NEWS & UPDATES
March, 2006

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March 1 -   Hopefully, this month will not be like the last. The computer is quite healthy now. I have more creative ideas than personal time, but I'll do what I can to keep updated. I have had my son adjust the monitor on this computer so that I can see what the site looks like on a more normal-sized screen screen. In some cases, it ain't pretty; so, I am going to be down-sizing graphics whenever I can to maintain proper centering, etc.

    I also started a new page called It's What's in the Background. Check it out - it is far from finished.

March 2 -   Started to work on compressing the cell content on the Early Late Model Sportsman page and added a few pix to the bottom, as well.

March 4 -   Continued to work on  the  It's What's in the Background page.

March 7 -   Here is an email I got from the sister of Joe Small, the well-known street stock champion of Thunder Road. Joe, who ran an ethanol-fueled R&D car last year, is always trying something creative. Check out what sister Francisca has to say here:

If you hadnt heard from Joe or someone else by now, he is in the running to be on a new reality racing show called "Racin for a livin."  Briefly, the show works like this.  Racers submit an application.  Then, 50 racers will be chosen by a Veteran Panel.   Fans and others then will vote for the rookie they want to see on the show.  Voting ends July 31.  The top 15 will go to a 2-3 day audition and then the Veteran Panel which includes such race people as Larry Foyt, Irnie Irvan, Jeff Hammond, Harry Gant will pick the top 12 to be on the show will is scheduled to air in September.
 
He had made it through two phases of the selection and we are now waiting to here if he was chosen for the top 50.  They have 30 rookies left to announce by March 28 and the more support we show Joe, the better his chances are.
 
What we are asking some friends and family to do for now, is to go to the message board on the forum at the racing site and reply to Joe's fan post under the Rookie Cheers Topic. 
 
 His thread is called Danger Zone Racing Video - Joe Small.  You could also post a new fan post on your own under the same Topic.  Once there, you will quickly understand how it works.  There are many types of posts for different rookies.
 
How to post....
 
Here is the link to the message board...
 
http://www.racinforalivin.com/phpBB/index.php
 
Once there, you should see the topic The Rookies Cheer. Click on that and either find Joes title or start your own.
 
Before you post, you will need to register.  The register button is near the top right of the window.  Ive included a screen shot below with both the topic and register buttons circled.  Once you register, then go back to the Rookie Cheer page and post.   Please when registering, where it asks about you below your username and password when registering, please put your location....state is fine.  
 
If you have any questions, I am here.   You can email me or ring me at 813-641-0122  Also, if you think of someone who might be willing to help Joe out, please, by all means, spread the word.
 
Thank you so much! 

Help out if you are so inclined.

March 12 -   I took a break from lessons and correcting to put a few photos on the Street Stock Competitors Page.

March 22 -   I have been given a great opportunity to get a lot of information on the old Pico Speedway, which used to be outside of Rutland, Vermont. I will be finding out about the formation of the track, about some of its operations, and I will be expanding my list of drivers who participated there. This contact may even have or lead me to additional photos. It looks now like the photo of a track I have on the Pico page is truly one of the track. There was some doubt before. I have also added to the Street Stock Competitors' page and the Mini Stock Competitors, as well as others. There is also an addition to a page few of you have probably found: The Black Jack DuBrul page.

March 28 -   I have to take this opportunity to thank Ed Fabian, of West Rutland, Vermont, for his extensive help in researching information on both Pico Raceway and Fairmont Speedway. He has been working hard to line up photos, former drivers, and other support for my efforts to preserve what little is left of the Pico history. Keep your eye on those two pages for updates -from time to time.


                        
                                                                        Photo Courtesy of Ed Fabian

 This dandy of a shot brings back memories. Joe Messina in the 3 and 1/7 Hudson at Fairmont around 1964.

     It was a pleasure to meet former Fairmont Speedway and Devil's Bowl driver Russ Shaw at Ed's house on Saturday. I was also surprised to meet Bill Anderson, a former Rutland, Vermont clothier, who had driven a car at Pico Raceway. I got a few good gems of wisdom and drivers' insights from those two - thanks to Ed.
     Thanks to Lyne LaChance [work by Denis "Le Boy LaChance], Jim Watson, and some contributions made by Andy Boright to the Outside Groove website of Gene Gagne, I have several new photos for the Catamount portion of the site. Due to my huge commitments of schoolwork this time of year, putting them on will take quite a while. But, they're going to get there eventually.
     Saturday, March 25, the cars were at the Diamond Run Mall in Rutland for the CVRA show. I was able to touch bases with Devil's Bowl driver and race promoter C.V. "Butch" Elms for the first time in 2006, as well as ageless drivers Butch Jelley and Frank Hoard, Sr. I was able to make contact with the son of former Fairmont and Devil's Bowl driver Chet Doaner, and we hope to have some possible archives from that great racing name in the future. Don "The Brandon Bandit" Scarborough and his main man, Chuck Charbonneau were other familiar faces at the show.
     Finally, I hope to start a Lebanon Valley page on the site eventually, as well as Fonda. Both tracks were very influential in the history of Vermont racing.

March 29 -   People are apparently having trouble emailing me a wladabou@adelphia.net. It appears as though the boneheads have this new thing where your inbox can be too full. Something new since I switched over to Windows XP. I just cleaned it out, so thanks and try again. I did some more work to the Pico Raceway page.

March 30 -   I have had an insight into why people are having trouble sending me pictures. Some of the scans are massive in size, with the photos almost poster size. Watch out for how large you make the dpi. Probably 300 is  about as large as my email can take.
    I have added some photos to the Catamount Early Tigers page - for Ernie Turner. Actually, I will start an informal Turner Family page tonight - to hold his and his brothers' pictures [as well as a few cousins]. Families like the Turners were the backbone of Catamount - not the big glamour teams that came and went.

March 31 -   The last day of the month - before I'll have to archive again. It has been one of the fastest two weeks in a while. Thanks to people like Beaver Dragon and Ed Fabian, I have made contact with a number of people who are rich in historical resources. I have made some small modifications to the Fairmont Speedway page and to the Main Page, but no new pictures yet. The night is young.

 

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