Henry "Butch" Miller

For a great interview with one of the best short track drivers ever, see the link below.
He will give his opinion on:
The COT
ASA
The old days
The best cheat
Cup with Travis Carter
Down at the bottom, click on "Play in Pop up"
http://realracinusa.com/racelog/?p=129
The pictures of the red car in the 1978 Port City House car that put Butch on the map and Port City Racing.
He won the Late Model track championship at Berlin in 1978.
Nice red shoes Butch.
Classy.
The white ASA car above was in 1985, driving for Leroy Throop with crew chief Kevin Hamlin and the beginning of his dominance in ASA, ARTGO or any short track race in the country.
Butch has won so much, he doesn't remember when and where.
The first ASA race he is talking about that he won, he says was at "Fort Wayne".
Is wrong.
It actually was the ASA race in Hartford, the "Strawberry Blossom 100".
Butch may not remember, but I do.
I wonder who the other 2 cup teams he had a choice of driving for?

Me and Scott Riggs

Schmoe: Psst - Scott, who don't you like racing with?
Scott: Um........ah....................um.........................well..................
Schmoe: The Busch brothers?
Scott: Yes! No, give and take and the rookies, Reutiman and Ragan.
Schmoe: Where's your son?

Did you know him?

Did you know him?

Being a race fan, that is the question that I was asked this week.

No, I did not.

I had never personally talked to Lee.

However, as a race fan I had watched him race many times.

And win.

I had read about a lot of his races.

I knew he raced in Columbus, Toledo, Dixie, etc and read the race reports.

I listened to his radio interviews.

I knew he started his own chassis company, Perfect Circle.

I knew he was a talented painter and airbrushed helmets.

Just because I didn't KNOW him, it doesn't make his passing any easier.

As a race fan your not "close" to these drivers.

You generally don't have a "personal" relationship with them.

You sit in the stands, enjoy the competition and marvel at their talent.

You may NEVER talk to a driver yet you know who they are.

They have entertained you.

They have raced for you.

And it's still tough when you lose one.

I will attend the Lee Anderson Memorial Race.

I will buy the t-shirts and decals benefiting his daughter.

And I'll pray for his family.

Godspeed Lee.

The King and He's Still Pissed...33 Years later.

All Hail the King!!!
200 wins
7 time Nascar champion
7 time Daytona 500 champion
27 wins in 1967
10 wins in a row in 1967
All above are records.
His greatest rival through those years was David Pearson.
And after 33 years, they are still arguing about the 1974 Firecracker 400
http://www.thatsracin.com/108/story/5308.html
Those were the days.

The Wreckers..............

When I hear of "The Wreckers", I don't think of the country band.

I think of John Wood (top photo) and Steve Wallace (bottom Photo)

AKA "weapons"

I have some sound advice, find another career.

Let's talk Wood.

Jon is still on the sidelines after an "adverse reaction" to ADD medication causing severe headaches.

How does that explain the wrecks BEFORE the medication?

http://www.scenedaily.com/stories/2007/06/25/scene_daily1062.html

Uh, ok.

And wrecking got's nothing to do with???

Here's Steven.

Steve, who drew the wrath of Michigan driver Freddy "Soupy" Campbell a couple of years ago at Berlin, when............................

You guessed it!!!

He wrecked him.

He and his famous dad, Rusty are squabbling, in the media.

That's classy.

He took someone else out Saturday at Loudon.

http://www.thatsracin.com/208/story/5141.html

The issue is their both young.

Driving way over their heads.

A ton of money behind them.

And zero talent.

Random Rants

Stuff bouncing around inside my noggin:

She's taken.
Wendy Venturinia, that is.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2007/06/27/2007-06-27_the_stories_venturini_could_tell.html
For you SINGLE men, she's engaged.
Move on.

What the F***!
http://www.frontstretch.com/jmeyer/10155/
Oh, yeh!
Nothing better than a F bomb sliding past the delay button making it's way to the airwaves.
Uttered from the mouth from Kyle Petty, only 1 lap after leading his team in prayer.
Absolutelyfukinprecious.
You can't script sh** like that.
And this gem from a drone from TNT,
........all 43 cars in NASCAR races are miked, TNT spokesman Jeff Pomeroy says, and the audio that pops up on-air can't always be identified: "We can assume that audio came from one of the three cars in the accident. But we can't be sure it was Kyle."
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2007-06-25-hiestand-weekend_N.htm
Then why did Kyle apologize?
Wish I had a TNT spokesperson for some of my past sins, "We can assume one of the cars were doing 84 in a 55 officer. But we we can't be sure it was Mr. Ruch."

The Natural
Tim Steele retires
http://www.arcaracing.com/content/view/5131/2/
Good move.
The SMART move.
I'm sure a TOUGH move.
The kid had "it".
Raw natural talent.
Fearless.
It was painful to watch him struggle at Berlin in his late model the past year.
The fall from grace was tough to watch and imagine tougher for Tim.
I have said many times, Tim was better than Johnny Benson Jr.
When Tim was healthy and in his prime, he was awesome.
Now, I also said he didn't have the PR savvy and gift of gab as JB.
If I was a mad scientist, I'd take Tim's talent with JB's PR, and I'd be mopping up in cup.
I applaud Tim's decision.
But the Steele fans can still root for that famous red #16 with a new local talent.
Another Kid.
http://www.johnnyvandoorn.com/

Sonsabitches will let him race
Floyd's back in the car this week.
http://www.tonyraines.com/
All is right for the Raines fans.

Shame on Berlin
The blue tarps were brought out for the big late model wreck
AKA the "death curtain", because when you see them at a track, it's not good.
Yet, no Official word from the track on the status of those injured in the wreck.
And you wonder where all the "rumors" and "bad information" stem from?
Your inability to set the record straight with the facts.
You have a website.
Use it to your advantage.

Some Berlin Observations......

* 11 car wreck
Picture is above of an 11 car pileup at Berlin Saturday night.
Great Photos by track photographer Tom Devette.
http://tomdevettephotography.smugmug.com/AUTO%20RACING
It would only have been a 5 car wreck but the last 6 drivers could see no further than their dash, shame on them.

* Blue Tarps are bad news at a Race Track
The above wreck brought about a driver being cut out of the car. This was done after it was announced all drivers were ok AND after they moved two cars.
THEN they bring out the blue tarps to prevent the fans from looking?????
I don't get it.
If everyone is ok, then why the tarp.
I see a "blue tarp", I think bad, real bad.
Thankfully, the driver cut out of his car waved from the stretcher to the crowd, which brought a well deserved cheers.

* Merging
The track official who sent the #8 out in front of the pack out of turn 4, can be relieved of his duties. What a dumbass move.
This precipitated a caution being thrown, then a pile-up on the back stretch.

* Green Flag
Drivers need to learn how to start a race.
There were horrible starts and re-starts, where they couldn't start side by side.
And a few waved off.
It's not that hard of a task.

* Stupid Stocks
The nickname heard rumbling through the stands as the marathon feature was going on for the "Super Stocks"

See you at the races.