By Richard Parks<\/p>\n
1) EDITOR:<\/strong> I am going to try to mail out newsletters on Wednesdays thru Saturdays on a steady basis. Hopefully.<\/p>\n AND:<\/strong> Many readers have sent in photographs and sadly I can\u2019t use them. I can only admire and delete. I often send photographs to Jim Miller<\/strong>, a close friend who scans and saves old photos for the AHRF.com<\/strong>. Jim is very trustworthy, but if the photos are for my eyes only, please tell me so.<\/p>\n AND:<\/strong> A frequent question is, “What if I piss off some group or other. Is that Okay?”<\/em> The answer is that you should send in material for the newsletter in the way you express yourself. Don\u2019t try and be anyone but yourself. I will then do one of four<\/p>\n things: 1)<\/strong> accept it as is, 2)<\/strong> reject it as is (rare), 3)<\/strong> change the wording but not the meaning (common), 4)<\/strong> rewrite it and send it back to you to see if you are okay with my redactions (very common). Don\u2019t worry, just send in your news.<\/p>\n AND:J.E. Adams<\/strong>, at wefilm1 has created the American Motorsports News International<\/em> website and<\/strong><\/p>\n needs sponsors and advertisers to help offset the costs involved.<\/p>\n AND:<\/strong> Please let me know if you don\u2019t want your letters published. Just say something like, “Personal<\/em>,” “Confidential<\/em>,” or “Please don\u2019t put my letter in the newsletter<\/em>.” I use my judgment, but sometimes my judgment can be faulty.<\/p>\n AND:<\/strong> If you forward a message to me, please explain why at the top of your email. It saves me time and makes it easier for me to know why you are sending me a forwarded message from someone else.<\/p>\n AND:<\/strong> Something is happening to my computer that is causing errors and when I correct them, they come right back again. Please accept my apologies for errors.<\/p>\n 2)<\/strong> Passings in 2023. In order not to overwhelm readers with grief this will be serialized in coming issues.<\/p>\n Longtime Division 3 announcer Jon Gentry<\/strong>, who called the action for years at Kil-Kare Raceway and Edgewater Sports Park, passed away March 2. https:\/\/www.nhra.com\/news\/2023\/memoriam<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n AND:<\/strong> Former Top Fuel racer Doug Kerhulas<\/strong>, a rising star of the 1980\u2019s whose driving career was cut short by a top-end accident at the 1984 Springnationals, died March 1, 2023. He was 70. https:\/\/www.nhra.com\/news\/2023\/memoriam<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n AND:<\/strong> Walt Rhoades<\/strong>, who had a successful NHRA career in nitro, alcohol, and gas-burning dragsters, passed away earlier this week, bringing to a close an amazingly diverse career, passed away March 1, 2023, at age 79 of brain cancer.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.nhra.com\/news\/2023\/memoriam<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n 3) <\/strong>Did you hear about the assault on Ed Iskenderian<\/strong> lately? Ed is as good as you can be for 100+. Tim Lewis<\/strong><\/p>\n TIM:<\/strong> No, I wasn\u2019t there, but someone did mention it. Do you have a source that I can use for others to find the story. We are wishing Isky well and hope he wasn\u2019t seriously injured. My father was robbed in his nineties, but all that happened is that someone followed him home from the bank and grabbed the manila envelope he was carrying and ran off. Dad wasn\u2019t injured. Older people are often victims of these “follow home”<\/em> robberies and snatches. Be careful, take a friend or family member with you and pay attention to your surroundings. If it looks suspicious go back into the bank and call police.<\/p>\n 4)<\/strong> I really enjoy your newsletters. They reflect your deep history and genuine passion for all forms of motorsports. Please keep them coming! Also, I was recently on hand at the March 7, 2024, induction ceremonies for the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame. This prestigious hall was originally created by Don Garlits<\/strong>. Held each year in Gainesville, Florida, on the first day of the NHRA Gatornationals, this marks the beginning of another NHRA racing season. Being included has also become a much coveted, career benchmark for drag racers and persons involved in drag racing. One of this year\u2019s inductees was Bill Holland<\/strong>, who was presented with the IDRHOF Founders Award for his decades of involvement. From: James Hill jameshill1947<\/strong>. (to be continued)<\/p>\n 5)<\/strong> BLAST FROM THE PAST\u2026\u2026 From the Wally<\/em><\/strong> & <\/em>Barbara Parks<\/em><\/strong> story, We Did It Our Way<\/em>.<\/p>\n 3 JUNE 1940 Otto Crocker<\/strong> becomes the Chief Timer at the dry lakes. “<\/em>Ed Adams<\/em><\/strong> had a few things to say regarding the destruction of personal property in and around the vicinity of the lakes and stated that it would have to cease or there would be no more races at Harper. \u2026Wally<\/strong> had some remarks to offer in regard to the Modifieds and streamliners and made a recommendation that the present ruling be revised or dropped completely. He then made a motion that we revise the present ruling we have on point standings. Motion was seconded and quite a bit of argument followed after which a vote was taken, and the motion passed. Suggestions were offered from the floor as follows. Do not give any points to a Modified or streamliner turning slower than the 12th fastest roadster to receive points. The discussion seemed to center around this point and after a while the suggestion was put into the form of a motion and seconded. Discussion was called for and after a vote was called the motion was passed. \u2026Wally made a motion that we pay gasoline expenses to Mr (Otto) Crocker (official timer) to the Lakes and back. <\/em>Art Tilton<\/em><\/strong>, Secretary.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n 6) <\/strong>Lions Automobilia Foundation & Museum is Proud to Announce the 2024 Hall of Fame Inductees and Event. Join the Lions Automobilia Foundation Board of Directors and founder Rick Lorenzen<\/strong> as they introduce the third annual class of Lions Automobilia Foundation Hall of Fame inductees on Thursday, November 14, 2024. The Hall of Fame awards dinner and silent auction fundraiser at the Lions Automobilia Foundation in Rancho Dominguez, California will honor the following eight individuals who have made a major impact on motorsports: JC Agajanian<\/strong>, Jack Chrisman<\/strong>, Steve Gibbs<\/strong>, Dan<\/strong> Gurney<\/strong>, Parnelli Jones<\/strong>, Wally Parks<\/strong>, Carroll Shelby<\/strong>, and Bill Stroppe<\/strong>. Passes are $150 per person & pre-registration is required.<\/p>\n 7) Oscar Koveleski<\/strong> drove in a Novice class at Thompson Raceway, in Thompson, Connecticut on August 16, 1952, with an MGTC car, #30 and took 3rd place. Thompson Raceway was located near the town of Thompson, Connecticut, in the northeast of the State, barely five miles from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. After the hurricane of 1938 in the New England area, John Hoenig<\/strong> began building a 5\/8-mile paved oval track and a 1.7-mile road racing course on his farm in 1938 and opened to the public in 1940. He attracted various forms of racing including NASCAR. (Source: Racingsports<\/strong><\/p>\n cars.com<\/a><\/strong>). (to be continued)<\/p>\n 8)<\/strong> Know your motorsports personality. Carlos Ezpeleta<\/strong>, Chief Sporting Officer of MotoGP\/Dorna Sports SL, and Dan Rossomondo<\/strong>, Chief Commercial Officer of Dorna Sports. Ezpeleta is directly responsible for the Sporting and Technical areas of the Championships as well as overseeing activities in the Promoters, Operations and Talent Promotion departments. Compiled from Epartrade.<\/p>\n 9)<\/strong> Past Road Racing Drivers Club (RRDC) BOB AKIN <\/em><\/strong>Award honorees are: 2003 Sam Posey<\/em><\/strong>. 2004 Charlie Gibson<\/em><\/strong>. 2005 John Fitch<\/em><\/strong>. 2006 Jim Haynes<\/strong><\/em>. 2007 Cameron Argetsinger<\/em><\/strong>. 2008 Jim Downing<\/em><\/strong>. 2009 Steven J. Earle<\/em><\/strong>. 2010 Augie<\/em><\/strong> Pabst<\/strong><\/em>. 2011 Don Knowles<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em> 2012 Miles Collier<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em> 2013 Peter Sachs<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em> 2014 Bill Warner<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em> 2015 Judy Stropus<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em> 2016 Murray<\/em><\/strong> Smith<\/strong>.<\/em> 2017 Archie Urciuoli<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em> 2018 Jeff Zwart<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em> 2019 Rob Dyson<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em> 2020 Jeremy Shaw<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em> 2021 Awardee Not Selected. 2022 John Fergus<\/em><\/strong>. <\/em>2023 Tom Davey<\/em><\/strong>. From: Judy Stropus is at jstropus.<\/strong><\/p>\n 10) <\/strong>Here is the second in a two-part series on Australian drag racing by Lex Swayn<\/strong>. “In 1991, then NHRA Competition Director <\/em>Steve Gibbs<\/em><\/strong> and wife <\/em>Gloria<\/em><\/strong> attended the Nationals at Willowbank Raceway, on the east coast near Brisbane, and cast his experienced eye over the track\u2019s operations, providing guidance and recommendations. The track soon earned fame for super quick performances. Then there are the Top Fuel, Funny Car and Alcohol teams (too many to mention,<\/em><\/p>\n except for <\/em>Gary Densham <\/em><\/strong>who toured multiple times) that visited over the decades. I offer this praise for the enormous contribution made to the sport by Americans in Australia (and many other countries). The positive influence of exporting the world\u2019s fastest straight-line sport cannot be underestimated.”<\/em> Lex Swayn is at lex<\/strong>.<\/p>\n 11)<\/strong> Mick\u2019s Paint to Support US Drag Team. Pomona, California. Mick\u2019s Paint has announced that they will be supporting the 2024 United States Drag Team and the return of the Dos Palmas Machine Special and the Mooneyes dragster to England. Mick\u2019s Paint owner Mick Jenkins<\/strong> said, “We have been involved with American cars, hot rods and racing since our inception in 1995. As one of the US\u2019s leading, award winning body and paint shops, it seemed only natural to get on board and help the 2024 United States Drag Team.” <\/em>Tony Thacker tonythacker32<\/strong>, also see www.dragstalgia.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n 12)<\/strong> Book review, City of Speed: Los Angeles and the rise of American Racing, <\/em>by Joe Scalzo<\/strong>. Reviewed by Doug Stokes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n “Dangerous Los Angeles, whose red devil winds kick in the hormones, jump-speed pulses, and spiral brain-revs off the tach!<\/em><\/p>\n Yes. The racing millennium was erupting right along the Pacific shore. Straining with vitality, L.A.\u2019s big and belly-laughing family would ride out the twentieth century mingling and networking like a pack of frenzied lab rodents set loose in a wild think tank of speed. Nobody has ever quite figured out all the reasons why, but L.A. was racing\u2019s pulse, the planet\u2019s most imitated tribe of racers. Our addictive and cutting-edge brand hurtled along years ahead of racing anywhere else.”<\/em> (to be continued in the next issue of the Motorsports Newsletter)<\/p>\n 13) <\/strong>From Voyage LA Magazine<\/em> at hiddenpioneers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n 14)<\/strong> DRAGSTRIPS in the USA and Canada. National Speedway Directory, 2504 Lake Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois.<\/p>\n Rolling Thunder Drag Strip, Pacific Junction, Iowa, 1\/8-mile.<\/p>\n Roswell Dragway (Formerly Roswell Raceway), Roswell, New Mexico, 1\/4-mile.<\/p>\n Route 66 Raceway, Joliet, Illinois, 1\/4-mile. MENTIONED IN MY FATHER\u2019S BOOK<\/strong><\/p>\n Roxboro Motorsports Dragway, Roxboro, North Carolina, 1\/8-mile.<\/p>\n 15)<\/strong> The following letter from Doug (Potvin Doug) Peterson<\/strong> describes his nostalgia drag racing experiences. “I also had begun looking for Potvin pieces to eventually build my dream engine. It took several years to accumulate all the right parts. I wanted it to be totally <\/em>Chuck Potvin<\/em><\/strong> equipment, no oddball parts filling in gaps. This adventure caused us to meet all kinds of wonderful people from the early years of the sport, and at the California Hot Rod Reunions at Bakersfield. That wonderful happening played the biggest part in our success. All these folks became our friends, it\u2019s been fantastic. Because of these friends, we put together probably the only raced Potvin-blown engine in the country, and it was a huge success. A grand successful experiment. Some-where along the line someone dubbed me \u2018Potvin Doug,\u2019 and I didn\u2019t discourage it. It might have had a little to do with <\/em>Doug King<\/em><\/strong> being called \u2018Ardun Doug.\u2019 He preceded me by a few years and raced Ardun equipped flatheads both at Bonneville and nostalgia drags.”<\/em> Doug Peterson potvindoug2<\/strong>. (to be continued)<\/p>\n 16)<\/strong> September 22, 2024, Singapore Grand Prix, Singapore.<\/p>\n September 22, 2024, Marina Bay Bass Pro Shops 500 Bristol, Tennessee.<\/p>\n September 22, 2024, Betway Carolina Nationals zMax Charlotte, North Carolina.<\/p>\n September 22, 2024, Indianapolis RC Speedway, Indianapolis, Indiana.<\/p>\n September 22, 2024, India Buddha Circuit, India.<\/p>\n September 29, 2024, Hollywood Casino 400.<\/p>\n September 29, 2024, NHRA Kansas Midwest Nationals Madison, Illinois.<\/p>\n September 29, 2024, Indonesia Mandalika, Indonesia.<\/p>\n 17)<\/strong>Drag Racing\u2019s Rebels: How the AHRA Changed Quarter-Mile Competition, written by <\/em>Doug Boyce<\/em><\/strong>, from CarTech Publishers. Reviewed by Richard Parks for the Gone Racin\u2019 series. 2023. (to be serialized)<\/em><\/p>\n Drag Racing\u2019s Rebels: How the AHRA Changed Quarter-Mile Competition<\/em> is a deliciously good book. I could argue and yet agree with the author on so many subjects; and I know that fans will enjoy this book for that reason. I can see proponents, fans, racers and even sponsors saying that the story of the AHRA brings back memories. Yes, the AHRA, IHRA and NHRA, as well as other groups fought tenaciously to promote their brand of drag racing, but I need to remind everyone that all the sanctioning groups promoted insurance coverage, safety rules, classes and regulation to give the drivers a fair chance at success and to come out of a meet safe and with little engine damage so they could race again. Gone Racin\u2019 is at RnParks1@juno.com<\/a>. CarTech Publishers can be reached at 1-800-551-4754, www.cartechbooks.com<\/a><\/strong>. (to be continued in the next issue)<\/p>\n 18) Lana Chrisman lanachrisman<\/strong>. Roar of Lions Nitro Car Show, Saturday, June 22, 2024, 9am to 2 pm, racing legends, nitro start-up, music, food trucks, drawings, hot rod show, museum tours, vendors, car awards, from Nitro Revival, General Admission $30, car show registration on-line at Lionsautomobilia.org<\/strong>.<\/p>\n 19) EDITOR:<\/strong> The following is serialized. The Mehlenbacher Family and the Kohler Dragway (AKA Super Boss Dragway,<\/p>\n and Cayuga 1320 Dragway). Fans are treated to the PMRA Pro Modifieds, known as the \u201cworld\u2019s fastest doorslammers,\u201d the full-fendered cars and dragsters of the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, and the two-wheeled motorcycle and snowmobile action of the Pro Bike & Sled Series. These race series draw a large number of competitors and continue to thrill spectators at events in Canada and the USA. These inductions will also be celebrated at a special Open House for the public on Thursday November 30, at Shelly\u2019s Family Dining in downtown Kohler (the home of Dragway Park) from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm, where several of the CDHF Inductees will be present. Bruce F. Mehlenbacher<\/strong> is at Bruce<\/strong>.<\/p>\n 20)<\/strong> For anyone who wants a copy of The Nitro Mash<\/em>, send your request to rossgallagher<\/strong>. Ross Gallagher<\/strong><\/p>\n 21)<\/strong> HIDDEN PIONEERS: Basic Electronics Car\/Home is CSI Bill Montgomery<\/strong>, David Earhart<\/strong>, and Mad Mike<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Chess Club Mentors are Andy Peng<\/strong>, and Bill Montgomery.<\/p>\n DATA Information Manager is Shain Hymon<\/strong> (Next Level Global Solutions Inc).<\/p>\n 22)<\/strong> In the same more than 10-year time span Tuma, Pace & Hinton were building Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR), Chris Ward<\/strong> became a fixture in the IMSA paddock for over a decade. He was a key part of the management team operating the IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series from 2014 through last year, ascending to the position of Head of Motorsport for Lamborghini North America in 2017. Among his vast managerial responsibilities was the oversight of all day-to-day operations of the Super Trofeo series and the introduction of the GT3 platform to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. From: Adam Saal<\/strong> at adam<\/strong>.<\/p>\n 23)<\/strong> BLAST FROM THE PAST\u2026\u2026 From the Wally<\/em><\/strong> & <\/em>Barbara Parks<\/em><\/strong>