This message was edited on
September 15, 2007 at
02:40:49 AM by ljennings
RACING SCENE Column
By Tim Kennedy
Los Angeles, CA. - When NASCAR came to California Speedway two weeks ago several drivers attended a "California Speedway's Running Wide Open" party at the Avalon nightclub, 1735 N. Vine St. in Los Angeles, where NASCAR met Hollywood. Jeff Gordon did donuts in a tricked-out Corvette in front of the club to get the evening started. His passenger was singer Rihanna, who sang her hits for an hour on stage according to local media sources. Jeff's Belgian-born model/wife Ingrid (nee Vandebosch) left their newborn daughter home with her nanny and sat with Jeff in the VIP area overlooking the stage. Other casual-attired NASCAR drivers in attendance were Juan Pablo Montoya, Carl Edwards, Robby Gordon, Denny Hamlin and Chip Ganassi drivers Reed Sorenson and David Stremme. Asked about Jeff Gordon Rihanna reportedly said, "I can't believe he is so short." A month earlier Kasey Kahne , 27, came to Southern California as requested by California Speedway president Gillian Zucker and assisted her publicity
campaign for the NASCAR race weekend in Fontana over the Labor Day weekend. At one PR stop, Kasey encountered publicity-conscious heiress Paris Hilton, who said she liked Kasey according to one report. Keep moving KK.
On Wednesday, August 29 producers of the ABC-TV hit show "Dancing with the Stars" announced the field of celebrity contestants (six males & six females) for the new season that starts later this month. Sports fans will recognize the names of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, NBA Dallas Mavericks team owner Mark Cuban and boxer Floyd Mayweather. Others include singers Wayne Newton and Marie Osmond, plus actress Jane Seymour. At the IRL Detroit race (September 2) Helio was shown in the pits holding a sign that read, "Vote for me." One factor in Helio's favor is his professional dance partner Julianne, who has been half of the winning dance team for the last two seasons of the show.
A Los Angeles Times press row column on August 31 by general assignment writer Jerry Crowe had the following comment. "Bristol Motor Speedway, where last weekend Carl Edwards won the Sharpie 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup race, looks like one of the coolest venues in sports, at least on television, with 160,000 fans seemingly right on top of the action." NASCAR fans would agree as they sell it out for every race. … The current sub-prime mortgage loan crisis and loss of homes elicited an editorial cartoon in several newspapers including the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and San Diego Union-Tribune. It showed ten homes stacked next to a storefront business called "HOME REPRO" in the block style of Home Depot. The August 15 SGV Tribune ran a story and photo about another community safety event conducted at Irwindale Speedway on Thursday, August 13. A pair of professional stunt drivers, aboard a Ford Taurus and a motorcycle, demonstrated the three most common motorcycle crash scenarios-- 1. A backing car causing a cyclist to swerve and crash, 2. Side-by-side cutoffs as though exiting a freeway off-ramp and 3. A left-turn made in front of the cyclist. The California Highway Patrol, Auto Club of Southern California and Motorcycle Safety Foundation participated in the event.
Rick Woods, a 1970s champion AMA Speedway Motorcycle racer based in Southern California, is fighting cancer. He was the second ever U.S National Speedway champion in 1970 and he won the title again in 1972. He had an all or nothing riding style and explosive temper according to fans. He had on track rivalries with the championship Bast brothers (Steve and Mike) when they competed on tracks statewide. After he retired from racing, Rick has been in the marine industry building and servicing boats at marinas throughout the west and in Hawaii. His brother, Gene Woods, a past SCRA/CRA sprint car and NASCAR Grand National West stock car driver, organized a benefit auction for Rick. It will be held from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m Sunday, September 23 at 11408 Cactus Ave., Bloomington CA. Minimum donation is $10. Gene is asking for any help, ideas to add to the day, and donated items for auction, or just for donations to aid his brother. Speedway riders scheduled to be present are Mike Faria, Ryan Fisher, Brad Oxley, Jim Fishback and Sammy Tanner, plus others. Mini bike racers, food, drinks and music will be part of the activities.
On Saturday, August 11 three-time AMA U.S National Speedway Motorcycle Champion Chris Manchester married Danielle at Dana Point in Orange County. The newlyweds flew to Cancun, Mexico for their honeymoon just in time for the major hurricane with its 165-mph wind and rain. They hurriedly returned home. The third and final 2007 AMA U.S National Motorcycle race took place Friday, August 31 at Fast Fridays Motorcycle Speedway at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn, (Placer County) CA. A pair of Californians now racing full-time in Europe returned to finish 1-2. Billy Hamill won all five of his heat races. In the A-main he held off Greg Hancock with Industry Speedway track champion Charlie Venegas third and Bart Bast fourth. The A-main pays 20 points, with the following riders earning 18, 16 and 14 points respectively. The high-point rider in the five heat races receives a 1-point bonus. Earlier this year Hancock and Hamill won the first two rounds of the three-stage 2007 U.S Nationals at the Auburn and Costa Mesa tracks. When the points from all three events were added, four-time U.S National champion Hamill had 18, 21 and 21 on August 31 for a total of 60 points. Hancock had 21, 16 and 18 for 55 points and second-place this year for the seven-time U.S National champion. In position order, the following riders with point totals in parenthesis were Bart Bast (40), Charlie Venegas (39), Mike Faria (38), Tommy Hedden (35), Buck Blair (31), Bryan Yarrow (22), Bobby Schwartz (20), Nate Perkins, Shaun Harmatiuk and Ricky Wells (16 points each).
Racing injuries kept two riders from competing in the prestigious event. Northern Californian Bryan Yarrow is engaged in a tough recovery after breaking an ankle in a crash at the Costa Mesa track three months ago. Southern Californian Josh Larsen, who won the 2006 California State Championship last year at Industry Speedway, broke bones in his hands, feet and ribs and bruised his spine in a crash at Costa Mesa this year. He has returned to work filming TV commercials. Yarrow and Larsen raced in only two of the three Nationals. These motorcycle racers are tough. They crash periodically and do not have a roof or roll-cage protection around them the way stock car and open-wheel racers have.
Two young So. Cal riders came home from Auburn on Friday, August 24 with titles also. Ricky Wells, 16, won the "Under age 21" AMA U.S. Speedway championship. Jason Ramirez, 15, won the Junior Speedway Nationals on the same program. The all-young riders program focused all attention on the AMA Speedway Cycle developing stars-the riders of the future. The 2007 North American Under 21 World Qualifier results after the five heats for all 16 riders showed Ricky Wells on top with 14 points. Nor Cal riders Alex Marcucci (13) and Kenny Ingalls (11) followed. Mikey Buman a 16-year old from Binghampton, N.Y, also scored 11 points on his # 5e cycle. He won a 500-cc 1st division scratch main race at Action Park East in New York before heading west. He raced in D-1 heats at Industry Speedway, 20 miles east of Los Angeles, on August 22 before heading north on I-5 450 or so miles to race at Auburn August 24. So Cal riders Dale Facchini, Scott York, John Marquez and Justin Boyle also raced in Under 21 heats at Auburn. In the 2007 Youth National Championship Ramirez won all five of his heats for the maximum 15-points. Nor Cal riders Ben Essary and Cody Ciciarelli both had 12 points. So Cal youth riders Russell Green, Richard Crocker and Joey Holt also competed in Auburn. Two female riders--Kendra Warren and Amber Felicio--finished eighth and ninth in the 16-rider field.
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