My pick for Racer of the Week is John Rodnite from Great River, New York. I found John from seeing his page listed as a friend of former Racer of the Week James Young. Thanks, James! You keep good company! When I got in touch with John, it turned out to be a most enjoyable meeting, and he’s very happy to be a Racer of the Week with Racin’ and Rockin’.
John is an on-site Steward in heavy construction and he doubles as a Teamsters rep. for Local 282. He was down at ground zero for over 10 years. 2 more years to go makes 30. Then John is going drag racing full-time.
John started going to New York National Speedway on Long Island back in 1977 with racing neighbors Sam Biondo, James Antonetti And the late Butch DeLorenzo at the age of 11. When he got his license, John’s dad gave him a 1971 Ford LTD that he entered in Street Eliminator. With that car, John went several rounds and won the final. He was hooked! John had a few cars since then that he had a lot of success with. His current ride is a 1991 Pontiac Formula Firebird GT/FA that has a 355 small block bracket motor in it right now. His best et with this car is a 10.43 @ 128 mph. John’s plans for next year is to drop in the 327 and run the Division I races and try to hit a couple of national events.
John will be racing the whole 2015 season at Numidia dragway . He plans to be going back to superstock in 2016 .
Adriane Dainese Casteluche is the backbone of John’s operation. She takes care of everything for John so he can just concentrate and drive .And she even tows the rig. She's a Teamster herself.
I wish John Rodnite and Adriane Dainese Casteluche good luck, safe racing and the best of times in the future. Y’all have fun!
Congratulations to our former Racer of the Week, Jeanne Linke, who runner-upped last weekend at the Division I Open Series at Atco. Jeanne went 6 rounds and in the final, cut an .011 Reaction time and she ran an 11.65 on an 11.67 dial and broke out by 13 thousandths. Great driving, Jeanne! And how about another Racer of the Week, Bud McNasby! Bud won Stock/Super Stock in a borrowed car that he was testing and tuning for the Dutko Brothers. Great going, Bud!
Also, over the weekend one of our own favorite racers, former Racer of the Week and undoubtedly the most popular and dedicated drag racer in the Quad Cities area had a very close call. Erik Carlson made his first pass of the new season at Cordova, running a new set of zoomie headers and a new scoop on his “Plan A” ’53 Studebaker Top Sportsman hot rod.
It was a great pass, everything was cool, but when Erik crossed the finish line at 180 mph and popped the chutes, all hell broke loose. The car took off and went into a series of barrel rolls, hit the wall, and came to an upright stop downtrack in the shutdown area. The car was destroyed in the crash, and although Erik was badly shaken up, his safety equipment and chassis, which was built like a tank did its job and saved his life. He is sore but OK and thankful to be alive today.
Erik, we’re sorry to see such a fine hot rod that you and Bruce put so much work into get torn apart like that, but we thank the Lord that you are still with us and in one piece. Erik said they’ll be back soon and we’re looking forward to having you back. They’re sorting through the pieces to find parts that are salvageable but the most important part is the driver, and he’s going to be fine. I’m wearing my “Vulgar Display of Power” t-shirt that you sent me a couple of years ago for tonight’s show, Erik. God Bless.
With the passing last week of Ben E. King, a chapter was turned not only in the history of Rock n’ Roll, but in my life. Ben was more than just a singer I knew about, he was part of the background music of my life.
It’s not like Ben’s voice was an overpowering force like that of Elvis, Roy Orbison or Otis Redding. His voice was as plain as a guy talking to you. There were no superficial characteristics in his vocals that distinguished his voice from anybody else. But there was something inside it, something very deep and moving that awakened my soul to the love of just being alive.
He wrote his songs with the best musicians and songwriters in the world at that time, and the music going on around his voice added a special atmosphere to his message. His recordings with the Drifters when he was a member using his real name of Ben Nelson, yielded some beautiful songs: “There Goes My Baby”, “Save The Last Dance For Me”, and “This Magic Moment”, but in my opinion, it was the songs he recorded as a solo artist that changed my life. Particularly, “Stand By Me” and “Spanish Harlem”, two songs that he wrote with Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller with production and credit to Phil Spector, that stood out in those years that he had his biggest hits.
“Spanish Harlem” has been playing over and over in my head, and I’d like to find another song anywhere that can beat it in structure, melody, production and lyrical content. But it’s more than just a song…the thing about Ben E. King’s songs to me is that they weren’t just verse, chorus, verse, chorus, etc. They made a spiritual connection to me. They were like prayers. It wasn’t just his delivery or the notes he sang. Like witnessing a rainbow or viewing a Van Gogh painting in person, it’s not like I just heard it. I felt it. His voice was human; his was everybody’s voice, and his songs were connected to a free spirit that touched the essence of beauty in life.
Another Ben E. King isn’t going to show up, cover his action and go him one more. He was the only one we ever had. May you rest in peace, Ben. You were an inspiration and a model to me in my life. Your music will be an eternal source of joy and passion for me, and for all the world to have. We were fortunate to have you with us.
Y’all be sure to tune in tomorrow evening at 7 PM Eastern on Racers Reunion Radio for Racing Through History. It’s Thee Goat Rodeo you don’t want to miss. Thanks, I’ll see y’all next week.