April Race Fan Of The Month Winner: Adrienne Soloman

Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s April “race fan of the month” winner is Adrienne Soloman. Adrienne’s friend Tristian Cook nominated her for Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s April “race fan of the month''. Tristain Cooke said,’’ The person who I am nominating for Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s ''race fan of the month’’ is my good friend Adrienne Soloman. I think that she would make an excellent ''race fan of the month’’ because just like me, she is passionate about racing and her favorite drivers. She does a great job with her Dale Junior Fan Zone #88 group on Facebook. I could not think of a better candidate than Adrienne for April ''race fan of the month.’’
40-year-old Adrienne Soloman is from Brooklyn, New York. Adrienne has been a race fan since 1988. Adrienne said,’’ I became a race fan from going to the races, the excitement, the adrenaline, and the sounds of the race cars.’’ Adrienne’s whole family watches racing!
Adrienne watches NASCAR and the IZOD Indy Car Series. Adrienne said,’’ I pick my favorite drivers based on personality and the way they drive their race cars.’’ In NASCAR, Adrienne is a huge fan of Dale Earnhardt Jr. She is also a fan of Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, and Ryan Newman. In the IZOD Indy Car Series, she is a fan of Dario Francitti, Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Ryan Briscoe, and Marco Andretti.
I had the privilege to communicate with Adrienne via email to ask her a couple more questions and she also told me a bit more about her being a huge race fan. This is what Adrienne Soloman had to say to me via email:
''A boy I was dating at the time took me to my first race at Pocono in 1988. I loved it, and I became a fan of Dale Earnhardt Senior that day. I have also been to Watkins Glen, New Hampshire, Daytona, and Dover International Speedway.’’
Adrienne said,’’ I would love to see more side by side racing and some races shorter.''
''I made a fan group on Facebook for Dale Earnhardt Junior because I wanted a place were Dale Earnhardt Junior fans could talk about Dale Earnhardt Junior without the Junior haters causing trouble. I run a drama free group.’’
The last thing that Adrienne told me is that she has turned a lot of friends and neighbors into race fans. Adrienne is a race fan for life!
To: Adrienne Soloman: Congratulations on being Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s April ''race fan of the month’’ winner. I hope you enjoy the rest of the 2012 racing season!
Race fans: If you are interested in checking out Adrienne Soloman’s fan group on Facebook for Dale Earnhardt Junior, then click on the link below.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/WeLoveDaleJuniorandOtherDriversToo/

May Race Fan Of The Month Winner: Matthew Carpenter

Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s May ''race fans of the Month'' winner is twenty three year old Matthew Carpenter. Matthew is from Johnsburg, Illinois. Matthew started to watch racing before he started kindergarten! When he was little he used to play with his hot wheels and pretend he was a race car driver. Matthew’s dad and uncle are race fans. Matthew got his dad interested in racing.
Matthew is a huge fan of NASCAR’s top three series (the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series). In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, he is a fan of 2011 ARCA Series Champion Ty Dillon. Matthew is a fan of Danica Patrick in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He is a fan of Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He watches other racing series too! He watches the Rolex Sports Car Series, Indy Car Series, and the ARCA Series! Frank Kimmel is Matthews favorite driver in the ARCA Series. In the Indy Car Series, Dario Franchitti and Marco Andretti are Matthews favorite drivers.
I had the privilege to communicate with Matthew via email to ask him a couple more questions and this is what he had to say:
''I have been to about thirteen races at Chicagoland Speedway.”
''If I could change anything in NASCAR, I would try to eliminate the start and park teams. I don’t like how NASCAR locks in the top thirty five in owner's points for every race.’’
Racing is a huge part of Matthews life. He watches racing with his family, and he almost never misses a race. Matthew will be a race fan for life.
To Matthew Carpenter: Congratulations on being Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s May ’’race fan of the month’’ winner! I hope you enjoy the rest of the 2012 racing season!

( Matthew Carpenter.)

March Race Fan Of The Month Winner: Deanna Craig

Race fans live all over the world. Some race fans watch one racing series, and some race fans watch more than one racing series. Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s March "race fan of the month" winner is Deanna Craig.

40-year-old Deanna Craig is originally from Warsaw, Indiana. She moved to Tempe, Arizona last November when she met her fiancé Bernard Rucker (February "race fan of the month" winner) in a Jeff Gordon fan site on Facebook. Deanna and her fiancé Bernard are going to stay in Tempe, Arizona until they move to North Carolina in the future. They want to move to North Carolina in the future so they can be in the heart of NASCAR.

Deanna has been a race fan ever since she was 5 year old. “My dad would take us about every weekend to small tracks in Plymouth and New Paris raceways in Indiana. I can remember being little and loving the sounds of those engines roaring." At age 17 to 20, Deanna was racing in her own racecar. “My dad wouldn’t sponsor me anymore due to the fact that I was going to have my son. My dad did not want to be responsible for anything happening to me. I had to quit my own racing but from then on out, I was hooked watching racing on TV as much as possible." Deanna said,” I wish I could be behind the wheel still. I remember a lot of good times with my dad and racing. It’s funny he calls me for any NASCAR questions and he doesn’t call my brothers.” Deanna said that her family has some ties to David Stremme! “I watched David’s brother bobby race along with his dad. David’s mom is the best! They call her the "purple lady" at a small track in Indiana called New Paris. They race at the M-40 Speedway in Michigan as well. My dad has gone over to David’s house a time or two!"

Deanna and her fiancé Bernard watch the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping world Truck Series, ARCA Series, IndyCar Series, the Rolex Sports Car Series, and the NASCAR K@N Series. Every now and then Deanna and Bernard watch Motorcycle racing. Deanna used to watch just the Sprint Cup Series and the Nationwide Series until she met her fiancé Bernard. Deanna is a huge fan of 4-time Sprint cup Champion Jeff Gordon. “I remember the first time I saw Jeff in Midgets in Plymouth. I was hooked on him then and I knew he would be a great NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver in the future.” In the NASCAR Nationwide Series Deanna is a fan of Danica Patrick. “I love Danica Patrick! I wish I had seen her race open wheel." Deanna is a fan of rookie Jeb Burton and Jennifer Jo Cobb in the NASCAR Camping world Truck series. She does not really have a favorite driver in Indy Car or in the motorcycle series yet, because she is just starting to learn those series.

Deanna’s fiancé gave her an experience last November that she will never forget. Deanna went to her first NASCAR race last November!  After her experience at her first NASCAR race, she fell in love with racing even more. Deanna and her fiancé Bernard are hoping to go to the Phoenix races this November. Deanna said when her fiancé took her to her first NASCAR race in Phoenix last November, she kept telling him that she wants to get Jeff Gordon’s autograph! She did end up getting Jeff’s autograph. He signed a plaque of hers and he said hello to her. They made many memories that weekend and got many autographs. Deanna said that they are definitely going to a lot more races in the future.
I would classify Deanna as an extreme race fan based on three things. The first thing that I would consider Deanna as an extreme race fan is that she used to be a racecar driver! The second thing that I would consider Deanna as an extreme race fan is that she plans to get married in the future to a huge race fan. Both of them watch more than one racing series together. I am sure they will have a long happy life enjoying racing together. Deanna is such a huge fan of racing that she has strong opinions about the sport. “I would say if I could change anything in NASCAR it would be the points system. I do not like the new system. I wish they would go back to the old way. I am starting to like the  green-white-checker finish." Deanna said,” most women are into racing because they think that the drivers are cute. I do not watch racing just because the drivers may be cute. I know facts about the racers. I love what Jeff Gordon does on and off the racetrack. I will die loving racing."

To Deanna Craig: Congratulations on being Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s March “race fan of the month” winner! I hope you enjoy all of the race the rest of the 2012 season!

Deanna and her fiancé Bernard.

　

　

Julia Landauer: Determined To Live Her Dream



(Credit goes to Julia Landauer.)

Julia Landauer was born on November 12th, 1992 in New York, New York. She attended a specialized public high school for math and science in New York City called Stuyvesant High school. Julia said,"I missed about 130 days of high school over four years which made it very difficult to balance. However I loved being at the track and at school so I made it work. I was disciplined, worked hard, and wanted to do a lot. Naturally I missed a lot of high school events, but  I was 100% ok with that. If I wanted to do school stuff more than I wouldn’t have pursued racing as aggressively as I did." Julia is currently a sophomore at Stanford University in California."I am majoring in an Interdisciplinary major called Science, Technology, and Society,"said Julia. Julia is a very successful college student and a race car driver. Her dream of wanting to make a career out of racing started when she was just a young girl starting out in go-karts.

Julia got involved in go-karts when she was 10 years old."It was a family sport that my younger sister, brother, and I did with my parents. I loved it from the start and by age 12 I knew I wanted to be a professional race car driver."She won many races and championships in go-karts. Julia climbed the karting ranks to the national level,where she visited the podium and won many times. At the age of 13 she  joined the Skip Barber Racing Series, were she raced in her first car race. She made history at the age of 14 as the youngest and first female champion in the Skip Barber Racing Series. She joined the Formula BMW USA Series when she was 15 years old. Julia was the youngest driver to compete in the 2007 Formula BMW USA Series. She had a best finish of 5th and she earned three top ten finishes ( 5th, 8th , 9th) in the Formula BMW Series. At the age of 16 she started racing in the USAC Ford focus Midgets with Bob East. She moved up to the NASCAR Late Model Stock Car series with Bill Mcanally racing part time when she was 17. She also ran a part time  NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Season  with Sellers racing when she was 18 and 19 years old. Julia said, "I’m planning on racing late models in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series and some K@N Pro Series races for the 2012 season." Her goal for her racing career is that she wants to make a living racing cars.

I  had the privilege to communicate  with Julia via email and ask her a couple more questions. This is what Julia had to say:

  "My favorite part about racing is that it’s like solving a puzzle. A driver has to make so many factors work perfectly in order to win. The entire process, including the excruciating hard work, the team work, the speed, the passing, and so much more , making racing so magical. Finding proper funding is definitely the hardest part of racing,"said Julia.

When I asked Julia if she has a best racing memory she said,"One of my best memories is my first win in  a  car when I was 13. I led the whole race, crossed the line in first, and I knew I was the best that race. Another one is a practice day in go-karts in New castle, IN, where I was so intensely in the zone that it felt like I was gliding on the track. I didn’t have to think about it. It was truly the most amazing feeling that I will never forget."

Julia has been on many race tracks throughout her racing career. When I asked her If she had any favorite race tracks she said,"My favorite road course is Road America, and my favorite oval is South Boston Speedway."

"There is no real "off" season for me. When I’m not in the car I’m working on the business side. I am developing my Julia Landauer Racing brand, meeting with investors, strategizing for sponsorship , working out and going to school. Racing is a 24/7 job. My favorite things to do outside of racing is that I like being in school, I love being outdoors, building things, exercising, and exploring my hometown of  New York City."

Julia said,"I’m inspired by anyone who puts their heart and soul into something, racing or not. Lyn St. James is a huge inspiration and mentor, as is Carl Edwards, but there are so many inspiring people out there in the world."

When I asked Julia what are the skills required to become a good race car driver she said,"There’s no one way to be a racer, but you have to be talented, aggressive, smart,  business and media savvy to name a few things. You have to have  great endurance and physical strength to be physically prepared to be a race car driver. It gets extremely hot in the cars, and you race for hours. You have to be in great shape if you want to be a race car driver.”

The final question I asked Julia was what advice would you give to other women who want to be race car drivers? "Find people who will support you because you are a racer. Surround yourself with those people, be ruthless in asking question and learning, and never let adversity stop your  desire.”

To Julia Landauer:Thank you very much for taking the time to answer some questions so this article could happen. Good luck with college and your racing career! 

Race fans: Click on the link below and "like" Julia Landauer's facebook fan page!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Julia-Landauer/147344155300065

2011 Racing Season. Credit goes to Julia Landauer.

February Race Fan Of The Month Winner: Bernard Rucker

Some race fans watch more than one racing series ( NASCAR, IndyCar, ARCA, etc). Every race fan is different and some race fans only watch one racing series. Every race fan has different opinions about what is going on in the racing series that they watch. I talked to February “race fan of the month” winner Bernard Rucker via email. I had the opportunity to ask him questions and to see how much of an extreme race fan he really is.

Bernard Rucker is originally from Michigan but for the last sixteen years he has made Tempe, Arizona his hometown. Bernard is engaged to Deanna Craig and she is a race fan too. Bernard’s father was a mechanic, so engines were a major topic around his boyhood home. He got interested in NASCAR shortly after they started to broadcast the races on the radio. When “ABC Wide World Of Sports” took to the air with the Daytona 500, he remembers watching Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison bumping each other, then they spun each other out on the final lap and continued to pound on each other outside of there race cars.“ I watched as NASCAR race cars went from no sponsors, to one sponsor, to multiple sponsors throughout the years,” said Bernard. Bernard really got hooked on NASCAR when he went to his first NASCAR race at Michigan International Speedway when he was just a little boy. Bernard said,” The first thing that got my attention was the loud sound of those engines and the smell of raw fuel. We took our seats, sixteen rows up from the track and proceeded to watch as the cars came by behind the pace car and my heart began to race. The green flag waved in the air for the start of the race and the drivers sped by so fast that I couldn’t tell which driver was which! When they came out of turn four and raced by us at a 180 miles per hour three things came in my mind: These guys are going unbelievably fast, I was hooked on racing, and the speed of those cars made me chilly! That was when I came to realization that I loved this sport!”

Bernard does not really have a favorite race car driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He has watched Jeff Gordon’s racing career very closely. “ I watched Jeff Gordon’s racing career on ESPN’S Saturday Night Thunder program which aired late on Saturday night’s." Bernard would like to see Mark Martin and Jeff Burton win the Daytona 500 soon. Bernard said,"I am a fan of Jennifer Jo Cobb and Morgan Shepherd in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Morgan is 70 years old and still making races, what a racer!" In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Bernard is a fan of Ron Hornaday Jr, Matt Crafton, Timothy Peters, and Johnny Sauter. His favorite ARCA Series race car driver is Bobby Gerhardt. In the IZOD Indy Car Series, Bernard’s favorite race car drivers are, Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti, and Marco Andretti."In the Formula one series I really don’t have a favorite since they’ve started allowing the 12- valve engines and the leader of the race is so far out in front that it has taken the thrill out of the race. I still watch a Formula One race every once in awhile though.” Bernard watches the NHRA Series too. He is a fan of 15 time Champion John Force! He also watches the Rolex Series. He is a fan of Max Angelelli. “ He will win a championship soon."
I would classify Bernard as an extreme race fan because of four things I learned about him. The first thing is that he truly loves racing and he has strong opinions about the rules in NASCAR. “ The idea of locking in the top 35 in points: If you don’t have the speed to make the show than you are just a moving hazard out there all afternoon. You should have to make your way to be there regardless of who you are,who you drive for,or who your sponsor is! The race for the Championship: Five races should decide the NASCAR Championship. A Super speedway, an intermediate track, a mile track, a Bristol or Martinsville race and yes of course a road course. When I asked Bernard if he goes to any races he said,” I go to the fall NASCAR races at Phoenix when I can. I’m a down to earth man, my bills get paid before I have fun. When I have fun, I just don’t get tickets for one race, I get tickets for the whole weekend at Phoenix! That’s my idea of going to the races! One race is not enough!”

The third thing that I learned about him  is that he has a dream of wanting to give the commands at a race. Bernard said," As far as doing something in a race I’d like to be the one to tell the guys to start their engines! I would like to say Alright racers , It’s time to start the fires and light the tires! Instead of the traditional , Gentleman start your engines, or I’d like to drive the pace car!" The last thing that I learned about him is that Bernard wrote a prayer before the Daytona 500 and he said” This prayer should be an official prayer for each race car driver.”

Lord As I prepare to take the track;

I pray for you to bring me back.

Not wrecked or bruised, or hurting face;

But hopefully in first place.

Give us the guidance for clear vision;

And to make the right decisions.

Guide all of us in our cars;

No matter in which turn we are.

Should we finish this grueling race;

Give me at least a top ten space.

Keep our equipment in tip top shape;

And without a single scrape.

　

Tell us in advance when we should hit the gas;

And stop us before we say or do something crass.

As the end begins to unfold;

Keep our cars up on the road.

Yes lord on this particular day;

Help us and guide us on the way.

Keep all of us safe and sound;

As our cars go round and round.

Watch out for all of my competitors, and friends;

As we compete to the very end.

This prayer is not for just me;

But all my brothers and sisters across the sea.

And now as we prepare to take our starting spot;

Guide us and protect us no matter what.

Amen!

To Bernard Rucker: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer some questions so this article could happen! I really enjoyed writing this article about you. Congratulations on being Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s February “ race fan of the month” winner. You are truly an extreme race fan. I hope you enjoy the 2012 racing season.





(Bernard Rucker. Credit goes to Bernard
Rucker.)

 

The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA Series Race At Daytona International Speedway

The ARCA racing series kicked off the 2012 season with one of the most prestigious races on the ARCA Series schedule on February 18th: The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway. Before the race started the ARCA racing series drivers had to practice and qualify for the race.

The first practice session for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA race at Daytona took place on February 16th. Steve Blackburn was the fastest in the first practice session. His lap time was 47.712 (188.632mph). The final practice session took place on February 18th before the race started. Bobby Gerhart was the fastest in final practice. His lap time was 48.886 (184.102 mph).

Qualifying for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA race at Daytona took place on February 17th. Bobby Gerhart thought he won the pole position for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona but Bobby saw his qualifying time taken off the board because the engine in his car failed inspection after qualifying. Bobby started the race in the forty-second position. Sean Corr was awarded the Menards Pole Award. Sean’s qualifying lap time was 49.271 ( 182.663 mph). Ryan Reed started in the second position. Ryan’s qualifying lap time was 49.362 (182.326 mph). Steve Blackburn started in the third position. His qualifying lap time was 49.416 ( 182.127 mph). Tom Hessert started in the fourth position. Tom’s qualifying lap time was 49.449 (182.006 mph).Chris Windom started in the fifth position. His qualifying lap time was 49.475 ( 181.910 mph).

One of the biggest stories going into the race weekend was that the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is celebrating its 60th season this year. Another story that I thought was interesting is that twenty four rookies were in the field at Daytona. Milka Duno, Sloan Henderson and Leilani Munter were the three females in the field at Daytona. A sad story that was shared before the race was that Mildred Marcum, matriarch and co-founder of ARCA, passed away in January at St. Vincent Hospital in Toledo, Ohio. Mildred had just celebrated her 98th birthday on January 6, 2012.

On February 18th at about 4:30pm ET the ARCA drivers heard those famous words in racing, "drivers start your engines!" The ARCA cars rolled off pit road and onto the track to start some pace laps after everyone had their engines fired up. Right before the green flag waved in the air the pace car made its way onto pit road and the field was now in the hands of pole sitter Sean Corr. As the ARCA cars got closer to the start/finish line the green flag waved in the air for the start of the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona! As they crossed the start/finish line to complete the first lap it was pole sitter Sean Corr who lead the first lap at Daytona!

On lap two Bobby Gerhart came onto pit road to top off his fuel tank. After Bobby came off pit road and back onto the track he went one lap down. He was running about six cars back behind the leader on lap five.

Unfortunately rookie Sloan Henderson was having problems with her car and she coasted off the race track on lap seven. Sloan’s car had a problem with the ignition. As Sloan was trying to coast to pit road, the first caution came out for Milka Duno. Will Kimmel and Milka Duno made contact and that sent Milka spinning at a very high speed. Duno handled the spin with great skill and she brought the car into the pits. While they were still under the first caution the majority of the field came down pit road for pit stops. Sloan Henderson was on pit road during the caution and her crew had the hood up on the car. As the first caution was still out, Milka Duno’s car was brought into the garage area by a tow truck. The Aarons lucky dog went to Bobby Gerhart. Pole sitter Sean Corr lead the field to the restart.

Unfortunately Leilani Munter spun coming off of turn two and that brought out the second caution on lap fourteen. Her left rear tire went down and completely flew off. Leilani was able to drive her car to pit road. The lucky dog went to Sloan Henderson. Sloan did not get back on the lead lap. she was five laps down because of the issue that happened on lap seven with her ignition. During the second caution a couple of cars went down pit road for pit stops.

The green flag waved in the air for the restart and Cale Gale was the leader. It didn’t take Brandon Mcreynolds long to make his way around Cale Gale and snatch the lead from him on lap nineteen.

Coming out of turn four Bill Coffey’s right front tire went down and he slammed into the wall and that brought out the third caution on lap twenty.

The pace car turned onto pit road and the field was in the hands of Brandon Mcreynolds. The green flag waved in the air for the restart and Brandon got an excelled restart. After 29 out of 80 laps Brandon Mcreynolds lead the field with Ryan Reed running second.

When the race reached half away unfortunately the pole winner Shawn corr had problems with his engine. The pole winner was not going to be the race winner because he had to take his car to the garage.

With twenty two laps to go Brandon Mcreynolds was still leading the field. He had a strong car all day but Brandon’s team had one thing on their mind: Do they have enough fuel to make it to the end?

A lot of drivers needed a caution to come out so they could get some fuel and they got their wish with eleven lap to go. Rick Clifton, Sloan Henderson and James Hylton were involved in a wreck. James moved up the hill right in front of Sloan Henderson. Sloan had no where to go and Rick Clifton got collected in the wreck. While the fourth caution was still out only a couple cars came in for pit stops.

As the ARCA cars came to the start/finish line the green flag waved in the air for the restart with five laps to go! Mcreynolds strongly raced away trying to pull away from the field. Brandon knew he had to be conservative because he was very low on fuel. With four laps to go Paulie Harraka spun off the track but the race stayed green and Paulie got back on the track!

Unfortunately the fifth caution came out for Chris Buescher with two laps to go. Chris got spun by Nelson Canache and he went off the track. Chris did a good job keeping the car under the yellow line so he did not get hit by another car.

As the pace car rolled off the track and onto pit road the field was in the hands of race leader Brandon Mcreynolds with two laps to go. As the white flag waved in the air Brandon was only two and a half miles away from his first ARCA racing series victory! Coming out of turn four for the final time Brandon unfortunately ran out of gas and Bobby Gerhart flew past Brandon and Bobby crossed the start/finish line the winner of the season opener at Daytona! As the field crossed the start/finish line multiple cars ran out of gas and some cars ran into each other and wrecked. Drew Charlson finished second, Will Kimmel finished third, Steve Blackburn finished fourth and Mark Thompson finished fifth. Bobby Gehart is now an eight time winner at Daytona!

After the race ended some race fans talked about their reactions of the race via social networking.

ARCA races are always exciting to watch. I have been a Frankie Kimmel fan for years. I met him in the early 90's and he is a really nice guy and fan friendly. - Nina Leshley

One really good race! - Jimmy Thompson

It was a great race. ARCA is so under-rated.- Stephen Marling

A lot of race fans truly did enjoy the ARCA series season opener at Daytona. Bobby Gerhart is a talented driver and he is a threat to win every time he is in a race. The ARCA racing series truly has some of the best racing you will see. If you have not watched an ARCA race I truly encourage you to sit down and watch an ARCA race or attend a race if you can. The ARCA racing series is back in action and they started the 2012 season with a fantastic season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

To Bobby Gerhart: Congratulations on winning the 2012 ARCA series season opener at Daytona!

Race fans: Do you want to see more exciting ARCA races? Don’t miss the Mobile ARCA 200 at Mobile International Speedway on March 10th. The Mobile ARCA 200 will not be televised. The next televised ARCA race will be the Talladega ARCA 250 at Talladega Super speedway on May 4th.

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

January Race Fan Of The Month Winner: Len Riojas

39 year old Len Riojas has been a race fan since he was a kid playing AFX Slot cars on his living room floor with his older brother and cousins. Len is about the only person outside of his immediate family that has a true passion for racing. In the early 90’s Len was working as an EMT ( Emergency Medical Technician) and he asked to volunteer as a corner worker/medical staff at both Sears Point Raceway ( now Infineon Raceway) and Laguna Seca during the AMA Super bike events. “ I live in Portland, Oregon where we’ve hosted the C.A.R.T/Champ car series for nearly 30 years. This is where I learned about racing and for many years I didn’t miss fathers day at P.I.R," said Len. Len has since become a huge fan of open wheel and sports car racing. He is a fan of Formula one, ALMS, Grand AM and Indy Car.

When I asked Len what does he like about racing he said,“ I don’t have the ability to describe the moment when a grid comes to life other than to say it cannot be ignored. The first time I watched a pack of cars roll off the start/finish line and rumble by me I was hooked.“

When I asked Len what is his favorite race car driver in every racing series that he watches Len said; “ It’s hard to say. In Indy Car it would have to be Will Power. I’ve met him on a few occasions; he’s very friendly, always willing to take a minute to chat with the fans, and of course he’s a great driver. In ALMS, I am a huge fan of Allan McNish. I got a chance to meet Jonathan Bomaritom in his days in the Atlantics and have followed his career since; now he’s driving GT cars in the Grand - Am Series. I’ve met a lot of drivers, too many to mention however I will mention this, a couple years ago while visiting the Unser Racing Museum in Albuquerque I got to meet Al Unser SR."

Len tries to go to a race every year but now that his home race is off the schedule it has become a little more difficult to go to a race every year. He has traveled a lot in recent years which has allowed him to go to Indy Car races in other parts of the country.

I would classify Len as an extreme race fan because he plans vacation time around the IZOD Indy Car Series schedule, he has strong opinions on the sport, its evolution and the direction he sees it taking and he took unpaid time off work to drive 1600 miles to attend a race. For Len, attending a race isn’t just a few hours on a Sunday afternoon, it’s a week long event.

To Len Riojas: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer some questions so this article could happen. Congratulations on being Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s January "race fan of the month" winner! You definitely are an extreme race fan with a true passion for racing. I hope you enjoy the 2012 racing season!



( Katherine Legge and Len Riojas.
Credit goes to Len Riojas.)