How was the reunion?

[Joe]

How was the reunion at Columbia today? Anyone?

[OLD STYLE RACER 2]

Good Question Joe.....Probably a little to late at night......LOL....Know what I mean???

[ocalasp76]

Hey Joe

How was the reunion at Columbia today? Anyone?

It was GRREEEEAAATTT!!.(as tony the tiger would say)
Not quite the turnout people expected, but a quality turn out.
PLENTY of great food,which would have been enough for Jimbo too, and met a lot of new friends. j
Jim Fenton came over to see the Napa 15 car, Jerry and Roger, the official beer tasters roving reporters,were there and many more. Ron Abney was hiding somewhere.

My highlight was challenging the pace car driver to a race at the end. I took a track employee,Rhonda, for the ride-a-long. After sizing up the hot shoe pace car, a 2009 Camero, I made an outside pass in turn 1&2 and hugged the wall on the back stretch. My rider went 'NUTSO' and gave two thumbs down that she was done. I think the young blond lady is retiring after only one ride-a-long.( love when that happens) Hell I didn't even spin out like I did with you Joe. Ronda was still shaking an hour after the ride and the pace car driver did not look for me on the outside, so was still in shock.
Piece of advice to that driver. Don't hug the bottom and park it in the turns. When your brake lights came on,that was my signal to shoot to the outside.

Best fun I've had in a long time. Five minutes after the ride it started raining.
Mutha Nature waited on us this time. Thanks to everyone at Columbia.
Joyce, Don,Pace car driver(forgot your name,sorry) and all the family enviorment we shared Sunday. Look forward to having it again, maybe next month...LOL

---JIM---

[AB195]

Had a great time, not a complaint in the world. Had a chance to meet alot of people for the first time, lay the howdy on a few others, display some racing history things, shoot the breeze with others, and boil all of the liquids and salts out of my pores--God, it was hot. But what did I expect, on a Sunday afternoon, in late August, in Florida.
That sure is a neat-looking Raceway. A big 1/2 mile asphalt track, with shorter straightaways and longer sweeping corners than New Smyrna Speedway, kind of like Toledo. And I hereby nominate Columbia Motrsports Park as having the absolute strongest grandstands in the state; poured concrete slabs, built on a clay-dirt incline hill. No hurricane is ever going to touch those things, ever.

[AB195]

And Also--

Mr. Jim Fenton, Dave Pletcher, Dick Anderson and family and friends, Mr. Abney, SR., Modelcarman, Sandy and Don Nerone, Jim and Virginia NAPA 15 Car Team, Herald Frederick the motorsports historian, as he let me display a few other things of my own, all the vintage racers, and............

Larry Moyer.
I hadn't seen this man in 26 years, and it was long after the event was over, out in the parking lot, outside of a big RV, alonside others, Dick Andersons'.
I didn't know it was him, however Frass118 told him about someone that was itching to see him, put the bug in his ear--and Larry promptly darted over to my truck to see who the heck I was. We greeted, and went right into a bunch of old Fort Wayne/Midwest racing scene stories from the late '70's and early '80's, about this and that.
I was on the receiving end of a ton of stories, and I told him a few myself, which brought up more stories after that. And then he told me some really devastating news about his health, and problems, and..........really sad.

We said our goodbys, he thanked me for the opportunity to sign an old 1983 program which had a big story about him; he dropped a tear, had one of those awkward guy-hug type things, shook hands, etc, etc. Told us that it was this actual moment indeed, that had made his day to this reunion.

You know, way back then almost 30 years ago, being a zit-faced blacher rat in the midwest, and now in Florida, I actually used to give these guys the finger and booo loudly at them. I didn't know them at all, but I do now. But that was the way it was; arch-rivals and good guys. I kind-of feel bad now for doing that way back then, but the memories will live on long indeed.

[RSB]

Shoulda asked Larry...

..about wrecking me as I was passing him on the inside on the last lap of a FASTRUCK race at CMP. I qualified on the pole, got inverted to 8th and finally caught him coming down the back straightaway and he turned down and pushed me into the infield mud causing me to spin. They gave him the win and fined him $100. I was pissed but like I've always said, anything goes on the last lap and paybacks are Hell. He quit running the series and I never did get my payback chance. DOH!!!

[ronabneysr]

to con a phrase from some one it was greatest show on earth

ir was worth more to me and my family than anything in world we had a ball met some good people met some famous people and met manny manny friends

i'll never forget the chance that columbia county speedway gave us it was like a day at disney my son - my wife -daughter in law and two grand children really had fun today is wednesday and i feel like a teenager


had so much fun racing just like old days except cars are faster and tires are smaller

[Jane]

"Blast from the Past" was definitely a success. And next time, they will hold it when it is alittle cooler since you could fry an egg on the track last Sunday. The heat was awful but everything else was great. Alot of new and old faces, alot of story telling, just a great time. And yes, Mother Nature waited until it was all over before she gave us a few of our wet tears.

If you missed it, I am sorry. But when it comes again, you need to go. Just really a great, great time, good food, and the best company in the world.

[Darren]

sounds like fun being there

have you notice on cable the 3 or 4 retro networks (not tv land, they are ruining it with all the new stuff) that are showing old stuff like from the 50's and 60's and they must be doing good. To me it just proves that things like the Blast from the Past can work and keep it going. Old might that be to bad after all.

[ModelCarMan]

Blast From The Past Pictures

I was blessed to be able to of made it to the reunion and had a great time meeting some of my childhood hero's and catching up with old friends.
I took some pictures and here's the website if anyone would like to check them out.

I hope it's ok, I copied three pictures that other people took. If you like me to remove the picture(s) just let me know.

If anyone like to copy any of my pictures go for it.

http://public.fotki.com/ModelCarMan/...the-past-2009/

[ocalasp76]

GREAT PICTURES !!!!!
Thank you very much for all you've done for our sport.
-JIM-(NAPA 15 CAR)

[flvideo]

No problem with mine Ricky. I took them for every one to enjoy. Bob...

[OLD STYLE RACER 2]

Modelcarman

All of your models are GREAT looking but the one that I like the most is the one that's in the weeds!!! I've seen many models before but I think that that one is the most "original" one that I have ever seen!......Would you tell me what ever made you make that? Thanks, Jimbo

[Jimmy McKinley]

Looks like the event was great for those involved...but...looking at the pics...can't help but wonder...was nobody there? The stands look *empty*...

[sunshinestateracing1]

Same here Ricky

If any of them were mine Feel free to use them any where you want I took them for everyone ot enjoy, the memories

Robert