Message boards

[Benny The Mule]

Today i spoke to a friend of mine who told me i was mentioned on another board along with Andre and Jimmy McKinley about making post on Florida racing boards and that we don't live here and know nothing about Florida's racing.

I have been on Karnac since 99 or 00 not sure which. I was born and raised in Florida and have been involved in racing my entire life in this state and raced myself at 4 local tracks for a number of years until my move to NC in 04 which is where i WORK.

So, whoever you are you obviously read Karnac just enough to know i post here.

I know what's happening locally and support it as much as i can when i can be here, like i am now for speedweek and other times throughout the year.

So, just wanted to clarify............because i am bored at the moment.


To appease the masses of my followers i felt it was my obligation to change my signature.

I won't be gone forever and i want ALL the tracks to prosper so i have a place to race when i come back.


Peace, love, rock and roll.

[bubba]

I personally enjoy the posts of the people you mentioned (including yours) and would not be happy if they quit!

[billy badd]

Benny, I've also been on this board for many years, and believe as long as people can post with a sense of responsibility, they should be allowed to post, no matter where they live. I've always enjoyed your posts, and hope you don't let a few sway what you contribute to the board. It's as dead as I've ever seen it during speed weeks, and it's really depressing. billy

[carolwicks]

KARNAC! Thank you Benny!

Ive been part of the Karnac family for many many years also. we have had our ups and downs and many have tried to over throw this site... they are gone and we are hanging by a thread. a very strong thread!
This is Real Racin USA... not Real Racin Florida. we love hearing about different places as most of us have migrated from another state.
i can see the site is starting to rebuild....
dont be fooled by the amount of posts. there are many many more readers....
PLEASE start posting again and relay stories and news about all tracks and all drivers.
Benny it is so good to see you back no matter where you live! welcome.
Every track in Florida should be doing something so why dont we know about it? Facebook is ok but the personal nature of Karnac is better! we have made alot of close wonderful friends on here. we have helped many people and we have had fun along the way.

If we dont agree with someone lets try to be civil. you dont have to agree... but being cruel defeats the whole idea of this board. it makes people leave. We dont want anyone to leave....

If anyone has questions please post them and i will do everything i can to get the answers.
Thank you Benny for reassuring us that we are being read in many states. ;-)
carolwicks

[carolwicks]

More!

I just talked to Scot McAllister. He is the man Jack Smith entrusted to continue Karnac... this board is getting about 20,000 hits a day!!!!! i knew it was alot but i didnt know it was that much.
It costs money to provide a site like Karnac so lets get some ads going to help out. lets build it up again. if you have a business that you want to get alot of people to read about call Scot or email him...
GO TO KARNAC.COM for press releases and stories!!!!! the board is fun but vital racing news is on KARNAC.com!

Call Scot at 352-804-0078 or email him at scott@karnac.com

Remember...stories and race results etc are seen on karnac.com.... i just checked it out myself and it is up to date with the latest RACING news... check it out karnac.com... also click on http://realracinusa.com/racelog/ for more news you may have missed!


Call Scott about advertising your business. ;-)
Carol

[Jimmy McKinley]

Today i spoke to a friend of mine who told me i was mentioned on another board along with Andre and Jimmy McKinley about making post on Florida racing boards and that we don't live here and know nothing about Florida's racing.

Wow. Benny, care to post a link to where I was mentioned...? LOL...

Lemme tell y'all somethin'. In fact, nearly my "biography".

Moved to Florida in 1970 when I was 6 months old. We were on our way to moving to Pompano Beach, when, on the trip down (which happened to be a Friday night, or so the story goes...LOL)...we stopped at Palm Beach Fairgrounds Speedway. I was *6 months old*...

Before I knew my ABC's (I was about 3 years old - my dad still has the reel-to-reel tape somewheres...), I could give you a Late Model feature lineup from either Palm Beach or Hialeah - guys including Balough, Brack, Tissot, Rogero, Connors, Barnwell, Duckworth, Anderson...*annnnd* including their car numbers.

In 1975, my dad got involved with a Late Model owned by Bob Kirk. At the time, they were running down south, again, at Palm Beach on Fridays and Hialeah on Saturdays.

Went to my first Governor's Cup at Tampa in '76 - the year Hamke and malcuit tore down Johnny Hicks' starter's stand.

We ran in our first Governor's Cup in '77 with Scarborough driving.

In about the middle of '78, we headed over to the west coast and started running Tampa on Fridays and St. Pete on Saturdays. After Tampa closed down the first time, we started running at Bradenton on Fridays. When Bradenton started running on Saturdays, we went north and ran Inverness on Fridays and stayed at St. Pete for Saturdays.

Then, *every* track with the exception of Orlando decided they needed to run Saturday nights. So, we stuck with St. Pete - had the best payouts, and the best *racing*. All during this time, my dad was the crew chief on the car.

We had some of the *best* Late Model drivers in Florida behind the wheel of our cars - Don Denney, Paul Connors, Charlie Reagan, Dave Scarborough, Dave Pletcher, Wayne Reutimann, Billy Gill, Shorty Stuart, Jim Childers, Ernie Bass, Dave Dunkin, Bryan Wescott, Randy Warren, Larry Moyer, and a few others that I can't really recall right offhand. In about '87, after our driver, Bryan Wescott, had a bad crash at St. Pete, we hooked up with another local team out of Vero Beach (Strickland Racing), and went All-Pro racing. Even made it onto TV at Nashville for the 400. Heck, we've even run the Snowball Derby

I've been to nearly every paved track in Florida *at least once*, with the exception of Bronson, Lake City, St. Augustine, and Five Flags. That even includes a lot of tracks that closed down over the years - Ft. Pierce, Vero, Melbourne, Palm Beach, Hialeah, Miami-Hollywood, Golden Gate...

1n 1981, we won the Coca-Cola 200 at Bradenton with Childers driving. It was the finale' of what *was* the Florida Triple Crown (Golden Gate with the Governor's Cup on Friday, the Gulf Coast Classic at St. Pete on Saturday, and then Bradenton on Sunday afternoon). We beat the best short track Late Model drivers in the country - Mike Eddy, Ed Howe, Trickle, LeRoy, Pletcher, Nyari, Malcuit, and many others.

So, OK, sure, there's been times where I've missed out on local (to Florida, anyways) racing - like when I first moved to Virginia and there was no KARNAC - my dad sent me tons of Late Model Digests and Racing News. But - I did go to the local tracks.

I've been to race tracks at least once in Florida, Virginia (Langley, Richmond Int'l, Southampton), Tennessee (Nashville), Illinois (Rockford), Wisconsin (Lake Geneva, Wilmot), Ohio (Sandusky, Eldora, Midvale, Wayne County, Cloverleaf), North Carolina, and I *think* I even went to Heidelburg in Pennsylvania in about 1973.

Went to the Saturday 300-miler at Daytona every year from 1978 to about 1991, 1994, 1996, and 2010. Went to the first Truck race in 2000 - when Bodine tore down the fence.

I've seen most of the best short track racers ever - at the Governor's Cup (1978 is STILL probably *the* best short track race I've EVER seen), at the World Series, at the All-American 400, in All-Pro/ASA/ARTGO/NASCAR AACS/Late Model Stocks, in Late Model Sportsman.

I use Speed51 to keep up with the bigger events in Florida, such as the World Series, the Snowball, and the Governor's Cup.

My dad is currently a Super Late Model car owner, with my brother driving the car at Orlando. They've been running there since 2004. Haven't done nearly as well as they did in the past - but ya know what? They're having fun doing it.

My "Join Date" in the upper right corner here says "October 2007), but I *know* I've been a member here much longer than that...I think I originally joined KARNAC in '98 <?>. I do know that I was living in Virginia at the time; I think the boards got wiped or something.

So....tell me again, that I don't have "credentials" to even comment on racing in Florida?

[racnphotos68]

Here is my two cents on this matter; I was born in Melbourne and then moved to Orlando in the late 70's. Started going to the area short tracks in the 80's watching David Rogers, the Andersons, the Burkhalters, Sid Stites, Bobby Sears and many others. That doesn't make me an expert. Who cares where you live as long as you have been to the tracks and care about seeing them run at their best.
I could sit forever and listen to David Rogers, Dave Westerman and a few others with all the history they know. All others I welcome hearing what you have to say as well whether you live here or not. You never know who you will learn something from next.

[Trash Inturn4]

Give them HELL, Benny and Jimmy. Like the old saying goes "Opinions are like a$$holes.................

[Jimmy McKinley]

I'd just like to know what was said about me, and where...LOL

[Benny The Mule]

Jimmy,

I don't have a link nor am i interested.

It was apparently a rant about what to do about local racing and we were mentioned to the effect that we don't live here so how do we know what to do.

And it was pointed out we post here on this board.

As far as speedweek goes..

Friday- East Bay, not big numbers of latemodels but a quality field with action through the field.

Saturday- (local boys) Citrus county speedway, good racing and car counts. Lots of retaliation and intentional wrecking in many classes. Early season frustration or old rivalries? Either way good show.

Monday and Tuesday- Volusia, over 75 cars in each of 2 divisions and EXCELLENT racing all night. Fast paced show...get it done and get out of there. It was cool to see Kenny Wallace and Ken Schrader again.

Tonight...................RAIN!

Tomorrow????????

Friday- Mod reunion and evening's schedule at NSS.

Haven't planned much after that yet and i fly home Tuesday morning.

I hope everyone is getting a little speedweek action because i haven't been let down yet.

[ocalasp76]

Hey Benny and Jimmy. I looked at the sites I visit and didn't see anything. There are a couple of boards I don't visit that are into bashing any and everything. Maybe one of those was the problem. Not to worry though, no one listens to their crap anyway. Maybe it was on Face Book somewhere too...
-JIM-

[Trash Inturn4]

It was on Facebook....News about Sunshine Speedway. At least the comment about Jimmy was.