A LITTLE POTPOURRI

                May 9, Long Beach, NY--- NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver Rick Fuller recently announced that he is retiring as a driver. I suppose it comes to most drivers at some point that it’s time to hang it up. But Fuller will be really missed.

                Always a fan favorite, he’s also a favorite of the media. Whenever he finishes up front, the top three are brought up to the pressbox for the post-race interview. If you’re a fan sitting outside the box and you hear a lot of laughter, you always know which of the three drivers are talking.

                The 47-year old driver won the Tour Championship in 1993, as well as being voted the Tour’s Most Popular Driver in 2000. Fuller made his first Tour start on March 31, 1985 at Thompson International Speedway, with 1 top five and 3 top tens. In 14 starts that year, he won $9,977 in purse money. The most he’s won in any one year was in 1997 when he totaled $79,589. During his championship season, he only banked $71,196. Still, Rick has made many deposits, as his career earnings are $1,153,340.00. His biggest purse was from Richmond on April 8, 1990 win, where he garnered $17,800.

                With 426 starts, he has 20 wins, 144 top fives and 230 top ten finishes. He’s taken 11 pole positions.

                The above stats are only from the Whelen Modified Tour, which don’t include his 1980 Westboro Speedway Late Model Championship, 1982 Thompson International Speedway Late Model Championship, or his 1985 Thompson Modified Championship.

                Hopefully, someone will entice Rick to step in to their car, at least part-time. If not, Victory Lane interviews are going to be very boring in the future.

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                With one rainout under its belt to start their weekly season, being followed by their 2^nd consecutive one, you have to wonder if Mother Nature is once again out to get Stafford Motor Speedway this year! This is a movie we’ve seen before, as the entire month of May was rained out several years ago at the historic ½ mile facility.

                Not just that; but we planned on spending some time up there on Friday nights during the spring and fall. This rainout necessitated having to reschedule the New England Dodge Dealers Late Model 100 to June 17th.

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                If you read Shawn Courchesne’s Blog on the Hartford Currant site, you’ll note that there won’t be any Holiday cards sent back and forth between him and Bob Dillner this December.

                I’m not certain, but the latest round started on the Carey and Coffey show, when Bob Dillner made a few comments about Courchesne. Then Courchesne made comments in his blog about Dillner. I don’t think I’ll go anywhere further with this one.

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                Of course I’m biased… However, I need to give kudos to my wife Lori after her appearance at Caroline’s Comedy Club in NY City this past Tuesday night. She was invited to sing at the famed comedy venue, and was very well received. Now that I’ve written this part, I hope she won’t lock the door when I come home tonight…

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                Kevin Lepage a week or so ago. You either heard about or saw it. Does anyone really have to reinforce that during the Cup drivers meeting, the rule stated that you can blend in; not that you HAVE to blend in at a certain place? Do we have to go any further with this one?

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                Don’t you just think that NASCAR is pulling its collective hair out trying to figure a way to allow Joey Logano to enter the All-Star Weekend at Lowe’s? Unfortunately for them, Logano doesn’t turn 18 until a week or so (give or take a few days) after that weekend.

                For those that have their head in the sand, Logano has been heralded as the next coming of Curtis Turner, Richard Petty, and Dale Earnhardt Sr. rolled into one by NASCAR’s PR department. The funny thing is that if you look at Logano’s results over the past season or so, for once, NASCAR may very well be right!

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                We were up in the pressbox at Thompson early on Sunday morning of the IceBreaker weekend when the Carey & Coffey show was going live. During the show, we wondered if anyone had their finger on the button, when a naught word was mistakenly uttered.

                All I know is that I was told that I walked around with a completely self-satisfied look on my face the rest of the day. Why? Because in the 21 months or so that I was co-host of a weekly radio program, I never had to be bleeped once. Most that know me can tell you how ‘salty’ my language can become.

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                Will the Waterford Speedbowl go the way of Wall Township Speedway? Speculation by the media masses in the pressbox during the Spring Sizzler in Stafford believe that it would be almost miraculous is the Connecticut 1/3 mile track makes it through July before shuttering its doors. Word has it that with the low fan turnout, combined with creditors knocking on the doors, it’ll be hard to make a go of it throughout the season.

                Personally, we don’t see it that way. We can’t remember the last time a track shut its doors in the middle of the season. Before the season starts (like Wall), or right after it ends (like just about every other track); but rarely, if every, during the season. Only time will tell…

     Mike Fields has written for the Area Auto Racing News, Raceway Media Magazine, as well as being a contributing author for the book Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul.  He has also been a co-host of a weekly motorsports radio program, and a track announcer. Fields currently writes a weekly internet column, and is the editor/publisher of Long Island Motorsports News.

     While not at his full-time job (babysitting his very rambunctious 5-year-old grandson), he is the owner of LMF Associates, in the nutrition and weight loss industry. He may be contacted by e-mail at MFields@LongIslandMotorsports.com or by phone at (516) 376-4028.

Modified graphic courtesy of Tom Coufalik from www.pcracers.net.

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