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OWR3  History
Editorials will follow below the introduction

By the Editor Publisher
Dennis aXe Sylvia
Here it is!

This site was created to fill the void left by
Lenny Calinoff's OPENWHEELRACING.com. and the subsquent OPENWHEELRACERS.COM with John Levan at the helm as most of you know, They have both since passed on.

It started out around 10 years ago with an informal forum almost every night on the internet hosted by Len, where several of us got together to tell old racing tales. Some of which were even true!

Sometimes the crowd was just on the verge of getting out of hand, and then sometimes the old racing stories that came out of that crowd were just great to say the least. The most bantered around story, especially by me was: Did Len ever get his midget off or on the trailer without a mishap?

Then the site was turned into a news site hosted by Len.
Then John Levan then turned it into openwheelracers.com after the death of Lenny. Then John died,  Now since a subsquent site couldnt make it with the new editor and that site had no one willing to host it we aXe, Brad my son-in-law and my daughter Deanna, and we can’t forget the, CFO “Cash for Operation” of this group my wife, Linda Sylvia decided to give it a try.

So, we’re off with this new site to try to keep on bringing you the same kind of RACING material that you folks that enjoy auto racing like to come and read. I don’t think we can do justice to what Len and John had originaly on the net but we sure will certainly try!

Again,

WE WELCOME YOU TO OWR3 and,

We hope you will enjoy the Ride!

aXe, aka Dennis Sylvia, Publisher & Editor

Dec 18 2011
A small take on last years Racing an Editorial by aXe

Well its been a while since My last editorial, As I have been spending way to much time chaseing pc, site and internet gremlins! You would think the bozo's could find someone else to infiltrate?
That said We are up to snuff now and I have My fingers crossed it will last into the new year at least.

The year is fast drawing to a close, Looming on the horizon is the Greatest Midget gathering that happens every year so far in My Lifetime. This happens every January and its been going on for over 20 years now. The best of the best seem to always show for this Midget race, To bad the venue doesnt seat more fans as I am sure it would draw twice what the can squeeze into that place. Of course I am talking about the Chili Bowl. If you havent been to it, you are missing 6 days of some of the most exciting midget racing on the planet at this time! I have made the trip at least 5 times and it never has dissapointed me (The racing that is).

What did You think of the racing that took place this past racing season? Good? Bad? Ugly? There was lots to see maybe more racing than has ever been put in front of auto racing fans so far in this WORLD! Let Me know just how you feel about it, axe@openwheelracers3.com
Hopefully next year there will be more and better racing? 

I didnt get to as many races as usual this past season but Calistoga never lets Me down.
 
A trip to Lawrenceburg ind. (even though the promotors wife made us pay to get in, it there fore didnt get much ink from us. Though it Star cases a very fast venue for USAC's Midget week racing. Kokomo, Gas city And Lincoln spdwys Were a few more stops I had the pleasure to take in for midget week all Great shows with outstanding Talent showing there best. I sure hope to do that again next year. 

I hear all this grumbling about how expensive it is to compete on the USAC National schedule, My take is you want to swim with the big dogs You had better find the cash to do it right as their fields are mostly good and stacked with loads of talent and very very good equipment.

Going to the few race's (not USAC National Midgets or THE Chili Bowl) I got to take in there seems to is a big lack of participation? This is not good!

Where is auto racing headed for?

I have been an auto race fan since around 1958, After hearing the Indianapolis 500 on the radio one morning I havent been the same since.

I also have been lucky enough to have worked in a shop that built and maintained Midgets. But Still my favorite part is just being a race fan. Boy has it changed since I first became a race fan!  
There are not that many GOOD races any more ie mostly because of a lack of FULL Fields, By that I mean You could go to lots of races and probably see the main event winners not pass one single car!  Why mainly because some I went to had 7 to 13 car main events?
That is not the kind of racing I grew up on and it is slowly killing the sport.
In My opinion this is brought on by the owners themselves, sad sad situation in My opinion. I think if these terriable shows continue the sport will eventaly die off?
What is needed is to put the raceing back into racing! First and Foremsot You have to have FULL FIELDS! Then get those fast cars off the front rows and make them earn their wins !! 
I remember the Hot Dogs when I was younger and spent most of my time at the old San Jose spdwys paved track on Tully rd. Not to say this was just happening there, It was this way all across the country. Marshall Sargent, Al Pombo and the holder of most main event wins there at San Jose's paved oval on Tully rd Howard Kaeding. They were winning races  and they did it from the last row more often than not. Most main events back then were 20 or 25 laps! Imagine 20 laps and you had to pass 17 cars to win week in and week out! But those guys did it more often than not.
Boy can we please turn the clock back please! 

Sad but the drivers today seem to Me to have at the least as much or more talent than those old drivers did? (I think personly more) A Matter that can never be decided. That said We may never get to really see it as most races are started with those running the fastest getting to start up front and might never get to really race past anyone all night long?

Ah times are changed from What I grew up with,but as they say if you dont change it will leave you behind, Just remember bring lots of money.

One more thing Do you have any stories about Racing and or Photos from last year or years ago? As Winter time articles are fewer and come in farther apart. Let Me know I will post it on the site ,    
  
Winter is here and most racing will now be indoors until next spring,that is unless you can go down under they are in full swing now down there.
aXe
May 16 2011
                                                Yeeee Haw ! as they say in Texas.

                                 We are back up to speed!!

Its been a long 6 days since we got tossed out by the net bugs!!
 Glad to see you came back in.
   I was in the Speedway's media center when I started this editorial. As I was told the problem would be a quick fix ?
 Not sure how many times I heard that but all that matters is We are back up to speed now. 
The cars were on the track and it was frustrating to be working on this and hearing them run and didnt have time to check them out.
 At this point with the rain and our problems I have seen ZERO indy car laps!!!,
Fastest so far out on the track was Ed Carpenter at just above 223mph out ot the 24 cars out so far.
You know ever time I walk out in this place the first time I get here  the mystic of it that gets to Me. This year its at a high point with all the activities planned . There are upwards of several hundered vintage Street cars and Racing cars spread out around here.
Friday they had the largest group of vintage indy race cars take to the track they have ever had I hear. Darn I missed hearing that NOVI run!!!! 

    I am not sure which way to turn? There is so much HISTORY spread around in this place right now!
Then there is the real purpose for being here going on in the back ground, Well after all that is a tough decision for a race fan, Do you spend time with all that vintage History stuff or the main event cars?
Boy it has to be the Ultimate Race fan choice, sorta like dieng and going to race fan heaven.

Now You will have to bear with us as there is a huge back log of news to go through to see what should be brought up to date? It is going to take a few days to get back to normal. You will notice several new pages, open them and give Us some feed back likes or dislikes.
Thanks For visiting .
aXe




From the Editors desk

Hard to believe this racing season is fast drawing to a close.
I didnt have a very good fan season this year as I only had time to go to 3 races. And it looked like they knew I was going as the car classes were nothing to rave about, in numbers that is. 12 sprints, 7 midgets and 15 Focuse cars.Put them all in one class and you would have had a stellar field but spread out over 3 classses leaves much to be desired if your a race fan.
That seems to be the type of racing operation most tracks have to deal with other than the big sprint car shows.
Well all the big money shows seem to have had more than enough cars to put on a good show.The calistoga classic I went was one, They had a good turn out in all the classes that ran there.
Big question in My mind is are there way to many classes? specialy in the midget ranks, Would you try to count all the different type of classes that you could, those that could be listed as just midgets but are listed differently? Let Me know what kind of a number you come up with. at axe@openwheelracers3.com

The rumors are flying hot and heavy as the season winds down,
Anyone else hear the one that makes it look like Stewart and Khann to the Indy500 ? Wow that would sure go great what with chevy coming back to the Indy cars.

How about Erin Crocker running the Chili Bowl in an Indiana base car?

You hear any more let us know.

Well most of the year end big races are in and some thing seems strange WoO Driver wins the biggest ASCS Race of the year?
Talk going around is those guys who run that series seem to be on the verge of taking over for the Woo? Well it seems they already have more races with fuller fields than the WoO.
and what about those ASCs midget races, thay are not doing as well as any of the other midget series but?

Seems in just a few short weeks the winters Annual chili Bowl will be here.
Talk about a race if you havent been to one, You had better mark it on your list of races to see! Remember nothing lasts forever so you had better get one in soon. I have made it to several and there is no better midget racing any where than you will see in the week of that Chili Bowl!

We need some new writers for next year if interested drop us a line at
axe@openwheelraces3.com

Thanks for stopping by.
aXe

Sept 18 2010
Well its been 8 months since last Jan 8th I last penned an editorial here.
With all there is to learn about a web site I just havnet had the time to write for My own site.
A lot has gone under the bridge since then. Not the least of which is Our new grand child Peyton Distelhorst,
The Proud Grampa with Peyton just after She was born. 

Arriving here July 30 amid some human discomfort to say the least. I have My own feelings She would have got here on Her own just fine with out all that human interference!
I just returned last week from the Louie Vermiel classic in Calistoga California. What great racing was had there! With plenty of race cars 19 midgets and 32 Sprint cars. Great to get to a show that has full fields.
It pains Me to look back at those grandstands and remember not to many years ago they would have been straining at full capacity.The last three years of the classic seem to have settled into a not quite full house. Even with the Wine and Beer tasting.
What ever happened to the great following there was out there for our circle track racing? There is just way to many things going on any given day in this country to compete with.
Like most racing it has been left behind by way to many oof those other endevours going on in this country now.
Back in racings heydays they didnt have Number one thing, TV to deaL with.
Now new sporting events have just took off since the 80s 
Tractor pulls evolved into Monster truck racing indoors and out doors drawing to capicity crowds more often than not.
Motorcycle events moved indoors for Super Cross? to full houses also?
Evil Kenivel type Motor cycle events have got more TV spots than the average circle track endevours.
Heck even Destruction Derbys have a TV presence at times now.
Like I said there are way to many other things for the average american fan to choose from.
Then We have our own worst enemy! The Race car owners and the Track operators more often that not, Who seem to be intent on killing the sport, Some car owners got so frustrated they went about starting their own series, Now there are so many it would be allmost impossiable to count all running on any given Sat night in this country. Saddest part is the crowd numbers really havent changed that much, And there are lots more watching than ever before. then the track owners more often than ot cant or wont spend the money on some more water to keep the dust in check? I am a great fan and it takes a lot to disgust Me at a race track but it seems to be happening more and more lately  to Me , not so much out west but a lot more than is tolerable in the midwest. I have eaten more dirt in the last few years than in all my racing adventures back in the 60s. Well some are just inept at track preperation like the folks who ran those races at Terra Haute and Putnamville.  What a joke that was. Now with new managment I understand it is a lot better. Then you have the tracks like Lawrenceburg, and Hubstadt who go at the least one step above having a well groomed track way more often than not.
Just count all the tracks now running all over the country now and they mostly draw about half (or less) of the fan base they did back 20 years ago at each event!
But if you add them all up there are very good numbers of fans all spread out at those racing events every Sat night. But very few events have those old big crowds of days gone by. Any promoter would be very satisfied with an average fan count on Sat nights close to two thousand.You would have to look hard to see fan numbers are good just spread out over all the new venues running now. 
Anyone else notice how those ASCS series are all over the country now? They have some Great racing put on by this group allmost every where they are running.
I have also noticed how at most tracks I go to the average crowd has aged into the 50 years old range? Where are the new kids who will be tomorrows fans? Well they are watching skate boarding events and Bicycle racing and Tube events just like the skate boarders do.And a lot more other things. Oh Yea do you have any idea how many kids especialy spend hrs and hrs on those Wii games and other similier Tv type games?
If the track owners dont start to let in the younger fans (up to at least 15 yrs old) FREE the fan base just might evaporate completely in the next few years?
Now that I have brought this up the races are not that much different now than they were 20+ years ago, Well except in the safety aspect they are a lot more safe now. One more big change and I think has a lot to do with the eroding fan base the races are a lot more boreing, You have the possiability of haveing a season of one great team winning all the races and not passing one single car!!!! Thats what the straight up starts may give you at some point in time? Now as far feteched as that possiability is it isnt completely out of the question. If the racing isnt put back into the sport it just might be its own fault it will wither on the vine trying to attract crowds to boreing racing with very little passing the norm rather than the exception.
What the heck ever happened to the drivers earning their winnings by starting last then taking it to all the others? I remember seeing some of the old greats starting last in almost 32 events of 32 in a racing season and winning more than half of those main events. Was that exciting? You bet, But you may never see the time of that kind of racing again. Sad but it is another of the contributing factors of the slow but gaining speed of the down fall of short track american oval racing in this country as I knew it.
Boy the racing season is winding down fast,I am already getting indoors racing anouncments!
you can still  contact Me at axe@openwheelracers3.com
aXe, aka Dennis Sylvia


Jan 8 2010


Here we are 5 months into the new web site.  With only a few bugs, that were worked out. It isn’t the site We had hoped for but it is up and running with as much Racing information as We can get along with some great stories, pictures and Vintage information.

For those of you hoping for a clone to the old Lenny Calinof and or John Levan sites our sincerest apologies. We started out in that vein but along the way found holes we couldn’t dig those sites out of for one reason or another.

The biggest one was, after being given permission to use the old Levan e-mail accounts for the press releases posted to it,   we were locked out of them. That accounts address’s for press releases took Len and John years to build, without them our press release information will be slow to get up to date. But we will keep on trying for more press release information.

We will also keep on in the same format as it has been since being locked out of those press releases.

 Len and John had more than 50 years experience between them doing this sort of news release thing. While we are relatively newcomers to this news and story business. So please bear with us as we get this thing into high gear!

We are still going to try to duplicate the original theme. But as they were mainly from the north east and had mainly north east write ups. We are from out west and will do more from out there.

We would still like to do stuff from the East but at this time we have very few connections to do that so those areas stories will be sparse until we get more participation from those folks out that way. Let them know we are open and need Eastern information for the site.

It is almost CHILI BOWL time which means to me racing season will be up to speed again for this year. With the whole season yet before us.

Visit your favorite track follow your favorite series enjoy it as much as you can.

Mainly because what you see today may be gone tomorrow. Series & tracks come and go as fast as the races they put on it seems.

From the editor aXe



From the Editor Publisher

Sept 2009

Well it has been over a month since We took on this new site. I feel pretty good about it for now, As I completely wiped out only one page so far!! With the scope of My knowledge of doing this, I think that was a major accomplishment? That I didn’t do way more damage than good is a miracle.

What started out as a one page RACING & NEWS deal is now 20 pages and more in the works. We may be trying to cover more than We need to but like I said in the beginning it is a work in progress and who knows where it will end up.

We now may need more writers and photographers? We haven’t come up to a worry spot on most of the pages with to much on them yet so We will try to get more up. We are not sure just how much the site can carry yet?

So if you have an interest in posting your short story writings, race reports or photos lets us know at axe@openwheelracers3.com .

We do need more information and stories from the West coast, East coast and Mid West and also South East. I.e. Sprints, Midgets Super Modifieds & Modifieds and such.

Also do you have any ideas of what should be on here or something taken off? Please Let us know.

I could now say its been fun ? But it is a time consuming deal and with out any formal training I am in over My head here at times, Lucky for me there is Brad and Deanna to dig me back out!

So what do you think, is it going in the right directions?

Do we need more or less ?

More depth to the subjects or less?

Dare I say would You like to see some of that closed Fenders & Doors writings on here?

Please feel free to compliment or criticize it, That will be the only way we know if it is pleasing to any one out there.

Thanks again for reading and please stay tuned for the Greatest sport in the world brought to You on these pages.

aXe, aka Dennis Sylvia

Publisher, Editor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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