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Topic: Drivers' Home Tracks
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Page 1 of 2 of 27 replies
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March 24, 2008 at
05:47:52 PM
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This message was edited on
March 24, 2008 at
05:51:15 PM by Jamie Klootwyk
I know a lot of people jab back and forth claiming drivers as their "hometown" or "local" drivers, but it does make me wonder if you asked a driver if they had one track they would call their home sprint track, what would they say... and what would the fans say... and would they match up?
I'd love to start a list of some of the best in sprint car racing today and see where everyone thinks is their true home track. It would be even better if some drivers reading the forums would be brave enough to pop on and tell us what they consider their home track.
Would a drivers home track be where they grew up? Where they spent most of their early years? Where they won the most races/championships? Where they ran before going out on tour? Or simply where they would CHOOSE to race if they could only race one track? All could be correct...
I intend this be for fun and educational because outside of Knoxville I don't know much about the drivers, and even a guy like McCarl or Lasoski for instance could easily claim a different track even though I would consider them both Knoxville guys. Which track in PA would Rahmer say is his home track if he could choose only one?
So tell us, who's your driver? What's his/her home track? and Why? Friendly disagreements are welcome.
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March 24, 2008 at
11:04:56 PM
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Well, I will start with Jason Meyers and Tim Kaeding. Meyers became one of our favorite drivers many years ago when he was racing with the Golden State Challenge. Meyers just won a race and there wasn't many people at his trailer and he came up to us and started making conversation and is such a nice person to talk to and is always a consistant top 10 driver. Tim has a funny personality and he is always excited when he wins a race and of course he always drivers all out. It's funny because both Meyers and Kaeding were racing together on a weekly basis at our local CA tracks and now they are some of the best drivers in the country. Ok so back to the question. I think Meyers home track would be Tulare Thunderbowl in the Central Valley and just recently he won the Trophy Cup which is a big race here in CA. T. Kaedings home track would be Chico because that is where he started racing and has the most wins I believe and is always tough to beat there.
Winged sprintcars = the fastest and most exciting
racecars on dirt!
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March 25, 2008 at
12:38:51 AM
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I would be willing to bet Donny Schatz would say Fargo was his home track.
Fenders are like vacuums... they both suck.
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March 25, 2008 at
12:48:48 AM
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Reply to:
Posted By: sprintcarkelly on March 24 2008 at 11:04:56 PM
Well, I will start with Jason Meyers and Tim Kaeding. Meyers became one of our favorite drivers many years ago when he was racing with the Golden State Challenge. Meyers just won a race and there wasn't many people at his trailer and he came up to us and started making conversation and is such a nice person to talk to and is always a consistant top 10 driver. Tim has a funny personality and he is always excited when he wins a race and of course he always drivers all out. It's funny because both Meyers and Kaeding were racing together on a weekly basis at our local CA tracks and now they are some of the best drivers in the country. Ok so back to the question. I think Meyers home track would be Tulare Thunderbowl in the Central Valley and just recently he won the Trophy Cup which is a big race here in CA. T. Kaedings home track would be Chico because that is where he started racing and has the most wins I believe and is always tough to beat there.
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You never know, but Meyers could say Kings Speedway and Kaeding could say San Jose. Anything’s possible.
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March 25, 2008 at
09:36:03 AM
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Although TK started racing sprint cars in San Jose the track was closed shortly after and Tim went on to Chico, and that is where the first win came, the first Championship, So I would say Silver Dollar is where TK would call Home(Track)..I used to work on Tim's cars and was apart of the above mentioned wins I even moved from San Jose to Chico to work on the cars...
get balls and run the top!!!
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March 25, 2008 at
09:49:58 AM
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This message was edited on
March 25, 2008 at
03:18:27 PM by calendarguy
Reply to:
Posted By: runnindafonz on March 25 2008 at 09:36:03 AM
Although TK started racing sprint cars in San Jose the track was closed shortly after and Tim went on to Chico, and that is where the first win came, the first Championship, So I would say Silver Dollar is where TK would call Home(Track)..I used to work on Tim's cars and was apart of the above mentioned wins I even moved from San Jose to Chico to work on the cars...
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Randy and I were just talking the other night trying to figure out who you were and he thought he knew but I didn't connect the name. I think I just figured it out though. Without saying your name I'll just say that if you are who I think you are you rode up to Calistoga with me on a trip that included a detour through the worst part of Oakland and having to hang out in Berkley while I shot a graduation. You also balled it up in spectacular fashion on a downhiller either that weekend or some time that year ( a moment I know TK, Lumpy, Randy, and I all wish we had caught on video.) Did I nail it or what?
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March 25, 2008 at
09:56:29 AM
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I don't think any of the Kaedings would answer any differently if you asked what their original "home" track was - Howard, Brent, Tim, & Bud - they would all answer San Jose Speedway. I'd have to say that T.K. is my favorite driver but San Jose was never my favorite track. For me it was Baylands and I've had to miss that place for 20 years along with everyone else. It would be interesting to see which drivers active today would consider Baylands their original "home" track. I can't think of one.
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March 25, 2008 at
04:32:33 PM
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Tim and Joey Montgomery=Farmington without a doubt.
Daron Clayton first ran a sprint car at Benton, Mo. and being originally from Sikeston he might consider that his home track. But now that he's in Indy he says that Terre Haute is his favorite track but he's won more at and runs better IMO at Haubstadt which is very similar to Benton.
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March 25, 2008 at
06:40:04 PM
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a few drivers I would like to know more about their early days
Jason Johnson, Dollansky, Haudenschild, Wayne Johnson, Darrin Pittman, Saldana, Kemenah...
Or some of the best older or former racers like Sammy, Wolfgang, Ron Shuman, Bobby Allen, Tim Green...
Or what about a guy like Tony Stewart when he ran sprints, or Jeff Gordon, or Dave Blaney
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March 26, 2008 at
12:21:24 AM
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I wonder if Donny Schatz would consider Huset's as being his home track for 410's? I remember they use to say he would race on Sundays then his dad would fly him back to ND, so he could get to school on Monday.
Jeff
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March 26, 2008 at
03:58:35 AM
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Chad Kemenah got his start at Attica & Fremont. Beleive he started in street stocks here, before venturing into sprints. His dad, "Flake" Kemenah, was a car owner in this area.
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March 26, 2008 at
07:20:11 AM
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This message was edited on
March 26, 2008 at
07:21:35 AM by Bill W
Reply to:
Posted By: Jamie Klootwyk on March 25 2008 at 06:40:04 PM
a few drivers I would like to know more about their early days
Jason Johnson, Dollansky, Haudenschild, Wayne Johnson, Darrin Pittman, Saldana, Kemenah...
Or some of the best older or former racers like Sammy, Wolfgang, Ron Shuman, Bobby Allen, Tim Green...
Or what about a guy like Tony Stewart when he ran sprints, or Jeff Gordon, or Dave Blaney
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I didn't compile 30 years of Knoxville racing results for my health. I'm still working backwards to 1954. You can detect when Dollansky and Schatz were lapped traffic, how Tim Green was good from the start, etc., when they first started racing there. Obviously, Wolfgang's career really took off in 1977 at Knoxville when he started the year with 10 wins in a row. Those results will be up on the site soon. Check 1979-2007 out here:
http://www.knoxvilleraceway.com/Files.aspx?filegroup=2
Another resource is Kevin Eckert's driver's index. It has a few holes, but is by far the most comprehensive "big picture" thing we have for these purposes. He's working on it all the time:
http://www.openwheeltimes.com/owt_driverreport.php
www.hoseheads.com/billw.html
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March 26, 2008 at
07:22:00 AM
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Steve Kinser - (everywhere), Bloomington
Haud/Sammy - Eldora
Lasoski/McCarl/Dollansky - Knoxville
Tim Shaffer - Lernerville
Daryn Pittman - OKC??
Joey Saldana - Pick one in Indiana or Ohio
Schatz - Red River Valley
Wayne Johnson - OKC, Knoxville
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March 26, 2008 at
07:27:55 AM
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I would bet Daryn Pittman would say Tulsa Speedway or one of the local dirt tracks around the Tulsa area. And Wayne Johnson would probably be OKC.
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March 26, 2008 at
05:39:59 PM
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This message was edited on
March 26, 2008 at
05:41:18 PM by StanM
Dollansky ran a few races around Minnesota and western Wisconsin then got out of racing for a while. When he got back into it after Troy got hurt in Motocross that's when he started racing at Knoxville. Jerry Richert Jr. was telling me one time how Craig actually got to start racing at a younger age than Jerry did but I can't recall what track he told me Craig ran first. I'm thinking Superior or St. Croix Falls (now known as Kopellah).
I think if you asked Craig he'd be partial to Princeton because his dad raced there but I don't know if he'd actually consider it his home track. I suppose a driver's favorite track could be a different one than he grew up near or the first one he raced on. Probably nobody on here remembers Craig racing much before Knoxville so I figured I'd throw in a couple cents worth.
Stan Meissner (Check out the photo gallery and blog)
Website
www.gotomn.com
Photos
Blog
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March 26, 2008 at
08:39:54 PM
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Bill, that information is amazing. Just looking through quickly and seeing names like Rocky Hodges, John Stevenson, Jeff Tuttle, Randy Smith...brings back so many memories. Thanks.
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March 26, 2008 at
08:48:06 PM
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aaahhhh!!!!!!
Calendarguy and Frank found me out I...your spot on...
get balls and run the top!!!
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March 27, 2008 at
06:08:09 AM
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Reply to:
Posted By: Jamie Klootwyk on March 25 2008 at 06:40:04 PM
a few drivers I would like to know more about their early days
Jason Johnson, Dollansky, Haudenschild, Wayne Johnson, Darrin Pittman, Saldana, Kemenah...
Or some of the best older or former racers like Sammy, Wolfgang, Ron Shuman, Bobby Allen, Tim Green...
Or what about a guy like Tony Stewart when he ran sprints, or Jeff Gordon, or Dave Blaney
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Wayne Johnson = State Fair Speedway in Oklahoma City. of course it was half mile back then with a quaerter mile inside it. now they widened the quarter to a 3/8ths and just run on it. He ran Super Modifieds on the half mile - was my favorite as a kid. always wandered what happened to him until I found out about ASCS in 1999. OKC has to be his "home" track.
Now Pittman is a different story. He is fromt he Tulsa, Oklahoma area - but we never really saw him run anything weeklt around here very much. I think in sprint cars his beginning was all ASCS. But then again - I bet he ran the now defunct Tulsa Speedway. But that woulda been mid-90's I think and I didn't go there a lot then. so...................
Jason Johnson. I have no clue. Read his bio on his website a while back and I think he's ran kinda all over the place. don't think he really has a home track. although he may have ran Haughton LA and Chatham LA and Sabine, La among others. I really don't know.
www.myspace.com/sfsfantasyleague
OKCFan12@yahoo.com
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March 27, 2008 at
09:54:00 AM
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I think Haud, his brother Ed, Kenny Jacobs, and Brad Doty all started at Lakeville, Ohio track which should be there home track
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March 27, 2008 at
02:13:26 PM
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Reply to:
Posted By: OKCFan12 on March 27 2008 at 06:08:09 AM
Wayne Johnson = State Fair Speedway in Oklahoma City. of course it was half mile back then with a quaerter mile inside it. now they widened the quarter to a 3/8ths and just run on it. He ran Super Modifieds on the half mile - was my favorite as a kid. always wandered what happened to him until I found out about ASCS in 1999. OKC has to be his "home" track.
Now Pittman is a different story. He is fromt he Tulsa, Oklahoma area - but we never really saw him run anything weeklt around here very much. I think in sprint cars his beginning was all ASCS. But then again - I bet he ran the now defunct Tulsa Speedway. But that woulda been mid-90's I think and I didn't go there a lot then. so...................
Jason Johnson. I have no clue. Read his bio on his website a while back and I think he's ran kinda all over the place. don't think he really has a home track. although he may have ran Haughton LA and Chatham LA and Sabine, La among others. I really don't know.
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Wayne actually started out on the 1/4 mile in the 100" modifieds. I think they lied about his age so he could race. Him and his two brothers all raced at the same time. There was even a time his dad Henry came back and raced the 100" cars.
ARP Dominator...WIN Downforce matters
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