The Fun
Daytona 500 Bash at Mike's Place
by Walter
Johnston
Over 265 people
attended the Daytona 500 bash at Mike‘s Place in Coram, and the crowd
thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon of racing, seeing old friends and making
new one. Bob Finan and the Halpin Brothers, Tim & Steve, ran 7 pools,
and raffled off a 42” wide screen TV, which was won by a local regular
at Mike’s. The staff at Mike’s provided a fine sampling of food at a
free buffet, and excellent food and drink service to all that attended.
At the end of the events, door prizes of Racing hats, T-shirts, Racing
Jackets and Racing Back Packs were given away among all who attended. A
good time was had by all, and the party was deemed a great success.
The race pool
was so popular that 7 of them were run, with chances selling like crazy.
The biggest winner was ‘Hurricane‘ Doug Wholey, who won two of the
seven. Other winner were Deb Newmann, Lianne Mazillo, Debbie Wood, Steve
Crowley, and Steve Halpin. Be sure to contact all the winners and
congratulate them, they may even take you to dinner with their $215
winnings, LOL. Mike’s Place Too also handed out tickets for door prizes,
giving away numerous Mike’s Place Daytona hats, some special T-shirts, 3
Race Team jackets, and 3 Race Team backpacks. In addition, everyone in
attendance was given a Mike’s Place Daytona 500 T-shirt with pictures of
David Roys #79 Modified and Tom Anderson’s #23 Charger in a colorful
logo on the back. Miller Beer, through Boening Bros., gave away small
Miller Lite sponge rubber hands with an index finger pointing up for
“we’re #1” and Budweiser provided can coolers for all. On display out in
front of Mike’s throughout the day were Tom Anderson’s #23 Charger and
‘Slim Jim’ Donaldson’s new #48 Pontiac Charger, both of which are
sponsored by Mike‘s Place Too. You can see them both in our photo
gallery if you missed the party. Dave Roys was hoping to have his
Modified on hand, also sponsored by Mike’s Place, but was unable to have
it ready in time.
Bits and
Pieces…Beer Pongs seemed to be the order of the day, as they were on
every table and constantly being refilled as the party ran on. I think a
whole new group of ’cowboys’ has been started, LOL… Mike’s put out a
nice buffet of sausage & peppers, baked ziti, hot dogs, hamburgers,
Buffalo chicken wings & thighs, and all the trimmings for all to enjoy
throughout the race’s duration. It sure filled me up, and judging by how
little was left at the end, everyone enjoyed a good meal…The heated tent
was a plus, offering the opportunity for those of us who smoke to watch
the race uninterrupted, though it got a bit colder as the sun receded in
the West. The warmth of our fellow race fans more than made up for it,
as we watched the progress of the race…Mike’s was so filled with people
that lines were a regular thing at the ladies room, and sometimes the
men’s room, too….There was literally no way to miss all the action of
the race, as many TV’s, of differing sizes, were in place to make sure
all could see this exciting spectacle….Great to see so many racers and
fans enjoying a cold Winter’s afternoon and evening together. Further
proof that while we all rooted for many different drivers, we all enjoy
each other’s company…I got a chance to meet and chat with Newsday’s
Marshall Lubin, who has provided us with great Riverhead coverage and
stories for the paper. Best of all, he’s not just a journalist, he’s a
big race fan, so the future looks bright for more stories making it to
the paper…Noisy as it was during the party, all eyes were on the TV’s as
the last 2 laps were run, with loud shouts for either Harvick or Martin
as the drama unfolded towards the crash filled finish. Good to know no
one was seriously injured in those crashes or any of the others during
the race…Now it’s time to go back into hibernation until the next phase
of racing season comes in April with inspections and practice at
Riverhead…Until then, stay warm, be safe, and live well as you prepare
for the 2007 race season. One last time, a big thanks to Bob Finan,
Tim Halpin, and Steve Halpin on putting together this
great event.
Source: Walter
Johnston/LongIslandJam.com
Posted:
February 19, 2007