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SUNY Canton Automotive Technology program

Wednesday, November 14th 2012

New on the Audio Page for today:

Chris Hile talks about his 2012 season with Jeremiah Fish as he gets ready to race at Black Rock.
Mike O’Brien spoke with J. Fish about his hopes for Black Rock as he closed out his season.
Dwight Johnson recapped his year in a Pro Stock at Utica Rome and talked about what he learned.
Frank Hyatt shared some of his bad luck he had as he tried to win a Pure Stock race at Utica Rome.

It was a cold and gloomy day on Tuesday so I stayed inside for the most part and got some work done. And my oldest daughter was home sick from school with a cough & cold so we also took good care of her too without allowing her to have to much fun.

Getting ready for the Parts Peddler show this weekend and looking for feedback from you guys on why you are coming. I am writing an article for today and would love to get a few quotes from some of you so I can use your words in tomorrow’s Syracuse Post Standard. If you are going with a specific goal in mind, send me a message either here or on facebook.

That’s right the show is this Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Center of Progress Building at the New York State Fairgrounds. I’ll be there all three days and will also be at the ESS Banquet with my wife on Saturday night. I have never been to Vernon Downs and I hear it is nice.

Now let’s chat more about what is new for today on the Audio Page. I begin with a man who really picked it up this past year. Chris Hile talks about his 2012 season with Jeremiah Fish as he gets ready to race at Black Rock. He spoke about some mid season struggles, how solid the season was in general and how the team’s focus changed a bit.

Mike O’Brien spoke with J. Fish about his hopes for Black Rock as he closed out his season. He talked about his experience level at the 4/10 mile track, what he hopes to accomplish this off season and how tough the competition is at his weekly track.

Dwight Johnson recapped his year in a Pro Stock at Utica Rome and talked about what he learned. He told me about two issues he had to deal with over the course of the season, his hopes to be more competitive next year and how much he enjoyed getting to know one of the biggest names in the sport.

Frank Hyatt shared some of the tough luck he had as he tried to win a Pure Stock race at Utica Rome. He wondered how those two tires ended up going flat at the wrong time, described where he feels he needs to be better and what it was like switching tire manufacturers.

Tuesday, November 13th 2012

New on the Audio Page from Jeremiah Fish at the Black Rock Speedway:

Marcus Dinkins tells Jeremiah Fish about his 2012 season and his hopes to race more in 2013.
Jerry Higbie just drove the car he built for Steve Paine and told J. Fish how it felt in hot laps.
Stewart Friesen got ready to finish out his year at Black Rock and talked about his chances to win.
Eldon Payne Jr. ended up having a pretty good day and spoke with J Fish about his hopes for later.
Joe Dgien spoke with J Fish about his hot laps, his time trial and how he felt coming into his heat.
Eric Fisher time trialed in 5^th at Black Rock and talked with Jeremiah Fish about his very fast lap.

I hope you all had a nice start to your week yesterday. Some of you had the day off while others had to trudge off to work. I was somewhere in the middle as I had a column to write for the Syracuse Post Standard and some website work to do as well. So it wasn’t bad at all.

Up for today we have most of what Jeremiah Fish was able to do at Black Rock on Saturday. It was the final race in New York State for the year and the final race for just about everybody that was in attendance.

I still have five of his chats left and four of mine from the Utica Rome banquet so we’ll put those up over the next three days as we get back in the studio today.

It was also a fun and reflective day for me on Monday as my wife Camille and I celebrated our 18^th wedding anniversary. I first met her at college back in 1987 after getting laid off from my factory job making TV’s at GE. I was 26 and worldly (or so I thought anyways), while she was just a somewhat naïve 19 year old farmer’s daughter from Granby Center. I always tell her she never stood a chance!

I was a bit of a mess after years of making good money in the early & mid 80’s and blowing it on all the fun stuff that wild people like me did at that time. And believe me when I tell you that I did almost everything you shouldn’t have done. I’ve been told I had a great time, bit I remember very little of it.

Camille showed me a new way by her example of hard work, dedication and always doing the right thing. Where other women tried to change me by bitching, (and other things women do to motivate their man) she led by example and changed me into the person who types on this website today. I am very happy and consider myself lucky that I did not fall victim to the traps that many fell into in that time period. Love ya honey and I always will.

Now let’s chat more about what is new for today on the Audio Page. And all six are from our good friend Jeremiah Fish who we are so happy to have contributing to this website. Marcus Dinkins tells Jeremiah Fish about his 2012 season and his hopes to race more in 2013 beginning down in Florida in February.

Jerry Higbie just drove the car he built for Steve Paine and told Jermiah Fish how it felt in hot laps as he gets ready to go back to the shop to get back to work.

Stewart Friesen got ready to finish out his year at Black Rock on Saturday and talked with Jeremiah Fish about how he felt about his chances for a win.

Eldon Payne Jr. ended up having a pretty good day and spoke with J Fish about his hopes for later. He came from the back to finish third!

Joe Dgien spoke with Jeremiah Fish about his hot laps, his time trial and how he felt coming into his heat and the 77 lap Modified feature at Black Rock.

Eric Fisher time trialed in 5^th at Black Rock and talked with Jeremiah Fish about his very fast lap as well as why he likes the longer distance shows like this one.

Monday, November 12th 2012

New on the Audio Page for today:

Bobby Varin celebrated at the Utica Rome Banquet and talked about his top ten at Bridgeport.
Casey Williams spoke about his struggles in 2012 and the big changes he’ll make in 2013.
Claude Hutchings Jr. did more traveling this year than in year’s past and told me what he learned.
Glenn Forward recapped his season in Vernon and talked about his Pro Stock win at Syracuse.
Bill Knapp had an inconsistent season and told me about some set up gains they got later on.

It was a real nice day on Sunday and I had some fun on what may be one of the last nice days of the year. I was surprised by the rumbles I heard early Sunday morning as we had a thunderstorm roll through the area. It almost felt like a lat summer day.

I have more for you today from the Utica Rome Speedway banquet today and of course we’ll be back tomorrow with lots more. And as I write this up I am getting ready to watch the SU-SD State basketball game from the flight deck of the Midway.

It reminds us all to think about the men and women who fought for this country to give us the freedoms we enjoy today. Thank a vet if you get the chance today and make sure to take a moment to pause and remember the people who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Now let’s chat more about what is new for today on the Audio Page. I begin with a man who just raced the night before down in New Jersey. Bobby Varin celebrated at the Utica Rome Banquet and talked about his top ten at Bridgeport the night before. He told me how happy he was to hear that the track will be back weekly in 2011, thought back on his sail panel wins and wonders what will happen next year.

Casey Williams spoke about his struggles in 2012 and the big changes he’ll make in 2013. He described a handling issue he dealt with all year long, explained why he will only work on one car instead of two and gets ready for a big change in his life this off season.

Claude Hutchings Jr. did more traveling this year than in year’s past and told me what he learned. He talked about finishing strong in his final race, why he likes Utica Rome Speedway so much and where his primary focus is now.

Glenn Forward recapped his season in Vernon and talked about his Pro Stock win at Syracuse. He pointed out one particular thing they were most proud about, described how the racecar looks now and his hopes to step up the engine program.

Bill Knapp had an inconsistent season and told me about some set up gains they got later on. He told me how he had to change his set up over the course of the night, how well he did in three races at Accord and wondered if he might do more in 2013.

Sunday, November 11th 2012

New on the Audio Page from the Utica Rome Speedway Banquet:

John Tiff talks about 2013 at the track and how little will change except for a few big shows.
Stewart Friesen won the Modified championship and told me about his race earlier that day.
Ronnie Johnson spoke about his quest for a win at Utica Rome and seeing his dad’s video.
Matt Janczuk took home the Sportsman crown and reflected on how great the last few years are.
Tom Denton earned the Pro Stock title and talked about getting ready to build a new racecar.
Pete Stefanski remembered his up & down season in Vernon and his big win on the mile at Syracuse.
Chris Cunningham talked about his special feature win and the crash he had at Super DIRT Week.

I had a great time with my wife Camille last night as the two of us attended the Utica Rome Speedway Banquet at the always excellent Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Oneida, New York. As always lots of fun was had by all as we visited with our friends from one of the nicest racetracks around.

Family has always been a big theme at Utica Rome and the word was mentioned many times in the night by drivers, officials and lovers of this track from way back, like me! Well, only back as 1990 for me, but I’ve been there every year since then and always felt the very special vibe that exists at this track.

And the good news is that the family will be back together in 2013. Listen to my John Tiff chat to hear more specifics, but a big sigh of relief went out when he announced a full schedule for next year with the same point fund for the Modifieds. The season will start April 21^st and the New Yorker will now be a twin 50 with both paying $5,000 each and will run on Labor Day.

I had thought all along that it would be unlikely that the track wouldn’t run next year but the more you hear people talk and all the rumors and even someone in the know like me a gets a little nervous. I mean hey, you never know! Again, listen to John’s interview at the top of the Audio Page to hear it for yourself and then choose whether to give a sigh of relief or a pump of the fist in celebration. It’s your call.

Over the course of the night they handed out over $70,000 in point fund money and some other checks that drivers got for tires. There were a lot of happy people in the room. Ask someone who ran there weekly and they’ll tell you. It’s a good deal!

I did a total of 16 interviews before and after the banquet although I always leave these things wishing I did more. Sure, I love to catch up with everyone but I only get all these people in one room so many times so I have to push too. I am always looking for balance and maybe someday I’ll feel I have it.

Jeremiah Fish was also busy today as he took my backup recorder to Black Rock Speedway and then to the DIRTcar Banquet in Liverpool. He and I should get together sometime today and hopefully tomorrow we’ll have some of his interviews up for you. I was hoping all along that the day might work out with both of us in the field at these three events and I am so glad we can bring you all of his great chats this week. Thanks buddy!

I hope you like all the interviews we have for you today and we’ll be back tomorrow and all week with lots of good stuff. Have a great Sunday. Go SU! And I’ll see you tomorrow.

Saturday, November 10th 2012

New on the Audio Page for today:

Bill “Moon” Mullin talks about returning to racing next year in a Sportsman after 7 years off.
Adam Hilton offers his thoughts as he gets ready for his 2nd career Modified race later today.

We are back today with another pair of interviews as we get ready to head out to the Utica Rome Speedway banquet later tonight. I always enjoy banquets and so does my wife Camille. So we hope to see you guys there later tonight.

For you fans not yet ready to call it a season, the Black Rock Speedway runs Modifieds today with $6,000 going to the winner. There are going to be a lot of cars there for this one and they are planning on getting done nice and early so those of you with banquet commitments have no problem.

And don’t forget that next weekend the Parts Peddler Racers Auction and Trade Show will be inside the Center of Progress Building at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. It’s a great way to network with fellow racers and see what parts will be on the cars in victory lane next year.

Now let’s chat more about what is new for today on the Audio Page. I begin with a man who is making a comeback this year at age 55. Bill “Moon” Mullin talks about returning to racing next year in a Sportsman after seven years off from the sport. He told me how the opportunity came about to get back behind the wheel, where he plans on racing and what he has noticed about the cars as he watched from the stands.

Adam Hilton offers his thoughts as he gets ready for his 2nd career Modified race later today. He told me how he did the first time out a few weeks ago, what he learned form that night and how his go-cart experience helps him every time he gets in a racecar.

Friday, November 9th 2012

New on the Audio Page for today:

Matt Sheppard talks about winning the Mr. DIRT title for the third time and Saturday at Black Rock.
Corky Stockham previews this year’s Parts Peddler Trade Show and talks about the events.

It was a cold one on Thursday as fall is in full swing. It should get warmer this weekend though as we say goodbye to the 2012 racing season with a bunch of banquets and one final race at Black Rock Speedway on Saturday.

On the site today we have two nice interviews for you to listen to so go to the Audio page for that. And I’ll be back in studio today with a few things planned including some news for 2013. So be sure to check us out again tomorrow.

My day on Thursday was a good one as they have an annual breakfast of sorts at my daughter’s elementary school. It was a lot of fun to hang out with them to start the day and meet some of their friends. I am a very fortunate guy when you get down to it. I just need to remember that more.

Now let’s talk more about what we have for you today on the Audio Page. I begin with a man who did something this year that nobody before him was able to do. Matt Sheppard talks about winning the Mr. DIRT title for the third time and finishing out his season this Saturday at Black Rock. He told me how things went down in Charlotte, wonders why his car seems to be better on long runs and how fortunate he is to be where he is today.

Corky Stockham previews this year’s Parts Peddler Trade Show taking place next weekend and talks about the events. He tells me about the great deals racers can get, how important face to face contacts are in today’s world and what will be auctioned off on next Saturday. For more info go to www.partspedder.us.

Thursday, November 8th 2012

New on the Audio Page for today:

Tim Fuller remembered his races at The World Finals and talked about adjusting to the off season.
Mike Perrotte tells me about his injuries from a fall at Super DIRT Week and how he is doing now.
Doug Hoffman talks about this weekend at Bridgeport Speedway and why he decided to race.

As you can see we have been very busy in the studio as we got a lot done this week. We were back at it again yesterday too so look for more good stuff to come tomorrow. And don’t forget that there are still shows this weekend at Bridgeport and Black Rock so the season is not over if you don’t want it to be.

I’ll be at the Utica Rome Speedway banquet as my wife and I just love to food and atmosphere at Turning Stone Resort & Casino. But with young kids at home, the overnight stays are no longer possible although we do intend to have as good of a time as possible while still being home before midnight.

Then of course next weekend is the Parts Peddler Show in Syracuse and anybody who is anybody will be at the New York State Fairgrounds to see what will make it to victory lane next year. It’s a great time to do some bench racing too so make your plans now to attend this must see show.

Now let’s talk more about what is new for today on the Audio Page. I begin with a man who wrapped up his final race weekend down in Charlotte. Tim Fuller remembered his races at The World Finals and talked about adjusting to the off season. He told me how a tire choice helped him on Friday, hurt him on Saturday and how excited he is to be where he is heading into the 2013 season in a few months.

Mike Perrotte tells me about his injuries from a fall at Super DIRT Week and how he is doing now. He described what the doctors did to get him back up to speed, how thankful he is for the support he has received and spoke about both his weekly racing at Malta as well as Airborne Speedway.

Doug Hoffman talks about this weekend at Bridgeport Speedway and why he decided to race. He told me how little damage was done at the racetrack, what he learned at Mahoning Valley that is helping him today and why he likes big block Modifieds so much. Fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items, blankets and anything else they can to help hurricane victims.


	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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