Monthly Archives: July 2010

7-17-2010

July 17 saw the club head to Michigan’s Oldest Speedway, the Whittemore Speedway in Whittemore, Michigan. 18 members signed in for our first ever night here which was exceptional, especially since many of them had never been to the track before. The racing was exceptional and very exciting with Spartan Bag Winner Earl “The Pearl” Miles taking the win each time the car hit the track. Our MARFC Bag recipient this week was longtime Limited Late Model Driver Pierre LaTienne. Pierre is a past president of the Whittemore Racing Club and has been selected in prior years as Sportsman of the Year. The bag may have been good luck as Pierre promptly went out and won his first heat race of the year.

July 19, 2010

On behalf of all of us here at the Michigan Automobile Racing Fan Club we are very saddened to hear about the passing of one of our longtime members and friend Ed VanDuinen. Ed and his wife Carmen were the longtime owners and promoters of the Merritt Speedway as well as the Michigan Modified Association. He was one of the very first members of the Michigan Speedways Promoters Association and had just taken the time off the last couple of years from promoting to enjoy his retirement.

During my tenure as President of MARFC Ed was one of the first promoters to come up to me and ask if there was anything he could do to help me and the club all I needed to do was ask. That was just the kind of friend Ed was. It was my privilege to award Ed and Carmen the 2000 MARFC Promoters of the year at our Annual Banquet back in January of 2001. He was a strong supporter of his champions always attending our Annual MARFC Banquet and you could most always find him telling stories and laughing with many during the banquets. Most time he was one of the very last to leave.

Ed was a strong and direct speaking man who made friends with fans, drivers, track workers and others who he meet in our great sport of auto racing. He will truly be missed by all who knew and respected him in the racing community. He and Carmen were just voted into the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame for 2010 and I am sure that during the Awards Banquet in November you will feel his presents in the air as both he and Carmen are formally inducted at that time.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Carmen and the entire VanDuinen family at this time. We also are thinking of all the racers and staff ant the Merritt Speedway who were an extended part of his racing family.

We know not way God calls some of our loved ones home so early but, rest assured that they are safe in his care now and forever more. “God’s Speed to you Ed old friend”

Bill Barnhart

Vice President MARFC

What a beautiful day in the park. Nearly 50 people showed up to enjoy some great cooking from Larry Iacoboni and some great side dishes brought out by our members. The junior race fans had a wonderful time with the Piñata from Cory and Steve Russell and playing the games that were led by Wild Bill Barnhart and I think Bill had just as much fun as the kids did. The adult kids joined in the fun as well and some of even got a ribbon for a job well done. If you haven’t attended one of these picnics yet, be sure to put the second Sunday of July 2011 on your schedule.

Another fantastic night for our re-scheduled visit to “the Track the Stars Call Home”! Jim Leasure and the Spartan Speedway crew did a great job this night with some exciting and close racing. Our helmet bag went to Earl “The Pearl” Miles driver of the #73 modified. Our member raffle winner was Vickie Baldwin. The new stands are just plain excellent for spectating and Big Ed’s new Penthouse is way up in the sky. Table Helpers were Al Peltier, Sue Ginter, Chuck and Jeffery Horan, Rose Calabrase, Doug Jakeaway and Al Clark. Many thanks to Jim Leasure, Bill Lackey, Ed Inloes, and the rest of the great staff at Spartan for a fantastic night of racing. Club members even got to see the President turn a few laps in a Legends Car too, but we won’t talk about that for now.