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SUNY Canton Automotive Technology program

Thursday, March 11th 2010

New on the Audio Page for today:

Rob Keller talks about his IMCA Modified and the Nationwide Simulator he’ll have in Syracuse.
Jim Bernheisel urges Late Model teams to check out his free chassis seminar at Motorsports Expo.
Joe Marotta tells all racers to check out his free sponsor seminars taking place Saturday and Sunday.
Brock Moore runs down some of the big qualifiers that will take place at Dunn Hill 2 Speedway.

As you can see I was very busy on Wednesday as I recorded a total of seven new conversations. I put four of those up for today and have saved the other three for tomorrow. From what you can tell by who we talked to for today, we are all looking forward to Motorsports Expo 2010 this Saturday and Sunday at the New York State fairgrounds in Syracuse.

I wanted to give you racers out there some information on some of what is taking place this weekend with you specifically in mind, so be sure to listen to Joe and Jim as they talk about their free seminars. Heck, I may go to the Late Model one just so I can pick up a thing or two myself.

And it also sounds like that Nationwide Simulator could be great too. And since you drive it from what I hear, I may have to get in there and see how I do. I have never won a race at an event like this but I have come in 2^nd and I have been top timer before as well. So you know I will be loaded for bear and ready to go.

I just love events like this and this is also a time when I feel great about this website. A lot of racers will be there and I will try to get to as many as I can so you guys will know what they will be doing this year, what they will doing it with and who is helping them get there. I just love events like this and I can’t wait to talk to all you racers to see what you have planned.

I also have an article on the Post Standard today about the event and my hopes are that many of the non racing readers will come on out to take a peak at our little world. So if you see someone who looks like they want to ask a question or meet you, put on your best face and let them see why all those great people back you in racing.

It’s every driver’s job to be an ambassador for the sport and you should take your role very seriously…especially on a weekend like this. So make the sport and all of us proud!

Now let’s talk more about what is going to be happening this weekend on the Audio Page. I start with a man who not only has been interviewed about racing stuff, but was also a recurring guest on WCNY back in my producing days. Rob Keller talks about his IMCA Modified and explains why he has been cutting back on his schedule a little of late. He also talks about the Nationwide Simulator he was instrumental in bringing to Motorsports Expo 2010 this weekend at the New York State Fairgrounds. You know I’ll be there don’t you?

Jim Bernheisel urges Late Model teams to check out his free chassis seminar on Sunday at noon at Motorsports Expo 2010. He talked about some of the adjustments drivers will have to make depending on their racing background, how much he enjoys meeting new drivers and runs down his plans for the coming season. Yep, you gotta run these cars to know what to tell others!

Joe Marotta speaks too all racers about his free sponsor seminars taking place Saturday and Sunday at Motorsports Expo 2010. He goes over some of what he and Roy Sova will be discussing, relates a story from the last seminar he did in Oswego and we both share a few stories from our shared past. I know…Joe and I just can’t talk about one thing only.

Brock Moore runs down some of the big qualifying races that will take place at Dunn Hill 2 Speedway during the 2010 racing season. He also talked about the work he was doing on Wednesday, discusses what still needs to get taken care of on the track surface and runs down some names of people who will be racing there this year.

Wednesday, March 10th 2010

New on the Audio Page for today:

Danny Hieber tells me about his 2009 season at Grandview and remembers how bad it started out.
Robby Eastman runs down his plans for 2010 that include a new weekly home in Cayuga County.

It was a beautiful day on Central New York as the temperature hit close to 50 degrees and jackets that had sat dormant in the closet for months got to come back out to bask in the sunshine. The big snow that was on the ground is now flowing down gutters and into storm sewers and soon will be no more. Ah…it is a great time to be a racefan.

And just in time as we all get to get together this weekend for Motorsports Expo 2010 at the New York State Fairgrounds. Don’t forget to go to www.gaternews.com to see where you can get $5 tickets for the event. And be sure to thank the good folks at Gater Racing Photo News for making this all possible.

Then after that comes some real racing as Selinsgrove has a two day Modified show set for next Friday and Saturday. The following week is Hagerstown and in the weeks that follow several tracks that will open their gates for the first time. As I said, it is a great time to be a racefan.

Of course if you go on forums you will see that almost all of the national talk is on the Carl Edwards/Brad Keselowski deal. I saw the clip Monday but did not know at the time that Carl Edwards was over 100 laps down and came back on to the track with the sole purpose of getting some vengeance.

Now I know that Keselowsi has had a history of getting into folks and yes I know you reap what you sow in this sport, but what Edwards did is flat out uncalled for. Heck he should of at least lost the points that Keselowski would have gotten for finishing in sixth. This is a bad deal all the way around.

Try what Carl did at your weekly track and let’s see how many weeks you get off. And even though NASCAR talks a good game, and I quote, “that's something that is very important to us, and we want to study very closely to figure out things that we can do to help prevent this very quickly in the future.” I guarantee they will show it in their prerace show and make reference to it often. NASCAR and WWF seem to have a lot in common these days don’t they?

But enough about the most over hyped racing series on the planet, let’s chat more about what is new on the Audio Page for today. I start with a chat with a driver who got off to a terrible start at this same time last year. Danny Hieber tells me about his 2009 season at Grandview and remembers how bad it started out. He talked about a pre-season fire he had at his race shop, described some parts that broke that had never broken before and how one wall whack messed up his Modified.

Robby Eastman runs down his plans for 2010 that include a new weekly home in Cayuga County. He also talked about some big changes he made to his go-cart for this season, compares the two rides he has and spoke about his hopes to run a Crate Sportsman down the road.

Tuesday, March 9th 2010

New on the Audio Page for today:

Tony Veneziano reports on last weekend’s World of Outlaws races from Thunderbowl Raceway.
Michael Sanchelli describes some changes that are taking place to the surface at Orange County.
Derrick Podsiadlo tells me about the work he is doing on his Modifieds to get them ready for 2010.

It was another nice day in Central New York on Monday as the snow continues to melt. And from the sound of the weather people, it should continue and soon the snow may actually be gone very soon.

I did do some work on Monday as I recorded a few new conversations that will air tomorrow. So all the chats you see on the site today were recorded on Sunday. And as you can see, we jump around a lot today.

I have a report from California’s World of Outlaw races as well as some big new about a rumored change that is reality at Orange County. Plus I keep showing some love to the Modified teams with a nice interview with Derrick Podsiadlo.

Of course be sure to make your plans to come to Syracuse this weekend for Motorsports 2010. There will be racecars from all the disciplines that are showcased in the northeast as well as many events designed specifically for the racers. To see more and to find out where you can get discounted tickets, just go to www.gaternews.com.

Now let’s talk more about what is new for today on the Audio Page. I begin by checking in on how things are going with the busiest racing series on the planet. Tony Veneziano reports on last weekend’s World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series races from Thunderbowl Raceway in California. He talked about the happy hometown winner, the new series point leader and the carnage that affected some of the teams.

Michael Sanchelli describes some changes that are taking place with the surface at Orange County Fair Speedway. He explained why the flatter corners should make for better racing, what they have done to make traveling easier for the areas Sportsman teams and reminded everyone about the annual Spruce Up day.

Derrick Podsiadlo tells me about the work he is doing on his Modifieds to get them ready for 2010. He talked about the new chassis he will start the year with, remembered his feature win at Canandaigua and his hopes to pick one up at Weedsport this season.

Monday, March 8th 2010

New on the Audio Page for today:

Paul Kinney talks about his pair of Modifieds and his high hopes for some good luck in 2010.
Lance Willix gets ready for his move up to a big block and tells me where he will be running.

I had a real nice day on Sunday as I got a lot done in the studio and can now lay low today. I do still have some things planned and it will not be a day off by any stretch, but it is nice to know that I am not up against it as I was a few days ago.

As you can see we are showing some love to the Modifieds with two interviews with drivers in that division on the site today. In the can right now are chats with Modified driver Derrick Podsiadlo and a much listen to interview with Michael Sanchelli about some changes taking place at Orange County. I know some of you have heard rumors about it. So now you can hear the truth on Tuesday.

Plus I have lots more things set up and I am also hopeful to be able to bring you chats with the World of Outlaws winners from this past weekend as both of those winning drivers are regulars on the site. Plus I will be chatting with Tony Veneziano as well, so be sure to keep checking back for that.

It is a great time to be a race fan and soon every speedway out there will begin their 2010 season. I love this time of the year as everyone has high hopes and every driver is tied for the lead in the point standings at their weekly track.

Now let’s chat more about what is new for today on the Audio Page. I begin with a conversation with a driver who had an up and down year in 2009. Paul Kinney talks about his pair of Modifieds and his high hopes for some good luck in 2010. He also thought back on the season gone by, reflected on his three feature wins and told me what he will be bringing to Selinsgrove for the ROC opener.

Lance Willix gets ready for his move up to a big block and tells me where he will be running it this year. He also remembered the moment when the decision was made, explained how instrumental his wife was in the process and tells me which weekly track he will be adding to his schedule.

Sunday, March 7th 2010

New on the Audio Page for today:

Jeff Hoetzler talks about his plans for 2010 and gets reflective on where he is right now.
Chad Homan runs down how his racecars look right now and thinks back on his 2009 season.

It was a tough day for us SU basketball fans on Saturday as our number one ranking will surely go away after our second loss of the year to Louisville. It is amazing how something like that affects my mood for the rest of the day. But as I write this up now, I am pausing to remember what my expectations were a few months ago. And now I don’t feel so bad.

I did some work in the studio on Saturday and recorded three new conversations. Two of those are up today while my other chat with Modified driver Lance Willix will air tomorrow. And yes, there is some BIG news with Lance, so be sure to come back tomorrow for that.

Plus I am going to make more of an effort to get back with the Modified teams. I looked back at some of my chats from the last week and a half and I did not see a lot of Mod interviews on there. So I am going to make an effort this week to return to my roots and show some love to what I think are the coolest cars on dirt…Modifieds.

Today I will be back in the studio and have a conference all later inthe afternoon about something that could be very exciting. I'll keep you posted on that. And I left alot of messages with alot of people yesterday so hopefully many of those folks will be getiing ahold of me.

Now let’s chat more about what is new for today on the Audio Page. I begin with a conversation with a driver who will have a different season this year compared to some in his past. Jeff Hoetzler talks about his plans for 2010 and gets reflective on where he is right now in his racing career. He also told me about his past at the tracks he will compete at this year, describes what would be his ideal situation for this year and remembers a humbling moment he had with his son in 2009. Nice chat here!

Chad Homan runs down how his racecars look right now and thinks back on his breakout season in 2009. He also talked about earning his first career Modified win at Cayuga County, wonders what it will take to bring Canandaigua back to the forefront and describes how tough Micro Sprint racing is these days. I know what you mean Chad!

Saturday, March 6th 2010

New on the Audio Page for today:

Stewart Friesen tells me about the three Sprint Car races he competed in last weekend at East Bay.
Joe Patrick previews Motorsports Expo 2010 and lets us know where to pick up discounted tickets.

I had a real good day on Friday as I got some work done in the studio and caught up on some sleep after a late night one on Thursday. My mojo is finally coming back after being off for about a month as I rolled yet another 600+ series in bowling and came from just two chips to win the poker match. It was an epic comeback. Yep, I think I’m just about back now!

I have two real good chats on the website today as I check in with Stewart Friesen about his second trip to Florida this year and I get you guys some specifics on Motorsports Expo 2010 with Joe Patrick from Gater Racing Photo News. And be sure to check out their website at www.gaternews.com to get your discounted tickets for the event.

Today I will be back in the studio and going to town, so if you have some time and want to tell everyone what you will be doing this year, then send me an email to doug@dougsdirtdiary.com and maybe we can work you in.

Now let’s chat more about what is new on the Audio Page for today. I begin with a conversation with a New York driver who has already run six shows this year. Stewart Friesen tells me about the three Sprint Car races he competed in last weekend at East Bay Raceway in Florida. He ran down how he did on each night, explained how the car drove compared to a Modified and reminded us when his next race will be. Nice job Stewart!

Joe Patrick previews Motorsports Expo 2010 and lets us know where to pick up discounted tickets. He also talked about some of the events taking place during the expo, urged drivers & race teams to attend the free sponsor seminar and encouraged everyone to visit www.gaternews.com for more info. See you there Joe!

Friday, March 5th 2010

New on the Audio Page for today:

Glenn Knapp tells me about the small block Modified he will be competing with this season.
Jason Rood talks about his move up to a big block and remembers his three tries in 2009.
Matt Roberts shows off his IMCA Modified and runs down how he hopes his race season goes.

Thursday was a real good day at the home studio as I had enough work done from during the week and was able to lay low for most of the day. But now I need to get back at it today as the can is empty and needs to be filled up once again.

It was a real nice day on Thursday and it was great to see the snow continuing to melt. The big storm we had last week is nothing but a memory now and most of the heavy wet snow that fell on that day is fading away very fast. And that snow melt helps the clay surface at your favorite racetrack bind to the dirt underneath and makes for good racing.

Not much going on this weekend around here but at this time next week we will all be getting ready for Motorsports 2010 at the New York State Fairgrounds. It is the first big event of the year in Syracuse and it signals the beginning of the 2010 season. I’ll have more on that next week and I hope to see all of you at the event.

Now let’s chat more about what is new for today on the Audio Page. I begin with one of my final interviews from Southern Tier Speedworld last weekend. Glenn Knapp tells me about the small block Modified he will be competing with this season. He talked about how close his car was to being race ready, described some of the problems he had last season and how it affected the car in the corners.

Jason Rood talks about his move up to a big block and remembers his three times in the car in 2009. He also reflected on his break out year in 2009, described his plans to add a Friday night track to his weekly routine and his hopes to start the season out with a strong run on the road.

Matt Roberts shows off his IMCA Modified at the Oakdale Mall last weekend and told me how long it took to put the car together. He explained how much he enjoyed getting some help from his experienced dad, why he decided to move up in class and why a move to North Carolina influenced his choice of racecar.


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