2014 USA Nationals Review/Preview
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www.theracingconnection.comwww.theracingconnection.com August 2014 Vol. 18, No. 4 20142014 USAUSA NationalsNationals Review/PreviewReview/Preview PicturesPictures fromfrom PhotoPhoto GalleryGallery thethe pastpast HighlightsHighlights fromfrom NewtonNewton August 2014 Page 2 Page 3 August 2014 The Midwest Publisher's Note Full moon racing RACING Racing According to Plan Connection to it. Crazy things just seem to happen when there’s a full August 2014 moon. Vol. 18, No. 4 This year was no different. July 12th was one of the full P.O. Box 22111 moons for 2014, and boy did things get crazy. I read reports St. Paul MN, 55122 of a nearby dirt track that had a few on track & off track 651-451-4036 altercations, drivers escorted from the facility, phenomenal [email protected] side-by-side racing and some calls from the tower that www.theracingconnection.com weren’t received well at the track. The show I went to on the night of the “Supermoon” had some of the craziest crashes Publisher witnessed all year, phenomenal battles on the track and also Dan Plan had a call from the tower that caused a chorus of boos from the stands. I can honestly say I’ve never heard that many Contributing Writers boos from a crowd that were directed towards the officials; a Shane Carlson few drivers over the years, but not the officials. Dale P. Danielski Eric Huenefeld Despite what you may, or may not believe, there really are Stan Meissner Dan Plan no black & white rules when it comes to officiating most on Jacklyn Daniels-Nuttleman track incidents. In the overwhelming majority of the cases Kris Peterson Dean Reller Throughout my entire life as a race fan, there have always these days, it’s not the flagman that makes the call. He’s Jason Searcy been strange happenings that occur during race nights that just the messenger. Please don’t shoot the messenger. Charlie Spry happen to fall under a full moon. In past years, I’ve seen There has always been, and always be, judgment calls in cars rollover, cars start on fire, tracks suffer power outages short track racing. It’s just the way it is. Sometimes they’re Photographers and a whole list of strange things that all seem to happen right, and sometimes they’re wrong. All we can ask for is Jim Ambruoso (815-623-3200) when there is a full moon. There’s really no rhyme or reason consistency. Consistently right or consistently wrong. Either way is fine with me, as Martin DeFries (651-346-1199) long as we know what to expect. Doug Hornickel (920-563-0993) Stan Meissner photo Mark Melchiori (414-463-0131) When crazy things like this take Bruce Nuttleman (612-860-6622) place, it gets people talking; Vince Peterson (612-419-6372) some good talk and some bad Stan Meissner (651-428-4717) talk. There’s a phrase that P.T. Mary Schill/Forte Design (608-792-1317) Barnum is often credited with Jerry Zimmer (715-792-2174) saying; “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Some may disagree, but bottom line; there The Midwest Racing Connection is published six times were a lot of people were talking during the summer racing season by about short track racing the first The Plan Company, Inc. few days following the July 2014 All material is copyrighted 2014 and may not be full moon. reprinted without permission. Subscriptions are $20 for six issues. Call 651-451-4036. Bad publicity aside, the one item Cover photos by: Martin DeFries, Getty Images that stood out for me this past and Bruce Nuttleman. continued on page 16 CEDAR VIEW ELECTRIC, INC. 952-469-2100 New Construction - Remodel - Service Work Pools/Hot Tubs - Basements - Additions Residential & Commercial Lakeville, MN www.cedarviewelectric.com August 2014 Page 4 Reflections From a Wide-Eyed Race Fan NASCAR Insight The veiw seen by Shane Carlson from high above Iowa Speedway during the NASCAR Truck/Incy Car weekend rather, the preparation in the lead-up to each respective afternoon there, I could spend several more there soaking in race. The trucks raced on Friday, with IndyCar the following open wheel dirt racing’s rich history. night, and it was fun to observe the careful adjustments Shane Carlson being made to racecars and trucks in the garage area. I can’t wait to go back to Iowa Speedway for the Nationwide and K&N races in early August, and report back. It was a The truck garage seemed like a laid-back environment while great experience to be down in the trenches of those two I recently had the opportunity of a lifetime to attend the the trucks made their way through tech inspection, but series, and hopefully that will be my career one day. Racing NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Verizon IndyCar teams were all business once the green flag dropped. has been my biggest lifelong passion, (an addiction some Series races when they shared a weekend at Iowa Speedway people may say) and it probably seems cliché’ but that th th on July 11 and 12 , and it only confirmed that covering The Kyle Busch Motorsports team trucks of Eric Jones and weekend in Iowa is one I will never forget. racing is what I want to continue to pursue as a career. Bubba Wallace were out front most of the night, with Ryan Blaney making a late charge to finish second in his Brad Thanks to this paper (The Midwest Racing Connection), Keselowski Racing Ford. Iowa Speedway granted me credentials to go down to Iowa and see what it’s really like to cover big-time racing series. It In the Indy race the next night, 2014 Indy 500 champion was a totally different vantage point to watch a race from, as Ryan Hunter-Reay stole a win from fan-favorite Tony I was shoulder-to-shoulder with team members from both Kanaan, who had the best car all night. Hunter-Reay pitted series behind pit wall, observing the action on the track. for four fresh Firestones under caution with three laps to go and drove through the field to get the win. The thrilling Though I had been to Iowa Speedway before for various finish is something no one expected, but it sure got people NASCAR Nationwide Series and Truck races, I had never out of their seats. (As if race fans use seats anyway). witnessed an IndyCar race in person. I’m now an IndyCar fan. The raw speed they carry is mind-numbing. I also spent Saturday afternoon, before the IndyCar race started at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum Now, this may surprise some people, but I thought the at Knoxville Raceway. Any race fan needs to make the trip wwww.speedtalkon1360.com coolest part about the whole weekend wasn’t the racing, there. It is well worth your time, and though I only spent an Rainier Ehrhardt/NASCAR via Getty Images Page 5 August 2014 Attitude is Everything Racing Nuggets Admittedly, it wasn’t so much what he handed me that give us a definitive answer. By the next day we would know struck me, as it was the look in his eyes. I saw fear in his if we were about to embark on a new journey—battling gaze, as he gave me a quick peck on the lips and shuffled off cancer. behind the nurse. I wasn’t accustomed to seeing that in his steely blue peepers. My heart sank and I prayed that he Waiting for the phone to ring with news from a doctor is would be one of the many patients that wakes up from the grueling torture. It is astounding the crazy scenarios that a procedure with no recollection of anything—except having worried mind can concoct. The call finally came late that to drink that God-awful gallon of GoLytely that I mixed with next afternoon. The tumor is malignant. Toby has cancer. Crystal Light Lemonade last night. I waited. And waited, listening half-heartedly to the It hadn’t even been a full week since the initial find and conversations of others who had loved ones there for the already we were scheduled for a slew of appointments to same screening. Surprisingly, it wasn’t all just “older” folks gather information and insight so doctors could formulate a who were in for the “backend-look-see.” The ages varied plan of attack. The next step was to have a CT scan done, to and they weren’t all men either. see if there was cancer in other areas, or if it was localized to Jacklyn Daniels-Nuttleman this one tumor. Have I mentioned how much waiting sucks? About an hour later, the same nurse appeared and smiled Things were running behind at the hospital, so we got the It’s the unexpected in life that brings out the best or the sweetly as she called my name to come back with her. I was scan done a half hour later than scheduled, a trend which worst in people. No one goes to the race track intending to led to a little room, where Toby was laying on his side, continued to snowball as the morning melted into afternoon. haul their car home on a flatbed, looking like a mangled wrapped up in a blanket, with an IV plugged into his hand. mess. Some racers act like lunatics when that happens, and There were monitoring wires hooked up to him as well; very It’s hard to get overly angry when appointments of this lash out at anyone within a six-foot radius.