Episode 196
January 21, 2018
Snowmobile racing galore this weekend
From their press release:
“Eastern Maine Community College is excited to host the 4th annual Dysart’s Sno-X event! Experience some of the best mid-winter snowmobile racing in the Northeast on Saturday and Sunday, January 27-28, 2018 from 8am to dusk. The action happens at Speedway 95 in Hermon, Maine. Tickets are $10/day, $15/weekend, or $20/VIP seating! Children under 7 are free.”
“In addition, please join us for a race fan appreciation party at the Dysart’s on Broadway Flatbed Pub, Saturday, January 27 from 5pm-9pm! Meet the racers, have some great food and drinks, and enjoy a live performance by OneSixtyOne!”
And from last weekend at Rangeley
Chassis shots in preparation for the 2018 season
Kody Swanson photos and comments on the Chili Bowl last weekend
Kody’s remarks about the Chili Bowl won by Christopher Bell, “The Chili Bowl Nationals is such a unique event, and offers something a little different for everybody. While our final results this year weren’t what we were aiming for, I am thankful to have had the opportunity to drive the Dunlap Performance #32, and to have been able to work with a great group of people.”
“The format at Chili Bowl places utmost importance on your preliminary night heat race, and could be the most critical 8 laps of your week, and I failed to deliver. I got ‘stuck’ in traffic, and after narrowly avoiding disaster a few times, it caught up with me and I stalled in the middle of the racetrack, collected another car and did not finish that important heat race.”
“From then on, we were buried. Brian, Mike, Casey, Craig, John, and Casey Shuman – along with help from a few more friends and good neighbors – got the 32 back together and ready to start digging out from our hole, at least as far as we could make it. We won our preliminary D-Main, came from 13th to 6th in the C-Main, and would be finished for the night.”
“Saturday’s I-Main nearly had us part of the ‘Breakfast Club’ at the Chili Bowl, as we started racing just after noon. After starting 8th we won the I-Main to advance to the H. Starting 13th, we passed a lot of cars in a short amount of time to finish 5th, but that is where my run ended.”
“Casey Shuman carried the Dunlap torch driving the #32D from the E-Main to the D-Main, rounding out the 2018 Chili Bowl for the team.”
“Like I said earlier, it wasn’t the end results we wanted, but I was impressed by and grateful for the effort put forth by Brian & Mike Dunlap, as well as Casey, Craig, John, and Casey Shuman – not only preparing a top-notch program and race-car, but for their perseverance when things didn’t go our way. I am thankful that they took the chance on me for this year’s Chili Bowl, and for the opportunity to have raced for them!”
Click on this link to take a ride with Kody at the Chili Bowl Nationals aboard the Dunlap #32 Midget
https://www.facebook.com/swansonkody/videos/1650566545002716/
Daytona Bound!
Philip Miller, Caribou and I will be heading to Daytona International Speedway to join up with my brother, Bill Hale, to cover the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. This will be year three for me covering the race. With new cars and fifty race cars circling the combination oval and road course, the race is unique to cover.
While at Daytona, we will be meeting up with Jason Griffeth, the man responsible for the beautiful turf and logo on the front stretch. Friday we will be meeting at the Daytona Brickyard Grill for the best hamburger I have ever eaten. We will unveil the 2018 logo next week (Hint it has something to do with a world speed record set at Daytona Beach).
Thursday we have a meeting with “Big Daddy” Don Garlits at his Ocala Museum of Drag Racing. We will attend the events at One Daytona that afternoon.
Saturday will mark the beginning of the 24 Hours of Daytona at 2 pm and concludes at 2 pm Sunday. We will not be staying all night, rather relying on IMSA and Fox Sports to keep us up-to-date while we are back at my brother’s house in Orlando.
Who are my picks?
GT Daytona
Drivers Ben Keating, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Adam Christodoulou, and Luca Stolz
Sentimental pick:
This group of volunteers make up the Honda America Racing Team which will campaign their Honda NSX GT3 at the Rolex Daytona 24 Hours. Most of the team work for Honda in some capacity. Van Buren native Philip Lapointe helped start the team in 1991-92 while at Honda Ohio. Drivers will be Chad Gilsinger, Ryan Eversley, Sean Rayhall, and John Falb.
GTLM pick
Tough class to pick a winner since most of the teams are very well matched. I have shifted my pick from Corvette to Ford to Porsche and back again multiple times. Since I must pick someone, I pick the 2017 winner, the #66 Ford GT driven by Joey Hand, Dirk Mueller, and IndyCar’s Sebastian Bourdais.
My sentimental pick, the Corvettes #3 or #4
Daytona Prototype International (DPi)
My sentimental pick
I want to close with this video showing the Gurney Flap. This aerodynamic device was first utilized on a race car by Dan Gurney’s All American Racers (AAR) team. As a tribute to Dan who died last Saturday, we will be getting as many Gurney Flap photos on real race cars as we can next weekend.
Gurney Flap video
Due to the race in Florida next Sunday, I suspect I may not be publishing that evening. Keep checking since I am sure you will enjoy our coverage of the race and the Don Garlits Drag Racing Museum.
Let’s go racing,
Tom Hale
Soli Deo Gloria