Koop at Law - Whosyerlawyer?

Big Butter Jesus new ending - Electrostatic Jesus

2010-06-16T18:13:00.000-04:00

Martinsville - A Cryin' Shame

2006-04-04T19:53:00.000-04:00

Jeff Gordon 170/0
Jimmie Johnson 170/5
Dale, Jr. 160/0
Kasey Kahne 58/0
Denny Hamlin 52/0

Total 615

I picked the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th driver, but mishaps for Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin knocked me out of a good points week. . .

Ryan Newman Jeremiah Johnson Michael Waltrip Koop was not pleased either.

Night Out at Mutt's

2006-04-04T19:33:00.000-04:00

This incriminating photograph includes some members of the official DeGroot boondoggle from law school which convened at Mutt's Tavern in Toledo. Nobody got hurt this time, but we agreed to try again next year.

Bump and Run

2006-03-26T18:15:00.000-05:00

Here are my results from Bristol:

Jimmie Johnson 73/0
Jeff Gordon 105/5
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 130/0
Kasey Kahne 134/0
Denny Hamlin 121/0

Total 568

Picks for Bristol

2006-03-25T20:46:00.000-05:00

Tony Stewart is on the pole, but here are my picks:

Jimmie Johnson
Jeff Gordon
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Kasey Kahne
Denny Hamlin

It is going to be a fun Sunday.

Results from the rain delay

2006-03-21T20:00:00.000-05:00

Jimmie Johnson 150/0
Ryan Newman 114/5
Jamie McMurray 121/0
Kasey Kahne 185/5
Denny Hamlin 75/5

Total 660

Ryan Newman hit the wall - Jimmie Johnson Wins Vegas in the last laps

2006-03-12T19:52:00.000-05:00

I took a shot and dumped Jeff Gordon for Ryan Newman, but Ryan smacked the wall and was out early. Here are my results:

Jimmie Johnson 185/5
Ryan Newman 34/0
Jamie McMurray 94/0
Kasey Kahne 160/0
Denny Hamlin 134/0

Total 612

Denny Hamlin continues to out-perform more expensive picks. . .

All in the Top Thirteen - It was Git-R-Done Day in Cali.

2006-02-26T21:38:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Matt Kenseth for a great victory in the DeWalt Power Tools Ford.

2nd - Jimmie Johnson - 170/0
4th - Kasey Kahne - 165/5
6th - Jamie McMurray - 150/0
12th - Danny Hamlin - 127/0
13th - Jeff Gordon - 129/5

Total - 751 points.

I could have kept Junior in instead of Jeff Gordon - who would have guessed?

California - the Auto Club 500

2006-02-26T09:14:00.000-05:00

I ripped on JJ in an earlier post for crashing the field so many times last year, but last week's Daytona victory - despite a suspended crew chief - along with many trips to Lowe's setting up my garage - have converted me to a Jimmie Johnson fan. I have decided to base all of my future home improvement shopping on races. I realize this is ridiculous, but I have totally succumbed to the power of NASCAR marketing. If Tony Stewart finishes ahead of Jimmie Johnson, then I'm back to shopping at Home Depot.

Here are my picks for the Auto Club 500 in Fontana:

Jimmie Johnson
Jeff Gordon
Jamie McMurray
Kasey Kahne
and rookie Denny Hamlin (Hey, if Joe Gibbs is confident enough to stick him in a race car, who am I to doubt him? Gibbs races to win.)

The first three should prove to be rock solid picks - they have all done well at intermediate tracks. Kasey Kahne is a sleeper, and looks good in the roster for the future also, so it could be a good time to pick him up before he gets expensive, and Denny Hamlin is worth a shot, considering the other guys in his price range haven't fared real well in Fontana in the past.

My only reservation was dumping Jr., but he has never finished well on this track, and doesn't really shine on any intermediate tracks, so even though I wish him well, and will fly his flag, I expect him to be cheaper after the race, and maybe I can pick him up again.

And the maple is in.

2006-02-22T23:29:00.000-05:00

AFter receiving the maple for the back and sides I read some luthier's notes that recommend buying the neck of the same maple, which I neglected to do, but will do the next time.

Workshop in Progress

2006-02-22T23:24:00.000-05:00

I thought it was time to put up an updated shot of the workshop as the clutter struggles to regain control of the garage. . .

The first cut is the deepest.

2006-02-22T01:02:00.000-05:00

After a 9 month gestation period, the clamping holes are finally drilled (used the Wolfcraft portable drill press, which was a drag with big spade bits - a big drill press would have been really handy, but I couldn't justify that cost) and I began cutting the outline of the form. Here is the plywood mold after the first cut. It is true.

Scroll Station Nation

2006-02-20T22:53:00.000-05:00

From the first cut, I fell in love with this great tool. The Dremel Scroll Station 1800 is the newest addition to Mandinavia. I used it to make a daunting curved cut in stacked plywood. Set up was easy and the cut was smooth and absolutely perpendicular. Some said a bandsaw was the right tool for this, but I couldn't keep my bandsaw blade from popping off of the wheel when I torqued it around the bend.

ESPN fantasy league problems

2006-02-20T22:48:00.000-05:00

24 hours after the 500 and I still can't get the ESPN site to allow me to access my lineup. I was glad to see Junior in the top ten. I think my score would have been much better if Jamie McMurray had hung in - he was doing really great and stayed right up front bor much of the race, and I expect great things from him in the future. I will post my score here as soon as I can access the ESPN site.

Twelve Days to Daytona 500

2006-02-07T00:17:00.000-05:00

I have my preliminary picks: Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon Jamie McMurray, Junior, and Sterling Marlin. . . all good restrictor plate racers. Will Jimmie Johnson crash half the field? Or will he only take out Junior? This time last year I was at Daytona watching the IROC cars during speedweeks.

Progress

2006-02-05T16:21:00.000-05:00

Notice that the shoplights are up - two flourescent strips with an incandescent globe between them should give me good combination lighting. The color is pretty good. Also, the pegboard is up, with the outlets positioned properly this time (that was a good two hour setback). Most importantly, the workbench is built. It turned out great - sturdier than I expected even without being bolted to the wall - although I may decide to drop the height just a little.

Mandinavia before the Great Reformation

2006-02-05T16:14:00.000-05:00

Here is the garage with the gravel floor, mostly cleared out, but still plenty of debris. The place was a warzone, really. It took half a day to clear it out, and most of the boxes and totes are still in my mudroom, being organized for the migration back.

Mandinavia - a small country in Tiffin Ohio. (Population: 1; Primary Exports: sawdust, empty Fresca cans.)

2006-02-02T14:36:00.000-05:00

I'm making the necessary preparations for the 2006 Daytona 500 - just 17 more days.
I had the new cement floor poured in the garage, installed shop lights and electric outlets (SIX on one wall!) and the pegboard went up earlier this week. But when I went to put the covers on I realized I need to move the boxes out about 1/4" to get a good fit for the faceplate. I cut out my workbench and will begin assembling it this weekend if I can make time. I picked up the bigger size Mr. Heater at TSC, and it works great. I connected it to my grill tank, which I placed outside and connected to the heater with a hose through the wall. On a cold night it warms the garage up nicely at medium setting. High is too hot - after about 3 hours, I had to turn it down from Med to Lo.

I decided to make the bench 8 feet long and 33" deep. I think it will be 40" tall. Also, I will have a sitting bench that will be shorter and only 5' feet long, but also 33" deep. After that I plan to add an assembly table. I'm still waffling on a finish. I don't care for the plastic-ness of polyurethane, and I'm thinking of Danish Oil or something like that. . . any ideas?

Once the workbench is up, then I'll have a place for the coffee maker and the TV so I can watch the race in the garage. . .

Here we go again.

2005-11-13T08:10:00.000-05:00

Here are my picks for today's Checker's 500. I predict Tony will win, but I couldn't afford him and still keep some of the others who are likely to be top finishers. So I am playing for points - maybe this strategy will pan out.

Jimmie Johnson, #48 24.4
Kurt Busch, #97 23.3
Jeff Gordon, #24 20.4
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., #8 18.9
Robby Gordon, #7 11.4

Total Rating 98.4
Available Rating 100.0

Difference 1.6

53 Laps on One Tank of Gas - Mayfield Wins Smart

2005-08-21T21:56:00.000-04:00

Jeremy Mayfield's crew chief (Slugger) should be real proud of himself - he strategized a good car and good driver past better cars and better drivers, right into victory lane. . .

I don't know what happened to Michael Waltrip - but it must have been a fuel deal because he was in the top 5 in the 195th lap. . .
Here's my numbers this week.

Tony Stewart 155
Jimmie Johnson 134
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 119
Jeff Gordon 118
Michael Waltrip 82
Total 608

Tony Stewart is on a tear!

2005-08-16T11:43:00.000-04:00

In the 29 days since my last blog entry, Tony Stewart kissed the bricks in Indianapolis, making a childhood dream come true, and dominated the Watkins Glen road course this past Sunday from beginning to end.

I hear Tony and some others will be at Eldora on Wednesday night, but I won't know if I can get there until late tomorrow. Maybe at the last minute I will head out - if anybody is interested in a last minute road trip from Tiffin, drop me a line.

Tony Stewart Climbs the Fence

2005-07-18T23:46:00.000-04:00

Tony Stewart 190
Jimmie Johnson 124
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 138
Jeff Gordon 88
Sterling Marlin 61
Total 601

Tony stayed out front the whole time. Jeff Gordon ran strong until the end - even his crew chief thought he was going to get a top ten finish after his brakes went out. Junior was tired and sore when it ended from driving a brand new car. Jimmie Johnson slipped back at the end, and Sterling Martin hung in there.

This week's picks.

2005-07-16T11:17:00.000-04:00

The roadrunner problem was weirder than I thought. Lightning traveled up the cable and blew the cable modem, the wireless router, and the 10/100 PCI card in my desktop. Fortunately it stopped there and the desktop still lives. Diagnosis was more difficult because I kept getting a wireless signal to my laptop which made me think I had fixed it when I was actually picking up my neighbor's wi-fi.

I can't blame roadrunner for the lightning . . .

So here are my picks:

Jimmie Johnson, #48 22.8
Tony Stewart, #20 21.9
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., #8 20.3
Jeff Gordon, #24 19.8
Sterling Marlin, #40 14.6

Total 99.4

Death by Roadrunner

2005-07-10T20:24:00.000-04:00

On Friday I decided to put Junior back in the lineup and ditch Boris Said, along with some other changes I can't recall. After a week of problems with my Roadrunner connection, I realized today before the race that my changes never got in.

Needless to say, my numbers this week stink. But I was glad to see Junior in victory lane.

Picks for Daytona - Dark Horse Boris Said

2005-07-02T10:16:00.000-04:00

Jimmie Johnson, #48 22.8
Tony Stewart, #20 21.9
Jeff Gordon, #24 20.2
Michael Waltrip, #15 19.9
Boris Said, #136 13.6

Total 98.4

I was about to dump Boris Said until I noticed he's running after all- and he qualified 4th! So I kept him in.

I wanted a DEI driver in, but as much as I love to root for Junior, I just couldn't bring myself to put him in, so I picked up Mike. I may regret dumping Mark Martin; he will surely run hard to get one win at Daytona.

Racing under the lights. . . .

Dream Team Dismantled in Sonoma.

2005-06-26T23:18:00.000-04:00

Lots of bad tidings from Sonoma. So much for the dream team.

Jimmie Johnson 55
Tony Stewart 190
Jeff Gordon 69
Mark Martin 118
Boris Said 112

Total 544 - Ouch!

Next week: Daytona for the Pepsi 400 - Night racing.

Two in a Row for Paul Weaver.

2005-06-25T19:53:00.000-04:00

Victory Lane this week at Attica was a great place to be. Paul Weaver was there last week and this week in the Coors Light 305 Sprints, also winning the Area Business Challenge. Way to go Paul.

Road Course Dream Team

2005-06-23T23:17:00.000-04:00

I made some changes in the lineup for the road course, and pulled in Tony Stewart and Boris Said to replace Kyle Busch and Michael Waltrip. Boris was so cheap that it gave me some spare change to get Tony into my roster even though he was high priced.

Jimmie Johnson, #48 23.2
Tony Stewart, #20 21.9
Jeff Gordon, #24 20.8
Mark Martin, #6 19.9
Boris Said, #136 12.8

Picks Rocked Pocono 500

2005-06-19T12:24:00.000-04:00

Without making any changes to my Dover lineup, my picks rocked last week at Pocono Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson 150
Jeff Gordon 138
Mark Martin 146
Michael Waltrip 160
Kyle Busch 160

Total 754

(Best overall score last week at ESPN.com was 818, so I was in the 92nd percentile . . )

I didn't pick the top 3, but I did get 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 9th. With all the tire problems last week, I'm not complaining.

I'm keeping the same lineup this week for the Batman Begins 400 at MIS, even though I'd like to add Kasey Kahne or Dale Jarrett. . . I don't want to give away any of the guys I have.

Biffle Wins Dover.

2005-06-06T02:50:00.000-04:00

I picked the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th places, but Gordon hit the wall early and was out of the race, placing 39th. Michael Waltrip ran a respectable race, but never led a lap, which would have earned him (and me) some much needed bonus points.

4th Johnson 165 Point Leader
39th Gordon 46 11th
3rd Martin 165 6th
13th Waltrip 124 17th
2nd Kyle Busch 175 19th

Total 675

Dover Picks

2005-06-04T14:04:00.000-04:00

Here are my picks for Dover:

Jimmie Johnson locked in at 23.2
Jeff Gordon 22.4
Mark Martin 19.9
Michael Waltrip 18
Kyle Busch 16.0

Chillin' With the Bug

2005-06-04T13:28:00.000-04:00

Herbie on Tour

2005-06-04T13:25:00.000-04:00

We met Herbie in Perrsyburg last Monday. Ethan had a good time, even though it was pouring rain.

Sunday at Mid-Ohio

2005-05-22T22:26:00.000-04:00

We spent the day watching THREE great races. First off was the American LeMans Series Race, which was televised by Speed TV, so we could watch the coverage on the big screen nearby, listen to it on 89.5 and watch the cars tear by us on the hairpin turn. Next up was the Porsche GT race and finally the Cooper Tire Mazda Open wheel cars. We had a spot of rain in the middle, but not too bad. All three races were fun to watch and the rain made things interesting, but not too dangerous. I posted some photos below of our day at the track. I left my camera in the car during the LeMans race though, so I have no photos of that one. The Sony Playstation truck was on the scene, so we chilled out during the worst of the downpour by chilling with Crash Bandicoot and testing out the new PSP handheld.

Cooper Tire Open Wheel Racing

2005-05-22T22:19:00.000-04:00

Open wheel racing at the hairpin turn.

Ethan and Daddy and Ford Visteon car

2005-05-22T22:15:00.000-04:00

2005-05-22T22:10:00.000-04:00

Porsche GT Pace car at Mid-Ohio running after the rain. They had a lot of fun trying to find the rain line.

Fans on the Mound

2005-05-22T22:05:00.000-04:00

Fans on the observation mound watching the Porsche GTs. These were the die hards who stayed even after the rain and after the American LeMans Series race was over.

The Last Fan

2005-05-22T22:03:00.000-04:00

We weren't the last to leave. This dude was still there when we left. We called him the Last Fan.

The Last Fan

2005-05-22T22:02:00.000-04:00

Ethan made sure the Last Fan wasn't dead.

Victory Lane at Attica Raceway Park

2005-05-13T08:07:00.000-04:00

Victory Lane with Byron Reed, his son, and my Dad. What a great night out.

New Google benchmark!

2005-05-11T20:33:00.000-04:00

Go ahead and google Supance & Howard and see what the number one hit is.
Thanks Race Fans!

Chillin' out.

2005-05-07T00:46:00.001-04:00

Beth and Ethan kickin' it at the track. Great night out, with perfect weather - we paid our dues with those cold and wet nights last month.

The 39 Truck

2005-05-07T00:46:00.000-04:00

Who drives the 39 truck? The trucks were a blast.

Love that Sticker

2005-05-07T00:45:00.000-04:00

Another view of the Stiney's Three Oaks car - the sticker pops right out.

Close but no cigar.

2005-05-06T23:36:00.000-04:00

The Stiney's Three Oaks Bruce Robenalt car. Bruce got into the feature and was fighting hard. He picked a low line and John Ivy picked the high line. At one point, I thought Ivy was going to lap at least half of the field - but then the caution came out and on the restart, the competition was a lot tighter. Byron Reed, John Ivy, and one other duked it out right to the line for a very exciting finish with Byron Reed coming across first, but just by a tick.

Best Sprint Car Accessory

2005-05-06T23:34:00.001-04:00

The sticker looks great and it is also extremely aerodynamic. No self-respecting sprint car racer should be without one. Drop me an e-mail if you have my sticker on your car, and I will make a point of getting a photo next week and putting you on the blog.

2005-05-06T23:34:00.000-04:00

Dirt Trucks headed for hotlaps

2005-05-06T23:33:00.000-04:00

DIRT TRUCKS

2005-05-06T23:32:00.000-04:00

Mom and Dad at Attica Raceway Park

Byron Reed wins an all out battle in the 410s

2005-05-06T23:31:00.000-04:00

Here's Byron Reed with his family in victory lane. I got mine taken with him too - along with my Dad, so that was really special. As soon as I get that photo I will post it here. I'm sure Duane will get it to me soon.

FRIDAY! FRIDAY! FRIDAY!

2005-05-04T09:13:00.000-04:00

Four Divisions this Friday Night, May 6th, at Attica! 305 Sprints, 410 Sprints, Limited Late Models, and DIRT TRUCKS! What a night it is going to be! It's Martin Koop, Supance & Howard night at the races at Attica Raceway Park. Hotlaps will get going by 7:00. Once you get in, we usually sit in the grandstand near the pits. The forecast is getting better all the time. Thanks go out to Duane and everybody out at the track for putting this together.

Archive Links

2005-05-03T00:21:00.000-04:00

Check the lower right corner for Archive Links by month which allow you to go back and check out the victory lane photos and other entries from prior months.

Collection Day at Talladega.

2005-05-01T23:09:00.000-04:00

Gordon won by driving faster than everybody else and staying in front of the nasties. Jimmie Johnson crashed. Ryan Newman and Jason Leffler got collected in the Big One, and Jeff Burton hung in. 25 cars were collected in the Big One, and 6 more with 2 laps to go. I was cheering for Mikey Waltrip when he passed Jeff in the last 6 laps, but it was clear that Jeff had a really fast car and Mike wasn't going to be able to fend him off for long without help. Sure was fun to watch.

Talladega!

2005-04-30T09:02:00.000-04:00

Superspeedway restrictor plate racing. Good clean fun.

I don't have my Talladega picks yet - Dale, Jr. didn't qualify well,so I am not tempted to add him, and I although am thinking of ditching Jason Leffler, there is no one in his price range that I like as well, so I may keep the lineup I've got, which at the moment is: Johnson, Gordon, Newman, Burton, Leffler.

Rained out during 410 Heats

2005-04-30T08:54:00.000-04:00

Pepsi Night was a rain-out during the 410 heat races, so Ethan and I left just before last call. . . Looking ahead to May 6th, let's pray for a good night out. Weather.com calls for showers through Monday, then sunny and some clouds through Friday. Friday night looks like 65 degrees and partly cloudy/ sunny during the day. No rain until Saturday. If that holds, then we should be in for a perfect night out.

Hot Laps Rumble

2005-04-29T22:30:00.000-04:00

Here are the 410's Lining up for HotLaps on Pepsi Night. Ethan and I had a great time, but we left during first heats because he was getting too cold and the rain started. There was no broadcast on Wolf FM tonight, so I don't know any winners yet. keep checking at Attica Raceway Park's website for results.

Which one is the good cholesterol?

2005-04-29T22:28:00.000-04:00

Two sausage patties smothered in kraut and mustard. Must be Friday Night at Attica Raceway Park.

RACES ARE ON!

2005-04-29T14:14:00.000-04:00

It's official! Attica races will run tonight! The track is ready.
The weather.com forecast calls for a balmy 46 degress, a high likelihood of intermittent showers - with full blown rain before the night is done. This could be PERFECT dirt track weather. Only the true blue will arrive and only the strong will survive. I can almost taste the sausage burgers already. . .

See ya there.

Jeff Burton finishes 3rd . . .

2005-04-24T00:05:00.000-04:00

All my other picks finished well down the list. Jason Leffler broke my heart again by spinning out in the 13th lap and never coming back. DEI showed up in a big way. It was fun watching Mikey Waltrip chase Kurt Busch across the finish line.

Saturday Night at Phoenix (After the Jam)

2005-04-23T01:22:00.000-04:00

Saturday night NASCAR makes you wonder what Sunday will be for. There is a Mazda race on SpeedTV in the afternoon Sunday. Here are my Saturday picks, for what they are worth: Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Jeff Burton, and Jason Leffler. Jason is breaking my heart and I should toss him, but I think he can finish strong if he doesn't blow up. I tossed Junior, but now watch him go get his third Phoenix win. Kasey Kahne's Dodge is going to go whippity whippity through the doglegs, so I swapped in Jeff Burton.

RAINED OUT AGAIN!

2005-04-23T00:48:00.000-04:00

We'll try again next week. That's okay, on Saturday evening you can weather the storm by joining me and some friends at
Saturday April 19 from 5:00 to 8:00 for a Traditional Irish Jam Session - Intermediate to Advanced Players are welcome to play - everybody is welcome to listen and enjoy. Every fourth Saturday we pretend that Java Rave is an Irish pub. Java Rave is located on N. Sandusky Street, Tiffin, in the same building as McCarten's Grocery and Rose's Diner. See ya there.

The Stickers are done!

2005-04-22T00:19:00.000-04:00

The final sticker design turned out just great. I think it will look good on most of the paint schemes. Thanks to Fran Steinmetz at Handy Grafix for all the hard work. The black background with white letters and blue drop-shadow was a color scheme that I picked up looking at some of the All-Star cars. I think this design will look great on most Sprint colors. Maybe not Stevie Smith's Purple and Yellow car. . .

May 6th is Martin Koop and Supance & Howard Night at the Races

2005-04-19T23:05:00.000-04:00

Its official. Check out Attica Raceway Park , scroll down, look left and there it is. May 6th is Martin Koop and Supance & Howard Night at the Races. And best of all, we will be FEATURING FOUR DIVISIONS! That's right, we get a DIRT TRUCK NIGHT! GIT R DONE! I couldn't be happier. The whole night is sure to be a lot of fun, so show up and help us to support these drivers and teams as they battle it out in Four Divisions.

This week, April 22nd will also be special as Attica hosts the Sprint Invaders, National Racing Alliance 360 Sprints, 410 Sprints & Limited Late Models.

Pit Passes: $25, Adults:$15, Seniors:$12, Ages 11-15:$10, Age 10 & Under:FREE!

Ticket price includes at least one adrenaline rush per person. See you at the races.

BIFFLE!

2005-04-17T18:37:00.000-04:00

Greg Biffle dominated Texas Motor Speedway to a very deserving victory. Leffler crashed early and headed into the garage. Later, Kahne lost an oil pump and crashed, and so my fantasy line-up went down in flames. Junior got into the top ten, but I thought he'd do even better - kept waiting for him to make a move, but it never came. Jimmie Johnson continues to be my one and only dependable pick week after week.

Texas Change

2005-04-17T11:05:00.000-04:00

I just watched Dale's practice laps and he looked so smooth, and he qualified just one position behind Tony, so I put him in. So the new lineup is Jimmie, Jr., Newman, Kahne, Leffler.

Fantasy Lineup for Texas Motor Speedway

2005-04-17T10:54:00.000-04:00

Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Jason Leffler. I like Jason Leffler, so I keep taking chances with him, and I like Kasey Kahne after watching his moves in the Busch car yesterday. I came real close to picking Junior for Tony, because this could be Junior's week - he needs to get a strong finish to be in the Chase. We'll see.

Family Night at the All Stars

2005-04-15T23:35:00.000-04:00

I packed up the family for part of the race tonight in Attica. We caught the end of hotlaps, then the heat races and some of the alphabet races, but we couldn't stay for the features because it was way past bedtime. Beth and Ethan had a ball and now they have a taste of the fun I had last week. Ethan thought the #8 car was Junior. I didn't tell him any different.

2005-04-15T23:34:00.000-04:00

The black Curb Records Kasey Kahne car.

2005-04-15T23:22:00.000-04:00

Ricky Ferkel's 410 in the pits.

2005-04-15T23:15:00.000-04:00

Byron Reed's 410 after he stuck the landing on the back straightaway during heats. I'm not sure what happened - when I looked up he was tumbling through the air. Luckily, he walked away intact, but I bet he will be sore in the morning.

2005-04-15T23:06:00.000-04:00

Beth and Ethan enjoying a peaceful moment before Byron Reed went airborn on the back straightaway.

Hands Across the Water - Tsunami Relief CD

2005-04-14T17:55:00.000-04:00

Well, this blog is for guitar pickin' and lawyerin' as well as racin', so I want to promote another project that I am proud to be helping with:

Hands Across the Water will raise money for children whose lives were devastated by the South East Asia Tsunami. My dear friends Andrea Zonn, fiddle player and singer, and John Cutliffe, Irish musician and producer who operates JigTime, have recruited other musicians from England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and America to make a CD of collaborations between Celtic musicians and American traditional and country musicians. They are getting ready to launch shortly.

The artists so far: Altan - Vince Gill - Lúnasa - Tim O'Brien - Darrell Scott - Máirtín O Connor -Andrea Zonn - Flook - Alison Brown - Beth Nielsen Chapman - Sharon Shannon - John Cowan - Manus McGuire - Paul Brock - Michael McGoldrick - Ciaran TourishJerry Douglas - Bill Shanley - Jon Randall - Paul Brady - John Prine - Fiona Prine - Dermot Byrne - Solas - Jim Lauderdale - Maura O'Connell - Karen Matheson - Donal Shaw - Cerys Matthews.

Proceeds from sales will go directly to Save the Children organization.

First Draft Sticker

2005-04-14T17:54:00.000-04:00

Fran Steinmetz called with the first sticker run, and here they are. He and Jim noticed that the shadows are off track, and so he will fix that on the next run - but this gives a good idea of the concept.

Attica Fantasy Pick 5

2005-04-13T21:11:00.000-04:00

Check it out. www.shorttrackin.com has a Pick 5 fantasy game starting for Attica Raceway Park.
It's free and fun, so hit it and get the Attica hit numbers up to show that Ohio dirt track fans are loyal. I made my picks.

Mr. Peabody set the Wayback Machine for 1978. . .

2005-04-13T20:49:00.000-04:00

My wife's uncle Bud (Will Cronkrite) built this 1976 Ford Torino. Willy T. Ribbs, an African American road racer from out west, was slated to drive it in Charlotte in 1978, but Willy got into a scrape with the law in Raleigh. Humpy Wheeler suggested that Will replace Ribbs with another young driver, Dale Earnhart, thus providing Dale with one of his first Winston Cup rides. The W with the circle C on the hood stands for White Crown Engineering and also for Will Cronkrite. This may be the only Earnhardt car that hasn't been produced as a diecast.

Sticker Design Nearly Done.

2005-04-12T19:14:00.000-04:00

At the end of the day, Fran Steinmetz called from Handy Grafix to say that he had my sticker design ready. Wow, that was fast. I thought I wanted red, white & blue, but after several revisions we chose blue and black and white - very cool. It will look sharp on most paint schemes. He made some quick changes on the fly and will probably have it in final form tomorrow- to be printed before Friday's race. He is also working on a Victory Lane sign for me, which will be done for the following week. Thanks Fran.

2005-04-11T19:04:00.000-04:00

Stuart Brubaker's 305 got banged up.

PITGATE

2005-04-11T15:00:00.000-04:00

Check out Pitgate for all your Ohio Dirt Track Racing News. Jake Schaaf said some kind things about this blog when he linked to it - thanks Jake.

Click here to read his comment:
http://www.pitgate.com/mambo/component/option,com_weblinks/catid,93/Itemid,4/

Pitgate crams a ton of information into a tight, well organized, friendly website. Don't miss the live chats - upcoming guests include Mike Linder, Chad Kemenah, Byron Reed and Cody Geldart.

2005-04-11T09:30:00.000-04:00

My fantasy lineup for Martinsville: Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Dale Jarrett and Jason Leffler. Who would have guessed that Jason Leffler would score more points than Tony Stewart on that short track? I was only able to watch the last 100 laps or so, but I did see the bit where Jeff Gordon pried Kurt Busch loose in the corner. I'm still not sure how he did that.

Some folks have asked me why they can't post comments here yet. That's because I haven't fugured out all of the features for allowing comments. Also since lawyers have to follow ethical guidelines when we publish something like this, I would probably be held responsible for the content of the site, including the comments. So until I figure this out, you can send comments straight to me at martinkoop@martinkoop.com.

2005-04-10T19:59:00.000-04:00

Jamie Miller and me in Victory Lane.

2005-04-09T09:03:00.000-04:00

Jody Keegan's 305 in the pits.

Jamie Miller wins the 305 feature!

2005-04-09T08:25:00.000-04:00

Opening Night at Attica was a total hoot. Congratulations to Byron Reed who won the 410 Feature and Mike Marteney who won the Limited Lates.

Most of all, congratulations to Jamie Miller who won the 305s and received the Area Business Challenge bonus. As a Business Challenge Sponsor, Duane Hancock was kind enough to let me personally hand Jamie his $150 cash from Jeff Hoyda Dentistry, Burns Electric, and me, with a gift certificate for Holiday Inn.

I am a pretty new fan, but even I could tell that Jamie ran strong the whole race and shook off all challenges. In victory lane, he told the radio announcer he was nearly speechless. I told him it was a helluva fun race to watch. He smiled real big and said it was a helluva fun race to drive.

I really want to say thanks to Duane Hancock, who is working tirelessly to promote the track and to see that the sponsors get mentioned often. In the middle of his many Opening Night duties, he took time to be a great host, made me feel very welcome, and introduced me to some of the drivers in the pit area, including Dustin Keegan, Craig Mintz, and others whose names escape me at the moment.

Everybody was very friendly. I had one disappointment - my camera batteries died before Duane could snap a picture with me and Jamie Miller in the winner's circle. There were about five photographers there, so if anyone comes across a photo of me with Jamie, let me know! I'd like to get one. Next time I will bring backup batteries.

Sprint Car Season Kickoff

2005-04-07T15:15:00.000-04:00

This Friday Night - April 8th - kicks off the Attica Raceway Park 2005 season of Sprint Car Racing.

You can check out the details at www.atticaracewaypark.com.

Duane Hancock and I sealed the deal today for me to be an Area Business Challenge Sponsor at the track, and I'm working on a cool logo sticker to put on the cars. Ethan and I are primed for the season - although I may be in Dayton with the band this week to see Altan, I expect to make it to nearly all of the remaining races. I don't want to miss any chance to meet and support these great drivers and their crews. I was online at www.pitgate.com last night during the live chat with driver Craig Mintz and he impressed me as a spirited and well mannered young driver with a promising career ahead of him.

See you at the races.