The Goal of All Drivers in Racing…

By David G. Firestone

I’m going to do things a little bit differently this week. This week’s article will be done in conjunction with another article I am writing for my other blog. DGF2099.com, both are about the same subject, trophies, but this article will be on racing trophies, whereas the other article will be on other trophies. Let’s get started.

For this week, we will focus on collecting trophies. Drivers race for two things, the love of the sport, and to win. Climbing out of the car in victory lane feels good, and being presented a trophy for winning feels even better. Interestingly, trophies and awards from NASCAR and other racing series are frequently finding their way into private collections, such as mine. It might seem odd that trophies make their way into private collections, but there are a myriad of reasons for this.

One reason for this is that after their racing career ends, drivers will sometimes need to make some money, and will sell them. Other times, they are sold to raise money for charity. Sometimes it is because they need more space. After a driver passes away, the family will sell off the trophies, because they don’t have the same meaning to the rest of the family. In any event, these artifacts are unique items to collect, and are as unique as the drivers who won them.

Drivers have been awarded everything from surfboards, wine bottles, and guitars, to grandfather clocks, and gas pumps. The grandfather clock is given out to winners at Martinsville was started in 1964. The story goes that track founder Henry Clay Earles was talking with Curtis Turner, and in the course of conversation, Turner mentioned he did not have the room for trophies, and had to give some away, so he decided to award a trophy with a legitimate function, and as luck would have it, Ridgeway Clocks had a factory 3 miles away from the track. Earles gave the first grandfather clock to Fred Lorenzen when he won the 1964 Old Dominion 500, and the rest is history.

Interestingly, giving trophies that had everyday functions is a lot more common than most people realize. This example is a silver footed tray. It is 21 inches long, and 17.5 inches wide. It looks as though it could have been used for a tea service or as a serving tray for food at a party. It was awarded to the winner of the Oilzum Motor Oil Trophy Race at Onteora Speedway in Olive New York. The name of the winner, and when the race was run has been lost to history. It has some scratches across the front, but for a trophy as old as it is, it is still in very good condition.

Award and function combine again in this 4 inch tall silver mug given to the winner of something called the SCCA Rallye on December 1, 1957. It has not fared as well as the tray, showing rust spots and discoloration.

Then again, there is something to be said for the traditional trophy. One driver who had a lot of them is Ernie Derr. Derr raced in IMCA or the International Motor Contest Association, which was founded in 1915, and is the oldest active auto racing sanctioning body in the United States. Derr has more victories and championships in IMCA than anyone else, having won a total of 328 wins and a staggering 12 IMCA championships. STP sponsored him for a number of years, and awarded him this STP Handicap trophy. It is 11 inches tall, with a winged wheel design, and a vintage STP logo decal, which is peeling off. Though the mirrored background around the STP decal is discolored, it is still in decent condition, though I have not been able to figure out what the STP Handicap is. Races are won and lost on pit road, and having a great crew chief is key to winning. Pit crews are given trophies for helping their team win. Buddy Parrot was a NASCAR crew chief for 34 years, and helped Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, and Rusty Wallace. In 1996, he joined Roush Racing, as crew chief for Jeff Burton. Burton did not win a race in 1996, but Parrott was awarded this 1996 RCA Pit Strategy award. It is a Plexiglass hexagon, over a foot tall, and 3 inches wide, some of the lettering is engraved into the Plexiglass, other lettering is added with decals, which are slightly peeling off.

The reasons why collectors like these trophies in their collections is that a trophy represents a drivers true success. It is the same reason collectors collect championship rings in their favorite sport. The trophies themselves have stories behind them, they are uniquely designed, and are treasured by the drivers, though sometimes circumstances lead them to being sold or auctioned off. They are unique and interesting to collect. and are great conversation pieces.

We will continue this discussion next week…

Die Casts-Celebrating the Machines

By David G. Firestone

How I have gone as long as I have without delving into the subject of die casts? I really don’t know, but for this week’s column, we are going to discuss it. Racing as a sport is half man, half machine. When it comes to collectibles, they both get virtually equal billing. One of the biggest collectibles in racing is the legendary die cast car.

Die cast cars began as an industry in the early 20^th Century, but the early cars were very basic, with a simple body design and rolling wheels. They were of very poor quality, lacked detail, and often broke for no apparent reason. An zinc-based alloy named Zamak solved this problem. In 1953 Jack Odell, co-owner of Lesney Products in England had a moment that revolutionized the industry forever. His daughter went to a school that allowed the students to bring toys, provided they were small enough to fit in a matchbox. He created a small die cast steam roller that could easily fit in a matchbox. For the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, he created a similarly sized model of her Coronation coach. After selling 1 million of these small coaches, he realized he was on to something, and thus the Matchbox line of die cast cars was born. In 1968 Mattel launched the Hot Wheels brand, which, like Matchbox created cars in 1:64 scale, or S-Scale for railroading. In 1997 after being sold numerous times, Mattel bought Matchbox and has been fostering the brand ever since.

Race cars are a popular version of die casts, as most boys who love racing will buy the die cast of their favorite driver, and play with it as if they are driving the car. I’m guilty of this, as I’m willing to bet the majority of racing fans are, if you don’t believe, check this out. In the beginning, die casts were marketed and sold to kids, but as time went on, it became clear that grown up fans liked these as well. So die cast manufacturers began to create larger “adult collectibles,” typically in either 1:18 scale, or 1:24 scale, or one of the accepted G scales. The adult die casts will feature alcohol and tobacco sponsors, and are much more accurate in design, with cloth window nets, and working hoods, decklids, and roof spoilers. As time progressed, these cars gained a very dedicated following, and have become very profitable for NASCAR, IndyCar and F1. Interesting to note that the standard size for NHRA and NASCAR die casts is 1:24 and 1:64 whereas IndyCar uses 1:18 and 1:64 and F1 use 1:18 and 1:43. NASCAR die casts can also be purchased in 1:43, 1:32, and 1:18, here is how they compare to each other:

An adult collectible die cast as mentioned above, is very accurate, such as this Jamie McMurray example from 2010. The amount of accuracy in this design is stunning! The window net is made of cloth,the contingency decals are all accurate

the roof features a place for the in car cameras, as well was a pair of functioning roof spoilers.The hood opens to display a very accurately recreated engine.Whereas this Dale Earnhardt Jr. die cast, this one a children’s toy has a plastic window net, the contingency decals aren’t as accurate,the roof does not feature working roof spoilers, or an in-car camera pod,and the hood doesn’t open.If we look at an IndyCar die cast, we see some different things. This example is an Alex Barron example from 1998, purchased because I have the matching driver suit. This particular die cast is a 1:18 scale, and features a working suspension that when you move the wheels move the steering wheel. Everything else about the car, including the helmet and driver suit are perfect as compared to the real car. Everything that I just said about the Jamie McMurray die cast can also apply to this Dale Earnhardt IROC model. Again the accuracy in this design is amazing! One of my personal favorie die casts is this Cruz Pedregon 1:32 die cast from 1998. The body can be removed from the rest of the car to reveal details of the car. Haulers, which are used to transport cars to and from races, but they aren’t made as much today as they used to, sadly. This example is a Ricky Rudd example from the early 1990’s. Now we move from replica cars to the real ones as we get to…

PAINT SCHEME REVIEWS

Brad Keselowski #2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford Fusion Very solid design, the yellow works very well, and the black numbers and stripes work very well, and I can’t give it anything less than an A+

Brad Keselowski #2 Wurth Ford Fusion Another very solid design with a great color scheme that earns an A+

Dave Blaney #77 Plinker Arms Ford Fusion I would love for the side design to be more simplified. It is a decent scheme, but the door design is too busy, and it is very distracting. I give this scheme a C-, bad design, good color scheme.

Ryan Truex #83 Borla Exhaust Toyota Camry This is actually a great scheme, with the oversized exhaust design that starts on the area where the real exhaust starts, and extends to just under the numbers. The number has been redesigned since last year and they work very well. I give this scheme an A.

In Memorandum 2013 Continued.

Andy Granatelli-Former CEO of STP, partially responsible for STP’s sponsorship of Richard Petty.

Bruce Pepper-Brother of ThorSport Racing GM David Pepper.

Dennis Wood-Former owner of Phoenix International Speedway

Now comes the best news of the new year so far…THE ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA STARTS LATER TODAY! The TUDOR United SportsCar Championship starts off the racing season later today. Fox will carry the first part of the race starting at 2PM/1PM CST, and Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2 will carry the race as well. You had better believe I will be watching and enjoying it.

Two Birthdays in January…

By David G. Firestone
On the first anniversary of the founding of The Driver Suit Blog I felt it appropriate to analyze the first two NASCAR driver suits I ever bought. I started in the driver suit hobby in March of 2010, with a Bill Sedgwick Die Hard driver suit from the Craftsman Truck Series in 1996. I purchased this specific item for a number of reasons, first, it was well within my price range, and second, I wanted a low-end example that I can look at and get a general feel for aspects that I will see in other driver suits.
Some of the stuff I learned from this particular suit helped me understand the very basics of design aspects on race-worn driver suits. Some of the aspects I discovered from that were completely different and it was through subsequent research that I began to understand driver suits more. I have kept it for as long as I have is because I love the suit, and I even though I have had it for almost 4 years, I still find aspects about it that interest me.
The suit is custom designed for Darrell Waltrip’s Craftsman Truck Series team. Sedgwick drove the #17 Chevy C-1500 for the entire 1996 season, whereas Waltrip drove the #5 truck for a very limited schedule. Sedgwick had 3 top 5’s and 8 top 10’s in the 23 of the 24 races that year, and led a total of 8 laps. Sedgwick was released at the end of the season.
The triple-layer suit is custom designed for Sedgwick, with the Sears Die Hard logos on the collar and shoulder epaulets, Sears Die Hard logos across the front and Sedgwick’s name on the right chest,no arm gussets, no adornment on the belt,TV logos and safety stripes on the legs,TV logos on the sleeves, and a huge logo across the back. I purchased a press kit for this suit, which I covered in December, concerning this suit, and I realized that the suit Sedgwick is wearing in the promotional photo is the same suit that is in my collection. I keep the press kit in my authentication binder with the rest of my COA’s and LOA’s The other suit I bought, my first Winston Cup suit was a Lake Speed suit from 1997, this one is a bit different. In 1997, Speed was racing for Melling Racing, which in 1997 was a shell of its former self. Melling had 34 victories and the 1988 Winston Cup Championship, but by 1997, they had no real sponsorship, and had not won a race since 1991. During that season Lake Speed didn’t score a top 5, top 10, or victory, and only led 3 laps in the 25 races he raced in that year.Due to the lack of sponsorship, Speed didn’t have the luxury of having a custom-made suit that season so he wore what appears to be a store bought suit. It looks like the suit was purchased either from a store or a catalog, and customized for Lake’s use. There are no large sponsor logos on the collar,shoulder epaulets, torso,sleeves, or legs.The legs have a cuff cut, as opposed to a boot cut like the Bill Sedgwick suit has.
Everyone who has a hobby or an interest started somewhere. With me, it was with these two driver suits. No matter what you do in your hobby, or how high you fly in your hobby, you were a rookie, and you started from somewhere. Never forget where you came from. These two suits are a reminder of what I was, and I love these two.
Before we get to paint schemes, I need to say something to my readers. When I started this project one year ago, I never thought it would take off as much as it did. I have a group of really awesome readers and followers. I also owe a special thanks to Paul Lukas of Uni-Watch, because if I had never written my two articles for Uni-Watch in 2013, I would never have done the research I did for them, and I would never have had the frustration of not finding research from the collector’s perspective, and The Driver Suit would never have been born. To all my readers, from the bottom of my heart, I say thank you! Stay Tuned because 2014 will be even better than 2013!

Paint Scheme Reveiws

Jamie McMurray #1 Cessna Chevy SS Black with silver numbers and white trim looks simple and really good. I can’t say anything bad about this scheme, and bonus points for improving the door number design. A+

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s Chevy SS Same great design as last year, same A grade.

Austin Dillon #3 Dow Chevy SS Take the white stripe down the side off, and it will be a solid A scheme. The white does not look good at all. The red/white/black color scheme works very well, and it is decently designed, so I will give it a B+

Danica Patrick #10 Go Daddy Chevy SS Not only does Go Daddy continue to use the worst shade of yellow in NASCAR, they also have given the worst shade of orange a more prominent role in the car. Givng this car an F is a very fair grade.

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry Same scheme as last year, same C+ grade

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry Same scheme as last year, same C+ grade

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry Same scheme as last year, same C+ grade

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry Same scheme as last year, same C+ grade

Casey Mears #13 Geico Ford Fusion The yellow they use is awful, and the side design is just too loud, I’ll give it a D

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 NOS Ford Fusion I love this color scheme, however, I don’t love the side design. It has too many different different designs, all of which would work on their own but combined they look like a jumbled mess. I really want to like this scheme, but I just can’t, so I’ll give it a C-

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fifth-Third Bank Ford Fusion Everything I just said about NOS applies here. C-

Clint Bowyer #15 5 Hour Energy Toyota Camry Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Toyota Camry Same scheme as last year, same A+ grade.

Ryan Newman #31 Cat Chevy SS New season, new driver, new scheme that looks great and earns an A

Kurt Busch #41 Haas CNC Chevy SS Great color scheme and a very simple desgin look very good here. I also like the matte black used, and the door numbers look really solid. Can’t give this scheme anything less than an A

Kyle Larson #42 Target Chevy SS The scheme looks decent, I like the white on the back, though I do not like the Target logos at the bottom. That takes a scheme that was an A grade to a B-

Brian Vickers #55 Aaron’s Toyota Camry A good scheme, and the 55 lettering looks really good here, and the gold is a nice touch. A

Martin Truex Jr. #78 Furniture Row Chevy SS Simple, and perfect. A+

Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevy SS Same scheme as last year, but I never gave it a grade. So here is my analysis Not a great scheme, too much needless design on the side of the car, and the silver background is just brutal. The red lettering on a green background is unattractive at best, and all in all, this is a D- grade.

Michael McDowell #95 Levine Family Racing Ford Fusion This scheme is so much better than last year’s scheme, and just for that I’ll give it a B

Carl Edwards #99 Aflac Ford Fusion This has a terrible color scheme, with lime green, neon blue, black and white. The wing design is not only ugly but would work better starting at the door and working behind.

Daytona Preseason Thunder 2014 News and Notes

By David G. Firestone

Chicago hit -15 on Monday, and due to the fact I work outside, I was in the middle of it. The temperature was much more hospitable in Daytona Beach where Preseason Thunder took place at Daytona Motor Speedway. Thursday’s testing session was rained out, but Friday’s session took place.

The two major things that happened at Preseason Thunder were that #1 NASCAR was testing a new spoiler for restrictor plate racing. This new spoiler is a half-inch higher, which in theory will make the cars much more stable in the back end. NASCAR is hopeful, but not fully sold yet, so the new spoilers have the word TEST stamped into it.

The second thing that took place was that Rusty Wallace, who was elected into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2014 took a number of laps in the #2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion. Rusty brought Miller with him as a sponsor when he joined Penske Racing 1991, and Miller has been on the car ever since. Rusty even dressed to impress by wearing a throwback inspired Miller Lite driver suit…

it is hard to put into words how much I love that suit. Seriously, I hope Brad Keselowski wears a suit like that for the whole season.

Other notes

*Joey Logano was wearing a Puma driver suit for this session. He was wearing an FMF suit in 2013, so it looks as though he’s got a new deal.

*Puma is involved with Logano’s teammate Brad Keselowski, as Keselowski is wearing a new Puma suit

*Jimmie Johnson, who is running a very nice 2014 scheme, ran a very impressive testing scheme, which I honestly hope gets used on track sometime in 2014.

*Dale Jr. was using a neat looking font on his numbers, again it would look really good on the regular car.

*Aric Almirola had the best thing I have ever seen on the back of a race car, no questions asked!

*Last year, the Ford Fusion had a grill design that led to grills popping off during races. The design was changed so that the whole nose, grill included is now one piece.

*There was a major announcement concerning qualifying. After the Daytona 500 there will be a new qualifying format. That format has yet to be announced. The Camping World Truck Series and the Nationwide Series will have a brand new qualifying format starting at Daytona. Again, these formats have yet to be announced.

*For the Daytona 500, Trevor Bayne will wear a special helmet with a wood grain design based on an old Ford design.

Michael Waltrip will be wearing a special helmet to commemorate the passing of Andy Granatelli last year, and I think the best thing about that is that Richard Petty signed the helmet. I think this might be the first time a driver has worn an autographed helmet in a NASCAR event… Here are the suit brands that drivers were wearing at Daytona…

Marcos Ambrose-Simpson

Clint Boywer-Oakley

Austin Dillon-Sparco

Dale Earnhardt Jr.-Alpine Stars

Carl Edwards-Simpson

Jeff Gord0n-Alpine Stars

Kevin Harvick-Sparco

Kasey Kahne-Alpine Stars

Brad Keselowski-Puma

Matt Kenseth-Sparco

Bobby Labonte-Sparco

Kyle Larson-Impact

Joey Logano-Puma

Jamie McMurray-Impact

Martin Truex Jr.-Oakley

Brian Vickers-Oakley

Michael Waltrip-Oakley

And there are some recent deaths I have to cover,

Tetsuo Fuchigami aka George Tet-first Japanese Sprint Cup driver.

Andy Granatelli-Former CEO of STP, partially responsible for STP’s sponsorship of Richard Petty.

Bruce Pepper-Brother of ThorSport Racing GM David Pepper.

Dennis Wood-Former owner of Phoenix International Speedway

Caleb Moore-Snowmobile Racer

Brian Hart-Former F1 driver and Engineer

Ernie Derr-Winningest Driver in IMCA history.

There was also a tragic incident at the Dakar Rally where a writer and fan were killed.

“Press Kit” Does NOT Mean Ironing a Uniform!

By David G. Firestone

Hope you all had a great holiday season, whatever you celebrate. I turned 32 on Thursday, and am celebrating the first year of the The Driver Suit Blog. Ok, enough sappy stuff, on to this week’s column.We’ve discussed photo-matching before, but here is something regarding photo matching that many people don’t know about, using press kits to photo match a suit. Press Kits are defined on Wikipedia as “a prepackaged set of promotional materials of a person, company, or organization distributed to the media for promotional use.” In sports, these are usually distributed to the media, prior to the start of the season, and usually contain information about players, statistics on players, history of the teams, photos, and the occasional gift.

NASCAR teams distribute these to the media before and during the season, and they often find their way into the hands of collectors. These kits are fun to collect, and I enjoy looking at the various driver suits that the drivers are wearing. These have a serious side in the collectors market, as they can easily be used for photo-matching.This is an example of a NASCAR press kit, this one from 1996. Bill Sedgwick was the driver of the #17 Die Hard Chevy C-1500. The team was owned by Darrell Waltrip, who also raced for the team in a number of events. In 1996, he started 23 of the 24 races in the Craftsman Truck Series, and had a decent season, with 3 top 5’s and 8 top 10’s, including a 2^nd place finish at Milwaukee. He finished the season in 14^th place. During the season, this press kit was distributed to the media. It comes in a custom folder, and contains race statistics a driver profile,an owner profile ,sponsor information,technical information, a bumper sticker,and a photo of both Darrell and Bill.I own Sedgwick’s suit from that season, it was the first driver suit I ever bought.

I tried to find a picture of any kind of him wearing the suit, but had no luck, until I found the press kit, and the black and white photo of him wearing the suit. So I bought it and photo matched the suit. Photo-matching, though time-consuming, it is a part of this hobby that is a necessary evil. If you buy a driver suit, helmet, or anything else worn by a driver, finding pictures or video of the driver wearing the suit is crucial to authenticating the suit. Sometimes traditional manners come up empty, and a press kit is the only way. Kits typically run between $5 and $30, so they can be pricy, but the upside to this is that when it works, you have indisputable proof that this suit was worn by the driver in question.

This last year, I took exception with a display at the Museum of Science and Industry concerning an obviously fake helmet that is being passed off as real. I recently went back there after sending my argument that the sign should be changed. Last time I went the display had been emptied:Recently, I went back and went back to the display, and saw this:The display has been restored, and it looks really good except…THE SIGN HASN’T BEEN CHANGED! I want to love this display, I really do, but I can’t ignore the fact that there is a fake item being represented as real. I have seen items from museum collections go up for sale to the public, and I have to make sure a fake item doesn’t get misrepresented as real.

PAINT SCHEME REVIEWS

Tony Stewart #14 Mobil 1 Chevy SS The color scheme is good, but the design is horrid! The contrast between the black and the white looks awful. As much as I want to defend this scheme, I can’t. F

Tony Stewart #14 Bass Pro Shop Chevy SS Same scheme as last year, same C- grade. Also, it appears that the last name on the windshield has larger lettering than last year.

Tony Stewart #14 Rush Truck Centers Chevy SS Same Scheme as last year, same A grade

Matt Kenseth #20 Home Depot/Huskey Toyota Camry I would give this scheme an A grade, but the yellow back bumper ruins it. The clash between the two just works awkward, and it takes an A scheme down to a C

Vintage Box Break-1994 Finish Line Gold-4 Boxes

The first NASCAR box break of 2014, I open 4 boxes of 1994 Finish Line Gold, and the results speak for themselves!

Introduction to Sports Memorabilia-Kasey Kahne 2005 Event Worn Driver Suit

For the season finale of the 10th season of Introduction to Sports Memorabilia, I present this Kasey Kahne driver suit which he wore at the 2005 Detroit Auto Show.

My Thoughts on the 2013 The Racing Year

By David G. Firestone

Another year has passed, and motorsports has been as active as ever. 2013 was a big year for NASCAR, F1, and IndyCar. Here are my final thoughts for the year that was in auto racing.

Starting with Formula 1,

*The cars all looked really good. Sebastian Vettel is the best driver in auto racing today, and proved it by winning 13 of the 19 races in 2013.

*While the modesty panel implemented by F1 to accommodate the so-called “platypus nose” Sebastian *Vettel gave a convincing argument against it by not using it, and dominating the series without it.

*The Pirelli tire strategy works very well, HOWEVER the durability of the tires is a continual issue. The British Grand Prix, which saw a very unusually high number of tire failures is an example. During that race 5 drivers, Lewis Hamilton, Esteban Gutiérrez, Felipe Massa, Jean-Éric Vergne and Sergio Pérez experienced tire blowouts, and a 6^th , Fernando Alonso, had a tire deflate just below a pit stop. In my mind, Pirelli needs to do a lot of work.

*Politics, either team or sanctioning body, is a continuous issue. It needs to stop, as sometimes it can have an adverse effect on the fans.

Moving to IndyCar,

*The DW12’s are very solid, and very competitive. In 19 races, there were 10 different winners.

*Chip Ganassi had both a great year, and a terrible year. Scott Dixon took his Target Honda to victory lane 4 times, and became a 3-time Izod IndyCar Champion. Sadly, this came with a cost. At the 2^nd Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston on October 6, Dario Franchitti was involved in a very serious crash, where he was seriously hurt, and had to retire because of his injuries. Franchitti was one of the best driver in IndyCar and his retirement is a very serious loss for IndyCar.

*James Hinchcliffe proved he really is a contender winning 3 races. I think he will be a championship contender in the next couple of years, and I really think he will win a championship.

*The multiple race weekend works very well. Two races over the course of two days not only forces drivers to bring their A game more, it also gives the fans a unique experience. I hope they expand on this formula.

*Tony Kannan finally won the Indianapolis 500 after 11 attemps. That kind of a win racing fans enjoy, finally winning the race you have always dreamed of winning.

*The 2013 GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma saw one of the most controversial calls of 2013, with Scott Dixon hitting one of Will Power’s crew members. Now it appeared to many people, myself included, that a crew memeber for Power had intentionally walked in front of Dixon’s car, but IndyCar had to asses a drive through penalty for the indicent. Since the incident, the rules have been changed so that if something like this happens again, the crew that caused the incident will be penalzied.

*Similar to F1, Firestone has a two tire strategy, with black primary tires and red option tires. Red option tires have more grip, but are less durable than the black primary tires. While I understand the idea, the black primary/red option tire strategy at road courses needs some work. I would like to see more options in tire strategy, maybe add a third white option.

Next we go to NASCAR

*Fan safety in racing is an issue. The IndyCar crash in Houston that ended Dario Franchitti’s career also injured a number of fans. The Kyle Larson crash at the Nationwide Series race at Daytona, the Sky-cam incident at Charlotte, and the bush fire at Kansas are examples of that. Fans should be able to go to a race without worrying about getting hurt.

*The Gen 6 car is competitve, with 14 different winners in 36 races, points and non points events included. It does need work, as evidenced by Denny Hamlin’s crash at Fontana where he fractured his vertibrae. Also, the in-car camera policy, where roof cameras won’t be used at 1.5 mile tracks, but will be used in every other track is irritating. I would love for NASCAR to use a single formula for in-car cameras.

*The smaller door numbers do not look good at all. The older larger door numbers just look better.

*Michael Waltrip Racing and Front Row Motorsports owe the racing world a serious apology for their actions at New Hampshire. NAPA left Michael Waltrip Racing, and Martin Truex Jr found himself out of a ride as a direct result of the team’s actions. I think that the penalties were not harsh enough and I think that there will be more attempts to fix races in the same manner. I do not think that NASCAR has done enough to prevent this from happening again.

*I find it amazing that with all the discussion on concussions and the concussion lawsuits that infield care centers do not check for concussions as part of the examinations.

*The fact that there were two driver suspended for using derogitory language is upsetting to say the least. The suspensions for these are justified, for that kind of language should not be used, and it should not be tolerated.

*The Mudsummer Classic from Eldora Raceway was a great idea, it was a great race, and I would love to see a Nationwide Series race or even a Sprint Cup race on Eldora or a dirt track.

*This is something that has been bothering me and a lot of other people, start and park drivers in NASCAR. These are teams that show up to race, but for one reason or another are not able to run the full race. It begs the question, why show up if you aren’t there to win? If you know you can’t compete for the win, then don’t waste your time, and don’t waste my time.

*and finally, I miss Dodge in NASCAR.

My final thoughts are to the aesthetics of racing in 2013.

*There are a lot of people justifiably upset over the F1 Helmet Livery Rule, which if implemented would force drivers to only wear one helmet design for the whole season. I think it is a subtle way of forcing a rule that drivers can only wear one helmet over the course of the season in order to reduce the risk of head injury that can potentially be caused by switching to different helmets over the course of the season, but that is just me.

*Pink, Yellow and Camo are not great color for race cars.

*Ford needs to change the grill of the Fusion, as it frequently detaches from the car and can easily cause a caution during the course of the race.

The last part of this column is to remember those who lost their lives in the course of racing in 2013.

*Andrea Antonelli-Died in a Supersport World Championship Accidnet

*Josh Burton-Died in a sprint car crash

*Kurt Caselli-Died in a fall at the Baja 1000

*Christian Devereux-Died in a Historic Touring Cars crash

*Matija Duh-Died in a motorcycle race in Bahia Blanca.

*Sean Edwards-Died in a private event on track

*Tyrone Gilks-Australian motorcycle stunt rider, collision during practice

*Karl-Heinz Kalbfell-Died in a BMCRC Lansdowne Classic Series accident

*Jason Leffler-Died in a sprint car crash.

*Andrea Mamé-Died in a Blancpain Lamborghini Super Trofeo race in Circuit Paul Ricardtrack

*Sandor Pohl-Died in a BMCRC Lansdowne Classic Series accident

*Track Marshal Mark Robinson-Died in an accident during the Canadian Grand Prix

*Paul Mulcahy-Died in an accident in the Carrick-On-Suir Rally in Ireland

*Doriano Romboni-Died in a motorcross accident

*Allan Simonsen-Died in a crash at the 24 Hours of LeMans

*Paolo Zantelli-Died in a racing boar crash

As well as mourning those from the motorsports family who have passed on in 2013

*Bill Amick-Father of NASCAR Driver Lyndon Amick

*Walter Charles “Walt” Arfons-American land speed record holder

*Kevin Ash-Journalist killed while testing a new BMW Motorcycle

*William Earl “Bill” Ballew-Father of Truck Series owner Bill Ballew

*George Bignotti-The most successful chief mechanic in IndyCar history

*Bob Bilby-Former co-owner of Bobby Allison Motorsports

*Gordie Bonin-Former drag racer

*Wallie Branston-Canadian Motorsports Driver and Pioneer

*Vera Brewer-Mother of NASCAR Crew Chief and TV analyst Tim Brewer

*Dorothy Earles Campbell-Daughter of Martinsville Speedway founder H. Clay Earles and mother of current Martinsville President W. Clay Campbell

*John Cardinale-Sonoma Raceway vice president for media and community relations

*Fred Carrillo-Created one of the first successful racing connecting rods

*Joe Carver-Promoter for Langley Speedway

*Rene M. Charland-Former NASCAR driver

*Dave Charlton-Former South African Formula 1 Champion.

*Jack Choquette-Former NASCAR Modified Champion

*John Coombs-Former F1 and F2 driver and owner

*Harvey J. Crane Jr-Founder of Craine Cams

*Bert de Jong-Former rally car driver

*María de Villota-F1 testing driver

*Melanie Jane (Lyons) Deware-Wife of Nationwide Series team owner Scott Delaware

*Randy Earnhardt-Brother of Dale Earnhardt Sr., uncle of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

*Clyde Ellis-Former stock car driver

*John Ervin-Former crew chief for NASCAR legend Ned Jarrett

*Philippe Favre-Racing driver

*Melvin “Red” Foote-Former NASCAR driver

*Richmond Gage-Former USAC chief steward, NASCAR team member, and racing college professor.

*Floyd Ganassi-Father of racing owner Chip Ganassi

*William Giordano-Former NASCAR engine delivery man

*Sammy Gonzalez-Former EGR Employee

*Charles M. “Bud” Greene-Former employee of Penske Racing and Junior Johnson

*Monty Grice-Former Earnhardt Ganassi employee and dirt track chassis builder.

* Allred Hackett-Co owner of Caraway Speedway

*Rodney Wayne Halverson-Joe Gibbs Racing employee

*Elton Hildreth-Former NASCAR driver

*Frederick J. Hmiel-Father of NASCAR crew Shane Hmiel

*Eric Horn-Former crew member for Petty Enterprises and Robert Yates, as well as for Roush Yates Engines

*Kenneth Aray Houston-Brother of NASCAR driver Tommy Houston

*Roz Howard-Former NASCAR Convertible Division driver

*Stephen Odell Husketh-Former team owner

*Edward Dean Jeffries-Race car customizer

*Jean Peters Joy-Mother of broadcaster Mike Joy

*Sardar Joginder Singh Bhachu-Former Rally Car Driver

*Henri Julien-Former racing driver and team owner

*Art Malone-Former NASCAR and NHRA driver

Christopher J. Margolin-Former NASCAR technician

*Gilford Hicks Martin Sr-Father of crew chief Gil Martin

*Giancarlo Martini-Former F1 Driver and team owner

*RK Mast-Father of Rick Mast

*Dennis McCarson-Former NASCAR hauler driver and spotter

*Donald Gordon “Gordie” McKichan-Former NASCAR Crew Chief

*Virginia P. Means-Mother of NASCAR owner Jimmy Means

*Jason Mitchell-Writer for NASCAR Racing and the Wilkes Journal-Patriot

*Ida “Geneva” Mohamet Key-Mother of team owner Curtis W. Key, Sr

*Hal Needham-Former team owner, stuntman, and movie director for Stroker Ace

*Mauro Nesti-Eight-time European Hill Climb champion

*Bill Nilsson-Former motocross racer

*Nikki Park-Wife of Greg Park, CFO for Stewart Haas Racing

*Crystal Pauline Jones Pistone -Wife of Tiger Tom Pistone

*George “Jud” Pemberton Father of Robin, Ryan, Roman and Randy Pemberton

Lee Raymond Two Time ARCA Champion

*Rafael “Ralph” Sánchez-Founder of Homestead-Miami Speedway

*Marcy Scott-Promotion and Marketing Director for Atlanta Motor Speedway

*John Settlemyre: five-time Hickory Motor Speedway track champion

*Barbara Signore-Worked for Penske Motorsports, and ran the International Race of Champions

*Torrence “Jivie” Simpson Jr-Former NASCAR crew member, Charlotte Motor Speedway employee, and innovator

*Neal Sims-Former NASCAR writer and Journalist

*Jerry Steppe-Former pilot who flew NASCAR drivers to and from races.

* Mrs. Eva Mae (Tommie) Hege Stewart-Track Owner and mother of former NASCAR team owner Cliff Stewart

*Henry Taylor-Former Formula 1 driver

*Dave Tatman-Former Hendrick Motorsports engine builder

*Randall “Randy” Lee Tissot-Long time NASCAR driver

*Richard “Dick” Trickle-Former NASCAR driver

*Bill Warner-Former motorcycle racer and land speed holder.

*Harold Edward “Pappy” Wilcox-Longtime racing driver, first driver from Maine to race in the Sprint Cup

*Kramer Williamson-Former sprint car driver

*Cecil Ray Wilson-Long time member of Wood Brothers Racing

Parts and Recreation

By David G. Firestone

You know me for driver suits, but i also collect other things besides suits. Aside from helmets and other uniform items, i also collect other race-used items from the cars. Racing is half man half machine, and items from the machine make unique collectibles as well.

One of the most obvious things is sheet metal. Stock cars consist of a roll cage which contains the engine, suspension, and driver compartment. Covering that is what is called “sheet metal” which is a thin metal that has the shape of the car and where the paint scheme is added. The cars are “skinned” after each race. The sheet metal from cars has become a huge collectors market. Pieces can be as small as 1 inch squared, such as this Carl Edwards piece, or huge, such as this Sterling Marlin door.

Tires are also popular to collect as well. Tires can be purchased whole, but since they can weigh as much as 90 pounds, they are often cut up and the pieces are sold, like sheet metal. This example, used by Kevin Harvick in the 2002 Daytona 500 is an example. it gives a good example of the thickness of the tire, and the cords are visible as well. This Kyle Petty/John Andretti card has two small pieces of tire, each used by the respective driver in the card. These are popular, and everything from suits to caps, to sheet metal wind up in cards.

Race-used lug nuts go hand in hand with tires. Lug nuts are used once, and then sold after the race, such as these Tony Stewart examples. Lug nuts are Super glued to the rim, and one of these still has superglue residue on it.

Mechanical components, especially engine components are interesting to collect, as there is no better representation of man and machine than a part of the heart of the machine. For example, I have a brake rotor used by John Andretti in the 1998 Bank of America 500 at Charlotte, which has been signed by Richard Petty. This is a set released after Jimmie Johnson won his first sprint cup title back in 2006. It contains a series of pieces used by Johnson, including a piece of sheet metal from his door,

a spark plug,

a valve spring,

a piece of the track bar,

and a lifter.

i also have a spark plug from Morgan Lucas Racing in the NHRA

an ignition coil from Morgan Lucas Racing, which has been signed by Tony Schumacher and Ron Capps

and a timing belt from Bob Tasca,

I discussed this pit board from Chad McCumbee earlier in the year

one last item from the equipment collection is this piece of Daytona International Speedway

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s Chevy SS Same great design as last year, same A grade.

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry Same scheme as last year, same C+ grade

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry Same scheme as last year, same C+ grade

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Office Toyota Camry Same scheme as last year, same C+ grade

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry Same scheme as last year, same C+ grade

Casey Mears #13 Geico Ford Fusion The yellow they use is awful, and the side design is just too lowd, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. NOS Ford Fusion I love this color scheme, however, I don’t love the side design. It has too many different different designs, all of which would work on their own but combined they look like a jumbled mess. I really want to like this scheme, but I just can’t, so I’ll give it a C-

Clint Bowyer #15 5 Hour Energy Toyota Camry Same scheme as last year, same B+ grade.

Kyle Busch #18 M&M’s Toyota Camry Same scheme as last year, same A+ grade.

Tony Schumacher Answers my Question

Tony Schumacher’s crew tests his engine at Route 66 in Joliet Illinois on June 29,2013.