2022 Racing Season kicks off in Augusta

Episode 385

January 2, 2022

Motorsports Expo kicks off 2022 race season

Racing is back in 2022 is the message of the 33rd Northeast Motorsports Expo this weekend at the Augusta Civic Center, Organizer Steve Perry has put together a motorsports extravaganza with more than 40 exhibitors and vendors. He has teamed up with sponsors LST Landscaping, Mainely Awards, New England Racing Fuels, Quirk Auto Group, Sunoco Race Fuel, Team EJP and Team EJP Racing for what promises to be a meeting place for the who’s who in motorsports in Maine,

Several racers have prepared their race cars early for the return of the show after its absence in 2021. Many will be in attendance to check out the Dream Ride Auction Saturday at 2 pm. The awarding of the first GNG’S Gift will be made later that evening.

Show organizer Steve Perry remarked, ” I am honored to say the least to have the Northeast Motorsports Expo be chosen as the spot to have the Inaugural Winner Announced for GNG’S GIFT; the Greg Peters Memorial Sponsorship. Greg Peters did so much for so many racers at all levels. Always willing to lend a hand, give advice and be a cheerleader for young and old. Saturday at 7:00pm Greg’s Family will be present to announce the Winner in what will surely be an emotional moment for many.”

Reportedly WAR engine builder Quinn Alexander may be making an appearance at the WAR booth. No word on whether an autograph session is scheduled. (WAR photo)

Show times are:

Friday January 7th 4:30-9:30 pm

Saturday January 8th 10:00 am – 9:00 pm

Sunday January 9th 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Loring Timing Association 2-time Warner Award winner passes away

Cancer overcame Bob Keselowski when he lost his 2 1/2 year battle on December 22, 2021. In an announcement on Twitter his son Brian said, “Got the chance to go with my dad a couple times this year to watch him drive his car.”

“We never thought we would be here still after 2 1/2-years of fighting this. Still losing him isn’t easy knowing it’s coming, but I’m so glad I took the opportunity when I had the chance to do it.”

Earlier in July Bob came very close to the fastest car record 269.6 mph held by New Hampshire’s Jason White in his Corvette. Keselowski pushed his Dodge to 269.3 mph only .3 mph less than White. September 16, 2018 Keselowski set the stock car record at the 5-mile course at Bonneville with a 271.8 mph pass.

Bob Keselowski always left hard from the line at Loring Timing Association Speed Trials. He said it was to preserve the life of the weak link in the drivetrain, the 2.75:1 pinion. He said in order to stand any chance of beating the existing record held by Jason White he would need every inch of the track. He could not understand why anyone would creep off the line. His prediction of drivetrain weakness proved prophetic when later in the day at the fall event he and his brother Ron broke pinion gears. He left the track with a smile and thoughts in his mind of how to overcome that problem. He will be missed by me. (HTF Motorsports photo)

July 2021 after setting fast time 269.3 mph, second from left Bob Keselowski with son Brian at his left. Brother Ron is 5th from left. Unfortunately, crewmember names are unknown. Keselowski family members were always receptive to questions from this reporter that at times may have been repetitive or obvious to them. (HTF Motorsports photo)

Requiem for a rally race engine 

Last Ditch Racing’s John Cassidy described the carnage in the photo, “I tore the engine down today to see what was salvageable. Cams and springs are good. Everything else, no. We thought we lost one valve. Turned out to be 3. Piston got the besting of its life, but somehow the cylinder doesn’t appear damaged.
I know it’s an object, but it was also T-4’s heart for a decade. The places it took us and the adventures it afforded us are priceless. Thanks to everyone who has been a part of the team over the last two decades.
T4 has a new heart, and she and us have some more racing to do.” (Last Ditch Racing photo)

Cassidy described the events leading up to the T4 engine demise, “In my haste to identify a serious front end oil leak, I removed the tensioner and the cam on the driver’s side spun, hitting valves. I heard it happen and when we started it up after reseating the lower cam seal (also a self-induced issue due to over-pressurizing the block during a leakdown test), we all heard the tick-tick sound that unhappy valves make.
With a go/no-go decision to make, I chose to go. The other pathway isn’t really in my rally vocabulary. We got about 10 miles into the transit to SS-1 and the noise was deafening. The silence as I shut it down and coasted to the side of the road in front of a Marijuana grow warehouse with a taco shack next to it was also deafening.
John and I got out. Disappointed, but not really surprised. It’s the part of being a rally racer that helps in everyday life. Resiliency. (Last Ditch Racing photo)

One of my favorite No Quit motorsports stories

The no-quit award at this year’s HSR Classic 12 race at Sebring International Raceway December 2021 clearly goes to Matador Motorsports. Pre-race favorites to take the Run Group C win with their 2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R, team owner and driver Pierce Marshall instead found himself helping push the popular yellow Corvette from the pits to the paddock after a mechanical issue just one lap into Saturday afternoon’s first of four Group C rounds.

The C7.R Corvette Racing now owned by Pierce Marshall in the pits at Sebring. Dan Binks, now retired from Pratt & Miller Corvette Racing team helped the Matador Motorsports team effort at HSR Classic races this season. (Dan Binks photo)

Marshall and retired Corvette Racing guru Dan Binks, a key player in the 20-plus year success of Corvette Racing, quickly went to work on getting the C7.R back in action. Within 10 minutes of determining the problem, Binks was on the phone with his daughter who grabbed the needed parts (a pair of rocker arms) at his shop in Brighton, Michigan and headed to Detroit Metro Airport for a 6:30 p.m. EST Saturday night flight.

Binks and his wife picked up their daughter at Orlando International Airport and were back in Sebring by 11 p.m. EST. The new parts were installed at 7 a.m. EST Sunday, and Marshall went straight out and won that morning’s WeatherTech Sprint race before competing in the final Group C Classic 12 Hour round Sunday afternoon.

Owner Pierce Marshall described the effort this way, “Well it was definitely an up and down last 24 hours! On the last lap of my 2nd Sprint Race yesterday we developed an engine problem and it really showed itself on the opening lap of our first class race of the Classic 12.”

“Dan Binks quickly diagnosed the problem and planned a Herculean effort! His daughter Sara (who’s birthday was yesterday!) was in Detroit, so he sent her to his shop to get the parts necessary to fix the engine and then had her and her boyfriend get on a flight to Orlando!”

“They got in at 9:30pm last night, and Dan and Sherri (also her birthday yesterday!) met them at the airport to get the parts. Dan and Sherri drove back to Sebring and Dan got them installed first thing this morning.”

“I then won the 3rd Sprint Race and got 3rd in the last Classic 12 session due to a spin on the second to last lap. Binks Motorsports is clearly a family effort to the Nth degree! My guys at Matador Motorsports busted their you know whats off and worked with Dan to get the car back together for this morning. I couldn’t be more proud of those guys! Thank you all for an incredible weekend! And Eric Foss for the awesome coaching/co-driving and keeping me focused on having fun in the face of adversity!”

To me that is what makes motorsports interesting. Hope to see you at the Northeast Motorsports Expo next weekend.

Let’s go racing in 2022

Tom Hale

Soli Deo Gloria (Joshua 1:9)