By David G. Firestone

Most American racing fans probably don’t know the name Andy Wallace. Fans of Sports Car racing know the name. Hailing from Oxford, England, Wallace has raced in various Sports Car classes with a lot of success. Wallace has won the 1988 24 Hours of LeMans, He won the 24 Hours of Daytona three separate times, 1999, 2000, and 2003. He also won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1992 and 1993.

Over the years, Andy Wallace has raced in many different events, in different countries, and has worn many different uniforms, and uniform elements. One example is this Alpinestars blue right-handed glove. The glove shows heavy use, and has been autographed by Andy Wallace a staggering three times!The first signature is on the outside, on the white leather, near the Alpinestars logo. The white shows some use.A second white leather section is near the wrist, and has AW written in Sharpie. AW is also written on the blue material, and the second signature, this one in silver, is near the top of the wrist.Inside the glove on the outer side are three tags. One is a size M tag, one tag indicates:

STYLE NO F1R

CONTENT %

NOMEX 45

LEATHER 55

MADE IN VIETNAM,

and the third tag simply says WIN.

The inside of the glove features heavily worn leather on the palms and fingers.The third signature is on the inside palm, in silver Sharpie.The inside of the wrist has an Alpinestars logo with ONE GOAL embroidered below it.Inside the inner wrist is the Alpinestars FIA ISO 6940 safety certification.

Next week is a fantasy camp suit.

By David G. Firestone

Not all race car drivers are professional drivers. They come from many different backgrounds. Some race hoping they can advance a racing career, others race because they can afford to. One such example is Marty Flaska. Flaska started a company called Forklift Exchange from his house in the western suburbs of Chicago which specialized in buying, selling and renting material handling equipment. In 1994, Flaska bought Silent Hoist and Crane, turning it into Hoist Liftruck Mfg., Inc. which he still runs today. Having the means, he races cars in his spare time.

Marty Flaska has raced at a number of events over the years. His most well-known races came in the NASCAR Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car Series driving a Porsche 996 GT3 Cup. He started 33rd and finished 31st. A year later, he raced in the 2oo5 Sportsbook.com Grand Prix of Atlanta finishing 21st. During that time, he wore this triple layer Sparco firesuit. The suit shows light use.The collar has a Velcro closure, and is unadorned.There is a size tag in the cowl, and a yellow tag of unknown purposes is attached to it.The right chest has a HOIST RACING and a GRAND AMERICAN logo embroidered.The left chest features a PORSCHE and GRAND AM ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES logos embroidered.There are two different warranty labels on the inside of the torso, one under the zipper, the other inside, under the Grand Am logo. MARTY FLASKA is embroidered in cursive text with an American Flag in the black belt, which is outlined in yellow.The legs have standard cuffs, and are unadorned.The yellow shoulder epaulets are outlined in black, and have SPARCO logos embroidered. Other than that, they are unadorned. The right sleeve is unadorned. The left sleeve has an SFI 3-2A/5 rating patch on the upper sleeve, but is otherwise unadorned. The back of the suit doesn’t really show any wear.The back of the neck has an FIA 1986 STANDARD 1.008.CSAI.87. certification and a SPARCO logo embroidered.The upper part of the back torso features a PORSCHE logo embroidered.Next week, another race-worn glove.

By David G. Firestone

Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, Stevan McAleer graduated from the Skip Barber “Be A Racing Driver” scholarship in 2006. Since then, Stevan has competed in the Skip Barber National Championship, the MX5 Playboy Cup, the Pro F2000 Open Wheel Championships, the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Championship, and won the 2012 Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship.

Since 2016, McAleer has worn Sparco made firesuits and equipment, including undergarments, shoes and gloves, like this black pair of gloves. The gloves show decent use. The right glove features heavy material loss, on the palms, and fading of the designs. The left glove features heavy material loss, on the palms, and fading of the designs. The inner wrists feature Sparco size tags, and the FIA safety certification. With that out of the way, we go to…

Tailgating Time!

This is the perfect time of year for chili at tailgating events, or eating at home while watching a race. I’m going to give my favorite chili recipe out for you!

You will need:

2 pounds beef chorizo sausage

1 onions, chopped

1 (7 ounce) can diced tomatoes-drained

1 (7 ounce) cans smoked chipotle salsa

1 (12 ounce) can kidney beans-drained

1 cup water

Chili powder and garlic powder to taste

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the chorizo and onion and saute until meat is browned and onion is tender. Add the diced tomatoes, smoked chipotle salsa,beans and water.

Season with the chili powder, and garlic powder to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Next week, a Porsche firesuit!

By David G. Firestone

Hailing from Costa Mesa, California “Mad Max” Ruml races the #5 GM 500cc in stadium racing. He has raced in the AMA since 2008, having won the AMA Under 21 Speedway National Champion in 2013, 2014, and 2015. He is also the 2018 AMA Best Pairs Speedway National Champion, the the 2016 California State Speedway Champion, and the 2014 US Open Speedway Champion.

In 2011 and 2012, Max Ruml had a lot of success in the Junior leagues, winning a number of events and championships, too numerous to mention here. He won these while wearing this custom NJK Leathers racing suit. The leather and polyester suit shows heavy wear, with numerous tears and scuff marks.The collar has the end of the zipper, an NJL logo in the form of patches is present.The tag features an NJK Leathers tag. There are no wash instructions or warranty tag.The front torso has an R&R NDE SERVICES logo and an NJK logo in the form of patches on the blue checkered polyester.The legs have SPIDERMAN MIKE BLOOM, LUCAS OIL, and NOVRATIL RACING patched on. The cuffs show heavy wear with numerous tears. The right shoulder has MOM patched on.The right sleeve features a rubber NJK Leathers patch, and BACK IT IN PHOTOS BY J.T. patched on the sleeve. The left shoulder features DAD patched in.The left sleeve features a rubber NJK Leathers patch, and KEVIN KIEU ORTHODONTICS patched on the sleeve. There is a tear below the Kevin Kieu patch. The back of the suit is in black checkered, as opposed to the blue checkered material that makes up the front of the suit.The back of the neck is unadorned.The back of the suit has RUML 308 MAD MAX patched in leather in red and silver patches.Next week, Little Guy November begins.

By David G. Firestone

Let’s go off topic today. I’m not a gambler. In my whole life, I’ve been to two casinos, the Grand Casino Mille Lacs in Minnesota, where I played the slots, and the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson, where we had lunch after the ASARCO mine tour in 2016. I don’t really play the lottery either. Yet, I enjoy collecting lottery and casino memorabilia for some reason.

“Casino” is an Italian word, which originally used to refer to a small country villa, summerhouse, or social club. The first casino used for gambling in Europe was Il Ridotto, which was opened in 1638, and closed in 1744. In America, gambling was more confined to saloons and bars. Many states banned gambling, but Nevada was the first state to allow gambling, which turned Las Vegas into the destination it is today.

Casinos have many options for players. Some games involve skill, such as Texas Hold Em, blackjack, and roulette. Other games are more luck based, such as slot machines. Slot machines are the most profitable game in a casino, and are the most popular casino games. Players will exchange cash for chips. Casinos use chips as in-house currency. The casino will change chip designs, and they are sold to collectors. These chips show a decent amount of wear, which isn’t unusual. Another popular item to collect are table-used cards. Because of the amount of use, these cards are rotated every so often, sometimes hours. Once a deck has been used, and determined to be worn out, it is canceled. The card is cut, or hole is punched through it, and marker is added. They are then sold to collectors, and gamblers. There are some examples.

Atlantis-Reno, NVBarbary Coast-Las Vegas, NVBoulder Station-Las Vegas, NVCaesars Palace-Las Vegas, NVCasino Fandango-Carson City, NVEl Dorado-Reno, NVFiesta Rancho-Las Vegas, NVGold Coast Casino-Las Vegas, NVGrand Casino Mille Lacs-Onamia, MNHarrah’s Laughlin Casino-Laughlin, NVHarrah’s Marina-Atlantic City, NJJackson Rancheria Casino-Jackson, CALuxor Casino-Las Vegas, NVNew York-New York Casino-Las Vegas, NV Nugget Casino-Carson City, NV Palace Station Casino-Las Vegas, NVParadise Island Casino-The BahamasRail City Casino-Sparks, NVSahara Casino-Las Vegas, NVSahara Casino-Las Vegas, NVSands Casino-Atlantic City, NJStratosphere Casino-Las Vegas, NVStratosphere Casino-Las Vegas, NVTexas Station Casino-North Las Vegas, NVCasinos will also sell their used dice. Sometimes they are canceled, sometimes not. These are six vintage dice from the Carson City Nugget in Carson, Nevada. These dice come from the Station Casino in St. Charles, Missouri, and have been canceled by having a hole drilled through the 1 spot.

Next week, a motorcycle suit!

By David G. Firestone

Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Jason White won six Virginia karting titles in five years. He then rose the NASCAR national series. He raced in the Xfinity Series from 1999 to 2014. He also raced in the Truck Series from 2001 to 2014. He had two Cup starts in 2011 and 2012. While he had some success in the Truck Series, he didn’t have any in the Xfinity Series.

Jason’s success in the Truck Series came with Gun Broker as a sponsor. In 2011, White raced for Joe Denette Motorsports he had 2 top 5’s, and 5 top 10’s. In 2012, White left JDM and founded in his own team. He repeated the stats from 2011, 2 top 5’s, and 5 top 10’s. During that time, he wore this Impact! driver suit. The suit shows decent use.The orange collar is the standard variety, and has GUNBROKER.COM logos embroidered.The cowl doesn’t have a tag.The right chest has NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES, and GOODYEAR logos embroidered.The left chest features a GUNBROKER.COM patch, which covers the Joe Denette Motorsports logo from 2011. That dates the suit to 2011 and 2012. There is a SUNOCO logo below the patch.The front torso features a yellow and green GUN BROKER logo embroidered on the black material. The Impact Warranty label is inside the zipper under the logo.The belt is black with orange borders, with JASON WHITE embroidered in white in the center. There is a Joe Denette Motorsports sticker on the inside of the belt. The black legs have orange flames with GUN BROKER logos in television position. The cuffs are boot cuts, with elastic loops on them.The orange shoulder epaulets are outlined in green, and have GUNBROKER.COM logos embroidered, along with IMPACT logos. The sleeves have orange flames with IMPACT!, NASCAR logos on the top, and GUNBROKER.COM logos in television position. The back of the suit shows some light use.The back of the orange neck is unadorned.The back of the suit features a green and yellow GUN BROKER logo embroidered in the black material.Jason White retired from driving not long after his final race, and has transitioned into a different racing role. Hopefully he will stay in racing, and will have a long career.

Next week, some casino memorabilia.

By David G. Firestone

Former Edsel dealer Jack Pagan owned a number of auto dealerships in Texas, and was involved in racing, including the SCCA. In 1993, he purchased the CART equipment from Kenny Bernstein’s King Racing, and founded Pagan Racing, which raced from 1993 to 1995 in CART, before switching to Indy Racing League competition from 1996 to 2000, when the team went under.

During the 1998 season, the car ran a partial schedule in the IRL season, with two drivers, Roberto Guerrero and Stevie Reeves. They scored a top 10 at Charlotte, but didn’t really do much otherwise. In 1999, Jeff Ward took over, and the team had two second place finishes, one at Phoenix and one at the Indy 500. They also had two top 10’s, one at Pikes Peak, and the other at Las Vegas. During those seasons, a crew member was issued this Bell single-layer firesuit. The suit is in good condition, showing light use.The collar has a Velcro fastening, and there is a BELL logo on the front.The cowl has a size tag, with washing instructions. There is no warranty label.The right chest has PEP BOYS, INDY RACING LEAGUE, and PPG logos embroidered.The left chest features BOSCH, OLDSMOBILE, and PAGAN RACING logos embroidered.The front torso is unadorned.The red belt is unadorned.The legs are unadorned, and have standard cuffs.The red shoulder epaulets have GOODYEAR embroidered in white. The right sleeve has a BUGLE BOYS logo embroidered, and nothing in television position. The left sleeve has the SFI 3-2A/1 certification, and nothing in television position. The back doesn’t show any wear.The back of the neck is unadorned.The back torso has a large BELL logo embroidered.Pagan Racing was an unintentional victim of The Split, which divided and destroyed the sport of IndyCar in the 1990’s. The sport never really recovered, though the racing now is much better. But the fact that the sport had an unwinnable civil war for 20 years is really depressing.

Next Week, another Truck Series Driver Suit.