Month: May 2020

All Hail The Mighty Foam Block

By David G. Firestone

Auto racing has a lot of different elements in it. These include the cars, the track, and all the implements in both. Drag racing has many different elements at the track. The most unique of these is the timing system. The Christmas tree is the centerpiece, and the timing blocks are one of the most critical elements.

In drag racing, sensors and lightweight orange foam blocks with reflectors are placed at 60, 330, 660, 1000, and 1320 feet. These sensors measure speed and elapsed time. They are made of very lightweight foam, so as not to damage the cars of they impact them. This example was cut in half by a nostalgia funny car at Las Vegas. Obviously, it shows very heavy use.

I know that this was a short one, so we will do another…

TAILGATING TIME!

Nothing fancy, going to post a recipe that can give mediocre hot dogs good flavor.

Dirty Water Hot Dogs

12 Servings

Ingredients:

12 Hot Dogs

2 quarts Water

2 tablespoons Vinegar

1 teaspoon Cumin

pinch Freshly Grated Nutmeg

12 Hot Dog Buns (split; toasted if desired)

Instructions:

1-Combine the Water, Vinegar, Cumin, and Nutmeg in a large pot, and bring to a boil.

2-Reduce to a simmer, and add the Hot dogs, cooking until the Hot dogs have heated through, about 5 minutes.

3-Serve on buns with desired condiments.

Next week, auto racing paperwork.

Paint Scheme Tracker-May 6, 2020

By David G. Firestone

STARCOM RACING #00

Quin Houff #00 Jacob Construction Chevy Camaro–New sponsor for 2020, White with red stripes, and red and blue curve. A-

Quin Houff #00 Victory Weekend Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2020, black with red and white stripes. A-

Quin Houff #00 Ashurst American Honey Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2020, yellow with black and white cutting edge designs. F

Quin Houff #00 Permatex Chevy Camaro–No change. A-

Quin Houff #00 UNITS Moving and Portable Storage Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2020, slightly different design on sides. A

CHIP GANASSI RACING #1

Kurt Busch #1 Monster Energy Chevy Camaro–No change. A

Kurt Busch #1 Gear Wrench Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2020, black with green and white cutting edge designs on sides. B

TEAM PENSKE #2

Brad Keselowski #2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang–No Change. A

Brad Keselowski #2 Autotrader Ford Mustang–No change. C

Brad Keselowski #2 Pirtek Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2020, dark purple with yellow Penske template. F

Brad Keselowski #2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford Mustang–No Change. A

Brad Keselowski #2 Wabash National Ford Mustang–No Change. A

Brad Keselowski #2 Wurth Ford Mustang–No Change. A

Brad Keselowski #2 Dent Wizard Ford Mustang–New sponsor for 2020, same as 20 #12. F

Brad Keselowski #2 Money Lion Ford Mustang–No change. C

Brad Keselowski #2 PPG Ford Mustang–No change. A

Brad Keselowski #2 Money Lion Ford Mustang-New scheme for 2020, gradient replaces old scheme. A

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #3

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Chevy Camaro–No Change. B+

Austin Dillon #3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2020, black top, green stripe around number, silver bottom. A

Austin Dillon #3 Symbicort Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2020, more side designs have been added. F

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Killz Coatings Chevy Camaro–No change. B+

Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Chevy Camaro–No change. A

STEWART HAAS RACING #4

Kevin Harvick #4 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang–No change. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang–No change. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang-New scheme for 2020, silver replaces black on hood and roof. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Light Ford Mustang–No change. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Jimmy Johns Ford Mustang–No change. A-

Kevin Harvick #4 #PIT4BUSCH Ford Mustang-New scheme for 2020, silver with blue and white flames. A

Kevin Harvick #4 Hunt Brothers Pizza/Fields Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2020, white with a series of green and grass motif. F

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #6

Ryan Newman #6 Oscar Meyer Ford Mustang–New scheme for 2020, green with white and bacon motif. A

Ryan Newman #6 Castrol Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2019, white, green, red, and black with zig-zag designs. C

Ryan Newman #6 Oscar Meyer Ford Mustang-New scheme for 2020, black with red and yellow bottles and splatter motif. F

Ryan Newman #6 Koch Industries Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2020, white front, black middle, blue rear. A

Ross Chastain #6 Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang–No change. B+

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING #8

Tyler Reddick #8 Caterpillar Chevy Camaro–No Change. A

Tyler Reddick #8 Tame the Beast Chevy Camaro–No change. B+

Tyler Reddick #8 I Am Second Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2020, black shattered front, red and blue mid to rear, white stripe between. F

Tyler Reddick #8 Caterpillar MinExpo 2020 Chevy Camaro-New scheme for 2020, yellow sides, paint motif, and black roof. A

Tyler Reddick #8 Roland Chevy Camaro–No change. F

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #9

Chase Elliott #9 NAPA Chevy Camaro–No change. B+

Chase Elliott #9 Mountain Dew Zero Sugar Chevy Camaro-New scheme for 2020, black with green Camaro stripes and green stripes on sides. A

Chase Elliott #9 UniFirst Chevy Camaro–No change. B-.

Chase Elliott #9 Hooters Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2020, black with orange numbers and stripes. A

Chase Elliott #9 Kelly Blue Book Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2020, blue replaces white, gold replaces blue. C+

STEWART HAAS RACING #10

Aric Almirola #10 Smithfield Foods Ford Mustang–No change. A

Aric Almirola #10 Smithfield Pure Farmland Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2020, white with green and blue stripes. A-

Aric Almirola #10 Eckrich Ford Mustang–No change. A

JOE GIBBS RACING #11

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry–No Change. B+

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry–No change. B+

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry–No change. B+

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry–No change. B+

TEAM PENSKE #12

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Jack Links Beef Jerky Ford Mustang–New sponsor for 2020, same as 2020 #21. A

Ryan Blaney #12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2020, reverse color scheme of Shell/Pennzoil. D

Ryan Blaney #12 Dex Imaging Ford Mustang–No change. A

Ryan Blaney #12 Body Armor Ford Mustang–New scheme for 2020, the designs on sides have been cleaned up. A

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Peak Ford Mustang–No change. B+

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Pennzoil Ford Mustang–No change. B-

Ryan Blaney #12 Body Armor Kobe Tribute Ford Mustang-New scheme for 2020, yellow fade to blue with snake skin motif. A

Ryan Blaney #12 Menard’s/Tarkett Ford Mustang–No change. A

GERMAIN RACING #13

Ty Dillon #13 Geico Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2020, design has been cleaned up a bit. D

STEWART HAAS RACING #14

Clint Bowyer #14 Rush’s Truck Stops Ford Mustang–No change. A

Clint Bowyer #14 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang–No change. A

Clint Bowyer #14 Blue Def Ford Mustang–No change. C

PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #15

Brennan Poole #15 Spartan Mosquito Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2020, White with yellow and blue Camaro stripes. B+

Brennan Poole #15 GOETTL Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2020, teal top, white stripe, green bottom. A

Brennan Poole #15 CHOC Children’s Hospital Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2020, white, yellow, and blue with child designs on sides and stripes. A-

KAULIG RACING #16

Justin Haley #16 Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevy Camaro–No change. A

ROUSH-FENWAY RACING #17

Chris Buescher #17 SunnyD Ford Mustang–No change. F

Chris Buescher #17 Fastenal Ford Mustang–New scheme for 2020, side stripes have been toned down. B+

JOE GIBBS RACING #18

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Toyota Camry–No change. A

Kyle Busch #18 Skittles Dips Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2020, white has been added. B+

Kyle Busch #18 Snickers White Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2020, white with red and blue stripes. B

Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2020, light green with lightning motif across car. F

Kyle Busch #18 Pedigree Toyota Camry–No change. A

Kyle Busch #18 SportClips Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2020, same as #20. C-

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s/Appalachian State University Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2020, black with Appalachian State University and black M&Ms’s motif. A

Kyle Busch #18 M&Ms Messages Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2020, similar to M&M’s, but with message logos on hood and sides. A

JOE GIBBS RACING #

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry–No change. C-

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Auto Owner’s Insurance Toyota Camry–No change. B+

Martin Truex Jr. #19 Sirius XM Toyota Camry–No change. B-

Martin Truex, Jr. #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2020, side cleaned up, more orange added. B

Martin Truex Jr. #19 SportClips Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2020, same as #20. C-

JOE GIBBS RACING #20

Erik Jones #20 DeWalt Toyota Camry–No change. A

Erik Jones #20 Stanley Toyota Camry–No change. C

Erik Jones #20 SportClips Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2020, smartphone motif has been removed. C-

Erik Jones #20 Irwin Tools Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2020, blue with yellow and black stripes. C

Erik Jones #20 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota Camry–No Change. A

Erik Jones #20 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2020, same as #18. F

WOOD BROTHERS RACING #21

Matt DiBenedetto #21 Menards/Maytag Ford Mustang–No change. A

Matt DiBenedetto #21 Motorcraft Ford Mustang–No change. A

Matt DiBenedetto #21 Quaker State Ford Mustang–No change. B-

Matt DiBenedetto #21 Menard’s/Knauf Ford Mustang–No change. B+

TEAM PENSKE #22

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang–No change. D

Joey Logano #22 AAA Insurance Ford Mustang–No change. D

Joey Logano #22 Pennzoil Ford Mustang–No change. A

Joey Logano #22 AAA Southern California Ford Mustang–No change. D

Joey Logano #22 Money Lion Ford Mustang-Same scheme as #2. A

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #24

William Byron #24 Hertz Chevy Camaro–No Change. A

William Byron #24 Liberty University Chevy Camaro–No change. A

William Byron #24 Liberty University Chevy Camaro–No change. A

William Byron #24 Axalta Chevy Camaro–No change. A

William Byron #24 Axalta Chevy Camaro-New scheme for 2020, Axalta Sea Glass replaces dark blue. C

William Byron #24 Axalta Kobe Tribute Chevy Camaro-New scheme for 2020, Lakers blue front, with curves up sides, and Lakers yellow on roof. A

PREMIUM MOTORSPORTS #27

Reed Sorenson #27 Chevy Camaro-New scheme for 2020, blue. A

GO FAS RACING #32

Corey LaJoie #32 Pala Casino Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2020, red fade to black. A

Corey LaJoie #32 Schluter Systems Ford Mustang–New scheme for 2020, orange waffle design remains but black and red flames have been added. B+

Corey LaJoie #32 RagingBull.com Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2020, blue front, checkered flag motif side, white rear. A

Corey LaJoie #32 MotorTrend Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2020, black with red slash paint motif. C-

Corey LaJoie #32 Superior Logistics Ford Mustang-New scheme for 2020, American flag motif across car. A

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #34

Michael McDowell #34 Love’s Truck Stops Ford Mustang–No change. A

Michael McDowell #34 Dockside Logistics Ford Mustang–New scheme for 2020, black with a series of red and gray designs on sides. F

RICK WARE RACING #36

David Ragan #36 Select Blinds Ford Mustang–No change. B

JTG DAUGHERTY RACING #37

Ryan Preece #37 Cottonelle Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2020, blue, white, yellow with a series of stripes and designs on sides and front. C

Ryan Preece #37 Natural Light Seltzer Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2020, white with pink, yellow, and red fruit motif across car. F

Chris Buescher #37 Velveeta Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2020, cheese motif extends to rear. A

FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS #38

John Hunter Nemechek #38 Speedy Cash Ford Mustang–No change. A

John Hunter Nemechek #38 Citgard Ford Mustang–No change. B+

John Hunter Nemechek #38 Fire Alarm Services Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2020, white with designs on sides, and stripes on hood. A

John Hunter Nemechek #38 Berry’s Bullets Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2020, white with gray stripes and a black stripe on rear. A

John Hunter Nemechek #38 MDS Ford Mustang–No change. B+

John Hunter Nemechek #38 Mystik Lubricants Ford Mustang–No change. B+

John Hunter Nemechek #38 YANMAR Ford Mustang–No change. A

STEWART HAAS RACING #41

Cole Custer #41 Haas Automotion Ford Mustang–No change. F

Cole Custer #41 Production Alliance Group Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2020, black with white and red designs on sides. B

CHIP GANASSI RACING #42

Kyle Larson #42 Credit One Chevy Camaro–No Change. A

Kyle Larson #42 Advent Health Chevy Camaro–New sponsor for 2020, green, blue, pink, and silver with cutting edge design on sides. F

Kyle Larson #42 McDonald’s Chevy Camaro–No change. B

Kyle Larson #42 Clover Chevy Camaro–No change. A

RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS #43

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Air Force Chevy Camaro–No change. A

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 World Wide Technology Chevy Camaro–No change. C

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Coca Cola Energy Chevy Camaro-New scheme for 2020, black with a series of tiny red stripes on sides. F

Darrell Wallace Jr. #43 Victory Junction Ford Mustang–No change. A-

JTG DAUGHERTY RACING #47

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #47 Kroger Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2020, blue, with a white stripe and white designs on rear. A

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #48

Jimmie Johnson #48 Ally Financial Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2020, black with cutting edge designs on sides. A

MBM MOTORSPORTS #49

Chad Finchum #49 Garrison Homes/Toyota Knoxville Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2020, blue and white with curves on sides. B+

RICK WARE RACING #51

Joey Gase #51 Page Construction/ASC Agri Services Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2020, gray with a series of designs on sides. F

Garrett Smithley #51 Chevy Camaro-New scheme for 2020, white. A

BJ McCleod #51 Jacob Companies Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2020, red, blue and silver curve up sides. A

RICK WARE RACING #52

BJ McLeod #52 Ford Mustang-New scheme for 2020, white sides, black hood and roof, curves on sides. B+

BJ McLeod #52 Christensen Arms Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2020, carbon fiber motif with red roof. A

JJ Yeley #52 Ford Mustang-New scheme for 2020, black. A

JJ Yeley #52 Window World Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2020, white with black roof, and red and black curve. A

JJ Yeley #52 Jacob Companies Ford Mustang-New scheme for 2020, black. A

RICK WARE RACING #53

Joey Gase #53 Nevada Donor Network Chevy Camaro–New sponsor for 2020, black with a series of designs on sides. F

Joey Gase #53 One Legacy Ford Mustang-New sponsor for 2020, black with a series of designs on sides. F

RICK WARE RACING #54

JJ Yeley #54 Ford Mustang-New scheme for 2020, black. A

BEARD MOTORSPORTS #62

Brendan Gaughan #62 Beard Oil/South Point Chevy Camaro–No change. A

MBM MOTORSPORTS #66

Timmy Hill #66 RoofClaim.com Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2020, green front, brown sides, white rear. F

Timmy Hill #66 Manscaped/Lasvegas.net Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2020, black front, red stripe, white rear. A-

Timmy Hill #66 Pit Boss Grills Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2020, white fade to flames to black on sides. A

SPIRE MOTORSPORTS #77

Ross Chastain #77 Advent Health Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2020, same as #42. F

Reed Sorenson #77 Chevy Camaro–New sponsor for 2020, black. A

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS #88

Alex Bowman #88 Cincinnati, Inc. Chevy Camaro–No Change. A

Alex Bowman #88 LLumar Window Film Chevy Camaro–New scheme for 2020, vertical rectangle design. A

Alex Bowman #88 Axalta Throwback Chevy Camaro–No change. A

Alex Bowman #88 Adam’s Polishes/Chevy Group Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2020, black with orange and gold stripe. A

Alex Bowman #88 NOCO/Group Chevy Camaro-New sponsor for 2020, same as Adam’s Polishes but with NOCO on hood. A

Alex Bowman #88 Valvoline Chevy Camaro–No change. A

LEAVINE FAMILY RACING #95

Christopher Bell #95 Rheem Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2020, red, white, and black with stripes. B+

Christopher Bell #95 Procore Chevy Toyota Camry–No change. F

GAUNT BROTHERS RACING #96

Daniel Suarez #96 Toyota Toyota Camry–New scheme for 2020, black with red and white curves on sides. B-

Daniel Suarez #96 Commscope Toyota Camry-New scheme for 2020, black with yellow and blue. A

Daniel Suarez #96 Toyota Toyota Camry-New sponsor for 2020, blue with red and white curls on sides. F

Paint Scheme Grades-May 2, 2020

By David G. Firestone

Editor’s Note, due to the cancellation of the NASCAR season through May, I will do the Paint Scheme Tracker every week, and the Paint Scheme Grades every other week. This will last until the racing season resumes, or until I run out of new schemes. DGF

Austin Dillon #3 American Ethanol Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

John Hunter Nemechek #38 YANMAR Ford Mustang-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Kyle Larson #42 Clover Chevy Camaro-Same scheme as last year, same A grade.

Daniel Suarez #96 Toyota Toyota Camry-It’s a mediocre color scheme, I don’t like the shade of red and blue here. I also don’t like the design scheme. All things considered, this gets an F.

Celebrating the Tracks That Host The Races!

By David G. Firestone

I collect all kinds of memorabilia, not just from auto racing, but from many kinds of sports. One thing that I collect that most people don’t really realize is an aspect of the sports memorabilia market is what is referred to as “stadium memorabilia.” Stadium memorabilia is memorabilia that comes from stadiums as opposed to players or drivers. It has gained new heights since the demolition of Yankee Stadium, Texas Stadium, and Steiner Sports selling memorabilia from the stadium.

This phenomena has spread to NASCAR. With the reconfiguration of Daytona, a slew of memorabilia from the track is now up for sale on eBay and NASCAR.com. Stadium memorabilia comes in several forms. These include seats, signs, scoreboard parts, and playing surfaces, amongst other things. I like to focus on playing surfaces. I have a number of different samples of artificial turf, some baseball infield dirt, and track pieces. This example came from Daytona after the repave in 2011.daytona2 The entire 2.5 mile surface was removed and the track repaved. The old track was cut into pieces and sold to fans. This is an example of one of those pieces. It is 3 inches by 2 inches, about a third of an inch thick, and has a small plaque on it commemorating that it came from the track.daytona1 daytona2 daytona3 daytona4No track is as well-known as Indianapolis. Affectionately known as “The Brickyard” because of the yard of original bricks that make up the start/finish line.indy-1 The line has had several different paint jobs over the years. This plaque has a piece of an original brick, and part of the start/finish line. The pieces of brick, and start/finish line are 1 ½ inch square, and the whole plaque is six inches by 1 foot.indy-1 indy-2 indy-3 indy-4This is a small piece of the racing surface from Talladega. Moving away from racing surface pieces, we move to this piece, which is a banner from the 2004 MBNA America 400 “A Salute To Heroes.” dover-backdrop-1The race took place on June 6, 2004, exactly 60 years after the D-Day invasion. Racing, especially NASCAR holds our military personnel and veterans in the high esteem they richly deserve, and the theme of this race was honoring our veterans. The race had an even more somber note. Ronald Reagan has passed away the previous day. This backdrop, which measures 8 feet tall by 26 feet long was used during the pre-race ceremonies, which included commemoration ceremonies, driver introductions, the invocation, and national anthem. I was able to video match it to the telecast. I normally add a white background to these photos, but I didn’t do that. I wanted to show the size of the banner, and so I had to lay it out on the front lawn, and photograph it from my office window.dover-backdrop-1 dover-backdrop-2 dover-backdrop-3 dover-backdrop-4 dover-backdrop-5 dovers-1 dovers-2This last item isn’t stadium used per se, but it falls in line with the banner above. AJ Foyt Enterprises fielded cars in IndyCar, NASCAR, CART, and USAC. While their IndyCar programs were successful, their NASCAR program wasn’t. From 2000 to 2002, Foyt’s #14 was sponsored by Conseco. For that sponsorship, this backdrop was created.conseco-1 It’s about a 1/3 the length of the Dover banner, but the same height. It has a series of NASCAR and Conseco logos.conseco-1 conseco-2 conseco-3 conseco-4That’s the Friday Feature this week, but next week, I’ve got an interesting little quirk in auto racing memorabilia…stay tuned.