tag:theredracecar.com,2005:/blogs/latest-news?p=8Latest News2023-04-02T16:22:08-04:00THE RED RACECARfalsetag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/71828522023-04-02T16:22:08-04:002023-10-16T10:47:36-04:00Now out! No Teammates in Motocross<p><span class="text-huge" style="color:#ff0000;"><i><strong>Now out!</strong></i></span><br><span class="text-huge" style="color:#1d1d1a;"><i><strong>No Teammates in Motocross</strong></i></span><br><span class="text-big" style="color:#ff0000;"><i><strong>the sequel to </strong></i></span><span class="text-huge" style="color:#000000;"><i><strong>Motocross Summer</strong></i></span></p><p>Jason Merlo, our hero from<i> Motocross Summer,</i> has made expert, the top level of racing in the Inland Summer MX Series. But Dick Gordon, the owner of CycleMart and Jason's sponsor, plans to have him ride a CycleMart Honda in the series' lightweight class after racing years on Middleweight bikes. <br>Bigger than that, Hunter Hayes, the defending lightweight champion, will be riding for CycleMart on a bike identical to Jason's.<br>But Hunter Hayes is no teammate. Actually, he's kind of a jerk.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/71159342022-12-02T15:34:54-05:002022-12-03T20:02:07-05:00RI Authors Expo<p>So I'm at the Association of Rhode Island Authors' annual Authors Expo at the Crowe Plaza in Warwick, RI. Saturday. That's as in December 3.</p>
<p>It's a great place for readers and for Christmas gifts for readers. Thete's everything from history to historical fiction to fantasy to comics, and for everybody from preschoolers to retirees. That includes my Red Racecar books for kids, of course, as well as my award-winning "Henry Hits the Ball" for everybody. </p>
<p>It's from 10am to 5pm. And it's free!</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/70594112022-09-13T14:19:26-04:002022-11-14T18:12:04-05:00Authors at the Orchard<p>Saturday, September 17, Brookfield Orchards hosts its annual Local Authors Fair. Authors from around New England will be signing and selling their works. It's a great time to talk to the folks who created the stories, and there's always plenty of stuff in every genre and some books that don't fit any of them.</p>
<p>I'll be there with my "Red Racecar" books for kids as well as my award-winning novel "Henry Hits the Ball." </p>
<p>Brookfield is in south central Massachusetts, so check out the Brookfield Orchard website for more info and directions. The orchard also has good food and gifts, and you can pick some apples!</p>
<p>It's on from 10am to 4pm. Come say hi.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/70059972022-07-01T15:26:28-04:002022-07-01T15:26:28-04:00SRX?<p>Is that it? Is that the name of the series Ray Evernham and Tony Stewart started?</p>
<p>Whatever it is, I think it's pretty good racing. More than that, these guys are having fun! Most have earned their reputations and burnished them. All that's left is a good time.</p>
<p>They're at Connecticut's Stafford Motor Speedway Saturday evening, and on CBS TV. And yeah, on the 4th of July weekend. Perfect.</p>
<p>And wouldn't it be neat to see Helio Castroneves climbing the fence at Stafford?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Oh - and Speedway Heat, produced right here in New England, telecast races from Stafford before CBS ever thought of it.</p>
<p>Just sayin.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/69516982022-04-19T12:41:56-04:002022-12-03T20:02:07-05:00MX? Really?<p>It's cool to see so much motocross on NBC in recent weeks. I would, if given a choice, definitely prefer motocross to "supercross," a marketing term if I ever heard one. Really. I think it's like calling miniature golf "supergolf." It's just an imitation of what happens on a real MX track, although it's not as bad as selling that silly "shorttrack" racing from the LA Coliseum as real shorttrack racing.</p>
<p>And then NASCAR races at Bristol - after they cover it with dirt to make a "dirt track," even though there are legendary dirt tracks all across the country that would have hosted much better racing, not that the ending wasn't fun. But again, Bristol - paved Bristol - should have been where they hosted the LA-style shorttrack show of heats, consis and features.</p>
<p>I bet there would have been more fans in the stands.</p>
<p>And while there's supercross at Gillette Stadium, we're holding out for a trip to an actual MX track in Southwick, Middleboro or Baldwinville MA or Central Village in Connecticut. "cause, you can't go faster in midair."</p>
<p>Still, those guys are wild, and it was fun to switch back and forth between the supercross and a hockey game. Funny, too, after I put down putting down dirt on Bristol's pavement for Cup cars they set up a supercross track at Atlanta Motor Speedway. With that much room they dumped out, I gotta admit, the best supercross track I've ever seen.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/69196712022-03-11T09:31:50-05:002022-11-14T18:09:29-05:00Yeah, I'm back. Let's do this now.<p>Yeah, I need to apologize for not keeping this up. I won't use the excuse of the day (Year? Years?). In fact, I'm going to try to avoid that less-than-favorite subject entirely. After all, what does disease have to do with racing, other than our being addicted to racing? Not that I'm bringing THAT subject up.</p>
<p>What I do want to bring up was that season-opener for NASCAR, the one at the football stadium. Now, I wrote years ago in my long-gone magazine <em>Shorttrack </em> that the Cup series (I forget what sponsor's Cup series. Who can keep up, and besides, who cares?) would do well to run a shorttrack race, a real shorttrack event, with heat races, a consi for non-qualifiers, before a feature of maybe 100 laps tops. But I meant that they run it on an actual shorttrack. I suggested Bristol. Instead we get that mess of a racetrack that discouraged racing in the hope of exposing Los Angelinos to something of which they're already well aware. But remember; $$$</p>
<p>And then they talked about it as if it was a revolution, instead of something that happens at a ton of tracks across the country every weekend, some of whom payed money to call themselves a "NASCAR track." </p>
<p>I'm not impressed. </p>
<p> </p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/68043222021-11-10T09:35:12-05:002021-11-10T09:42:40-05:00I'm back...<p>...even though I never went away. But now I'm "on the road again" tot some of my favorite shows, events and swap-meets. Like two old favorites I've signed up for: the Association of Rhode Island Authors' Expo in December and the Automotive Swap N' Sell in West Springfield, MA in January.</p>
<p>Check 'em out on the Calendar page.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/65753382021-03-16T10:52:05-04:002021-03-16T10:52:05-04:00THINGS I'VE MISSED...<p>Leaving the house; eating out - breakfast, lunch or dinner; swap meets and car shows; motorcycle rides that can head to somewhere; and, of course, racing. Seekonk or Waterford on a Saturday night, Stafford or - say - Lee on a Friday; wandering around Thompson during a road course event;. MX at Southwick or Central Village. And I've missed writing about any of it.</p>
<p>Plus ball games, too. Any baseball - but the WhoSox after the Pawsox were stolen in the interest of more luxury boxes; a URI, Brown, Holy Cross, Nichols or other college football game, or an NEFL game of amateurs who often play harder than the pros. Or how about a PBruins or Worcester Railers hockey game. Or PC?</p>
<p>But now I have Covid killers coursing through my veins. See you around?</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/62855292020-04-17T14:15:16-04:002020-04-17T14:15:16-04:00Distance Racing?<p>Of all the sports that might be able to get started again before we're completely back to "normal," you'd think auto racing would be at the top of the list. If the experts figure golfers can keep far enough away from each other, what about a sport where you couldn't get yourself within six feet of the competition if you had to?</p>
<p>I suppose if they're really worried they always could start with Formula One racing. Those guys usually aren't within half a lap of each other.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/62592662020-03-23T14:36:42-04:002020-03-23T14:36:42-04:00September?!?!?!?<p>I haven't posted to my blog since September? No excuse for that.</p>
<p>I did want to praise Fox Sports for this past Sunday's presentation of Miller High Life 400 race-coverage from 1986. I know Fox Sports-1 had I-racing with current Cup drivers competing. A cool idea, too, but it paled in comparison to Sunday's Fox race. I mean, Dale Earnhardt? Richard Petty? Bill Elliot? Bobby and Davey Allison?</p>
<p>And it was true shorttrack racing. Richmond was real. It wasn't a 21st century mega stadium. It was a shorttrack, rough, short, grizzled, historic and tight as a better with his last buck. And the cars? Tanks compared to today's slick cup cars.</p>
<p>Ken Squier and Benny Parsons, long gone from our lives as well as from racing, talked often about how racing at Richmond is a battle every inch of the way around it. There hardly was a straight body-panel left after the race saw the checkered. And yet nobody was complaining or pitching their helmets at a passing car. They just raced, taking what they had to and giving what they could.</p>
<p>NASCAR could learn a thing or two -- from itself! </p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/58935002019-09-16T09:34:59-04:002019-09-16T09:34:59-04:00Mike Stefanik<p>Was shocked to learn that driver Mike Stefanik was killed in a crash of a small airplane September 15, one day short of two years after another New England racing legend, Ted Christopher, lost his life in another airplane-accident.</p>
<p>Unlike too many young racecar-drivers in and out of NASCAR, these two guys were real. Neither of them might have "made it" in NASCAR's top Cup division, but mostly that was because neither particularly cared to. Make no mistake. Both were more than good enough. But, as with TC, Mike Stefanik wanted to drive racecars, not be a racecar-star. Still, in my years covering racing for various media-outlets, Mike always was available, always was accommodating - and always was honest and candid.</p>
<p>Racing needs more Mike Stefaniks. They're the ones who make racing great, and as I've said before, the greatest racing often is found in our own backyards, on our bullrings, far away from giant racetracks, giant crowds, giant purses, and tiny glimpses of real racing we might see celebrated as the "big leagues" on TV.</p>
<p>I hope Mike finds a race in the sky. We know he'll be looking. God speed.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/58401432019-07-29T09:05:43-04:002019-07-29T09:17:21-04:00GO FAST. BE SMART! Is Here!<p>Yeah, folks, my latest<em> Red Racecar <strong>SPEED READER</strong>,</em> GO FAST. BE SMART!, has finally been released, completing the three-book <strong><em>SPEED READER</em></strong> series..</p>
<p>It follows our karting hero, Tyler Means, as he gets the chance to race an actual racecar, a midget, the fastest things on dirt. It's a dream come true, but it's also a chance to face the best racers he's ever raced, in a car with more power than a whole starting lineup of karts. Talk about getting an education!</p>
<p>Expect to see it on display when I visit Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park August 14 for the King of Beers 150 for modifieds. If you haven't started reading the first book in the Series, RACING JUNK, or the second, TURN RIGHT TO GO LEFT, we should have book sets on hand as well. These are short stories, meant to be "easy reading."</p>
<p>Check them all out on our homepage here.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/58321852019-07-22T10:17:41-04:002022-11-14T18:09:50-05:00Go Fast. Be Smart!<p>The latest entry in my <em>Speed Reader </em>series featuring young racer Jason Merlo continues to present issues prior to publication.</p>
<p>I won't get into the details. It'll only get me ripped again. Just know that the book's been done for months. It's the publisher who keeps coming up with reasons for the delay in its publication.</p>
<p>Keep looking here for its release. I'll keep yelling at the publisher - who shall remain nameless.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/58019402019-06-24T11:07:21-04:002020-09-01T09:05:22-04:00...On Two Wheels<p>Yeah, this is how I entertain myself these days.</p>
<p>My oldest bike, the 1972 Yamaha XS2, finally is on the road, after I sorted out the last couple of items on the rebuild-list. This is a vertical twin 650cc street bike that's so old it was styled after British twins like Triumphs and BSAs that once were what we called "big bikes."</p>
<p>There remain issues to deal with, of course, including an oil leak that seems to have come out of thin air. Still, this thing's a blast to ride, digging in when you gas it and handling much better now that I've adjusted the stiffness of the springs on the rear shocks to the max. Now the front end digs in, too.</p>
<p>In the meantime, my '78 XS750 Yamaha triple sits until I install a new headlight. The last time out the spot-weld on its retaining ring broke, and evidently the headlight went flying at speed. I say evidently as I never even knew it was gone until I got home and saw the headlight housing with the wire hanging out as if the bike had lost an eye.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/57721892019-05-29T10:49:25-04:002022-11-14T18:11:09-05:00Woonsocket Library Appearance<p>Saturday, June 1, I'll be signing and selling at the Woonsocket, RI, Library.</p>
<p>I know I don't often do appearances at libraries or bookstores. I've found that the kids I want to read my racing books don't go to libraries and bookstores. I find them at racetracks and car shows. Yet with my new novel, "Henry Hits the Ball," I'm trying to reach mainstream readers, the kinds of folks who do go to libraries and bookstores..</p>
<p>Yet, I will have all of my "RED RACECAR" novels and "SPEED READERS" on hand. So stop in . Libraries don't bite.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/57721742019-05-29T10:32:13-04:002022-05-22T15:30:34-04:00Indy WAY better than you know what...<p>I don't know how anyone could watch Sunday's Indy 500 and then NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 and come away thinking that stock cars provide better racing.</p>
<p>Of course, Indy cars are faster, better-handling, better braking, and - well - better racecars in every way. Indy cars never look as if they're just falling into line the way Monster Energy Cup cars always look like they do.</p>
<p>C'mon, NASCAR had to force phony checkered-flags and restarts into their events just to make it look like guys were really racing. Yet the most exciting restart by far Sunday came when Indy cars had to be red-flagged because of racing conditions - actual racing conditions. And never did the likes of Alexander Rossi appear to be "falling into line."</p>
<p>Yeah, NASCAR's "the Great American Racing Spectacle" and that's enough for a lot of Americans. But the Indy 500 is the Great American Race despite what NASCAR paid to get the phrase trademarked. Of course, what's more American than paying to claim you're the best? In fact, money for some folks is the only measure that counts.</p>
<p>But remember the slogan "Racing is the greatest way to turn money into noise." When NASCAR claims it's the best racing in America, all that is, we should remember, is more noise.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/57609962019-05-20T10:31:47-04:002022-11-14T18:12:04-05:00MODS AT SEEKONK<p>I think this is turning into an annual rant. But I think it's a good one, and worth considering. So here goes.</p>
<p>I grew up in Seekonk. It's a little town in eastern Mass., that isn't known for much of anything. Isn't much known at all for anything if you're not into motorsports, or sports in general, for that matter. But if you are a racefan, you likely have heard of the place, no matter where you live.</p>
<p>Seekonk Speedway bills itself as "The Acton-Track of the East." That's more than hype. I'm only one of many fans who would tell you that "The 'Konk" hosts the most competitive racing of any track in - well, New England? The Northeast? America?</p>
<p>The track's late patriarch, D. Anthony Venditti, never was afraid to lead the way in creating and introducing racecars and rules that opened the pits up to more teams than most weekly tracks could attract. Venditti built the track for midgets, the tiny racecars that nonetheless are as fast as anything racing on the "shorttracks" that host most weekly racing. And when midgets got too expensive for most racers, he shifted focus to divisions of cars built from pieces of street vehicles. The modifieds allowed the most - well - modifications. Soon those too, got too rich for the blood of the typical weekend warrior.</p>
<p>So Anthony created the "pro stock." Sure, it evolved into the "late model" that became the main course at most shorttracks. Seekonk still sold the pro stocks as a new division, even as different versions of late models were born and evolved. In their quest to stand out, Seekonk even created a "late model division" a step below its pro stocks. Yet they both are late models, just two varieties of the same dish.</p>
<p>Seekonk also has a "street stock" division. These cars allow little in the way of "racecar" parts in favor of salvaged pieces from junked street vehicles. Those parts are getting harder to come by. That especially is true with body sheet-metal, as most bodies now are part of a cars' whole structure and thus not ripe for peeling. So now those cars run "aftermarket" racecar bodies - just like the pro stocks, just like the late models.</p>
<p>What's my point? I forgot! Oh yeah, it's time to bring back the unique and distinctive modifieds to Seekonk.</p>
<p>I know they race at Seekonk, in special events for touring series. There are at least two touring series for mods, which are now thoroughbred machines that race at places like New Hampshire Speedway, where they'd be faster than NASCAR's TV-star Monster Energy Series if they didn't make the mods strangle their intake to slow them down.</p>
<p>The thing is, though, a lot of other tracks in the Northeast watched as their own modifieds got priced right out of weekly racing. So they started introducing divisions for less-expensive, simpler and more-restricted mods to return to the weekly wars. Those cars are out there, running at three tracks right next door in Connecticut, as well as points north. And know this. Some of the teams racing them would love to take a crack at Seekonk.</p>
<p>Further, there are tons of modifieds parked somewhere that could return to the track with more modest power and cheaper tires. Throw in one of the very crate motors allowed in Seekonk's fendered cars and I bet you'd see the field fill up fast.</p>
<p>It happened with the midgets, for one car. In the last few years a couple of more modest midget clubs led to many of those cars being dug out of the back of the barn. That's how I got to go midget racing. You can even race a more modest version of the otherwise monstrous supermods, the fastest cars racing on shorttracks anywhere. Folks could drop in one of those crate motors and mount some rock-hard tires and you'd resurrect a whole bunch of parked racecars.</p>
<p>So Seekonk, bring back the modifieds. You have nothing to fear but more action.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/57066722019-04-04T10:04:23-04:002019-04-04T10:54:24-04:00Book Launch Update for HENRY HITS THE BALL<p>So now Stillwater Books in Pawtucket has HENRY HITS THE BALL, my latest work, in stock and for sale in anticipation of its launch at Stillwater April 20. </p>
<p>HENRY HITS THE BALL tells the story of Henry Brademeier, who can hit a baseball better than anyone who’s ever played the game. He just can’t play the game. It’s my first mainstream novel, so I’m giving it a baptism with a party. We already have our list of odd points of baseball history - related to Henry’s story as well as my own - to use in our trivia contest. I await the delivery of the prizes; navy-blue T-shirts with the message “BEN MONDOR IS ROLLING OVER IN HIS GRAVE” defiantly displayed in BOSOX font. </p>
<p>Stillwater will be selling the shirts, as well as HENRY. They also stock all of my RED RACECAR books for kids. There will be refreshments straight out of the bleachers, and I’ll be signing books, of course. </p>
<p>Should be fun. Stillwater Books is at 175 Main St. in Pawtucket, RI, the future former home of Ben Mondor's Pawsox.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/56840292019-03-18T09:23:16-04:002021-12-23T18:54:26-05:00Racing Season?<p>They keep saying winter is ending. I'll believe it when I get to head to a racetrack to see some racing. Then I'll have something to write about.</p>
<p>Yeah, I know NASCAR's already racing on TV. I'm not excited. First of all, TV on a Sunday's for winter. But even more so because - well - as the Cup series gets more and more muddled by contrived rules and other boogedy-boogedy baloney, it seems to deliver less and less racing.</p>
<p>So, again: More power, less tire, shorter races, all will make NASCAR relevant for more than selling beer and batteries. In the meantime, I await opening days at the shorttracks, road courses and MX-circuits around my neck of the woods..See you there.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/56394952019-02-12T11:58:47-05:002019-02-12T11:58:47-05:00Booklovers show at Cumberland, RI libaryThey say it's "...a venue for local authors to gain exposure, sell books and build relationships with their audience."
The expo also is at a pretty cool place. The Cumberland library is located in an old monastery. The ghosts of long-dead monks cast unseen shadows on the walls.
So come say hi, talk some racing, build a relationship with me and meet some other authors with great stories to share.
And maybe catch a glimpse of a long-gone pastTHE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/56199372019-01-30T14:25:13-05:002019-02-08T14:38:46-05:00GO FAST. BE SMART!<p>I've been working away on <em>GO FAST. BE SMART! </em>the latest of my <em>RED RACECAR SPEED READERS.</em></p>
<p>It follows Tyler Means, the hero of my first two <em>SPEED READERS</em>: <em>RACING JUNK</em> and <em>TURN RIGHT TO GO LEFT. In RACING JUNK,</em><em> </em>Tyler starts out patching a racing kart together out of a frame he finds in a pile of scrap metal. He then proves his skills and talent not only racing on road courses but, in <em>TURN RIGHT TO GO LEFT</em>, on a dirt oval he'd never even thought about. </p>
<p><em>GO FAST. BE SMART!</em> will give him a chance to race a "real racecar," a dirt midget like the ones he loves to watch on TV. He'll actually meet some of the midget hotshoes that my original young-adult novel, <em>THE RED RACECAR. </em>introduced to more experienced readers. So, a reader can finish all three <em>SPEED READERS </em>and then move up to the <em>RED RACECAR </em>books.</p>
<p>By then they can go racing!</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/55998552019-01-17T09:07:51-05:002019-01-17T09:07:51-05:00I won't be making it to the Swap N' Sell<p>Due to the forecasts of nasty weather, I've decided I can't make it to the Automotive Swap N' Sell at the Big E in West Springfield, MA., this weekend.</p>
<p>I always enjoy this show and get some books in the hands of a few kids, but I also travel from home each day. Sunday looks like a mess, especially exactly where I'd need to travel.</p>
<p>My apologies. If you did intend to look me up to get a book, be aware that SHIPPING IS NOW FREE ON ALL ORDERS PLACED THROUGH THIS WEBSITE.</p>
<p>No need for you to chance the trip this weekend, either.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/55879342019-01-09T11:10:12-05:002019-01-09T11:11:13-05:00FREE! FREE! FREE!<p>As of the beginning of 2019, all orders placed on theredracecar.com will offer FREE SHIPPING!</p>
<p>We've got new books listed, too, including the first two <em>RED RACECAR </em>"SPEED READERS" for newer readers. Check 'em out..</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/55277162018-11-26T09:39:29-05:002018-11-26T09:39:29-05:00The Rhode Island Authors' Expo <p>It's that time again. The Rhode Island Authors' Expo finally is here. It happens at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet in Cranston, this Saturday, December 1, from 10am until 5pm. </p>
<p>Of course, I'm there to sign and sell books. I also like getting together with other writers to see how everyone's doing. And the selection of books is impressive, with quality in almost every popular genre. </p>
<p>The list would have been more impressive if my latest RED RACECAR SPEED READER,<em> TURN RIGHT TO GO LEFT</em>, was available for sale. Unfortunately, it remains in production, so I'll have to debut it at January's Automotive Swap & Sell at the Big E in West Springfield, Mass.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/54666052018-10-12T08:31:00-04:002020-11-13T11:30:51-05:00No to the Exeter Fall Festival<p>It turns out that I will not be able to participate in this year's Exeter Fall Festival, October 13. My apologies to anyone hoping to see me there. My next appreance is with ARIA's Authors' Expo, December 1 at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet in Cranston, RI.</p>
<p>See "Where is Thom" for details. Just ignore the previous listing.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/54548662018-10-04T10:57:12-04:002018-10-04T11:05:03-04:00ROVALS????????<p>I don't make it a habit of watching Monster Energy Cup races. Now even NASCAR and the tracks are admitting that more and more racefans are breaking the habit themselves. So they keep looking for innovative ways to create more exciting racing - or sometimes, any racing at all. Like stages, you know?</p>
<p>Had you ever heard of a roval? I guess Charlotte introduced this hybrid between road course and oval to bring all the excitement of road racing to stock cars. But most stock car fans I know consider road racing boring, so I don't know what Charlotte was thinking.</p>
<p>I thought Charlotte already had a road-course loop. Many ovals have some sort of road-course as part of its whole operation. NHMS, a mile, combines pieces of its oval with a road course extending outside of it. Superspeedways like Daytona routinely are built with road-course sections in the infield. The track's 24-hour road race is an important part of its Speedweeks racing extravaganza. Indeed, Thompson in Connecticut is busy every weekend with some sort of road racing event now that it rejuvenated its road-course.</p>
<p>But I've said it before, and I'll (need to) say it again. You want better racing? How about better cars? Fans don't need to believe (falsely) that NASCAR drivers are racing cars like the ones in the parking lot. And how about shorter races? Admit it, NASCAR. You lengthened races to sell more ads. No, a 200-mile race, and 300 on superspeedways, will make the racing better, not worse. Sure, there'll be fewer ads, but maybe more fans will see them.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/53761052018-08-06T08:53:53-04:002021-06-26T09:48:42-04:00Thompson's Summer mid-week special...<p>...is Wednesday evening, otherwise known as August 8. I'm there with books to sign, including my new chapter-book, <em>RACING JUNK</em>, and <em>RING AROUND RACING</em>, a collection of my favorite and most newsworthy newspaper columns, magazine feature-stories and other odds and ends I wrote covering motorsports at very level. Plus the books of the RED RACECAR series, of course. I'll be set up behind the front-straight grandstands, continually trying to sneak a peek at the action on the track.</p>
<p>Check it out. It's modifieds and midgets and -- oh my! Rain date is Thursday evening, but let's not think about that.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/53736342018-08-03T13:32:51-04:002018-08-06T08:47:20-04:00TURN RIGHT TO GO LEFT<p>A heads up that I've started work on my next<em> RED RACECAR </em>SPEED READER novel "<em>TURN RIGHT TO GO LEFT</em>." It continues the adventures of Tyler Means, our hero in <em>RACING JUNK</em>. He already has proven he can drive at the two road courses in his area, but now he'll get a chance to try his hand at dirttrack racing.</p>
<p>Of course, he will. After all, if you're not sliding, you're not driving.</p>
<p>Keep you eyes peeled for its release, hopefully some time before the end of the year.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/53241092018-06-29T10:56:25-04:002018-06-29T10:59:40-04:00Open Wheel - THURSDAY<p>Was set up with the RED RACECAR books for Seekonk Speedway's Open Wheel Wednesday. Sold some books, met some fans, and also renewed acquaintances with a few vets of racing still plying their trade, either behind the wheel, behind the camera, or behind the pen.</p>
<p>After too many Saturday night rainouts already this season. it was great that Seekonk got MOST of its show done -- before the rains came once again, postponing the final laps of the 10-grand-to-win open modified race.</p>
<p>I've bored enough of you gushing about midgets at Seekonk Speedway, but the mods are just as good. I really would love to see Seekonk create a division for modifieds for their weekly show. They already have three lookalike divisions in the pro stocks, late models and sportsmen. Why not something at least somewhat different?</p>
<p>And one addition to Open Wheel Wednesday I'd love to see? ISMA's supers, the wildest racecars running without fenders.</p>
<p>But wait, I've bored enough of you over those two subjects as well.</p>
<p>The mods return to finish their feature Tuesday, July 3. Your ticket's still good, and if you weren't there for the green, Seekonk will offer discounted tickets so you can be there for the checkered.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/53021552018-06-18T11:17:05-04:002018-06-18T11:24:46-04:00RACING JUNK IS RELEASED!<p>Just a note to announce the release of my latest RED RACECAR book and my first RED RACECAR<em> </em><em>SPEED READER<span style="color: rgb(241, 196, 15);">: RACING JUNK</span></em>.</p>
<p>The new <em>SPEED READERS </em>are targeted at less-experienced readers, but they're also great stories that more experienced readers can knock off in a couple of sittings while enjoying the adventure as much as the other<em> RED RACECAR </em>books.<em><span style="color: rgb(241, 196, 15);"> RACING JUNK </span></em>follows a young race-fan as he digs an old racing kart out of a pile of scrap metal and tries to turn it into a competitive racer. Readers will learn about setting up any racecar as well as skills needed to rebuild, repaint and otherwise make their dreams come true.</p>
<p> </p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/52679172018-05-31T13:38:10-04:002018-06-07T11:16:54-04:00Two in a Day?<p>Yeah, after months of nothing...</p>
<p>But I just found out that the Foxwoods casino-resort (or whatever it is) is adding a "multi-level kart track" to its attractions. Finally, a reason to go to Foxwoods.</p>
<p>Usually, karts for hire are a disappointment, although things have gotten better. Of course, we'll need to see what "multi-level" means. It could be some gimmicky trick to make a kart track an amusement-park ride -- like an elevator, or a hall of mirrors.</p>
<p>I've had fun at a variety of kart-concessions, but in my experience there's only one where what you do could actually be considered racing. That's F-1 Boston in Braintree, Mass. If "multi-level"means elevation-changes on a real and challenging road circuit, I'll be there. And nowhere nears the tables or slots.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/52674742018-05-31T08:52:05-04:002021-06-26T09:43:53-04:00Spring is here!<p>Yeah, I know. It's summer. I spent the Memorial Day weekend mowing grass, putting in screens on our porch, dragging out and cleaning the grille; you know, stuff you do in April.</p>
<p>Maybe that's why I haven't even made a race yet. I've also been finishing up the first of my new RED RACECAR <em>"SPEED READER</em>" books,<em> RACING JUNK</em>, the story of a kid who tries to rebuild a kart he pulls from a pile of metal-scrap, hoping he can race it.</p>
<p>The <em>SPEED READER </em>series is for younger readers, kids still mastering the art, and any racefan who wants a quick and entertaining read. We hope to have <em>RACING JUNK</em> out by the time I hit Seekonk Speedway for Open Wheel Wednesday June 27. Check and see. After all, it's midgets racing at Seekonk. I mean, c'mon!</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/51798792018-04-13T09:34:31-04:002020-06-03T01:09:54-04:00A new post from THE WORST BLOGGER EVER!!!<p>Yeah, but what has there been to write about? It's April, the Icebreaker already happened at Connecticut's Thompson Speedway ("Motorsports Park"), and they actually had to -- break ice!</p>
<p>But the racing season has come to New England whether it's ready or not. And I'm making plans to hit at least the tracks in my neck of the woods to sell <em>THE RED RACECAR</em> books. Right now I plan to return to Seekonk Speedway, likely for its Open Wheel Wednesday show in June. Unofficial visits always are on the agenda. After all, I'm a still a fan, and Seekonk still is special..</p>
<p>Thompson's summer midweek show in August is a planned destination as well. I'm at Thompson for all sorts of events, oval track racing on its 5/8-mile oval, road racing by cars and bikes, and a couple of neat vintage shows. I hope to ride one of my vintage Yamahas to the motorcycle event in June. I'll throw some books in my bags, if you see me.</p>
<p>I'd also like to return to Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut. I don't care about the guy who owns it. Plenty of fine people put on a pretty fine race show there -- have for decades. I'd like to return for its own open-wheel show. I'm partial to open-wheel racing. Fenders are for Hyundais.</p>
<p>I'd love to get up to New Hampshire this year -- and maybe Vermont as well. Bear Ridge in Vermont would be perfect. The cover of<em> The Red Racecar </em>was modeled after a photo of me from Bear Ridge (Check the "Stuff to Look At" page). As for New Hampshire, I sure would like to visit Star Speedway again -- maybe for the Star Classic.</p>
<p>This July, in a first, I plan to set up at "The Wick," the motocross track in Southwick, Mass. It's another track where I've raced, although the term "raced" is a generous description. I barely survived. Motocross is hard!</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/50831462018-02-16T11:17:03-05:002018-02-16T11:18:32-05:00No Global Rally-Cross at Thompson<p>I was sort of hoping this series would return to Thompson Speedway in Connecticut, ten minutes from my house, in 2018, Kept checking their schedule and noticing July 9 & 10 as open dates without a track listed.</p>
<p>That was about when the 2017 edition happened at Thompson. Of course, there was not a big crowd there. This is New England. We take a racing series with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>But the dates now list Los Angelis as the venue.</p>
<p>Fret not, racefans. That will be when the Sports Car Club of America holds one of its "majors" on Thompson's road course. That's more fun, anyway.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/50789922018-02-14T10:56:45-05:002018-04-24T10:56:08-04:00local authors expo<p>Just a reminder that I'm at the Cumberland, RI Library this Saturday, February 17, as part of its Local Authors' Expo.</p>
<p>And it looks like I will have my latest, <em>RING AROUND RACING</em>, a collection of the best columns and features I've written over my decades covering motor racing n the Northeast, as well as my<em> RED RACECAR </em>books and <em>GOODBYE AND OTHER STORIES</em>, my award-winning short-story collection.</p>
<p>The library is at 1464 Diamond Hill Road in Cumberland, and the expo runs from 1 to 4pm.</p>
<p>See you there?</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/50789902018-02-14T10:50:07-05:002018-04-28T10:05:59-04:00SPRINT KART IN A SCRAP PILE<p>A new project I've begun writing: </p>
<p>SPRINT KART IN A SCRAP PILE will be the first in the new RED RACECAR<em> SPEEDREADER </em>Series, written for kids not quite ready for the middle-grade novels that make up the rest of the series but still wanting a racetrack-adventure. </p>
<p>Tyler Means would love to race any kind of car he could get his hands on, but with his dad confined to a wheelchair and unable to work, his family is struggling just to pay the bills. Then Tyler finds an old race kart in a pile of scrap metal. The adventure comes as Tyler tries to turn the kart into a competitive racer again, even though he has little money and even less of an idea how to do it.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/50145532018-01-09T10:22:53-05:002018-07-30T09:14:15-04:00BIG PLANS for the BIG E<p>Hello again. Not much to write about, as I continue to slog through the editing of RING AROUND RACING, my collection of my past work, and enjoy the holiday season.</p>
<p>My plans for the upcoming Automotive Swap & Sell at the Big E in Springfield, MA, January 20 and 21 have changed. Ric Marascal of the Pro Nyne Museum won't be joining me this year. Instead, I'm rounding up some great auto-related titles, not only from the museum's inventory, but from my friend Walt Scadden as well as one or two others. My site will be an auto-related bookstore which also will feature some other interesting titles from these authors. And, of course, THE RED RACECAR series of middle-grade novels for future racers.</p>
<p>Look me up.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/49634202017-12-05T14:16:05-05:002018-04-26T08:23:41-04:00RING AROUND RACING<p>A shout out: I should let you know that a collection of my best, most popular newspaper-columns, magazine-columns and features currently is in production and should be released shortly. They'll be plenty to read about my favorite races and racers plus some of the stuff that's always bugged me. It'll give you some insight into the characters and racetracks that provided inspiration for <em>THE RED RACECAR </em>series of racing adventures.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/49132272017-10-31T09:32:31-04:002018-05-11T09:06:50-04:00F1 - Racing?<p>So these days, if I want to see some hard-nose, wheel-to-wheel racing, I turn on -- Formula 1?</p>
<p>When did this happen? Now NASCAR gives you the parades, while F1 gives you flying car parts and guys playing chicken into 100-mph corners. This always supposedly was about the cars, the road-racing snobs would tell us. But did you see the F1 circus in Mexico? Snobs need not apply.</p>
<p>Somebody invite Tony Stewart.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/48579682017-09-20T12:33:28-04:002017-09-21T11:03:50-04:00T.C.<p>Was shocked by the news of Teddy Christopher's death in a plane crash September 15 on his way to race at Riverhead Speedway in New York.</p>
<p>I'd just seen Teddy drive a modified to his 99th feature-win at Thompson Speedway September 10. I also saw him crash out of the next mod race that day as he made his typical charge through the field. It all was classic T.C. He never settled for lousy situations. He was always trying to make steak out of the hamburg handed to him by fate.</p>
<p>In the modern world of happy-talk from everyone no matter what happens, Ted Christopher was honest - and candid - to a fault. I got a kick out of how some in the national media have noted his ride in a Busch car owned my Michael Waltrip as a highpoint in his career, a note likely made due to Waltrip's own celebrity. Well, Ted, for one, was not impressed.</p>
<p>"His cars are junk," he once told me, discussing why he hadn't made more starts in NASCAR's triple-A series.</p>
<p>I bet right now he's knocking on the rear bumper of the guy in front of him as they approach the pearly gates. Wonder if they'll let him in. Heaven help them if they don't.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/48450622017-09-11T08:57:56-04:002017-09-11T08:57:56-04:00Curious<p>I saw something I've never seen before during Thompson Speedway's oval-track event September 10.</p>
<p>It's not unusual to see a racecar join the tail end of a different division's lineup and run a lap or two to shake out the car while that different division gets ready to race. Always, though, the odd car, trailing the field by half a lap, gets off the track before the green flag flies, or at least as soon as possible afterwards.</p>
<p>At Thompson I saw two instances where the oddball car just kept lapping by itself long after the race on the track had started.</p>
<p>That was bad enough for the modffied that tailed the limited-sportsman race. Hey -- it was a mod, and they always get star treatment -- as well they might.</p>
<p>But later a mini stock did the same thing at the start of the lite-modified race. And stayed out there. And stayed out there and stayed out there. In fact, the field of mods closed on the mini quickly and overtook it racing into turn-three as the mini looked to escape into Thompson's infield pit-row.</p>
<p>Is this something new? What if the oddball car stalled out, or slid into the wall, ripping water or oil lines or spreading debris in the path of an actual race? I'd think there would be a better way. </p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/48389492017-09-06T09:00:20-04:002018-03-08T08:41:41-05:00Autumn in New England<p>Yeah, summer's over, but I'm not done with summer-stuff yet! This weekend, September 9 and 10, provides some options along that line.</p>
<p>I'm still trying to decide whether to hit this year's Rice-O-Rama, that extravaganza of a Japanese-bike show/swap meet/convention that happens in central Mass., every fall, or take in the stock-car racing at Thompson Speedway, their cheapest ticket of the year. A motorcycle trials-competition in Exeter, RI, gets ruled out, I guess.</p>
<p>There still is more to happen at Thompson, which lies in Connecticut's gorgeous northeastern region. I'm planning to be there for the last road-racing show of the year October 5 to 8. And of course, you don't really need a destination over the next few weeks. It's great "summer stuff" just to ride my motorcycle through the autumn foliage that's supposed to be at its most breathtaking this year.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/48080372017-08-09T11:05:59-04:002017-08-09T11:05:59-04:00The Bud 150 is on!<p>It's a beautiful day today, and it'll be a beautiful night for racing, as the Bud 150 goes green at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park tonight.</p>
<p>I'm packed up and ready to be selling and signing my Red Racecar books on the midway. Look for me outside the grandstands that front turn-one on Thompson's 5/8-mile oval. Just look to the right as you enter until you see red. That'll be me.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/47762842017-07-12T12:44:07-04:002017-08-04T08:51:22-04:00More Racers Racing<p>"(Kyle) Busch will make his first visit to (Vermont's) Thunder Road looking to add to a resume that includes the 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship, the 2009 Xfinity Series Championship, and hundreds of race wins on tracks across North America. He would be the first NASCAR driver to emerge victorious in an event that has seen stars such as Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, and Ken Schrader in the line-up over the years."</p>
<p>Yeah! Good for Kyle. And even cooler:</p>
<p>"One of his biggest challenges may come from Vermont Governor Phil Scott. Thunder Road's all-time winningest Late Model driver added to his legacy (July6) when he became the nation's first sitting governor to triumph in a stock car race. Despite a busy schedule, Scott continues to compete as often as he can at the historic track where he has been racing and winning since 1991."</p>
<p>So what's your governor do, golf?</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/47732482017-07-10T10:59:02-04:002017-07-10T11:00:46-04:00No More Racechaser<p>Evidently, racechaseronline no longer is running my column. I submitted my latest June 6 and they never posted it. Yet they continue to feature my last two columns as two of the three columns highlighted on the main page.</p>
<p>I had problems with almost every column I submitted, so I don't know what the deal ls with this site. But I sure do miss the days of writing for Dean Nardi at Trackside and a host of sports editors at dailies in New England who didn't even follow racing but looked to my columns to run on a regularly-scheduled basis. Thank goodness for Craig Murto and Late Model Racer. So back to work on my story about pro stocks.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/47610962017-06-29T08:39:31-04:002017-06-30T10:16:17-04:00It's Thursday, and Yesterday was Open Wheel Wednesday<p>Was at Seekonk Speedway last night for its annual Open Wheel Wednesday event. A great night for a good show in front of a good midweek racetrack crowd. Sold and signed a ton of books. It was a good night for THE RED RACECAR, maybe because the story of two kids who go midget-racing is my only open wheel story. MX bikes don't count.</p>
<p>The night included a tribute by the Northeast Midget Association to the recently-deceased midget driver Dave Steele. NEMA's Midget Lite division ran a 33-lapo race in honor of his car-number, much as the top-division midgets ran 29 laps in honor of Boston Louie Seymour, as their race is named after him. His sons Bobby and Mike still display that number when they send a midget out to play.</p>
<p>NEMA's top division actually ran the night's first feature, as if they were the evening's street stocks. They also ran green to checkered. Neither the NEMA Lights or the modifieds on hand for their open-show 100-lap ten-grand-to-win headliner came close to matching that feat. A. bunch of kids in a support-race will do that. So will a bunch a vets banging away for a ten-grand prize.</p>
<p>It was another great night at "The Konk." It is, after all, The Action Track of the East.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/47577802017-06-26T14:08:15-04:002017-06-26T14:08:15-04:00It's Monday...<p>...and it was quite a weekend. Both of Thompson Speedway('s Motorsports Park)'s vintage events on the road course presented a feast for the eyes. However, curiously enough, some of the best eye-candy could be found in the spectators' parking lot, not in the garages.</p>
<p>Plenty of aficionados took advantage of the sun (when they could) to roll out their favorite toys and make their way to Thompson in or on it. This was particularly true on Sunday, the best day of the weekend, when hordes of bikes of every description and persuasion could be seen. And that's not even including the bikes that rolled past the lot and joined the collecting machines on hand for the "bike show." Didn't see any semblance of critical judging going on, but boy, it was a show. Either of my bikes, my '78 Yamaha triple and '72 650 twin, would have been right at home there, but we couldn't get the 650 done in time to make it debut.</p>
<p>The bike meet was a disappointment from the standpoint of racetrack activity. Only a few race bikes were on hand, and most ran together in a class that didn't seem very vintage. To a lesser degree, the same was true of the sports cars, although a few absolutely sparkled.</p>
<p>Oh well. There's always next year.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/47495112017-06-19T09:34:21-04:002018-05-10T08:11:42-04:00A busy weekend<p>Boy, when it rains it pours.</p>
<p>I've planned all year to attend this weekend taking in the vintage road racing at the suddenly famous Thompson Speedway (Motorsports Park) coming up Friday and Saturday. Yeah, and you know I'm STILL hoping to ride my not quite-restored-yet vintage Yamaha to the vintage motorcycle event there Sunday.</p>
<p>And I've been wondering when the next big trials- event will visit Exeter, RI. This may be the slowest form of motorsports, but it also might be the most challenging. And speaking of challenges, the national series visits Exeter this weekend. Of course it does.</p>
<p>I bet we figure it out. Sounds like a lot of great riding, by myself and by some of the best around -- fast as well as slow.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/47433632017-06-13T14:10:10-04:002020-09-08T07:42:15-04:00Racing on TV?<p>I need a little help here. I'm hardly tuned into all the choices available when it comes to watching a race. I realize there are new, and some might argue better, ways to watch a race than turning in on one of those lame-o "television-sets."</p>
<p>But then I hear Allan Bestwick announce that ABC is done televising IndyCar races this season as it hands off to ESPN. And I see more and more NASCAR races presented on FS1 while my localist Fox-network station keeps showing some bunko-artist telling me how easy it is to flip houses -- over and over for as long as it would take a Cup racer to drive 500 miles -- in a golf cart.</p>
<p>So tell me, is the media leaving me behind, or are more fans leaving racing behind. Because I'm suspecting the latter. But I've never watched a race on my computer, never mind cellphone. Nor am I about to. Is that what fans are doing? And if they are, then why does race-coverage include graphics so tiny I can't read them on a full-size TV?</p>
<p>I was just wondering.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/47123792017-05-17T14:06:23-04:002017-05-17T14:07:23-04:00Off to Thompson<p>So, I'm over to <em>Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park </em>(phew! Let me catch my breath!) this weekend to check out the Vintage Oval Invitational. It'll be a delightful jaunt over the hills to Thompson on my vintage Yamaha Triple before I get to wade into a selection of old late models, modifieds, supers and midgets, many of which raced on Thompson's 5/8-mile oval when there was nothing vintage about them. The same could have been said about me at one time.</p>
<p>I plan to make all of Thompson's vintage meets this year. The vintage event for road racing happens June 23 and 24. A day later there's a one-day meet for vintage motorcycles. I'm still hoping to make the maiden voyage on my '72 Yamaha twin that day, if its restoration's been completed.</p>
<p>I love these events. Everyone's having fun, there's not really any competition, and you get to see some real works of racing art. I just know I'll see something I never have laid eyes on before, even if it first raced when I was a young lad. I can't wait.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/46978822017-05-05T11:04:02-04:002020-12-02T13:25:09-05:00the latest on RaceChaserOnline:<p>So I had this big idea. Check it out here:<br><br><a href="https://www.racechaseronline.com/opinion/thom-ring-blog/ring-modified-modifieds-anymore/">https://www.racechaseronline.com/opinion/thom-ring-blog/ring-modified-modifieds-anymore/</a><br><br>As see me get shot down.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/46713412017-04-14T13:50:49-04:002017-04-14T13:52:28-04:00My latest on RaceChaser Online...<p>...can be found here:<br><br><a href="https://www.racechaseronline.com/opinion/thom-ring-blog/ring-memories-whip-city/">https://www.racechaseronline.com/opinion/thom-ring-blog/ring-memories-whip-city/</a><br><br>I lament the passing of southern New England's last dirt track. Check it out. In fact, check the site out. It's a great place to stay on top of every type of motor racing.<br><br> </p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/46682452017-04-12T13:23:09-04:002022-05-07T02:56:18-04:00What fun!<p><strong>"Two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso will skip the Monaco Grand Prix to compete in the Indianapolis 500."</strong><br><br>Now, this is the kind of thing I've been talking about. A racer racing just to race. I love it.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/46590492017-04-05T12:53:04-04:002017-04-05T12:53:04-04:00Ty-Rods updateThe weather's looking good for Sunday's Ty-Rods swap meet at Stafford Motor Speedway. It'll be a great day for a stroll or just hanging out under a warm sun.<br>Look me up!THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/46531852017-03-31T09:09:01-04:002021-03-29T16:06:52-04:00The season starts!<p>I might have mentioned I plan to scale back on signing books at street-rod shows. So today I announce that my first show of the year will be the Ty-Rods annual spring street-rod swap meet at Stafford, CT, Motor Speedway Sunday, April 9. <br>Hey, I did say I'd go to shows where I had other compelling reasons to attend. Well, I get to hang out for the day with Walt Scadden, my frequent partner in crime at such events. That always makes for an interesting day, as this always is an interesting show that attracts some pretty interesting people. Even the carts folks are tugging behind them are more interesting than the cars at some shows. And I always enjoy people-watching. So, if you go, look for us down the end of grandstands on the pit side of the fence, and say hi.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/46338462017-03-17T09:14:39-04:002017-03-17T09:14:39-04:00Preview for my radio appearance - not!Okay, I'm trying to get in the habit of being digital. That means sharing all your media and "cross-promoting" and all that. So I should let everyone know about all my appearances, not just the personal ones. Like on the radio, for instance? So I guess this post is mostly for your amusement. But I'll be on the "Stock Car Steel/SRI Motorsports Show" at 7 p.m. ET on the Performance Motorsports Network - LAST NIGHT.<br><br>You can go to <a href="http://www.racechaseronline.com">www.racechaseronline.com</a> to find out more about the Performance Motorsports Network, which hosts of ton of stuff about racing, as well as Race Chaser Online, where you'll also find my latest column all about Pawtucket, RI's ProNyne Museum of New England racing history.<br><br> THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/45690122017-01-30T12:53:31-05:002017-02-17T09:59:13-05:00new at NASCAR (uh-oh)<p>Boy, do I have something to say about the new NASCAR points system. I share it in my new column to be found at RaceChaser Online, or <a href="http://www.racechaseronline.com">www.racechaseronline.com</a> if you want to check it out. </p>
<p>I'll have plenty more to say in my bi-weekly column, including an upcoming look at a couple of area racing museums, (No, not museums that race!) located in New England.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/45665672017-01-27T15:02:49-05:002017-03-22T08:08:49-04:00Maybe not MichaelSpent some time speculating here about how great it would be to see recent racing retirees running Indy cars at Indy or elsewhere. I'd love to include the newly about-to-retire Michael Waltrip on that list, but I don't think the guy could fit in an Indy car.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/45546982017-01-18T13:18:38-05:002022-05-28T07:30:24-04:00BadNews<br>This is to let you know that I've decided to discontinue my emailings to this list for a number of reasons.<br><br>Primarily, as I expand other sources for my musings, I'm finding that most of what I have to say I also include on the blog to be found on this website as well as on my Facebook page. The redundancy will only get worse as I recently agreed to be a contributor with RaceChasersOnline and also plan to contribute a number of stories as a senior editor for Late Model Racer magazine.<br><br>Further, I've noticed that most folks on the email list don't even open most of what I send out.<br>i<br>I apologize for any inconvenience this decision might cause, but I'll still have plenty to say, on the blog on this page, on RaceChaserOnline and its cousin, the Performance Motorsports Network, and in the pages of Late Model Racer. Both of the latter will have plenty of other stuff good to read. Check them out.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/45495732017-01-13T19:00:06-05:002017-01-13T19:00:06-05:00I'm part of racechaseronline<p>It's official; come February, I'll be contributing a weekly column to RaceChaserOnline, commenting on the latest nonsense in racing, reminiscing about racers long racing or long gone, telling you about big races coming up, and introducing you to up-and-coming racing talent. I'll do this in every form of motorsports, because I love them all - and you should, too. <br>Check 'em out. </p>
<p>www.racechaseronline.com</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/45402422017-01-06T15:48:19-05:002017-02-03T14:45:51-05:00Chili BowlYeah, it's Chili Bowl time, right now, this minute.<br>I won't go on about this event. I've never been to it, only wish I had been. It is the Super Bowl of midget racing, its Speedweeks, its Olympics.<br>I suggest you look it up. <br>Oh, yeah, I know Super Bowl is a registered trademark. Come and get me, NFL. Who do you think you are, NASCAR?THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/45006262016-12-07T13:57:08-05:002016-12-07T13:59:29-05:00Nico, tooA month or so ago I blogged here about the "retirement" of Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. I'm still hoping that none of these great veterans have hung up their helmets for good. Now I want to add Nico Rosberg to that list. He just announced his retirement from Formula One racing after winning his first title in the series.<br><br>So I'll entertain myself over the winter by imagining all of these guys racing at Indy this year. Better yet, how about all of them racing a few times in Indycars over the course of the season. I mean, c'mon. Gordon and Rosberg wheel to wheel? Stewart in on the battle? Montoya, experienced in both types of cars, showing them the way? And all those IndyCar regulars chomping on the bit to get their proverbial hands on these champions?<br><br>Who needs NASCAR? THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/44812322016-11-23T14:05:25-05:002016-11-23T14:05:25-05:00Happy Turkey!Yes, it's holiday time. We start with Thanksgiving. Hope you have (or had) a fine one.<br><br>Now I get to tell you that my books make fine holiday gifts. No, I ain't trying to be politically correct (you mean polite?) but if you want to get someone one of my books for Passover, it's okay with me.<br><br>I also have two shows upcoming that you might want to check out.<br><br>Thursday evening, December 1, I'm selling and signing at the Jesse Smith Library in Burrillville, RI. This is where I'm part of its bi-weekly writers' group. If you write, you know it's great to get objective feedback. That's what we give each other.<br><br>Saturday, December 3, from 11am to 5pm, it's the annual Authors' Fair of the Association of Rhode Island Authors, this year held at Cranston, RI's Rhodes on the Pawtuxet ballroom. I better dress up. <br><br>Go to the "Where Am I" page on this website for more details.<br><br>.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/44504022016-11-03T13:37:23-04:002016-11-03T13:39:24-04:00Return to racecars!Retirement is different for athletes than it is for everyone else. I hope that applies to racers as well.<br><br>A couple of big-time veteran drivers have announced their "retirement" in the last couple of seasons. What did they mean? Specifically, they stepped out of their rides in America's top racing series, the NASCAR (insert name of paying sponsor here) Cup Series. Yet, despite what many - if not most - racefans in this country would have you believe, NASCAR does not equal racing. If you know me, you know what's coming: <em>It ain't even da best</em>.<br><br>What's better? Well, for me, just about <em>everything else</em>. There's more action, more skill, more courage, more speed - heck, more of all that good stuff, in Indy cars, sprinters, midgets, supers, late models...Did I leave anything out? If I did, include it for me.<br><br>I think Tony Stewart would. I've maintained for years that his decision to drive a cup car was a financial one, not a sporting one. Indy cars, sprint cars, midgets; together they likely make up his list of favorites. I want to see him back at Indy. I'd like to see him at the Copper Classic, or the Chili Bowl. Likewise Jeff Gordon. Ever see those pictures of the skinny kid with the even-skinnier mustache, climbing into a sprinter? That kid could drive.<br><br>Already, we see Juan Pablo Montoya signing a one-race deal to drive at Indy. That's a good start. Here's hoping these guys all go back to racing for the fun of it. It'll only mean more fun for us.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/44470002016-11-01T09:26:27-04:002016-11-01T09:26:27-04:00Driving Me CrazyDrivers, that is. Want a lesson in safe driving? Don't speed. That seems to be the only thing you can get pulled over for. And no, I didn't. It's just that I keep seeing drivers do all kinds of crazy things, and none of them seem to matter.<br>Like running red lights. No one used to run red lights. They might try to "pinch" a light, racing under a yellow light to beat the red. But virtually every day I watch someone blast through an obviously red light. Twice -- twice! - I've watched a car with plenty of time to stop drive right through the light -- with a cop sitting there watching, and the cop did nothing.<br>Today I sat at a stop sign waiting for a school bus blocking the intersection to move, and two cars behind me drove around me as well as the rear of the bus, driving blindly into the oncoming lane. No, no cop there. But so what? People just seem to write their own traffic laws. I only wish they knew what to do in a four-way intersection.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/43678182016-09-12T09:08:37-04:002016-09-12T09:08:37-04:00Rice-O-Rama reviewSo we went to Rice-O-Rama Sunday - my three brothers and me. Brother Ward arrived on the lookout for a 1972 Yamaha R5. These lightweight forefathers of the sportbike share the honor of being the first crotch-rockets with Kawasaki triples, except the Yamahas would actually turn when you told them to. I've lost count of how many R5s and variations have been in my family (I had one) but Ward currently has maybe a half-dozen, including the original, first-year 1970 model owned by our late brother Art. But no '72.<br>There <em>was</em> one at the show but the owner wouldn't budge from his $350 asking-price. The thing was a rust-bucket, but he could have sold it for $325. But no, he preferred to take it home.<br>I couldn't find a brake pedal. I looked at one I thought I might be able to bend to clear the aftermarket-exhaust on my 1972 XS2 650 Yamaha, but that "seller" wouldn't budge from $15. I bet that guy took that home, too. Ironically, it came off an R5.<br>And a big strikeout on the seat and gas tank for the under-restoration '71 Yamaha 125 motocrosser I raced years ago. The closest we got was another ratty bike, a 175 woodsbike that utilized the same tank. But it had no seat, and again, the "seller" wouldn't dicker. These guys must like loading stuff.<br>Unfortunately, none of you were there to lead me away from the dirty white-batwing fairing on one blanket. I'd warned you I was looking for a white fairing and saddlebags of 1970s-vintage to put on the XS2. I found one, marked down from $50 to $20. As soon a I stopped to check it out the guy told me I could have it for $10. Actually, he let me have the metal-flake blue one next to it - all for the $10. Clearly he wasn't into loading stuff. I'd already found a brand-new windshield for $5 that will go on the bike if the fairing proves too tacky.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/43677942016-09-12T08:46:56-04:002016-09-12T08:46:56-04:00No Woonsocket Fall FestFYI: I WON'T be at this event, as the Association of Rhode Island Authors cancelled its agreement for an author's section at the fair. Rats!THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/43647332016-09-09T14:27:25-04:002016-09-09T14:27:25-04:00Rice-O-RamaOops, didn't mean to take the month off.<br><br>Now that summer effectively is over, though, I'm happy because fall is my favorite time of year. It's the best riding season, for one thing.<br><br>In that vein, I'll be heading out to the Spencer, MA, Fairgrounds Sunday (9/11) to take in Rice-O-Rama, the annual lovefest for vintage Japanese motorcycles. There's a show for trailer queens and other priceless gems, but I'm interested in the junk spread out on blankets. In particular I'll be looking for a gas tank to fit the 1971 Yamaha AT-1 motocrosser I raced (check out the photo in the photo page). It's being restored by high school students at MTTI, a school for technicians that offers a "tech-prep" program for "yoot," at the direction of my brother Ward, the school's pres. Those kids have restored some special vintage MXers, and theiy're doing a beautiful job on the Yammie, but WE NEED A TANK!<br><br>I'll also be on the lookout for a brake pedal that will clear the pipes on the Yamaha XS2 I'm restoring. It's got later-model headers dumping into aftermarket mufflers. The combo doesn't leave much room for a brake pedal, so I need one in a particular convoluted shape (look it up!).<br><br>I also have this fantasy that the red-and white XS2 would look great with vintage accessories, namely a white handlebar-mounted faring and set of saddlebags. If you go and you see me looking any over, drag me away quickly.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/43063622016-08-02T13:29:39-04:002016-08-02T13:29:39-04:00Race-StarvedSo, after a couple of weekends out-straight or out of town, I'm home last weekend on a rainy Sunday.<br>Normally, I'm not a fussy TV viewer. That's why we don't have cable. Paying for channels I won't watch is a waste.<br>So, there I am at home, and I see that NASCAR, F-1 and Indy Car all are racing today. Great! And then I see; NASCAR on FoxSports, F-1 on NBCSN, and Indy Car (my fave) is on -- what, CNBC? Isn't that a business station?<br><br>And why couldn't NBC have had the race on its main network? Because they were covering womens' golf! Really? There are more fans wanting to watch women playing golf than an Indy Car race? Now, I have nothing against women. It's golf I hate. I mean, isn't racing the one sport that matches women against men? And with no quarter asked or granted? Who are these do-nothings who prefer to watch somebody hit a ball across a lawn to witnessing racing neck and neck at 200+? C'mon. Golf is boring to play, never mind watching others do it. Of course, 500 miles flat out doesn't exactly move me to the edge of my seat.<br><br>Time to hit a shorttrack. See you Saturday at Waterford Speedbowl? Midgets and supers -- Oh, my!THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/42733962016-07-11T13:19:05-04:002016-07-11T13:19:05-04:00Flurries?Yeah, of gypsy moths. They're drifting around everywhere like dry snowflakes on a windy day. Pretty cool if you're on a motorcycle, but if you're one of those bikers with nothing on your head but a pair of shades - well, better not smile!<br>Wait. Those guys never smile, anyway.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/42530322016-06-28T08:53:26-04:002021-03-16T06:57:16-04:00More cool carsI love orphan cars. They're cars built by companies that no longer exist. Some of those companies built great cars. They just didn't know how to sell them. Now, I don't count Pontiacs or Mercurys as orphans. They were built by companies that still build cars, just not Pontiacs and Mercurys.No, I'm talking about Cords, Mercers, Packards, and my favorite, Studebakers.<br><br>And now I find out that the national meet for the Studebaker Owner's Club is this week right in Rhode Island. I've been told the best day to see the most Studeys is Thursday. I hope I remember my camera. If I do, I'll post some Facebook fodder.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/42290742016-06-14T09:33:33-04:002016-06-17T10:44:18-04:00Cool Cars for Kids<p>Cool. <br> <br>That’s the word I used a ton of times Sunday at the Cars For Kids show put on by the Hot Heads Car Club in Oxford, MA., for the benefit of the Clara Barton Summer Camp for kids with diabetes. <br> <br>As the club’s Bob Keogh told me early in the day as I set up to sign books amidst a traffic-jam of classic cars of every description, “We call it a car show, not a hot rod show, because we want everything.” That was great, because if it’s a car, I want it, too (Yeah, even a Prius). <br> <br>Y’up, there were rods, of every style from rusty rat to elegant swan. There also were impeccably-restored antiques of any vintage that could roll into town on its own, from Model A’s to Mustangs and beyond. <br> <br>A few cars defied description. Sunday brought with it the first Kaiser Darrin I’ve ever laid eyes on. Kaiser built cars into the 1950s, and the Darrin was its answer to those first kinda-crappy Corvettes. This example was pristine in its original yellow-going-green color that carried even to the leather seats. And talk about unique. The Darrin is the only car I’ve ever seen with sliding doors. Yeah, sliding. <br> <br>But where the car had been manufactured with one of Kaiser’s anemic flathead fours, this owner had installed Vette-like smallblock-Chevy power. Of course he had. <br> <br>In the midst of all this celebration of cool cars, a couple of things got me thinking. First of all, these shows always have a DJ. Great idea. But why do they all insist on spinning nothing but doo-wop music? I mean, doo-wop (Am I spelling that right?) pretty much died with the Beatles, Stones, and that British-Invasion thing of the early 1960s. That means if you were into doo-wop, you’re likely into your 70s - at least. Most of the car owners I saw Sunday didn’t look that old. How about some Beatles, or Stones, or maybe the Animals or - hey! - what about the Beachboys, Jan And Dean, and all those 1960s performers who did songs about cars, like “Little Deuce Coupe” and “GTO?” <br> <br>Here’s a bigger puzzle. I was chatting with one car owner and the subject of getting kids into cars came up. If you know me, you know I look for places where kids and cars come together so I can convince kids my books are worth reading if you like cars. That’s why I was there; “Cars for Kids,” you know? <br> <br>Yet, in the middle of that discussion, I looked around and, amidst all these car nuts, there were precious few kids. If you want kids to catch the car-nut bug, you have to expose them to the virus. You need to bring the kids along with you. You need to force them away from their little plastic slabs of light and into the real world. <br> <br>I’m convinced, sit a kid in some muscle car with a flaming red interior and a big-block motor and fire it up. There’s no computer that can capture that music. <br> <br>Closing at 1pm didn’t help, as the more casual fan isn’t up early on a Sunday morning. And I expected a bunch of kids from the camp. Diabetics love cars, too. I’m proof.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/42063772016-06-01T10:31:25-04:002016-06-01T10:31:25-04:00A holiday for motorheads<p>Memorial Day weekend brought with it the first weekend-weather good enough for everyone to break out their favorite toys. For me, that meant hopping on my 1978 Yamaha XS-750 "Triple," an antique that’s the space shuttle compared to most modern "cruiser" motorcycles. But you didn’t need a special ride to enjoy the show. The weekend was full of wheeled treats for the eyes and ears. </p>
<p>You could start with Sunday’s tripleheader of auto racing, starting with the Formula One Grand Prix of Monaco, the signature event in the most technologically-advanced racing series in the world (In other words, the most expensive). Monaco is a gas, although it was depressing to think about how much fun it would be for IndyCar to hold a similar event through the streets of Boston. But that’s the difference between Monaco and Boston. For another example, Monaco is one of the gambling capitals of the world. Boston keeps throwing roadblocks in the way of every prospective casino, even after "approving" casinos in the state. Evidently folks go to Monaco to have fun, and they go to Boston to avoid it. </p>
<p>But if you were missing the prospect of Indy Cars in Boston, you could have salved your wounds with the 100th running of the Indy 500. I don’t know what it is about Indy, but while I find 500-mile NASCAR races boring to the point of tedium (look it up!) Indy keeps me interested from the start to the finish. And now we know who Alexander Rossi is, an American who wants to drive racecars built without quarter. </p>
<p>Still, it was great to see Martin Truax win in Charlotte later in the evening in NASCAR’s Soda-Pop 600. Truax, from New Jersey, has New England racing roots, having competed in the old NASCAR Beer North series, which raced at the weekly shorttrtacks in the region, until NASCAR’s Cup teams decided they wanted to run the little guy out of even NASCAR’s regional series and it was replaced with a clone of NASCAR’s "Alarms for Your Home" Series. Yeah, as with NASCAR, I don’t give away advertising. </p>
<p>But wait. The weather was perfect for turning off TVs - at least for most of the weekend. And as I said, with the first weekend for breaking out the toys dawning, the toys were out in force. I mean, imagine seeing a car you rarely spy anymore, like Porche’s first front-engined sports car, the 924. Imagine seeing two of them, both in Ferrari-red, at the same moment. And not together, passing each other amidst waves and thumbs up. </p>
<p>There was interesting contrasts, too, like the brand-spanking new Corvette ZO6, tagging along behind the Ford Model A, 90 or so years of technological advancement expressed in a black two-car timeline. </p>
<p>Now it’s summer. Every weekend should bring more toys to our senses. See you at the swap meet, and the racetrack, and from the seat of my bike. And maybe yours.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/41942402016-05-24T10:11:04-04:002016-05-24T10:11:04-04:00Boy, Am I due!It's been an interesting week doing some uninteresting stuff. I took the week off to work on my house, and some of the problems getting it done would have worked great in a comedy. Like, going to clean a brush filled with paint and turning on the faucet to NO water. Like driving out of my way to go to a certain hardware store to find it gone - even through he company's website said it was still there.<br><br>It started out at a swap meet at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA, where I sold a few books and got a tremendous sunburn on my face. The swap meet there was a bonanza more for people looking for old stuff than for anything new, like, say, books. The event started at 6AM, which some folks like - evidently. They arrive early to get a jump on everyone looking for stuff that I'd guess must be rare. But c'mon. Two hundred smackers for an old cardboard Coke sign?<br><br>I get a kick out of some of these early birds. You show up to grab something before anyone can buy it out from under you - and then you're looking for a deal.<br><br>Another thing I observed, for you scooterists and skateboardists out there. Someone in your school should teach you about mechanical advantage. There's a reason the gears connected to the pedals on your bike are bigger than the ones at its rear wheel. It's to make moving easier. Guys on razor-scooters seem to working harder than folks walking. When I was a kid we looked for the steepest hills to riding down on skateboards we built out of boards and roller-skates. Now speed evidently bores skateboarders.. Same guys who drift, I guess. For some, it's all about style.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/41717542016-05-09T09:28:23-04:002016-05-09T09:28:23-04:00Indy Cars in Boston - NOT!Even when it seemed this was actually going to happen, I didn't really believe it. And now, it isn't.<br><br>I get a kick out of the reasons this shouldn't happen by the people who didn't want it. The fact is if you want less pollution from autos, the race would be a good way to accomplish it. After all, 24 racecars burning alcohol would pollute less than the cars driving on these same streets on Labor Day. Yeah, I know about the spectators' cars driving to the event, just as they do for every game at Fenway or the Fleet Center or the marathon or any other attraction in the city. Oh, and "the destruction of the roads." Right. They leave the roads in better shape than they find them.<br><br>Of course, we no longer need facts to make an argument. You just have to make the most noise. <br><br>IndyCar says it has two other cities interested in hosting the race - one in New England. Years ago, Providence expressed an interest in hosting IndyCar. That'd work for me. For one thing, the city has some great roads for this..I know. I've driven them.<br><br>But I wasn't speeding. Honest, Officer.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/41613952016-05-01T13:01:07-04:002016-05-01T13:01:07-04:00Fun Cars<p>If you know me, you know I like little racecars; like midgets, of course, but also stuff like Pro-Four mods, Formula Vees, mini-sprints powered by wailing motorcycle engines - that sort of thing. <br>And mini stocks. Mini stocks usually are the entry level at any track where they race. But there is a tour that visits New England tracks like Lee USA Speedway, The Speedbowl in Waterford, CT, Oxford Plains in Maine and Claremont, NH. And what a surprise it was to see a bunch of these guys road racing on the new course in Thompson, CT. April 30. More accurately, it was awesome simply to see that they actually did it, as part of the Northeast Mini-Stock Tour. <br>I’ve come to realize that in racing small often delivers bigger fun than big does, and for less cash. I’d think it would be a blast to travel to races on a variety of tracks with a car that doesn’t break the bank to race, and being able to go wring the car out on a road course. <br>Like a Formula Vee driver told me last year at Thompson as his class undercarded the first race of a new open-wheel racing series for cars that cost over 100-grand. <br>“I paid seven grand for this car, and I bet we’re having more fun that those guys are.” <br>I best he was right. </p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/41605912016-04-30T11:44:33-04:002016-04-30T11:45:37-04:00MUSEUM QUALITYThe roster of automotive and motormotive museums offering books in <strong><em><span style="color:#FFD700;">THE RED RACECAR</span></em> </strong>series continues to grow.
<p><strong><span style="color:#FFD700;"><em>THE RED RACECAR</em></span></strong> is now for sale in the gift shop of the <strong><em>National MIdget Hall of Fame</em></strong>, in Belleville, KS. It's only right. </p>
<p><strong><span style="color:#FFD700;"><em>THE RED RACECAR</em></span> </strong>also is for sale in the gift shop of the <strong><em>National Sprint Car Hall of Fame</em></strong>, in Knoxville, Iowa. Now you have two reasons to visit. </p>
<p>Both <strong><span style="color:#FFD700;"><em>THE RED RACECAR</em></span></strong> and <strong><span style="color:#FFD700;"><em>DINOSAUR RACING</em></span></strong> are available at the <strong><em>Pronyne Racing Museum</em></strong> in Pawtucket, RI. </p>
<p><span style="color:#FFD700;"><em><strong>MOTOCROSS SUMMER</strong> </em></span>and <strong><em><span style="color:#FFD700;">DINOSAUR RACING</span></em></strong> are now for sale at the <strong><em>Owl's Head Museum of Transportation</em></strong> in Owl's Head, Maine.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/41539522016-04-26T09:59:13-04:002016-04-26T09:59:13-04:00MOTOCROSS SUMMER and DINOSAUR RACING now at Owl's HeadJust a note to all that MOTOCROSS SUMMER and DINOSAUR RACING are now for sale in the gift shop at the Owl's Head Museum of Transportation in Owl's Head, Maine.<br><br>If you like older classics - not only cars and motorcycles but planes as well -this is one of the best places to see them. I went a few years ago for a motorcycle show and there were biplanes taking off and landing all day. And the bikes were like steampunk sculptures. Cool.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/41413712016-04-18T11:29:59-04:002016-04-18T11:29:59-04:00Thom's on FACEBOOKIt seems at last that I have been dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century.<br><br>I'm on Facebook. If you're reading this on Facebook, You might have figured that out.<br><br>If' I'm going to do this thing, I want to have some fun with it. Isn't that the point? Look to my Facebook page for my views on just about anything to do with my favorite pastimes; racing, cars in general, motorcycles in general, and stick-and-ball sports, as well as my more important pursuits; writing and working with survivors of head injuries to help them get back to pursuing their own favorite pursuits.<br><br>Look for many words from me, of course (I can never shut up) as well as possibly photos and even videos. Who knows what I'll do? Whatever I want, evidently.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/41123192016-03-30T11:15:12-04:002021-06-25T14:15:10-04:00MOTOCROSS SUMMER IS AVAILABLE!<p>That's it. Just letting you know. Go to the "WHERE TO BUY" page to find out how to get your hands on it.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/41086682016-03-28T10:59:01-04:002016-03-28T11:00:46-04:00New Authors Day at Worcester Public LibraryI have some good news and some bad news in advance of my April 2 appearance at the Worcester, MA, Public Library.<br>First the bad: It looks as if I won't have my new title "Motocross Summer," with me for sale. It still is due in April, just not by the 2nd.<br><br>The good news is that I'll be reading from one of my titles at 11:45 Saturday morning. I'll be in the "Program Room" until noon. The rest of the time from 11am until 2:30 pm I'm at my booth in the "1st floor ellipse area."THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/40943102016-03-18T09:43:41-04:002016-03-18T09:43:41-04:00Radio ON<p>So suddenly I get two radio gigs to talk about THE RED RACECAR books. <br>Thursday, March 17, I appeared on Tom Baker’s Stock Car Steel program on the Performance Motorsports Network. We talked about THE RED RACECAR books, racing in general, and the issue of brain injury in racing, as helping survivors of head injury return to work (such as racing) is my day-job. If you want to hear the show, log in to www.performancemotorsportsnetwork.com this Saturday at 10pm or next Monday, March 21, at 10am. <br>Tuesday morning, March 22, I’m on Wayne G. Barber’s Authors Hour on WNRI in Woonsocket, RI. We’ll be talking about the same stuff but with the obvious focus on the books. Wayne also hosts a racing show, though, so it’s a natural fit. <br>Catch the Authors Hour Tuesday at 9:00am at 1380 AM, on WNRI.COM Worldwide Livestream, or Tune In Radio Free App.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/40836862016-03-11T14:02:55-05:002016-03-11T14:02:55-05:00Modifieds - Another series I'll enjoy<p>I’m from New England. I like modifieds. <br>Sometimes I think I like them more than NASCAR does. I mean, every time they race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Is there any other kind of speedway?), they put on the best show of the weekend. They do that at most tracks where they race. <br>And NASCAR still treats them like its illegitimate cousin. <br>That’s why I’m pumped for the NorthEast Race Cars Tri Track Open Modified Series season. <br>Fifty-three drivers have officially pre-entered this series for the 2016 season, including some real names in mods, like NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour defending champion Doug Coby, and other top Whelen Tour drivers Timmy Solomito and Justin Bonsignore, Also on board is defending Valenti Modified Racing Series champion and Whelen Tour front-runner Woody Pitkat. <br>Tthe list of entered drivers includes defending series champion Matt Hirschman, weekly series favorites like Todd Annarummo, Roger Coss and Branden Dion, and defending NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified champion Andy Seuss. <br>In short, some of the biggest names in modified racing from its two big series will participate, starting with a non-points event at New Hampshire’s Monadnock Speedway June 11. The official points-chase starts at Seekonk Speedway on June 30 with a 100 lap, $10,000-to-win feature as part of the 11th annual “Open Wheel Wednesday,” in combination with the NEMA Midgets and NEMA Lites. After a month off, the Tri Track Series makes a stop at Star Speedway with another $10,000-to-win feature July 30. <br>A special $10,000-to-win event on Thursday, Aug. 25 at New London-Waterford Speedbowl and a season-ending feature at New London-Waterford as part of the “Bemer’s Big Show,” October 22 complete the schedule. <br>Wow. Some of my favorite cars racing on some of my favorite tracks. Cool.. <br>For more information on the Tri Track Open Modified Series, check out www.tritrackopenmodifiedseries.com. <br> Good stuff I’m looking forward to seeing.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/40677012016-03-01T15:05:36-05:002016-03-01T15:05:37-05:00My Favorite Tracks (sung to the tme of "My Favorite Things"Is it March? Really? Spring is coming?<br>Then so is the racing!<br>I'm starting to make plans for what tracks I'll visit in 2016. That means they're in the Northeast, because I am, and they're shorttracks, because I am a shorttrack fan.<br>Most of my planning revolves around opportunities to get THE RED RACECAR books out there in the hands of guys who'll enjoy reading them. That means I have to think about what kind of deal I can get to set up a table and if I think it will be worth it. But that's not the only reason I go. I go to see racing. So, let me tell you about the tracks where I think the racing is the best, plus some other exciting factors to consider:<br><br>My favorite? Seekonk Speedway. Not only is it the first shorttrack I ever attended, it continues to offer the best shows. Why? First, it's close to a lot of people. That means lots of racers, lots of fans, and lots of money to share with winners. The car counts are among the highest anywhere, the cars, top-dollar rides. But the big reason I like Seekonk is - well - the racing. Seekonk is a quarter-mile oval that's probably a third of a mile on the outside. Further, it's almost a circle. That's how you drive it, anyway.<br>Like that photo-finish at Daytona this year?. You can see something like that almost any Saturday at Seekonk - - three times!<br>I like New Hampshire's Star Speedway for a lot of the same reasons, the track itself, that is. But it's a mildly-odd shape, almost a "D." And it's a line and a half, wider than one car needs but not wide enough for two. Love those limited Supers, too. Which is one thing to like about Lee USA Speedway nearby. They're within miles of each other, plus New England Dragway is in the neighborhood. Sounds like a weekend to me.<br>Listen, if you want as close to bigtime as a shorttrack gets, go to Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut. Big track (a half-mile) big car-counts, and the best cars in the region. Or go to Thompson in the northeastern corner of the state. Thompson is expanding, with a brand new road course shadowing the ruins of one that closed 40 years ago. Both shorttracks are good options.<br>So is Waterford in the southern part of the state. A more modest venue than its Connecticut neighbors, it still offers great racing. Oh, modifieds every race at all three tracks.<br>Beech Ridge in southern Maine also is a first-class facility, and the racing is great.<br>Thunder Road in Vermont is another first-class facility. The racing is always good, but if you haven't been there for one of its Milk Bowl events, get there.It's three features with the top overall finisher rewarded with the chance to kiss a cow.<br>Finally, if you want to see motocross, see it at Southwick in Massachusetts. It's the region's only national-level track, and it's where you'll find the biggest jump in New England.<br><br><br><br> THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/40540802016-02-22T14:34:22-05:002016-02-22T14:34:22-05:00Sprint Car Hall of FameJust a note to let you all know that I've just arranged to have the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Museum sell THE RED RACECAR in its gift shop. I only hope I can get out there some time to see what's <em>already</em> on display there. The museum is located in Knoxville, Iowa, in the heart of sprint car country. Just the place for THE RED RACECAR, as well as a red racecar.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/39984032016-01-20T13:27:37-05:002021-06-26T09:46:26-04:00The first sign of Spring<p>The Ty-Rods car club holds swap meets at Stafford three times each year. As I was last autumn (and elsewhere at other times), I'll share a booth with Walt Scadden. Walt's been selling off some of his metal-working equipment as he winds down from a career fabricating metal for form, function, and goin' fast. </p>
<p>If all goes well (and doesn't it, always?) I'll have my latest, MOTOCROSS SUMMER, with me to sign and sell as well as THE RED RACECAR, and DINOSAUR RACING. </p>
<p>Oh, and Jason, our latest story's hero, will be riding a Honda. You, know, it's red.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/39853802016-01-12T11:00:58-05:002016-01-12T11:00:58-05:00A Chili Bowl cold shoulder<p>The Chili Bowl, the most important racing event of the year for midgets, begins tonight. It happens down in Tulsa, OK indoors, but miles away from me.<br><br>I often go to a party to watch the Daytona 500. Not that I'm crazy about 500-mile stock car races. Do you remember the year they had to patch a hole in the racetrack? Our host turned to the Chili Bowl on another network. I was sorry when the stock car race took the green again. The excitement level definitely fell a mile - maybe 500 miles<br><br>But catching it again will be a challenge. Talk about obscure sources. According to the Chili Bowl website:<br><br>"Viewing: Online PPV of the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals is available on <a href="http://www.racinboys.com">www.racinboys.com</a> until the event goes live on Saturday night on MAVTV. Along with the live telecast on Saturday night, the event will also be shown on the all new www.lucasoilracing.tv".<br><br>Gee, and we can watch all the soccer we can stand! For me, that's not much.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/39763882016-01-06T10:00:44-05:002016-01-06T10:00:44-05:00Late Models Invented at Seekonk Speedway?I just learned that Seekonk, MA, Speedway plans to host a "Pro Stock/Super Late Model race" this summer. The race is scheduled for July12, the Tuesday preceding the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at NHIS, the hope being that some top-level drivers from around the country will participate.<br><br>That's great for two reasons. First of all, it'll be great to see some top drivers take on the legendary 1/3 mile oval that Anthony Venditti built on his chicken farm 70 years ago..<br><br>More significantly, the present-day late model essentially is a pro stock as first created by Vendetti after he decided that mods and midgets were too expensive - to race, or to host. Yes, there were late models down south and elsewhere before then, but they really were just slightly slower and more modest Cup cars. The blueprint for what late models are today was drawn up by Venditti in his fertile mind.<br><br>Just sayin,.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/39428392015-12-01T08:25:10-05:002016-03-18T09:54:40-04:00My Upcoming Appearances<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span class="font_large"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Some upcoming appearances by me and my books:</font></span></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span class="font_large"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Calibri" size="3">This Thursday evening, December 3, is the second annual showcase for writers, particularly my fellow writers' group members at the Jesse Smith Library in Burrillville, RI, from 6pm until 7:45. </font></span></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span class="font_large"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Calibri" size="3">You know the drill. I'll be signing and selling.</font></span></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span class="font_large"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Saturday, December 5, The Association of Rhode Island Authors presents its annual book sale in anticipation of the holidays. This is a BIG SHOW, with books of every type for sale by their authors. You name it, it’s for sale; kids’ books, romance, horror, historical stuff. </font></span></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span class="font_large"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Check it out. It’s at the Lincoln, RI,, Mall, from 11am until 5pm. </font></span></span></p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/39347082015-11-25T11:03:32-05:002015-11-25T11:03:32-05:00Congrats to a real racerCongratulations to Jeff Gordon on his retirement from NASCAR Sprint Sup competition. Jeff was always a class guy. Plus he was a racer when too many modern drivers are more interested in being celebrities.<br><br>Here's hoping we see some more of him, maybe in an occasional midget or sprint ride, like, say, Kenny Schrader.I bet that's where he'd rather be, anyway.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/39054092015-10-28T09:31:32-04:002015-10-28T09:31:32-04:00Cold Dirt<p>When my brother Ward and I first decided to take Don Douville up on his offer to build a midget out of his collection of tired and retired parts, part of the attraction was the opportunity to race less than 90 minutes away from home, at Whip City Speedway in Westfield, MA.</p>
<p>This was a rare opportunity because dirt tracks were rare in southern New England. There used to be a few, but most were long gone - or long paved. We’d already visited Whip City a bunch of times and appreciated that this little quarter-mile of trucked-in clay was designed and organized to a be a playground for guys like us, racers with commitments to other things, racers realistic enough to know they weren’t advancing up any ladder, guys without a lot of money to burn but a burning need to go fast.</p>
<p>It was a great group of guys racing at The Whip, and by guys I include the likes of Kelly Farrell, Bethany Viets; women with the same priorities as the men- as well as more skill than many of us. We raced tough, banged into each other occasionally, and fought as hard as any racers anywhere. Afterwards, we gathered and laughed about how much fun we had or helped the racers who hadn’t had as much fun bending or breaking their cars.</p>
<p>Then the town of Westfield decided not to renew the lease the track had with the town for the land. There was some big corporate manufacturer of some airplane part or another who coveted the property, hard by the town’s airport as it was. The midgets were forced north, where the last dirt racetracks in New England remained. What became a 90-minute blast up the Mass Pike became a four-hour trek into northern Vermont.</p>
<p>I love Bear Ridge. Butch Elms does a great job there, and it remains a happening place if you’re a dirt-racing fan. But racing became a full weekend event, heading north Saturday morning to get there for afternoon practice and getting home in the wee hours of Sunday morning to crash for the rest of the weekend.</p>
<p>A bit ago I was out in Western Mass., and I decided to take a detour to Westfield to check out this big company and the factory where it was promised that a ton of new jobs had been created. But there was no factory. There was no factory-construction. There was no signs of any factory at all. There was a quarter-mile of dirt track, now minus any grandstands or the great white wall that surrounded the track, but still looking game for some hot laps. There was the expanse of the pits unmolested. Even the telephone poles that marked out pit spots still were doing their job.</p>
<p>How much of the story of new airplane parts, and new jobs, was a lie told to town officials to get them to give some greedy and selfish entrepreneurs some sweetheart-deal they ultimately rejected? How much was a lie told by the town officials to get ready of those dirty racecar drivers?</p>
<p>I’m curious to go back there and see if anything has happened on the land yet. I’m not betting on it.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/39033692015-10-20T10:00:02-04:002015-10-20T10:00:02-04:00Hot WagonsWorked the Ty-Rods swap meet at Stafford Speedway October 18.<br>It's great to sell books (as if I needed to tell you that), but there are plenty more reasons to attend an automotive swap meet for me. I usually don't get more than one chance to roam the booths myself, but here's always interesting people going by, carrying pickup bumpers or an old car door or some other awkward booty that threatens to knock over anyone who's not careful as they pass by.<br>One thing I've never really given much thought to are the wagons folks tow to load with stuff. There's the usual plastic units you'd buy at Toys R Us, plus various hand-trucks and carts. But, you know, there are plenty of tinkerers who can't leave their carts alone - or they build something from scratch. I swear, they could have a show just for them. I recall one guy who took a rusty old Radio Flyer wagon and dropped it down to an inch off the ground. He set the wheels in front of and behind the wagon box. It was a rat wagon.<br>Another guy installed a wooden box on the arms of a wheelchair. His disabled dad dragged himself along behind him (just kidding). My favorite was the Radio Flyer with the fully-suspended tubular chassis installed under it. When I complimented the guy pulling it, he said "He did it," and pointed behind him to a kid who looked to be 12 years old or so.<br>In ten years I'll be looking to see what custom car this kid builds.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/38902872015-10-09T11:14:10-04:002015-10-09T11:23:19-04:00Autumn Swap Meets<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span class="font_regular"><font face="Calibri" size="3">With the end of the racing season comes the swap meet season at racetracks across the country. Three tracks in southern New England will be hosting their annual end-of-season meets in the next few weeks, and I’ll be joining them. </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span class="font_regular"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Sunday, October 18, I’ll be at Stafford, CT, Motor Speedway at the TY-Rods Fall Auto Swap Meet. I’m joining metal magician Walt Scadden, who will be peddling his wares, including books he’s written. You have to check out his book about metal-fabrication. The original printing featured louvered aluminum covers! This show actually is a big deal for hot-rodders and vintage car enthusiasts, but there’s something for every car nut. </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span class="font_regular"><font face="Calibri" size="3">The following weekend, October 24 and 25, is the Anything Automotive meet at Seekonk, MA, Speedway. This time Walt is hoping to join me. Also staffing our booth will be the curator for the ProNyne Museum of New England racing history, Ric Marascal. For vintage publications as well access to the history of racing in the region, the museum, located in Pawtucket, RI, is the place to go.</font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span class="font_regular"><font face="Calibri"><font size="3">November 7 and 8 it’s Don Hoenig’s 44</font><sup><font size="2">th</font></sup><font size="3"> annual Flea Market and Swap meet at Thompson, CT, Speedway. This place just gets better and better, with a vintage motorcycle show and racing event next May. Yeah, I like bikes, too, and I’m hoping I complete the rebuilding of my 1972 Yamaha XS2 twin. Even if I can’t ride that to the show, I still can hop on my ’78 Yamaha 750 triple. </font></font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span class="font_regular"><font face="Calibri" size="3">In the meantime, I’m at Don’s show. </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span class="font_regular"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Check these shows out if you care at all about cars. It’s three weekends playing with our favorite toys.</font></span></p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/38759222015-09-30T11:16:44-04:002015-09-30T11:16:44-04:00Deflated Egos<p>I said it when this whole Deflategate mess got rolling; There are a thousand pit-flackies with stopwatches at bullrings across the country who could teach officials in the NFL and the entirety of sports media a little about the nature of air. The NFL didn’t have a clue about how air pressure in something could be affected by external factors, and neither do most of the blowhards who call themselves sports writers. Evidently, they still don’t.</p>
<p>And they call racers dumb.</p>THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/38630772015-09-22T12:15:12-04:002015-09-22T12:15:12-04:00My Latest ProjectJust a word that I have started a new project in my RED RACECAR Series.<br>You know those "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" essays teachers always give students as a new school year begins? Well, Jason Merlo finally has something to write about. He went motocrossing.<br>It's a new direction for the series, as a motocross bike is not exactly a RED RACECAR. But if it's a Honda it is red, at least. And it is a Honda. And red.<br>I did some motocrossing a long time ago, and it was brutal. Did you know that motocross racing is the second-most physically demanding sport - and not just motorsport, either. Any sport. Only soccer is more demanding.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/38427992015-09-04T15:13:30-04:002015-09-04T15:13:30-04:00Throwback RacingCool idea for NASCAR's 2015 Southern 500. It's 50 years of something in NASCAR, although both NASCAR and Darlington, where the race happens, have been around more than 50 years.<br>Anyway, 30 cars in the race will carry colors associated with the history of their team, the track or a former driver. I've seen renderings (check out <a href="http://www.uniwatch.com">www.uniwatch.com</a> ) and some of them are seriously slick.<br><br>Don't know if it's enough to watch get me to the whole race, but it's worth checking out.THE RED RACECARtag:theredracecar.com,2005:Post/34182322015-01-06T12:42:59-05:002015-09-04T15:03:51-04:00News & CommentIt's 20-some degrees in Southern New England as <span style="color: rgb(255, 215, 0);"><em>THE RED RACECAR </em></span>is released. Did we mention that the story takes place the <em>summer</em> after Jimmy and Danny graduate from high school? That's makes for great winter reading.<br><br>The action's pretty hot, too.THE RED RACECAR