It’s that time again. It’s qualifying night for the 53rd Annual Knoxville Nationals in Knoxville, Iowa. Four days of intense sprint car racing out among the corn fields. If you’re into racing, this is an event you should experience at least once.
Photo courtesy of the world wide web.
For the race car fans out there. This 1953 photo shows Stuart Lewis-Evans and Tony Harris lowering their Cooper Mk VIIa 500cc Formula 3 from the carrier atop a Series I. The track was Crystal Palace in London.
Tragically, Lewis-Evans died in 1958 at the Moroccan Grand Prix when his engine seized, sending him into the wall at high speed, where his car burst into flames.
Photo creds: Reg Speller, Fox Photos, Getty Images
“The World’s Fastest High-Banked Quarter Mile Oval”
On the way back to Iowa from Pittsburgh, we stopped at the Anderson Speedway in Indiana for some non-winged sprint car action. It was the first time I had witnessed a sprint car race on asphalt, as well as a quarter mile track.
As it turned out, it was the first midget race I have seen as well. Spencer Bayston, in his rookie season won the Mel Kenyon Midget series.
We were sitting near Tony Hunt’s crew, and naturally pulling for him to win the “Glen Niebel Classic”. Muncie’s Aaron Pierce won the event,however, with Hunt slipping into third place on the final lap to get a place at the podium.
Anderson Speedway is best known for its “Little 500”, which runs on the Saturday of Memorial Weekend, the night prior to the Indianapolis 500. That’s 500 laps around a 1/4 mile track, with the field of 33 cars starting out in 11 rows of 3. That’s got to be insane to watch.
The best quote I found on the Anderson Speedway: “It’s Like racing jet fighters in a gym.” It’s been attributed to noted short track driver Dick Trickle.
Little 500 photo courtesy of Anderson Speedway
On Saturday, before the Final, we went to “Fatheads” in the strip district for lunch & to meet with Tom’s neice & family. I had two of “Fatheads” own beers, which I had never tasted before. Quite the place, and well worth a visit if in Pittsburgh.
Two days before, we had hit the “Church Brew Works”, which quickly became one of my favorite all time brew pubs. Founded in 1996, and located in a restored Roman Catholic Church which was originally built in 1902, Church Brew Works offers some delightful beer in a wonderfully quirky setting.
Just prior to the championship game, we swung by the Penn Brewery, which is located in the old E&O Brewery Building. A slightly more traditional brewpub, but the beers were equally good, and I loved architecture of the old building.
I thoroughly enjoyed Pittsburgh, although the traffic would make it difficult for me to mentally survive there. For a visitor, there is no rhyme or reason to the street layout, but with the rivers, hills, and old buildings it all adds to the cities’ charm. Even the walk down 5th Ave, from the hotel to the ice arena had a certain dangerous charm to it. It was obvious early in our walk that we were not in one of the more desireable areas of town. I suppose the half mile of broken auto glass was one of our first clues. Still, the ruins of the old homes, that in their day must have been something to behold, were cool to catch a glimpse of, as the vines and trees reclaimed the hill. And the old 5th Ave School, home of the Archers, that has been rebuilt into lofts… with high security parking… was worth the walk.
A little different hockey experience overall from Pittsburgh. The pre-game events were not well attended. In fact, it was a pre-event, live broadcast from the “Souper Bowl” near the arena that brought on our muggy running of the 5th Ave Gauntlet. Upon arrival, there were maybe a dozen people there, and I’m not convinced that half were hockey fans. We had a Yuengling to lessen our disappointment, then took our lapel pins as trophies and ran the gauntlet a second time.
Even on game day, is was not a problem to walk into the Souper Bowl and immediately find a table for four. I can’t think of any other Frozen Four where one could even get in through the door of a pub so close to the rink.
With all that said, the entire experience from the visits to racetracks… both defunct & active, to the hockey arena tours, Yale’s first title and the company of the travelers, this was one good Frozen Four.
Even though I haven’t come away with the urge to actually log my beers.
On Friday, our off day from hockey, we took a drive east on U.S. 30, where we stopped in Latrobe for lunch, as well as to check out the brewery. A little further on, we found the spot where Fred Duesenberg overturned his Duesenberg on the Lincoln Highway, while driving at a “high rate of speed” on 2 July 1932. He was expected to recover from his injuries, but pneumonia set in and Mr Duesenberg died on July 25. Duesenberg was a member of the first class of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1990.
We then stopped by, the now defunct, Jennerstown Speedway. The track was founded as a flat half mile track in the late 1920’s.
“Stanley ‘Piney’ Lasky, now deceased, purchased Jennerstown Speedway in 1967. During the next 31 years, the speedway developed a solid reputation for providing some of the finest local and touring series programs in dirt, and then asphalt, racing in the eastern United States.”
The track was paved in 1987.
The historic track has been closed for several years, and is reportedly for sale.
Quote courtesy of The Tribune-Democrat.
The photo which showed Jennerstown Speedway in better days, was removed at the request of David McCardell.
Congrats to the Alaska Nanooks on sweeping their in-state rivals, the Anchorage Seapuppies, en route to winning the Governor’s Cup over the weekend. The home & home series drew decent crowds to both arenas. Alaska moves onto the CCHA playoffs with a best of three series against Michigan State in Fairbanks next weekend.
Pictured above are the Alaska seniors with our rather short Governor.
Photo courtesy of Alaska Nanook Hockey
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… And a Little Dog Mushing:
The Iditarod had its official start today out of Willow, AK. 65 teams set off on the 1000 mile trek to Nome.
2013 is the 41st running of “The Last Great Race”.
The Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race from Whitehorse, YT to Fairbanks, AK started today. The twenty-six mushers and their teams left Whitehorse in balmy 20 degree weather, which is a bit warm for the dogs, but great for the fans that lined up along the route.
The 1000 mile international race is touted as the toughest on earth, as it travels historic gold rush and mail delivery dog sled routes from the turn of the 20th Century.
Last year the Quest was won by Hugh Neff in 9d 16h 59m.
Photo by Jeff Richardson/Daily News-Miner
Every Fourth of July since 1915, the small, sea town of Seward, Alaska holds a race from its downtown to the summit of Mount Marathon and back. It’s a grueling run up to the 3022 foot summit, which at times has the entrants using their hands as much as their feet to climb the steep slope. Downhill is another story: It’s a mad, free for all at insane speed down the rocky, mountain side. Most racers cross the finish line covered in mud & blood. The record time was set in 1981 by Bill Spencer in an amazing 43 mins 21 secs.
Alaskans truly love this race and it shows with the populace of Seward growing from 3000 to as many as 40000 for the July 4th celebrations.
This year, a 66 year old participant from Anchorage has vanished from the mountain. He was last seen by race volunteers 200 feet from the summit. There has been no trace of him since. Alaska State Troopers have called off their search, but the Seward Fire Department and other volunteers continue to search Mount Marathon.
Tragically, in another accident, an elite racing veteran lost his footing on descent near the base of the mountain and suffered a broken skull, broken leg and other injuries. “To bound downhill, just on the edge of out-of-control, is what elite racers shoot for. We make these decisions, to run as fast as we can. To choose that mountain race. To go fast on the downhill. Ninety-nine percent of the time, we’re rewarded for it.” — Alaska Mountain Runners president Brad Precosky
As of today, Michael LeMaitre is still missing and Matthew Kenney is still in a coma.
It’s Summer Solstice Weekend in Fairbanks.
After hauling six dump loads of rock and distributing it for several hours today, I planned on a relaxing evening on my deck with a cold cerveza. Sadly, I’ve received visitors who convinced me to join them in viewing the 30th Midnight Sun Run. Since most Solstice events start at 10pm, I still have some time to chill out.
The Sun Run is a 10K race that starts at 10pm on the University of Alaska-Fairbanks campus, and runs through city streets along the Chena River, eventually ending at Alaska Land… errr Pioneer Park. This is not your average road race: Costumes are encouraged, and the Army representatives have, on more than one occasion, pulled a howitzer along for good measure. The race starts, not with a starter pistol, but with cannon fire that you can hear throughout the valley. The MSR usually draws around 3000 runners. I’ve done the race twice, but sadly, registration is closed, and I will have to be a spectator in 2012.
Tomorrow morning at Pike’s Landing is the start of the Yukon 800 boat race. The race has been called “The longest, roughest, toughest, speed boat race in the world, traveling 800 miles along the Chena, Tanana and Yukon rivers”. Harold Attla, who has won the race 10 times, finished the 800 run last year with a time of 12 hours, 22 minutes, 26 seconds. Make it 11 Harold.
And finally.
Where: Downtown Fairbanks.
When: All Day on Sunday.
What: The Midnight Sun Festival takes over the heart of downtown. It’s a mass of Alaskan humanity with some tourists thrown in for confusion. Lots of live music… often competing, food, drink, food, entertainment, food, crafts and I believe the 3 on 3 b-ball tourney is back this year.
The tourists don’t seem to really understand why The Solstice is such a big deal here, but they do seem to enjoy the eclectic activities all the same. The Summer Solstice is one big party in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Time to grab a bottle of bug dope and head off towards campus.
