Category: Race Vault

Variety. The word describes the automotive fan as much as it does the cars they follow. NASCAR, Formula 1, Indy, Rally, Sports Cars, GT, Grand Prix…  and that is just a few of the racing series. That doesn’t begin to touch the thesaurus of general manufactured cars, modified or not, which draw people in. Lets not skip the customs and hot rods, the modified and the tame, which make people silly about the wheel. We’ve all been to a “car show” at some point. The problem with your typical car show is that it is crowded with cars. By that, I mean the cars are lined up side by side and some are surrounded by those rope things meant to keep you in line at the theatre. Yes – You see a lot of nice cars but they are static and surrounded. You can’t fully appreciate the cars because the many are all around distracting from the lines and curves of the the car in front of you. However, it is difficult to hold a “car show” where each vehicle has some space to be appreciated at its best… On the road, at speed, in a natural setting…

Mark Simpson in a '58 Scarab passing the Oak Tree turn at VIR
Mark Simpson in a '58 Scarab passing the Oak Tree turn at VIR

Unless you have access to a place like Virginia International Raceway.  June finds this paved jewel invaded by auto enthusiasts of all kinds bringing in some of the most beautiful car art ever built. The Heacock Classic Gold Cup features Morgans and MGs, Fort GTs and Ferraris, Porsches and Plymouths… and practically everything else! They are out in the open! They are on the track at speed! In other words – These cars appear in their natural habitat and definately NOT as a static display.

These are the cars you may only see on television or in a magazine. If you are like me (a working slob) then you don’t have the liquid cash to own one. However, on this weekend in June, you can come out to VIR when the people that do have the bank to own them bring them out for all of us to enjoy. Many of these cars represent the golden age of the car and motorsport. With graceful lines, powerful engines and exotic design, these cars turn the pavement of VIR into art in motion. It is something to see. Mark your calendar and don’t miss it again. It is an art gallery on wheels for any fan of motorsport. Check this gallery for a glimpse of the fun!

Here’s a Missed Gear Auto Quiz. What do you get when you take 3.2 miles of pavement, 1200 acres of scenic views, 4 or 5 divisions of high technology, a healthy dose of speed and a touch of nostalgia and mix them all together? You get a splendid automotive playground tucked away just east of Danville, VA known as VIR.  Virginia International Raceway has a historic beginning with the SCCA and names like Carl Haas and Carroll Shelby. Now, however, VIR hosts some national racing events while still playing host as a SCCA proving ground.

Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototypes at VIR
Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototypes at VIR

This past April 24, 25 and 26 VIR hosted the Grand-Am Rolex Series with Daytona Prototypes and GT cars racing for points and highlighted on SPEED Network for the world to see. (See pictures from raceday here!) Through the course of three days of laps, qualifying and racing, VIR also hosted the Skip Barber Racing School, the BMW Championship Series, the Star Mazda Racing Series and the innovative VW TDI Racing Series.

Grand-Am Rolex Series GT Class @ VIR
Grand-Am Rolex Series GT Class @ VIR

Your ticket to VIR, which won’t cost you even the slightest bit of skin from a favored body part, gets you access to all of this racing, the paddock and no assigned seats. From a driver or car owner standpoint, VIR offers facilities for performance engine and chassis tuning. For developing racers, the VW TDI facilities are based out of VIR. One of the fastest consumer-ready enthusiast cars is built on the grounds. The Ariel Atom boasts 300+ horsepower and 0-60 in under 3 seconds. There is rental housing, condo ownership, garage facilities and so much more.

Volkswagen TDI diesel racing based from facilities at VIR
Volkswagen TDI diesel racing based from facilities at VIR

VIR remains a premiere destination for club racers, enthusiasts and car lovers. Now, however, VIR is a fan destination for sports car racing and motorcycle racing events. Tickets are cheap. The racing is exciting. The views are beautiful. You can even see NASCAR road course testing and an air show! VIR is a petrol payground no racing fan should skip so take the opportunity to go racing in Southside Virginia. You will be glad you did.

Jeff Gordon locks in a win at Texas. He’d been pushing the checkered flag for quite some time but couldn’t quite grasp it until he won the guns after 47 races without the taste of Victory Lane. He remains first in points and the Texas win only pads the margin.
Gordon’s teammate, Jimmie Johnson, picked up the Martinsville win the week before. Ironic as it seemed for many laps it was Gordon’s race to lose. Missed Gear was at Martinsville for the race and we’ve got lots of pictures! Check them out HERE!

Martinsville Speedway hosts the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 and as such is a focal point of Southwest, Central and Southside Virginia. Radio station WROV in Roanoke is no stranger to the racing at Martinsville and packs up the broadcast to go racing with the fans. This time, however, the staff at the station had an agenda. It started with a guitar and a plan to raise some funds for the wife of a local musician. Tricia Scott, wife of Kelly Scott, is being treated for breast cancer and the costs are rising placing an added hardship on the family in these already difficult times.

The radio station has already teamed up with a local venue (Martin’s in Roanoke) to hold a benefit concert with a number of local bands and musicians that have been directly impacted by Kelly Scott’s generosity and talent. The staff at 96.3 WROV were already headed to the track so the guitar came along. A mass email to NASCAR drivers’ teams told them of the benefit and the cause. They responded and were ready to autograph the guitar to be used as the prize in a raffle to raise more money for the family.

NASCARb drivers autograph guitar for breast cancer benefit.
NASCARb drivers autograph guitar for breast cancer benefit.

The guitar, and Epiphone acoustic model donated by Kelly’s Music in Roanoke, has been signed by Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Jeff Burton, Martin Truex, Jr., Juan Pablo Montoya, Aric Almirola, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Bobby Labonte and several others.

According to the staff at WROV, almost all the teams responded with willingness to sign but as is the case in a timed setting, getting around to everyone proved problematic. Schedules and conflicts kept the staff from a lofty goal of “everyone” and it soon became obvious it would have to be “everyone we can get”.
The WROV folks relied heavily on the kindness and cooperation of Mike Smith and Clay Campbell of Martinsville Speedway for their assistance in getting around as many drivers as possible. At the end of the day, or just before green flag for the Goody’s race on March 29, the radio staff had collected about a dozen or more signatures.
Steve Cannon of WROV said “The team response was fantatstic from the drivers. I wish I had the opportunity to meet and thank every one of them. Unfortunately, our schedule and theirs did not always match up on race weekend.”
The guitar will be set up for local contesting through a raffle with all the proceeds going to the Scott family.
Rain soaked garage and pits at Martinsville Speedway
Rain soaked garage and pits at Martinsville Speedway

So far it has been a great weekend for a comprehensive test of which race team has the best umbrellas. Sprint Cup qualifying was a wash on Friday. The Camping World Series were able to post qualifying earlier in the day but Cup practice has been held in the garage. The truck race is up in the air and currently holding but at the mercy of the heavy clouds over the area.

Truck qualifying has put Rick Crawford in the Circle Bar – International Trucks Ford on the pole for the Kroger 250. Points leading up to Martinsville places Jeff Gordon and the Dupont Chevy on the pole with Kurt Busch on the outside.

Friday and up to noon on Saturday has been a wet run of it but the weather is looking good for Sunday. A forecast high of 64 with sunny skies. The main event looks to be set to go off without a hitch. The trucks, however, are on a head on course for a full afternoon of steady rain. If thishappens, Clay Campbell of Martinsville Speedway has said they will run them on Monday. For those who can pull it off if the rain scenerio plays out, a day at the track can certainly beat a day at work.

A word of advice… Call your boss before the green flag drops. The sound of V8 headers is not very convincing when you are calling in sick.

Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway
Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway

Again…? You’re kidding me, right? Rain? Did we pick up a curse from Left Turn Demons? Can we get a race at Martinsville with a “clear skies and 74 degrees” forecast? I’d settle for partly sunny and 63.

Yes, yes I know. Rain is not ALWAYS an issue at Martinsville. However, last October was dreary and threatening and qualifying was a wash. Last Spring there was some rain during practice… You have to wonder. Just what is the race weekend weather history at Martinsville? Over the past several years I believe I can recall rain being an issue on a number of occasions. It even pushed the race to a Monday one of the years I’ve been going.

Of course there is not much to do about it. Buy your ticket and hope for sunshine. It is the nature of racing – for NASCAR anyway. Those Grand-Am upstarts have lights and wipers and will go play in the rain, God bless’em! Not that there is anything wrong with that…

But NASCAR has issues with rain. Their cars have a tendancy to go wild and unpredictable on  wet pavement. So… We pack up and head to Martinsville. We throw in some umbrellas and stop at Wal-Mart on the way for some ponchos (can’t find the ones we bought last year). We resolve ourselves to the possibility of rain but hope for the best. It’s race weekend at Martinsville!

Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch

There is no actual evidence that Kyle Busch is the devil or is in league with the forces of e-vil. However, on any race day during driver introductions, a wave of audio sweeps the stands with “boos” and derision when he hits the stage. Only with a tuned decibel meter can it be measured, but it is possible Kyle Busch has surpassed Jeff Gordon in the race to polarize NASCAR fans.

What is it that makes drivers like Gordon and Busch stand on the “love’em – hate’em” line? Is it that they win races? Other drivers win races but haven’t generated this kind of response. Gordon still draws the noise but is essentially running an uncharacteristic Sprint Cup winless streak. Busch has rolled into 2009 with wins in all three of the series. He has 2 Sprint Cup wins, 2 Camping World wins and 1 Nationwide win. Is it the wins…?  Is it the driving style…? Or is it something more basic that makes fans so one-sided when it comes to these two drivers…?

Could it be something as simple as one name? Jeff Gordon has a much longer history with this name. Kyle Busch has a season or two. That name, of course, is “Earnhardt”. Gordon challenged the late Earnhardt, Sr. and inspired the hatred from #3 fans. The untimely and tragic death of Dale Earnhardt did not release Jeff Gordon from being the target of the shouts and jeers. It only transferred the allegiance to Dale Earnhardt, Jr. leaving Gordon to continue as the villain against the hallowed name.

Kyle Busch, however, may have taken a lot of the heat off Gordon in this respect. Despite “rubbin’ is racin” philosphy, Busch got into Dale, Jr. and spun him at Richmond with 3 laps to go and Busch becomes the “devil” in the eyes of the fans. This instance, along with a string of occurences that can be pasted together into a scenerio which rivals the Kennedy assasination conspiracies, leaves the door open for NASCAR fans to walk through and “Ta-Da” – a scoundrel is tagged.

Is it really that simple? It’s hard to tell from the viewpoint of the grassy knowl or the grandstands. Whatever the case, rivalries on the track – real or perceived – make for great drama that makes for great racing. A the end of the day, the driver in Victory Lane is likely to be secondary to what happened on lap 283.