Merger: Who Cares?

Regarding the merger of the IRL and Champ Car, I agree with Dave Argabright: Who cares?
All the merger will do is further dilute the American heritage of open-wheel racing with the large influx of foreign drivers. Although the foreigners are good drivers, I prefer to root for a “local boy” who has cut his racing teeth on sprints and midgets. I don’t want to have to consult a GPS for the closest “local boy.”
Tony George’s experiment with trying to give American racers a leg up has failed with the most disappointing example being when A.J. Foyt went outside the country to get his most recent driver.
I enjoy the close racing of the IRL, and it’s nice to have more than one car on the lead lap at the end of the race, but I’m still disappointed that most drivers in the International Race car Lease organization aren’t from the good old U. S. of A.

Paradise Found

As an open-wheel racing fan, I am delighted that the “Indy 300” (at Surfers Paradise, Australia) will continue.
My wife and I have attended two events in Surfers and had an absolutely terrific time. Many race promoters here in the U.S. could get a real education about how to run a race weekend by following the fine example set in the Gold Coast.

Cars First, Then Drivers

I have been reading with a great deal of interest the unification of open-wheel racing. Your coverage, as always, has been excellent, and I have enjoyed reading all the columnists.
“Finally,” has to be the reaction of most race fans.
I am writing to comment on Dave Argabright’s column. I do not disagree with a word he has written. I hope short-track fans can appreciate other driver skills than the types of cars we race on the short tracks teach drivers. The inability of short-track stars to make it to Indy did not start in 1979.
I love sprint cars and have enjoyed Central Pennsylvania racing for a long time. In the 1960s, there were very few places you could make a living racing. Central Pennsylvania was one of them. Bobby Allen, Kenny Weld and Jan Opperman all came to Pennsylvania trying to get to Indy. Opperman might have made it, but even for this legendary driver, it was almost impossible.
Perhaps we would have developed short-track cars that would teach drivers the skills required for Indy-car racing if the plane had not crashed with the USAC leadership. Perhaps USAC or someone else will do it now. There are very few drivers with the skill to come from cars that handle so completely differently.
In the 1950s, Indy-car owners went to Salem, Ind. Michael Andretti went to sports cars after go-karts. Until there is a short-track car than handles like an Indy car, don’t expect short-track drivers to get any chance at Indy.

Open Wheels Have Lost Us

So the IRL is the only game in town and Champ Car is no more. As Dave Argrabright states, “the grassroots-racing community says, who cares?”
Will the merger return open-wheel status to the supposedly elite when the likes of Foyt, Andretti, Rutherford and the Unsers attracted fans? Will fans flock back to the big tracks like days gone by? Will they be driven by people with names we can pronounce? Will they be driven by people that have come from the Saturday-night bullrings? Will prize money elevate to that of NASCAR? I don’t think so.
The dyed-in-the-wool racing open-wheel Saturday-night crowd has lost contact with the Indy racers, and it is not all their fault. The fault lies with all the oval tracks and oval associations — USAC, namely — that have failed to allow rear-engine cars. Compared to a rear-engined car, a front-engined one is second best. This has been demonstrated by every high performance racing car in the world from go-karts to the drag strips to Bonneville and every venue in between. Who wants to watch or compete in second best?
This reluctance has not afforded the builders, drivers and crews to gain the necessary experience to compete in the top level. No longer can a driver begin on the Saturday-night bullrings and progress to the big time in cars that are similar along the way. In short, there is no training ground and fan development. As Dave said a long time ago, “there is no hometown clout.”
Unless the grassroots-racing community gets into this century by allowing rear-engine cars in every venue, I’m afraid open-wheel racing, just as the Silver Crown CoT was, is doomed and Indianapolis will become a memory.

Fantastic 500

The Daytona 500 was a fantastic race. With the strong showing by Toyota, finishing third and fourth, it has changed the meaning of NASCAR. It now stands for Not All Stock Cars Are Rednecks.

Disagreeing With Ron

Although I often agree with some of Ron Lemasters, Jr.’s opinions in his column, I think his criticism of Alain deCatenet was completely unfair and unwarranted. I can’t believe he would put Alain deCatenet and the Barrett Jackson Auction on the same level as “Pinks” in his criticism of the Speed Network. The Speed network is absolutely due for much criticism for shows such as “Pinks,” “Unique Whips” and “NOPI Tunervision.” Why Mr. Lemasters didn’t single out the hosts and participants of those shows instead of deCatenet defies reason.
Since the Fox network, with its extremely lopsided preference for NASCAR programming, took over Speedvision and changed the name of the network to Speed, it has been in a downward spiral. The programming is now about 50 percent NASCAR, 40 percent garbage shows typical of any Fox-owned network and only about 10 percent or less is devoted to the type of quality programming which was present in the Speedvision days.
I really miss “Legends of Motorsport”,  “Racing Chronicles” and the Goodwood Historic races, all of which were hosted by Alain deCatenet. The number of decent shows left on Speed can be counted on one hand, and I would include Alain’s “Victory by Design” and the Barrett Jackson on that list.
In fact, the only thing wrong with this year’s coverage of the Barrett Jackson was that deCatenet was not on the broadcast team.

Thanks To Another Ron

I enjoyed Ron Hedger’s Lesson in History article on Cliff Kotary’s run of six-straight New York State Championships. I was there for at least one of those, but Ron added greatly to my knowledge. I hope he does more of these.
I’d like to add something that Ron doesn’t know: Another of the state-fair winning cars from the “flathead” days is alive and well. The car driven by Larry Nye in the 1966 race was owned by Ray Kennedy of DeRuyter, N.Y. It was restored and campaigned in the Midstate Antique Stock Car Club for a while. Now retired, it is owned and shown occasionally by Bob Ossont of Sheds, N.Y.
Ironically, it was not a flathead, but a Chevy-6.

From A HARF Honoree

When I first purchased my first race car in 1957 (a 1937 Ford Coupe), I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be involved in motorsports for 50 years, let alone be inducted into the HARF Hall of Fame — and the same year as Chris Enconomaki. Just awesome!
I would like to thank the following for their support over the years: Kercher Engines, Bud’s Auto Sales, Keco Coatings, Hunt Mags, American Race Tires, Chalk Racing Products, Weld Wheels, Rod End Supply, Pro Shock, K&N Filters, DRC Chassis and any other support received to make this all possible.
Also, thanks to all the drivers (40-plus) I have had, who did such a great job with 300-plus feature wins. Thanks to Winchester Speedway for sponsoring this award. Also, thanks to all the fans and HARF.
I am so honored to receive this award.