Archive for Channing Conley
Jun
13
Quick Notes on a Sunday Morning.
Posted by: | Comments
Doc and "Double G" Gary Gimmler know how to look good at the track.
Down at Punta Gorda Speedway the Checkered Flag Sprint Series (EJICFSS!) brought the noise once again and this time it was Jimmy Alvis, Jr. bringing home the win. Congratulations to “Little” Jimmy!
More important to note is that one of our t-shirts for our Safety Guru Scotty Adema was spotted in the wild, and was actually captured on film! Well, technically it was captured via cell phone camera, but we’re not going to split hairs here. And one of our absolute favorite drivers “Double G” Gary Gimmler is in the photo. Double score!
Heat wins went to David “Nothing Rhymes With” Slawiak, Scotty “The Flying Fireman” Adema and Jimmy Alvis Jr. For the feature, Jason Bradford and Brian Riddle made up the front row, followed by teenage hard chargers Channing Conley and Amanda Ferguson. But when it was all said and done, the man on the outside of row three took home the checkers.
Jimmy Alvis Jr. took home the CFSS checkers. Photo by Gene Marderness.
For the “Fast” Freddie Stutz Memorial Race, ten TQs signed in for the night. On lap one the #17 car took a hard lick, going side over side about seven times. When everything got squared away Ted Durfee came home the victor. Everyone’s favorite 78 year-old Jack Duffy came home third.
Up in Indiana, Mother Nature won. But Travelin’ Troy DeCaire did win a heat race and Joey “The Ace” Aguilar was ready to start the feature on the pole, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Over at East Bay, it was a vision of days gone past as Sport Allen took home the win, followed by Travis Bliemeister (making his first start in more than two years) and Tim George. The tech shed once again claimed two victims – Danny Jones (weight) and Kerry Gilbert (carburetor), which makes us wonder what’s going on with tech’ing the carbs over there.
Heat wins went to Sport Allen, Tim George and Tony Agin.
Friend of the website Gary “Walk Quietly But Carry A Big” Johnson snapped the photos below. Gary gets bonus points for snapping what is for us the very first posed picture of none other than “The Flying Mullet” Gene Lasker. Gary also gets extra credit for describing Lasker’s wreck as seeing Lasker’s car “up on the turn 3/4 wall, the right tires were rolling on the wall, with the left ones on the cushion, like some kind of Joie Chitwood stunt gone wrong.”
Enjoy.
Jun
11
This weekend’s sprint car races – 06.11.10
Posted by: | Comments
Unless you’ve got something like this picture over yonder lined up this weekend, you’ve got to decide which part of the left coast you want to hang out at on Saturday night.
Both East Bay and Punta Gorda Speedway (formerly CCMP, formerly the home of Bobby Bucks) are running shows, and if you are a dirt fan you’re obviously going to East Bay and if you are a pavement fan you’re obviously going to Punta Gorda.
On the fence?
Go to Punta Gorda Speedway and here’s why. Right out of the gate, it’s only ten bucks to get in. You can’t beat that with a stick. And as much as myself and our Editor at Speed would like to beat Josh “Where is the closest Roller Derby Rink, nothing else matters,” Wichers with a stick, the saying still applies.
As we all know the Checkered Flag Sprint Series (or EJICFSS! if you like) pretty much calls the loop of pavement out by the airport in Punta Gorda home. Sure they branch out, but the lion’s share of racing is done at Punta Gorda Speedway. When all of the ownership issues were going on between the old guard and the new guard, we heard that the sprinters were on shaky ground because the new guard wanted to focus on the local homegrown classes and not really pay for touring series shows.
And Rick Gabor of Eagle Jet International kicked in some extra funds so now the winner gets $1,120 and to take the green flag bags you $250. Expect the usual cast of characters, including the Brothers Gimmler, the KJ Motorsports trio of Keith Butler, Mickey Kempgens and Amanda Ferguson. Also expected to be in the house are Jimmy Alvis Jr., previous winner Channing Conley, Bryan Riddle, Frankie Hurst, Robby “Don’t Slice It” Hackett, “Slick” Ric Voisey, Skeeter “My First and Last Name End In ‘er’”, “The Flying Fireman” Scotty Adema, David “Nothing Rhymes With” Slawiak, Robert Parrow, Jason Bradford and Michael Tharp.
So you should get out there and support the EJICFSS! and pack the joint PLUS you get to take in the “Fast” Freddie Stutz Memorial with the TQs. All of this on one bill and it’s a measly ten clams. How could you possibly beat that?
At East Bay you can expect the regular cast of rowdies (Gene Lasker, Tim George, Danny Martin Jr., Jeanette Burnett, Billy Boyd, Rocky Sullivan, Kerry Gilbert, etc.), good food and most likely lots of yellows. Or maybe they just have lots of yellows when we show up to watch the races. Either way, if you’re a dirt sprint car fan, where else will you go? It’s East Bay for god’s sake. Go. And order the Devil Crab if it is available.
And up in Indiana some of our Florida boys are looking to knock some skulls. Shane Miller Motorsports packed up Joey “The Ace” Aguilar and one of their cars and left earlier this week. And Travelin’ Troy DeCaire has already set up residence in Indiana. Both are running the races at Toledo Speedway Friday night and Anderson Speedway Saturday night.
Could you end up seeing another upset down in Punta Gorda this weekend? It could happen, young Channing Conley shocked everyone by picking up the checkers earlier this year.
Of course when one speaks of upsets, one must speak of Mulkeymania and the first time Randy and Bill Mulkey ever won a match. And below we’ve posted some Troy DeCaire goodness from the first MSR race of the season so you can get a taste for why our Florida drivers keep driving up to Indiana for some 410 action.
Apr
16
This weekend’s sprint car races – 04.16.10.
Posted by: | Comments
So many sprint car choices this weekend…just pack up everything you own and get to the track closest to you and catch some glorious open wheel action.
Citrus County – Checkered Flag Sprint Series
East Bay – East Bay Sprint Series
Desoto Speedway – TBARA
North Florida Speedway – Florida Mini Sprint Association
So where should you go? Depends on your disposition we reckon. We should give a special nod to Citrus County Speedway as they are holding a fundraiser for Jack Smith of Karnac/Real Racin’ USA fame. Jack has run into a spell of bad health lately and the troops are being rounded up to help donate toward Mr. Smith’s medical fund. If you can make it out and help, that would be very kind of you.
What else can you expect to see with the EJICFSS at Citrus County? So far this year we’ve not seen a repeat winner and young Channing Conley picked up his first series win last time out. Look for the usual cast of characters (KJ Motorsports vs. The Brothers Gimmler) to duke it out up front. Jimmy Alvis Jr. is also towing up to Citrus County, so perhaps it is his time to shine? We still say “Double G” Gary Gimmler is wayyyy overdue for a win right now. Also expect to see Bryan “Everyone Loves a Good” Riddle, Robby “Don’t Slice It” Hackett, Frankie Hurst “Shifter”, Skeeter “Both My Names End In er” Faulconer, David “Nothing Rhymes With” Slawiak, “Slick” Rick Voisey and Ray “Fort” Bragg Jr. Sadly, our Safety Editor Scotty Adema will not be making the tow.
Moving down to the Clay By The Bay, East Bay Raceway Park, business will be picking up once again as “The Flying Mullet” Gene Lasker and Tim George lovefest is sure to continue. Danny “The Hammer” Martin Jr. has looked strong all year, is it his time to win? How about Kurt Taylor returning to victory lane? Certainly a possibility. Jeanette Burnett even rented the track this week to do some testing and work out the bugs that plagued her mount last time out, as you can see by this photo from said testing session.
Down at Desoto Speedway, fireworks should be the name of the day. “The Bushnell Bullet” Shane Butler is having a championship year, with no finishes so far outside of the top five. But Joey “The Ace” Aguilar is on a hot streak, with a Panhandle win and also a USCS win with Shane Miller Motorsports. And Travelin’ Troy DeCaire (jetting back and forth from Indiana at the moment) should in theory line up somewhere around fourth in the DeCaire/Rudolph #41/#68 hybrid, which could have Troy out front early if he sails around the outside of everyone like he always does. And how about the return of Larry Brazil Jr.? Can he do it again? We also know “Hustlin’” Steve Heisler has been working on the #81 for this race and “The Hustler” gets around Desoto pretty well.
And finally if you’re up around the upper quadrant of the state, head over to Lake City and catch the FMSA. The question on everyone’s mind is, “can Brett O’Donnell be stopped?” We know the Moss Army will have something to say about it as will Tim “The Other” O’Donnell. Sadly our Editor at Speed “The Hot Foot” Brian Penrose will not be in attendance, so ladies, you can leave your extra bras at home that you were planning on throwing on the track. Don’t count out Steve Crabtree either.
So there you have it, a battle royal for your hard earned money! Dirt, pavement, big, small, you’ve got all options this weekend.
Do you really need a battle royal explained to you? If you do, watch this “in-depth look” and take notes, particularly the part about the ambulance.
Watching that clip has made me nostalgic for even more clips of quite possibly the most boring wrestler of all time, Greg Gagne. If you were ever super very excited to go see some wrestling in the 80s, after watching Greg “cut a promo,” you would probably think, “nahh…I think I’ll go read a book at the library instead and get some pancakes at IHOP afterward. That would be money better spent.”