon
Kenny Wallace To Drive Quaker State Car Pro Late Model
It is with great pride that we announce officially that Kenny Wallace will be driving our Quaker State Pro Late Mode on August 19th. I have re-skinned, repainted and decaled this car and will have it equipped with new wheels for the 100 lap race coming in less than 2 weeks. David still owns this car and will help in the crew with Junior Hanley, Jim Hulzinga and Bob Periera. We are also setting up a display for the rest of our cars and selling tickets to our friends, fans and sponsors. If you would like tickets, please contact me by email, on here or by phone……..our email is gelliot@cogeco.ca….the rain date is on Tuesday the 20th…….hope to see you there.
Kenny Wallace Qualifies Pole
Bright Moment For Kenny Wallace, Our Team & The 100 Plus Guests
What a night to remember for us. Kenny Wallace is a great person, a fine gentleman, awesome racer and filled with grace to sign so many autographs, give pictures and answer questions all night. He was amazing to work with, just a great guy………Our entire team, sponsors and guests were ecstatic. First our car was fast enough to put Kenny Wallace on the pole position. Thanks to David, Junior Hanley, Jim, Bob, Eddie, and Jason for doing their best to get the car race ready and prepared for Kenny. There was a lot to do on race day. The seat, radio’s and steering wheel were a few things that needed to be altered, but the boys got it done. David tested the car and had it set up to be very competitive. Once Kenny arrived he got some hot laps and felt comfortable. Then he did his part by getting the fastest lap time……..I was busy with our display, wearing my promoters hat. Once I saw our car on the top of the score board I was so pumped and when it stayed there it was a joyous moment, we were all very proud…….I also had lots of help with the display, and we’ll have pictures up for that as well and soon……there are so many people to thank and I will get those who helped with the display on the next picture.
Mayhem Lap One…Turn One
Wow, Spun Going Into Turn One On Lap One…….Really!!!
Man oh man, Kenny Wallace was furious after being dumped going into turn one. He was so upset and kept asking David to let him know when he was back up to the car that spun him. He was really pissed off, but the shocking part wasn’t the dump it was the fact the dumper didn’t go to the back. That made him mad as well. How surprised do you think we were with that call, or non call. Someone asked if I was coming back to Flamboro in 2014, because the cost of towing to Sunset and back must be killing me…..it only took a lap for me to know it won’t be happening. The leader gets spun out right off the bat, and the car that spun him keeps his spot….Wild….Kenny was interviewed after the race and commented very gracefully on that deal. He never did get an apology, but then again, neither did Shawn Chenoweth and his deal cost him $6000…….David was able to talk to Kenny and he calmed down after a while, doing a great job working his way back up to 4th. He didn’t have to worry about getting revenge on the car that took him out, that driver ended up taking himself out near the end, almost wrecking one of his buddies in the process.
Chaos, Mayhem Strike On Lap One
.jpg)
No Way….Dumped On Lap One, Of The Gold Rush…..Really????
Man oh man, Kenny Wallace was furious after being dumped going into turn one. He was so upset and kept asking David to let him know when he was back up to the car that spun him. He was really pissed off, but the shocking part wasn’t the dump it was the fact the dumper didn’t go to the back. That made him mad as well. How surprised do you think we were with that call, or non call. Someone asked if I was coming back to Flamboro in 2014, because the cost of towing to Sunset and back must be killing me…..it only took a lap for me to know it won’t be happening. The leader gets spun out right off the bat, and the car that spun him keeps his spot….Wild….Kenny was interviewed after the race and commented very gracefully on that deal. He never did get an apology, but then again, neither did Shawn Chenoweth and his deal cost him $6000…….David was able to talk to Kenny and he calmed down after a while, doing a great job working his way back up to 4th. He didn’t have to worry about getting revenge on the car that took him out, that driver ended up taking himself out near the end, almost wrecking one of his buddies in the process.
Team Photo With Kenny Wallace
Quaker State Team Has Awesome Night
We won the pole, finished 4th in the feature. Had all our cars on display. We featured all our sponsors, had over 100 guests join us, and the night was nearly perfect, but regardless we consider this night a great success for our team, sponsors and Kenny Wallace…..in this picture we have from left to right….our Crew Chief from 2005 to 2010, Jim Hulzinga, our current Crew Chief Bob Pereira, hard working Matt Smith from Wasaga Beach, Me, NASCAR star Kenny Wallace, Jason Green who crews for both the Mini Stock and Late Model, Eddie Askin David’s Crew Chief, Paul Johnson, sponsor and CEO of Open Doors and on the far right, owner of the Late Model pictured here, multi champion, Car Chief for our Late Model at Sunset Speedway and favourite son, David Elliott. This was a great night for all of us.
Buttons Likes The Torque Sequence
New Mini Stock Engine Gets Reassembled…..Jason Green & Buttons Help
After blowing the engine in last weeks feature it looked grim for us to get back out this weekend. Through the generous sponsorship of Mike Van Slingerland, we got an engine and now it’s in the car and running. Shirley had to drive to Kingston to get the engine and with the help of Gehrig, Nathan, Jason and Grandpa we got it in and running……I hadn’t worked on a blown engine situation for a long time, at least not where the transferring of parts was needed. We blew up over 50 inline-six engines during our time with the Hobby Club but after a few under our belt it became easier and we could do it at the track in less than 2 hours, plus we had lots of help from other racers who knew what to do with the inline when it blew up…..the Honda was a challenge for me, but I got to give credit to Gehrig and Nathan for hustling to get the engine out and working late Friday night to finish attaching all the parts and get in running….good job boys. Gehrig is 4th in points and needed to get back out to keep his awesome season going. So thank you Mike for getting us this engine we truly appreciate it very much.
Lauren Has Good Run In Go Cart
Lauren’s Great Run Starts The Day Off Right For All Our Teams
This has been a tough year for Lauren and our Quaker State Go-Cart team. She has been pushed around a lot, but through that she has become stronger, staying quiet yet focused when she gets in her Cart. She had a great run on Saturday finishing 7th, 4th and 6th in her two heats and feature. She is much more consistent now, and has been running very well against the tougher teams. Lauren is 10th in points, with two events to go and is only 4 points out of 9th and 11 out of 8th….In this Debbie-Jo Zardo picture she is running with points leader #02 Tyler Paquette. Our hope is to move Lauren to Mini Stocks in 2014.
Markvile Chevrolet Buick GMC This Friday
Quaker State Team On Display Friday August 30th
Come and visit us at the Markville Chevrolet-Buick-GMC dealership on highway 7, just east on the 404. We will be there from 10 until 4. This will be our 14th show of 2013 and we’re looking forward to help sell some Quaker State Full Synthetic oil. Hope to see some of our friends and fans there.
On Track Celebration
Thank you Sunset Speedway For Recognizing Our 2500th Race & Allowing This Moment To Be A Great Memory
The owners and promoters of Sunset Speedway extended an awesome memory to my team and I by taking the time, 30 minutes, to recognize our 2500th race. It was before the start of the feature, and all drivers got out of their cars and joined in this group shot with our team. Sunset management had this beautiful sign made up as well, a keep sake to go into our museum. I can’t thank them enough…..I’m also thankful to the fans who were awesome and made us feel this night was important to them as well, and that our team is part of the family at Sunset Speedway. Spencer Lewis was great as always, knowing how to make any event exciting, but really exciting for us. He was so classy and elegant in his pre interview hype and asking questions…..I must thank my wife, my children, my pit crews over the years, all my sponsors, promoters and race fans for making these past 2500 races such an incredible journey…….God bless everyone for this sport, the excitement, but most of all the relationships with awesome people, because the bottom line is the people and we are so blessed to have so many great friends and acquaintances……PS….I’m not retiring, we reached a milestone, and we still want to win a Championship, (40 more HP will help), we still want to race with my son and grandson or grand daughter in a series together and on the horizon is a consecutive night streak that is currently at 681 nights run without missing any. We could be a member of the 700 Club next spring.
David Gets Dad Ready For Milestone Race
The Moment……..Getting Ready To Run Race # 2500
After a great memorable pre race ceremony, prepared by the promoters of Sunset Speedway, who also made an amazing beautiful 2500 sign, David buckled me in for the feature and our 2500th race. We were pumped to reach this plateau, and the fans were pumped with us. It was so nice to have all of the drivers out on the track with our crew to celebrate this moment……There could be other racers with 2500 races, they would have had to keep track like I did. I started keeping stats back in 72. My first 3 years for Mini Stocks was in our books but not to the detail from 72 and on. A driver would not only have needed to keep track but had to run a lot of races every season. It’s not easy in Canada because we don’t start until late April or early May and stop by September or early mid October. If a racer drove 2 races a night, heat and feature and ran 25 nights, he would have 50 races in one year and 2500 after 50 seasons. Some of us ran more than 2 a night, max of 3, heat, consi and feature, or double heats and a feature, or still a heat, semi and feature. There were times when we ran the heat and consi and did not qualify and only had 2 races. Other times we did not start the heat, ran the consi and got in, or didn’t get in, maybe only made one race that night, or if we wrecked bad in warm ups, maybe no races. Some classes now only run a 12 race schedule. That would be 24 races a year at 2 a night and would take 104 years to reach 2500. Our average is 2.18 races per night and 25.38 race nights per year. Back in the early 70’s and 80’s the Hobby’s, CVM ran 30 plus nights a year, and in 1990 we ran 39 nights. Our team has averaged 25 nights per season since 1969 and that helped us reach the 2500 plateau. Perhaps more than counting races, counting wins would be a feat, and we only have 236, less than 10%. I’m sure some racers have won more than 10% of the races they’ve been in. However that is relative to car count. If the field is always low, winning is easier. My 33 years with the Hobby/CVM almost always produced more than 24 cars making qualifying a chore………this race, this milestone speaks more of dedication than anything else. Not wanting to miss any shows, not wanting to sit out of a race. It meant doing everything we could during the week to get to every race and once there, be in every race. I owe a debt of thanks to my wife Nonie for allowing me to do this for 45 years. To my Dad and Mom who helped and encouraged me, my children David and Shirley for being there and David for all his help and in put, like in this picture. My pit crews over the years have been amazing. Our 45th Anniversary book has a dedicated story on our crews. Our sponsors made it possible supporting us faithfully, thee biggest being Quaker State for 40 seasons. Various track promoters worked with me and helped at times for us to get to the next race. Bob Slack helped me get out of a jam our first night at Cayuga when Nonie and I towed our VW around the outside of the track. I didn’t know to go to the infield and soon I found myself in a V trapped between the front chute fence the grandstands, and nowhere to go. I also jack knifed the car trying to back up. Bob helped us through that ordeal and others in the 3 seasons we ran Mini Stocks…..My competitors played a big part in us reaching our 2500th race. Over the years of competing, drivers, owners and their crews helped in so many ways with parts, engines, fixing, welding and lending themselves so we would make the next race. Tonight could not happen without the help of all them. So to my family, crews, sponsors, competitors, promoters, track staff and fans thank you very much, I could not have done it without you.
Family Race Day
Open Doors Presents….”Family Race Day”….This Coming Saturday At Sunset Speedway
Here is a great opportunity for a family to bring their child to a four hour day seminar, based on a Christian perspective. The class will be from noon until 4 and will include some time with my crew chief Bob Pereira. There will be games, team building and the a chance to get a ride around Sunset Speedway in one of Mark Dilley’s race cars……please call 905-636-0944 to reserve a place for you and your child or children….hope to see some of our fans and friends there.
Iron Man Triple Crown Race #2
Second Round O”Iron Man Triple Crown”……Sunday Flamboro Speedway
The second rain out for this race happened yesterday, but lucky there was a rain date set for Sunday September 8th. Tyler Brown is scheduled to race the car, but if for any reason he can’t make it or has other plans for not being able to make the race I have let him know through text, a phone call and face-book that I will drive the car to make sure it is the second of the three scheduled races. Tyler is set to run the final three races at Flamboro Speedway in our Coupe and then will race his own car, the former Champion car of Shane Stickel he purchased earlier this summer…..I hope the car is there, and it should be with either Tyler or me driving.
Iron Man Triple Crown…Race #2
Brian Atkinson Wins #2…Corey Jones Leads Series…..Here We Play Hop Scotch Much Better
Well it was a day to forget for me as far as running with the CVM boys was concerned, at least until Sunset Speedway. It was a weird day, just getting to the track. No hot laps and one heat produced the inability to figure out the car in time for the feature. I kind of had fun, I think. Started 12th finished 10th, not very good, but the car was tight and worse we got held up so long trying to pass the 11th place car, by the time we got into tenth spot coming off two, the group of nine were at Clappison’s Corners and there was no way to catch up without a caution, they were just too far ahead. Not sure if I could have done anything with them anyway. The car was so tight in the middle I had to slow down a ton to get it to stay put in the turns. We gained on the pack but needed until Monday afternoon or a caution to catch them. The good news is the car is mint condition wise. No damage at all, going too slow to get in trouble. I brought the car home and did a 14 point check list including changing the oil and filter, charging the battery and nut and bolt check. I dropped the Coupe off to Tyler today and he will need to set the toe or check it, I didn’t hit anything but it’s worth a check. Then get enough laps in to see how the car is for him. It might be just me, the car might be perfect, right. Driving a Late Model with power steering and racing the Coupe with no power assist, street tires and heavy steering makes for a big change jumping from one to the other. Like going from a BMW to a John Deere. Just so hard to steer and tight, but I love racing this car, loved I mean, it or me has changed. Maybe Tyler being 70 years younger can get-er’ done………It was good to be in our race, Iron Man Triple Crown, but would have been better to finish with the school of fish up front…….our next time in the Coupe is on Saturday September 28th at Sunset and I hope to get some hot laps around that track and fair better than I did at Flamboro….there were only 14 cars wow, but all divisions were weak, Late Models 10, SLM 12, Thunder Cars 12, Pro 4 nine cars, terrible over all…..The best class car count wise was the OSCAAR Mods with 15. But in 30 laps they had 9 yellows and 2 reds. Too bad because they have a good growing club……..The CVM did put on a good show for the fans, I wasn’t really close enough to see it, but what I could see looked exciting……….In this Debbie-Jo Zardo picture, it appears I am playing “hop-scotch”….not sure how to play that, but I couldn’t have done any worse….but!!! looking forward to Sunset and end the season in the Coupe on a positive. The last time at Sunset we finished 5th.
Million Biker Protest In Washington
Remembering 9-11….We Won’t Ever Forget This Day
Imagine coming to a country that promotes freedom, then on the anniversary of one of the most horrifying acts of terrorism, a Muslim group decides to hold a March to denounce “anti-Islamophobia”. A slap in the face to Americans, this attempted victory lap by the Muslim community is about as insensitive and tasteless as the men from the Westbro Baptist church in Kansas, that protest soldiers funerals and gay deaths. Thankfully, many Muslims won’t participate, and even better is the organized group of Bikers who are there now with full intention of crushing the Muslim March (not violently) but by their overwhelming presence. Reports state 2 million Bikers, (that seems a lot) , have descended on Washington to rebuke the Muslim Mock and and remember those lost on 9-11.
Kids Win Bikes For Best Drawings
Little Boy Wins Bike For Drawing Of Our Car, Little Girl Wins For Drawing Of Shane Maginnis Car
Our racing industry is made up of some key elements, promoters, racers, sponsors, suppliers and fans. Without race tracks there would be no race teams or venues for sponsors. Without race teams there would be no entertainment for race tracks, or opportunities for sponsors. Without sponsors race tracks and race teams would need to be self sufficient. Without fans none of this would matter, because every aspect of our sport relies on a good fan base¡K¡KJohn Karley, a racer and sponsor, knows the importance of fans and sponsored 2 Bikes for kids to win, a boy and girls Bike. The contest winners were determined by the best poster voted on by the fans. Our team is very proud that the winning boy chose our car to draw and we thank him very much. Also to the young lady who won, and to all of those who participated but unfortunately did not win¡K..Involving kids in contests at race tracks is a win-win for our sport because it helps increase attendance. More tracks need to work harder in the off season getting nightly prizes to give away to the fans, as do race teams. If every team, or 30 teams of the 70 that race at most home tracks gave away one Bike each, there could be a boys and girls Bike given away every week. Maybe I’ll suggest that for 2014……Meanwhile thanks to John for sponsoring the Bikes and to these precious fans for taking the time to draw these pictures, we appreciate it very much.
Bruce Gowland #18 Crosses The Finish Line
Sad News Of The Passing Of Long Time Racer, Both Here & In The USA
(taken from Len Townson)…”A racing icon here in Ontario Canada has just passed away. Bruce Gowland competed at many levels of racing over the years, ASA, ACT, OSCAAR, & annually at New Symrna Speedway during Speedweeks in February and also with Lake Ontario Truck & Tractor Pullers Assoc. with his Orient Express puller. He will be greatly missed here in the racing community“……….In 2011, at Octoberfest I got to tour Bruce’s hauler with my crew chief Bob, it was very impressive, lots of pictures, kind of a mini museum in his trailer. He sure loved to tour around. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and close friends.
Fan Appreciation Night September 14th
Last Night Of Points…Will Mike Bentley Win His First Title…Fan Appreciation Night
The season is slowly coming to an end. We still have 5 more race nights left, and our team will be doing at least 3 more shows. Next Saturday is the Garry Reynolds Memorial at Barrie Speedway, the Velocity 250 at Sunset on the weekend of the 28th, Octoberfest at Flamboro October 5th and the year finishes at Peterborough Speedway for the biggest of all, “Autumn Colors”, Thanksgiving weekend…..Tonight Sunset Speedway will be buzzing for lots of reasons. The Late Model Championship is up for grabs, although a smooth and patient Mike Bentley should have enough to win it as long as he stays within a few car lengths ahead or behind Tom Walters. I’m guessing he would prefer ahead…….we will draw for the winners of our contest, the 2500th Race Contest. Someone will win 4 tickets to the Velocity 250, plus our apparel, to be given out on the Velocity weekend……it’s Fan Appreciation Night and the kids big and small will get a final chance to see their favourite drivers up close and get an autograph card……It’s a potentially important night for our team as well. we are 12th in points, but only 8 out of 10th. Anthony Simone is 11th, one point ahead, and Ernie Fumerton is 10th, just 7 points ahead. Will be important for our team to salvage this season with a top 10 in the points. It’s been a dismal year overall, although our team has worked hard to get us better the past 5 weeks, where we gained 50 points. Finishing tenth would be a good end to a painful season……. It will be cold, but should be a fun night for fans, and a good night of hard racing. Don’t miss it.
Mike Bentley Sunset Speedway Champion
Sunset Late Model Champion #51 Mike Bentley
The 2013 season ended on a high note for Mike Bentley and his team as they won the very competitive Late Model Championship for 2013. Mike had a great season, winning many heat races like this one and being very strong and consistent in every feature through the season. This team came very close in 2012 to winning the title but couldn’t get it done. There wasn’t a lot to do to the car over the winter because it was the car to beat and they proved it this year by winning the points on the final night of racing……congrats to Mike and his team they deserve the title and all that goes with being the Champion.
2500 Hoodie’s Available
Hoodies To celebrate Our 2500th Race
It only took 45 years, but we have our first ever apparel available to our friends and fans. The Hoodies are $49.72 including taxes. They are excellent quality. We also have T-Shirts for $22 including taxes……You can order them by emailing us at gelliot@cogeco.ca….thank you.
MacMaster Buick GMC Tailgate Event
Quaker State Team Supports MacMaster Buick GMC Customer Appreciation Event
Chris Brading my long time friend and Fixed Operations Manager from MacMaster Buick GMC invited our team to bring the Quaker State Impala to their Tailgate Saturday September 21st….today…this event with feature other wild hot rods, truck show and shine, prizes and food. My grandson Gehrig and I will head out before 8am to arrive in Orangeville for set up and ready to hand out our 40th Anniversary Quaker State books and autograph cards to the customers and staff of this excellent dealership by 10am……Try to make it up, have a burger and buy a GM or at least get an oil change done with Quaker State Full Synthetic oil……..It will be a fun day and is a go rain or shine’.
Wallace Chevrolet Corvette Show
Quaker State Impala Heads To Milton For 8AM….Then Races To Barrie For Garry Reynolds Memorial
On Sunday morning and early afternoon, we will be at Wallace Chevrolet in Milton for the WALLACE MAIN STRRET CORVETTE SHOW from 8AM until 1PM. This show will be exciting with perhaps 100 Corvette owners coming to show their awesome cars. This is an annual event and a must to see. There will be a full line up of Chev Pick Up trucks and awards for the winning Corvette’s will be handed out around noon…………. The Garry Reynolds Memorial 100 lapper was rained out Saturday and rescheduled for Sunday. Pits open at 9AM with practice around 10:30. Races and qualifying will start at 2PM. This will be tough on our team as we will be in Milton until at least 1PM. We’re hoping to get away by 1:00 so we can get to the track and make one set of heats. We will be in big trouble if there are over 24 cars. If not, and we don’t make any heat races, we will be allowed to start last, and more than likely would be last if we only make one heat as well. I hope there are 23 cars, and we make #24, that would be the perfect scenario for us. Bob and I will head to Milton at 7:15 in the morning, get there by 8:00 and set up where we can escape as soon as the Dealer Principal gives us the green light.
Dwayne & Sherry Baker
Dwayne Baker Wins Garry Reynolds Memorial 100 Lap Special
There was lots to cheer about on Sunday. There was no rain and tons of cars, making the promoters glad. We made the feature so we were ecstatic. But no one was as happy as the team in this picture. Dwayne and Sherry hold the Garry Reynolds Memorial trophy after they won the prestigious Garry Reynolds Memorial event quite handily. Dwayne took the lead from Mike Bentley, passing him on the outside and then pulling away by as much as 10 car lengths to easily claim the victory. Mike was great in the heats, winning both, one from the back, but Dwayne found extra juice to takeover the lead around lap 75 then go on to take the checker and do so convincingly. Mike Bentley was 2nd and Gord Shepherd finished 3rd …….we ran good considering but a very loose car gave us trouble in the dying laps of the first 50, however that wouldn’t be our demise as the car overheated badly sending a water geyser well into the atmosphere. The whole story is on Dairy of a Season 13 found in our Message Board in General Chat on the left side of this site……next race is this weekend the Velocity 250 for our Late Model and the final race of the season for the Vintage Modified
Dwayne & Sherry Baker
Dwayne Baker Wins Garry Reynolds Memorial 100 Lap Special
There was lots to cheer about on Sunday. There was no rain and tons of cars, making the promoters glad. We made the feature so we were ecstatic. But no one was as happy as the team in this picture. Dwayne and Sherry hold the Garry Reynolds Memorial trophy after they won the prestigious Garry Reynolds Memorial event quite handily. Dwayne took the lead from Mike Bentley, passing him on the outside and then pulling away by as much as 10 car lengths to easily claim the victory. Mike was great in the heats, winning both, one from the back, but Dwayne found extra juice to takeover the lead around lap 75 then go on to take the checker and do so convincingly. Mike Bentley was 2nd and Gord Shepherd finished 3rd …….we ran good considering but a very loose car gave us trouble in the dying laps of the first 50, however that wouldn’t be our demise as the car overheated badly sending a water geyser well into the atmosphere. The whole story is on Dairy of a Season 13 found in our Message Board in General Chat on the left side of this site……next race is this weekend the Velocity 250 for our Late Model and the final race of the season for the Vintage Modified
Sunset Speedway Velocity 250
Gary Elliott Motorsports & Sunset Speedway Support Local Food Bank
This Saturday and Sunday at Sunset Speedway we will give away our Quaker State 40th Anniversary souvenir books for a donation of a non perishable food gift or toonie to go towards the local Innisfil Food Bank. Please support the Food Banks, they are a tremendous help to those who are suffering financially and struggle to get the basics in life, namely food. The book is 52 pages, comes with a full color poster of everyone of our cars sponsored by Quaker State. Thank you……..and see you at the Velocity 250.
Coupe & Late Model This Weekend
Buttons Guards Coupe At Sunset Speedway….Coupe Goes Saturday, Late Model Both Days
This will be the final race of the 2013 season for Sunset Speedway. The Velocity 250 will feature all the home track series, as well as the CVM, both OSCAAR Super Late Models and Mods and Pro Challenge. We will run our heats and feature in the CVM on Saturday with qualifying for the Late Models on Saturday and the feature on Sunday……check the Sunset Speedway logo to the right of this picture to see the times and prices to go to this event…..we’re hoping to have a good run in the CVM, the club has decent parity. As far as the LIMITED Late Model is concerned, that deal might be tough for us. We hope to be in the top 7 or 8 by lap 50, just before the fast LIMITED Lates catch and pass us. They will lap most of the field by then, certainly if there is a long run. Most of the LLM Invitational events have revealed that 70% of the field (not just me) mistakenly were in the wrong class…….Buttons came with me to Sunset and we got a few hot laps on the car. She gave her stamp of approval for this weekend, other than a small issue the car felt fast. It would be so good to hold a flag at Sunset this year, maybe in the 33 Chev…….see you there and please bring a food item for the Food Bank thank you!!!!
Hall Of Famer Tom Walters Wins Velocity 250
.jpg)
Tom Walters Wins Very Next Race After Being Inducted Into Canadian Stock Car Hall of Fame
It was the Tom Walters show, even with him away on the Saturday the talk in the pits was him being inducted into the Hall of Fame. What an honor, and so deserving as a dominant racer, one of Canada’s best ever….Tom had to qualify on Sunday by starting at the back of the last chance. He won that race on the last lap coming off four….In the feature the HOF Warrior started 20th and by lap 14 was up to 8th and by lap 40 was leading. Incredible weekend for Tom and his crew, just an amazing career and it’s not done….our run in the Velocity 250 was good. There were 18 cars with more power, but we managed to qualify 10th and after starting pole and get eaten out by the eight Pack Men behind me. We held on to 9th from lap 14 until lap 28, However even on that restart we were able to maintain 9th. We were only a few car lengths behind 95, 37 and 41, and having a decent run until chaos hit our rear suspension. We were very luck as the trailing arm bracket broke coming off two sending us to the wall but we’re lucky not to get into the cement or anyone else….It ended our day and was on lap 36. Great job by our crew all weekend. More on that on Diary of a Season 2013, very soon.
Velocity 250 Sunset Speedway
.jpg)
Racing Hard With 7 Time Champion Chris Morrow
There were 32 cars for the Sunset Speedway Late Model Velocity 250. Eighteen would qualify through the heats and 8 out of the last chance. We qualified 10th and made the feature. We started up front and though our car was handling very well, we were down in power but held on to 9th until lap 36. In this Ontario Oval picture, taken by Eric Uprichard, we are racing with hard charging clean running Chris Morrow. Actually all the drivers were clean this day, a very good show with lots of action…..Tom Walters won the race and Chris finished 5th. Our race ended on lap 36 with a broken RR trailing arm bracket, but we were lucky to stay off the back chute wall…more pictures to come.
Mayhem On Lap 36
.jpg)
Towed Off Velocity 250….Could Have Been Much Worse
On lap 36 of the 75 lapper at Sunset Speedway our car went nuts coming off two. I thought for sure someone was into the side of me and wouldn’t back out, that’s what it felt like. It lasted all the way down the back chute with smoke coming inside the car, banging, jumping and nearly being turned low as the car was out of control for the entire back straight. As it turned out, David informed me that no one got into me, “something broke Dad, you were so lucky not to go straight into the wall”. I was a little disappointed to be out but much happier knowing my fund deleted VISA card would not need to be energized to get me to Autumn Colors. Being towed off this way was better than a flat bed and the Demon’s may have been on the side lines guessing a flat bed for this one. Good news is that my prayer before the race was to protect our car and all the drivers…..Demon’s lose, Prayers answered….thank you Lord. The full story, with or without the Demon’s is on Diary of a Season 2013, the Prayer part will be there.
Broken Bracket Weld Ends Velocity
Disaster At The Door, We Were Thankful
Coming off turn four on lap 36 the weld holding this trailing arm-shock bracket let go moving the right rear wheel ahead 6 or 7 inches towards the front of the car making the car hard to control and out of control on the back chute. The good news is we made it to turn three and got out of the way of the 17 cars behind us, the only other damage appears to be the body of the shock………We took the car to Bob’s shop on Monday night and it was re-welded in 20 minutes. That was close for sure, but a prayer before the race, not to win but to protect our car and all the drivers, was answered……this weekend is Octoberfest at Flamboro Speedway, we will be helping David who will be driving his Late Model, the one Kenny Wallace drove…..on Saturday our car will be on display at Portico Community Church from 4:30 until 7…….then we prepare for Autumn Colors.
Broken Bracket Weld On The Mend
It Was The Weld That Was Not Good Enough
The issue with our car wasn’t the bracket, as much as it was the weld holding on the bracket. In the picture below it’s easy to see the bracket is holding 75% or more weld on it, rather than it and the housing. Bob made sure there was good penetration as he reattaches the bracket with a good strong weld……..had we been at the track we would not have missed a race. The shock body has some damage but we have a spare and will replace it……Next up is David racing Octoberfest at Flamboro. We’ve heard some good news that pit prices have been lowered….on Saturday afternoon we take our Late Model to Portico Community Church in Mississauga….our next race will be Autumn Colors as we convert our Limit Late Model into a Pro Late……hmmmm, less weight, less ride height, more left side %, 10: wheels and a 4 barrel and maybe the little clutch….can’t wait…..PS….Diary OF A Season is up dated now.
Portico Community Church
Saturday Night Gospel & Talking About Racing
We have been invited to bring our car to Portico Community church in Mississauga on Saturday October 5th to share about racing and my faith. Gehrig and I will be there by 5 and stay until 8PM and then head back home. I had my car there once before a few years ago and it was a fun place to be, looking forward to showing these people our race car, and for most it will be a first…..once back home we will start to do the final prep for Peterborough’s Autumn Colors to run in the Pro Late 113 lap feature. More on Autumn colors and this event over the next few days.
Portico Community Church
Pastor Amal & His Daughters Loved Our Race Car
We had our car on display at the Portico Community church in Mississauga on Saturday evening. Pastor Amal, leads an Arab church group every Saturday night and through our mutual friend, Julie-Anne an arrangement was made for us to bring the car to the church. Gehrig came with me and was a big hit with the young kids as he explained many aspects of the car to the wide-eyed youngsters whom most, had never seen a race car before in real life……I spoke to the people inside the church about racing and shared my faith in Jesus Christ. It was a good night, we gave away many of our Quaker State 40th Anniversary souvenir books and signed autograph cards…..we loaded up about 8:30 and then it started to rain, so we were blessed in many ways…now our team prepares for the final race of the year at Peterborough Speedway’s Autumn Colors. This will be our 10th time there and 9th in a row, looking forward to it with my friends Jim, Ken, Linda, Steff, and of course my family and other close friends.
2013 Autumn Colors Classic Weekend
Quaker State Team Heading To Peterborough For 21st Annual Autumn Colors Classic
Our team is excited to be participating for the 9th straight season, in the biggest race event of the year, the Autumn Colors Classic at Peterborough Speedway. It’s perhaps the most Carnival like atmosphere of all the special events throughout the year. Lots of classes, fast moving show, the end of the season, many drivers pumped, giving it all they got because they have all winter to fix their machines. Cars get wrecked, tempers flare and the packed grandstands make remind of the days of the Roman Colosseum with Chariots racing hard and wild…… We have had good and bad luck in this show, mostly bad, but that hasn’t deflated us to the point of giving up. We know our car is outdated compared to most of the field, but we also know a well set up car, new or older can be very competitive. This track is small but extremely fast for it’s size and is perhaps the fastest of all when comparing the intensity and room to move when things go crazy, and guaranteed they will. We carry a lot of speed into turn 3, then need to brake hard and get off turn four smooth as possible because the front chute wall comes up quick, all part of the Gladiator atmosphere for this awesome show…….we have made several changes to our car to make it as competitive as possible. We’ll be running against some very tough competitors with very good equipment, but we feel this years version of our Pro Late Model will be competitive. We’re going for the win, hoping for a podium finish……hope to see you there, bring a sweater.
Heat Qualifying At Peterborough Autumn Colors
.jpg)
Two Great Heat Runs Qualified Us 5th Overall
Our car was very fast all week end. We ran our Velocity tires for both heat races, taking 3rd in each, the car was very good. New tires for the feature would have given us a shot at a podium but a leaking gas cap forced us to pit on lap one after fuel got on the track causing a yellow. I’m glad no one got wrecked because of that…….we returned at the back of the pack and worked our way up to 12th by lap 35. Our car was fast but on lap 45 trying to make a pass going into turn one we hit Shawn Chenoweth on the rear quarter. His car spun, I checked up and slowly went under him on the grass. I thought I was okay to do that, but it was a big mistake because his car rolled back into us very hard, and resulted in severe damage to our right rear frame area. Our crew worked very hard, but by the time they got the steel body brace off the right rear tire we were 17 laps down. There were still 21 cars left in the race and we returned to finish 15th…….very disappointing for us, but our best outing yet at Peterborough……special thanks to Jim, Ken, Linda and Steff for dedicating there weekend to help me, they were there from Friday on. Also thanks to our grandson Gehrig for getting the car unloaded each morning, to the boys from the #79 Limited Late team Daryl and Corey and to Don for helping us on Sunday. We had a shot at it, just needed a break that wasn’t to be.
Chris Mitchell & Jamie Cox Crash In Three
Bad Crash In Pro Late Model Feature Takes Out Two Champions
The Autumn Colors Classic came to an early and devastating end for two racers. Jamie Cox #22 and Chris Mitchell #88 got together on the back chute going into turn three. The resulting crash left Jamie’s car stuck on the wall and needed two tow trucks to get it off the wall. Both drivers were okay…..Earlier in the evening, Chris had an awesome run finishing 2nd in the Late Model feature after leading most every lap…..our results are written on the message board in General Chat under Diary of a Season 2013.
Show Cancelled
No Octoberfest For 2013
There were lots of cars lined up to come into the pits, but the gates never opened as the show was cancelled due to the threat of rain. Sunday was forecast to be good, but with only 3 classes scheduled to race on Sunday, Late Model, Thunder Car and Mini Stock, the revenue lost by not running the OSS, OSCAAR Mods, Hurricane Midgets, Pro 4 and Pure Stocks on Saturday night could have been the reason to cancel it all. Saturdays show may have produced 70 cars and 300 people or more, that’s a lot of money to lose. I’m guessing that was the main factor in the decision to cancel rather than weather………..I think the Sunday show was possible on it’s own, start early, complete the qualifying and run the features. The problem is the cost for those 3 shows was very high and may have been too much of a gamble to run with little pit gate revenue……….the down side is the decision to call it this late. Flamboro may have upset lots of travelling teams. A fuel saving for all those heading to the track today, certainly would have been a positive had the show been cancelled Friday. The forecast for Saturday has been bad all week with not much hope of no rain. It’s also too bad for the race teams who use high octane gas and bought new tires, especially those who made changes just for this show, and don’t normally run those tires. Maybe if the tires still have stickers on them, the teams can return them, maybe, it doesn’t hurt to call and ask……Once again the weather didn’t help Flamboro Speedway, but it’s too bad the decision to cancel both days wasn’t considered more, and maybe it was. I agree that only so much money can be thrown away or lost. Most people would understand that, it’s how it’s handled that makes it a good or bad decision, it’s not a win win for anyone……….On a side note, with all the Global Warming we are suppose to be experiencing, why is it so darn cold? Maybe Global Warning wasn’t true, or maybe it’s come and gone…..next week is Frost Fest, that should be an exciting event, hopefully the weather is good.
Show Cancelled
No Octoberfest For 2013
There were lots of cars lined up to come into the pits, but the gates never opened as the show was cancelled due to the threat of rain. Sunday was forecast to be good, but with only 3 classes scheduled to race on Sunday, Late Model, Thunder Car and Mini Stock, the revenue lost by not running the OSS, OSCAAR Mods, Hurricane Midgets, Pro 4 and Pure Stocks on Saturday night could have been the reason to cancel it all. Saturdays show may have produced 70 cars and 300 people or more, that’s a lot of money to lose. I’m guessing that was the main factor in the decision to cancel rather than weather………..I think the Sunday show was possible on it’s own, start early, complete the qualifying and run the features. The problem is the cost for those 3 shows was very high and may have been too much of a gamble to run with little pit gate revenue……….the down side is the decision to call it this late. Flamboro may have upset lots of travelling teams. A fuel saving for all those heading to the track today, certainly would have been a positive had the show been cancelled Friday. The forecast for Saturday has been bad all week with not much hope of no rain. It’s also too bad for the race teams who use high octane gas and bought new tires, especially those who made changes just for this show, and don’t normally run those tires. Maybe if the tires still have stickers on them, the teams can return them, maybe, it doesn’t hurt to call and ask……Once again the weather didn’t help Flamboro Speedway, but it’s too bad the decision to cancel both days wasn’t considered more, and maybe it was. I agree that only so much money can be thrown away or lost. Most people would understand that, it’s how it’s handled that makes it a good or bad decision, it’s not a win win for anyone……….On a side note, with all the Global Warming we are suppose to be experiencing, why is it so darn cold? Maybe Global Warning wasn’t true, or maybe it’s come and gone…..next week is Frost Fest, that should be an exciting event, hopefully the weather is good.
Frost Fest This Saturday October 26th
Frost Fest Super Show This Saturday…Flamboro Speedway….Rain Date Sunday October 27th
The final race of the 2013 season will be this coming Saturday at Flamboro Speedway. London Recreational is sponsoring this prestigious Invitational for Mini Stocks and Thunder Cars, offering a great pay day. Dirt Modifieds will make their debut on one third paved oval………the rain date is set for October 27th, lets hope the weather co-operates for this special event…..a big salute to Mike Schmidt and the people at London Recreational for making this show a spectacular event.
Queenston Chev Show With Dana
Dana Poses With Our Race Car…..Final Day For The Quaker State Car At Queenston Chevrolet
We were invited by Quaker State to take part in a special event at Queenston Chevrolet in Hamilton on the mountain. Though cold out, many people have dropped by to see the car and meet Dana, a model who is greeting customers involved in this special event. Dana wanted to driver the car, I said no, but she could get a picture with it 🙂 actually she obliged to have her picture taken to liven up our web site……our next show will be on Saturday at Old Mill Buick in Toronto, St. Clair and Jane St. 11:00 am until 3: pm. They are having a barbecue in support of breast cancer.
Rexdale……Owner A.J. & His Jiffy Lube Staff
Jiffy Lube & Blue Wave Car Wash….355 Rexdale Blvd….Grand Opening
We have our Lincoln Welders Coupe on display for the Grand Opening of this awesome Jiffy Lube and Blue Wave car wash. AJ and his staff are looking for a busy three days to celebrate this franchise location on the very busy Rexdale Blvd, just east of Woodbine race track and highway 27……drop by and see the race car, get an oil change and car wash. The weather looks good for Friday and Sunday, I will be there all day Sunday, Gehrig will be there all day Saturday.
Old Mill Buick….’Breast Cancer Fund Raiser’
Quaker State Pro Late Model Helps With Old Mill Buick Event
We were invited to bring our Quaker State car, David’s Pro Late Model, to Old Mill Buick in Toronto, for a special barbecue and silent auction. This was a donation event to help support Breast Cancer research. Gehrig came with me to the Dealership and was a big help getting the car unloaded and talking to adults and kids about our car. We were able to show some of the long time staff a picture in our new Quaker State 40th Anniversary souvenir program a picture from 1975 with Old Mill Pontiac on the car. They were our main sponsor for our Hobby car in 1975 and 1976…..Our first brand new car was purchased from Old Mill Pontiac on Bloor just west of Jane and the salesman, Doug Brown, who sold us the 1976 Grand Prix LJ, was still there. It was good to see him again…..it was cold wet and damp, but many customers and guests came in to see the car, get an autograph and our Quaker State 40th Anniversary book. In spite of the weather it was a great event. We’ve been asked to come back in the spring for another promotional display.
33 Chev Coupe For Sale
Selling Our Chev Coupe…….$8500 Complete
I can’t believe I finally am willing to part with our CVM 33 Chev Coupe. Bought this car in 1990 from Fred Poets, who bought it from Jim Bunting, who raced it with Terry Coates. They got it from John Hasselfelt. John raced this car (body) back in the early 80’s…….we built a brand new chassis in 99 and won the title that year. Since then the car has been equipped with a Crate engine, very strong engine I must add, and the addition this year of “wide 5’s and hubs”. The sale comes with everything we have, 6 sets of gears and 2 spare transmissions, plus some springs, shocks and other odds and ends…The car needs some work, but not much to get it on the track…………for inquiries, email me at gelliot@cogeco.ca
Barrie Speedway Win 2004
Chev Coupe Sold……Ends 42 Seasons With CVM & A Million Memories
The Coupe is gone, ending our 42 year run with the Ontario Amateur Racing Club, also known as the Hobby Club and now the Canadian Vintage Modifieds. It leaves on a good note, giving us many great memories in its 23 seasons with us. This car brought us the 1999 points Championship, 10 feature wins, including the last Hobby feature at Barrie Speedway on the old track in 2004. We lead the points twice in 2004 only to lose out by two blown engines. Our last feature win with this car was in 2007 at Flamboro. …………We bought the 33 Chev Coupe in 1989 from Fred Poets. Fred got it from Jim Bunting who had raced it with Terry Coates. Tim Young drove it in the early 80’s buying it from John Hasselfeldt……. In the winter of 1989 Ray Hughes built a new chassis for us and we won the Club Championship and the Twin 25 Championship in 1990….…..in 2005 we bought the Late Model and it was suggested for me to get rid of the Coupe. I went out in the garage, took one look at it and decided there was no way I could or would sell it. I just couldn’t. There were too many memories, too much nostalgia, family, history, fun and stories. I could not sell the car. At the time my grand kids were very young and finding room in the garage was not an issue. Soon however David came into the garage with his Late Model and then space did become an issue. The odd car out was the Coupe, and to be outside under a tarp, on stands because there was no room in our small shop with 2 Late Models……….Over the years we had other fine gentlemen race this car. The Pontello’s, Korenyi’s, Chris Brading, Dereck Mellenbacher and Rick Schurr, all had a time in the Coupe and Rick won Rookie of the Year, driving under his Dad, and my hero, Glen Schurr’s number 36……….. fast forward to present and there is just too much stuff going on now with racing, equipment and most of all room. There is no place for us to keep this little rocket. I wished we had a bigger shop but that’s next to impossible for us financially. We currently have 2 Late Models, a Mini Stock and a Go Cart. The Go Cart is for sale as Lauren moves to Mini Stock in 2014……..Grandpa has no intentions of sitting out just yet, in fact the goal of a Championship is still on the wish list and the drive to make that happen is strong with my very supportive crew and family. Sponsors are important and will be a determining factor for us to make that happen and so far we are looking great for 2014…….My plans are to race for 50 seasons, and God willing that will be for five more years………………I also want to race in a Mini Series with my Son and Grand Son and Grand Daughter if possible. Selling the Coupe and retiring from the CVM wasn’t an easy decision, there are a Million memories and as many miles both on and off the track if we traced this car’s history…..It’s going to a good family, may be parked for a while, not sure, but as for us we have the pictures and memories to help us never forget this car, and more importantly the fun we had racing with the Hobby…CVM club.
Banquet Generous For Our Teams
Late Model and Mini Stock Win Best Appearing Car Awards
Sorry for taking so long to get an update. I was waiting for pictures of Laurens trophy from Carting but she has no idea when we will get them….so with that indefinite date, I had to post these for now…..these are the trophies from the Sunset Speedway banquet. Gehrig got the biggest trophy for finishing 4th in the standings. He also won Best Appearing Car. We got our 11th Best Appearing Car award, as well as Best Pit Crew and an award for promoting our sport and Sunset Speedway, the Media Award. That was nice, showed appreciation from the track……….I will be posting more stuff in the next few days with some news as well about 2014, sponsors who are back and other plans we have……stay tuned it won’t be as long.
Rebuild Begins For 2014
.jpg)
Getting An Early Start
We started stripping down our Late Model this week. Bob spent most of one night helping me. Lauren and then Gehrig chipped in making it possible to have the body, all but the roof, removed for replacing. We will need to replace some sides bars, and the front bumper as well. There will be lots to do over the next few weeks, but we’re on our way and will keep our sight updated.
Stripped Down….Much To Do
Engine & Driveline To Come Out Next
I was away last weekend for a big family event in Nova Scotia so no time was put on this car, but over the past few weeks lots of things have been going on behind the scenes, but nothing real concrete to mention just yet. I am in the midst of getting our sponsors back on board for 2014 as well as a few new partners. We will lose a few sponsors at the end of this season for a variety of reasons, but we are thankful they were with us for 2013 and wish them the best in the coming year……..our engine and drive line will be removed soon and as we make plans to add some HP in our car. The car worked well at Peterborough, so a new car is not going to happen, but it’s not in the budget regardless. We will make some improvements to our car that might include only racing a few shows at Sunset. We know we were down on HP for certain, but according to the top 3 drivers at Sunset, my problem isn’t HP it’s handling. They all have the best equipment and so do many of the rest who can’t keep up. I can’t afford to spend mega money and still not be on an even or even close playing field. Flamboro might be off on some things but I must admit their engine rule for Late Models is the best in Ontario, although when you visit the track some racers swear other teams are rebuilding their Crates….so rather than waste another season of being totally out of it, we will try the HP and if we still can’t keep up we will have to adjust our schedule…….we will be racing an OSCAAR Mod is 2014 and those plans will be revealed soon.
Go Cart Sold
Go Cart Sold, Now Lauren Will Move Into Stock Car Racing
After 6 years racing go carts Lauren will race in the Mini Stock class at Sunset Speedway in 2014. She will share the driving with Gehrig who will race all the Opens and Specials. Lauren is looking forward to racing the Honda. She was to do good in school and her first term marks saw an average of 74, to we are happy with her school effort and look forward to her making rookie season at Sunset……..Gehrig will also get a few opportunities to race a Late Model, but the exact races for him will be determined later…….we have many of our sponsors back with us in 2014, although we’re still finalizing over the next few weeks…..we have a show car now to help with all the shows we will be doing after February. In 2012 we made 27 race nights and 19 shows, the most shows ever. We surpassed that this year with 22 shows and 29 race nights. A show car will help and we will be doing a post on that soon as well.
OSCAAR Bound 2014
Our New OSCAAR Mod For 2014, Built By Mike Westwood
It was tough selling the CVM, no doubt, 42 years in Canada’s longest running stock car club brought many great memories. During the time we raced in the Hobby class, I always thought if the NASCAR Modifieds ever came to Ontario I would want to be in one, I just loved the look of those very fast sleek chariots. Soon the All Pro Modifieds appeared but they weren’t really what I was looking for, not the style I wanted to race…… There is a debt of thanks to be given to all those dedicated All Pro Mod drivers for keeping the class going. The Burrows, Bill and sons, all contributed to keeping the class alive……. Two years ago, OSCAAR formed a class called OSCAAR Mod’s, many from the existing All Pro Modified classes in Ontario. It was a brilliant move to get these cars under one umbrella, but even more important to me was the fact they resembled the NASCAR Mods, my favorite class since the late 70’s…..well now we have one, a Mike Westwood creation, built around a Troyer chassis. We are planning to have this car ready for the CME show in February. More on the progress of this car and the rest of our team very soon.
OSCAAR Modified Press ReLease
15 Race Schedule For Mods
Merry Christmas
Jesus Is The Reason For All Seasons…..We Celebrate The Birth Of Our Savior
Merry Christmas to all our friends. May this Christmas bring peace joy and love to all of you. God sent His Son so we could have eternal life, the greatest gift ever given to all of us……………Hoping that 2014 is a healthy fun and prosperous year for you all, even if not monetary, but by the many blessings God will send you…..Merry Christmas!!!!
2014 A New Year
Happy New Year To All Our Racing Friends