Are you really the owners?

I found this in my inbox Monday morning as a comment on the Ona Speedway season being cut short.

I hope this is really from the new owners. Now, has the track been sold again? Whoever sent this to me, please call me at The Herald-Dispatch or send another e-mail with contact information so I can verify this.

"August races are still planned under Billy Roses' management. There is going to be a season finale on Oct 13th which will include the Mountaineer 100 (100 lap race) for late models with a $1000 purse. This race will be put on by new owners/managers to show next years potential.

New Owners"

This is why I don't like anonymous posting. If you are Bill & Lynn Bauer, who are listed as the owners of the track, step up and contact me or our Sports Editor Rick McCann. Or, if you've sold the track again, same thing. Step up and go public.

Yeah, yeah, private business deals, I get the picture, but don't leave the fans you do have coming to the track out of the loop. Some very successful businesses in the Huntington region have very public and visible owners. They are out in the town, meeting the people and doing good for the community.

Now if you're going to take the month of September and early October to make some improvements, I have a few suggestions.

Mow the parking field! When the grass is up to my knees, I don't especially like walking through it. Put a few nails in the bleachers so they don't flap, flop and stay loose. Loose is on the track, not in the stands. And a little paint couldn't hurt, either.

So, what's the plan? I'm sure other racefans have some suggestions on how to make the local track experience better for us all.

Faith Motorsports visiting Huntington

Morgan Shepherd and his Faith Motorsports team will be in the Huntington area July 29 and 30, at a local church and then the Tri-State Fire Academy.

On Sunday, July 29, Morgan, his team and car will be at 26th Street Baptist Church, located at 2510 10th Ave., Huntington. There will be a cookout at 4:30 p.m., followed by gospel music at 6 p.m., and an ice cream social at 7:30 p.m. Morgan will share his testimony during the concert.

The following day, his team will participate in a Race Rescue Technology course for area firefighters, EMS attendants and local race track rescue crews.

They will be joined by Brett Rowe of Barboursville who races in the NBS for Revelocity Racing, and local drivers Hubie Hatfield (modifieds) and Jake Keaton (late models).

Both events are free to the public. However, to take part in the rescue class, registration is necessary.

Morgan is the oldest regular NASCAR driver at age 65 and has races for decades in the NEXTEL Cup (formerly Winston Cup) and the NASCAR Busch series. His #89 car boldly proclaims "Racing With Jesus."

Join racefans for Indy

If you don't have a place to watch the Brickyard Sunday afternoon and you want to make some new friends, come by Hillbilly Hot Dogs on 3rd Avenue in Huntington after 1 p.m.

The newly-formed racing fellowship at New Life Church in Huntington, will gather to watch the race at Sonny and Shari's place. The food's always good (and plentiful), the ice tea typically southern and the atmosphere interesting. The kids can look around, color specially printed Hillbilly Hot Dog pages or play on the Hillbilly Stage out back.

Or, if they're trained right, watch the race and cheer on their favorite driver. We all know their driver is actually your driver, because you've taught them from the womb who that would be and baby shower gifts included onzies of that driver and team color.

Come on by, there will be a few race-related door prizes to be given away, compliments of the Huntington chapter of the Official NASCAR Members Club. You can always find out more about local trips to the track and race viewing parties at the chapter website through www.nascar.com. Go to the ONMC link and search Huntington, WV on the chapter locator.

Ona Speedway shutting down season early

Here’s the notice on the Ona Speedway web site:

“Due to business reasons, the 2007 Ona Speedway season will end with the August 18, 2007, race.

Plans for the 2008 season are in progress with Bill & Lynn Bauer who purchased the race track this year.

Please be sure to show you support for local short track racing and join us on August 4, August 11, and August 18, 2007, for FAST, FAMILY, FUN!”

More than that I don’t know.

The newly-formed racing fellowship at New Life Church will be visiting the track on August 4 and 11 for evenings of fun.

I called for Billy Rose yesterday to make sure those dates would remain viable, but I didn’t get a call back. I’ll keep trying, though.

Now you REALLY need a scorecard

Who’s racing where and just exactly when did Teresa E. and Bobby G. start talking merger and controlling interests? Before or after the Teresa Tango with stepson Dale Jr.? Ginn had a lot to bring to the table - Mark Martin and lots of shiny new (costly) equipment

Let’s see who’s driving for who this weekend?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still driving DEI with Martin Truex Jr. and Paul Menard this weekend at Indy.

Kyle Busch is still driving Hendrick Motorsports with teammates (yes, they still consider him a teammate, at least that’s what Jeff Gordon said in Pittsburg a couple of weeks ago) Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

Mark Martin and Regan Smith are, uh, well, at DEI, but Bobby Ginn is listed as the car owner.

Sterling Marlin and Joe Nemechek are out in the cold and you may as well add Smith to that bunch for all intents and purposes.

The Ginn merger maxes out DEI with four Cup teams.

Wasn’t it the beginning of the current NASCAR season Bobby Ginn said he was in this for the long haul? He put money into a driver (Martin), airplanes and building a seven-point shaker rig.

What a windfall for DEI! She has come into some big-money assets from Ginn.

Ginn, I believe, discovered buying a race team is greatly different that purchasing and flipping real estate which has been his forte. It takes a lot of money to buy and a lot more money to be and stay competitive.

Chat live with Boris Said

Hey all you Saidheads! There is a live online chat with Boris tonight (Wednesday) from 7:30 to 8 p.m. EDT, according to Ryan Lake at Watkins Glen International. Saidhead Deb on the west coast has passed the information along.

Ryan said he’s seen the Saidheads at the Glen and wanted everyone to know about the opportunity.

The chat link activates between 7:20 and 7:25 p.m. at the track’s fan forum, www.theglen.com/forum/index.cfm and at the homepage, www.theglen.com.

He said to note that you will only be able to see the text posted from the time you are logged in. If you join and initially don’t see text, Ryan said not to worry.

OK all you Saidheads, let’s support Boris online tonight!

Remember,

Who said? Boris Said!

Bye-bye Bud

Hendrick Motorsports announced a little while ago Dale Earnhardt Jr. won’t be bringing Budweiser with him to his new team next season.

Rick Hendrick said in a statement Friday afternoon "We have agreements in place with sponsors for the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, which prevent us from having a relationship with Budweiser," team owner Rick Hendrick said in a statement. "Honoring our commitments is important to us. The trade-off is missing an opportunity to bring Budweiser, a marquee brand synonymous with NASCAR and its fans, into the fold.

Bud will remain a major sponsor, just not for Junior.

Dang. And I love that “Mad Max” commercial. “Just ‘cause I got Bud ON the car doesn’t mean I got Bud IN the car,” he says to those "crazy mutant, desert, guys."

Junior weighed in on the matter, too.

NASCAR.com reported, "To climb into that red Budweiser car each weekend has always been a privilege," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Although Budweiser and I will be unable to continue our partnership beyond this season, I remain committed to driving for Bud the rest of this year, and will continue to make it my beer of choice.

"I'm a race car driver. All I can do is drive as hard as I can for my fans and sponsorship partners, and give my best effort each weekend."

ESPN.com is reporting Pepsi wants a shot at Junior and Budweiser is negoting to possibly sponsor Kasey Kahne's red #9 at Evernham.

Dang. More commercials messed up there, too. Those Nationwide stalker girls are pretty funny.

On Fast Talk a week or so ago, talk turned to cars, sponsors and numbers and how fans can separate them.

Not so sure there, either.

When you see the #2 Miller Lite car who do YOU think of? Rusty Wallace.

Ooops, he retired. It's Kurt Busch in there now.

#88? Dale Jarrett. Ooops, he's in a #44 Toyota. Still UPS, but #44. The list could go on and on.

No matter who drives the #8 or red Budweiser car, you'll think Dale Earnhardt Jr. You know you will.

Not broke yet

“I still live in a nice house, so I don’t guess I’m broke.” – Michael Waltrip in the latest issue of NASCAR Illustrated.

There’s been speculation that Mikey’s team troubles have been taking a financial toll on him personally. Granted, Toyota hasn’t exactly been burning up the pavement, and Michael Waltrip Racing hasn’t had a lot of face time on the track.

Did we really expect Toyota to come in to the Cup Series like gangbusters?

No. Take a look at other sports and their expansion teams. In the first three or four years, they aren’t generally contenders.

Success is not an overnight thing, no matter who is the driver and how talented they are or have been.

Toyota drivers are not new names to NASCAR fans. David Reutimann, Dale Jarrett and Brian Vickers, Dave Blaney, Mike Waltrip, AJ Almendinger and Jeremy Mayfield.

DJ burned up his champion’s provisionals fast this season to help Waltrip Racing get a jump start. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out.

Was Mikey’s top-10 finish in the Citizens Bank 400 at Michigan International Speedway June 17 a fluke? Probably not. In the same race, Reutimann and Blaney finished 15th and 18th respectively. Almendinger was 31st and Vickers 41st. They were firing on all cylinders that day.

So it won’t make them the most-talked-about or dominant car. But it was a good showing for the automaker.

And there must be something to fear from Toyota. Roush Racing scrambled to take on an investor to keep up with and/or beat what was happening in the Toyota shops. Other owners are doing the same.

Was the Citizens Bank 400 a turning point for Toyota? Probably not, but it shows promise for the new kid on the block.

Thanks to Autostock Images and www.michaelwaltrip.com for the charicature of Mikey.

Daddy dearest

OK, who should be allowed in the pits at a race. NASCAR allows girlfriends/wives/partners or whatever to be part of the “pit crew,” subject to approval.

Who can forget Nicole Lunders (girlfriend of Greg Biffle) trying to take on the then fiancée of Kurt Bush, Eva Bryan (now Mrs. Busch)? Interesting. Stupid, but interesting. Lunders storming off the pit box and stomping over to the Busch camp, screaming and flailing at Bryan, who just calmly sat there. I remember hot-headed girls like that from Junior High School.

Fast forward to the Indy Racing League and Sunday, July 8, 2007.

Does little Sam Hornish Jr. really need his daddy to take up his fights? Shouldn’t he and Tony Kanaan have handled it themselves? Dad approached Tony and touched him, from what I saw. What was even more wrong was the guy who jumped the elder Hornish from behind and put him on the ground. THAT was dirty play.

Let the boys work it out, they’re grown ups and have made the conscience choice to make their living in a dangerous sport. I think they could tussle on their own, especially with helmets still firmly planted on their heads. Dad with a ball cap and street clothes, Kanaan with a helmet and firesuit. You figure it out, who was in better physical position, not to mention shape.

After everything broke up, Kanaan said he had no intention of getting in to it with the daddy, it was something for the drivers to work out.

And how fast did Marco Andretti get his dad out of the line of fire? And Danica Patrick's daddy said he was in the motorcoach watching, not on the playing field like was first reported on ABC.

Wa-a-a-y to many daddies too close to the competition.

If you don’t own the car or are a real part of the pit crew - you know, the guys who train all week to wield air guns, 70 pound cans of fuel or 80 pound tires - go sit in the stands. If you’re afraid of the fans, sit in the motorcoach and watch the race.

The boy may be your dog, but it ain’t your fight.

By the way, Scott Dixon won the IRL race Sunday, but all eyes were focused on the scuffle on pit road. For the record, it was the third consecutive win for Dixon at Watkins Glen.

Reolving crew chiefs

Did Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson miss their regular crew chiefs Sunday at the Lenox Industrial Tools 300?

Not if their finishes were any indication.

Without Steve Letarte, Jeff Gordon came in a close second to Denny Hamlin, the race winner. And without Chad Knaus (again), Jimmie was fifth.

Not too bad. Actually, Jimmie Johnson has historically fared well without Knaus. Hey, does anyone but me have a problem with Cheatin’ Chad? Once, OK, I could live with that. And he does have the reputation of being able to push the envelope to the absolute edge. But he’s been caught a few (a dozen) times too many.

Post-race inspections were failed by the cars of Kyle Busch and Johnny Sauter, but NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said those didn’t seem as serious as some of the earlier infractions and the failures looked to be race-related, not deliberate tinkering with the COT.

Tuesday will be the day fines and penalties will be announced for the Busch and Sauter teams, if there are any.

Happy July 4th!

Celebrate Independence Day at Ona Speedway!

There will be tons of things going on - pun intended – Keaton’s Complex Monster Trucks and More show, regulars in short track racing and FIREWORKS!

I will admit to having lost the zeal for home fireworks after the Scottown, Ohio, fire a few years ago. I was one of dozens of reporters covering that tragedy.

But if professionals are setting off fireworks, OK. That I can deal with.

Back to the track. There will be an outdoor freestyle event with the trucks and there’s more. Doug Danger, who has bested Evel Knievel’s longest car jump will be at the track with his motorcycle. Jim “Crash” Moreau, a stuntman who crashes cars and blows himself up, will perform, too.

And your favorite local racers will take to the track before the fireworks display ends the evening.

Tickets are $15 for adults and kids 12 and under $5. Pit gate opens at 3 p.m., grandstands open at 4 p.m. and racing starts at 6 p.m.

For more information on Ona Speedway call Jennifer Rose or Billy Rose at (304)654-7005 or go to the web site at www.onaspeedway.net.