May Promenade in Dayton historic area
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July 2008
Renner ready for Big Bird 94
Okay, the rules of my profession say I’m not supposed to root for teams or people … at least not openly. But when the Big Bird 94 takes the green flag today, Aug. 1, I’ll be pulling for Donnie Renner. And I’m thinking I won’t be alone.
Nothing against guys like John Vallo, Tim Allensworth, Justin Alsip or other drivers I’ve gotten to know covering Kil-Kare Speedway, but nothing would be more special than Renner celebrating in victory lane. The Big Bird 94 (formerly the Dayton 100) is a tribute race for Robbie Dean, Renner’s best friend.
“The Dayton 100 was always a big deal at this track,” Renner said during the Wednesday race at Kil-Kare on July 23. “Robbie even drove one of my cars over here in the early ’90s and we did very good in it. He was always good at this track. He would want me to soldier on. If I didn’t he’d kick my butt. It’s been hard the past few weeks.”
Dean, 55, passed away July 3 after a battle with cancer. Renner was with him all the way. Renner took Dean into his home after Dean was diagnosed with terminal cancer a couple days before Thanksgiving in 2007. They did doctors visits together. And, when Dean moved back to his home and then started spending more time in the hospital, Renner was there with daily visits. One of those came a month ago on June 14.
“I didn’t want to leave the hospital on a Saturday,” said Renner, who didn’t feel much like running at Columbus Motor Speedway that night. “He held his hand out and he said, ‘Here’s a helping hand. Go win me a feature.’ Just so happened I went out and with 14 laps to go I lost my power steering. The set-ups we run anymore it’s very, very hard without power steering, even though I’m a 300-pound guy.”
Renner held on to win. When Renner returned to the hospital, Dean had a racing story to tell as well.
“(Dean) said, ‘Oh by the way, the nurse had me out walking in the hallway with a walker.’ There was a wheelchair sitting in the hallway. He slammed into it and the nurse was like, ‘What are you doing, Robbie?’ He said, ‘Renner get out of my way!’ Everybody that knows him that’s just the stuff he did. Even with the situation he was in and the odds he was against, he still had that sense of humor. He’ll be missed.”
I never met Dean. But talking to drivers at Kil-Kare that Wednesday, car owner and driver Gary Estes told me a story that I get the feeling sums up Dean. Estes was leading at Columbus a few years ago and Dean was on the outside. Dean couldn’t get a run and banged Estes’ right front tire which jerked the steering wheel out of Estes’ hands. Dean claimed that wasn’t his goal. But Estes figured Dean knew exactly what he was doing with the maneuver and confronted him in the pits “grabbing him and screaming and yelling at him.”
“(Dean) said, ‘I’ll tell you what I’m going to do.’ I thought uh oh, he’s going to hit me. He said next week if I’m leading or in front of you I’ll move over and let you go. The next week he was leading and I was second. He pulled up and I dropped in front of him.”
The only thing that prevented Estes from winning was a broken part on the car.
“Anybody that knew Robbie had a Robbie Dean story,” Renner said. “No matter what track you’re at or who you are, he was always the king of the clowns. But when it come to racing he was very, very serious.”
“He was always tough. I think one year in 80 or 85 percent of the races we ran 1-2 between the both of us. We made everybody mad,” said John Vallo, who was Dean’s biggest competition during the 1980s. “A good-hearted guy, but you didn’t want to mess with him. You weren’t going to have a winning battle.”
Renner said he expects about 20 drivers from different classes to come over from Columbus today. Among other touches today, the Kil-Kare pace truck will sport Big Bird decals. Renner also hopes to have a special trophy made. Ultimately, Renner wants to have a three-race series — perhaps the Robbie Dean Cup — at Columbus, Kil-Kare and Shady Bowl Speedway. Dean often ran that trifecta on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“It’ll be special. It’ll be really special,” Renner said of today’s race. “We lived it to the fullest until the last day.”
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Danica vs. Duno
Some days you just want to throw in the towel … or throw it right in someone’s face.
For Indy Racing League driver Milka Duno that someone was none other than Danica Patrick. If you have not seen the video by now go to YouTube and check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXUd6n1Vti8
You’ll see Patrick arrive at fellow Indy Racing League driver Duno’s pit, Patrick emphatically putting down her water bottle and confronting Duno about blocking her and cutting her off during a practice session.
The sad thing is Patrick was in the right … up until she confronted Duno. Duno was slower than Patrick in practice at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this past weekend and should have moved over. But Patrick’s ‘bad girl’ attitude ruined any chance at a constructive conversation.
Patrick’s act is getting tired. Again, I think Patrick had a legit gripe and I have no problem with her letting Duno know. But, please, do it with a little class. Only after Duno throws the towel in her face and walks away does Patrick take a softer approach, well, except for dropping a few expletives. It reminded me of someone standing up to a bully.
And Patrick again will be left wondering why people root against her.
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Toledo tragedy hit home at Kil-Kare
Moments before the Buckeye Winged Sprint cars took the green flag for the Friday, July 18th feature at Kil-Kare Raceway, it was announced that driver Terry Gibson of LaRue, Ohio had been killed in an accident at Toledo Speedway that same day.
Gibson was racing in a similar Sprint Car event in when he was involved in a 4-car crash. Online reports say the rear end of his racer hit the outside retaining wall at about 110 mph.
Each Winged Sprint entrant at Kil-Kare had a black strip of tape that ran diagonally through their car number in tribute to Gibson.
As it turns out, another Gibson: Zach, from Richwood, Ohio which is merely a hop, skip and a jump east of LaRue was racing in the Kil-Kare event.
Zach, who won his heat race and then went on to thoroughly dominate the feature, was Terry Gibson’s nephew.
After the race, with Zach still visibly shaken as he tried to get out of his bright-yellow 00 sprint car, it was announced that Terry Gibson had been Zach’s uncle.
In a fitting tribute, every member of the Kil-Kare audience gave Zach a standing ovation.
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Open Wheel Friday at Kil-Kare
I’ve found a new racing series on Friday, July 18, and I truly enjoyed it.
The Buckeye Super Sprint Car Series put on a terrific show at Kil-Kare as the headliner for the Xenia facility’s Open Wheel Friday event.
Qualifying laps over 120 mph with lap times under 12 seconds, on that tiny little paved track was simply amazing.
And when’s the last time you’ve seen 26 E-modifieds at Kil-Kare? Those guys put on quite a fun race as well.
The midget racers were fun, and the Thunder Roadsters’ first trip to Kil-Kare added plenty of excitement as well.
I do have some questions for my friends at Kil-Kare Raceway, though:
1) Was it really necessary to drive around the track for 15 minutes with a member of the Chrysler family waving to everybody from inside a Port-O-Potty strapped to a flatbed trailer? We got the idea that there’s a trailer race coming up on Friday. The idea sunk into our heads after the first lap. Honest! And if it was a stall tactic for whatever reason, the fans deserved an explanation for why they were waiting so long. As one fan sitting near me so aptly put it: “I didn’t pay $15 bucks to watch some fool run around inside an outhouse…. Let’s race!”
2) Why do you bother announcing while the racing is going on? I mean, I realize that you have loads of background and information on the drivers, their sponsors and their teams. But as quiet as the track’s sound system is, why bother? We can’t hear you. You sound something like this: “Joe…” -VRROOOOOM, ZOOOOOM, ZOOM - “… left foot in…” - VRAAAAAM, RAAAAARM, VROOOOM, ZOOOOM - “….plumbing…” VROOOM, ZOOOOM, SCREEEEECH, VROOAAAM - “…his baby g-” ZOOOM, VROOM, CHUGGA, ZOOOOM…..”-4 mph.”
Which leads me to my next question, and this could be directed at any local racetrack or drag strip I’ve ever been to:
3) How difficult is it to print a list of who the drivers are and where they are from? Or to even post a list for fans to print out on their own on your Web site?
Sure, there’s always the possibility that there will be a late entry who will show up on the day of the event. But the rest of them — especially for a special show like Open Wheel Night — they’ve booked their ticket to race weeks in advance.
You knew they were coming. It would make sense to print out an entry list, not only for the fans but for us media types, too.
Kil-Kare’s race program for Open Wheel Friday listed names of its Regular Program cars. No list of the Ford Focus Midget drivers, Thunder Roadsters, Buckeye Winged Sprints, Vintage Auto Racing Club or any other open-wheeled series was made available.
Yet you had all this info that I think you talked about all night long during the race (but couldn’t hear). That’s just odd.
One of the key reasons newspapers cover sporting events is to get locals and the news they make in their pages. Without hometowns listed next to the drivers, us writers have nothing to show our editors to prove why we want to come out and cover your event.
And it’s good for fans, too. What’s more fun than rallying behind a local driver that you’ve just learned hails from your hometown?
AND it helps the drivers and their teams and sponsors. If you list who they are, people will place a name with a car number and a result. And potential sponsors from that driver’s area may take notice as well.
Overall, the Open Wheel Friday event was quite a fun time, and I heard several fans say that they hoped the open-wheelers would make a return trip to Kil-kare. But a better speaker system, availability to driver information, and fewer outhouses on the track would’ve made the night even better!
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Shifting gears with Ed Carpenter
Indy Racing League driver Ed Carpenter made a media pit stop in Dayton on Thursday, July 17, as he drove up from last week’s race at Nashville, Tenn., to this weekend’s Honda Indy 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
We know IRL drivers are fearless piloting their rides at 220 mph. But Carpenter took on a different form of brave: Driving four hours with a 9-month-old in the car. Carpenter and his wife, Heather, drove up from Lake Cumberland in Kentucky with their adorable 9-month-old daughter Makenna, did a few interviews then drove another 2 ½ hours north to Mid-Ohio. Makenna, for the record, did great.
So did Ed. Here’s what the No. 20 Menards/Vision Racing driver had to say about the IRL and a few other light topics:
Q: Much has been made about driving for Vision Racing, which is co-owned by your step-dad Tony George — who also happens to be the IRL founder and CEO at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — and your mom Laura. Patrick Dempsey is also a co-owner. So I have to ask: What is Patrick Dempsey really like?
A: “He’s busy. We don’t see him quite as much as we used to between his acting and now his own racing career. He’s a great guy, really down to earth.”
Q: The trend now is to jump to NASCAR. Are stock cars in your future?
A: “No. Ever since I started racing quarter-midgets when I was young I always raced open wheel. I never had much desire to race stock cars.”
Q: Is Makenna going to be a racer, too?
A: “She’ll have to make that decision for herself. She’ll have the opportunity to do whatever she wants to do. If she wants to race we’ll probably have a hard time telling her no.” (For the record, Heather was quietly shaking her head no.)
Q: What is the most unusual thing you’ve been asked to autograph?
A: “Any time someone asks you to sign their arm, or skin, it’s weird. I don’t quite understand that.”
Q: What’s the best thing about being a race car driver?
A: “I think drivers are probably the luckiest people in the world, especially if you get to do it full-time. You can’t beat the speed of Indy Cars.”
Q: What’s the worst thing about being a driver?
A: “It’s definitely not an easy road. There are definitely more bad days than good days, especially when you are trying to get to the point you can make it in Indy Car.”
Q: If you could get one autograph, who would it be from?
A: “I’ve got quite a few already. I’m a big football fan so I have most of my favorite players’ autographs. One I don’t have is Johnny Unitas.”
Q: What is the fastest speeding ticket you’ve received?
A: “Ninety-eight mph is the fastest. I got one for 77 on the way to Nashville (last week).”
Q: What is the fastest you’ve driven without getting a ticket?
A: “About 130 mph is the fastest I’ve driven on the road. I do try to keep it safe.”
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Toby Alfrey back at Kil-Kare on Friday
I was lucky enough to spend a few hours with Thunder Roadster and Legends car veteran TOBY ALFREY and his friend, talented Bandolero driver TY ROSE, on Tuesday.
If you love motorsports, you should stop by and talk to the Roses and Toby. You’ll soon learn that these are people who truly eat, sleep and breathe motorsports. They love everything about racing, and it shows in their conversation and the love they show toward their cars.
What impressed me just as much was, despite crashing into unconsciousness just a few months ago, how good Toby looked. He’s back. The shoulder injury appears to be a memory.
He still can’t recall that horrifying crash, where his Legends car spun high into the air and, were it not for a solid catch fence, he may have ended up on top of some Kil-Kare fans. But he’s anxious to get back into the seat of a race car again.
More good news: You’ll see him racing his Thunder Roadster during Friday’s Open Wheel Night at Kil-Kare.
I’m trying to talk the wife into going with me and my 8-year-old son, Drew, to see the races at Kil-Kare on Friday. No work or scrambling to keep track of who’s leading what lap and what the running order is, like I usually do when I’m actually working at a race. I have a rare Friday off work, so I’m looking forward to having some fun and hanging out at a fun racing facility.
Drew and I usually pick a driver to root for during the warm-up laps. Then, we rib each other whenever our guy passes the other’s. Then, should our driver happen to bow out of the competition for whatever reason, we get a second pick.
If you happen to see me walkin’ around the grandstands, or grabbin’ a hot dog at the concession stand, feel free to say Hi. I might be a little busy for the Thunder Roadster event, though.
I’ll be cheerin’ for Toby. (Well, unless Drew picks him first!)
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Reitenour wins Podium award
Good news for a local racer from the Miami Valley. More precise, the Miamisburg area.
Megan Reitenour, a rising 17-year-old stock car racing phenom, was named one of five recipients of the Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation’s Project Podium program.
If you’ve been keeping score at home, we mentioned a few months ago that Reitenour was one of 17 finalists for the matching grant program. Well, Lyn St. James and her organization know a promising racer when they see one.
According to a recent press release, the Project Podium program distributed grants totaling $28,900 to: Reitenour; go-kart racer Natalie Fenaroli of Raymore, Mo.; mini sprint racer Brandi Jass of Bryan, Texas; go-kart racer Kristy Knoll of Amherst, N.Y.; and sprint car raxcer Miranda Throckmorton of Coatesville, Ind.
At 17 years of age, Reitenour was actually the eldest recipient of the bunch. She also may be the one furthest along in her career. She’s the current points leader of the Super Cup Stock Car Series after a recent 100-lap win at her home track, Kil-Kare Raceway.
The release says: ‘Project Podium is a matching funds program focused on young women drivers who have demonstrated talent, hard work and perseverance, and who have generated sponsorship dollars to be matched by Project Podium.’
Says St. James: “Project Podium is designed to help young talent achieve racing and business success. The 17 young ladies who submitted applications for our first round of funding exemplified the future of women in motorsports. They represented many different race Series and all are dedicated to being successful on the track and in the motorsports business world.”
Franklin Legends car racer Sloan Henderson was among the 17 finalists. She too has the talent to excel at the next level.
These could very well be the future female stars of motorsports. A prestigious panel of heavy hitters in the auto racing world were involved in the selection of these five girls.
St. James, Vicki O’Connor, managing director of the Atlantic Championship; Linda Conti, financial advisor at David A. Noyes & Co.; Amy Rosewater, sports writer; and Erin Crocker, NASCAR driver & Women in the Winner’s Circle Driver Academy graduate were on the selection panel.
Personally, I was touched by the Reitenour family’s graciousness in passing along the news. They remembered that I’d first announced the new of Megan’s selection as a finalist and wanted to make sure that I knew about it.
We have never met, yet they wanted to include me. How cool is that?
For more news on Megan Reitenour and her racing program, please visit her website: http://www.meganreitenour.com
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Kings Royal hits a milestone
Happy anniversary, Kings Royal!
The Kings Royal — one of the country’s top sprint car events — celebrates its 25th running on Saturday, July 12, at Eldora Speedway in Darke County. It’s one of those ‘don’t miss’ events and judging by the crowd, few do.
In honor of the silver anniversary, I’ve come up with a By The Numbers list to celebrate. Starting with the first of Steve Kinser’s six wins back in 1984 to defending champ Donny Schatz’s blistering run in 2007, here’s what the Kings Royal has given us:
1 — Drivers who have competed in all 24 Kings Royal features (Steve Kinser)
2 — Drivers making their first Kings Royal features in 2007: Chad Hillier and Lucas Wolfe
3 — Combined Kings Royal wins by the Blaney brothers: Dave (2) and Dale (1)
4 — Kings Royal features run by Brad Doty
5 — Kings Royal feature appearances by Jack Hewitt, the last in 1994
6 — Kings Royal titles won by Ohio drivers; number of drivers named Kinser who have made the feature
7 — Years since Mark Kinser won his Kings Royal title
8 — Kings Royal feature appearances by Craig Dollansky
9 — Kings Royal titles won by Indiana drivers, tops among all states
10 — Best finish by Jack Hewitt in the first Kings Royal
11 — Finish by Danny Lasoski in the 2007 Kings Royal
12 — Feature appearances by Donnie Schatz before winning the Kings Royal in 2007
12.707 — All-time track record at Eldora, set by Craig Dollansky on April 13, 2002
13 — Consecutive Kings Royal features made by Joey Saldana, the second longest active streak after Steve Kinser (24)
13.043 — Track record for the Kings Royal, set by Joey Saldana on July 20, 2002
14 — Finish by Jeff Gordon in his only Kings Royal feature appearance in 1988
15 — Times Steve Kinser has finished first, second or third in the feature
16 — Greg Wilson’s finish last season, a career best
17 — Years since two-time winner Doug Wolfgang made his last Royal appearance
18 — Best finish by Rich Vogler (1984)
19 — Finish for two-time winner Sammy Swindell in his last Kings Royal feature in 2005
20 — Most feature appearances without winning the Kings Royal (Kenny Jacobs)
21 — Years since Jac Haudenschild won his first title
22 — Lowest finish by Steve Kinser (1986 and 2004)
23 — Spots Dave Blaney moved up from 1994 (24th) to 1995 (1st), the largest one-year leap for a winner
24 — Finish by Chad Kemenah in 2003, his only finish outside the top 10 in six features
25 — Milestone running of the Kings Royal, which started in 1984
35 — Laps led by winner Donny Schatz in 2007
52 — Drivers that tried their luck at the Kings Royal in 2007
140 — Drivers that have made the A-Feature in the Kings Royal at least once, dating back to 1984
50,000 — Winner’s check for winning the Kings Royal
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Eldora in action
ROSSBURG — Okay, I’m back. My internet connection was making life a little scary here at the Ollie’s Outlet 360 Challenge.
Kasey Kahne and Dave Blaney are here. Tony Stewart is not. He’s still a bit under the weather from Saturday, where he had to pull out of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Daytona.
A heavy rain drenched the track around 4:30 p.m. but it’s been sunshine ever since. We’re staging for the 360 sprint B-Main. The modifieds run their B-Main after that, and then it’s the A-Main features.
Kahne looked good in his heat. He had to go to the tail but rocketed up to third. He’s a driver to watch tonight. World of Outlaws driver Donny Shatz can collect an extra $50,000 with a win tonight. He won the Ollie’s opener at Sharon Speedway in June. He must be excited about that. A local racer told me Schatz’s hauler was pulled over near the track for speeding.
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Electricity at Eldora
ROSSBURG — Sitting here at Eldora Speedway on Tuesday, July 8, you can almost feel the electricity for the Ollie’s Outlet 360 Challenge … unfortunately it’s from Mother Nature. There are some ominous clouds creeping up on the track in what is fast becoming a darker Darke County. Push trucks are out packing down the track, but the lightning is getting closer. Not too close I hope. There’s still someone off in the distance flying a kite from one of the camping sites. Kasey Kahne and Dave Blaney are both running the 360 sprints tonight. Track owner Tony Stewart is not here. He’s still recovering from a bout of illness that forced him out of the No. 20 at Daytona Speedway on Saturday. Stay tuned for additional updates.
