11 replies to this topic

[RACERSPASTOR]

June 28 at MRP was a breath of fresh air for racing in Western Pa. the night was special for many reasons one was the return of the Vintage Cars as I took time to watch them on the dirt it was a time to reflect on times past and the sight and sound of the aged race cars and drivers was enough to make this old guy think deeply of days past at Mercer.

 

Names like Duff Les Myers, Osmer generated thoughts of the good old days but alas they were here again for we older folks to enjoy and give the new generation a glimpse of history not only remembered but demonstrated with class long live the vintage class and may it expand to even greater proportion in the near future and what better place than The old Mercer Egg shaped oval that birthed so many great former and now present greats for our enjoyment.

 

Last night was Twin States Club Night and brought another surprise to the track in the person of Shirley Wheeling wife of the late Bill Wheeling I want to thank Bill Altman, Frank Benic and last but not least Mike Dutko for allowing me to make this a pleasant return to a place where she and Bill spent more than 50 years enjoying racing and each other This was Shirleys first trip back for some time and I had so much fun taking her to the press box to see again the sport that her Bill loved so much.

 

The sight of Frank Benic and Ed Lynch Sr. riding through the pits caused me to love my time as a fan of racing even more and then to see Jerry Matus,Jack Sodeman standing with their family and current racer would seem like enough but as the say wait there is more to the story while going to escort Shirley Wheeling I encountered another great Lady of racing Jean lynch as she walked on the grounds that she walked for many memorable years all I can say is Wow.

 

But wait I haven't finished my trip in the pits had me run into Duane George and my heart was now beating in a rhythm that was so pleasing ,then as I watched my Friend Tommy Kristyak and the the brothers Mike and Tom Kristyak parked with a full stable of cars and off spring preparing to insure the tradition of real family racing at Mercer I can only wonder how much better it can get, I guess I will have to keep coming to the track until I see it all.

 

Loving Life ,Racing and the racing family I amproud to be a part of.

 

Chaplain/Welder Bill Beck 

[Goldwing10]

Thanks Bill,the night meant a lot to mom and my sister Kathy . Thanks again and God bless.

[Goldwing10]

Thanks Bill,the night meant a lot to mom and my sister Kathy . Thanks again and God bless. Steve

[3799]

I spent a lot of time travelling to races with Bill and Shirley. It was a pleasure to have her up in the booth. I think Shirley had a good time last night.

[Dingo]

Thank you for your kind words on the PA Vintage Dirt Modifieds Bill. Our Club was a little down on numbers last night as stalwart Paul Bacchus blew an engine and I damaged a transmission the previous week at Roaring Knob.

 

Our class continues to grow, prosper and attract a wonderful cross section of drivers, both from 'back in the day' and also new to the sport. We love bringing our Vintage show to MRP because we are always appreciated by the Promotion and fans alike. And its always great to see faces from days gone by walking around the Vintage car pits and talking to the guys.

 

We will continue to keep the 'golden era' of racing alive and hope to continue our great relationship with Mercer Raceway Park for many years to come.

 

 

[lm/0/12/71/72]

Thanks Dingo for all you do to keep the vintage cars alive , it does an older race fan a lot of good to see the type of  cars I used to work on and watch race. It has been awhile since I have seen them at Mercer I hope you can be there again in the near future. I started going to the races over 50 years ago and I like seeing a group that keeps those memories alive. Are they similar to what you raced down under ? Thanks again to you and your racing  group .

[racin fool]

Yep, loved seeing the vintage mods. Was disappointed with mercer not interviewing the winning drivers anymore! It's enjoyable seeing the drivers excitement, and gives them a chance to thank those who help or sponsor them. Come on mercer I'm sure you could change afew things around ( shorter intermission,quicker lineups, etc ) to get back to the " good olde days " of driver interviews......

[longtimeracefan101]

They do have quick line ups. Yes just a quick interview is OK. NOT A LERNERVILLE INTERVIEW WHERE HAlf the stands are there

[Dingo]

Yep, these cars are similar to what I ran back in the 70's and 80's. The thing I love about the group we have here is that we are all in it for the love of the sport. The camaraderie is why we have visiting drivers from Canada at Mercer every year and why we continue to gain momentum. And we continue to gain popularity because we remind everyone of how it used to be - when cars looked like cars, when you didn't need to spend a zillion dollars on all the high tech stuff and when you actually raced by the seat of your pants. We'll never be everyones cup of tea but we don't care. Thanks to tracks like Mercer, PPMS, Sportsmans, Dog Hollow and others that support us, we're just having a blast doing what we do.

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[racin fool]

They do have quick line ups. Yes just a quick interview is OK. NOT A LERNERVILLE INTERVIEW WHERE HAlf the stands are there

I agree, just a interview with the driver like they did before. I do miss the classic photo of the driver,flagman,car,handshake,etc Then again I'm a sucker for the victory lap with the checkered flag! As a driver, that for me, was the best time. As an old friend said: times change,nothing stays the same. 

[Walt Wimer]

Yes, that is the way they did it way back when I was a grade school kid in the 1950s!!   The winning driver came around, picked up the checkered flag and did a lap around the track waving the flag. No interviews back then.   Not sure when interviews became popular at area tracks, but would guess the 1980s.

 

Walt

[tim 9]

It would of been nice of a run down of the feature finish instead of playing that dang commercial. I know we have to thank our sponsors, but the driver and their sponsors need acknowledgement also!