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SUNY Canton Automotive Technology program

Wednesday, September 11th 2013

New on the Audio Page for today:

Shawn Donath got ready for The Cole Cup and remembered the struggles he had the week before.
David Marcuccilli talked about picking up 13 spots at Can Am and his late season race plans.
Rocco Leone showed up early on Saturday and told me how his car was early on at Utica Rome.
Frank Burnell explained why his Sportsman looked a little beat up as he got ready at Utica Rome.
Ernie Saxton previews this weekend’s Freedom 76 race at Grandview and talks some NASCAR.

What a scorcher it was yesterday and it seems like today will be much of the same. We had a big storm wake us up on Tuesday and I hope that storm didn’t mess up your morning too badly. We had umbrellas at the bus stop but that was all. Thanks to the storm for getting out in time so we didn’t have to stand in the lightning.

Later tonight or maybe into the morning we may add some more pictures to see where we stand. We are not sure if we are ok or not but are waiting word from our server company before we do anything. Keep your fingers crossed for us and we’ll see how things work out.

And give my Ernie Saxton chat a listen as we discuss how big this latest NASCAR flap is. I know from my years in the mainstream media how tough it was to convince non-racing people that our sport is legitimate. This surely doesn’t help my argument and I hope NASCAR learns from this and does a better job policing things in the future as in my humble opinion it a BIG STAIN on all of us.

Now let’s chat more about what is new for today on the Audio Page. I begin with some drivers who raced this past weekend. Shawn Donath got ready for The Cole Cup and remembered the struggles he had the week before. He told me about some things they changed with the car, how close he is to being back where he was in 2012 and where he feels he needs to improve.

David Marcuccilli talked about picking up 13 spots at Can Am and his late season race plans. He told me how fast the track was, how happy he was with the end result and his hopes for later in the day at Utica Rome.

Rocco Leone showed up early on Saturday and told me how his car was early on at Utica Rome. He talked about how tired his crate motor is at this point, how down he thinks he is on power and his plans for the rest of the 2013 season.

Frank Burnell explained why his Sportsman looked a little beat up as he got ready at Utica Rome. He talked about his Friday night at Can Am, how some new shocks have helped him and how much of a difference these new shocks have made.

Ernie Saxton previews this weekend’s Freedom 76 race at Grandview and talks some NASCAR. He also talked about his favorites for this weekend, how big of a stain NASCAR has after this past weekend and how much he will miss the people he works with as he prepares for his final night of announcing weekly.

Tuesday, September 10th 2013

New on the Audio Page for today:

Jessica Zemken remembered her race at Oswego and told me about her hopes for The Cole Cup.
Lance Yonge had a new Sprint Car with him on Saturday and wondered about the 2014 season.
Sam Reakes IV talked about his Labor Day race at Utica Rome and some things they found.
Matt Janczuk tells me about his win on Sunday at Utica Rome and wonders about next season.
Nick Guererri explained how he lost the lead and got it back on his way to a win at Canandaigua.

Well it sounds like summer will be making a two day return to our area as today it could get over 90 degrees. I like it as we are not going to have many days like this in the future this year so get out and enjoy it while we can.

We did get busy in the studio on Monday and also wrote up another article for the Syracuse Post Standard and obviously the wild finish at Utica Rome was the first thing to talk about. Wow, what a race it was.

I have a few things set up for today and will be back in the studio recording more interviews. Plus I still have 12 in the can so it will be a busy week for sure.

As for me, I am healing from my wipeout in the pits although typing and writing with a pen is still not easy with my right hand all banged up. But we’re getting a little better every day and we’ll be back up to speed real soon.

Now let’s chat about what is new for today on the Audio Page. I begin with a lady who did double duty on Labor Day Weekend. Jessica Zemken remembered her Supermodified race at Oswego and told me about her hopes for The Cole Cup. She talked about how fast she thought the track would be on Sunday, the fresh engine they put in her car Saturday morning and her plans for the end of the season.

Lance Yonge had a new Sprint Car with him on Saturday and wondered about the 2014 season. He told me why he decided to make a manufacturer change, how he has done with it in two starts and how the big crash at Canandaigua got him thinking maybe a little too much.

Sam Reakes IV talked about his Labor Day race at Utica Rome and some things they found while going through the car. He told me about the great field he saw at The Cole Cup, the need to be fast early in time trials and how doing them in a group is fair to everyone.

Matt Janczuk tells me about his win on Sunday at Utica Rome and wonders about next season. He explained how a good draw gave him the opportunity to start up front, why he wishes he would have raced a crate a few years ago and runs down the Modified stuff he has at his shop as he contemplates a move up.

Nick Guererri explained how he lost the lead and got it back on his way to a win at Canandaigua. He told me how clean the racing was up front in traffic, how fast the racetrack was and what he plans on doing for the rest of the 2013 season.

Monday, September 9th 2013

New on the Audio Page for today:

Michael Parent told me how he is doing as recovers from a crash at Canandaigua a few weeks ago.
Robbie Stillwaggon talked about his past at Utica Rome as he got ready for the Inaugural Cole Cup.
Dylan Swiernik remembered a recent A-Main win and talked about the tacky racetrack he saw.
Jim Spano has yet to win in 2013 and told me about his hopes to get one before it is all over.
Jeremiah Munson explained how he picked up a ride on Saturday and wondered about his future.

It was a bright and sunny day on Sunday although you could feel the fall chill in the air. Yes, it is coming and it will be here soon so it more reason for you guys to get out the racetrack before it is too late.

I was sore on Sunday from my fall on Saturday night so I layed low while dealing with a few website issues. We are going through a tough time now so keep us up to date with everything you are seeing at your end as we continue to work on it from our end.

I hope to get back going today but do have a lot of stuff from Saturday to release if we get busy on repair work. I do apologize as we are working with out server company to fix these issues once and for all. Thanks for understanding and know that you can reach me at doug@dougsdirtdiary.com.

Now let’s chat more about what is new for today on the Audio Page. I begin with a man who has had a lot of prayers come his way of late. Michael Parent told me how he is doing as recovers from a crash at Canandaigua a few weeks ago. He explained what happened in the crash, what damage it did to him and how optimistic he is about the future.

Robbie Stillwaggon talked about his past at Utica Rome as he got ready for the Inaugural Cole Cup. He told me what happened last time he was in Vernon, how impressed he was with the turnout and his hopes that the event will continue in the future.

Dylan Swiernik remembered a recent A-Main win and talked about the tacky racetrack he saw early at Utica Rome. He thought back to the last time he saw the track like this, what he thought the surface would do and how last week went.

Jim Spano has yet to win in 2013 and told me about his hopes to get one before it is all over. He told me how close he has comer this year, what Utica Rome reminds him of and why he was taking the spoiler off his Sportsman.

Jeremiah Munson explained how he picked up a ride on Saturday and wondered about his future. He talked about how the first time in the car went, what his goals were for the day and how little he has been at the big half mile in Vernon.

Sunday, September 8th 2013

New on the Audio Page from the Utica Rome Speedway:

Pre race conversations:

Jack Miller told me how he won last week’s Sportsman feature, his first since way back in 1999.
Mike Walton got ready for his 7^th race of his career and talked about his hopes for later in the day.
Casey Williams explained why he sold all his Modified equipment and why he was in a Sprint.
Stewart Friesen remembered last time he had a Sprint at Utica Rome and how he missed the scales.
Billy Pauch Jr. told me about his multi-win season and how he ended up in a Sprint at Utica.
Steve Poirier will be the ESS Champion for 2013 and talked about some changes they made.

After the heat races and before the rain:

Jack Miller won the first crate Sportsman heat and offered his take on the power of the motor.
Rocky Warner spoke about his win in the second heat and passing tech a while back at Brewerton.
Mike Walton explained how he used the outside line to get the lead and the win in the final heat.
Steve Poirier came from 6^th to 1^st and told me about the fun he had as he raced down low early.
Jason Barney took the win in the second heat and reflected on what he learned in last week’s win.
Stewart Friesen described how he used the inside part of the track to come from 6^th to the win.
Kevin Ward Jr. got the win his heat number four and talked about the slick spots on the track.

It was a wet night at the Utica Rome Speedway as rain hit early and then after the fourth qualifying heat for the 360 Sprint Cars. I had just finished interviewing the final heat winner and was on my way to the car when I fell after tripping on a rock. I hurt my right hand and my left knee ruining one of my favorite pairs of pants. There was some cleanup needed as I got myself pretty good.

I went to the ambulance to get the blood cleaned up and then headed home. I’m going to be sore today but everything is alright. My hand is loosening up although typing is a problem so I may not write too much here tonight. Sorry about that but at least the recorder survived the fall. That was the big thing as that is expensive.

I did get a lot of new interviews done and set a new personal record with 26 pre race chats as we waited out the rain before getting things started. The track was amazing and the 360 Sprint Cars were flying. The heat races were exceptional with the winners coming from 6^th, 4^th, 6^th and 5^th respectively. So that tells you how racy it was and how well the format worked for this event that started with group time trials.

There was a great field of 52 cars on hand with the ESS, URC and the PST all represented. It was a tough day though with weather all around so I hope that does not deter the track from doing this show again. I think if it was a nice day there would have been a packed house. But even I delayed my departure as I saw green on the radar only to get the track and find it mostly dry. You can’t trust that radar guys! It’s always best to call the speedway yourself of one of your friends who is at the track.

We had some issues last night as the photo bin fix created some other problems that we will be looking into. We are still searching for exactly what to do as we are constantly in touch with our server company. We apologize for any downtime you may have experienced and we hope to nail the problem down for good here real soon.

Photographers, keep sending us your stuff as we’ll need pictures to put up to test what we do. So keep them coming and I’ll keep you updated in emails. Thanks.

Have a great Sunday and I hope you all enjoy the first week of the NFL. I’ll be doing some work in between as I watch games. Webmaster Andy will be busy today working on that and be sure to let us know if you notice anything. If you get any error messages they will not hurt your computer so don’t worry. But if you could copy them and send them to doug@dougsdirtdiary.com that would be great.

Saturday, September 7th 2013

New on the Audio Page for today:

Billy VanInwegen told me how he did at Orange County and what his late season plans are.
Chuck Bower talked about his last race at Brewerton and the damage he had in an on track jingle.
Tim Kerr had a brand new racecar with him last week and told me why he was a little late.
Joe August Jr. spoke about his nightly routine and his hopes to make it to Syracuse in October.
David Marcuccilli was part of a two car team at Rolling Wheels and told me about his hopes.

It was day two for the school kids in our area and my kids have now had their first two days of school so far. I hope all is going well with all of you students out there whether you are continuing your education or going back after several years off. Put forth your best effort and we wish you well.

We are back today with five Modified drivers and we’ll be back tomorrow with more from Utica Rome as I’ll be heading there today for the inaugural Cole Cup. Expect to see many of the northeast’s top Sprint Car teams in action as well as crate Sportsman. It should be a real good show.

Now let’s chat more about what we have on the Audio Page as we continue to work hard behind the scenes. Billy VanInwegen told me how he did at Orange County and what his late season plans are. He talked about his up & down season in Middletown, how he has done on the Super DIRTcar Series and how nice it feels to be in the top 15 in points.

Chuck Bower talked about his last race at Brewerton and the damage he had in an on track jingle. He told me about the work they did Saturday morning after finding something late, why they missed hot laps and his hopes that everything turns out okay.

Tim Kerr had a brand new racecar with him last week and told me why he was a little late with his start. He talked about how a crash at Charlotte held him back, why he decided to wait a little longer before coming out and how nice it is to be up to date equipment wise.

Joe August Jr. spoke about his nightly routine and his hopes to make it to Syracuse in October. He told me who he hopes to take with him, why he feels the time is right now to take this off his bucket list and how living nearby helps minimize costs.

David Marcuccilli was part of a two car team at Rolling Wheels and told me about his hopes. He told me how his season finale went at Canandaigua, how fortunate he was to miss the big wreck and how nervous he might be watching his twin brother drive his racecar.

Friday, September 6th 2013

New on the Audio Page for today:

Ryan Susice tells me how he won the Modified finale at Ransomville and his late season plans.
Randy Chrysler was back in Central New York last weekend and explained why he was at Fulton.
Nick Guererri was hitting the chip pretty good at Rolling Wheels and told me he was not worried.
Steve Pesarek shares some memories of his time with Les Whyte as we honor his this weekend.
Jim Bogett told me about the new Mod Lite he raced last Friday and looks ahead to Merrittville.

Well we tried a fix yesterday to try to help some if the issues we are having with photo uploads and it did not work. It created a new set of issues so we had to undo those changes and regroup which we are doing now. I’ll keep you posted but be sure to let us know if you see anything out of the ordinary.

We have a lot of good stuff today including an interview with Steve Pesarek as he shares some stories about Les Whyte who will be remembered this Saturday at Canandaigua with a big Street Stock race in his honor. I hope you like this one as much as I enjoyed doing it.

We’re hoping to get to the studio again today and to cover the Cole Cup Saturday at Utica Rome. We are hopeful that we will figure out what is going on with the website and hopefully we’ll get everything back humming along real soon. They are just like racecars, you can’t just keep using them without some upgrades and massaging along the way. We’ll get it, we always do.

Now let’s chat more about what is new for today on the Audio Page for you to listen to. Ryan Susice tells me how he won the Modified finale at Ransomville and his late season plans. He talked about the multiple rain delays that slowed the show, how nice it was to pick up some extra cash and how he figured his small block would do against the big blocks at Rolling Wheels.

Randy Chrysler was back in Central New York last weekend and explained why he was at Fulton. He told me a little about his past at the track, when he hopes to come back again and the fun he had running down in Pennsylvania this summer.

Nick Guererri was hitting the chip pretty good at Rolling Wheels and told me he was not worried about it. He wondered what else he might change with the car on the tacky surface, how the track was in hot laps and how much he’ll race in the late season including tonight at Can Am.

Steve Pesarek shares some memories of his time with Les Whyte as we honor his this weekend with a race at Canandaigua on Saturday. He told me how they met many years before racing, when they first started to race each other as teens and shares some stories of their racing on the track. Real nice one here guys! We miss you Les.

Jim Bogett told me about the new Mod Lite he raced last Friday and looks ahead to Merrittville on Friday & Saturday. He explains where this new Pro AFX car is better, how you can get in a raffle to win one of your own and encourages teams to check out his business for both new & used racecars. Check them out at www.proracecars.com.

Thursday, September 5th 2013

New on the Audio Page for today:

Dale Planck talked about his 2^nd place at Fulton in a back up car and spoke about Rolling Wheels.
Tommy Sears put some Hoosier tires on for Rolling Wheels and chatted about his past at the track.
Matt Hulsizer had a tough night Friday at Brewerton and described the damage he had in a crash.
Rick Miller explained what needed to happen on Saturday for him to win a track championship.
Andrew Ferguson tells me about his first open Sportsman win at Skyline Raceway last Saturday.
James Carlson spoke about his recent feature win at Fulton and how cool it felt to get the victory.

Today life will change for many youngsters as school starts for most today. We had the chance to go and meet our kid’s teachers yesterday and they are excited to get back to school again starting today. It will be sad officially say goodbye to summer but we had a great time and I hope you all did too.

We have six new chats for you today as I was once again able to get in the studio and put up some of what I did this past weekend as well. We’re hoping you get the chance to get out this weekend as there is still a lot of great racing to take place out there.

Remember, they are all big shows now so be sure to get out because before you know it, the 2013 season will be over. So show your support to your favorite race track and race team as some of them are pretty low on funding at this point.

Now let’s chat more about what is new for today on the Audio Page. I begin with a driver who is enjoying being back in Central New York. Dale Planck talked about his 2^nd place at Fulton in a back up car and talked about Rolling Wheels. He told me the work he had to do to get the back up car ready, how happy he is with where he is on the Super DIRTcar Series and how fortunate he was to find a quality ride for the races.

Tommy Sears put some Hoosier tires on for Rolling Wheels and chatted about his past at the track. He remembered the struggles they had last time out, how the new car felt to him the night before at Fulton and why they put an older body on the car. Smart!

Matt Hulsizer had a tough night Friday at Brewerton and described the damage he had in a lap 1 crash. He explained how it all happened, what they did to get the car ready on Saturday and wondered how some new shocks might work.

Rick Miller explained what needed to happen on Saturday for him to win a track championship. He told me how tough it would be to make up 18 points, how much he has enjoyed his season in a crate Late Model and how streaky things were for a while.

Andrew Ferguson tells me about his first open Sportsman win at Skyline Raceway last Saturday. He described some changes he made after his heat race, why he likes Skyline so much and runs down his plans for the rest of the 2013 season.

James Carlson spoke about his recent feature win at Fulton and how cool it felt to get the victory. He recalled the late race moves he made to get the lead, how comfortable he was once he got out front and what he was focused on while looking at a clean race track.


	What was the best movie to watch if you want to see cars get wrecked? It's a mad, mad, mad world. 1963 Gone in 60 seconds. 1974 Smokey & The Bandit Part 3. 1983 The Blues Brothers. 1980 Vanishing Point. 1971 Click here for more results


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