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8/29/13, 2:52 PM   #1
The Moment ....
Tim Clauson
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After Reading the Smackdown recap from Steve Eckert and especially the last paragraph it literally took me back and being 8 years old and probably the defining moment that hooked me to the sport of racing. I believe it was 1974 and Rick Ferkel was making (I believe and could be wrong) his first appearance at West Capitol Speedway and for what ever reason the Yellow #0 caught my attention. After the races it was all I could do to get back and Meet Rick. As we got down to where he was pitted I was devastated to see them all loaded up and backing out. At my dads encouragement I ran up and knocked on the window as they were rolling backwards and shouted something to the effect "that I had to meet Rick" ... I guess figuring if they didn't stop they were probably going to run me over, they pulled back in and got out of the truck and took the time to talk and to me and gave me a shirt, which happened to be an adult large so not so much a shirt but a dress, that I wore to school for a week. From that moment I was and still am a Rick Ferkel fan. In 1975 I began racing quarter midgets and the first trophy I won I packaged it up and shipped it to Rick. I never heard anything from Rick until that year at Gold cup when he was sitting on the front stretch getting ready to be pushed off I of course was hanging on the fence screaming at the top of my lungs. when I finally got his attention he gave me that wink and said make sure to come to the trailer after the races. Thinking that he never received my trophy I was shocked when he handed me a trophy he had won earlier in the year. It is interesting as I think about my formative years in the world of racing as it really wasn't the "racing" per sey, but the experiences at the track I remember.

Whether you are a fan, crew, owner, driver I for one would love to hear what was your "moment"

Tim Clauson

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8/29/13, 3:17 PM   #2
Re: The Moment ....
mowerman
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I've forgotten a lot over the years , but I remember that night well .
 
8/29/13, 3:37 PM   #3
Re: The Moment ....
johnnythunderhead
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theres been a lot of ambassadors for sprint car racing over the years, but I can't think of any more influential than rick ferkel
 
8/29/13, 3:48 PM   #4
It was "The Moment"@ WCR in W.Sac' ....
AustinSprinter
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mowerman View Post
I've forgotten a lot over the years , but I remember that night well .
how true that is Bob!!...n' what a jewell West Capital Raceway was!!...mine was way back when??...as "Quick Nick" took all those travelin "WoO" shoes ($$$$) with his Super Modified/Sprint!!....also good story Tim!!....
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8/29/13, 4:39 PM   #5
Re: The Moment ....
CRA91
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I had a couple of moments that really hooked me on racing,first was when I as a young child my father used to take me to Hartley's Garage in Roanoke Ind. where we lived and as my father would visit with Gene and Ted they would put me in their midget and let me play race car driver,we also visited Lyold Gifford's house in town and he owned a Silver Crown car and he used to let me do the same,those times were really influential for me.
The defining moment was at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in 1969 when I was 6yrs. old and after A.J. Foyt had won the Hoosier Hundred I got to have my picture taken with A.J in victory lane after he spotted me in the crowd sitting on my dads shoulders screaming his name, he brought me up on the victory stand and gave me his autogragh and shared some watermelon with me and then proceeded to pose for a few pictures with me that my mom took. From that moment on I was hooked! I've now worked on sprint cars for 34yrs. and loved every moment of it and still love it to this day.
I always tell drivers that I work with to always take the time to visit with kids that come up to them after the races as they might make a lifetime fan or influence them to make racing a career,that's what we need to keep this addiction called racing going on into the future.
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8/29/13, 4:53 PM   #6
Re: The Moment ....
AB Racing
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That was some great reading there Tim. I'm lucky that my family loves this sport and I get to have some great "moments" most weekends but here are three from last weekend. It started Friday night when Chase Stockon gave "Ralphy" his Hoosier band from Friday night. Then Saturday morning there was a knock on the motor home door and it was Hunter on a mini bike looking for "Ralphy". Ralphy wanted to race him on the sprint car game. Then came the kick ball game and to see those driver like Dakota and Chase take care of him out there was price less. Its funny you talk about "dresses" thats all Ralphy will wear.
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8/29/13, 4:59 PM   #7
Re: The Moment ....
Jerry Spencer
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Clauson View Post
After Reading the Smackdown recap from Steve Eckert and especially the last paragraph it literally took me back and being 8 years old and probably the defining moment that hooked me to the sport of racing. I believe it was 1974 and Rick Ferkel was making (I believe and could be wrong) his first appearance at West Capitol Speedway and for what ever reason the Yellow #0 caught my attention. After the races it was all I could do to get back and Meet Rick. As we got down to where he was pitted I was devastated to see them all loaded up and backing out. At my dads encouragement I ran up and knocked on the window as they were rolling backwards and shouted something to the effect "that I had to meet Rick" ... I guess figuring if they didn't stop they were probably going to run me over, they pulled back in and got out of the truck and took the time to talk and to me and gave me a shirt, which happened to be an adult large so not so much a shirt but a dress, that I wore to school for a week. From that moment I was and still am a Rick Ferkel fan. In 1975 I began racing quarter midgets and the first trophy I won I packaged it up and shipped it to Rick. I never heard anything from Rick until that year at Gold cup when he was sitting on the front stretch getting ready to be pushed off I of course was hanging on the fence screaming at the top of my lungs. when I finally got his attention he gave me that wink and said make sure to come to the trailer after the races. Thinking that he never received my trophy I was shocked when he handed me a trophy he had won earlier in the year. It is interesting as I think about my formative years in the world of racing as it really wasn't the "racing" per sey, but the experiences at the track I remember.

Whether you are a fan, crew, owner, driver I for one would love to hear what was your "moment"

Tim Clauson

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So Tim did you ever get to race against Rick?

Jerry #66j
stida.com/Halfmoon/Colescotts Mobil-1
 
8/29/13, 7:10 PM   #8
Re: The Moment ....
johnnythunderhead
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don't know if there's ever been a better ambassador to sprint car racing than rick ferkel
 
8/30/13, 12:27 AM   #9
Re: The Moment ....
coondog
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I was at Manzanita watching a WoO race, probably 12 to 14 years old. Can't remember if I had started in midgets yet. I always liked the #18 Coors Light car of Brad Doty. I stopped to buy a shirt (back when you bought them at the pit area) and Brad was a few feet away in a conversation. There were 2 shirts hanging up, the other may have been a Gambler shirt or something. When the guy selling the shirts asked which one I wanted, I said the Brad Doty one. Brad stopped, turned to me and thanked me for buying his shirt. I don't know that I would call it a defining moment, as I was already all about racing. But I have obviously never forgotten that. A simple thank you to a kid that you have never seen and think you will probably never see again.

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8/30/13, 12:48 AM   #10
Re: The Moment ....
Danny Burton
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I don't know if Karston will remember it in years to come, but I will. 2012 Indiana Midget Week, Gas City. He wanted to go down to the fence and watch Darren Hagen get interviewed and maybe sit in the car. Darren picked him out of the crowd (it helped that I was holding him) and climbed through the gate to give Karston his USAC medallion and a Mopar cap. Tom Brenner took the cap and had Darren and Justin Grant sign it.That cap is covered with signatures now.

At the races Karston will ask, "How many more races are there?" He's not wanting to go home. He wants to know how long before he can go back to the pits and sit in cars. He's not necessarily much for autographs, but he loves to sit in cars. We were watching a sprint car race on YouTube last night and by my unofficial guessing, he had sat in half the cars in the feature.

Reading these other remembrances, I see that not one kid was pushed or forced into this. All I have to do is ask and he says yes, let's go. I remind him to obey his mom because if he doesn't.... As a rule he obeys very well. He's very easy going and will let anyone hold him so he can see better. Long ago he was potty trained and I can even trust him to take Tim Watson to the bathroom, knowing that Karston won't let Tim get lost.

And most of you know that he is only four, about the same age as Jerry Coons' son. Which reminds me...the other night these two staged an impromptu race around the Edison car after he'd handed Jerry some well earned cash.

Not surprisingly, he sleeps most of the way home.
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