So we all know by now that I really like auto racing. I think I have my parents to thank for that because every Saturday night from my toddler years through elementary school they would take me to Silver Spring Speedway to cheer on our favorite driver. (My dad's shop also sponsored that driver.) I think I was mainly there for the yummy concession stand food, and one thing I remember quite well is I used to drink all the syrup out of my snow cone and give my dad the bland chunk of ice to finish. That's what dads are for right? My all time favorite food though was a hot dog with mustard...or maybe it was pizza... perhaps soft pretzels... how about nachos? Anyways, I was aware of what was going on with the race as I got a little older, and if our driver won I'd get to have my picture taken with the car on the track. I also loved watching the grader and water truck go around and around the track preparing the dirt for racing. Sadly, that track is no longer there, and it is now a huge shopping center. (Here is a nice website about the history of SS Speedway - http://www.silverspringspeedway.com/history.htm). However there is another dirt track in town (Williams Grove Speedway), and I went there last year to see Kasey Kahne race. It was amazing how everything came back to me! The smell of the car exhaust, the gritty dust being kicked up, the sound of the engines... it was as if nothing had changed in 15 years!
Races weren't the only thing my dad took me to. We used to go to the Porsche Swap Meet held at Ski Roundtop. And of course the only thing I really remember about that was the food... they had pretty good hot chocolate in the lodge. I was around 4 or 5 years old when I went along... but my dad tells me that after 3 years, I decided not to go with him anymore. I suppose I lost interest in looking at Porsche parts... and decided to play with my toys instead, haha! Not to worry though, my Barbie dolls always had the best cars to ride around in.
In recent years, my dad has been racing his own car with the Pennsylvania Hillclimb Association. He's good too! He was the overall winner in the GT3 class last year. Since I had to move to
Ohio for my previous job, I wasn't able to see him race. (I saw him a few times before I moved.) This year I'm excited to go see him and all his buddies racing at Summit Point! (Yes, there will be a forecast for it.) I've been trying to convince him to let me get behind the wheel... but he claims the car is too powerful. I guess I'll accept that for now. I'll settle for borrowing my mom's sporty convertible in the meantime! Check out the PHA website: http://www.pahillclimb.org/index.html
Ok, so what's happening in the world of racing? Congrats to Graham Rahal for winning his first race in the IndyCar Series last weekend in
St. Petersburg ! He is one of the drivers that came over from Champ Car. I believe he is also the youngest driver to win, beating out Marco Andretti. Things have been buzzing since the merger... the rest of the season should be fun to watch! Carl Edwards won the NASCAR race last weekend... I love it when he does those backflips.
Here are the forecasts for this weekend's races:
NASCAR Nationwide Series -
Phoenix International Raceway. Friday (4/11) at 9:30 p.m. ET. It's going to be a beautiful weekend in
Arizona ! Expect sunny skies Friday with a high near 84 degrees. The race is at night, so temperatures will be a little cooler near 65 degrees under clear skies with a northwest breeze.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series -
Phoenix International Raceway. Saturday (4/12) at 8 p.m. ET. The gorgeous weather continues into Saturday as high pressure builds in. Expect lots of sunshine and turning hot in the afternoon with a high near 89. Once again the race is at night, so temperatures will probably be in the lower 70's at the start of the race. It is common to have a significant drop in temperatures during the nighttime hours in the desert terrain.
Winchester
Speedway - Saturday (4/12). Gates open at 4:30 p.m., warm-ups at 6:15 p.m., and racing starts at 7 p.m. Well, our weather won't be as nice as the desert southwest unfortunately. Showers are in the forecast for the first part of Saturday, with mostly cloudy skies through the evening. Temperatures will top out in the mid 60's, but they will likely fall back through the 50's at race time.
As always, if you have racing photos, I'd love to see them and post them! cassie@tv3winchester.com Plus, if you have any suggestions for other races you'd like to see a forecast for, let me know.
Next weekend the IndyCar Series returns on the other side of the globe with a race in Japan . Of note, the final race of the Champ Car Series will be run in
Long Beach, CA next Sunday. The ALMS will also run in
Long Beach next Saturday. And NASCAR goes to
Talladega in 2 weeks .
Here I am around 4 years old. I'm the blonde sitting on that guy's knee.
Here I am around 5 years old. I'm kneeling down in the front again in the red shirt.
I was maybe 6 in this picture. My dad actually won that car I'm sitting in!
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