TROUBLE
ON ROUTE 66
Although it has not been confirmed, the Agent has been told
that Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL, which has hosted two
NHRA national events a year since it opened will have two
national events again in 2005, but will then be cut back
to one event in 2006. That wouldn’t come as a surprise
as Stevie Wonder could see that in recent years, despite
great races, the crowds at the events don’t come close
to what the track drew when it first opened.
Now the Agent gets a call saying that there was a story
in a Chicago area paper that track owner ISC (read NASCAR)
has put the dragstrip up for sale. The facility, which
draws a crowd from the Chicago area, boasts a mile dirt
oval and 1.5-mile paved oval as well as the dragstrip.
It has had troubles almost from the beginning getting
a title rights sponsor for the dragstrip. (Jeff
Burk photo) [1-17-2005]
3 DRAG RACERS IN RUNNING FOR 'NEWSMAKER
OF THE HALF-CENTURY AWARD'
Three drag racers are among the 12 nominees for the American
Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association’s
“Newsmaker of the Half-Century Award,” the cornerstone
of the organization’s 50th Anniversary Celebration.
The nominees for the award were introduced during the AARWBA’s
35th annual All-America Team dinner Jan. 15 at the Sheraton
Fairplex hotel by AARWBA president Dusty Brandel and 50th
Anniversary Celebration chairman Michael Knight. The AARWBA
is the oldest and largest organization of motorsports media
professionals.
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The drag racing “Newsmaker” finalists are John
Force, Kenny Bernstein, and NHRA founder Wally Parks. The
other nominees for the honor are Mario Andretti, Dale Earnhardt
Sr., A.J. Foyt, the France family, Jeff Gordon, Dan Gurney,
the Hulman-George family, Roger Penske and Richard Petty.
The nominees were selected by AARWBA’s Board of Directors
from an original list of 50 newsmakers. The full AARWBA
membership will vote for one of the 12 as Newsmaker of the
Half-Century and the winner will be announced at a public
ceremony in the days leading up to the 89th Indianapolis
500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“I think it is significant that fully one fourth of
the nominees for this most prestigious honor are drag racers,”
Kenny Bernstein said. Bernstein, a seven-time NHRA series
champion and owner of cars that won on the CART and NASCAR
circuits, received the group’s Pioneer Award for his
career contributions to motor racing.
[1-17-2005]
