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Take a bunch of old stock cars, mix with a group of guys with big hearts and one of the premier race tracks in the world and stir in a generous helping of kids and you’ve got the making of a great event. The Western group of the nationwide Historic Stock Car Race Series will be on the card with the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series and Grand Am Cup at the U.S. Sports Car Invitational May 5-7 at world-renowned Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The guys that own these historic machines are kid-oriented. They extended an invitation to the Boys and Girls Clubs in Monterey and Salinas to come to the track Saturday, May 6 as their guests. There was a limit – 300 kids would be about all they could accommodate. Jimmy Castle, who has homes in both Carmel and Hawaii, said he contacted Ron Johnson and Anthony Toney at the two Boys and Girls Clubs and in no time at all, the full quota had been reached. Castle said about 10 buses will be used to transport all the kids to the track for an outing scheduled to last from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Castle said they will have T-shirts for the kids with the HSCRS logo. The youngsters will be able to hang with the drivers in the paddock, sit in the cars and get their pictures taken and watch qualifying and other on-track activities. Castle also said that the clubs will give the kids a snack sack to take with them to the track and there will be juice, cookies and water in the HSCRS paddock for the kids. What a great outreach. I’ve long expressed the family atmosphere usually prevalent at racing venues and this venture being put together by the HSCRS adds an exclamation point to what I have been saying. There is an incredible array of cars these kids will be able to see, also. All are historic Winston (now Nextel) Cup cars and each is of at least 1992 vintage and older. For the car and its owner to be a part of the Historic Stock Car Race Series, it must have a race-winning pedigree. There will be cars that won at the likes of Daytona, Talladega, Pocono, Darlington, Atlanta and more. Driver names include “The King” Richard Petty, the late Dale “The Intimidator” Earnhardt, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, Jimmy Spencer, Derrick Cope, Kenny Schrader, the late Alan Kulwicki, Bill Elliott, Ricky Rudd, Terry Labonte and on and on. “Instead of museums, these cars are on the track,” said Castle, who owns and drives Bobby Allison’s 1988 Daytona 500 winning Buick Regal (No. 12). “The owner/drivers are all long-time drivers not only in HSCRS, but also IMSA, Trans-Am, Can-Am, Indy and Sprint Cars. We run all over the U.S.” What a gas it is to see these 3,500-pound machines with engines sporting up to 800 horsepower negotiating Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s signature Corkscrew (Turns 8 & 8A) and thundering down the start-finish straight after sliding through the hairpin Turn 11. Castle said the series will not only be running at Laguna Seca but also, again, at Infineon Raceway ( Sears Point), California Speedway in Fontana and at the Grand Prix of San Jose with the Champ Car World Series. “They are loud, fast and fun to watch,” Castle said. “We are young-people friendly. This will give the kids from the Boys and Girls Clubs a real chance to see all the cars and drivers up close and get pictures. All money we raise goes to kids. The cars all have a race-winning history from the early ‘70s to the present.” Kids, historic stock cars, picturesque Laguna Seca – don’t know that I could come up with a better recipe. Tickets for the U.S. Sports Car Invitational May 5-7 featuring the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series, Grand Am Cup and Historic Stock Car Race Series are available by calling 1-800-327-SECA or logging on to www.laguna-seca.com. David Coffin is a Herald correspondent |
