Penn Can Speedway
7/13/07
Friday the 13th, ughh!
By nature, racers are a
superstitious lot and don't
think for a minute that anyone
headed to the races this past
friday didn't at least have a
passing thought about the date.
I did and made sure I didn't
pull up to pump #13 during the
week. Rubbed 'Poley's belly for
good luck and headed out to
Susquehanna Pa. for the
'Legends of Penn Can and
Pappy Beavan Memorial races.
Off 17 at Windsor and route 79
twists it's way down to the
track, the skies are looking
ominous and more than a few
raindrops have to be dodged, oh
well, the truck needed a wash
anyway. Pull in to see that
Larry and Howdy Witter, Gary
Wood, and Jim Florence have
beaten me to the track. Shortly
afterward Jim Chase, Dad and
Tom Witter have all arrived and
it's looking like a good night.
Jim Florence brings over some
his wife Barb's cookies,
chocolate chip and they're very
popular, kinda like a magnet.
Fat Free Too!!! At least that's
what I tell myself. Larry Witter
has found some info on his 261
chevy cam that we sold him, the
engine came from Mike Miller
and ran at the NYS Fair in '66,
it's a roller and we had no info
on it when we sold it but Chris
Leib found some and passed it
on to Larry. It's a McGurk roller
with 300 degrees of duration,
wow! Big Cam and Larry is all
smiles as we discuss. A quick
chat with promoter Reed Miller
nad we're into the pits. Stop by
to see photographer Ted
Schmidt and Joe Donahue Jr.
and exchange pleasantries, I'm
sorry to report that Joe's
mother Grace passed away on
July 8th. Joe related that after
his father died his mother was
distraught, I'd like to extend my
condolences to the Donahue
Family for their loss but we can
all take solace in the fact that
they are together once again.
Into the pits and it's a well
rehearsed routine by now, tires
are being changed, big talk,
fuel up, get the lineups ready
and unload. Sue Lowe is
handling her chores of
organizing the show with ease,
I'm snapping pictures and
blabbering as usual. As I
peruse the pits some thoughts
enter my mind, it's great that
we haul these cars on open
trailers, like the old days where
people can see the cars but I'm
starting to understand now why
they invented enclosed
trailers...after all, no one wants
to chance some poison ivy. the
call comes and it's off for hot
laps.
Penn Can is a small, paperclip
quarter mile with banked, tight
turns. It's just a touch greasy
for warmups but the shredder
sure wants to pull, they're over
in a flash and I wonder if
anyone else is having the same
push Dad and I are
experiencing. Yup, nearly
everyone confirms the condition
and all hope the track comes to
us, fingers crossed on Friday
the 13th. Over for a burger
then hit the grandstand where
Jim Florence has the #67
parked. John Mason has
brought the Mike Newell
restored #40 that Chuck Akulis
campaigned and Mike trailered
Dad's P-13 down for the event.
The clouds open up briefly and
our display gains in popularity
as we wait it out. Wes and
Wayne Harris are on hand and
pose for a few shots, the
Beagell's, Don, Gary and Roger
are all on hand as well for
Gary's U-Pull It night as well as
many other former drivers, nice
event and we're hoping to give
them a good show.
Back to the pits where Tom
Witter has something to show
us. I unwrap the 'present' to
see what a catastrophic failure
looks like, the piston is out of
his last run at 5MP and is it
ever beat. Tom has a fresh
bullet in for tonight though and
we're all glad he could make it
in time. Can't say enough
about the dedication our
members have to keeping this
club alive. Our heat lineup is
set and we strap in and fire
them up. Heading through the
pits I'm in my comfort zone, oil
pressure is good, the engine
burbles along and all the bugs
scatter, smiles and waves from
people in the pits, racers are
good folk and racing is good for
the soul. You put all your other
matters aside and concentrate
on the track.
The 43A leads us to green and
the motors open to full song,
eyes wide, nostrils flaring, grip
the wheel mash the throttle.
Wow, the high side is still a bit
greasy but I get enough bite to
lead lap 1, Dad battles back,
that cam is pretty good. We
swap and battle back and forth,
Howdy is making hay up from
5th to third by lap 3 and starts
to challenge for more. Jim
Chase, Tom Witter and Gary
Wood are looking for us to
make a mistake and ready to
pounce. Lap 5 and I slip to
high, Dad's by and so is
Howdy, try the bottom. Dad and
Howdy are in a dog fight now
and the #4 slips under the 43A
going into three on lap 7, I
follow but the only way to get it
to stick down here is with the
binders. Finally make it work
for second but Howdy is too far
out, Final: Howdy Witter, B29,
43A, Jim Chase, Tom Witter
and Gary Wood.
Into the pits, what should we
do? More stagger would be
nice, new tires would be better.
The track is smooth but i can't
get a hold of it, less gear? No
time, we're called back for the
feature in a flash, hope the
track comes to us. Crazy Eddie
Rafferty has commandeered the
P-13 and is doing a polish
victory lap around the track, he
spins it around in front of the
crowd with a big smile, he's
having fun. Here we go,
neckerchief up, goggles down,
shredder comes to life and it's
time to have some fun. Gary
Wood leads us to green and the
cars scatter as we hit turn one,
man is he ever sideways. We
gather it up and chase Tom
Witter as he leads the first two
circuits, lap 3 and Dad has
found the low groove under
Tom while Howdy moves to
third and I follow, Gary and Jim
are right there as well in a tight
pack, it's anybody's race. Lap 5
and Tom has the lead back and
I've slipped past Howdy on the
bottom. The top just isn't going
to work for me tonight and I
have to slow down to go faster,
that's not as easy as it sounds
but the absolute bottom is the
only thing I can make work at
this point. Lap 6 and Dad has
the lead back while Howdy
make the move to second on
top, we're really battling now
and I give Dad a shot heading
into one, getgoing!. Lap 7 and
Gary's around in two, restart.
No yule tire award this year for
Gary though, and no damage
done. Lap 8 and Howdy has the
point, it's till there for the
taking though and I finally get
past Dad for 2nd. Howdy slips a
little and shredder pulls
enough to get under him. We
swap the lead several times per
lap and it looks like another
photo finish. Coming for the
white flag out of four and I get
too anxious, my foot too heavy
and around she goes again
*&%$#@!. I haven't spun out
this much since I took top
honors in that dubiuos
distinction at Tioga. Back it into
the yule tire, get it back in gear
but it's way too late. Howdy's
gone and so is the rest of the
pack which I can see on the
backstretch is bumper to
bumper. Final Reads: Howdy
Witter, 43A, Jim Chase, Tom
Witter, B29 and Gary Wood.
Howdy takes 50's class honors
and Jim Chase 60's class.
Onto the trailer and the left
rear is going down - thank god.
At least I have another excuse.
It was raining, my tire went
down, I couldn't see and I ran
outta talent. Any excuse works
except driver error or I ran
outta talent. "i don't know how I
missed you" relates Dad, didn't
need any help but thanks.
"You're tires were smoking
coming off the corners" he
adds. OK, maybe a little less
gear next time, and some
different tires, duly noted.
Howdy relates the flaggers and
staff loved our show, plenty of
passing and lead changes, it
was a good race, smiles and
back slaps abound and we strap
down and head out. Great night
of racing.
We'd like to thank Reid Miller,
Al Wilcox and all the staff at
Penn Can for having us once
again for this special night, we
had a great time. Also, many
thanks to track photographer
Ted Schmidt for send his
wonderful shots, we appreciate
it. Our next event is at Thunder
Mountain on July 28th, hope to
see you there.
7/13/07
Friday the 13th, ughh!
By nature, racers are a
superstitious lot and don't
think for a minute that anyone
headed to the races this past
friday didn't at least have a
passing thought about the date.
I did and made sure I didn't
pull up to pump #13 during the
week. Rubbed 'Poley's belly for
good luck and headed out to
Susquehanna Pa. for the
'Legends of Penn Can and
Pappy Beavan Memorial races.
Off 17 at Windsor and route 79
twists it's way down to the
track, the skies are looking
ominous and more than a few
raindrops have to be dodged, oh
well, the truck needed a wash
anyway. Pull in to see that
Larry and Howdy Witter, Gary
Wood, and Jim Florence have
beaten me to the track. Shortly
afterward Jim Chase, Dad and
Tom Witter have all arrived and
it's looking like a good night.
Jim Florence brings over some
his wife Barb's cookies,
chocolate chip and they're very
popular, kinda like a magnet.
Fat Free Too!!! At least that's
what I tell myself. Larry Witter
has found some info on his 261
chevy cam that we sold him, the
engine came from Mike Miller
and ran at the NYS Fair in '66,
it's a roller and we had no info
on it when we sold it but Chris
Leib found some and passed it
on to Larry. It's a McGurk roller
with 300 degrees of duration,
wow! Big Cam and Larry is all
smiles as we discuss. A quick
chat with promoter Reed Miller
nad we're into the pits. Stop by
to see photographer Ted
Schmidt and Joe Donahue Jr.
and exchange pleasantries, I'm
sorry to report that Joe's
mother Grace passed away on
July 8th. Joe related that after
his father died his mother was
distraught, I'd like to extend my
condolences to the Donahue
Family for their loss but we can
all take solace in the fact that
they are together once again.
Into the pits and it's a well
rehearsed routine by now, tires
are being changed, big talk,
fuel up, get the lineups ready
and unload. Sue Lowe is
handling her chores of
organizing the show with ease,
I'm snapping pictures and
blabbering as usual. As I
peruse the pits some thoughts
enter my mind, it's great that
we haul these cars on open
trailers, like the old days where
people can see the cars but I'm
starting to understand now why
they invented enclosed
trailers...after all, no one wants
to chance some poison ivy. the
call comes and it's off for hot
laps.
Penn Can is a small, paperclip
quarter mile with banked, tight
turns. It's just a touch greasy
for warmups but the shredder
sure wants to pull, they're over
in a flash and I wonder if
anyone else is having the same
push Dad and I are
experiencing. Yup, nearly
everyone confirms the condition
and all hope the track comes to
us, fingers crossed on Friday
the 13th. Over for a burger
then hit the grandstand where
Jim Florence has the #67
parked. John Mason has
brought the Mike Newell
restored #40 that Chuck Akulis
campaigned and Mike trailered
Dad's P-13 down for the event.
The clouds open up briefly and
our display gains in popularity
as we wait it out. Wes and
Wayne Harris are on hand and
pose for a few shots, the
Beagell's, Don, Gary and Roger
are all on hand as well for
Gary's U-Pull It night as well as
many other former drivers, nice
event and we're hoping to give
them a good show.
Back to the pits where Tom
Witter has something to show
us. I unwrap the 'present' to
see what a catastrophic failure
looks like, the piston is out of
his last run at 5MP and is it
ever beat. Tom has a fresh
bullet in for tonight though and
we're all glad he could make it
in time. Can't say enough
about the dedication our
members have to keeping this
club alive. Our heat lineup is
set and we strap in and fire
them up. Heading through the
pits I'm in my comfort zone, oil
pressure is good, the engine
burbles along and all the bugs
scatter, smiles and waves from
people in the pits, racers are
good folk and racing is good for
the soul. You put all your other
matters aside and concentrate
on the track.
The 43A leads us to green and
the motors open to full song,
eyes wide, nostrils flaring, grip
the wheel mash the throttle.
Wow, the high side is still a bit
greasy but I get enough bite to
lead lap 1, Dad battles back,
that cam is pretty good. We
swap and battle back and forth,
Howdy is making hay up from
5th to third by lap 3 and starts
to challenge for more. Jim
Chase, Tom Witter and Gary
Wood are looking for us to
make a mistake and ready to
pounce. Lap 5 and I slip to
high, Dad's by and so is
Howdy, try the bottom. Dad and
Howdy are in a dog fight now
and the #4 slips under the 43A
going into three on lap 7, I
follow but the only way to get it
to stick down here is with the
binders. Finally make it work
for second but Howdy is too far
out, Final: Howdy Witter, B29,
43A, Jim Chase, Tom Witter
and Gary Wood.
Into the pits, what should we
do? More stagger would be
nice, new tires would be better.
The track is smooth but i can't
get a hold of it, less gear? No
time, we're called back for the
feature in a flash, hope the
track comes to us. Crazy Eddie
Rafferty has commandeered the
P-13 and is doing a polish
victory lap around the track, he
spins it around in front of the
crowd with a big smile, he's
having fun. Here we go,
neckerchief up, goggles down,
shredder comes to life and it's
time to have some fun. Gary
Wood leads us to green and the
cars scatter as we hit turn one,
man is he ever sideways. We
gather it up and chase Tom
Witter as he leads the first two
circuits, lap 3 and Dad has
found the low groove under
Tom while Howdy moves to
third and I follow, Gary and Jim
are right there as well in a tight
pack, it's anybody's race. Lap 5
and Tom has the lead back and
I've slipped past Howdy on the
bottom. The top just isn't going
to work for me tonight and I
have to slow down to go faster,
that's not as easy as it sounds
but the absolute bottom is the
only thing I can make work at
this point. Lap 6 and Dad has
the lead back while Howdy
make the move to second on
top, we're really battling now
and I give Dad a shot heading
into one, getgoing!. Lap 7 and
Gary's around in two, restart.
No yule tire award this year for
Gary though, and no damage
done. Lap 8 and Howdy has the
point, it's till there for the
taking though and I finally get
past Dad for 2nd. Howdy slips a
little and shredder pulls
enough to get under him. We
swap the lead several times per
lap and it looks like another
photo finish. Coming for the
white flag out of four and I get
too anxious, my foot too heavy
and around she goes again
*&%$#@!. I haven't spun out
this much since I took top
honors in that dubiuos
distinction at Tioga. Back it into
the yule tire, get it back in gear
but it's way too late. Howdy's
gone and so is the rest of the
pack which I can see on the
backstretch is bumper to
bumper. Final Reads: Howdy
Witter, 43A, Jim Chase, Tom
Witter, B29 and Gary Wood.
Howdy takes 50's class honors
and Jim Chase 60's class.
Onto the trailer and the left
rear is going down - thank god.
At least I have another excuse.
It was raining, my tire went
down, I couldn't see and I ran
outta talent. Any excuse works
except driver error or I ran
outta talent. "i don't know how I
missed you" relates Dad, didn't
need any help but thanks.
"You're tires were smoking
coming off the corners" he
adds. OK, maybe a little less
gear next time, and some
different tires, duly noted.
Howdy relates the flaggers and
staff loved our show, plenty of
passing and lead changes, it
was a good race, smiles and
back slaps abound and we strap
down and head out. Great night
of racing.
We'd like to thank Reid Miller,
Al Wilcox and all the staff at
Penn Can for having us once
again for this special night, we
had a great time. Also, many
thanks to track photographer
Ted Schmidt for send his
wonderful shots, we appreciate
it. Our next event is at Thunder
Mountain on July 28th, hope to
see you there.
More Ted Schmidt Photos
