(Top Left: Bill Long, Top Right: Joe Shuryan & Bottom Left: Steve Martin)
Howdy Race Fans, we had a bunch of hardy MARFC Members brave the elements this past Saturday night and make the trek on over to the Kart to Kart indoor karting facility for our February meeting.
First up was Bill Long, the main man and chief cook and bottle washer for the Michigan Dirt Cup. Bill brought along his partner Andy Stebbins and gave us a rundown of just what the Michigan Dirt Cup is all about and explained a bit about the different venues the tour will be at this coming season. Bill has been working with Betty Crook over at the Mt. Pleasant Speedway the past few years and his love for dirt track racing is what brought him to start the tour up. They will focus on the dirt mods this year and hopefully somewhere down the line they will be able to work in a Michigan Dirt Cup for the Late Models. This looks to be a very exciting happening in the world of Michigan Dirt Track Racing.Next out of the chute was Joe Shuryan the head of the United States Super Trucks/Great Lakes Series. Joe let us know a lot about the trucks, how they are put together, a little bit about their rules and explained the costs associated with running in the series. Joe is very proud of where he is able to take his drivers to and put on a race. This is not only a regional series but has ties to and reaches out to parts west and south which will give the local driver some added experience as well as some exceptional exposure to the various racing media and movers and shakers.
Steve Martin of the Midwest Classic Racers brought us to the checkered flag. Steve is the founder of the organization and is not only a promoter but a racer as well. Steve explained to us just what a Dwarf Car is and how they are built and powered. He said the one thing that has always impressed him is the family atmosphere and camaraderie within the drivers and participants in the series. The MCR Dwarfs have a schedule for 2011 that will take them to a race every weekend during the summer months.50-50 winner was Cory Russell who donated the winnings back to the Kid’s Christmas Party, Thank You Cory.
The next meeting is at the Toledo Speedway Bar & Grille on Saturday March 12th at 6:30 PM. Come early in the day as it also the annual Racers Reunion which gets started at high noon. Not only will the Bar & Grille have drink and food specials all day, there is always a ton of old pictures and displays to look at as well as many old drivers hangin out and swapping stories about the old days in racing.
The racing community has lost a great icon of our sport this past week. The legendary Tom Carnegie passed away on February 11th. The golden voice of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for over 60 decades has been taken from us and now is calling races from the heavens. Mr. Carnegie was 91 years old and was a fixture at the speedway during all of the speedways racing venues. He will surely be missed by the millions who heard him over the many years he called the Indy 500. From all of us here at MARFC and race fans across the county we can only say “God’s Speed” Mr. Carnegie and our Thank You for all you gave to our sport!