Time
is flying by and it's hard to believe that there is only one
more installment of the Offseason News and Notes before the
offseason is officially over. It has been an interesting and -
at least in my opinion - relatively successful venture, and one
that I hope has sparked enough interest to continue in the
future. If you or your team have any news that you would like to
share in the final column before the 2008 season, email me at
tchirico@longislandjam.com.
Young Guns Stable Growing
Some Jam readers may have noticed in the process
of 2008 profiles going up that Jarrod Hayes (#08 Late Model) is
fielding a second Late Model in 2008. Hayes will be behind the
wheel of the familiar #08, while the car he had previously
driven will be renumbered #80 and driven by 16-year-old go-kart
standout John Gloor IV. Hayes will retain ownership of the car
and will assist Gloor as crew chief. With the softer compound
that has been announced for Late Model tires in 2008, Hayes
expects that fans will see lap times in the range of 12.3-12.4
seconds.
In
addition to the Late Model, Gloor will also be steering a
Legends car in 2008. Sponsorship is being sought for both the 2
Late Models and the Legends car. According to Hayes, all of the
cars are coming along on schedule, and should be fully ready for
competition prior to Opening Night. Anyone wishing to obtain
more information can contact Hayes through the LongIslandJam.com
forum (j-rod).
SPT Driver in Need of Help
Kathleen Hallock is primed for the 2008 season,
hoping to rack up some laps in her #9 Super Pro Truck. In fact,
the young driver has just been accepted into Hofstra, which will
allow her to pursue a law degree while still being able to make
all of the scheduled races for her division. It has been brought
to our attention, however, that her father recently underwent
surgery for an ACL tear in his knee. Her father is a major help
with the truck, and his present lack of mobility is making it
hard for Hallock to focus and concentrate on getting ready for
the season at hand. Anyone who is interested in lending a hand
can contact Kathleen at (631) 801-2030 or email her at
kathyh@hamptons.com.
Busy Season for the Meyer Family
After collecting his
first feature event win in 2007, Wayne Meyer has every intention
to return to the Super Pro Truck ranks for the 2008 season. It
has also been announced that his wife, Jamie Lee Meyer, will be
running in the Grand Enduro and 6 cylinder Enduro classes.
Additionally, fans may be able to catch Wayne behind the wheel
of the Flanders Automotive Camaro in the Grand Enduro division
as the season progresses. That could make for some interesting
conversation at the Meyer family dinner table on Sunday nights
following Enduro days. Both Wayne and Jamie's main sponsor for
2008 will be AAA Firewood and Mulch. According to Meyer, both
the Super Pro Truck and Grand Enduro car should be finished and
ready for racing action within the next two weeks.
Turbush
Family Prepping Lots of Equipment
This season, the
number of Turbush family drivers will increase by one, with the
addition of Roger Turbush behind the wheel of the #88 Super Pro
Truck. Roger's main sponsor will be Rheem, the company that
sponsors Kevin Harvick. Roger works for a Rheem distributor in
the HVAC field. Addtional sponsors on Roger's rookie effort in
the Truck class include Allied Air Conditioning of Bohemia and
Superior Systems of Port Jefferson. Both are HVAC contracting
companies. Roger is also seeking additional sponsorship.
Brother Chris
Turbush has also been busy getting his #81 Charger car prepped
for the 2008 season. After taking a hard hit at Lee USA Speedway
last October, the car had to be taken to Boots to repair and
reassemble the chassis. The car is now all straightened and has
a new body. Father Dan's #8 Late Model has also received a new
body for the upcoming season, when he will be defending his 2007
championship title.
Madness at Mountain in March...Coming Again in
May
Quite a few Long Islanders made the trip to
Mountain Speedway for race #2 of the 2008 Mountain Madness
Enduro Series. The atmosphere and camaraderie was incredible, and
- as Donny Oliver (#58 Grand Enduro) pointed out on our forums -
it didn't matter where anyone finished because everyone had a
good time. The next MMES event is slated for Sunday, May
18th. Anyone interested in participating should keep in mind
that one-way scanners will be mandatory beginning at that event.
In addition to the 4 cylinders, 6/8 cylinders and "Trophy
Trucks," there is slated to be an all-female Enduro at the
conclusion of the day. There is no entry fee for the race, and
the only stipulations are: (a) the driver must be female and (b)
the driver can not have competed in any points race at Mountain
Speedway during the 2008 season. Yours truly is eyeing the
possibility of coming out of retirement for the race. Further
details about all of the day's events are available on the
track's web site at
www.mountainspeedway.com.
Long Islanders Hit the Road
Enduro drivers Donny
"Boom Boom" Oliver and "DownTown" Brian Brown are taking to the
road once again in April. Apparently the duo is headed to Big
Diamond in Pennsylvania for a "Nutty Buddy Enduro" on April 20th.
When I originally saw the name of the race on the Big Diamond
web site, I started thinking the two "nutty buddies" were taking
on some sort of tag team venture, but further investigation led
to an explanation from "Uncle" Petey that "Nutty Buddy" is
actually the sponsor of the event.
WMT Season About to Get Underway
This coming weekend, the
WMT season officially gets underway with the Icebreaker at
Thompson. For those of us who can't make the trip, look for some
great coverage through RacerHub sites The Chrome Horn and
LongIslandJam.com.
There was a
practice session at Thompson this past weekend, and several
drivers took advantage of the opportunity to turn a few laps.
Former Blunderbust competitor Wayne Okula was on hand with King
Racing and James Civali in the #28. According to Okula, it was a
successful session for Civali. Civali already has a few laps
under his belt in 2008, as he and JR Bertuccio were among the
drivers on hand for the WSMT opener at Caraway.
Mini-Series of Racing Parties to be Held at JC's
It was recently announced that #36 Modified
driver Dave Sapienza signed JC's in Manorville as a sponsor for
the 2008 season. JC's is a familiar place for some, as that is
where Tim Halpin's band Groundswell has performed on a number of
occasions, and also where the Halpin brothers and Bob Finan
hosted their 2008 Daytona 500 party. It was further announced
that roughly 10 race gatherings will be held at JC's throughout
the course of the season. It gives all of us a chance to get off
of our couches and watch the races with our friends. It is my
understanding that a spread of food was put out at the two
gatherings that have already been held, and that everyone in
attendance had a good time. The next race gathering will
coincide with the April 27th race at Talladega. Complete details
will undoubtedly be posted on the forums as the date gets
closer, and it is expected that future dates will be publicized
in the same manner.
If
you wanted to check out JC's prior to the Talladega race, Tim
Halpin's band will be playing there once again on Friday, April
11th. The band typically goes on some time between 9 and 9:30
p.m.
Well,
it's been a quiet month in the news department...I'm assuming
that everyone is busy underneath their race machines getting
ready for the season. So, with that, I'll wrap up this month's
column, and return to my countdown to Opening Night!
Source: Tracy
Chirico/LongIslandJam.com
Posted:
April 1, 2008
