December 2004
The entire Board of Directors of MARFC wishes to send each of you the best for this Holiday Season. May the Good Lord Bless and Keep us all safe through out the holidays and all through the 2005 racing season.
The Michigan Automobile Racing Fan Club will host the 39th Annual Dinner Dance & Awards Banquet on January 15, 2005 at the Imperial House Banquet Hall located in Clinton Township, Michigan at 5:30pm. Our club will honor many Champions from across the state from various forms of auto racing. The Presidents Award will go the legendary Ed Howe & Howe Racing Enterprises for the many years of service they have given many of the local racers not only here in Michigan but across the country. Gary Fedewa will receive the MARFC/Eddie Sachs Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award for 2004. With his many victories and many championships Gary is most worthy of this honor. Eddie Sachs Jr. will assist in this presentation.
Mid-American Auto Racing News will receive the Motorsports Publication of the Year. The MARFC Electronic Media Award for 2004 will be "Race Day Review" with the host Greg Yost on WTRX Sports AM 1330. Greg has done an outstanding job each and every week and this award is well earned. We will have many surprise awards to pass out on this great evening. Mr. Terry Fitzwater will also be with us to present the Michigan Racing Scene Driver of the Year Award as well as the first Tom Cargnie Announcer of the Year Award. The voice of the Indy 500 is also scheduled to be with us to help present this great award.
The Michigan Speedways Promoters Association will award their annual Promoter of the Year award to one of Michigan’s outstanding promoters. This is just a little of what will be happening at this fabulous event. So if you would like to attend you can contact me for ticket information. It will give you the chance to see and meet all the fantastic champions from all the tracks and series so come on out and enjoy the evening
We would like to thank the Auto City Speedway for sponsoring our ticket printing. On the back the opening day date is April 16, 2005 a misprint that I apologies for on my part. Any questions or for more information contact me a president @marfc.org.
Don’t forget it’s time to renew your membership for 2005!
Happy Holidays
Bill Barnhart
President MARFC
November Meeting
Kart 2 Kart
What a great night we had with all our special guests. With Joy Fair, Dick Barker and our old friend Jack Goodwin. Many great stories were told and all three took turns answering questions from all the members on hand. Joy and Jack told us of the old days when drivers and teams would run up to seven to eight times a week. Dick informed us of the current cost of racing compared to when Jack & Joy ran many years ago. If you didn’t attend this meeting you missed a very special night these guys could have gone on for hours and hours. Later we had some old video footage of the Mt. Clemens Race Track when it was dirt and during the later years. All three guests did say that the old girl is missed greatly.
Our first guest speaker was Billy Leslie who’s father is Tracy Leslie talked about how he got started in racing while working with his Uncle Lee down in North Carolina in a legends car and how he worked with his Dad on the ARCA cars while Tracy was driving for Jack Bowsher
Next we had a few of our members like Bill Stone and myself give a little roast to the host of "Motor City Motorsports" Vito LoPiccolo who was on hand but, as usual Vito took over the mic and told some great stories of his 26 years of being on the air with his show. Great to have Vito around his stories are always funny.
Jeff Metdepenningen was our finial speaker and informed us about how he got started in racing with his Father then all his brothers before him. Jeff has three older brothers there is Robin, Dennis, and Chris who all have raced at one time or another. All of them started at Mt. Clemens Race Track and from there they went all across the country following ARCA with Robin and Dennis and then racing go-karts with brother Chris and also racing Hobby Stocks and Mt. Clemens and the Flat Rock. Jeff now races a hand full of times each year in the enduro’s across the state and mainly at Flat Rock where his has two victories. He also works on the late model of Arnold Kirsch each week at Flat Rock. Jeff said that racing is a family affair for all the Metdepenningen’s seeing that the third generation is now racing with his son and Dennis’s son.
On September 29, 2004 the final show of "Motor City Motorsports" was broadcast. After 26 years on the air host Vito LoPiccolo formaly retired with a large crowd of listeners and fans at the WLQV radio station. The Meto Detriot area has lost the only true local and national Motorsports radio coverage. We here at MARFC wish Vito and Barbara the best in retirement and health for a long time to come. Thanks Vito!!
A cool cloudy but wonderful night for racing. With over fifty club members in attendance all had a grand time. Fifty-two Late Models bidding for a shot to get into the Glass City 200 and all the other races what a great deal for all the members. The MARFC/Uniform Helmet Bag was presented to the 2004 Factory Stock Champion # 10 James Hazlett. A very special thanks to Roy Mott, Ron Drager, Greg Riddle and Scott Schultz and the entire Toledo Speedway for a great time.
Weather was outstanding and cars were plentiful in the pit area. The recipient of the MARFC Uniform / Helmet bag went to a driver that has been one of many loyal drivers at the Speedway for years. Despite struggling with a new ride this season, he continues to persevere & compete weekly in the Pure Stock Division driving the # 22 Ray Golladay Sr. Special thanks to Todd & Donna for a grand time and to Gerry Liscumb thanks for all the arrangements. Our members had a fun time. Our VP Larry Iacoboni and wife Suzanne were on hand to welcome members at our fan club table.
Great crowd on hand for the regular show plus autograph night at the speedway. Weather was great and all had a great time. Our MARFC/Uniform Helmet Bag was given to the # 17 street stock driver Nick Burd. Nick is only 17 years old and just graduated from high school and chose to miss his own graduation party to go racing. Congratulations Nick! Very special thanks to Ron Hauser and Dave Bigos for keeping Owosso in our club and to Stacey Hoag for all her help setting up this event. Helpers for the night were Doug Jakeway and Sue Ginter.