Dedicated to the Betterment and Benefit of Auto Racing and Those Engaged Therein

May 2003 Minutes

President’s Desk

May 2003

This month will be a very busy month for all race fans across the state. Remember to check our fan club days schedule to be sure you don’t miss any of them this month. We here at MARFC are very sad to hear that the Calhoun County Speedway will be delayed in it’s opening this year do to legal and township problems. Keep checking our web site for information as we hope that it will soon be worked out and we can get down to some great racing at another fantastic facility. Best wishes to ‘Poor” Paul and his gang on getting this matter taken care of as soon as possible.

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome the Kalamazoo and Dixie Motor Speedways to our club. Both of these great racing facilities will be great venues for our members. We hope that we will have a long lasting relationship will both of these fantastic tracks. I will have fan club day information in next month’s newsletter. We take pride that our club keeps growing & growing.

MARFC wishes a speedy recovery to Kevin Stahl late model driver at the Toledo Speedway who was injured in a bad crash on April 27th. Kevin will be out of action for the rest of the season.  For more information on Kevin go to the ARCA website for updates.

Bill Barnhart

President MARFC

April Events

Kids Christmas Party Raffle

Tickets are now on sale for the Eddie Sachs 1/18-scale die cast 1961 Indy 500 Pole winning racecar and our Racing Patch Quilt.  Two winners will be drawn with the first winner to choose either item.  The second winner to receive remaining item.  Please help support our Children’s Christmas Party with the purchase of tickets for this great event.  Tickets are only a $ 1.00 donation. If you would like to purchase tickets to help support our Children ‘s Christmas Party please contact me and I will get them to you.  Remember the children are our future members and racing champions.  I thank you in advance for your support and so do the children.

Meetings

What a great turn out for our final spring meeting before the season gets started with fan club days.  We will return to our monthly meetings in October, so stay tuned.

We had some great guest speakers with us that night.  First up was “Big” Ed Inloes former announcer from the Owosso Speedway and now the new announcer of both the Spartan and the Calhoun County Speedway’s for “Poor” Paul Zimmerman.  Ed told us of how he got started with the help of Greg Yost and all about his time spent with his latest partner in the press box “Hollywood” Matt Prieur.  He has worked at Dixie, Auto City, Owosso, and even worked with Greg Yost on a radio program.  Ed says it was hard to leave Owosso but fells that his family there backs his discussion to move on and we wish him luck for this season.

Michigan Legend Series Champion Rick Kilbourn was on hand and told us all about his career from starting in the ¼ midgets all the way up to late models.  He is very proud that his daughters have taken up the sport and they too have had a great career in the ¼ midgets one of which we honored at our banquet years ago.  He worked hard with them through out the years and after they got older it was time for Dad to get back to racing himself and in just a few years have picked up this championship and hopes to be able to defend it in 2003.  Rick is also proud of his charity events that he puts on to help raise funds for children’s hospitals.  Great going Rick keep up the good work.

Our surprise guest was none other the Mr. “Hollywood” Matt Prieur himself.  Matt informed us of all that will go on at the Owosso Speedway for 2003.  He also told us many funny stories of how he got started in the business of announcing.  He too has worked at Auto City, Dixie, and Owosso.  Matt works hard not only doing the announcing but, also writes columns for various racing papers through out the state.  Matt may be a youngster to some but, his is a veteran when it comes to working at the Speedway’s. Best of Luck to you Matt and have a great season at Owosso.