Louise Smith is the first woman to be inducted in the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame. A native of Greenville, South Carolina, this lady got her Talladega race in 1945 when Bill France Sr. visited Greenville looking for a racer with exceptional talent. Smith who was 29 then was the Gold Bill France found with her series of Police out running.
“Childhood memories become our dreams as we grow older,” she said during a 1996 telephone interview. “Racing was the desire of my heart, but some of my fondest memories were during childhood.”
Louise and her family were originally from Barnesville, Ga. And moved to South Carolina in 1920.
“It was one Christmas right after the family moved to South Carolina that stands out in my mind,” she continued. “Santa Claus brought me a wonderful gift. It was a doll, but not just an ordinary doll. It was much more than that.
“She was a ‘china doll.’ Her face, hands and feet were made of porcelain china, but her body was soft, and she had on a long, beige embroidered dress. I can still recall her face with the pouting lips. She looked like a queen with reddened cheeks and lips, and curly locks.
“Looking into her eyes was like peering into someone with a living soul.
“Remembering the love I felt holding her, is still with me. As we grow older, we become afraid to love and touch. I think that’s a shame.
“My life has been so rewarding. I’ve gotten to live out a life most people only dream about. Many of my days were like diamonds. The highs really outweighed the lows.
“We never know in advance what form an angel might take. Don’t be afraid to give, or love. And don’t be afraid to hold on to what’s dear to your heart.”
In 1947, Smith made it to Daytona to test if she could conquer the international tracks after her success in local races. She used her husband’s new Ford which of course doesn't have an Acura Integra Axle Assembly and hid a special engine in the trunk and drove it in the beach course.
“I hit the back end of one of them, went up in the air, cut a tire and landed on my top,” she said. “The cops were standing next to an old wooden grandstand, and they ran over, turned the car back on its wheels, and I finished the race 13th.
“I couldn’t take the car back home in that condition, so I drove it as far north as Augusta, Ga., and left it at a garage for repairs.”
After the seven car pile-up, Smith went home in a Greyhound bus. When the racer faced her husband, her explanation to where the car did not convince him. He pulled out the local newspaper of Greenville that reads “Louise Smith Wrecks in Daytona” on the front page.
Her husband was not one of her fans and he even didn’t want a wife on the race track. However, he supported her with help waiting at the track in the form of a couple of his mechanics in from his auto business.
“I won a lot of races, crashed a lot too, and broke just about every bone in my body,” she continued. “But I gave it all I had.”
Smith’s career bloomed from 1945-1956, with 38 wins over the next 11 years, often competing against the true legends of early stock car racing. Richard Petty, Buck Baker, Tim and Fonty Flock, and more, all came to respect her talent for driving, even dubbing her the “Good Ol’ Gal.” Smith retired in 1956 but remained active in the racing community with her affiliations in the Living Legends Club in Dacytona and The Old Timers racing club in North Carolina.
Louise Smith died last year at the age of 86.
Panther Racing wrapped up its last order of 2007 business Dec. 18 at Sebring International Raceway, where the team completed an Indy Pro Series test with prospective drivers P.J. Chesson and Leilani Münter.
Although Chesson and Munter equally have race track talents, both drivers still do not have extensive road course racing experience.
“It was positive for us to get both P.J. and Leilani on the track,” Panther co-owner John Barnes said. “And, for us, it’s good to get our Indy Pro Series team some time to work before the end of the year and run around a little bit. I really wanted to get our new Technical Director, Henri Durand, a chance to work with the IPS guys and the car to have some data to work with before we start running in 2008.”
Chesson did well although the New Jersey native only has two road course in his career.
“I achieved more in the first test than I thought I would,” Chesson admitted. “Consistency is going to be the toughest thing for me. The challenge isn’t just to put in a respectable lap, it’s to put in a good lap and then do it 20 more times. But I feel like given the opportunity we’re going to get there.”
Although Munter admitted that she’s got some perfecting to do with her road course technique, the racer admitted that she was satisfied with her results.
“It’s cool to learn something new like road course racing because I’ve been going in circles for so long,” Münter said. “The biggest step for me is going to be my footwork, because when the footwork is messy, it hurts the rest of your racing. I need to get into a go-kart and practice my shifting so I can get used to it – it’s a lot different from what I’m familiar with in a stock car. It continued to get better and better after I was able to practice for awhile. I’m excited about this challenge.”
Münter now knows what she has to work on in the Indy Pro Series car, as the Minnesota-born driver is a front-runner for the Panther ride. Chesson has an even taller task. He’s in line for Panther’s second IndyCar Series seat alongside veteran Vitor Meira, and that means there is still another major step up to the bigger, and more powerful, IndyCar Series cars.
“I know there is still a lot of learning to do,” Chesson said. “But when you’ve got a good bunch of guys and a good car, like they do at Panther, anything is possible.”
Barnes agreed.
“The test was a good evaluation of both drivers to see where they are as far as their road course racing ability,” Barnes said. “They’ve both got work to do, but at the same time, we came away happy with what we were able to accomplish this week. It gives us something to think about over the holiday break, and we’ll get more serious about making decisions after the first of the year.”
Is there a possibility that both driver used an Acura sports car? Although an Acura Cl with Acura Cl Valve Cover Gasket is not for the race track, some Acuras are. I hope next time, the car would be named so we wont be wondering.
Can’t get enough of the Indy Series especially when you’re Danica Patrick and Tony Kanaan’s number one fan? Well, your cravings will be well fed as ESPN on ABC will give you full coverage of the next round of the longstanding motor racing event.
“We look forward to another exciting season of IndyCar Series racing on our networks,” said John Wildhack, ESPN executive vice president, programming and acquisitions. “The series showed ratings growth in 2007 and we feel that the personalities of the drivers and the close, competitive racing are resonating with our viewers.”
“ABC and ESPN have played a significant role in the advancement of the IndyCar Series,” said Terry Angstadt, president of the commercial division of the Indy Racing League, sanctioning body of the IndyCar Series. “With innovations, such as side-by-side and Sportvision, our broadcasts offer viewers a unique motorsports experience.”
The complete 2008 IndyCar Series schedule:
Date - Venue - Network - Time:
Mar. 29 - Homestead-Miami (FL) Speedway - ESPN2 - 8 p.m.
April 6 - Streets of St. Petersburg - ESPN - 2:30 p.m.
April 19 - Twin Ring Motegi, Japan - ESPN - Noon
April 27 - Kansas Speedway - ESPN2 - 5 p.m.
May 25 - Indianapolis Motor Speedway - ABC - Noon
June 1 - The Milwaukee Mile - ABC - 4 p.m.
June 7 - Texas Motor Speedway - ESPN2 - 10 p.m.
June 22 - Iowa Speedway - ABC - 3 p.m.
June 28 - Richmond (VA) International Raceway - ESPN2 - 8 p.m.
July 6 - Watkins Glen (NY) International - ABC - 3:30 p.m.
July 12 - Nashville (TN) Superspeedway - ESPN2 - 8 p.m.
July 20 - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - ABC - 1:30 p.m.
Aug. 9 - Kentucky Speedway - ESPN2 - 6:30 p.m.
Aug. 24 - Infineon Raceway, CA - ESPN2 - 5:30 p.m.
Aug. 31 - The Raceway at Belle Isle, MI - ABC - 3:30 p.m.
Sep. 7 - Chicagoland Speedway, IL - ABC - 3:30 p.m.
Wait, I have to set aside my Acura Cl Pcv valve search, I’m going to mark my calendar. It will be great if you’ll do the same.
Earlier this month, the MSR-Houston track, the Bridgestone Firestone North America and Champ Car World series program completed the season for the Champ Car F1x2.
Although the 2.4-mile permanent road course was so exciting, it won’t match how the crowds were surprised by who the 40 passengers were.
Because regular racers Zsolt Baumgartner, Patrick Friesacher and Mario Dominguez, unable to be present for the Texas event, their places were taken by two equally high speed racers. One man and one woman, Nelson Philippe and Katherine Legge.
"It was really nice to be able to give people we work with a reward for all the effort they put in during the season and, at the same time, help them gain an understanding of what actually happens on track," said Katherine.
"When you're driving race cars all the time, you can easily start to take the performance for granted after awhile, but when you see how excited the passengers are after they get out of the F1x2 cars, you're reminded how amazing it is.
"They've clearly had the experience of a lifetime. From a purely personal point of view, it's been a great day, and I can only thank Paul (Stoddart) for the opportunity to drive the F1x2 car. Nelson and I have had a blast!"
Nelson was similarly enthusiastic, commenting, "It's been a great experience and a lot of fun - I particularly enjoyed scaring the s**t out of certain people! Despite that, all the passengers got out of the car with big smiles and were obviously very impressed with what they had experienced.
"It's been absolutely great to drive an F1x2 car, and I'd just like to say thank you to Paul Stoddart, for the chance to get behind the wheel, and to Bridgestone, for all the hard work they put into Champ Car."
F1 news are really surprising and hot, I even forgot that my car needs an Acura Cl fuel injectors! Bye for now.
What has happened to the Indy Car series this year? I was very curious too…curious enough that even when I was hurrying to find an Acura Cl clutch, I found this tale of the 2007 IndyCar Series.
What happened to IndyCar’s racetrack this year? See below.
1. Dario Franchitti (637 points)
HIGH: He won his first Indianapolis 500 and his first major championship, the latter on the strength of four wins and 11 consecutive top-five finishes.
LOW: Franchitti launched into the air two times, both within a six-day stretch in August. The first, at Michigan, came after contact with co-leader Dan Wheldon. The second, at Kentucky, occurred when the 34-year-old Scot didn't see the checkered flag and drove into the back of Kosuke Matsuura. Amazingly, Franchitti walked away from both incidents.
2. Scott Dixon (624)
HIGH: He became the third driver in Indy Racing League history to win three consecutive races (Watkins Glen, Nash-ville, Mid-Ohio) and had the series lead with two races left. He lost by 13 points.
LOW: Dixon finished second in the season finale at Chicagoland and lost the title because he ran out of fuel on the final lap while leading.
3. Tony Kanaan (576)
HIGH: Kanaan won a series-high five races, further proof that Andretti Green Racing had rebounded from a very lackluster 2006 season. The Brazilian won at Motegi (Japan), Milwaukee, Michigan, Kentucky and Detroit.
LOW: He became embroiled in a highly publicized spat with longtime friend Helio Castroneves in the early part of the season. He drew criticism at Infineon Raceway in August when he gave up a chance to win the title so he could protect Franchitti, who had a damaged car after contact with teammate Marco Andretti.
4. Dan Wheldon (466)
HIGH: He won the season-opening race at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the second consecutive year, leading 179 of 200 laps in a dominating performance. He went on to lead 177 of the 200 laps at Kansas for his second win, making him the points leader (and race favorite) heading to the Indy 500, which he won in 2005.
LOW: After leading six of the first seven races, the former series champion went into a funk and wasn't a threat at Indy after setting the early pace in practice. In fact, he was never the same after Danica Patrick confronted him on pit road at Milwaukee.
5. Sam Hornish Jr. (465)
HIGH: The reigning series champion won at Texas, extending his career mark to 19 wins. The oval-track expert also scored an impressive second-place finish on the Watkins Glen road course.
LOW: Like Wheldon, last year's Indy 500 winner wasn't the same after a pit-road incident (his was at Watkins Glen, when his father shoved Kanaan and scrapped with a friend of Michael Andretti's). He led only two more races the rest of the season and finished outside the top three in points for the first time since 2004.
6. Helio Castroneves (446)
HIGH: Winning the St. Petersburg street-course race from the pole appeared to be the launching pad he needed in pursuit of his first championship. He would go on to win a series-record seven poles, including Indy's for the second time, to extend his career mark to a record 23.
LOW: Castroneves led 480 laps during the season, but he seldom seemed to be in contention to win. Like Hornish, he finished with only one win (for the third time in four seasons). It was a good thing he had Dancing with the Stars to look forward to.
7. Danica Patrick (424)
HIGH: She showed considerable progress in finishing "Best of the Rest" in her first season with AGR. She led four races and was in position to win her first IRL race on five occasions (Texas, Nashville, Mid-Ohio, Michigan and Detroit). She qualified second at Mid-Ohio and finished a career-best second at Detroit.
LOW: Lows for Patrick included pit-road spins at Homestead, Kentucky and Chicago-land. She should have picked a better time and place to confront Wheldon.
One of the favorite sites of internet savvies is Yahoo! The site has once been useful when I was looking for an Acura Cl Ac condenser and recently, the site named its Top Trends in Search for 2007 in its sports news domain. Luckily, the racing sweetheart, Ashley Force, made it to the Number ten post. Force made it behind NASCAR, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and other major sports celebrities.
Force made history when she became the first woman to advance to a final round in Funny Car in the NHRA. She was also awarded as the NHRA’s rookie of the year recognized by the Auto Club Road to the Future. In the NHRA POWERade Series, Ashley Force made it to the tenth place finishing in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. The 25 year old racer is the daughter of 14-time NHRA Funny Car world Champion John Force. The father and daughter duo stars in a reality TV show aired on the A&E Network, the “Driving Force”.
Her NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series victory made Ashley Force a celebrity. Earlier this year, she was named the “Hottest Athlete” in a nationwide survey conducted by AOL. Most fans voted for her defeating New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and IRL driver Danica Patrick. Additional publicities were given to her by her appearances in Good Morning America of ABC and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She was also featured in one famous journal for men.
“Searches can give us insight into a culture in motion and Yahoo!'s Top Trends in Search in 2007 reflects the world's fascination with crossroads and breakthroughs,” Heather Cabot, Yahoo! Web life editor, said in a press release. “People weren't just buzzing about celebrity. More than ever they sought to be environmentally responsible, were using the Web to find out about food and product safety and getting the scoop on the latest gadgets."
Yahoo! Top Trends in search for 2007 sports news
1. NASCAR
2. Maria Sharapova
3. Boston Red Sox
4. David Beckham
5. Serena Williams
6. Chicago Bears
7. Christiano Ronaldo
8. Super Bowl
9. Ronaldinho
10. Ashley Force
Whip City Speedway Rookie of the Year award was formerly the title of Erin Crocker and Crocker made history of being the youngest winner. But now, Crocker no longer holds the youngest Whip City Rookie of the Year, because Sierra Lister, 14 dethroned the famous lady racer.
“I didn’t even race a full season,” said the excited teen racer, just hours after the award. “I wasn’t even expecting it. We just went there to get experience” when she wasn’t running at her regular track. In running the few races she entered at Whip City, Lister won the September 1 race for the 1200cc Mini Sprints, becoming the youngest female racer to take a checkered flag at the track. “Erin Crocker used to have the record as youngest female to win there but I have it now, because I was 14,” she said.
After the Whip City Speedway, Sierra is planning to drive tracks for the Bud Lite 12 Pack indoor series at MotoTown USA in Windsor, Connecticut. Practice for the teenager for this winter competition was not that smooth. The faulty ignition wire made her first car useless and her back-up No.10S car stopped running, thanks to a blocked fuel line.
After the previous disastrous practice, her recent practice showed how the kid wiped older racers like an Acura wiper blades wiping the rain. The teen racer speeded up ““the second-fastest lap they’ve had there, ” reported Sierra. “I figured out that instead of letting off the gas, I could keep my foot in it, ” using the brake to drag the car down and make it rotate in the turns. “Eventually, they’d just wave me by, ” she added, describing the reactions of much older and more experienced drivers to having her pass them. “It’s just funny. ”
Another practice session is on the calendar for next Wednesday, followed by the series’ first race on the following Sunday. “I don’t know if we’ll make all of them, ” she said, admitting that family activities such as skiing will take precedence over the races sometimes.
"For me, at this stage of my life, (it is) the right decision is to step away from the cockpit," Bernstein said in a news release announcing he had hired Tommy Johnson Jr., husband of racing diva, Melanie Troxel to drive his Monster Energy Dodge Charger next sea son. Since 2001, Johnson had driven for Don Prudhomme and was able to grab five wins, however, Prudhomme does not have a sponsor.
In 2002, the 63-year old racer first retired but returned to the racing arena when his son Brandon got injured in a Top Fuel dragster crash. After the comeback, Bernstein retired again and again, came back this year for the Funny Car season. Now, he’s retiring for as many times we could remember. Let’s just hope its for good. Ooops! Well, I must report this fast now to continue my Acura Integra water pump.
During a September race in Texas, Bernstein’s car crashed into John Force’s vehicle. Force was immediately brought to the hospital while Bernstein did not suffer any injuries.
If indeed this is it for Bernstein, he leaves with 69 wins (none this season) and five championships: four in Funny Car (1985-88) and one in Top Fuel (1996).
"I still love driving," he explained last month at the season finale in Pomona, Calif. "I'm not hesitant there. It's just that there's a lot else that goes with this besides driving. I've not enjoyed the year we've had. We struggled quite a bit."
"It's been a good ride," Bernstein said.
Johnson's wife, Melanie Troxel, will compete against him. She is switching from Top Fuel to become Mike Ashley's teammate. They'll be at Firebird Raceway Jan. 25-27 for the National Time Trials. The racing couple is happily living in Avalon, California.
As I was looking for an Acura Integra heater core online, I have read this article that Danica Patrick, the first woman to lead Indianapolis 500, 25-year-old racing queen visited the Grange Motor Circuit in Apple Valley California not to do her usual Motor race but to star in a commercial for GoDaddy.com, an Internet domain name registrar.
For Summer Granger, daughter of Grange Motor Circuit owner, Jim Granger, Patrick’s visit was dream come true. Summer had been on the driving the go-karts for years now and the 15 year old has posted Danica Patrick’s hero card in their refrigerator to guide her in her racing dreams.
“It’s almost like deja vu,” said Granger, whose father Jim is a general partner in the race track. “To go from the refrigerator, to having her at your own carting facility — it’s phenomenal.”
The commercial was shot last Monday, however, the airing date is not yet revealed. Danica Patrick’s previous commercials were shown in ABC and ESPN and this new one is expected to be aired on either channels. For one year, Patrick had been a branded “Go Daddy Girl” and had also starred many commercials during televised races. But aside from her advertisements, Patrick’s biggest breakthrough in the world of auto racing was in 2005 when she led the 10 laps in the Indy 500.
The Grange Motor Circuit is a copies the likeness of a real race track but has the desert and the Stoddard Wells mountain as the background. When the track first opened, scouts from Hollywood had taken pictures of it.
According to Granger his race track, had been featured in several “America’s Next Top Model” and in an MTV special of Motorcycle racer Nicky Hayden. It was also one of the settings of the 2005 movie “Supercross”.
Go Daddy rented the track for the day for $500, and brought all their own equipment, Granger said.
“We take pride in making this look like a race track, from the time you go in the gate,” Granger said.
What are the typical dreams of a little girl? I can cite one. If you are born with Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White being read to you before sleeping, then living happily ever after with Prince Charming and a beautiful gown might have been yours. However if you are being called not a princess but Schumacher or St. James, then the race track is your wonderland. That’s what happened to Marwa Aleifa.
Way back, Aleifa, 26 was being called Marwa Schumacher for always pretending to grip a steering wheel. So what would we expect? She is now United Arab Emirates’ top motor racing princess.
Aside from driving as her passion and perhaps, profession Aleifa inspires women to follow her footsteps. She is encouraging women of any race to pursue their racing dreams, compete with racers regardless of gender and mostly do their best to win. As of the moment, the 26 year old lad is UAE’s lone woman driver in the UAE’s motor racing circuit.
"I feel bad that I’m the only woman competing. I want to see women in this profession," she quips and adds, "You never know. You may just have the talent in you. So give it a try."
Marwa started her racing career three years ago after because of a friend’s suggestion. "He said as long as I’m a car freak and drive fast, I can make it."
Because there are very few professional training opportunities for women races in her country, Marwa wasn’t able to attend one. Despite this, she won the First International Women’s Rally car race in Dubai in 2005 competing against 20 women racers.
Since then, Aleifa was offered automotive sponsorships. At present, Aleifa is driving a vehicle by General Motors. She is a consistent participant of the Lumina CSV Championship ME, a regional racing series where racers from all nationalities race against each other. The competition filters the best of the best in the race, functioning like an Acura Integra air filter.
Always keen on improving her skills, Marwa trains herself by racing with professional male racers. "Sometimes I let the guys go past at the turns as some of them are tricky. But once I get the professional training, there will be no mercy. I’m hoping to double the number of cars behind me," she laughs.
Recalling her passion for cars since childhood, she says, "I used to cut out posters of cars and pretend to drive them."
