VARC social forum

Well the weather is starting to warm up and normally that would be a good sign for our passion. This year however as i am sure you are aware is not the most encouraging of times. I have been trying to stay tuned on the racing events that have not been affected by this COVID 19 situation. I  think the track management is trying to work out plans to open but with restrictions to comply with the states orders. This is indeed a complex issue and I  don't have any idea how to proceed with our schedule. One of the issues with this pandemic is that it definitely has an effect on older people and particularly those with some type of preexisting medical issues. Many of our members fit into this category. I am wondering how many members will feel safe when attending events if and when the tracks get the OK to open. This will be a personal decision  and I don't feel it is right for me to make suggestion on the safety of attending races. I know there is a lot of different ideas floating around about the seriousness of the spread of this illness so I think you need to evaluate your situation. The risk is there when any large group of people get together. I have serious concerns for my own health since I fit into the category of senior citizen with risk factors. I am not sure how I will react to this until I hear how the tracks will operate. I don't feel that this is going away anytime soon but that is only my personal opinion. I would like to hear your views on this. Are you willing to go to events when the tracks get the OK to run? I need to know how many members will take their cars to a event. If we only get a few cars we cant put on much of a vintage car race. A couple cars running around the track will not have much appeal to the fans. I am particular interested in the board members view on this so please give this some thought and get back to me. I know that a lot depends on how the tracks will comply with the health department guide lines so if you hear anything on their plans get back to me so we can put out that information.      I know you are eager to get out and fire up your pride and joy . I am working very hard on an engine change in my hauling rig, so I too am hoping for the best outcome. . If you ever changed out a v10 in a van type truck you know it is a miserable job. I don't think the engineering department ever factored in to their design efforts some one doing maintenance on their creation. There is no room to get to anything. I had to unbolt the cab from th frame and jack it up two feet them remove the throttle body and build a special lifting bracket so I had clearance to raise the engine up with the lifting hoist. Oh it has been fun. This is where you ask your self  why not just buy a new truck right?  Well as you all are aware if I did that how could I afford to maintain my race car? Same old story Racers will do what ever it takes to get into that race car. Nothing new about that.  I know a lot of the members have worked on their cars and spent a lot of time and money to get ready for this season and I want to thank all of you that made that effort and are eager to get going. I am still hoping that something will turn around and things improve. I think about the people that have been lost to this virus and some how that put things into a different  perspective. I am hoping that none of the members have had to deal with this and pray that it doesn't affect us.       Those are my thoughts . I am hoping to hear from you . Take care and Please be careful. Sincerly Jim McDermott

Hello Vintage Race Car enthusiasts. It cold outside but it won’t be long before we get to fire up our museum quality vintage racing cars . I just enjoy hearing these old monsters of the speedways roar to life. That is the beauty of our cars. It is always enjoyable looking at old racer cars in the various museums around the country. They bring back memories of days gone by and many of us still remember have vivid memories of watching these cars run at our local tracks. For those of you that are too young to have seen the racing in the “old days” we hope that our shows of vintage cars give you a look back. Vintage American Race Cars takes pride in putting on a show of static display as well as some spirted-on track racing. We are dedicated to keeping the past alive for today’s fans. We will be putting out this year’s schedule very soon and we hope you take the time to come out and see us. We will make about 20 shows this year at many of the tracks in Ohio , Michigan, Indiana. If you have not been to a car race lately do your self a favor and take in one of our shows. Even better than that get out to the local track near you and enjoy the weekly action put on by a bunch of dedicated racers. The action on short tracks is truly amazing to see. Every track has several classes for the racers to compete in. They range from all out top of the line racing to the econo stocks. Even the drivers in the beginner classes race their heart out every weekend. It is really fun to watch. The hot dogs are good, and beer is cold so what better can you ask for on Saturday Night. If you are a regular fan encourage a friend or non-fan to go with you. It is always good to share this experience with others. We need to do our part in filling the seats at the tracks. If you check the web most of the tracks have a good web site with all the information on what’s running, prices, and special events. Remember no talking politics while the races are going on. It will distract your attention and you might miss the action on the track.( I made that rule up). Maybe I should say No Texting as well. I Know you can’t text and drive so I am sure you can’t text and watch races. This coming weekend VARC and VMA are hosting a table at the Detroit Auto Rama. Our partners Veterans Motor Sports Association and Vintage American Race Cars are trying to get the word out on our programs. We are proud of our efforts to honor our veterans and provide them with opportunity to attend one of our shows and be recognized by the fans. We have worked closely with the track promoters to fit this into their evening program. We are looking for help to support this effort so stop by our table and pick up our flyers. We are always looking for new members that share an interest in vintage car racing. You do not have to own a vintage race car or have experience racing on a track. We are excited to have people that just share our interest and enjoy talking about racing cars and drivers from the past. The VARC organization has a knowledgeable base of members. Some with great mechanical skills, others have a remarkable knowledge of the history of drivers , cars, and car owners from the past. Some members have an outstanding driving record. Many past champions are still active drivers . We have a member that has authored a racing history book. If you have a question on racing in the past you most likely can find an answer here. I hope to see you stop by the table in Detroit. We will be there Feb 28 , 29 and March 1.

I have just been checking the weather for this weekend event at Wayne County Speedway and it looks like it will be dry. No threat of rain at this time. That seems like a plus from the previous weeks doesn't it . Well as you most likely know the temperature is going up over the next few days. The forecast is for temps above 90 possible 95 or higher. I have been working on my sprint car trying to get the new injection system up and running . I have been thinking about where I can install an air conditioner in there some where. Don't think they had air in them in the old days they just wore tee shirts with no fire suits. Plan on bringing some ice and water and maybe some type of shade. Once you get into car the wing or roof will be helpful in that regard if your car has one, but by then the fire suit will add to the heat. Just because it will be hot doesn't mean we can leave off our protective gear. It gets tempting to not wear your underwear or two layer suits but that should not be considered. If the temp in the car gets high when you are strapped in it is helpful to pour a bottle of water over the back of your neck and on to your suit. It gets a little messy but it sure helps to cool down your body temp. We will try to avoid a long period of being strapped in to the cars but sometimes it happens so be ready. We are looking for a good turn out and I need to know who is planning on attending this event so contact me to let me know who will be driving and who your assistant will be. I will be emailing that list to the track so they know who will be coming to this event. This one of the premier track in the area so it should be a good show do not miss out on this one. We are going to try pit in the back of the pit area as many of the pit spaces are assigned and we do not want to have to move our haulers once we get unloaded. When you get there check with track personal to get direction to the vintage car parking area. Gates open at 4 pm  Looking forward to making this show and seeing you there. Thanks Jim McDermott