Postby Jack Redd » Mon Jun 16, 2008 11:04 pm
Well gang, a BIG storm just blew by and WOW, I'll be picking up limbs tomorrow. Hope RH & Gator homes are okay again. And I am sure that MIR got hit real hard. I hope everyone had a great weekend. RH, Boswell's car was a D/MP when he sold it. Rapid Randy, I hope you were more pleased after the Bowling Green Show, then you thought you would be! After attending an old co-workers funeral on Friday, from my Accident Recovery days, I was thinking about attending MIR and of course stopping at the Stone's Store at the entrance of MIR for a couple of my JA Grog drinks. But that is another story.
MD. International Raceway started out as St. Mary's Dragway in 1965 and finished it '66 and was built by Joe LaRoque. He operated a trucking company. A week before opening day Tom Raley in the Champion Auto dragster along with Fred Forkner, "Starvin Marvin" Schwartz, Ray Marsh and their AA/FD's along with a few other race cars made a few passes down the then 100' wide and almost a mile long track. The next week was the NASCAR $10,000 Meet. It was won by Ronnie Still from Delaware in a blown Chevy-powered dragster over the likes of the big Chrysler-powered cars of The Ramhargers, Connie Kalitta, Toil & Urbas, the Durban Bros., the " Calif Woody" of Dave Babler etc. The track lasted a few more years and was bought by a Pontiac car dealer Bill Cairns, and changed the track name to Budd's Creek Dragway.
Bill later tried to get the the former owners of Cecil County Dragway to buy the track and turned him down. An offer they couldn't refuse! They did. Along came Larry Clayton and Tod Mack took the offer and changed the name to MIR. Four funnies or buses at a time, it was great to see.
While Bill had the track, Ben Brown and Ed Rachanski booked in a Funny Car Show. One of funnies broke, so I put in Gene Altizer's alky-injected Chevy funny as a replacement. Man, he almost won the show. In fact, I threw out a couple of well known cars for being broke and coming to the line to make a pass and couldn't. I would bring back in the low e.t. loser to make a show for the people. That is what it is all about. No SINGLE runs!
By the way, if you are ever in Henderson, Nevada stop in Ed's Museum, it is a great place for the racing fan to visit.
Now Royce Miller is the latest owner of MIR. Hey Royce, I was the one who delivered the storage box trailer to your Shell Station in Manassas, Va., with the yellow Raley's tractor & trailer in the early '90's.
On a sad note, Joe LaRoque had a farm, not too far from track. A few years ago while a cow was giving birth, kick him in the head and killed him while waiting for the animal doctor. to arrive. He was a great friend of mine.
Hope to see you at York in July and Old Dominion Speedway August 17th.
For the latest on O.D. checkout their website.
For the newest members of the (JA) Jack Approved Decal Flyers Club, they are; Franks Sports Bar in Oxon Hill, Md., Frank Privitera, the "Whooppee " Anglia,, Nancy & Sam Worsley, Jeremy, Jackson, Tyler & Carley Hebb, the Italian Inn in Landover, Md., Mimi Gioni, Crissey Kincaid, Mike Todd, Charlie Rucker, Bill Gribble, Kenny Talbert, Linda Reamy, Lelean Tolson Loman (her ex-husband "Fatback" Ray Tolson was the Figure-8 World Stock Car Champion years ago at West Islip Speedway N.Y.) Lisa Buckler, VFW 9376 (J.Paul Duke Memorial Post) in Clinton, Md., Bill Pitts and the famous T.C. Lemons.
If a girl 15 is married to a guy who 45, he is three times older than her. 15 years later, she 30 and he is 60. Now, he is half as old as her. How long will it take for her to catch up with him?
Going back to selling "Satellite Drawers" for the women who think their butts are out of this world.
Jack Approved!