Since this blog is about my recollections of racing and a future book project, I'm going to attempt to steer things back towards that. The politics of what's going on today is just not something I want to keep diving into. I admit I've been observing things, but I want to get away from that. Somebody else can have that battle. This doesn't mean I still won't comment on things, but I want to look elsewhere.
Who are the top 50 Street Stock drivers of all time at Antioch Speedway? Top 25 Dirt Modified drivers? Top 25 Late Model drivers of the modern era (1981 on)? That's subject to opinion. I can make a list based on my thoughts, and I'm working on it, but I know others will disagree. Everybody will have a different opinion.
What I find interesting about these types of lists is that they open up debate and get people thinking. I have been bouncing around this idea in my head for a while. I threw together a list of 80 plus Street Stock drivers, right off the top of my head. Making a list of 50 will be challenging and fun. I have to ask myself, who is the greatest of all time?
A pioneer in the division like Chuck Carter? Joey Rodriguez? Maybe the man who first set the bar for all time wins in the class, John Bellando? Does a driver have to have won a championship to top this list? Can it be a Figure 8 driver? How about Darryl Shirk? Maybe the driver he groomed to be champion, his son Troy Shirk? Rick Petruzzi? How about the consistent Walt Haas? Who says it has to be a man? What about Melissa Hansen or Debbie Clymens? The all time winner in the class, David Rosa? Tough call.
Then, we get into Modifieds. Scott Busby, right? Not so fast. What about Bobby Hogge IV? Bobby's father makes a compelling case for top Late Model driver. But then, what about Dave Byrd, Jim Pettit II, J.D. Willis and Steve Hendren? This could be fun. There could be other lists too.
The other thing I'm considering is a DCRR Northern California Racing Hall Of Fame, starting with an Antioch Speedway wing. Okay, it would only be a list of who I think are Hall Of Famers and why and would only be names in their own section of this blog, but it would still be a way of acknowledging the greats.
So, this is what I'm looking at now. I'm still thinking about it. We have nothing like this going on in the area that I know of, so it could be fun and interesting. I'd love to hear people's thoughts on who should make the list and who should go in the hall. This seems like more fun to me than complaining over politics.
