One of the staples of The DCRR was the controversial column The Editor's Viewpoint. I make no apologies for what I used to write there. I called it like I saw it. I got in trouble more times than I can count because of it. People loved it. People hated it. What I always tried to do with that column was give credit where it was due or bring about change where I thought it was needed. At some point in the future, I will probably share a few of the old columns here on the blog and comment on what I said back then.
That said, the book that I intend to release next year needs to stick to facts and avoid that sort of commentary where possible. There will be opinion in the book. I don't believe it can be avoided. But, I don't want to dwell on the things that were wrong or are wrong, in my opinion, with racing. I want this book to be a celebration of what is right with racing. The past champions, the close point battles, the big name drivers and contenders and some of the people who made it all happen.
Specific looks at important periods in racing. The Sportsman division. The beginning of the Street Stock class and what it meant. Late Models and the golden age of that class. Dirt Modifieds. The unity that existed between the tracks and the great series we had because of it. The State and Regional champs that came from that. Wingless Spec Sprints. Okay, you'll get observations of things during these times. It simply cannot be avoided. But, I want to keep it as light as possible. There are people and decisions I disagreed with. I don't want my opinions to overpower that too much.
Basically, where things happen, such as the death of Late Models as headline class, the birth of Dirt Modifieds, the end of what was once Barkhimer's huge racing empire, the whole Merced-Chowchilla thing and other things, I will attempt to stick with the facts as I know them and try to leave my opinions out as much as possible.
What this book needs to be is a celebration of racing at my area tracks, Watsonville, Antioch, Merced, Petaluma and Chowchilla. A look at the past 30-40 years at these tracks. A look over at San Jose and Vallejo and also Spec Sprints. There has been much good associated with these tracks. Many good times. Many good people. Many unforgetable memories. I want to focus on that. I want to celebrate the sport the way it deserves. So, that is my goal at this time.
Now, could a book be fortcoming where I do get more into details and opinions? Lord knows I've been there and I've seen quite a bit. I'm sure I could piss off a few people with such a book. Maybe it will get written in time. But, I do have this blog if I feel the need to go to controversial places on occasion. I just want the book that is fortcoming to be about a celebration of the tradition of racing in my area.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
I Heard The News Today, Oh Boy
You can see the above posted at the Chowchilla Fairgrounds Sight
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What can you say at a time like this? I can think of a few things. I've had my opinions through the years on this subject as some of you know. What does it matter? There are probably a few people (if that) who I would tell what I think even now.
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In case you don't know what this image means, Central California Motorized Racing is Chuck Griffin, and he has Chowchilla Speedway now To complete the thought, there have been those in racing who were not happy with Chuck for various reasons that I have neither the time, nor the room, to get into. Some went to other tracks, Hanford, Antioch, Stockton and Altamont. One had good people (investors) behind him and ended up starting Chowchilla Speedway to give people a fun alternative.
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Chowchilla Speedway over the last eight seasons held some of the biggest stock car and open wheel programs in the state, and it never would have happened without the leadership of Tom & Cindy Sagmiller. To me, it's hard to think of Chowchilla Speedway and not think of Sagmiller. Would the track be there if not for that conversation between Tom and original investor Charlie Ruth? No. Let me rephrase that, HELL NO!!! If you think otherwise, you aren't being honest.
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Chowchilla came out of left field, offering hope to fans who needed it. Not just the ones in The Valley looking for a place that was more fun, but to Bay Area fans reeling from the loss of San Jose Speedway. Tom gave us hope of something better and something different in racing at a time when we desperately needed it.
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This is difficult for me to say. I happen to like Tom and consider him a friend. I also happen to like Chuck and Marylee Griffin. Like or hate Chuck, people, Merced's gates have opened and racing has continued week in and week out, even during tough times, throughout some two decades with the Griffin's at the helm. That is a fact. Financially speaking, the Chowchilla Board made what had to be considered a safe decision.
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I know a few people will ask if the board even paid any attention to that winter Barneburner Series run by a Chowchilla resident and long time racer Joe Diaz Jr. I understand Joe put in a bid, and it's not like he hasn't already been making money for the fair.
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But, Chuck was a safe pick, because the bills get paid on time with him. Plus, at Merced, he has built up a pretty good record with the community. I know, it sounds like I'm being too nice here. I'm amazed the internet community hasn't ripped into this topic more than I've seen. Perhaps they are too tired to care anymore, or maybe it's shock? Who knows?
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Can we be truthful here for a minute?
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Chuck's bid, right or wrong, seems to have more to do with him making a point. I don't even care anymore, but he never got the "justice" he sought in his feud with Tom. True, he could have just been happy with the news that Tom was out at Chowchilla, but coming to Chowchilla as the next promoter gives him that victory, that sense of closure he was looking for. What am I talking about? If you don't know by now, I damn sure ain't telling you. Look around, fool. Does it even matter at this point?
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I can tell you that Tom helped save Merced Speedway. I know what you are thinking. You're nuts Donny. How the hell do you figure that? Moving dates early in Chowchilla's run, at financial loss to Chowchilla, to try to help Merced, for one.
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Tom forced Merced to ditch the non Camaro Pure Stock (less that 10 cars) for the Hobby Stock class that made it into the 30's that second year. Tom's success in running big shows at Chowchilla was no small influence in Merced's decision to run the 9-11 races that were big for a couple years. Fact is, Chowchilla's existence helped grow Merced car count. I can cite other examples, but I'm getting tired, and really, what's the point?
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When we look at the decision, we really have to ask what Chuck can bring to Chowchilla that will make a difference? It's a fair question. I'm guessing that bills being paid on time is first and foremost. IMCA sanctioning? Yes, but really, who needs the IMCA? This move is probably five years too late. I may be wrong, but then again, where were the Mods at Merced this year?
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Chowchilla regulars will be left wondering what divisions will stay, and what will go. That will be up to the CCMR office to address. I look forward to what they will say. But I think people can expect a further departure from the loose and racer friendly way that RACE did things to how CCMR will do things.
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Simply put, if Chuck is running Chowchilla and you plan to race there, you better know the rules and follow them as closely as you can. No rule is safe from a DQ. Stay in line with the rules and keep the attitude in check, or you won't last in a point race there.
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What really has me wondering, though, is the fact that Chuck is not getting any younger. It was my understanding a few years ago that he and Marylee were considering retirement. This is doubling the work load. It's likely that his daughter and son in law will take a bigger role in things. However, I can't see Chuck making a two track hand off. This would seem to indicate that retirement will have to wait a year or two.
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Time will tell, I guess.
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My purpose in posting this was not to bash or point fingers. I don't care about repeating things said years ago, because this is 2007. What's the point? If this helps racing in The Valley, great. It's needed. But, will it help? I just don't know.
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Watsonville has been turned around and had a great season.
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Jim Soares has done some great things with Petaluma these past two years as well.
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What will Chowchilla's future be? Time will tell.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Grumble, Grumble & Other Ramblings
Been meaning to post this, but l've been a little under the weather lately, so here goes.
My work space for writing is a mess. The light in the room isn't working right. The chair is broken, but I still use it. There's not enough room on the desk. So, what else is new? This is the way I ran the magazine for years. It just makes me cranky. It's not in my budget or space limitations to do much about it, so it is what it is.
EA Games bought Bioware. Huh? What's this got to do with racing? Well, something and nothing. I like Role Playing Games, like Dungeons & Dragons and Bioware made Baldurs Gate and Neverwinter Nights, among other titles. They have been assimilated by the EA borg. What does this having to do with racing?
EA screwed up a community I once enjoyed being a part of, Simulated Auto Racing. You see, for a couple of years, I wrote stories and did videos with commentary for Sim Racing. It was a way to excersize my creative skills and I had fun most of the time. I won't get into it all here (perhaps another time), but here's how EA screwed up.
There was a little game called NASCAR 2003 made by Papyrus. It kind of killed my dirt track sim racing fun, but, let me get back to the point. N2003 was a good game. If you did need a mod to play in somebody's servers, it wasn't a big deal to get the download. You didn't have to join communities you had no interest in to download what you needed.
EA made their crappy NASCAR games that nobody in the Sim Racing world, at least nobody that was respected in the community, cared about. I didn't think they were that bad, but... Anyway, EA and Papyrus both made NASCAR games with the license they paid for. You know, Hasbro had a cool game called NASCAR Heat too, but...
Anyway, one day, EA decided they wanted an exclusive deal for NASCAR Sim Racing, a game everybody automatically hated before they saw it, but... The exclusive thing just pisses me off, because if $$$ hungry NASCAR had been paying attention or at least gave a damn about the community, they would have realized that N2003 by Papyrus was vastly more popular. Even 4 years later, NASCAR Cup racers still play using that game. But, NASCAR got greedy and basically shafted the computer Sim Racing world.
Anyway...
NASCAR Sim Racing bombed, Papyrus was put out of business and what was left of Papyrus got lawsuit happy with the community that was modding N2003. You see, that new company, iracing, was gonna make an even better game one day, in their dreams maybe, but that still hasn't happened.
Well, EA continued to blunder with the NASCAR Sim Racing game. The patch to fix the bugs never came. Well, it did, but it didn't fix enough. They pulled their server from the net, meaning no more online play for the games, then put them back up a couple months later as the little community that supported it got pissed. But, basically, EA makes console NASCAR games and gives the computer gamer the finger. NASCAR could care less it seems.
Basically, the EA Borg mentality screwed up a community I loved, and with the purchase of Bioware, another good company will bite the dust. Thanks EA.
Sim racing lives on, of course, with another game that encourages modding. But, this is where I take my leave of the deal. From the outside looking in, there are many things I don't like about what I see, but if people are having fun with it, that's all that matters. I don't know why NASCAR has to be so greedy as not to get a good game made. I also don't know why we can't get a decent dirt game made.
I'm not talking about join this group to download this and obey 15 rules or your gone. We have that now. If my computer were able to handle it, I might partake a bit, but... I don't want the little game that could. I want the fun game that is. Get it off the shelf, install it on the computer and play.
I know nobody plays Dirt Track Racing 2 or NASCAR Heat anymore, but I'd love to find a few fools who just want to have fun and would play for the heck of it one night. Saturday Night Speedway or Sprint Cars: Road To Knoxville would be fun too.
Anyway, are you still here, or did you check out on me when I started ranting about companies that make games for pretend racers?
Surely I have more to say than this?
Well, if you are, here's a bit of news. I have looked into the possibility of making the book that is unwritten at this moment available in at least one book store. I kind of like the thought of people being able to go to a book store and order a book that talks about the California race tracks that I loved. It's an accomplishment that I never thought possible. As things come together a little bit more, I will say more. It will take a small investment, but I think it may be worth it.
My work space for writing is a mess. The light in the room isn't working right. The chair is broken, but I still use it. There's not enough room on the desk. So, what else is new? This is the way I ran the magazine for years. It just makes me cranky. It's not in my budget or space limitations to do much about it, so it is what it is.
EA Games bought Bioware. Huh? What's this got to do with racing? Well, something and nothing. I like Role Playing Games, like Dungeons & Dragons and Bioware made Baldurs Gate and Neverwinter Nights, among other titles. They have been assimilated by the EA borg. What does this having to do with racing?
EA screwed up a community I once enjoyed being a part of, Simulated Auto Racing. You see, for a couple of years, I wrote stories and did videos with commentary for Sim Racing. It was a way to excersize my creative skills and I had fun most of the time. I won't get into it all here (perhaps another time), but here's how EA screwed up.
There was a little game called NASCAR 2003 made by Papyrus. It kind of killed my dirt track sim racing fun, but, let me get back to the point. N2003 was a good game. If you did need a mod to play in somebody's servers, it wasn't a big deal to get the download. You didn't have to join communities you had no interest in to download what you needed.
EA made their crappy NASCAR games that nobody in the Sim Racing world, at least nobody that was respected in the community, cared about. I didn't think they were that bad, but... Anyway, EA and Papyrus both made NASCAR games with the license they paid for. You know, Hasbro had a cool game called NASCAR Heat too, but...
Anyway, one day, EA decided they wanted an exclusive deal for NASCAR Sim Racing, a game everybody automatically hated before they saw it, but... The exclusive thing just pisses me off, because if $$$ hungry NASCAR had been paying attention or at least gave a damn about the community, they would have realized that N2003 by Papyrus was vastly more popular. Even 4 years later, NASCAR Cup racers still play using that game. But, NASCAR got greedy and basically shafted the computer Sim Racing world.
Anyway...
NASCAR Sim Racing bombed, Papyrus was put out of business and what was left of Papyrus got lawsuit happy with the community that was modding N2003. You see, that new company, iracing, was gonna make an even better game one day, in their dreams maybe, but that still hasn't happened.
Well, EA continued to blunder with the NASCAR Sim Racing game. The patch to fix the bugs never came. Well, it did, but it didn't fix enough. They pulled their server from the net, meaning no more online play for the games, then put them back up a couple months later as the little community that supported it got pissed. But, basically, EA makes console NASCAR games and gives the computer gamer the finger. NASCAR could care less it seems.
Basically, the EA Borg mentality screwed up a community I loved, and with the purchase of Bioware, another good company will bite the dust. Thanks EA.
Sim racing lives on, of course, with another game that encourages modding. But, this is where I take my leave of the deal. From the outside looking in, there are many things I don't like about what I see, but if people are having fun with it, that's all that matters. I don't know why NASCAR has to be so greedy as not to get a good game made. I also don't know why we can't get a decent dirt game made.
I'm not talking about join this group to download this and obey 15 rules or your gone. We have that now. If my computer were able to handle it, I might partake a bit, but... I don't want the little game that could. I want the fun game that is. Get it off the shelf, install it on the computer and play.
I know nobody plays Dirt Track Racing 2 or NASCAR Heat anymore, but I'd love to find a few fools who just want to have fun and would play for the heck of it one night. Saturday Night Speedway or Sprint Cars: Road To Knoxville would be fun too.
Anyway, are you still here, or did you check out on me when I started ranting about companies that make games for pretend racers?
Surely I have more to say than this?
Well, if you are, here's a bit of news. I have looked into the possibility of making the book that is unwritten at this moment available in at least one book store. I kind of like the thought of people being able to go to a book store and order a book that talks about the California race tracks that I loved. It's an accomplishment that I never thought possible. As things come together a little bit more, I will say more. It will take a small investment, but I think it may be worth it.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
A Blast From The Past
There are two places in racing I'd love to go to if I had a time machine to visit. Antioch in the mid to late 70's (Sportsman division) and Vallejo and Pacheco (Hardtop division). Okay, that's three. I cheated. My dad's stories of Johnny Franklin, Julian "Catchem" Castro, Hugh Purdy, Ted Graitrix, Bob Caswell, Nelson Snow, Leroy "Go Getem" Geving and, okay, you get the picture. A book about Hardtops at these two tracks would kick butt. I have some material, but it's a pity I don't have much.
My time in racing began at Antioch Speedway in the late 70's. The good old days for me. Nothing ever quite compared to those days. The Sportsman division had guys like "Chargin" Marvin Wilson, J.D. "You Betcha" Willis, Dennis "Foot In It" Furia, Gene Millard, Dana "Always On It" Auger, Mike "The Blue Knight" Gustafson and so many others. Len Mello was my favorite. Here are four shots I scanned last night. I remember when Dave Gonderman won his first feature. I liked that white Mustang he ran the next year and won with. Mike Green was my brother's favorite driver, and I remember him being consistent, having a pretty car and not being too aggressive..
But, I also remember the budding Street Stock class we had back then. Keith Shipherd, Scott Busby, Julio Jones, Joey Rodrigues, Debbie Clymens, Chuck Carter, Robbie Waldrop. There were some talented drivers in that group, let me tell ya. Some people were getting up and leaving during the Street Stock main, but that was a highlight of my night back then. I remember Carter in that yellow #66a car. Won several features, but he didn't move up like most of the others did. Clymens gets praised as a pioneer for women, and she should. But, there were others before her. Donna Walton and Dean Cline had a close battle for the 1979 Stock Car crown.
Anyway, just wanted to share this picture. I'll stop here. I have three other posts up today, and I want to keep them on the main page.
My time in racing began at Antioch Speedway in the late 70's. The good old days for me. Nothing ever quite compared to those days. The Sportsman division had guys like "Chargin" Marvin Wilson, J.D. "You Betcha" Willis, Dennis "Foot In It" Furia, Gene Millard, Dana "Always On It" Auger, Mike "The Blue Knight" Gustafson and so many others. Len Mello was my favorite. Here are four shots I scanned last night. I remember when Dave Gonderman won his first feature. I liked that white Mustang he ran the next year and won with. Mike Green was my brother's favorite driver, and I remember him being consistent, having a pretty car and not being too aggressive..But, I also remember the budding Street Stock class we had back then. Keith Shipherd, Scott Busby, Julio Jones, Joey Rodrigues, Debbie Clymens, Chuck Carter, Robbie Waldrop. There were some talented drivers in that group, let me tell ya. Some people were getting up and leaving during the Street Stock main, but that was a highlight of my night back then. I remember Carter in that yellow #66a car. Won several features, but he didn't move up like most of the others did. Clymens gets praised as a pioneer for women, and she should. But, there were others before her. Donna Walton and Dean Cline had a close battle for the 1979 Stock Car crown.
Anyway, just wanted to share this picture. I'll stop here. I have three other posts up today, and I want to keep them on the main page.
Here Comes Trouble
Last night, I was doing some photo scanning from old programs I have from the 70's to get more material ready for the book. I love those old Sportsman cars. It's hard to believe I got here from there and did the things I got to do in racing. I may share some of those pictures here.
This one I will share. One of my proudest accomplishments in racing was putting the Wingless Spec Sprint class together. Never would have happened without Don O'Keefe Jr. Don saw an opportunity to do something that made a difference in the sport. This photo is from 1998 at the Antioch Speedway Awards Banquet.
Interesting that I lobbied John to do points and awards the top NCMA racers that year. Of course, certain people decided to get stupid about things, so John dropped it top ten to top five trophies for the NCMA. I couldn't believe the grief I got over doing points, especially considering I was asked by a top NCMA official to do it.
Anyway, by then the WSS class had been announced to the world and we had a roster of 12 committed drivers. That grew substantially during the off season as Don answered all the rules questions and I did the hype. I intend to share a few of those hype stories here in the future.
This one I will share. One of my proudest accomplishments in racing was putting the Wingless Spec Sprint class together. Never would have happened without Don O'Keefe Jr. Don saw an opportunity to do something that made a difference in the sport. This photo is from 1998 at the Antioch Speedway Awards Banquet.Interesting that I lobbied John to do points and awards the top NCMA racers that year. Of course, certain people decided to get stupid about things, so John dropped it top ten to top five trophies for the NCMA. I couldn't believe the grief I got over doing points, especially considering I was asked by a top NCMA official to do it.
Anyway, by then the WSS class had been announced to the world and we had a roster of 12 committed drivers. That grew substantially during the off season as Don answered all the rules questions and I did the hype. I intend to share a few of those hype stories here in the future.
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