Michigan Automobile Racing Fan Club

(Left:Rick Sigsby Center: Terry Bougusz Jr. Right: Eddie Sachs)

 October 22nd saw the club raise the lid on the off-season monthly meetings. We gathered at the Kart 2 Kart indoor karting facility where we were entertained by three guest speakers. Rick Sigsby got the ball rolling as he described the book that he has written and is ready to go to print entitled “Living On The Edge”. The book covers the history of Auto Racing in Michigan for the first 1oo years starting with Henry Ford at the Grosse Pointe Track in 1901 right up to Brad Keselowski’s Nationwide Championship in 2010. Rick spoke of the many interviews he conducted with many of those who have formed our history of Auto Racing in Michigan. Rick has been working on this book for a while now and it should be ready to sell very shortly at a very reasonable price. I will provide information to purchase the book when it is available.

Next up was Late Model driver Terry Bogusz Jr. who is a second generation racer as his father Terry Sr. raced at Mt. Clemens Race track back in the day while Terry Jr. roamed around as a “Racin Rascal”. Terry started off in Go-Karts before moving in to Late Models with the original Crate Motor/Template Bodied race cars of the former “US-Pro Series” which has now developed into the JEGS CRA Series. Some of terry’s accomplishments are winning the 2008 Auto City Super Stock Championship. This past year, Terry took the template body off of the race car and switched it over to the “Outlaw” style body and went Late Model racing at the Historic, Flat Rock Speedway where he was able to finish up tenth in the season long points chase. Quite an accomplishment considering that many of the drivers at Flat Rock have been driving at the track for many years and do not run a Crate Motor as Terry did so He was out horse powered all year! Terry made an appearance at the Toledo Speedway in an attempt to get into the starting field of the prestigious “Glass City 200” but fell one spot short of making the field. He did gain a healthy respect for the Toledo track and really enjoyed himself.

Our final Speaker of the night was the always entertaining Eddie Sachs III who spoke about his efforts in the USAC Silver Crown Series with driver Jimmy Kite. Many know Eddie as the son of Eddie Sachs Jr. who was a spectacular driver all over the Midwest and unfortunately lost his life in a flaming crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Others will remember Eddie as being a local driver back in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Eddie got his start in a hobby stocker at Mt. Clemens and eventually moved up into the Late Model division and campaigned all over Michigan, Ontario, and the Mid-West before retiring from driving for a while only to be the Bishop Performance Legends Rookie of the year in 2010. These days, Eddie is focused on USAC racing and is planning a serious effort to not only do well next season in the USAC Silver Crown division but if funding can be secured, He would like to go back to his roots by fielding a car in the annual spectacle at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Eddie is very serious about his racing and Like Terry Bogusz Jr. they both realize that racing has changed from being a couple of guys in a truck with a race car to a family oriented sport that shows right on up from Go-Karts, Quarter Midgets, Legends Cars, and on up though the ranks of Stock Cars. Our 50/50 winner was Larry Spodek while our annual cheer raffle winners were Rick Sheppard, Tom Humbarger, and Lee Smith. Congratulations and Thank You for the contributions back to the club from your winnings. Your generosity will really help out with the Kid’s Christmas party.

Well, what can I say? Fall is nearly done and we are staring down the face of winter. Now comes the string beans and mashed potato circuit of awards banquets. Enjoy everyone that you go to as Champions and individuals are recognized for their accomplishments of the past season. Our MARFC Banquet will be here in January and at this point I can share with you that the recipient of our President’s Award this year will be Dr. Robert Hubbard, creator of the HANS Device which has done so much to help save lives in racing.
   

The recipient of our Eddie Sachs Jr. Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award is the “Varney” Family. Family patriarch Bob Varney got involved in racing many years ago and brought along his entire family for the ride which is still taking place three generations later. Just as in the old days there seems to be someone from the Varney family racing something at some race track or is involved in supporting racing in some way, shape, or fashion every weekend.
      

Our Media Award winner for 2011 is the SPEED Program “NASCAR Raceday Built by the Home Depot”.  I don’t know at this point who will be at the banquet to accept the award but I have been assured that they are very honored to be selected for this award and that someone from the show will be there. A few of our other secret awards have been decided but you’ll either have to wait until the February updates to find out or get a ticket to the banquet.
   

It has been a tough month in professional sports as within a week, Dan Wheldon lost his life in an accident at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway while driving an Indy Car and Motorcycle Racer Marco Simoncelli lost his life in an accident at the Malaysian GP Moto-GT Race. I have also been informed that one of our club founders Marion Flokstra is in a rest home in Zeeland and it is not certain when she will return home. Marion along with her husband Willis, Bob and Norma Lewis, and Vito and Barbara Lopiccolo founded our club way back in 1965. I attended the induction ceremony for the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame and it was a very nice affair and it was a thrill to see so many of my past heroes and others who have formed the history of racing here in Michigan. Congratulations to the 2011 inductees: Jerry “The Bear” Makara, Doug Finley, John Doering Jr., Doug Kalitta, the late Scott Kalitta, Alan Brown, Ernie Beckman, Marv Carman, Joan Simmons, and Doug Flannery.

Yours in Racing,

Dave DeHem MARFC President

Hello fellow MARFC Members,

I am very sad to report to you that longtime MARFC Member Steve Stien has passed away unexpectedly in North Carolina. Steve had been staying with his Brother and was undergoing treatment for Cancer but unfortunately suffered an aneurysm last night that claimed his life. Cremation will take place in North Carolina and a memorial service will be held in Michigan at a later time.

Steve was a longtime MARFC Member and never missed a meeting or a banquet and was always there to lend a hand when needed. Steve spent many years working on the cars of Larry LaMay and in later years, the cars of Arnold Kirsch and Jeff Metdipenningen. Steve also was a driver back in the heydays of the Mt. Clemens Race Track and brought home the checkers a few times and was always an entertaining driver to watch. Steve will be missed by many of us from the Mt. Clemens Race Track family and wish Gods Speed to our friend Steve “Cheeseburger” Stien. Rest well my friend, rest well.

Yours in Racing,

Dave DeHem

MARFC President

We here at MARFC are saddened by the loss of a young and outstanding driver Dan Wheldon. We are sure that he had many other championships yet to win. We know not why Dan was called home so early in life but we do know the he is in the arms of the Lord now. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and team members as well as the others who were injured in the tragic event. May the entire racing community remember Dan always!  ”God’s Speed to you Dan!”

Well, here we are staring down the throat of the autumn season. There are still a few special shows on tap so get out and see one before all of our race tracks are shuttered for the winter. It was a great year at the tracks and I enjoyed seeing how many of you took advantage of our MARFC Fan Club Days. There were quite a few of you that made nearly every show and that is just super. Both personally and for all of our members I want to say Thank You to all of our member tracks for supporting us and having us out. We are really blessed in Michigan to have so many tracks running on a weekly basis and for the Fan Club days that these tracks give to all of our members. We need your ticket stubs and money by October 20, 2011 so we can be sure to have all the entries in the bin for the Grand Prize Drawing at our first monthly meeting on October 22, 2011 at the Kart 2 Kart indoor karting facility in Sterling Hgts. on Van Dyke just south of 19 Mile Road.

Remember to get your raffle ticket money and stubs sent in to Sue Ginter for the raffle drawing October 22nd, 2011 at Kart 2 Kart  located at 42705 Van Dyke Ave. Sterling Hgts., Mi. 48314, Mi. @ our first fall meeting of the 2011/2012 off season. Meeting starts @ 7 PM. You can use the envelope we sent with the tickets or if you have lost it send them to MARFC P.O. Box 8160 Roseville, MI 48066.

We Need Your Help Again! OK, since you all did so well last year, The Board of Directors and I are looking for a little help in selecting our MARFC Mechanic of the Year for 2011. The selected person will be honored at our January 21, 2012 Awards Banquet and Dinner Dance. Send me a resume of someone you think did an excellent job behind the scenes in supporting a race team as chief mechanic. Let us know who they are, where they race, what they did, and your name and address. You can e-mail it to me at president@marfc.org once again, thank you for your input.

MARFC Banquet is coming up on January 21, 2012. Tickets go on sale in November or get yours ordered right now. $39.00  per ticket and include Hors Douveres, Dinner, Dancing, Open Bar. Contact Dave DeHem at president@marfc.org.

Longtime Member on the Mend:Steve Stien, one of our longtime members and former driver and crew member at Mt. Clemens Race Track has been in the hospital with some vertebrae issues. Steve tells me that he is having surgery to repair the problem. In addition, Steve has been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma and will be heading down to North Carolina for treatment after recovery from the vertebrae surgery. Please keep Steve in your prayers.

MARFC Founder Ailing: Word has been received that one of our founders, Marion Flokstra is in a rest home in Zeeland, Michigan and it is not known at the present time if She will be able to return home. Willis and Marion Flokstra, Vito and Barbara Lopiccolo, along with Bob and Norma Lewis founded MARFC on September 25, 1965 at the kitchen table of Bob and Norma. It is through these folks vision and dedication that the club got it’s start so that it could grow to well over 1,200 members as it has today. Please keep Marion in your thoughts and prayers as well as Willis.

ANNUAL CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY
1:00 P.M. SUNDAY DECEMBER 4th 2011
The Father Solanus Casey Knights of Columbus Council # 3797
16831 Twelve Mile Road
Roseville, MI 48066
(586) 771-9670

The hall is located on the north side of Twelve Mile Road just east of Groesbeck Hwy.
Entertainment, Clowns, Gifts, and Refreshments for all Kids!!
And a Special Visit With: SANTA CLAUS
To RSVP for the party we will need the names and ages of those who are attending and how many adults with attend also. Please RSVP to Cory Russell at crussell@marfc.org no later than 11-27-2011 Thank You!

Yours in Racing

Dave DeHem MARFC President

September 17, 2011 Auto City Speedway Well, Mother Nature decided that this was going to be a great day and night for racing and to decide Auto City’s Champions. The MARFC Helmet Bag was presented to longtime competitor, MARFC Member and supporter and Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame Driver and ageless veteran, Jay Woolworth. Jay and his family have been huge supporters of racing at Auto City as well as many area tracks. Jay started out the night with a win in his heat race but unfortunately, a burnt wheel bearing sidelined him halfway through the feature race while making his way to the front of the pack. Jack Davis was our MARFC Member raffle winner. Thanks to Bob Ryder and Barry Meschke for helping out at the membership table. Yours truly had the privilege of driving the Auto City Speedway Pace Car for the night. Thank You to Joe DeWitte and Sharon Fischer for re-scheduling this event after two rain-outs so we could enjoy some great racing action.Many thanks to Board Members pictured above with Jay Woolworth are Chuck Horan,  Jeff Horan, Dennis Trinklien, and members  Laura Tucker & Becca Pingel.

August 27^th turned out to be a much better night for racing than our originally scheduled night, earlier in the season that got rained out. In addition to the weather being great, the club was also treated to the “Harold Morence Memorial” 54 lap Pro-Late Model feature race. It was a special night for the Morence family as Harold had been a huge supporter of the Owosso Speedway for many years, beginning his racing career there in 1964. Harold was known especially for having a perfect attendance record for 20 consecutive racing seasons. The racing action was full of action and fast paced in all divisions with some great finishes. Our MARFC Helmet bag went to the driver of the #2 Pro Late Model, Jimmy O’Smith who himself has quite a long career at the Owosso Speedway.   Our MARFC Member prize went to Logan Fischer. Our table helpers were Steve and Cory Russell, Dennis Trinklein, Dennis Schalm, and Barry Meschke. Many thanks go out to the Owners and Promoters of the Owosso Speedway Rick & Jennie Miracle as well the dedicated & friendly staff at the Speedway, especially to announcer Chris Fobbe for his many mentions of the club.

August 26^th took the club back to a venue that we haven’t been at since 2004; in fact, nobody has been at the venue since 2004 as Tri-City has been shut down since then. However, The Puvalowski Brothers have done a fantastic job at raising the Phoenix from the ashes and have completely revamped, redesigned and recreated the Tri City Speedway in Auburn, Michigan. While the famed and historic 5/8 Mile 5 turn Trick Track still remains, the real deal at this rejuvenated speedway is the 3/8 mile dirt track that fills the infield where the old high banked quarter mile used to be. Denny Trinklein, along with Barry Meschke, Larry and Kenny Letts , and Becca Pingel worked our MARFC membership table and were there to present the MARFC Helmet bag to the Driver of the #776 Late Model, Rusty Ziegler with assistance from track announcer Roger “Shut Up” Williams. Our MARFC Member prize winner was Gordon Wallace. Our members had a great night of racing that saw the first ever figure 8 race at the trick track of the world, the Tri City Speedway. Many Thanks to the Puvalowski’s for not only hosting our MARFC Members  but also for having the courage and fortitude to do what they have done in these tough economic times and basically build a new race track. All reports say that standing room only crowds are the norm and the racing is better and better each week.

Auto City Speedway Well, dog gone it anyways. Mother Nature decided that this wasn’t going to happen this time either and wouldn’t you know it. It rained out again. This event has been re-scheduled for September 17, 2011

August 19, 2011 Michigan International Speedway MARFC Members were once again treated to a day at the big 2 mile oval in the beautiful Irish Hills. Members were able to watch practice in the upper NASCAR Divisions as well as Sprint Cup Qualifying. This mid August event is always well attended and is a great day for our members to roam around the speedway and seek out some different vantage points to watch the racing from. Many thanks to the staff at Michigan International Speedway and Roger Curtis, Dennis Worden, and Sammy Lukaskiewicz.