Here in the Northeast, we are settling in to the nicest time of the year. Racing-wise things aren’t the best. Weekly tracks are shutting down and turning on the TV, all you hear about is The Chase and points.
NASCAR did it again. They fixed it so its most popular driver has no chance to advance himself. Last year’s Chase was a flop.
Points should never be the most important part of racing. The season ends up as it was. Look at the IRL. It had a great and exciting championship finish — and that’s that.
The most interesting point story to me happened at a weekly track, Grandview Speedway in Pennsylvania. Jeff Strunk beat Duane Howard by one point. Grandview counts points in prelim races.
This year, Jeff Gordon had a big lead, and it has been taken away. They call it a playoff like other sports. But, other sports go by wins.
nAfter being tossed out of Riverhead Raceway, Marty Himes got support from his friends that day as they gathered at his museum. Marty has secured a still date — Oct. 6 at 11 a.m. in the parking lot of the Changing Times Pub, 1247 Melville Road in Farmingdale. The rain date is two weeks later on Oct. 20.
nHad to say goodbye to an old friend as Jack Ficarra passed away. Jack was a longtime handicapper at Freeport, then did the  same at Islip. He was a genial guy and did great work. Also just got word that Hank DeAngelo died. He raced modifieds with his famous father, Al.
nThe long-proposed speedway in Calverton, on the east end of Long Island got the kibosh from politicians. They will build an indoor skiing arena instead. Many have been hopeful for years about the new track.
nThings will be festive in Bridgeton, N.J., as Elton Hildreth will celebrate his 90th birthday. One of the greats in modified racing, he was also one of the sport’s true characters. I hear he still stops at Atlantic City and drops a dime or two. Many more, Wildman!
nSteve Park’s uncle, Bill, is making us pensioners proud. In his fifth decade of racing, Bill is modified champion at Riverhead.
nRemember NASCAR’s spin when it moved the traditional Labor Day event at Darlington Raceway to California Speedway? Did you notice the empty seats at California? The Busch race looked almost empty.
nWilliams Grove has its two-day National Open Friday and Saturday. A lot has happened since Gordon Johncock won the first one in 1963.
nIt is no surprise that Dave Argabright’s tome on Doug Wolfgang, “Lone Wolf,” is a superb effort. It tells a lot about the vagabond life of a sprint-car driver.
nAlso, Mark Yost penned “200 MPH Billboard,” telling you a lot of inside things at NASCAR. I wrote a line for the cover flap. I’m waiting for famous novelists to enlist my words and give me a new career.
nThanks to Greg Collins of Hellertown, Pa., for the nice note and the pack of stats from the defunct Harmony (N.J.) Speedway. I saw some great races there. Frankie Schneider won 26 times, four more than Will Cagle.