Motorsports Newsletter 12/15/23
By Richard Parks
EDITOR: A reader wrote in that the newsletter has a lot of info on Canada, Australia and England, but why not the US. The short answer is that they WRITE in a great deal. Remember: The Motorsports Newsletter is meant for fun, to learn something new and post news. What comes in goes into the newsletter. Another reason is that there is a tremendous amount of racing news around the world that is fascinating to learn about. Where are those Finnish snow drag racers?
ALSO, to save space I delete “greetings” and “goodbyes.” However, I do enjoy the “howdies, cheers, g’day mate, cheerios” and other greetings. No disrespect to anyone, just trying to save space.
1) From: EPARTRADE at team. RACE INDUSTRY WEEK sets stage for 2024 in spectacular fashion. “We had five amazing days with an incredible list of speakers,” said Francisque Savinien, who along with Judy Kean are the producers of RACE INDUSTRY WEEK and founders of EPARTRADE, the Motorsports Search Engine. “If you work in the race industry you needed to be watching. It was wonderful to talk to and learn from all of these industry leaders. Truthfully, I don’t think anyone has assembled a line-up of speakers of this quality in the history of racing and it emphasizes the formidable support that EPARTRADE commands within the industry.”
2) Jeremy Cookson quartermilenewsmakers@yahoo.co.uk, has a Facebook page entitled ‘UK Drag & Sprint Strips That Time Forgot’ is spectacular. Here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/239626459773139. In addition, Jeremy is in charge of another Facebook page; Memories of a Warwickshire Drag Strip as well as UK Drag & Sprint Strips That Time Forgot! – Administrator. British Drag Racing Hall of Fame – HoFTalk – Editor. National Sprint Association – The Sprinter – Editor. He is also a member of the British Drag Racing Historians. If you are interested in UK drag racing you contact him and sign into his Facebook page and enjoy the history in that part of the world.
3) Thank you for fitting our Lions Release for this weekend into your newsletter, I know it was short notice. Not sure if you saw this post in BANGshift.com this morning. “Speed Week 1957 Film: This Incredible Movie is in Color, Has Full Sound, Narration, and Goodness! Bonneville Wally Parks SCTA darrhawthorne1.
READERS: “Suddenly” was driven at Daytona Beach in 1957 by my father and there is quite a funny story to it. Later that year Ray Brock drove it at Bonneville. It was an “Experimental car” class which was hyped by Detroit automakers, and they did not like being “scooped” by the Hot Rodders. I’ll send you the story if you want to read it.
4) One day soon will be in touch to ask for a copy of the story on your dad and tell you one you don’t know! Keep up the good work; browsing through is always fun, and I really wish Leah had been 2nd. Here’s something you could find entertaining … Hot Gossip Saigon to the moon http://www.eurodragstereventcoverage.com/pdf/191205_3.pdf. Thanks for all the entertainment, and stay lucky, Mike Collins.
MIKE: You can have a copy NOW; you don’t have to wait. It’s on Word and I send it out free to whomever wants to read it. You have a secret that I don’t know? I’m all ears and dying to know what it is. You’re right, Eurodragster has some great coverage.
5) BLAST FROM THE PAST…… From the Wally & Barbara Parks story, We Did It Our Way. Leon Serpollet takes the land speed record at Nice in France. Leon Serpollet drove the Gardner/Serpollet Œuf de Pâques (Easter Egg) Steam powered car to a speed of 75.06 mph (120.80 kph) on April 13, 1902, at Nice, France to take the land speed record for France.
6) Saturday, 2 Dec 2023, Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Classic Sebring 12 Hours. The Eighth Running of the Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Classic Sebring 12 Hour, Pistons and Props, presented by the Alan Jay Automotive Network. In Group C, Pierce Marshall and Eric Foss have carried the momentum of yesterday’s BRM Endurance Challenge overall race victory in the HSR Sebring Historics straight into the HSR Classic 12 in pursuit of their first “HSR Classics” overall win. With the first two segments in the books, Marshall and Foss have co-driven the Matador Motorsports 2017 #02 Cadillac DPi to a more than one-minute overall lead in Group C. While the lead margin looks somewhat comfortable on paper, the Matador team is being kept honest by Stuart Wiltshire who crossed the line first in Group C race two in his #10 Acura ARX-05 DPi. From: HSR Communications adam.
7) Little Sparks: Gingerbread Garages December 17, 2023, 9AM-10:00AM You’ve heard of gingerbread houses, but here at the Petersen, our cars deserve a house too. Come build your very own gingerbread garage to protect your favorite toy car. From: Petersen Automotive Museum info, 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036.
8) Photo Gallery: The drag racing machines of the 2023 PRI Show. Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett PRI Show blockbuster announcement shakes up status quo in drag racing. Preparing for the Engine-Labs giveaway engine build at PRI. Wildly wicked: triple-blown, twin-turbocharged Mustang Cobra at Dragzine.com. From Don Smith
9) Know your motorsports personality. Pierre Lenfant, Sporting Coordinator, Dakar, and Adrien Le Pan de Ligny, Development Lead, Motorsports Events. “The Dakar,” formerly known as the “Paris–Dakar,” is the most iconic rally raid in the world since its inception in 1978. Compiled from Epartrade.
10) The Editor sends a Happy Birthday greeting to Bill Montgomery, Hidden Pioneers founder who turned 39 again.
AND:
To Susan Rice at NHRA: Thank you for making the Suite so enjoyable and pleasant. We have spent many years in racing and enjoy most of the people who do it. Wally Parks was a great man, and it was a pleasure to know him like I did. He allowed me a foot in the door with NHRA with the sport compact drag racing series and although they stopped it my passion keeps going towards the youth. High schools are perfect for education if we go to them and talk with them not at them. My Team is ready to help NHRA to help more students and Youth. Wally would want this, and his son and grandson are backing me up. Stay blessed you are a sweet lady who cares about people and the sport. Bill Montgomery
11) Jim McFarland tribute, written by Dave Wallace Jr for Hot Rod Magazine. SERIALIZED
HRM] What do you think about 700-horsepower production cars that you can finance, and how does this impact hot rodding?
JM] I think you’re appealing to a different audience, to somebody who can afford one of those, as opposed to someone who likes to build it. How do you define hot rodding? I think it’s the street-rod, street-machine type of person. Folks who buy 700hp cars are also performance-car people, but hot rodders either want to build or work on them; he or she has a more intimate relationship with a car. It’s also socioeconomic, having to do with who you are, your background, and how you relate to vehicles, period. There are so many more options now. In the 1960’s, you could get a street Hemi or a big-block Chevelle or whatever, but those were factory versions of what hot rodders were doing already. At Chrysler, Tom Hoover and Dick Maxwell were drag racers. Hoover once showed me a dyno cell lined with concrete blocks. They’d hook blown-fuel engines to a flywheel with dynamic mass, then suddenly engage the flywheel and go wide-open throttle simultaneously. They had to accelerate that mass just like you would a car, simulating quarter-mile runs. Hoover pointed out several nicks in those concrete blocks, left by Hemis that didn’t stay together for all 1320 feet.
12) Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) is a competition sanctioning body that maintains rules and records for Land Speed Racing events held at El Mirage Dry Lake, California and at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. It is a non-profit, volunteer organization made up of eleven separate car clubs. SCTA has been in existence since November 29, 1937, and is considered to be the oldest operating racing organization in the United States. At that first organizational meeting, local Southern California car clubs met to organize lakebed races and to establish a set of guidelines to make dry lake land speed trials safer. From the SCTA website
13) “The Killeen K1 is the story of the Killeen K1, which only became the K1 after the second and subsequent Killeen designs were created. There is a lot more to the story of the Killeen and if you Google Killeen MG or Killeen K1 you will find out just how much. I found out from my library and the book by Anthony Pritchard quoted in the article is that Mike McCarthy described the Killeen in Classic & Sportscar for September 1983.” The full story is told in the December issue of Vintage Metal Magazine. (Bob Campbell, Editor). https://indd.adobe.com/view/080f4703-e04b-49c6-9dac-0093c23cd7d9.
BOB: I am always amazed to see the scope and depth of motorsports in Australia. Love that little journal of yours.
14) December Santa Paula Cars and Coffee December 17, 2023, 12:30PM-2:30PM. Join the Petersen as we bring our monthly Cars and Coffee north! Every month for the past nine years, the Petersen has brought together its local Los Angeles automotive community for the monthly Breakfast Club Cruise-in. From: Petersen Automotive Museum, info. Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036.
15) To listen to more industry speakers during the 4th Annual Race Industry Week see https://www.epartrade.com/more/
judyk.
READERS: Epartrade promotes a list of speakers in numerous motorsports areas worth taking the time to listen to and I believe you can access past speaker going back to 2020. The shows range from half an hour to an hour in length.
16) From Rosco McGlashan, and the Aussie Invader project at rosco. December 2023 newsletter for Australia’s World Land Speed Record Challenger. We are working diligently on many jobs needed to get our project to the start line. One big job includes locating a suitable tie-down, remote test site within a 200-kilometre radius of our Perth workshop. We will need a 3-kilometre square area where we can build a concrete tie-down pad that our car is anchored to. This will allow my team to perform a series of tests working up to a full power test. AussieInvader5R, 6 Karalundie Way, Mullaloo, Western Australia 6027, Australia.
17) Watch this 11-minute video to see why I spend so much time on the nasa.gov website and get the information I need to know why, what, who, when, where and how! It’s amazing what our nation did, is doing and will continue to do from Education and Mentorship that Hidden Pioneers like us can give. Space and the basics science knowledge is a race now more than it ever was. Follow NASA and the people that believe we can make a difference. After you watch this video, please click on the other one below: NASA Explorers: Season 5, Episode 1 – YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=2eFHWuNuDSA&t=61s. Artemis is here, but are our children ready? Come join the Team of Hidden Pioneers & NASA. See https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/new-nasa-explorers-video-series-features-space-rocks-
moon-tools-and-an-artemis-astronaut/. Bill Montgomery
18) DRAGSTRIPS in the USA and Canada. National Speedway Directory, 2504 Lake Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, 60091
National Trail Raceway Location: Hebron, Ohio, Length: 1/4-mile. Mentioned in my Father’s book.
Natural Bridge Dragstrip Location: Natural Bridge, Virginia, Length: 1/8-mile Surface: Paved.
New Bern Motorsports Park Location: New Bern, North Carolina, Length: 1/8-mile Surface: Paved.
New England Dragway Location: Epping, New Hampshire, Length: 1/4-mile. Mentioned in my Father’s book.
19) Earl Bell Gilmore (1887–1964) was the scion of the Los Angeles-based Gilmore Oil fortune. A brilliant promoter, the Stanford grad felt motorsports was an excellent way to promote his company’s products. He was right. Air racing great Roscoe Turner (MSHFA Class of 1991) barnstormed the country in his Lockheed “Gilmore Lion” complete with an actual lion cub named Gilmore riding second seat. It made the regional oil company a household name across America. A big supporter of open wheel racing, his 18,000-seat Gilmore Stadium, which he built in 1934, has been called the world’s first purpose-built midget racing facility. In its heyday it sold out regularly, greeting more than five million spectators over its 16-year lifespan. They got to see stars and future Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees like Rodger Ward (MSHFA Class of 1995), Bill Vukovich (MSHFA Class of 1992) and Sam Hanks (MSHFA Class of 2000) up close on a regular basis. From Adam Saal at SaalGoodPR.
20) Mark Greene at Cars Yeah info has recorded 2437 Podcasts. This Week on Cars Yeah Mark will be interviewing Nigel Tunnacliffe (Coastline Academy), Antonio Melegari (Audrain Automobile Museum), Peter Zaidan (Realtor), and Frank Loughridge (Bias Ply Drags). Cars Yeah mailing address is at Cars Yeah, 4618 131st St Ct NW, Gig Harbor, Washington 98332. You can be interviewed or just listen to some fascinating people talk about cars and their lives in motorsports.
21) Kurt Borton is ready to break the internet with the photos of his wild SBF-powered C3 Corvette build for no-prep events. Sent in by Dragzine.com and Don Smith.
22) We are so grateful to have the best fans in sports and we are so thankful for your dedication and support of the NHRA, our race teams, member tracks and partners. The 2024 season brings a huge amount of anticipation as well, returning to Phoenix and Virginia Motorsports Park, and welcoming a new title sponsor in Mission Foods. The future looks extremely bright and it’s going to be an incredible ride. On behalf of everyone at NHRA, thank you for being part of our 2023 season and we’ll see you on March 7-10 for the NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway to open the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. Sincerely, Glen Cromwell, NHRA President
23) Coastal 181 Book Store (serving East Coast racing fans) www.coastal181.com or 1-877-907-8181. Titles include: Distant Thunder When Midgets Were Might, by Dick Wallen; Fabulous Fifties American Championship Racing, by Dick Wallen; Riverside, Palace of Speed, by Dick Wallen; Roaring Roadsters, the Road to Indy, by Dick Wallen; Seventies Championship Revolution, by Dick Wallen.
24) From: Petersen Automotive Museum info. On display now, ‘We Are Porsche’ puts a spotlight on the founders, enthusiasts, and motorsport icons that have helped shape and build the Porsche brand we know and love today. Forza Motorsport allows visitors to get behind the wheel and experience the dynamic feeling of a racing car. Rob and Melani Walton Discovery Center: Visitors can paint and personalize virtual cars as well as trace and color their own Cars character to take home. Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036.
25) Years ago, I was hoping to find out the mystery of my 1923-T track roadster, Lightning Bolt’s original owner. Don Tognotti of the Grand National Roadster show in Oakland, CA told me to search for Gene Winfield and Greg Sharp because of their specialty in tracking down hard to find information. They were hard to find and so was Hot Rod photographer Eric Rickman. At another time I saw Chip Foose walking by me at the Cow Palace Grand National Roadster show before the Oakland GNRS moved. This was a long time ago, but it was good to see great hot rod artists. Change is always unpredictable. I also thought about Lee Chapel’s speed shop which originated in Southern California and moved to Oakland, California. Chapel was known for being the 2nd oldest speed shop. I had a bit of fun knowing his history around my area, including his connections with Harry Miller as well. Everything connects; even the Legendary Grand National Roadster show which now resides in Southern California. This Hot Rod history is alive and that’s a big family. Spencer Simon
26) “One of the goals of this campaign is to have at least one artifact pertaining to every MSHFA inductee,” George Levy says. “A number of racing legends have given us helmets and driving suits or leathers. Another donated a set of original Indianapolis Motor Speedway ‘Gasoline Alley’ garage doors. A powerboat racing legend donated the wristwatch he used to time his world championship-winning starts. But this isn’t just about Hall of Fame inductees. It’s about all the artifacts that tell our sport’s amazing stories.” From: Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, Adam Saal is at saalgoodpr.
27) I am so sorry that I missed you at nitro revival. We had some car issues and I never made it to the autograph signing. So sorry. I hope you had a lovely time. Kelly Anderson (Mavix Community Outreach Founder, Gorgeous Irwindale Racing Ladies CEO, @fullthrottlefabulous, @mavixcommunityoutreach, and @girlsofirwindale) at girlsofirwindale.
KELLY: It was a great event. I asked every young lady I met at the autograph tables if they were “Gorgeous Irwindale Racing Ladies (GIRLs)” and if they weren’t I mentioned your wonderful organization to them and asked them to join. We’re proud of you.
28) Renamed Firebird Motorsports Park back in business for years to come, written by Madelyn Marconi. What was supposed to be the end of a 40-year run of racing events recently took a turn for the better for race fans. Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park announced that the facility will officially stay open in 2024 and beyond, with support from the WHPDA and the Gila River Indian Community. Further, it has been renamed Firebird Motorsports Park, as an ode to its former glory days as Firebird International Raceway. newsletter and Don Smith.
29) STORIES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST FROM THE GONE RACIN’ ARCHIVES; WRITE TO RnParks1.
CALIFORNIA HOT ROD REUNION 2007
COAST AUTO GLASS 2006
COLORFUL STORIES #1 Grand National Roadster Show, Pomona, CA 2014
30) From: The Henry Ford newsletter. Special Message from Patricia Mooradian at The Henry Ford sent in by Bill Montgomery at hiddenpioneers. I hope you were inspired by Mandela: The Official Exhibition, which closes January 15, 2024. The Gallery by General Motors in Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation will then host several intriguing and family-friendly exhibitions, starting with PAW Patrol: Adventure Play, a fun, immersive exhibition that opens February 18, 2024, guaranteeing to warm the hearts of our young guests as they join the heroic PAW Patrol Pups in Adventure Bay. This summer, we will venture into the world of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) with Dinosaurs in Motion, a dynamic exhibition featuring 14 magnificent, fully interactive recycled metal dinosaur sculptures with exposed mechanics inspired by actual fossils. This exhibition promises to be a captivating experience.20900 Oakwood Boulevard, Dearborn, MI 48124‑5029 Contact Center: 313-982-6001
31) Green Book Exhibit Opening December 16th, 2023. The story of the Green Book is an American story of success. It is a story of freedom expressed through movement and exploration. Learn more about the rich history of the guide in The Afro/American Motorist Green Book exhibition coming soon at the Petersen Automotive Museum! From: Petersen Automotive Museum info, 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036.
32) Steve Gibbs, written by Dick Martin 2016. SERIALIZED for the Motorsports Newsletter.
Anyone who attended Irwindale fondly remembers the aroma of nitromethane mixed with the smell of burgers cooking on the grill. “Harry Snyder had two snack bars,” Steve noted, “one on the spectator side by the grandstands on the right side, and one on the end of the dragstrip on the left side.” The snack bars did very well and supplemented Snyder’s income. Snyder did it subtly by calling his burger stands snack bars. Many knew they were eating In-N-Out burgers—less the tomatoes, according to Steve—but why Snyder didn’t use the In-N-Out name is a head-scratcher, since by that time he had 12 stores in the San Gabriel Valley. “Harry had a guy named Dave Teeter who ran the concession stands. Harry had his two teenage sons, Guy and Rich Snyder, working at the dragstrip cleaning the concessions. Rich would become the driving force behind the expansion of the company after Harry passed, while Guy was responsible for the In-N-Out drag racing sponsorships. After Rich was killed in a plane crash, Guy and his mother, Ester, ran the company until his passing.” Dick Martin can be reached through Gone Racin’ at RnParks1. To see the captioned photographs go to https://www.motortrend.com/staff/dick-martin/.
33) From: Exposure darkroom. Royce Rumsey just published “Fulfilling George Bailey’s Dream.” Legend has it that when Frank Capra was making It’s a Wonderful Life he needed an automotive status symbol to convey the wealth of George Bailey’s rival Sam Wainwright. Naturally, Frank wanted a Duesenberg, and more importantly, the ultimate Duesenberg … and his friend, the glamorous screen siren Delores Del Rio had such a car, a custom coachwork 1930 Duesenberg SJ Town Car by Murphy. And in the spirit of the movie, she lent the car to Capra. Royce Rumsey is at roycer924_2. The Lyon Air Museum is located at 19300 Ike Jones Road, Santa Ana, CA 92707.
READERS: Sign up for Royce’s free stories concerning the collection at the Lyon Air Museum. The photographs are extraordinary, especially if you love Duesy’s.
34) Porsche 356 Cruise-In & RallyDec 17, 2023, 8AM-11AM. Santa is coming to the Petersen on December 16, 2023, 11AM -2PM. Make Gingerbread Garages at the Petersen December 18, 2023, 11AM-2PM. Annual Carrol Shelby Cruise-In January 21, 2024, 8AM-11AM. Annual Enzo Ferrari Cruise-In February 25, 2024, 8AM-11AM. Bonhams Scottsdale Auction, January 25, 2024. Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036. From: Petersen Automotive Museum info.
35) We are excited to be back working with John Mazzorana of the NEOPMA and Jerry Scaccia at Empire Dragway and their respective teams, This year will mark the return of the Quick 32 Sportsman Series and the Pro Bike & Sled Series (PBSS) as support series to both Pro Modified events, and we have added two additional events for the Quick 32 Sportsman Series and the Pro Bike & Sled Series (PBSS), one at the beginning of the season and one at the end. Both series drew first-class teams from New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, as well as Ontario, Canada last year. From Bruce Mehlenbacher at Bruce.
36) News this week of Tony Stewart’s move from the sportsman-level Top Alcohol Dragster category to the NHRA’s professional headliner Top Fuel class was not much of a jolt. That his wife, Leah Pruett, who executed a riveting run and lost a winner-take-all showdown to Doug Kalitta by .064 of a second last month, chose to step from the cockpit to concentrate on starting a family took the drag-racing community by surprise Thursday. “I think we’ll be fine. And I plan to return to the seat as soon as I can,” Pruett said. Her husband was not quite as bold. He said, “My goal is to not suck. My goal is to not get fired by my wife and not kill myself driving this thing. So, I think we’ll be fine. It is just going to be a matter of time. Every time we’ve jumped into a different type of race car in different form of motorsports, there’s always a learning curve. And this is no different.” From: Dragzine Newsletter at newsletter and Don Smith.
37) HSR Classic Daytona presented by IMSA Run Groups: Group F – Current Prototype and GT: The fastest Run Group in the Classic 24, Group F features top tier LMP1 and final-generation DPi prototypes that have been retired from competition for at least five years. The main battle should come down to a Pescarolo Judd LMP1 and the Matador Racing 2017 #02 Cadillac Dallara DPi of Pierce Marshall and Eric Foss. If either Prototype falters, some fast Porsche 991.2 and Audi R8 LMS GT3 entries could step up to battle for the overall podium if not the Run Group victory. Juan Gonzalez and all-star co-drivers Butch Leitzinger and Andy Wallace return in the GMT Racing 2007 #18 Pescarolo Judd LMP1 that the team drove to its latest Classic 24 win at Daytona in 2021. From Adam Saal at saalgoodpr.
38) The following was written by Andrew Wolf. “We are in talks with 50 other facilities currently and expect more signing announcements in the next few weeks,” said Don Scott. “WDRA’s core is made up of track owners, trusted industry professionals and sportsman racers so I can guarantee that a track’s transition to WDRA sanction will be beneficial for both the track and their racers. We wouldn’t have started this organization if we were not capable of delivering benefits to either of those groups. Additionally, we will always make sure the racers are taken care of in every way possible when a track joins our family.” The WDRA website is at racewdra.com will feature the latest member track updates.
39) Please continue to send your newsletter, I always take time to read through it. Most of any spare time I find myself with goes into updating my website at chris.
CHRIS: Glad to make your acquaintance. I sent material to John and as he goes through it, he can let you know what I have on UK Drag racing. Write in often and tell us new discoveries you have made.
40) The United States National Speedway Championships 9/23/23 by Howie Zechner. So how was the racing? In one word spectacular. Max Ruml brilliantly defended his title and will wear the number one again for a 2nd year. The kid Slater Lightcap almost pulled off the upset of the century but had to settle for 2nd. A turn two get-together where Billy Janniro crashed meant Broc Nicol could only muster a 3rd place finish. Broc was none too happy that the race was not halted and clearly felt that prevented him from a better podium position. Video of all the 2023 United States National Speedway Championships main event and all the races may be watched on Facebook on the RAZ Video page https://www.face
book.com/profile.php?id=100066625146476. Howie Zechner.
41) Tickets are on sale now for the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals, returning to In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip March 21-24, 2024. There will be excitement and some great racing at the WinterNats. Don’t miss out on that sweet smell of Nitro and all the early season fun of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. You can call the NHRA Ticket Sales Center at 800-884-NHRA (6472). HOURS: M-F 8am-2pm PST.
42) Alex Berg Racing,abjr. Moving on to the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone. Having done a full race weekend in the car, I now felt much more confident and comfortable. The results showed as well. The heat racing format was the same as the FFF. For whatever reason, this event was much more chaotic, there was a lot more incidents and Safety cars / red flags. The track is also longer, and less technical than Brands Hatch, which allowed more opportunities to overtake, and more opportunities for wheel-to-wheel racing. At Brands Hatch, you are able to take a defensive line around every corner, and not be affected by it on exit. I qualified P8 in my heat and moved up a few spots to finish P4. I started in P8 in my semifinal, and on the final lap, while I was battling for P5, I made a move around the outside of Brooklands (Turn 4). The car I was passing missed his brake point and slid into me. We made wheel-on-wheel contact, but thankfully I was able to continue to drive the next few corners and finish P7. It made for a pretty spectacular photo opportunity. Sent in by: Doug Stokes (stokes28doug.
READERS: Alex’s letter will be serialized over the next coming newsletters.
43) We were blessed to attend the PRI show in Indiana last week. It was like a Cinderella’s ball for Racers. Got to rub elbows with the big wigs and meet current sponsors and future sponsors Also connected with people that I have followed on social media for years and had never met. It was most definitely the trip of a lifetime. I got to sign autographs at the Redline Ace apparel booth as a brand ambassador. Sky’s the limit. Here’s to the 2024 season. Kelly Anderson, Gorgeous Irwindale Racing Ladies CEO, girlsofirwindale.
44) DRAGSTRIPS in the USA and Canada. National Speedway Directory, 2504 Lake Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, 60091
Edgewater Sports Park Location: Cleves, Ohio. Length: 1/4-mile Surface: Paved. Mentioned in my father’s story.
Edinburg Raceway Location: Edinburg, Texas. Length: 1/4-mile Surface: Paved.
El Mirage Dry Lake Location: Adelanto, California. Dragstrips. Mentioned in my father’s story.
Elk Creek Dragway Location: Elk Creek, Virginia. Length: 1/8-mile Surface: Paved.
45) I was playing around with the keyboard and learned a trick and it might work for you. I held down the control key (don’t release it as you roll) on my keyboard and then used the “roller” on the mouse and I could increase (roll it forward) or decrease (roll it backward) the size of the print. See if you can do that on your computer and if so then you can read any size print that is sent to you. Best, Richard
46) Saturday, 2 Dec 2023, Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Classic Sebring 12 Hours. Group B is emerging as a feel-good family affair with Kyle Collins leading at halfway in the GMT Racing 1972 #8 Chevron B21. Collins is driving the same Chevron raced to a 2020 Classic 12 Run Group victory by his Grandfather John Delane who this year has a radio on and is coaching his young protege from the pits. Former Sebring and Daytona HSR Classics winner Toni Seiler is halfway home to another BRM Chronographes watch as the mid-race leader in Run Group A. Seiler is driving the same 1969 #17 Lola T165 in which he scored a close second place Classic Daytona 24 Run Group finish last month at the “World Center of Racing.” From: HSR Communications adam.
47) November 5, 2023– Results of the Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Classic Daytona presented by IMSA 24 Hour at Daytona International Raceway. Sharing the track with Run Group D, Lars Erik Nielsen’s delay in the final segment let D-division front runners Mike Jordan and his son Andrew Jordan remarkably move into the overall combined group lead for a spell. Nielsen retook the top overall spot and the Run Group C crown, but the Jordans capped a great race with second overall and a strong Run Group D victory in their JRT Racing 2003 #177 Porsche 996 GT3 Supercup car driven in its prime by Wolf Henzler. The Group D triumph by the Jordans and JRT continued a recent trend of production-based GT cars stepping up to win overall honors in the division in recent years, and this weekend’s race saw the same thing happen in Run Group B. By Adam Saal (SaalGoodPR).
48) Know your motorsports personality. RJ Till, Vice President of World Racing League. WRL is a multi-class endurance road racing series whose aim is to provide a professional racing experience on an amateur racing budget. From Epartrade.
49) John Hunt of the British Drag Racing Historians Association wrote in about their group. Here are some of the articles that they have on file for UK drag racers. Nick Pettitt: “I’ve been a spectator, racer and historian of British Drag Racing since my first Drag Race at Blackbushe in 1974. By 1975 I’d bought a cine camera and along with my trusty Kodak Instamatic and cassette recorder, filmed, snapped and recorded as much of the action as I could. In the mid 1990’s I started to produce my Time Travel Videos using my own footage along with a great deal more kindly lent to me by other fans and racers. 2006 saw the beginnings of my website which now hosts over 23,000 photos and memorabilia scans and in 2010 I wrote a book on British Drag Racing in the 1960’s.” John Hunt is at johnhunt.drn.
NICK: Is your book still available for sale to the public? Write back and give us some details.
50) Widely known as both the “Godfather” of Ford Motor Company’s racing efforts, and a prominent ambassador for the sport of auto racing globally, Edsel B. Ford II will be honored as a Bob Russo Heritage Award winner at the 2024 Induction Celebration for the Motorsport Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) it was announced today. Ford will be formally presented with the award March 12, 2024, during the 36th Annual MSHFA Induction Ceremony presented by Toyota Racing at The Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach. From Adam Saal at saalgoodpr.
51) Jeremiah Fennell 1 thru 5 (on You Tube). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFmg9iWwPKc. A fascinating look at a young talent (age 10) speaking to actors Rodney Allen Rippy and Ernest Harden Jr. Jeremiah is a Hidden Pioneer. Sent in by Hidden Pioneers Bill Montgomery.
BILL: I’m not sure how you find young people with great talent, but you do. Jeremiah has an unlimited potential and I am glad you are mentoring him. No wonder you got on well with my father, who also hired talented people.
52) BLAST FROM THE PAST…… From the Wally & Barbara Parks story, We Did It Our Way. Beginning in 1910 a board track was constructed in Playa Del Rey, California, called the Los Angeles Motordrome. It would seem that board tracks or motordromes, a steep banked track for auto and motorcycle racing, would be prohibitively expensive, but the opposite was true. Building with cement or concrete was often much more expensive in those long-ago days and the grading and other equipment necessary to pave a racecourse were often unavailable.
53) UK DRAG & SPRINT STRIPS THAT TIME FORGOT! From Jerry Cookson’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.
quartermilenewsmakers.
54) 2024 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Season Schedule
March 7-10: 55th annual NHRA Gatornationals, Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, Florida. The race will also include the Pep Boys NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout.
March 21-24: 64th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals, In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, Pomona, California.
April 5-7: 39th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals, Phoenix, Arizona
April 12-14: 24th annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada.
April 26-28: 14th annual Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, zMAX Dragway, Charlotte, North Carolina.
May 17-19: 24th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance, Route 66 Raceway, Chicago, Illinois.
May 31-June 2: 11th annual NHRA New England Nationals, New England Dragway, Epping, New Hampshire.
June 7-9: 23rd annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol Dragway, Bristol, Tennessee.
June 21-23: TBA
June 27-30: 18th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio.
July 12-14: TBA
July 19-21: 35th annual Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals, Pacific Raceways, Seattle, Washington.
July 26-28: 36th annual DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals, Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, California.
August 15-18: 42nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Brainerd International Raceway, Brainerd, Minnesota.
August 28-September 2: 70th annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA US Nationals, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Indianapolis, Indiana. The race will also include the Pep Boys NHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout.
September 12-15: 39th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, Maple Grove Raceway, Reading, Pennsylvania.
September 20-22: 16th annual Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals, zMAX Dragway, Charlotte, North Carolina.
September 27-29: 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals, World Wide Technology Raceway, St Louis, Missouri.
October 10-13: 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals, Texas Motorplex, Dallas, Texas.
October 31-Nov 3: 24th annual NHRA Nevada Nationals, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada.
November 14-17: 59th annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals, In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, Pomona, California.
From Andrew Wolf, Don Smith and Dragzine.com.
55) Saturday, 2 Dec 2023, Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Classic Sebring 12 Hours. Another entry in line for a first-time HSR Classics win is Patrick Womack who is co-driving his FedEx 2014 #11 Toyota Camry with NASCAR ace Joe Nemechek. Taking a page from last June’s popular Garage 56 NASCAR stock car effort at Le Mans, the Nemechek team has equipped the Camry with full headlights, taillights and brake lights in pursuit of an endurance race win in Run Group D. After the first two rounds, Womack and Nemechek led by nearly 30 seconds. Sebring Historics is at www.HSRRace.com.
From: HSR Communications adam.
56) Part 2. John Fullerton was located early on, but we had no leads at the time on the whereabouts of his partner Derek Benbow. Then Mick Gleadow used an ancestral website, working with very little information, managed to find a current address for Derek. John went to visit, and it turned out to be correct. John Hunt then met up with Derek Benbow and John Fullerton at John’s house in Tamworth on Saturday January 29, 2022, to get Derek’s side of the story. He also brought along a pack of photos, unseen for 50 years. http://www.eurodragster.com/news/features/blogs/derek_benbow/default.asp.
57) Photo links taken by Rodney Allen Rippy. Hidden Pioneers Team https://www.facebook.com/InternationalAllstars/photos/a.10152385618208943/1015710046221894. https://www.facebook.com/InternationalAllstars/photos/a.10152385618208943/1015710046289394. https://www.facebook.com/InternationalAllstars/photos/a.10152385618208943/1015710046301394. https://www.facebook.com/InternationalAllstars/photos/a.10152385618208943/1015710046311394.
Visit to review intern opportunities and apply: https://nasacentral.force.com/s/explore-opportunities/internships.
58) “I would like to convey my heartfelt appreciation and thanks to John Scotti and Bob Aubertin, on behalf of myself and the Mehlenbacher family, for honoring my father and me. This induction into the Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame is a great honour.” Bruce F. Mehlenbacher is at Bruce.
EDITOR: Have I sent this out previously? Please accept my apology.
59) I have an original and fully working Chrondek Christmas Tree in my garage but waiting for a little restoration along with one of the startline timing cells (the other was stolen). This system was purchased in 1989/90 for use at the revamped British drag strip Avon Park Raceway (formerly Long Marston Raceway) by Blacktop Promotions. This was in the days when Long Marston was leveled and re-laid to NHRA spec and was lined with American style grandstands (or bleachers). Although every racer and fan in the UK had thought we had arrived in drag racing standards back then Blacktop Promotions went into liquidation and the timing system was purchased by the track/airfield owner. In later years when the Chrondek fried itself during the annual Bulldog Bash Motorcycle Rally organised by the Hells Angels in 1998 a new Portatree Timing System was installed but the Chrondek Tree lived on as a show tree as well as a spare track tree should anyone run in to it! Sadly, the track closed its doors in 2018 and is now the site of a massive housing development just outside of Stratford Upon Avon, Warwickshire. But, as track manager for its final 12 years the track owner allowed me to have the ‘tree which will end up in a museum for all to see in British drag racing. Jeremy Cookson, quartermilenewsmakersyahoo.co.uk.
60) Written by Madelyn Marconi. The return of this racetrack is without a doubt a win for the sport of drag racing. As Firebird Motorsports Park prepares to get back on track, a brand-new facility, the Flying H Dragstrip in Kansas, is also set to open in 2024. News also recently broke that the Kanawha Valley Raceway in West Virginia will reopen next year after a 7-year closure. Also, in Palm Beach County, Florida, government officials have taken the next step towards leasing 128 acres of land to build a motorsports complex. Perhaps the plague of racetrack closures is officially sun-setting and on the horizon, racers and race fans will see new facilities constructed or reopened in the coming years. From: Don Smith and Dragzine Newsletter newsletter.
61) Fuel Factory and the World Drag Racing Alliance (WDRA) have reached a partnership agreement that names the Pennsylvania-based fuel manufacturer the Official Fuel of WDRA with their leaded, unleaded, methanol, and ethanol race fuel products. Furthermore, Fuel Factory becomes the title sponsor for the Race of Champions events held at each of the five WDRA Summit Bracket Finals presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance. Fuel Factory info.
62) John Hunt of the British Drag Racing Historians Association wrote in about their group. Here are some of the articles that they have on file for UK drag racers. Feedback from Mick Gleadow: “Our racing history is well covered in our Pioneer article, and it’s been fantastic and a great honour to have had the chance to tell our racing biography.”
Part 1 of 7 is the Gleadow Family. Brian, Mick and Bob Gleadow first got into drag racing seeing an early meet at RAF Chelveston, becoming mobile caterers for some early British events in the sport. Their first car was a Ford Pop which started with a flathead Ford engine, later upgraded to an Olds V8 and named Mangler. Learning more about mechanics and obtaining often hard to get parts, the brothers upgraded the car comprehensively including a strong roll cage and fibreglass body parts with new engine pieces. In 1970 the car was renamed Motor Psycho and was run until the end of 1973, with a new engine in that year, before selling it to Al O’Connor as the original Al’s Gasser. http://www.eurodragster.com/news/
johnhunt.drn.
Part 2 of 7 of the Gleadow Family. Always running on a tight budget, the Gleadow brothers got interested in running flathead-engined slingshots, contacting other like-minded racers. They separately bought cars in 1973/4 but both were sold as unfinished projects, buying one back in 1978 when they decided to get back into racing together. ‘Vintage Tin’ came out for the first time in 1979 and ran until 1984 when the engine was replaced by a Rover V8 and the car renamed ‘Time Machine’ http://www.eurodragster.com/news/features/blogs/gleadows_pt2/default.asp.
The post Motorsports Newsletter 12/15/23 appeared first on Drag Racing List.
