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SUNY Canton Automotive Technology program

Monday, February 8th 2010

New on the Audio Page for today:

Joel Doiron talks about his multi-win year at Cornwall and wonders about some bolt on upgrades.
Tommy Juhl goes over what is in his garage right now and offers his thoughts on the new rules.

It is Monday again and another work week is now upon us. I hope you guys all had a great weekend and I hope that the two chats I have on the site today are to your liking. These were both recorded on Saturday as I did a marathon day in the studio. And as it turned out, that was a good thing.

I was off yesterday as I had a stomach bug of sorts. I was lazy and a little slow all day long. But fortunately I worked hard enough on Saturday to be able to be sick for a day. I did however keep my Super Bowl plans in place as my family and a few friends popped over for the big game. I can’t tell you how it went though as I wrote this at 4:30.

But I did get to watch the SU basketball team win another game before I took to the keyboard. It was a little slow (like me) early but they got hot late as they do this year and won handily. This could be a very special team this year and the fact that they won the game with their star player on the bench most of the time says a lot for them. Nice win guys.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for conversations with Eldon Payne Jr. and Jordan Bennett. As for today, I will get back to work in the studio and I will also be back on the lanes tonight hoping to regain my form of old.

Now let’s chat more about what is new for today on the Audio Page. I begin with one with a second generation driver north of the border. Joel Doiron talks about his multi-win year at Cornwall and wonders about some bolt on upgrades he may have to add to the car this year. He also told me about the trouble he had early in the season, how it affected his chances at a championship and explained why his workload in the shop over the next few months will not be what it was in years past.

Tommy Juhl goes over what is in his garage right now and offers his thoughts on the new DIRTcar Sportsman rules for 2010. He talked about the advantages of running a crate engine, the importance of shocks and runs down his plans for the coming season.

Sunday, February 7th 2010

New on the Audio Page for today:

Dave Rauscher told me what he was bringing to Volusia as he dodged the snowstorm on Friday.
J.J. Courcy talks about his plans to run double duty in 2010 and wonders where he’ll race on Friday.
Brock Moore runs down some of the special events that are on tap at Dunn Hill 2 Speedway.

I had a real busy day on Saturday as I recorded five new interviews in the home studio. I know that today and Monday are going to be tough days to get ahold of people so I figured I would just go to town on Saturday.

In between I was watching some of the action from Daytona and as I write this up the ARCA race is under a red flag as one of the drivers tried to knock down the front stretch wall. Let’s hope the shootout tonight has a few less wrecks. But yes, even I will be watching this as I am so starved for racing.

Today I have a few things set up in the afternoon and I will be watching sports the rest of the time. The SU game is on at 2PM and then the Super Bowl is tonight. I have a few people coming over but it not what you would consider a party by any stretch.

Then next weekend I will be at my old high school buddy Kelly Skinner’s (who also races a Mod Lite) house for his annual Daytona party. It is nice as unfortunately I don’t get to see these people as much as I would like as when you get older and have more family obligations, it makes it tough to keep up with your old buddies from school. But at least we get to do that next weekend.

Now let’s chat more about the three new clips I have for you on the Audio Page. I begin with one I recorded on Friday as the snow flew on the east coast. Dave Rauscher told me about the adventurous drive he had as he dodged the snow on his way to Volusia Speedway to compete with his DIRTcar Modified. He talked about the cars he had in his hauler, remembered some his past in Florida and ran down his tentative plans for the coming season.

J.J. Courcy talks about the pair of racecars he will be driving this year and wonders if he may have the opportunity to drive three totally different cars on one night. He told me where he picked up his Late Model, how close his new IMCA Modified is to being ready and explained why his crew does not want him working on the racecar anymore. Oh no!

Brock Moore ran down some of the highlights on the schedule this year for Dunn Hill 2 Speedway as they get ready for a full season of racing. He talked about the big 360 Late Model show, the upcoming Arnot Mall Car Show and the resurfacing that may be resuming soon at the speedway. For more, go to www.dunnhill2speedway..com .

Saturday, February 6th 2010

New on the Audio Page for today:

Stewart Friesen tells me about his third place finishes in Atlantic City and his Florida plans.
Keith Flach speaks with me about his hopes for Volusia as he made the drive down on Thursday.

I was busy all day on Friday as some non-racing stuff took up a good portion of my day and then I got busy in the studio to clear my head a little bit after that. I did record three new chats and one of those is up today paired with the only one I did on Thursday. It is times like these that I feel so fortunate to be in the position I am in and that I can take time when needed to address family issues. Family does come first!

In the can right now are conversations with Dave Rauscher and Brock Moore. Plus I have a few things in the works for today and tomorrow, so it should be a strong couple of days here on the site.

I am also continuing to go through emails and doing my best to track down the folks you guys want to hear from. As always, you can send me your requests at doug@dougsdirtdiary.com.

Of course tomorrow is the Super Bowl and I am going to be a New Orleans Saint fan for this one. I remember when they were called the “aint’s” and I remember how bad they were when I was a kid way back in the 70’s. And since the Colts have already won it, I will root for the underdog and chant, “go saints”.

Now let’s chat more about the new stuff on the Audio Page for today. I begin with a chat with a guy who had a pretty good weekend indoors on the concrete. Stewart Friesen tells me about his third place finishes in Atlantic City last weekend and his Florida plans for the coming week. He talked about his charge from outside the top ten on Friday, his move for the lead that cost him second place on Saturday and runs down his tentative schedule for the 2010 season.

Keith Flach speaks with me about his hopes for Volusia as he made the drive down on Thursday. He told me about the ride he was bringing down, remembered some of his past in Florida and ran down where he will race this year including a switch to asphalt on Friday nights.

Friday, February 5th 2010

New on the Audio Page for today:

Billy Pauch Jr. runs down his rides for 2010 and described the challenges of doing his own deal.
Claude Hutchings Jr. talks about his ice race last weekend at Tupper Lake a described a problem.

It was a beautiful sunny day on Central New York on Thursday and it was nice to get outside and enjoy the weather. My daughter got out of school early so we went to lunch with my parents and had a great time.

It was nice to have a slow day and to be able to do some much needed things around the house. The studio is still a mess and now it does look a little better. But you would think it was during the season if you saw all the sheets and such. Man, I am a slob!

Today I will be back in the studio and will be working hard to get ready for the weekend. Of course the Super Bowl is on Sunday, so I will need to get alot done over the course of today and tomorrow. So if you are going to be available, let me know with an email to doug@dougsdirtdiary.com and we can get together.

Now let’s chat more about what is new on the Audio Page for today. Both drivers are juniors and both cut their teeth with field cars on the family property. Billy Pauch Jr. runs down his rides for 2010 and described the challenges of doing his own deal for Big Diamond. He told me which cars he will be in on each night, wonders if he might do some traveling with the big block and reminds us about a kick off party he is having on March 5^th.

Claude Hutchings Jr. talks about his ice racing last weekend at Tupper Lake a described a problem he had with one of the cars. He also told me about the challenging layout they had for the teams, the unique equipment you see at these events and ran down how his Sportsman cars are looking these days.

Thursday, February 4th 2010

New on the Audio Page for today:

Alton Palmer talks about his plans for 2010 and remembers getting hooked up with Jack Johnson.
Mike Bowman remembers the traveling he did last year and tells me about the new cars in the shop.
Mike Schultz thinks back on getting his first win in 2009 and talks about his big goal for 2010.

It is a big day on the site today as I was able to get a little ahead and give you guys an extra chat. It was a busy day on Wednesday as I did some writing and did a lot of work in the studio. So much in fact that today will be an almost day off as I only need to upload my new audio files and write up the front page entry.

And the kinds have a short day at school today, so I get to spend the afternoon with my oldest daughter and then go pick up the youngest at the sitters. Then later tonight we get back on the lanes as my Thursday team is strong in the FX Caprara league at Flamingo Bowl in Liverpool. Plus our Monday team has a shot at winning the league also. Now if only I could do a little better. But I could win a pair of titles this year if everything works out. Yeah baby!

Tomorrow on the site I will have chats with a couple of drivers who helped develop their skills in field cars. Billy Pauch Jr. and Claude Hutchings Jr. will be with us tomorrow. Billy will tell us what he has set up for this year and Claude will talk about what he raced this past weekend as well as what he will be in this weekend. I know you’ll like it.

Now let’s chat more about what is new for today on the Audio Page. I begin with a requested chat with a well known driver/car owner. Alton Palmer talks about his plans for the 2010 season and explains why he still has a lot of work to do before the first race. He also remembers getting hooked up with Jack Johnson for some small block shows many years ago, explains why small blocks go so well at Fonda and wonders if he might do some traveling this season.

Mike Bowman remembers the traveling he did last year and explains why he stayed closer to home in the later stages of 2009. He also tells me about the new cars he is working on in the shop, described what happened in his big wreck at Rolling Wheels and runs down his plans for the coming year. We’ll be at Mike’s shop soon, so keep your eyes on the photo bin.

Mike Schultz thinks back on getting his first win in 2009 at the Can Am Speedway and told me how surprised he was that it came there. He also talked about why the old Pro Stocks do so well as Street Stocks, described how well his newer car is working and explains why he is hoping to increase awareness of Cystic Fibrosis through is racing efforts this year. To donate or learn more, copy and past this link. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=928229&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=282983204067&aid=-1&id=1408069728&fbid=1337132874220#/group.php?gid or http://www.cff.org/great_strides/dsp_donationPage.cfm?registeringwalkid=6591&idUser=355760

Wednesday, February 3rd 2010

New on the Audio Page for today:

Matt Billings tells me about his move to a 358 Modified and why he feels now is the right time.
Katelyn Kane talks about her plans for 2010 and remembers a recent go cart race on a road course.

It was a productive day on Tuesday as I recorded several new interviews and set up many more for today. It is always nice when a good day like yesterday comes along as it is not as easy to dig up two new interviews every day. I make three to four calls for every chat you see as some folks are just tough to get ahold of.

And as you can see, we have a theme today as both the drivers on the site today are teenagers. Matt is 16 years old and Katelyn is 18. Kind of makes me feel old as they are technically old enough to be my grandkids. Wait...maybe not. I forgot to carry the one. But they are both super young people and I am happy to be able to let you guys hear from them today.

As for me today, I will be writing my next column for the Syracuse Post Standard and it will appear in Thursday’s paper. It will be on some changes in the North Country and the move of three dirt tracks to asphalt in 2010. I’ll be using my Charlie Caprara interview from last week for the quotes.

Then tomorrow I’ll be back on the lanes again after a few days off and hoping to use what I learned over the weekend to bowl a big score. But the way things are going, I’ll be happy to have two good games as I can NEVER put three good games together in the same series.

On Friday I will be back in the studio and will be looking to set up some chats for that day. If you want to tell everyone what you are doing this year and want to get on the website to do so, then send me an email at doug@dougsdirtdiary.com. C’mon guys, don’t be bashful.

Now let’s chat more about what is new on the Audio Page for today. I begin with a young man who is getting ready for some big changes in a few months. Matt Billings tells me about his move to a 358 Modified and why he feels now is the right time to do so. He described the work they are doing to get ready for this move, explains what the toughest things are associated with this jump in class and where he will begin his 2010 season. Wish you the best Matt!

Katelyn Kane talks about her plans for 2010 and remembers a recent go cart race on a road course she ran with some of her fellow Sportsman drivers. She also told me how the racecar looks right now, how she is coming along with her knowledge of the car and runs down her goals for the coming season.

Tuesday, February 2nd 2010

New on the Audio Page for today:

H.J. Bunting talks about his upcoming trip to Volusia and previews what he’ll do in 2010.
James Cornell told me about his move from Modified to Late Model and how well he adjusted.

Another Tuesday is upon us and I have a nice pair of interviews on the site for you guys. Since it is now February we are done with our Season in Review chats and will now concentrate on what is ahead of us. But we will still be chatting about 2009 with the people who we have not spoken with in a while, but the format will be different.

I had a good day on Monday as I got a lot of work done and gave my ailing knees a much deserved day off. Today I will be working hard in the studio and hoping to get ahead once again as I only have one interview in the can right now.

That interview will show up tomorrow and it is with teenage racer and Lemoyne College student Katelyn Kane. I am hoping to go with a theme on Wednesday so we’ll see if I can put that together.

So now let’s chat more about what is new on the Audio Page. I begin with a conversation with a driver who is fresh off a championship and getting ready to do something he has never done before. H.J. Bunting talks about his upcoming trip to Volusia and previews what he’ll do in 2010. He explained why he will be racing in Florida for the first time in his career, described the new car he will be bringing down and wonders if we’ll see him in that car for some mid week DIRTcar shows.

James Cornell told me about his move from Modified to Late Model in 2009 and how well he adjusted to the car. He also remembered some of the big shows he ran last year, explained why he should be considerably faster this year and described how close he is to having the car ready to go.


	Who will win the Rite Aid 200 this Sunday? Vic Coffey Frank Cozze Billy Decker Tim Fuller Brett Hearn Danny Johnson Ronnie Johnson Jimmy Phelps Matt Sheppard Richie Tobias Gary Tomkins Kenny Tremont Pat Ward None of those guys! Click here for more results


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