News Wire and Me

About News Wire and me

I have put together the Microstock News Wire for one reason. I love Microstocks. To be honest This love grew out of a hatred. When I was young, my father took me to the races almost all summer. We watched and dreamed about driving one of the fast cars someday. We would go in to the pits after the race and I was amazed at how big the tires were and how sticky they were. Then along came the Microstocks and at Pinebrook Speedway on the corner of Rt 46 and Bloomfield Av in Pinebrook New Jersey, After watching the TQ's flying around and nearly getting over 100 MPH, Well, needless to say, when the Sportsman Microstocks came out it was time to go to the bathroom or get the hot dog and popcorn.

After nearly a full season of watching more and more Micro's on track there were some that were much faster than others. Some were worth watching! The little cars grew on us and my love for racing grew even more with the thought of actually driving one of these.

My Father and I were regular spectators in the beginning of the turn 4 stands at Pinebrook nearly every Friday night. I remember vividly the sounds and smells along with the warm summer nights as the sun went down watching the heat races. But most of all I remember the excitement when we thought of owning one, The possibility of driving a race car no matter how small. This dream never died even though Pinebrook Speedway met a suspicious end and we had not seen Microstocks for nearly 15 years.

In the late 90's my company began sponsoring a local Busch North car owned by a local policeman who would become a good friend. We began by making some parts for the car here and there and eventually I was asked to be part of the team followed by my father. We traveled from northern New Hampshire to Dover Delaware as part of the Busch North circuit. We would take Fridays off and burn sick days or drive there in our own cars with our own gas just cause we loved racing that much. The team would put us up in a hotel and feed us while we worked our butts off at the track and our reward was to be on pit lane when "Gentlemen START YOUR ENGINES" was announced and the 30+ cars would fire up at the same time, The hair on the back of my neck would stand up and I would be grinning from ear to ear. There are so many fond memories from those times and many things that were burned in to my brain. Little things like standing on the wall at Louden watching Martin Truex in the #56 Sea Watch Chevy coming off turn 4 sideways lap after lap after lap and never losing control. Or the time at Thompson Speedway when Martin nearly stopped the field so our driver could get going without losing a lap. Or the chill that came over the garage, not once but twice at Louden first for Kenny Irwin and then for Adam Petty. Some things just stay with you, some good Some bad.

Following some turmoil and upheaval in the Busch team along with turmoil and upheaval in my own life. Not to leave out the good things like the birth of my son, I was forced not to continue with the racing team, relegated to watching NASCAR on Sundays and catching any Busch North (or what ever the new sponsor is) on Speed Channel. Seeing the Busch North cars on TV was as comforting as a cup of hot chocolate after a hard day of sledding with the kids and would bring me back to running around the pits and watching the other competitors.

Then one day my friend the car owner and local policeman stopped by my work and invited me to go and drive a little car in some ones back yard. Low and behold, There they were, Microstocks.

Where were they? Were did they go? Why have I not heard of them since Pinebrook? I watched and drooled, I saw more than 6 cars flying around a little track nose to tail the 22 the 26 the 7 the 65 the 14 the gt1 the 34 and 41 and a pretty good wreck too. Then I got to strap on my helmet and get in the "X" car. The most twisted beat up P.O.S. car there with a stone cold stock motor and super hard old tires on it. I took that car out and loved it! I felt the front end sliding for the first few laps until the tires heated up enough. I am sure I was going really slow anyway but it felt like 200 MPH!. I thought this was the coolest thing EVER. It took me a good 50 laps to finally hold my foot to the floor confidant enough that I would not hit the wall. That was it. I needed to have one. Even if it was just to run around in circles in this guys back yard.

After talking it over with my wife, I began my search for information on Microstocks and where to get one. I purchased the 8w down in Jamesburg and brought that to the 41 Busch car's race shop. I had no place to store it, transport it, or work on it but I finally had a race car of my very own. Then after several months of searching, learning and acquiring at te best prices I could find I was ready to try my car out.

Going back to the same place I tried the "X" car to "shake it down" and then I was ready.

On April 29th of 2007 after a practice at Wall Stadium we finally had a race. The car was not perfect, it still was hopping pretty bad in the corners, But I was racing. The green flag dropped and on the first turn a car in front broke down shuffling me to te rear of the field. I had no expectations and last was fine by me but there I was catching the cars in front of me! I worked my way up to second place when a caution came out bringing me to the rear bumper of the leader.

Green came back out and there I was passing for the lead! In my first race! I think that is when my father decided he needed one of these cars too!

After a pretty good season and having a couple pretty good races along with winning 4 of them. We had a team of 2 cars, a trailer, all the spare parts we could think of and my friend Gary who was really interested too. We had pretty much worn out our motors a few races before the end of the season forcing us not to compete in Wall's "Sunday Series Turkey Derby" Little did we know it would be the last one ever at Wall.

So that brings me to present day, With Wall gone and the 10-15 cars that were regulars there being displaced, with a few other tracks around running Microstocks but nearly everyone being strung out due to other obligations, or simply the high cost of Fuel to travel farther. Here I was looking at nearly 70 cars that I know of sitting in people garages. Here I am watching the World Formula tour doing the best they can getting a few regulars and putting on good shows. Here I am watching M.O.M. and their dedicated group running a schedule. But here I am seeing way, way too many cars sitting in garages. Why, I asked myself, would you not want to drive a Microstock opting for a flat Kart or a champ Kart? Aside from family obligations, if you had shown up and raced against yourself or only one other driver, why would you go back?

In my opinion the answer was clear. There was an extreme lack of information out there. So I thought that sending out a "News Letter" containing both results and upcoming racers plans would do two things. It would keep everyone in the loop and would get more people to come out with their cars knowing that there will be more people and more cars to race against.

My mission with the Microstock News is just that. To let everyone know what they missed and who will be where next week. Hopefully getting more cars to come out. Think about it and put all differences aside, If the World Formula tour was holding a race and you knew there were 10 cars planning on showing up or you had the option to go to your local track and race against yourself. Well? What would you do? Lets turn that around, World Formula Racers, if you knew 8 cars were going to show at Poughkeepsie this weekend and your car was ready, Why would you stay home? Modified Drivers, Why go to your local track when you could race with 8 other cars in front of a big crowd?

I have no intention of creating or running any sort of oversight committee or to "Take Over" running of any Microstock Group. I simply want more people to come out and race. Come out and race the most affordable and safest small car there is. A Microstock.

So please, please, please, Let me know your plans, Let me know where you will be racing. Its in EVERYONE'S best interest to let everyone know where you will be. I have attempted to be as open as I can to let everyone know where we plan on going. But everyone needs to know your plans too.

Please do not let Microstocks die. Please pass along the Microstock News Wire blog site to everyone you know. Please if you wish to be added to the E-Mailing list or be removed from it, let me know. I can not do this alone. I am depending on all of you to help and mold this blog site to something that helps us all to have better racing. No matter what motor you run and no matter what groups you run with no matter what track you run.