Penske Revels In First Sprint Cup Crown

by Bruce Martin

Roger Penske poses with Brad Keselowski after securing the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. (NASCAR Photo)

 

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – When NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship began at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 16 there were many “Brickyard Legends” that had an opportunity to win the 2012 Sprint Cup title.

 

But in the end, the man who gets to celebrate is the greatest “Brickyard Legend” of them all.
Roger Penske, the man whose cars and drivers have won a record 15 Indianapolis 500s, 12 IndyCar championships in USAC, CART and the IZOD IndyCar Series, was finally able to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup title for the first time in his over 40 years as a team owner.

Penske has achieved the greatest accomplishments in racing including a record that may never be matched or even surpassed at the “World’s Greatest Race” – the Indianapolis 500. But when it came to NASCAR, the Sprint Cup title remained the elusive jewel that was missing to complete his historic collection.

For the man whose teams dominated Trans-Am, achieved historic success in IndyCar and is the last American team owner to field his own car in Formula One, the 76-year-old Penske can now celebrate the one championship that eluded him for so long. He came close to winning the Cup in 1993 and 1994 with Rusty Wallace as the driver of the No. 2 “Blue Deuce.” But it took a brash young kid from Rochester Hills, Michigan to give Penske the title when Brad Keselowski clinched the championship with a 15th-place finish in the Ford Eco Boost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

 

No man understands the stature of the Indianapolis 500 better than Penske but considering the time and effort it took to finally claim NASCAR’s biggest prize, he places the Sprint Cup title above all of his other accomplishments.

“It’s at the top of the mark now,” Penske said before going onto the Sprint Cup Championship Stage. “As I told you when Brad and I got together three years ago and we talked about a plan, we executed, but I want to thank all the people in our company, all our 40,000 employees that have helped us. This race shop team is outstanding, with just the reliability of that car and engine and Dodge, I want to thank Dodge for what they’ve done and certainly Miller Lite and Shell Pennzoil.

“I think the competition is just so super and you think about the people that have won this series over the years, you know, Rick Hendrick is a great friend of mine. You could see Johnson and those guys were right there right down to the last few laps and it’s just something that you have to work on and these guys are the best.

“But this guy Keselowski is something special, and for me it’s a lifelong goal when you think about Hendrick, you think about Earnhardt and Childress and Gibbs and just to mention all the guys that have been up there, and we’ve been close but we’ve never delivered. But this guy here delivered it for us. Every week all through the year, gave us this championship. Boy, I’ll tell you, man, I love you.”

Penske won a NASCAR Cup race at Riverside, California with 1972 Indianapolis 500 winner Mark Donohue in 1973. It was the first of 76 wins in the Cup Series. But while Penske was able to successfully win races at NASCAR’s highest level he couldn’t win a championship.

In order for Keselowski to be the best he was going to have to beat the best in another “Brickyard Legend” – four-time Brickyard 400 winner and five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. Keselowski had a 20-point lead over Johnson entering the final race of the season which meant for the most part Johnson was going to have to finish 20 positions higher than Keselowski if he didn’t win the race. If Johnson was able to drive the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet to victory as well as score the bonus points for leading a lap and leading the most laps then Keselowski would have to finish 15th.

Johnson wasn’t going down without a fight and forced the issue when he was leading the race before he had to make what appeared to be his final pit stop.

And that is when it all began to go so wrong for Johnson.

With 54 laps to go Johnson made what appeared to be his final pit stop. But one of the lug nuts on his tires was missing and he was nailed for a penalty, having to pit on the next lap. He was leading the race before that stop.

It would only get worse when his rear-end differential failed, sending the No. 48 Chevrolet into the garage area and officially ending his “Chase for the Championship.”

“We were in position and putting the pressure on the 2 car like we needed to,” Johnson said of Keselowski. “I said at the beginning of the week, 15th isn’t a lay up, and I certainly had him in position. He made it really interesting here at the end of this thing. It we could have not had the mistake on pitted road and then the gear failure at the end. Didn’t really catch exactly what happened but I know there was oil under the back of the car. So there was oil under the back of the car. I’m not sure if a fitting busted or was hit by debris or line but something back there allowed the car to puke out gear oil. So as I was saying, there was oil all over under the back of the car, so something happened from either a line failure or a fitting was hit by debris or something and it puked all the gear oil out and burned up the gear. So again, disappointing, and we were right there in position and putting pressure on like we needed to.

But I have a lot to be proud of this year and so does this race team, and I can’t thank everybody I need to thank everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. Every man and woman there put in countless hours giving me great equipment, the support from Lowe’s, my fan base, Chevrolet and my family. We did all we could and came up a little short.

Brad Keselowski answers a question during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Media Tour as team owner Roger Penske looks on. (HHP/Harold Hinson Photo)

“I would have hated to come out here and do the trash talking I did to start the week and run 25th all night long. You know, I’m proud of the fact that we went out there and backed up what we said we could do and we put the pressure on. It doesn’t take the sting away from losing the championship. It helps in some ways and stings in others, so it balances out, I guess.”

“Yes, it all unraveled pretty quickly. You know, the pit road thing, I was just kind of dealing with it, the first two or three laps I got on the track and trying to think through what was going on. Chad had some optimism left in his voice. I wasn’t sure why or what. Maybe he was just doing a good job of being a cheerleader.

“But I ran a handful of laps and then I could smell some oil. And when the gear failed, I mean, there was a lot of shaking in the car. I knew it was big and going to be fatal.”

After racking up a record five-straight Cup titles from 2006-2010 Johnson has fallen short the past two years. It’s an unusual feeling for the driver who made it look so easy for so long during his championship run.
“It sucks to be close and not get it,” said this year’s winner of the Crown Royal Presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard. “That’s just the way it is. The statement I made about the eight championships is on that big wish list that we all have a wish list. The reality of that isn’t something that motivates me, and I’m not focused on it or think about that number. It was really to give everybody an answer because everybody would ask me, What next?

“So I thought it would bide me some time to have to come up with some type of answer.

“But I’m just disappointed that we came so close. We had 80 percent of the Chase that we wanted to have, a ton of momentum late in the season, and then those final two races bit us.”

Just a few moments after clinching the championship Keselowski was able to frame his feelings as it compared to the driver he beat.

 

“He’s the best,” Keselowski said of Johnson. “He proved here today he was going to win this damn race and I know that. We were not as we wanted to be, I’ll be the first to admit that, but my guys never gave up, we kept working and at the end we were capable of getting back up enough to where it wouldn’t have mattered if he had won which made me feel a lot better, but my guys did a great job all year long and I’m lucky to have them.”

And by doing that Keselowski helped his “Brickyard Legend” team owner achieve something he had sought for so long.

“It’s a goal that I had,” Penske said. “You could see that it wasn’t easy. It just didn’t line up and go today because Chad Knaus and as I said, the elite group, Hendrick’s boys and Jimmie Johnson were very strong today and they were throwing everything they could at us. It’s something I can’t hardly believe right now. I played this race in my mind over the weekend so many times what could happen yes or no.

“But I guess when Jimmie lost that lug nut, I said someone gave us four aces right there in our hand, so what we need to do is be sure we didn’t drop them. But I just want to thank Paul Wolfe (crew chief) for the great job he’s done in building this team.”

Penske has been a master at building successful businesses and race teams by what he calls the “human capital.”
“It’s not how much money you put into your race team, it’s all about the people and the human capital, and I guess Brad is right at the top,” Penske said. “When he came in and said, look, I want to help you build a championship team, he looked me in the eye and shook my hand, and that’s how we started, and there’s no question that he’s delivered way above what both of us probably thought was possible when you look at the competition and what we have to deal with.

“But he’s a great leader on our team. Obviously I remember I said, I think, earlier that he said, I’m not helping Kurt Busch enough, meaning he wasn’t good enough at that point. But when he took over the leadership of the team, I said to him, you’re going to be the leader of this team, and I think that you’ve seen what’s happened. He hasn’t missed a step. He’s galvanized the team from the standpoint of leadership with Paul and the whole team, and I think never does he miss a day coming in the shop, putting his arm around the guys, and that makes a big difference. You can be a big shot, but you’ve got to get down on the ground and work with the guys that are doing all this work day in and day out.

“For me this is what I love, taking people within at organization and seeing them flourish, and he certainly has today.”

Some have even drawn comparisons between Penske’s latest racing star with the very first star that drove his cars to victory – Donohue.

“When I compare the two, these are guys that would work in the shop,” Penske said. “I remember many nights Mark Donohue would work all night in the shop and get in the truck and tow the car to the races, and that’s the kind of background that Brad had with his dad and his brother and uncle and what have you, and I think that Brad has become a technician. I mean, he’s smart, he’s engineering savvy. Obviously Mark went to Brown. Brad didn’t have that opportunity.

“But I see them as pure team players, and I think that’s the great teams, you look at Jimmie, you look at Jeff, you look at Earnhardt, all these guys, what they built, the camaraderie, think about Earnhardt Sr. and Childress, these things grow together, and I think what’s what we did with Mark and obviously that’s what Brad has been able to do for our team. So I see them a lot like that; they’re the glue, they’re the builders.”
On Friday, Penske compared Keselowski to four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears and three-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves as well as Donohue.

“I think I’ve got a long ways to go to keep up with those guys, and there’s a lot of work to be done,” Keselowski said of the impressive comparisons. “I feel like we’re still at the beginning. I don’t feel like you can’t judge something off the beginning. You know, if you were building a house and you just looked at the foundation, it doesn’t look like much of anything. I feel like we’re very early. We’ve got the cement poured, and I want to keep building.”

Because of his tremendous accomplishments in the Indianapolis 500 Penske’s license plate on his personal vehicle is “INDY 1.” He is considering ordering another plate for another one of his cars.

“I guess I put NASCAR 1 on it right now,” Penske quipped. “I guess that might be right.

“It’s a special position to be in as an owner. Obviously, as I’ve said before, it’s a goal that I wanted to achieve, and I tried hard. We were close in 1993 with Rusty finishing second and then third in ’94. That’s a long time ago. The competition has gotten tougher, and I think that any one weekend there’s 10 or 15 cars that can win, and I think for us to be able to have the continuity, and it’s a team, we’ve built a special team here, and I’m proud to be the leader, but on the other hand we delegate down to people like Mike Nelson and Travis and obviously Paul and Tim Cindric gets a lot of credit for kind of putting this whole thing together.

 

“When I can be part of that group and then say we’re at the top of the sport in 2012, it’s a goal I’m sure everybody wants where they want to be.”

And finally, after 40 years of trying this unique form of racing known as NASCAR. During his career as an IndyCar owner he has made success look easy at times but in NASCAR he will be the first to admit that is oh so hard.

That is why Penske feels such a deep sense of satisfaction in his latest accomplishment.

“Well, personally I feel amazing that I’ve been able to achieve this in racing,” Penske said. “I’ve lauded the people that have been on that stage for so many years in Las Vegas and New York, and to be able to join this elite group and say that I’m a champion in NASCAR means a lot, and certainly as I said earlier it takes a lot of people, but I think it took the guts for me to stay in the sport. We could have thought, well, we won the Indy 500 15 times and we’re a big deal, but I’ll tell you one thing: Until you get here and you compete at the top and win it, you really know what’s happened, and I think I just woke up here tonight, and it’s a big thrill.”

 

Brad Keselowski Wins At Kansas!

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP)— Brad Keselowksi held off Dale Earnhardt Jr to win Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race atKansas Speedway and pick up his first victory of the year.

Keselowski led the final nine laps, conserving just enough fuel to stave off Earnhardt and snap a 75-race winless streak.

Earnardt finished second for the second week in a row in a fuel mileage race. Earnhardt appeared to have enough to make a late charge on Keselowski. That push never came - though Earnhardt did move up to third in the points standings.

Denny Hamlin was third, followed by Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards.

Pollsitter Kurt Busch led for 152 laps Sunday and finished ninth. He had to stop for gas as the leader with 10 laps remaining.

#2 isn't so bad today as Brad Keselowski wins at the Kansas Speedway in his #2 Miller Lite racecar. It is his second Sprint Cup victory.

Emporia native Clint Bowyer, who won the Truck Series race on Saturday, finished a dissapointing 18th.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. came in right behind Keseloski in second. Pole winner Kurt Busch finished ninth.

From KWCH Eywitness News Chanel 12.

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SECOND ANNUAL SONOMA HISTORIC MOTORSPORTS FESTIVAL JUNE 4-5

MORE THAN 250 HISTORIC CARS FROM CALIFORNIA ENTERED


SONOMA, Calif. (May 5, 2011) - Of the 400 historic cars entered in the Second Annual Sonoma Historic Motorsport Festival, June 4-5, at Infineon Raceway, more than 250 hail from the State of California, a hot bed for collectors of exotic street cars and significant race cars. The event features the McLaren marque, which was a dominant force in the Can-Am, Indy 500 and Formula 1 racing series in the '60s and '70s.


While nearly 190 of the entries list Northern California as home, the remaining are from the Los Angeles and Central California areas. Included in the San Francisco-based cars are a 1934 Bugatti T-59, owned and driven by Charles McCabe, a 1977 McLaren M23 and a 1963 Lotus 27 Formula Junior driven by Danny Baker, and Len Auerbach's 1938 Aston Martin.


Jim Gallucci, of Danville, will race his 1969 McLaren M8C, while Peter Giddings, also of Danville, will compete in his 1931 Alfa Romeo Tipo B P3 and 1956 Maserati 250F.


From nearby Yountville, home of the world-renowned restaurant, French Laundry, Steve Cook will race his 1964 March 741 and 1968 McLaren M6B. Jeremy Nickel, also from Yountville, will pilot his 1963 Lotus 27 Formula Junior in one of the 13 races groups that will compete during the weekend. Jeffrey O’Neill, who lives and works in the heart of the wine country in Kentfield, has entered his 1957 Maserati 250F, and Frank Altamura, of Napa, will drive his 1966 Porsche 911S.

Petaluma will be represented by the 1974 Shadow DN4A, entered and driven by Fred Cziska, and the 1963 Corvette of Dan Payne, while the quaint seaside town of Sausalito boasts six entries, including a 1934 Lagonda Rapier (owned and driven by Alan Patterson), David Swig's 1957 Montsterati Special, and Howard Swig's 1931 Chrysler CD8 LeMans.


The L.A.-area entries include Bob Lee's 1968 McLaren M6B (of Rolling Hills), Mitch McCullough's 1956 Lotus 11 LeMans (of Redondo Beach), and from Santa Monica, Dave Hagan's 1960 Cooper T-52 Formula Junior.


"The state of California is well represented at this year's event," said Steve Earle, president of General Racing, Ltd., who for four decades has devoted his life to organizing historic car racing events. He is the originator of the Monterey Historic Automobile Races and the Wine Country Classic that preceded the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival.


"Many of the owners from Sonoma, Petaluma, San Rafael, Sausalito, Novato and Mill Valley could actually drive their cars to Infineon Raceway, and I suspect a few of them will. After all, a drive through the Northern California countryside can only enhance the adventure that will face these owners when they get on track at the stunningly beautiful Infineon Raceway. We expect great late spring weather." A complete entry list may be found at www.sonomahistoric.com.


The weekend’s festivities will also include the Historic Race Car Festival in the Sonoma Plaza Saturday evening benefiting Speedway Children’s Charities, and other special programs to be announced.


A popular event away from the racing action is the Wine Country Pavilion at Infineon Raceway, where the best food and wine from the Sonoma and Napa Valleys may be sampled. Admission to the Pavilion is FREE with an event ticket. Local restaurants participating in the Wine Country Pavilion are Girl in the Fig, Botanical Bakery and CIA Greystone. The wineries include Tin Barn, Dawn Hughes, Frank and Andy Aspina, Clarbec Wines, Sidejob Cellars, Rielle Wines, Meadowcroft, Bennet Lane and Korbel. Additional restaurants and wineries are expected to participate and will be announced in the near future.


Additional information may be found at www.sonomahistoric.com. Companies interested in supporting special events during the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival, should contact General Racing Ltd., at 805-686-9292.


About McLaren:
Having dominated the Can-Am series from 1967 through 1971, McLaren was considered unbeatable. There were also McLaren victories at the Indianapolis 500 for American drivers Mark Donohue (1972) and Johnny Rutherford (1974, 1976). In Formula 1 racing, the McLaren name is equally famous. Only Ferrari has competed in more F1 races in the modern era, and McLaren’s driver lineup has included the very best the sport has produced including Bruce McLaren, Peter Revson, Denny Hulme, James Hunt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Fernando Alonzo and current world champion drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.


Today, the McLaren Group, headquartered in Woking, Surrey, England, is comprised of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 Racing Team and McLaren Automotive. In 2011, the company will introduce its new road car, the McLaren MP4-12C. The carbon fiber composite chassis with a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine develops 600 horsepower and has a top speed of 200 mph. The seven-speed gear box with paddle shifter will accelerate from 0 to 124 mph in under ten seconds. The MP4-12C’s shapely form and extraordinary performance pays tribute to McLaren’s racing heritage.


About General Racing, Ltd.:
General Racing Ltd. was formed in 1970 to encourage the restoration, preservation and the use of historic sports and racing cars. Founder Steven J. Earle envisioned an event that would unite former racing greats with enthusiastic amateurs who owned some of the rare motorcars that once graced road courses worldwide. Earle’s vision forever changed the vintage racing landscape.

In 1974, with the support of Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance organizers, he launched the inaugural one-day Monterey (Calif.) Historic Automobile Races at Laguna Seca Raceway. It was a huge success and attracted a field of 66 cars.


It also sparked the interest and vision for what would become the world’s premier historic auto race. In 1975 it became a two-day affair and since then has grown to a full three-day event.


The success of the Monterey Historics spawned additional General Racing events, including the Portland (Ore.) Historic Automobile Races, the Coronado (Calif.) Speed Festival, special events at the Long Beach Grand Prix and the Kansas City Historic Grand Prix, as well as the Wine Country Classic, the forerunner to the current Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival.


In addition, General Racing assisted the organizational team from 2001-2008 at the Lime Rock Park (Conn.) Vintage Festival, held over Labor Day weekend.


Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival
WHAT: Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival
WHEN: June 4-5, 2011
CIRCUIT: 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course
TICKETS: $40 day/$60 weekend; Youth (Ages 13-20): $20 day/$30 weekend; Children 12-and-under FREE and parking is FREE. Each ticket includes entry to the Wine Country Pavilion and souvenir program
INFORMATION: 800-870-RACE, infineonraceway.com/historics, ticketmaster.com


Accredited media wishing to cover the event may apply for event media credentials at www.smicredentials.com and apply for access to the site. Once approved for access, you may log in and apply for credentials.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438; jstropus@earthlink.net

AUGIE PABST RECEIVES 2010 BOB AKIN AWARD FROM
ROAD RACING DRIVERS CLUB

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 27, 2011) - Augie Pabst, described as "one of the fastest, most charismatic and popular drivers in his day" by the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, to which he'll be inducted later this year, was named the recipient of the 2010 Bob Akin Award by the Road Racing Drivers Club (RRDC). The award was presented at a dinner prior to the running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the season opener of the 2011 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series.

Each recipient of this honor, considered the top award in motorsports for amateur, vintage/historic or semi-professional drivers, is selected by Akin's son Bobby, RRDC members Brian Redman and Archie Urciuoli, and approved by RRDC president Bobby Rahal.

The distinctive trophy was conceived by the RRDC to honor the memory of long-time RRDC member and past president Bob Akin, who lost his life in a racing accident in 2002.

The trophy was designed by Steuben Glass in Corning, N.Y., and is given to a driver who best exemplifies the extraordinary qualities and characteristics that Akin represented, including a passion for motorsports and automobiles, a high level of sportsmanship and fair play, and who has contributed to the sport of motor racing.

A scion of the family that founded Pabst Brewing Company in 1844, whose early racing career spanned a 10-year period (1956-66), Pabst won the 1959 USAC Road Racing Championship and the SCCA B-Modified Championship in 1960. He and his wife Joan reside in Oconomowoc, Wis., and he considers historic Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., his home track.

Pabst was presented the award by Urciuoli, Akin and Rahal. "I got to know Bob Akin when I drove with him a couple times in 1979 and 1980,” said Rahal. “Ten years ago Bob and Brian Redman approached me to be the president of the RRDC because they had a great passion for the club and thought maybe I could help them in that fashion. Unfortunately, we lost Bob in an accident in 2002. He represented so many good things and epitomized a true gentleman in the sport."

Added Urciuoli: "Bob was a great fellow competitor who was tragically killed at the age of 66. He had a great 40-year road-racing career and gave generously back to our sport, to his family, his community and his business.

“We're very proud to present the 2010 Bob Akin Award to Augie Pabst.”

Pabst's success in the late '50s and early '60s as one of road-racing's most versatile stars came driving the famous Meister Brauser Scarab, which he today drives in vintage competition. He also scored significant victories for Briggs Cunningham, John Mecom Jr., Carroll Shelby and Luigi Chinetti. He retired in early 1966.

"Like many of us, Augie began racing in regional SCCA events, starting in a Triumph TR3 in 1956,” said Urciuoli. “He had his first major win in 1959 in a Ferrari 500 TR and ended that year as the USAC Road Racing Champion in the famous Meister Brauser Scarab. In 1960 he won five SCCA nationals and the Class B-Modified championship and was named U.S. Driver of the Year by Competition Press. He continues to race in motorsports events at Road America and often had some spirited dices with Bob Akin."

"Bob Akin and I had a lot of fun together in vintage racing in the '90s," said Pabst, a three-time winner of the Road America 500 (1961, '63 and '64). "He had a very fast little Cooper and in the beginning the Scarab that I drove and the Cooper were very similar on lap times and each year the Cooper got a little faster. We used to go down from turn 3 to turn 5 at Road America and the Scarab would pull away from the Cooper. About two or three years later the Cooper would go past the Scarab.

"I feel honored and humbled to receive this award because I thought Bob was such a great person and a fabulous driver. He was a good sport and sportsman. He loved the sport as much, if not more, than we did. He contributed so much, in both professional and vintage racing."

Past recipients of the Bob Akin Award have been Sam Posey, Charlie Gibson, John Fitch, Jim Haynes, Cameron Argetsinger, Jim Downing and Steve Earle.

The permanent trophy, listing annual winners, is on display at the International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC) in Watkins Glen, N.Y. The recipients receive a smaller, engraved version of the award.

About the RRDC:
The Road Racing Drivers Club was formed in 1952 as a way to give champion drivers a say in their sport, particularly in the areas of safety, and has evolved to serve the future of road racing by mentoring new drivers on both amateur and professional levels. The Club’s membership includes leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists, in addition to prominent racing names.

President Bobby Rahal is the 1986 Indy 500 winner and is co-owner, with David Letterman, of the 2004 Indianapolis 500 winning Rahal Letterman Racing team. Six-time SCCA National champion John Fergus is the Club’s Vice President/Treasurer, and five-time SCCA National champion Tom Davey is the Secretary.

In addition to RRDC members lending their expertise to up-and-coming drivers, the Club presents three annual awards: the Phil Hill Award for rendering outstanding service to road racing; the Mark Donohue Award for personal spirit and performance at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs; and the Bob Akin Award – the top award presented to amateur and semi-professional racers - for speed with style, passion, sportsmanship and contribution to motorsports.

The RRDC also supports the Team USA Scholarship, which has been assisting young Americans in the early stages of their careers since 1990.

Membership in the RRDC is by invitation only. Additional information on the organization may be found at http://www.rrdc.org/ .

Photo of Augie Pabst, center, receiving the 2010 Bob Akin Award at the RRDC dinner in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Jan. 26, from Bobby Akin, left, and Bobby Rahal. Photo credit: Jeff Tan

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RRDC/FIA YOUNG DRIVERS SYMPOSIUM ATTRACTS LARGE AND APPRECIATIVE AUDIENCE

HILLIARD, Ohio (Dec. 16, 2010) – A capacity crowd of 150 young drivers, family members, managers, coaches and assorted guests participated in the Road Racing Drivers Club/FIA Young Drivers Symposium on Dec. 11, at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Orlando, Fla.

Hosted by RRDC President, Indianapolis 500 winner and BMW-Rahal Letterman Team co-owner Bobby Rahal, the third in a series of free “Safe is Fast” workshops – with S.A.F.E. an acronym for Skilled, Assured, Fit, Empowered – was supported by a grant from the FIA Motor Sport Safety Development Fund.

The three-hour program featured a total of six industry experts who relayed a wealth of information and know-how covering such topics as mental preparation (Jacques Dallaire, Ph.D, founder and president of Prime Performance), physical fitness (Jim Leo, C.S.C.S., president of Pit Fit Training), safety (Stephen Olvey, M.D., and Terry Trammell, M.D., founding members of the International Council of Motorsports Sciences and founding fellows of the FIA Institute for Motorsport Safety), integrated driving and coaching (Michael Zimicki, president of Sliderule Motorsport) and sponsorship and branding (Jim Jordan, Manager for Alternative Marketing at Mazda North American Operations).

The symposium attracted drivers from a wide variety of race series and activities ranging from karting and quarter-midgets through all branches of open-wheel, sports car and stock car racing. Among them, the attendees represented all the major race sanctioning bodies in North America, including American Le Mans Series, Grand-Am, IndyCar, NASA, SCCA, USAC, NASCAR, ARCA and a plethora of karting entities.

“We couldn’t have been more pleased with the response,” said Rahal. “We saw drivers from just about every discipline you could imagine, and it was exciting to see how enthralled they were with the presentations.”

Attendees were equally effusive in their praise for the symposium: “I found it very educational,” said Collete Davis, 16, a student of mechanical engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., who hopes to race in the 2011 U.S.F2000 National Championship. “I learned in just a few hours what people would usually take years to learn.”

“This was the second time I had attended the symposium at PRI,” said Trent Hindman, 15, from Wayside, N.J., who last week won a full scholarship to contest the 2011 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Championship Presented by Mazda. “This year, to be honest, I was a lot more prepared to take in all this information. Dr. Dallaire’s method of thinking really helped me out a lot, so I’m going to try to take all of that and apply it and hopefully go faster on track.”

It wasn’t just the youngsters who picked up valuable information to help them maximize their potential. “I thought it was excellent,” said former IndyCar driver turned television analyst Scott Goodyear, who was joined by his 14-year-old son Michael, a burgeoning kart racer. “There was a lot crammed into a short period of time, but I think that if you can just even take away 10 or 20 percent of what you heard, that’s going to make you better both on and off the track. For me personally, it was an opportunity for my son to hear all these things from a different source – because I’m talking about it all the time – so he can then understand it and realize the importance of it all.”

“I really enjoyed the mental and the physical fitness side of it because that’s one thing that isn’t always foremost in your mind when you go to the race track,” added former Atlantic competitor John Thompson, from Perkaise, Pa., who accompanied his 16-year-old son, Colin, a competitor in this year’s VW Jetta TDI Cup Series. “The fact that it’s a seven-day, 24-hour-a-day activity really makes sense. You really can’t just prep yourself for the weekend, you’ve got to prep yourself all week for what you’re going to be doing at the weekend.”

About the RRDC:
The Road Racing Drivers Club was formed in 1952 as a way to give champion drivers a say in their sport, particularly in the areas of safety, and has evolved to serve the future of road racing by mentoring new drivers on both amateur and professional levels. The Club’s membership includes leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists, in addition to prominent racing names.

President Bobby Rahal is the 1986 Indy 500 winner and is co-owner, with David Letterman, of the 2004 Indianapolis 500 winning Rahal Letterman Racing team. Six-time SCCA National champion John Fergus is the Club’s Vice President/Treasurer, and five-time SCCA National champion Tom Davey is the Secretary.

In addition to RRDC members lending their expertise to up-and-coming drivers, the Club presents three annual awards: the Phil Hill Award for rendering outstanding service to road racing; the Mark Donohue Award for personal spirit and performance at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs; and the Bob Akin Award – the top award presented to amateur and semi-professional racers - for speed with style, passion, sportsmanship and contribution to motorsports.

The RRDC also supports the Team USA Scholarship, which has been assisting young Americans in the early stages of their careers since 1990.

Membership in the RRDC is by invitation only. Additional information on the organization may be found at www.rrdc.org.

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PRDA MEMBER TOM STYCZYNSKI WINS THE PENNSYLVANIA HILLCLIMB ASSOCIATION 2010 VINTAGE 1 CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP

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The final championship points for the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) sanctioned Pennsylvania Hillclimb Association (PHA) 2010 time trial and hillclimb series were released, on 03 October 2010. We are pleased to announce that Tom Styczynski, The Clarksville Garages team driver of the #38 1959 Austin Healey Sprite, placed first in points for the Vintage 1 class (1950-1962 Sports Cars and Sedans under 2000cc).

In 2010 Tom competed in 5 of the 8 events accumulating 3 – 1st place finishes (uncontested but the times were better then the previous year), 1 – 2nd place (behind to Dave Smith in a Bugeye Sprite but again faster then last year) and a hotly contested 3rd place in one of the largest fields of Vintage 1 racers (4 cars with 5 drivers). This places Tom Styczynski in the PHA record book among other noted Vintage 1 champions including Lloyd Geib Jr., Dave Smith and other people you do not know.

After the announcement Tom thanked the staff at The Clarksville Garages for their support in making this championship possible. The following were singled out for their effort:

Team Manager – Tom Styczynski
Chief Mechanic – Tom Styczynski
Shop Support Crew – Tom Styczynski
Parts/Logistics Department – Tom Styczynski
Transporter Driver – Tom Styczynski
Team Photographer – Carla Styczynski (assisted by Tom Styczynski)
Moral Support – Carla Styczynski
Immoral Support – Various Sources

The plans for the 2011 season are uncertain. Rumors persist that #38 is for sale and Tom is planning a move to the West Coast. Tom has rejected the offer from Najwyższym Biegu w Polsce (translation - Top Gear in Poland) to replace Stash (translation – Stanley) the performance driver.

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UMW Triumphs at Road & Track Concours d’Elegance

Elkhart Lake, Wisc. 21 JUNE 2010 – After five years of restoration work, UMW’s former Penske Racing 1972 International Fleetstar 2110A did the unthinkable this past weekend in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, winning ‘Best in Show’ at the Road & Track Concours d’Elegance, an event that is coupled annually with the Kohler International Challenge with Brian Redman at the four-mile Road America racing facility and the streets of Elkhart Lake.

It all started Friday evening on the streets of Elkhart Lake and the grounds of the fabulous Osthoff Resort, where the team’s freshly-restored 1972 transporter came away with a class win in the retired racecars class, beating out many famous racing cars; including the team’s 1972 All-American Racers Indy Eagle. From there, the truck was displayed at Road America for much of the weekend, where it served as a landmark for the 2010 Mark Donohue Reunion tent before Sunday’s overall Concours judging.

Showing the hauler alone with the ramps out would have only told half the story to the thousands of fans who made it out to the KIC. Thus, UMW team manager Rick Dresang consulted with Matt Drendel of Heritage Motorwerks, owner of the 1973 Porsche 917-30 on display under the Reunion tent. Rick and Matt came to the decision that the 917-30 would look great parked at the end of the International’s loading ramps to give the complete ‘Tonka set’ look to the truck. After checking with the judges, the 917-30 was allowed into the gated Concours area, and parked at the end of the loading ramps for the first time in over 36 years. When the final votes were tallied; the UMW crew, headed by team manager Rick Dresang, took home the ‘Best in Show’ award.

‘It is a great honor to take home the Best in Show award at the Road & Track Concours d’Elegance,’ said Dresang. ‘The truck was a massive undertaking to restore. We couldn’t have done it without the help of Dick Saleva, Heinz Mihm, Calico Hand Painted Pinstriping, Paul Jay, Dan O., Rick U., Jon ‘Wadewerx’ Wade, Gary Welk, Southland International Trucks Ltd., Lakeside International and the former Penske team members for their help in bringing the transporter back to former glory. A big thank you also goes out to Matt Drendel and his Heritage Motorwerks crew for helping complete the display with their Porsche 917-30.’

The team also had their ’72 Eagle-Offenhauser on-track during the course of the weekend with team driver Paul Jay taking the turbocharged Offy up through the gears on the car’s first laps of the Road America circuit. The UMW team will be seen next during the weekend of August 6-8, 2010 at the Road America circuit where team driver Jacques Dresang will make his 2010 debut in SCCA competition in the team’s newly-restored 1977 All-American Racers DGF Formula Ford. It will be the team’s first foray into formula car competition.

UMW is a team dedicated to the integrity and preservation of the history of motorsports. Since 1996, UMW has competed in various forms of racing; always with the same attention to detail that can be seen today in the various machines currently raced and restored by the team. For more information, please visit www.uemsimotorwerks.com.

# # # # #

Photo Credits:

AtSpeed.jpg – UMW driver Paul Jay at-speed in the team’s 1972 All-American Racers Indy Eagle #7225. (UMW Photo)

Teamset.jpg – The 1972 International Fleetstar 2110A transporter was reunited with Heritage Motorwerks’ 1973 Porsche 917-30 for the first time in over 36 years. (UMW Photo)

Bestinshow.jpg – UMW team manager Rick Dresang, left, and Heritage Motorwerks’ Matt Drendel share the accolades of the ‘Best in Show’ award at the Road & Track Concours d’Elegance. (Steve Zautke Photo)

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Lyn St. James announces “ACCELERATE with Lyn St. James”

Racing legend Lyn St. James announces “ACCELERATE with Lyn St. James” to debut on NewsProNet

Available Through Hundreds of Local News Sites, the Program is Targeted to Women Drivers and Auto Buyers

MIAMI, FL, June 29, 2010 – NewsProNet, the leading provider of original syndicated video news to local broadcasters and online news destinations, today announced a new automotive program targeted to women with famed professional driver, Lyn St. James. Debuting in January, “Accelerate with Lyn St. James” will be seen three times per week on hundreds of local news sites and other NewsProNet worldwide syndication outlets.

Ms. St. James is best known as the trailblazing motor racing professional who was the first woman to win a North American professional road race driving solo (Watkins Glen, New York in 1985). She competed in the Indianapolis 500 seven times and is the first woman named Indy 500 “Rookie of the Year” (1992).

“I’m excited about sharing a lifetime of experience behind the wheel,” said Ms. St. James. “Many women are uncomfortable financially and mechanically with cars, but it's no different than taking care of your body. The first step is knowing the basics and building on those.”

Women account for about 50% of vehicle purchases and 80% of auto maintenance and repairs.

“Like your body, if you take care of your car, your car will take care of you,” added Ms. St. James.

Ms. St. James has worked as an on-air auto racing commentator for ABC and ESPN, and has authored three books, “Ride of Your Life,” “Only This Morning You’re All Grown Up” and “The Lyn St. James Car Owner’s Manual for Women.”

Ms. St. James will serve as co-producer, scriptwriter and on-camera talent for the new program, which will be seen three times per week. Using a format of two-minute segments, Ms. St. James will cover driving safely, auto maintenance and ownership. She’ll also give viewers a sense of what it’s like to be behind the wheel competing in some of the most famous motorsports events in the world.

“We're thrilled to have Lyn St. James as the driving force behind our latest video syndicated offering,” said Bob Rodriguez, chairman, NewsProNet. "We believe that Lyn's vast knowledge, her passionate love of autos and her ability to relate to men and women everywhere will create a huge following for ‘Accelerate.’"

NewsProNet news segments reach more than 50% of U.S. TV households and millions of online visitors every month. “Accelerate” provides national advertising and sponsorship options including pre-roll, video overlay, and display advertising opportunities. Additional advertising and sponsorships are available through the local media outlets that carry the video content on their websites.

“Accelerate with Lyn St. James” is co-produced by Tel-Air Interests, Inc., a full-service film/video production and development company located in the Hollywood Production Complex in Hollywood, Florida. Tel-Air's Studio facilities support a full range of video and audio services, with two film and television stages and state-of-the-art video tape and non-linear digital editing bays.

NewsProNet provides syndicated news content to major market TV stations across the U.S., including local NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX affiliates. A trusted source for premium video news content for more than 12 years, the company is also the creator and syndicator of short-form programming in key vertical audiences licensed to more than 300 Web sites worldwide.

“Accelerate” is the latest in a series of NewsProNet initiatives to distribute high-quality online video news content co-produced with some of the most-recognized names in business and consumer news. NewsProNet’s HealthDay TV service is a joint production with HealthDay Consumer News Service, and “The Main Street Money Minute” Web video news reports are co-produced with TheStreet.com’s personal consumer finance news site, MainStreet.com. HealthDay TV is available daily in the MSN global network.

About NewsProNet
NewsProNet Video, Inc. with headquarters in Miami and offices in Boston and San Diego, is a privately held company that produces original syndicated news services for local broadcasters and online news destinations worldwide. NewsProNet news segments reach more than 50% of U.S. TV households and millions of online visitors every month. NewsProNet provides content services to stations and websites owned by major affiliate groups, including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Scripps Broadcasting, Cox Broadcasting, BELO Broadcasting, Raycom Media, Meredith and others. For more information visit www.newspronetvideo.com/

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Watkins Glen F5000 Revival Weekend

Watkins Glen F5000 revival weekend last was good, however spotty weather, some nice days during the week, started to turn overcast with intermittent rain showers. As you know we don't run the F5000 cars in the rain, too dangerous and cars are too valuable... say nothing of the drivers ??? Oh heck most of them are too old anyway...

Sat qualifying race , weather good, however I had some issues with the RIAM Eagle, throttle pedal placement position change when brake pedal started dropping during the race. Quite unnerving,had to rely on my left foot braking technique to make it through the race. Otherwise my right foot would get caught up between the brake & gas pedal, no room for down there in the foot box to have this happen. I soldiered through the race finished 3rd in class and 5th overall. Not too bad for an ole guy, oldest racing a car like the Eagle. Amazingly we were 4 seconds a lap faster than last year, 'Fast is Never Fast Enough" My Left Foot Breaking technique saved the day...

Sunday rain came in , we missed the only early practice session and later in the afternoon F5000 feature race was gridded. The Fog rolled in big time... We delayed for awhile, hoping it would lift, than ran two pace laps under yellow and called it a day. Fogged out of the race... so bad you couldn't see the corner workers at flagging stations until you got right on top of there location. Our Sat qualifying race results held for our final weekend F5000 revival.

My good friend Will Silk exec editor of Sports Car Digest www.sportscardigest.com was on hand for the 3rd consecutive year to help out RIAM Master mechanic Bill Losee and Team owner Doug Magnon. It is really amazing to meet up with 6 or more of New Face Book friends at the Walter Mitty and the Glen . My ole friend Joe Cali was on hand as well as Oscar Koveleski, Prez of the Polish Racing Drivers of America, to give moral support...PRDA racing tips.? Just a Great Weekend !

Next F5000 race event will be at Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin in July 15-18 . RIAM and crew of the Eagle is all race prepped and ready to go ! RA is one of my favorite places the Eagle does well there.

All the best Best Tony a2zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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WOMEN IN THE WINNER'S CIRCLE FOUNDATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation Announces New Project Podium Grant Program

PHOENIX (March 23, 2010) – The Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation, founded by Lyn St. James, announced Justine Jackson as the recipient of the newly-established Project Podium Scholarship in conjunction with Volkswagen of America Inc. The scholarship was established in partnership with a number of the series sponsors to provide support for female drivers in the SCCA Pro Racing 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Series.

The eligible candidates had to compete in the Final Driver’s Selection event, which was held Feb. 7-9 at the South Point Hotel Casino and Spa Resort in Las Vegas. Jackson, who was a 2007 Foundation Driver Development Academy driver, earned the scholarship that will enable her to compete in the entire 2010 season.

Jackson was born in 1990 in Kingston, Jamaica, and started competing in go-karts at the age of 12 in the Junior Sportsman Rookie Class, racing for the Jetcon Racing Team. In 2004 she raced in the Junior Sportsman Yamaha class and in 2005 and 2006 in the Junior Rotax Class, finishing third in the championship both years. In 2007 she raced in the ICC 125cc Shifter class, attended the Skip Barber Racing School and the Women in the Winner’s Circle Driver Development Academy. In 2008 she finished second in the Rotax Sr. Championship and fifth in the 125cc Shifter Class. In 2009 she moved to the United States to study Motorsports Management at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina.

One of five women who participated in the Jetta TDI Cup tryouts and one of only two selected to compete in this year’s championship, Jackson had this to say: "The Jetta TDI Cup Driver Selection event was an intense experience that tested me on all levels. For me it was the first time driving a TDI and I absolutely loved it, and I am thrilled to be a part of the 2010 driver lineup. A big thank you to Project Podium and its partners for this amazing opportunity."

“I’m so pleased the partners of the Jetta TDI Cup Series made the decision to support female drivers within our Project Podium Grant Program," said St. James. "And Justine has worked extremely hard on getting experience to prepare her for this opportunity. We’ll be working with her throughout the season and will do whatever we can to help her be successful."

About Project Podium:
Project Podium is a scholarship fund within the Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1994 by Lyn St. James. To date, just over $95,000 in value has been distributed to young female drivers who compete in all forms of motorsports including karting, quarter midgets, drag racing, sports car and oval track racing.

The overarching goal of Project Podium is to provide financial assistance in the form of matching grants to female drivers to help further their professional careers. Secondarily, the Project Podium process introduces or further provides experience for drivers in the very important business aspect of the racing industry by the matching fund requirement.

The SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Series Project Podium Scholarship has received support from the following: iRacing.com, Arciero Miller Racing, and Pirelli Tires. Other Project Podium partners include: Grand-Am, NHRA, Rolex, Newman’s Own, Toyota, Mazda, and Mike Helton.

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Terri Deren, PRDA Member #40, Passes Away

Sorry to Report- SCCA, IMSA, SVRA Road Racing Loses Another Friend and Competitor To Cancer- Terri Deren, Carbondale PA

Jack Deren's wife Terri, AKA Evelynn D. died February 21 after brief illness. The full Obituary is online below, and if you click on the words 'light a candle to share your thoughts and memories' the family will receive them at the funeral home. 'Follow 'prompts' it is a safe site.

http://parisefuneralhome.com/obituary_view/71630

Jack Deren And Terry Thompson's Love Story Started With A Dangerous Spark!

The Auto World Can Am Racing Team was formed in 1969 and did fairly well. . Until the Sept...'Big Bang!' Chief Mechanic Jack Deren was seriously burned when a 'corroded' natural gas line leaked gas inside the building's cinder blocks. A tiny spark from a light switch Jack turned on exploded the gas and blew all four walls out destroying the building, several cars, and the team's 1969 McLaren MK 6B. It was a disaster. Jack was burned terribly......given a slight chance of surviving.......and Team Auto World shut down.

A Marriage Made In Heaven -The Comeback Kids....

Evelynn D. 'Terri' Thompson was working in sales at Auto World, was interested in auto racing and visited Jack daily and became his Angel of smiles... Terri started nursing him back to health. A friendly and beautiful lady who also modeled various items for the auto world catalogs. Jack wanted to go racing again, Terri and Jack both worked well together and Auto World got back on track racing in May 1970- with a used McLaren, Bruce McLaren's MK8B team car...... Oscar Koveleski drove in SCCA races and Can Am's in 1970, winning the SCCA National Championship and in 1971 Tony Adamowicz placed as high as 3rd in the Can Am series and Oscar finished 2nd in SCCA National Championship behind Jerry Hansen. The 5 person team was doing pretty well....During this season, the team really bonded when Jack and Terry got married...!!!!!!

A Race Team Of 'Pranksters' Including the Girls

When Tony Adamowicz and Brad Niemcek formed the PRDA ...Polish Racing Drivers Of America..they convinced Oscar to act as President ..various events were held at the races, slot car racing, radio control races, creeper races, presenting pole position trophies.....The two gals on our race team...went along with the pranks and did there own........at Road America Can Am .....Terri Deren and Elaine Koveleski emptied the Johnson Wax cans ad filled them with butterscotch pudding for the party....even Stirling Moss.....had to 'try this!'

After Team Auto World shut down in 1971.......Jack and Terri continued racing in SCCA, IMSA, SVRA....winning many events in USA and Canada...
against many factory teams....meeting new people, making new friends.....Yes we will miss Terri....how can we help????

LET US CONTINUE TERRI'S WE CAN DO IT SPIRIT! .....IN RACING AND HOW SHE SHARED HER EVERYDAY LIFE WITH A SMILE AND HELPING HAND TO PEOPLE IN NEED.....Thanks Terri, RIP.........your Team Auto World/PRDA friends.............


Oscar Kovelseki




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RRDC SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETES INAUGURAL RRDC/FIA YOUNG DRIVERS SYMPOSIUM

ORLANDO, Fla. (Dec. 13, 2009) - The Road Racing Drivers Club (RRDC) successfully completed its inaugural RRDC/FIA Young Drivers Symposium held at the Performance Racing Industry Show in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 11, in front of an audience of over 150 young drivers, parents, media and RRDC members.

Drivers from a wide variety of motorsports disciplines, including karting, Skip Barber, Jim Russell, Star Mazda, drag racing, SCCA club racing, Legends racing, Late Models and professional sports-car racing, participated in the four-hour workshop, featuring industry experts Townsend Bell (sponsorship/branding), Jacques Dallaire, Ph.D. (mental preparation), Jim Leo, C.S.C.S. (physical fitness), Stephen Olvey, M.D. (safety), and Michael Zimicki (integrated driving).

Indy 500 champion and RRDC president Bobby Rahal was the moderator of the workshop, made possible through a grant from the FIA Motor Sport Safety Development Fund, lending his professional racing expertise to the group. Between speakers, Rahal introduced "Rev" video features (courtesy of Mazda and OnCars.com), covering pertinent subjects of performance, safety and training. Each participant took home a comprehensive workbook, which expanded upon the points made by each speaker.

"I'm extremely pleased with the RRDC's first effort in organizing this symposium," said Rahal. "The lecturers were absolutely the best and are true leaders in this industry. The information was concise, and having the workbook to take home just cements what the young drivers heard here. The fact that everybody was very attentive for four hours, didn't move and didn't fall asleep speaks a lot to the quality of the symposium and I'm very proud of the efforts of (event organizers) Tamy Valkosky and Jeremy Shaw and numerous RRDC members who helped make this first symposium a success."

"I thought it was very beneficial," said 18-year-old Brett Smrz, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, a Jim Russell and Skip Barber series racer who also received an RRDC-supported Team USA Scholarship this year. "What I learned about safety and mental preparation in the four hours I was here will help me step up in my career."

His mom Shirley Smrz added, "I thought the symposium was very informative and the information invaluable. I know my son is going to take a lot of this with him to help him further his career."

Said Nathaniel Steele, 21, of Syracuse, N.Y., an FRCCA (Formula Race Car Club of America) racer and a marketing/communications college major, "I learned a lot from Dr. Dallaire. He had a lot of good mental tips, which are very important. It was great to learn so much about safety as well as getting advice from the experts."

Fourteen-year-old Natalie Fenaroli, of Kansas City, Mo., a Mazda Miata racer at Hallett (Okla.) Motor Racing Circuit, impressed the crowd when she performed over 30 push-ups at the request of Jim Leo. "I learned so much," she said. "The PitFit presentation (Leo) was really interesting. I'll have to keep up with that. And I learned a couple of new exercises that are going to help me. I thought Mr. Zimicki's presentation was really important, as well as Townsend Bell's. We do mainly cold calls (seeking sponsorship). It will be interesting to try his techniques. I think it could yield much better results."

Two additional RRDC/FIA symposiums are planned: in April, in conjunction with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, and in May, around the Indianapolis 500.

The Road Racing Drivers Club was formed in 1952 as a way to give champion drivers a say in their sport, particularly in the areas of safety, and has evolved to serve the future of road racing by mentoring new drivers on both amateur and professional levels. The Club now has more than 150 active members, including leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists, in addition to prominent racing names.

President Bobby Rahal is the 1986 Indy 500 winner and is co-owner, with David Letterman, of the 2004 Indianapolis 500 winning Rahal Letterman Racing team. Six-time SCCA National Champion John Fergus is the Club's Vice President/Treasurer, and five-time Formula Super Vee champion Tom Davey is the Secretary. In addition to RRDC members lending their expertise to up-and-coming drivers, the Club presents three annual awards: the Phil Hill Award for rendering outstanding service to road racing; the Mark Donohue Award for personal spirit and performance at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs; and the Bob Akin Award for speed with style, passion, sportsmanship and contribution to motorsports.

The RRDC also supports the Team USA Scholarship, which has been assisting young Americans in the early stages of their careers since 1990.

Membership in the RRDC is by invitation only.

Photo is of Jacques Dallaire, Ph.D., during a mental preparation test at the RRDC/FIA Young Drivers Symposium. Photo credit: Dan Boyd.


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Happy Holidays from the PRDA

Click for larger image:

Man Distracted by Pelican Drives Bugatti in Marsh

LA MARQUE, Texas – A man blamed a low-flying pelican and a dropped cell phone for his veering his million-dollar sports car off a road and into a salt marsh near Galveston. The accident happened about 3 p.m. Wednesday on the frontage road of Interstate 45 northbound in La Marque, about 35 miles southeast of Houston.

The Lufkin, Texas, man told of driving his luxury, French-built Bugatti Veyron when the bird distracted him, said La Marque police Lt. Greg Gilchrist. The motorist dropped his cell phone, reached to pick it up and veered off the road and into the salt marsh. The car was half-submerged in the brine about 20 feet from the road when police arrived.

Gilchrist said he doesn't know if the car was salvageable, but in his words, "Salt water isn't good for anything." He says the man, whose identity hasn't been released, was not injured.

A 2006 Bugatti Veyron was recently offered for sale in Jonesboro, Ark., for $1.25 million.

From Yahoo News.

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Keselowski & No. 88 Team Scores 4th Win of 2009

[Memphis] Brad Keselowski displayed JR Motorsports strength by taking his fourth win of the season in Saturday’s Kroger “On Track for the Cure” 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Memphis Motorsports Park. Keselowski led twice for 34 laps in the No. 88 Delphi Chevrolet, and held off a hard-charging Kyle Busch on a green-white-checkered finish to cruise to his sixth career victory. With the win, Keselowski earned an additional $75,000 from Nationwide’s “Dash 4 Cash” program. It was his second "Dash 4 Cash" victory this season.

Teammate Richard Boswell resembled anything but a rookie in his Nationwide Series debut, qualifying third and racing in the top 10 for the first quarter of the race. The No. 5 RCCA Chevrolet finished 23rd after sustaining damage to its front grill and needing extensive repair time to fix it. Following Keselowski to the line was Busch in second, Jason Leffler third, Mike Bliss fourth, and Brendan Gaughan fifth.

No. 88 Delphi Team / Keselowski
Start – 7th / Finish – 1st / Laps Led – 34 / Points – 190 / Point Standings – 3rd

Starting seventh, Keselowski found trouble early when he sustained damage during a fight for the second position with Justin Allgaier. The team called its car to pit road to repair the fender, and sent it back out in 31st. From the lap-41 restart, it took only 29 laps for Keselowski to climb back through the field and take his first lead of the race.

Keselowski relinquished the point to Mike Bliss on lap 86 and fell back to sixth position, but with fast pit work, the Delphi team gained Keselowski spots on pit road under a lap-124 caution, boosting him back to third.

Following a red-flag period on lap 165, Keselowski came to pit road one final time on lap 228 for fresh tires. Three cars remained on track with old tires, and when they bottled up the restart, Keselowski quickly moved from his sixth-place restarting position and took the lead with a three-wide pass in turn two. With the No. 88 back out front, the race was slowed by three more yellow flags, the last which resulted in a green-white-checkered finish. It was that two-lap sprint in which second-place Busch climbed to the bumper of Keselowski and gave him a nudge in a last-gasp effort to claim to the win, but Keselowski held on to score the win and take home the popular “Elvis” trophy that Memphis Motorsports Park awards its winners.

The win is Keselowski’s fourth of the season and sixth of his career. It continues his success at short tracks, in which he has scored two wins and six top-five finishes this year. Keselowski has now won at all three Nationwide Series tracks in Tennessee – Nashville and Bristol in 2008 and Memphis in 2009. Keselowski’s DNF streak now stands at 64 races.

From BradRacing.com.

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Man pleads guilty to DWI in motorized La-Z-Boy

DULUTH, Minn. – A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to driving his motorized La-Z-Boy chair while drunk. A criminal complaint says 62-year-old Dennis LeRoy Anderson told police he left a bar in the northern Minnesota town of Proctor on his chair after drinking eight or nine beers.

Prosecutors say Anderson's blood alcohol content was 0.29, more than three times the legal limit, when he crashed into a parked vehicle in August 2008. He was not seriously injured.

Police said the chair was powered by a converted lawnmower and had a stereo and cup holders.

Sixth Judicial District Judge Heather Sweetland stayed 180 days of jail time Monday and ordered two years of probation for Anderson. His attorney, David Keegan, did not immediately return a call for comment.

From Yahoo News.

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Ford Mustang Goes NASCAR

From FoxNews.com:

NASCAR's Nationwide series will be getting a new look starting in 2010, as family cars move over for muscle.

The Roush Fenway racing Ford Mustang is the first of the new breed of racer that will debut in four races next year, before running full-time in 2011. Based on the 'Car of Tomorrow' used in NASCAR's top-level Sprint Cup series, the Mustang will eventually replace the Ford Fusions used today.

In an effort to further differentiate the two racing series, NASCAR is pushing for automakers to swap the four-door sedan profiles currently used in Nationwide, for sportier two-door coupes. Along with Ford, Dodge is expected to unveil a Challenger-based car in the near future. Chevrolet and Toyota will be sticking with the Impala and Camry, respectively...for now.

The Roush Fenway Con-way Freight Mustang will be driven by 21 year-old Colin Braun, who is moving up to Nationwide from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

[Editor's Note] Call it what you want... A new nose on the Ford Fusion does not a Mustang make. Looking at the car, if you take away the Mustang nose, it is still the same car they called the "Car of Tomorrow". When I first heard this story I was very excited, with flashbacks to the old Trans Am racing days. When I saw the actual picture of the car, a saying came to mind that I think fits: "No matter how much you polish a turd, it's still a turd." Don't make me bring up the lipstick on a pig cliche'. This is my personal opinion, and not necessarily that of the PRDA. ~ Alleydude.

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You're Very Welcome!

Click for larger image...

Happy Birthday To The Dean of American Motorsports

Chris Econimaki, born October 15, 1920, will be celebrating his 89th birthday this month. Christopher "Chris" Constantine Economaki, better know as Chris Economaki, started his career in journalism at the age of 13 by selling the National Speed Sport News, and at the age of 14 was writing articles for the National Auto Racing News. In 1950, Chris became the editor for the National Speed Sport News.

He later became an announcer at race tracks, and became notable for his coverage of race events on ABC Wide World of Sports, covering numerous races from Indy 500 to the Daytona 500 and Le Mans.

Chris managed to compete in one race himself. Oscar interviews Chris about that one and only race. You can read about it HERE.

Happy birthday, Chris, from the PRDA, and auto racing enthusiasts everywhere!

Report from 2009 SCCA Runoffs

2009 Runoff Report

by Don Knowles

The SCCA’s 46th running of the National Championship Runoffs moved to Road America this year.

Our first year at Road America was exciting, with over 600 competitors. In the showroom stock and touring classes, it seems like we had a record number of big time crashes, with several competitors going to the ICU and a number of cars totaled.

In several other classes, where drafting is important, it appears that the racers have not all determined the best way to proceed, with many attacks very early, making it possible for the leader to get away. Additionally, brakes are more important here than at recent Runoff tracks. Drivers will need new strategies put in place by next year if they want to contend for the win. The track has several much faster turns than the two prior last Runoff tracks (Mid Ohio and Heartland Park Topeka) and I expect all competitors will adjust to the new track by next year.

RRDC Members Competing:

The following members competed in the races this year:

Jim Dentici—GTL-1st
Nicki Coello—FC-1st
Don Knowles—T2-1st
Justin Pritchard-FC-2nd
Jim Goughary-GT2-3rd
Tom Schweitz-FF-3rd
Jim Downing-CSR-5th
Kent Prather-GTL-11th
John Fergus-S2-12th
Pete Peterson-GT3-DNF
Carl Jensen-GT1-DNF
Dave Weitzenhof-FC-DNF

Under the heading of proud parents, John Fergus’s son Corey started on the pole in S2 and finished 2nd, and Kent Prather’s son Jesse started 2nd in EP and finished 6th.

RRDC Member Dinner:

Tom Dehn, with his son Frank, Frank’s fiancée Kimberly Benson and her mom Susie, and with Jim and Toni Haynes, organized, orchestrated, and provided a wonderful dinner for us on Tuesday night. We had about 60 attendees and enjoyed the live music, festive decorations, open bar, and the finest Runoffs dinner ever held at the event. Tom persuaded a friend to fly in from California to roast seasoned chickens on a spectacular, hand made, open “twister”. Simply fantastic.

The event was held in the Briggs and Stratton Motorplex, which is centrally located in the infield and gives us a nice and weather proof place to socialize. We invited the SCCA board of directors, the SCCA national staff and the Road America staff to join us. RRDC member Jim Haynes, former Road America track owner and manager, recounted some history for us, as he celebrated the 50th anniversary of one of his early wins. The current track manager, George Bruggenthies, was also present and said a few words. The dinner was followed by 2 large cheesecakes for dessert, one topped with a great RRDC logo in icing. Our team truck driver, Bob Gorman, who is 79, said it was the first time since his wife died 17 years ago that he had found any cheesecake good enough to eat.

PRDA Awards:

RRDC member Oscar Koveleski was an original founder of the Polish Racing Drivers of America, back in 1970. This year, he created “Pole Awards” for RRDC members to present to the pole winners in their respective classes. The awards were designed to look like Academy Awards (“Oscars”). Many members followed through and the pictures will be posted on the PRDA website.

Mark Donohue Award:

For the 39th time, the RRDC has selected a recipient for the Mark Donohue Award. The award is given to “one driver in the annual SCCA National Championship Runoffs who RRDC members feel has stood head and shoulders above the crowd in terms of personal spirit and performance behind the wheel.”

For a number of years, the award has consisted of a glass table top to go on a wheel donated by a club member, the wheel having come from a significant race car and event from the prior year. We had the 2009 Mark Donohue Award on display at the member dinner. The wheel was donated by member Duncan Dayton, and had been driven by Scott Sharp and David Brabham on their Patron sponsored LMP 1 winning Acura during the 2008 race win at Lime Rock, the first overall race win for Patron Highcroft Racing and the first Acura win in ALMS. As is also a tradition, the wheel came complete with a little race incurred battle damage, which adds to the presentation and the significance of the wheel.

The award was won by Michael Varacins, who won the FV race by over 25 seconds, the largest margin of victory in FV since Dave Weitzenhof’s victory by 63.8 seconds in 1972. He was selected “not only because of his outstanding performance in dominating his race, but because of his determination, sportsmanship, competitiveness and humility, the traits which best exemplify the spirit of the multi-talented champion and road-racing legend for whom the award is named. Michael builds his own cars, working with his father and family, and also builds parts for other FV competitors. He may join us at the RRDC dinner at Daytona on the Wednesday night before the 24 Hours of Daytona. The award will be presented at the SCCA convention in Las Vegas in late January 2010.

Members in attendance:

John Fergus
Don Knowles
Jim Goughary
Nicki Coello
Dave Weitzenhof
Carl Jenson
Pete Peterson
Tommy Schweitz
Fred Clark
Tom Dehn
Jim Dentici
Jim Downing
Jim Haynes
John Heinricy

Upcoming events:

The RRDC will present a symposium at the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Orlando, FL on Friday, December 12, from 9 am to noon aimed at helping drivers get off on the right foot in racing.

Here is a link to further information for the symposium:

http://www.performanceracing.com/tradeshow/events/road_racing_drivers_club_sympo.html

The Club is also planning its annual dinner in conjunction with the 24 Hours of Daytona. The dinner will be held Wednesday night, January 27, 2010. More information will be forthcoming.


Looking forward to seeing you at one of our future events.

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