Will the Real Tony Stewart Please Stand Up.
Category: NASCAR / Oval Track Racing | Posted July 25, 2006 by Brian Losness

Will the real Tony Stewart please stand up. That line from a 1960's TV show to tell the truth. To tell the truth who is the real Tony Stewart. The driver who tells the motorsports world at Daytona "we're gonna kill somebody out here, if guys don't stop bump drafting in the corners". Then goes out and does the same damn thing. Who condemns Ryan Newman for his driving style and then drives like an no talent local saturday night bomber runner the following weekend.

Is it the guy who can on other occasions drive anything with wheels, win championships in two different major motorsports divisions.(NASCAR and IRL) Blessed with having so much car control, that the almighty himself would shake his head and say "I can't believe he did that!"

Is it the guy who hates to have his photo taken, has shoved photographers and non-network reports and camera men out of his way.

Is it the guy who has donated one million dollars to the Victory Junction Gang and to people in his home state of Indiana he has basiclly given people the shirt right off his back. Given people opportunities in racing and to get their lives right again.

To say that Tony Stewart is complex is like saying nuclear science is complicated. (No Kidding)

JR Todd defeats the Sarge toTakeHis First Ever Wally
Category: NHRA / Drag Racing | Posted July 17, 2006 by Brian Losness | Source: Old Fat Ugly Guy

J.R. Todd wins at Denver







J.R. Todd driving for crew chief Jimmy Walsh and car owner Dexter Tuttle win the Mopar Parts Mile High Nationals in Denver, CO. Walsh and crew fought through the sweltering temperatures and semi-final parachute anomaly to take their first win over the Sarge, Tony Schumacher.

In Todd’s semi final round win over Larry Dixon the chutes came out of their packs, but instead of deploying in a normal fashion, the chutes seemed to get tangled in the wheelie bar, unable to deploy. This forced the former Jr. Dragster champ to keep his head and not get raddled as he attempted to slow down his speeding mount on the very uphill, but somewhat short Bandimere shut down area. After several attempts to slow the car down with the brakes, which only resulted in hopping the car, Todd got the car perpendicular to the sand trap and drove it in. Resulting in some dirty parts and necessitating the removal of the fuel tank for a proper cleaning, and a through inspection of the chassis to insure there where no cracked or broken pipe. Seven teams where represented by twenty five people to make sure the rookie would have a fighting chance against the mighty “Evil Empire” at DSR.

As it turned out Todd had more than a fighting chance, as he left first and never looked back in his 4.90 to 4.99 victory over Schumacher. Todd was quick to thank Dexter Tuttle and Menards for sticking by him, Jimmy Walsh for teaching him and being patient, and for all those teams and crew members for diving in and helping. That is the great things about drag racing, when the call goes out there are always enough people to help out. It makes one feel good to see all these competitors band together and help one of their own out. This time the story had a very happing ending with J.R. Todd becoming the 70th winner in the Top Fuel Category. Todd becomes the first ever black driver to win a Wally in a Nitro category at a National event. In this day and age I don’t think we need to classify a person by his or her skin color, because when the helmet goes on and the light goes green the car or the track doesn’t have the foggiest idea, who or what is in the car. Welcome to the fraternity JR. It couldn’t happen to any nicer of a kid.

Just how I see it….

Danica Patrick and Juan Pablo Montoya looking to move to NASCAR
Category: OpEd | Posted July 16, 2006 by Brian Losness

In huge news last week that dominated all the motorsports news it was reported that current Formula One driver (star sort of) and former Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya, (JPM as he is known in the F1 world) would be leaving McLaren and would reunite with his old Indy car owner Chip Ganassi to run in Nextel Cup next year. To most purest in the sport this isn't even a lateral transfer but a step back. (Or two or three.) Living the very high life and racing and staying in Monte Carlo, jetting to the French Riviera, or to the coast of Italy. Now riding the bus to Bristol or a team van from the shop to Charlotte. Chateau brion and Dom Perignon, or a bologna burger and a coke at Martinsville. (Hmmmm)Can you say culture shock....? Racing with guys in perfect drivers uniforms and if you happen to touch wheels they consider you an animal, or an out of control driver. And the slightest bit of contact will retire a car for the event, and the most a driver will spend in a car is about two hours, or less.


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Mike and Kristi Dever
Category: NHRA / Drag Racing | Posted July 13, 2006 by Brian Losness

Like Father like Daughter?

Mike and Kristi Dever of Eagle have a unique relationship. Mike and Kristi Dever are not only father and daughter, but they are partners and in some instances, competitors.
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Mike who is in charge of Sales Development for Snap-on Tools for the interior western States, is a retired master sergeant from the United States Marine Corps is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and didn’t discover drag racing until he arrived in Boise in 1994 stationed here as head of recruiting.. A post he held until his retirement in 2002.


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News Media and Drag Racing
Category: OpEd | Posted July 13, 2006 by Brian Losness

When I was approached about being a photographer for this magazine, my first thought this would be a cool little gig. Then when we decided to cover motorsports in the Treasure Valley, I was elated, and Phil told me it’s all yours dude. I was nervous. So far so good, but I’m sure this is about to change. Phil has allowed me to write an Editorial about a situation that occurred on June 5th. A tragic event took place when two groups of young people where engaged in a reckless driving act, on a road in Nampa, they ran a stop sign at high speed and proceeded to plow into a semi dump truck hauling about 60,000 pounds of gravel, knocked it over and killing two of the occupants of that car. That car then careened into the path of the second car sending both off the road into a ditch. The driver of the second car fled the scene of the accident and has yet to be found. The other three occupants in the second car were injured. Identification of the victims has also been hampered since they are illegal immigrants and none of which had valid driver’s licenses. The 61 year old man driving the dump truck escaped major injuries. Which leads me to my rant.


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The Staff at Nitrophoto Motorsports Photography