Category: friday feature

By David G. Firestone

My annual Tucson trip is now just a memory. It was nice to get out of Chicago for a week, and be able to spend time in warm weather with my family. Every year I try to find some interesting things to do, and this year I had a few good ones, and a special project, but more on that later.

I have a hard core and deep seated fear of flying, so I take Amtrak from Chicago to Tucson and back. I take the Texas Eagle, which takes three days. Here is a video I made of the trip down there. You see a lot of the country over three days.

We have a five hour layover in San Antonio, Texas, and I decided to kill some time and have dinner. I found a Whataburger, and tried it, and I thought it was really good.

I also tried a “Homestyle Quarter Pounder” whch is a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder which is, to my knowledge, exclusive to Texas. It’s a Quarter Pounder with, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles “homestyle burger sauce.” It was also really good.

While I was on the final leg of the trip, I watched The Super Bowl on my phone, using the Verizon NFL app, and I’ll have more to say about that next Monday.

Once I got to my parent’s condo, I spent Monday puttering around. I needed to get my sleep patterns back to normal. I had a quiet day, aside from going to Brushfire for dinner. Tucson has some great barbecue, and Brushfire is my favorite place in Tucson for barbecue. Their fried pork bellies RULE!

Tuesday was spent checking out sports card stores in Tucson. I ended up buying a Lenny Moore signed jersey, and a Derrick Rose game used swatch card. I then went to Sentinel Peak Brewing Company, and tried some samples.

I then tried the “Overhaul Spicy Chili Beer” which is made with six chili peppers, roasted Jalapeno, Habanero, Serrano, Annaheim, Poblano, and Ghost Chilies. It was not great.

That night, we went back to El Corral, and, as always, the food was great.

Thursday was one of my two big things I had planned for the trip. My family and I went to the 63rd Annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, which is in the Tucson Convention Center. There was a lot of interesting stuff there. I’m not as interested in the gems themselves, but the mining aspect interests me. I wound up buying a check from the Bodie Bank, which was in the mining boom town of Bodie California. I also got some other stuff, including:a small vial of diamond cut quartz, some gold leaf in a container with water, a sample of the bluestone used to make Stonehenge,and a .07 gram gold nugget. That night, we went to Ha Long Bay, and I had Vietnamese food for the first time. If you haven’t had pho yet, I would suggest you get some, it’s really good.Friday was more or less spent getting ready for the train ride back home, and for dinner we went to Rigo’s Mexican Restaurant. The buffet is great there, and the prices are good too!

Then on Saturday, I got back on the Texas Eagle and headed home. I had fun, and I am looking forward to coming back next year. You may have noticed, I left Wednesday out. Well that was intentional, because on Wednesday, I worked on a project, which I will discuss next week.

By David G. Firestone

Before I get to today’s Friday Feature, I have something to discuss. As many of you read this, I’ll be on a train from Tuscon back home to Chicago. I’m doing this column in advance. I have two articles based on my trip. One of them may or may not happen. If I can make this happen, it will be fun. If it doesn’t, I have a backup plan ready. As of this writing, I’m not sure the project will happen. I will try, but I’ll have more on that later. Now, on to the article.

While he was a singer, a radio star, a television host, and a movie actor, the name Jimmy Dean will always be known for one thing…breakfast sausage. Jimmy and his brother Don founded the brand in 1969, with Jimmy Dean doing the commercials. The commercials did the trick, and the Jimmy Dean brand became a success. In 1984, the brand was sold to the Sara Lee company, and eventually found its way into NASCAR.

Hailing from Milwaukie, Oregon, birthplace of the bing cherry, Mike Bliss has had a long career. He won the USAC Silver Crown Series in 1993, joining Mario Andretti, AJ Foyt, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Ryan Newman. He would make his NASCAR National Series debut in 1995, driving a part time schedule in the Camping World Truck Series.

He would win the 1995 Lowe’s 150 at North Wilksboro, and along with 5 top 5’s, and 12 top 10’s would earn him an 8^th place finish in the season. In 1996, he ran the full schedule, and with 2 wins at Milwaukee and Louisville, 9 top 5’s and 11 top 10’s. While he would go on to win the 2002 Camping World Truck Series Championship, his ventures into the other NASCAR National Series weren’t as successful.

Mike bliss would try a couple of races for Bahari Racing in the 1999 Winston Cup Series, racing in the 1999 NAPA AutoCare 500 at Martinsville, and the 1999 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 at Rockingham. Neither race was that good, with him starting 19^th, and finishing 32 at Martinsville, and starting 43^rd, running 2/3 of the race, and blowing his engine. For the race at Martinsville, he donned this Jimmy Dean Simpson driver suit.The suit doesn’t show much use, not shocking for a suit that was only used for two events at most.

The collar is a Velcro-shut design, with a Jimmy Dean boot logo on the front.The cowl has the standard Simpson warranty label sewn into it.The right chest features a NASCAR WINSTON CUP SERIES logo and a GOODYEAR logo, as well as a Simpson patch.The left chest features a BAHARI RACING logo and a PONTIAC logo.The front torso features a Jimmy Dean logo. The off-center yellow stripe is present here as well.MIKE BLISS is sewn in white lettering on the yellow background of the belt.The yellow legs have black and red stripes with JIMMY DEAN logos in television position.The shoulders have black epaulets with white JIMMY DEAN logos embroidered into them. The right sleeve features a STATE FAIR CORN DOGS logo on the upper black part. There are no logos in television position. There is a small Simpson logo at the end of the cuff. The left sleeve features a Simpson patch at the top, a BRYAN logo and a JIMMY DEAN logo embroidered into it. There are no logos in television position present. The back of the suit doesn’t show any wear to speak of.The back of the neck is unadorned.The back torso has a large Jimmy Dean logo embroidered into the list.I’m traveling by train home, and next week, things will be back to normal. See you then!

By David G. Firestone

As you read this, I will be riding from Chicago to Tucson via Amtrak. I will be enjoying myself on the trip, as I often do, and I have something planned for Tucson that will work for a future article. I will not watch the Super Bowl live, though I will be watching it on the DVR. But I’ve been wanting to do a special for the big game, and I’ve got a few items that we are going to examine today.

As has been discussed on The Driver Suit Blog before, I’m a fan of game-used toss coins. I have a collection of them from different events, and this week, we are going to look at a pinkwashing coin from 2011. 2011 was a great year to be a Ravens fan. With a solid 12-4 record, it looked as though the Ravens would be the Super Bowl champions, but in the AFC Championship, they lost in a shocker to the New England Patriots, who would win the championship.

One team that looked decent, but didn’t make the playoffs were the New York Jets. With an 8-8 record, they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The two teams would meet at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on October 2, 2011. This special coin was used for the coin toss, which New York won, and deferred.

The Franklin Mint made coin doesn’t really show use, and is number 0001. It comes with PSA/DNA NFL Auction authentication. The other thing I wanted to display for my big game special is from another aspect of the sports memorabilia industry that I’ve wanted to discuss for a while. With a 5-11 record, the Jacksonville Jaguars season in 2015 is one the team would rather forget. Blake Bortles had a mediocre season, and the Jaguars were near the bottom in all key stats. The Jaguars were never close to making the playoffs in 2015.

On December 20, 2015, the Jaguars played host to the Atlanta Falcons at EverBank Field in Jacksonville. The Jaguars had a strong first half, but the Falcons had a strong second half, and wound up winning 23-17. During that game, this pylon was near one of the endzones.Made by Gilman, CT based Gilman Gear,it measures in at 17.5″ by 17.5″ by 3.7″ this pylon is weighted at the bottom. “17 R:B4C 17 JAG L:17D” is written in Sharpie on the bottom. It comes with Steiner authentication. With the end of the NFL season comes the beginning of the racing season. We already had the 24 Hours of Daytona, and next weekend, the NHRA starts back up with the Winternationals. I will also start back with racing stuff, with a driver suit worn by a former Truck Series Champion.

By David G. Firestone

There have been dozens of books written about NASCAR. These books cover everything from NASCAR history, drivers, races, personalities, cars, equipment, and many other subject. One of the most unusual books was published in 2007, The NASCAR Family Album. This book covers the history of some of the most well known families in NASCAR. That by itself is an interesting subject. There have been many interesting families in the history of NASCAR.What makes this book so interesting is that the book includes replica memorabilia from those families. These items, made very faithfully to the originals, are replicas of racing items from those families. Reading these items is a fun experience.

The first family to be featured is the France family. NASCAR was founded in February of 1948 by Big Bill France Sr. who ran it until 1972, when his son Bill France Jr. took over. Bill Sr. died in 1992. Bill France Jr. ran NASCAR from 1972 to 2000, when he was diagnosed with cancer. He turned the reigns over to Mike Helton, and remained on the board of directors until he picked Brian France as his replacement in 2003. He w died from lung cancer in 2007. Brian France is the current owner of NASCAR, having run the sport since 2003. The replica memorabilia for the France Family is Bill France’s business card,A hand-written note from Bill France Sr. to a stock holder,Three pages from the Bill France Sr. Testimonial Dinner from 1955, and a conceptual sketch of Daytona Motor Speedway from 1959.The second chapter focuses on the Jarretts. Ned Jarrett is a two-time Sprint Cup champion who raced from 1953 to 1966. His son Dale Jarrett raced from 1984 to 2008 with 32 race wins and the 1999 Sprint Cup Championship. Both are on the list of the 50 Greatest Drivers of All Time. The memorabilia included here includes a replica of Ned Jarrett’s 1957 NASCAR Information Sheet,and a Jason Jarrett post card.If we take a look at the replica, and compare it to the original, its a very faithfully executed replica, only smaller, and with the word REPRODUCTION on the bottom right corner. Chapter 3 focuses on the Flock Brothers, Tim, Fonty, Ethyl, and Bob. The Youngest of the group, Tim was the most well-known of the brothers, having won 39 races and two championships. Tim was banned after the 1961 World 500 for having too much solder on his carburetor screw, but it was most likely retaliation for wanting to found a drivers’ union. He was reinstated as a driver in 1966, but never raced in NASCAR again. Like Ned and Dale Jarrett, he was enshrined into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and was one of the 50 Greatest Drivers of All Time.

The oldest of the family, Ethyl, was tied as the second female driver to race in, NASCAR,with Louise Smith and after Sara Christian. She had a career high of 11^th. The next oldest was Bob, who had 4 wins in his own right, and once got into a police chase IN THE MIDDLE OF A RACE! Fonty was the third oldest, and second most successful of the brothers, having 19 wins and finishing second in 1951. The memorabilia for the Flock family consists of the first two pages of Tim’s 1956 NASCAR profile sheet, A hand-written account of Tim racing with his monkey Jocko,and a 1948 detailing a race where the Flock brothers finished first, second, and fourth. Next we move on to the Labonte Brothers. Older brother Terry won two Sprint Cup championships, 12 years apart from each other. He won the 1984 championship while driving for Hagan Racing, and the 1996 championship upset driving for Hendrick Motorsports. He has 22 race wins, and is one of the few drivers who has won in the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series. Another one of the 50 Greatest Drivers of All Time.

Bobby Labonte won the 2000 Winston Cup Championship, and has 22 races to his credit. He is also the first driver to win Sprint Cup and Xfinity Championships. Like Terry, he is one of a select few drivers to win in the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck series. Justin Labonte is also discussed here, but his career never really lived up to that of his father’s. The memorabilia included here includes a Bobby Labonte press kit from 1992, and a ticket to the 1997 NAPA 500 at Atlanta motor speedway, where Bobby won. Darrell and Michael Watrip are the next family featured Darrell is a three-time Sprint Cup champion, who has 84 race wins to his credit. He is one of the few drivers to win the career Grand Slam, including winning the 1989 Daytona 500. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Drivers of All Time.

Younger brother Michael has 4 Sprint Cup wins, including two Daytona 500’s to his name. He also has 11 Xfinity Series wins, and a Truck Series win, making him a Triple Threat. Michael is also a former All-Star race winner as well.

The memorabilia features the 1982 NASCAR Awards Banquet program, commemorating his second Championship, and a Michel Waltrip postcard from the 1990’s.The Earnhardts, my favorite NASCAR family is featured next. The patriarch of the family, Ralph raced in NASCAR’s Sportsman Division, winning the championship in 1951. He then made it to what is now the Sprint Cup Series, but didn’t score a win. He was also a builder of cars, and helped many young drivers including Bobby Issac a shot at racing.

His third son Dale Earnhardt Sr. started racing after Ralph’s death in 1973. He started what was his rookie full time season in 1979, impressing people at the Daytona 500, and eventually winning Rookie of the Year. From there, the only way to go was up, which is what he did. He won 7 championships, a career grand slam, 76 races, and was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers of All Time. He is also credited with winning the first race in what is now the Xfinity Series. Dale was killed in the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, which helped change the safety culture of auto racing.

Dale Sr.’s son Dale Earnhardt Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps. He started racing at age 17, and eventually made it to the Xfinity Series where he won the Championship in 1998 and 1999. He has 24 Xfinity series win to his credit. His debut in the Sprint Cup took place in 1999 at the Coca Cola 600, where he would go on to win 22 races, including 2 Daytona 500’s.

The memorabilia from the Earnhardt family includes a copy of Dale’s 1979 Rookie NASCAR contract, A 1956 Telefax that depicts Ralph’s lone Winston Cup Pole in Hickory,and the first two pages of Ralph’s 1965 NASCAR info sheet. David and Larry Pearson are next featured. David “The Silver Fox” Pearson raced from 1960 to 1986. He has 105 Sprint Cup wins, three Sprint Cup championships, he won the 1976 Daytona 500, and has won the Grand Slam. He was one of the 50 Greatest Drivers of All Time, and was elected to the Inaugural Class in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He is second only to Richard Petty in terms of race wins, Petty has 200, Pearson has 105.

His son Larry Pearson’s Xfinity career was actually very good, with Pearson winning two Xfinity Series championships, one in 1986, the other in 1986, as well as 15 race wins. He left NASCAR after 1999. He suffered a serious crash at Bristol in 2010, which has more or less derailed any chance he had of getting his career restarted.

The memorabilia from the Pearson section is a color postcard featuring Larry and David together, and a vintage decal from David Pearson’s racing team in the early 1980’s.The next chapter features the most important racing family in NASCAR history, the Pettys. Lee Petty was the first of the Petty drivers, first racing in 1949, Petty won an astounding 54 races, three Sprint Cup Championships, and the first Daytona 500. His sons Richard and Maurice had NASCAR careers, Maurice as a crew chief and engine builder. Richard Petty would go on to win just about everything there is to win in NASCAR, including 200 wins, 7 championships, a place on the list of the 50 Greatest Drivers of All Time, and election into almost every racing hall of fame that exists.

The family talent was passed down to Kyle Petty, who has 8 Sprint Cup wins, including the 1987 Coca Cola 600. Kyle’s son Adam had a chance at a racing career, and had some hints of success, before dying in a crash at New Hampshire, a little over a month after Lee Petty died in 2000.

The memorabilia for the Petty family features a ticket to the 1974 NASCAR award banquet,A Plymouth brochure from 1967, Petty’s most successful year, and a pit pass from Heidelberg Speedway in Pennsylvania, where Lee Petty got his first win in 1949.The Alabama Gang, made up of the Allison family are the next one featured. Bobby is the most well-known of the Allison drivers. Officially, Bobby has 84 wins, though the number could be as high as 86, and the 1983 Cup championship. Allison also has 15 wins in the Xfinity Series as well. Bobby is one of the 50 Greatest Drivers of All Time, and has a place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Younger brother Donnie has 10 wins in the Cup Series, but will forever be known for his fight with Cale Yarborough at the end of the 1979 Daytona 500. Considered the most important race in NASCAR history, the 1979 Daytona was the first NASCAR race televised flag to flag, took place during an East coast blizzard, and ended with Richard Petty winning the race, after Cale Yarborough and Donnie crashed into each other. As Petty celebrated his win, Donnie and Cale began to fight on the infield. A photo made the front cover of the sports section of the New York Times, and NASCAR’s rise to the top had begun.

Two of Bobby’s children, Davey and Clifford both started their racing careers in more recent years. Clifford started racing in Xfinity Series in 1990, but was killed in a wreck in 1992 at Michigan International Speedway. Davey Allison, Clifford’s older brother, won the 1991 Coca Cola 600, the 1992 Daytona 500, almost won the 1992 Winston Cup championship, and has 17 other race wins to his credit. He was killed in a helicopter crash in July of 1993.

The memorabilia from the Allison section includes a NASCAR newsletter from 1971 discussing the Allison brothers finishing first and second at Talladega,A Davey Allison trading card from 1993, and a Bobby Allison 1983 Championship bumper sticker.The second to last chapter is about the Wallace Brothers, Rusty, Mike, Steve, and Kenny. The most well-known of the brothers is Rusty. With 55 wins, and the 1989 Sprint Cup championship, and a place on the 50 Greatest Drivers of All Time list, and a place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Rusty has earned a place in the hearts of many NASCAR fans.

Kenny and Mike, Rusty’s brothers, haven’t had any success in the Cup Series, but both have had success in the Xfinity Series, Kenny having 9 wins, and a 2^nd place points finish in 1991, and Mike has 4 wins, and an 8^th place points finish in 2008. Rusty’s son Steve is currently working on his racing career, though he hasn’t scored a win in any of NASCAR’s biggest series.

The memorabilia representing the Wallace family features Rusty’s 1982 NASCAR Rookie of the Year eligibility form,and a postcard from the Rusty’s 1982 season. The final chapter doesn’t have any memorabilia, but discusses a number of other NASCAR families.  These families include:

The Andrettis-Mario and John,

The Bakers-Buddy and Buck,

The Bodines-Geoff, Todd and Brett,

The Bouchards-Ken and Ron,

The Burtons-Jeff and Ward,

The Busches-Kurt and Kyle,

The Elliots-Bill, Dan, and Ernie,

The Foyts-AJ, and Larry,

The Greens-David and Jeff,

The Hamiltons-Bobby Sr. and Bobby Jr.

The Marlins-Coo Coo, Sterling, and Stedman,

The Parrotts-Buddy, Todd, and Brad,

The Parsons-Benny and Phil,

The Pembertons-Ryan, Roman, Randy, and Robin,

The Sadlers-Hermie and Elliott,

The Scotts-Wendell Sr., Wendell Jr, and Franklin

The Thomas-Herb, and Donald,

The Thompsons-Alfred, and Jimmy,

and The Wood Brothers-Glen and Leonard.

The book itself, even without the memorabilia is a great read too. The book is very well written, and very well done. If you can find a copy, pick it up, and read it. I promise it is worth it. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank John, a friend and coworker for giving me my copy of this book. Thanks John!

Ok, next week, I’ve got a special surprise for the big game…

By David G. Firestone

9 Days in Summer is a documentary produced by Ford showing the development of the Cosworth DFV and Lotus 49. These two cars would only go on to race in 9 of the 11 races in 1967. Although it is produced by Ford, and isn’t as neutral as documentaries should be, this one is really interesting when compared to the way things are done now in auto racing.

The film shows designer Keith Duckworth silently working on his board, mixed with video of racing cars, and stylized guages. Then the film shows a 1966 meeting of four people, Duckworth, Fred Hayes, Colin Chapman and Harley Copp in Ford’s Design and Engineering Center in Essex, discussing the development of a new race car. After this discussion has proceeded for a while, the film jumps to the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix, where both of Ford’s new cars drivern by Graham Hill and Jim Clark, retire. This provides some of the most unintentionally hilarious scenes I have ever seen, because the film will show footage of racing mixed with random shots of farm animals. The editing is a little schizophrenic.

The scene then sifts back to the DEC, and Ford building the first series of engines. The various issues including size and weight are discussed, and the engines are machined using a series of automated machines, which were revolutionary in 1967 are obsolete in 2017.

The movie cuts to the LeMans Forumla One circuit. The track is described as “a Mickey Mouse track.” Both cars suffer engine problems, and fail to finish. After the race, Ford goes back to the shop, and tries to figure out what the problem is. The size of the engine, a 3L 90 degree V8 is designed to work with the chassis. It’s a new experiment, designing the engine and car specifically for each other. In fact, the engine makes up part of the chassis.

The British Grand Prix at Silverstone is the next event, Ford brings both their cars to the event with a lot of confidence. The power of the car is clear, but the reliability is dubious. Despite this, Graham Hill does an interview where he praises the new car design. Afterwards, other aspects of the car design are worked on by the team.

A new engine design is delivered to Lotus, and the engineers proceed to mount the engine to the rest of the chassis. After this is done, Graham Hill wrecks at practice for The Grand Prix of Germany at the Nürburgring. The jumps cause a series of suspension problems, and both Lotus cars retire. Hill spins at the begining of the race, and is at the back of the pack. I also love the total lack of safety gear at the track, no walls, no fences, and sharp cliff drop-offs.

Next is shown footage of Lotus testing the new car setup. This time at Snetterton. Graham Hill is testing, and says that, among other things, “It’s got some poke, not a bad old tool.” This part shows some obviously staged shots of the testing, and the short montage and then cuts to the rainy Canadian Grand Prix. There are a number of double-exposed shots of the cars racing in the rain, and the cars seem like they have got the problems fixed. Rain derails Clark’s race, plauging the electrical system. Hill keeps going, but rain causes him to finish fourth.

Graham Hill is shown relaxing with his family before the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. This bit of fun and merrient seems sad when looking back. Damon Hill, who would go on to have his own racing career is featured in this scene. The two drivers featured, Graham Hill and Jack Clark wouldn’t be around for much longer. Jack Clark would die in 1968 in a plane crash, and Graham Hill would die in 1974 in a racing accident. Once the relaxing is done, the work begins anew at Monza.

At Monza, Clark shows some speed initially, and jumps to the front. Graham Hill looked decent, but yet another engine failure plagues him. Clark blows a tire, makes a lap back, and loses the race in a photo finish. The camera shows the closeness of the finish. It’s a badly-needed boost for the new engine design.

The next scene is Jim Clark examined a rainy and empty Watkins Glen. He kicks a rock, and walks into a car. Suddenly it’s race day. Clark and Hill start at the front, and have a great start to the race. This time however is different, as Clark and Hill finish first and second respectivly.

The final race in the Formula One season is Mexico, which had Clark and Hill battle each other for the lead. It’s obvious that, like the Lotus testing, some shots were clearly staged. Hill breaks a universal joint, and his race and season are over. Jim Clark goes on to win his second race of the season. The film ends with a model of the car on a desk, with some trophies in the background.

Again, it’s more of a promotional film than a documentary, but it did something that wouldn’t be done today, take a viewer into the whole design process of an engine and chassis design. The secrecy that Formula One, and other racing teams is such that often, teams don’t want cameras around their engines. This film takes the veiwer into the engine design process, to a degree that’s uneard of.

The editing is pointless artsy sometimes. Also, the farm animals, the double-exposure, and the obviously staged shots take away from the whole feel of the documentary. Still, it’s worth a watch, if you are a racing fan, but there are a lot of better documentaries out there.

By David G. Firestone

Many NASCAR fans are NASCAR historians, as am I. I love learning about the history of auto racing, and the history of automobiles. I also love being able to access information about the history of NASCAR. For those who love NASCAR, one of the best books is NASCAR The Complete History. I have the 2013 edition, which covers up to the end of the 2013 season.The book is a heavy-duty leather covered book with a stock car depiction on it. Inside, each season is given a few pages, in which the story of the season, photos and statistics are present. There is a bit of generalization involved with the seasons review, but it’s forgivable because a lot of details about the season, the drivers, and the racing that is really good. It’s a long read, but a good read. As a reference material, it’s great because it contains a lot of things that can’t really be found in other books, especially about the early seasons of NASCAR, and some of the early drivers. It’s easy to lose track of time while reading this book, there are so many good stories, and good information. As a book, its a great read that could be read over the course of a weekend. The writing is great, and interestingly, there are times where you take an interest where it wouldn’t seem that interesting.

Each year, a new edition is published, in order to add the previous season’s information into the book. I find that the new editions aren’t as interesting, because much of the new information is stuff we’ve just seen, and I like the older, more obscure things the books discusses.

My final assessment is that this book is a must-have for NASCAR fans and I would go so far as to say that it should be in the possession of all racing fans. It’s a great reference, and a great read.

 

By David G. Firestone

January is Wheel Reviews Month. This month, I will feature four Wheel Reviews, two movie and two book reviews. I’ve got an obscure movie next week, and a couple of interesting books prepared for the weeks after that. This week, I’m going to focus on one of, if not the, best racing documentaries ever produced.

One of the most important laps in Formula One history was the seventh lap of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. That was the lap where Ayrton Senna lost control of his car on the Tamburello corner at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, located in Imola, Italy, and died as a result of his injuries. That accident was the genesis of the refocusing on safety that saw Formula One go without a fatality for 20 years, which is unheard of in the history of auto racing.

The dark clouds that were over that race were clear to everyone. Rubens Barrichello was seriously injured during a crash. During Saturday qualifying, Roland Ratzenberger was killed in a wreck. There was talk among the drivers and track staff about the issues, and if drivers would back out of the race. Senna and Dr. Sid Watkins allegedly discussed Senna backing out of the race and going fishing. Senna did appear to be visibly shaken and his mental state before the race clearly wasn’t where it needed to be. Senna decided against going fishing, and during lap seven, his life came to an end.

One of the best documentaries about Formula One, and for that matter auto racing, Senna was released in 2010. Produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, and James Gay-Rees, and directed by Asif Kapadia, Senna revolves around Ayrton Senna’s Formula One career. It touches on his time with Toleman in 1984, and Lotus from 1985 to 1987. Where it really starts to get in depth is when it discusses his signing with McLaren in 1988.

Senna won five races prior to 1988, but when he joined McLaren, he became a top-shelf driver. The film discusses in detail his personal life, and his relationships with his family off track, and his rivalries with Alain Prost, and Jean-Marie Balestre, among others. The rivalry between Prost and Senna is the main conflict. You get a sense that the two didn’t like each other on a personal level, but they had a deep respect for each others driving skills.

You also see that Senna had a deep respect for Brazil, even though politically the country was in a bad place at the time. The country rallied around him because he gave the country something to root for in a dark time. Senna was a devout Catholic, and his faith plays in to who he was as a driver and a person. The conflict between his on-track and off-track lives makes the ending even harder.

One of the things that I like is that the documentary doesn’t have a single narrator, but that Senna speaks via archival footage, and what interviews were done aren’t shown, but heard audibly. It’s hard to watch the ending, seeing the wreck that took the life of a great driver. The personal life/professional life conflict is also a great part of the film.

I would make a few changes to the film. I would like to see more on his racing upbringing. The first 4 years of his career are covered, but I’d like to see more focus on 1984-1987. More importantly, nothing is discussed concerning how he went from Karting to Formula One. I’d like to see Ayrton Senna before he was a legend in the industry. I also would love to see more background on the political issues that Brazil was facing. It’s covered somewhat, but I would love to see the documentary get more into the issues, and how they affected him, both personal and professional.

All in all, Senna has a few minor issues, but it’s still in my mind the best racing documentary ever made. If you haven’t seen it yet, go out and rent a copy.

Next week, an obscure Formula One documentary.

By David G. Firestone

For the end of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season, the Paint Schemies have returned! The Schemies will reveal the best,and worst paint schemes of 2016. I’ve eliminated the exhibition and improved categories for 2016, with exhibition replaced by throwback paint scheme. This was done using the Driver Suit Blog executive committee for paint scheme analysis and consists of me and Driver Suit Blog assistant, my cat Alejandro, and uses the following standards:

Color Scheme:How the colors look, and how they work with each other.

Overall Design:How good the design itself looks, is there too much, or not enough.

Primary Sponsor Logos: How the primary sponsor logos look on the car

Originality: How original is the scheme.

All of the above can work for or against a scheme, and all will be taken into consideration.

Let’s get the bad paint scheme awards out of the way.

First, the Paint Schemie Award for Worst Regular Season Single Paint Scheme .

The nominees are:

Danica Patrick #10 Aspen Dental Chevy SS

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Mosiac Ford Fusion

David Ragan #23 Sweet Frog Toyota Camry

Ryan Newman #31 Wix Filters Chevy SS

Jeffery Earnhardt #32 Can-Am/Kappa Ford Fusion

Matt DiBenedetto #83 Mass Markets Toyota Camry

The Award for Worst Regular Season Single Paint Scheme goes to:

Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil Mosiac Ford Fusion

The next award is for Worst Paint Scheme Set, meaning the team that is running consistently bad schemes all year. The nominees are:

#5 Hendrick Motorsports

#22 Team Penske

#32 Go Fas Racing Team

#48 Hendrick Motorsports

#78 Furniture Row Racing

#83 BK Racing

The The winner of the Award For Worst Scheme Set of 2016 goes to…

#22 Team Penske

The next Paint Schemie Award is for Throwback Paint Schemes. This category is a little different, as the Schemies will go to the best and worst throwback. For 2016, the nominees for Worst Throwback Paint Schemeof 2016 goes to…

Jamie McMurray #1 McDonald’s Mac Tonight Throwback Chevy SS

Now after talking about the bad, we discuss the good. Here are the winners in the best category…

First, the Paint Schemie Award for Best Regular Season Single Paint Scheme.

Brad Keselowski #2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion

Austin Dillon #3 Cheerios Chevy SS

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Chevy SS

Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry

Carl Edwards #19 Stanley Toyota Camry

Ryan Blaney #21 Motorcraft Ford Fusion

Kurt Busch #41 Monster Energy Chevy SS

Brian Scott #44 Jewel-Osco/Ritz/Triscut Ford Fusion

Marin Truex Jr. #78 Furniture Row Toyota Camry

The winner of the Schemie for Best Regular Season Single Paint Scheme of 2016 goes to…

Ryan Blaney #21 Motorcraft Ford Fusion

The next category is best throwback, and it should come as no surprise that the competition was strong this year.

Kevin Harvick #4 Busch Throwback Chevy SS

Trevor Bayne #6 Advocare Mark Martin Throwback Ford Fusion

Clint Bowyer #15 Five Hour Energy Benny Parsons Throwback Chevy SS

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17 Fastenal Throwback Ford Fusion

Kyle Busch #18 Interstate Batteries Dale Jarrett Throwback Toyota Camry

Carl Edwards #19 Arris Tony Stewart Throwback Toyota Camry

Matt Kenseth #20 Tide Pods Toyota Camry

Ryan Blaney #21 Motorcraft Throwback Ford Fusion

Jeffery Earnhardt #32 Keen Parts Dale Earnhardt Throwback Ford Fusion

Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowes Earnhardt Throwback Chevy SS

The winner of the Schemie for Best Throwback Scheme of 2016 goes to…

Trevor Bayne #6 Advocare Mark Martin Throwback Ford Fusion

The final award of 2016 is the Paint Schemie for Best Paint Scheme Set of 2016. The nominees are:

#20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

#21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

#30 TMG Chevy

#35 Front Row Motorsports Ford

#38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

#41 Stewart Haas Racing Chevy

#47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevy

#55 Premium Motorsports Chevy/Toyota

#98 Premium Motorsports Chevy/Toyota

The winner of the Schemie for Best Paint Scheme Set of 2016 goes to…

#98 Premium Motorsports

That’s it for the Schemies, next week, the Paint Scheme Leaderboard begins with Chevy!

 

By David G. Firestone

On this, the last Friday Feature of Formula One Month, I’ve saved the best for last. I really do mean the best here. With 91 wins, 155 podiums, 1,566 career points, 68 pole positions, and 29 total Formula One records including wins, podiums, championships, and pole positions, Michael Schumacher is one of, if not the greatest drivers in the history of Formula One. His 91 career wins is 40 wins total over the next driver, Alain Prost, who has 51 wins. From 1991 to 2006, Schumacher raced for Jordan, and Bentiton, winning two championships for Bentition, before moving to Ferrari in 1996. After being disqualified from the World Championship for is actions at the European Grand Prix, Schumacher returned to a 2^nd place finish in 1998, then down to a 5^th place finish in 1999.

Then in 2000, while still with Ferrari, he began his 5 Championship run from 2000 to 2004. After two more successful years, Schumacher retired in 2006. From 2007 to 2009, Schumacher held a number of position in Ferrari, including team adviser, and road car driver. When Mercedes restarted their Formula One team, they gave Schumacher a chance to drive, next to Nico Rosberg. Schumacher took it, and for three seasons, he raced again in Formula One. This didn’t go so well, with Schumacher not winning, and only scoring one podium. After the 2012 season, Schumacher retired for a second time, this time for good.

Schumacher was known for wearing Sparco suits while with Bentition, and OMP suits with Ferrari. When he returned from retirement, he wore Alpinestars with Mercedes in 2010, and 2011. In what was his final season before his second and final retirement, he wore Puma suits for 2012. This pair of pants, worn under the driver suit, is attributed to Schumacher.The lightweight Nomex Puma pants are in good condition, and show some light wear.The waist shows some light wear, and has a Puma wash tag with M.S. written in Sharpie. This appears to be the same writing as the Valtteri Bottas undergarments. The cuffs are hemmed, but the hem is very hard to see. The back of the pants don’t show any wear to speak of.On the center, just below the hem on the back of the pants is the Puma FIA 8856-2000 Compliance tag.I’d like to believe that Schumacher could have had one more run in Formula One in him, but tragedy struck. On December 29, 2013, Schumacher and his son Mick were skiing off-piste on the Combe de Saulire below the Dent de Burgin above Méribel in the French Alps, when he fell, and hit his head on a rock. Despite wearing a ski helmet, Schumacher suffered serious brain injuries, leaving him unable to walk, and having serious memory problems, and unable to speak. He may never walk again, and certainly will never race again. It’s a tragic and sad end to a racing legend’s career, and maybe his life.

Although his life has more or less been ruined through his skiing accident, his life will forever be known for Formula One, and his legacy as one of the greatest of all time has been cemented. I can only wish him and his family the best in his recovery.

With Formula One Month now complete, I’m going to shift focus to one of my December traditions…The Paint Schemies! That takes place next week!

By David G. Firestone

Formula One Month continues this week with a familiar theme. Last week I discussed a Kazuki Nakajima race-worn undershirt from his time with Williams Grand Prix Engineering. This week, I’m going to keep the Williams undergarment theme going with a look at one of their current drivers.

Born in Nastola, Finland in 1989, Valtteri Bottas finished 8^th in the 2005 Karting World Cup. By the end of 2008, he had won the 2008 Formula Renault Eurocup and the 2008 Formula Renault Northern European Cup, the first driver to do that since Filipe Albuquerque in 2006. In 2009, he advanced to Formula 3, where he won the Championship despite not winning a race. That same year, he won the 2009 Masters of Formula 3. In 2010, he became a test driver for Williams, and raced in the GP3 series, claiming the 2011 Championship.

In 2013, his big break came when he got the call to race for recently re-branded Williams-Martini Racing. He was teamed with Pastor Maldonado for that season. He had some success, including stating third in the Canadian Grand Prix, finishing 8^th in the United States Grand Prix, and finishing 4^th in the Championship.

2014 saw Williams-Martini Racing release Maldonado and replace him with Felipe Massa. Bottas and Williams had a great season, with Bottas scoring 6 podiums, Massa scoring 3, and the two sharing the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix podium behind race winner and Champion Lewis Hamilton.

2015 saw a setback for Bottas, after suffering a soft tissue damage to his lower back, and was not medically cleared to race at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. This would be a bad omen for the season, as Bottas was only able to score two podiums, one at the Canadian Grand Prix, the other at the Mexican Grand Prix. Although he finished 5^th in the points standings, it was clear he wasn’t as strong as he previously was in 2014.

Going back to 2014, Bottas’ best season in Formula One. That season, drivers were allowed to pick their car numbers. The number they chose would be the one they raced with for their careers. Bottas chose 77 because the 7’s look like T’s, and he could use “Bo77as” That was also the first season Martini joined Williams, and changed the car and uniforms to have a more traditional look. During that season, Bottas wore this set of Puma long-johns and balaclava. The long-johns show some light use.The collar is a Velcro-closure with a pre-2015 Experian logo screen-printed on the front. The opening extends down the front, and ends just above the last logo on the right side. The right chest features Mercedes-Benz, RANDSTAD, BP PETROBAS, and BANCO DE BRAZIL logos heat pressed into the lightweight Nomex material.The left chest features a MARTINI logo pressed into the Nomex.There are no logos on the torso, nor is there a belt. Near where the belt would be is a Puma wash tag/warranty label with V.B. written on it in Sharpie.The legs have standard cuffs, and have no adornment at all.Being a set of long-johns, there are no epaulets or adornments of any kinds on the shoulders.

The right sleeve has EXPERIAN, WIHURI, and ORIS SWISS WATCHES logos pressed into the upper arm. There are no television logos on the ends of the sleeves. The left sleeve features GENWORTH, KEMPPI, PIRELLI, and THOMSON REUTERS logos pressed into the upper sleeve. No television logs are present at the end of the sleeve. The back of the long-johns show some very light use.The back of the neck features a Puma FIA tag, and WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING logos. The back torso features RANDSTAD and Puma logos. Around the same time Bottas wore the long-johns, he also wore this balaclava. It shows decent use. BOTTAS is sewn into the material on the left side. The front of the balaclava features a Puma logo below the nose-hole, and heaving stain around where the nose and mouth area. The right side shows some use, and has a small opening in the side. The back of the balaclava has some light staining, a Puma wash tag, and a Puma FIA safety tag sewn into it. Valtteri Bottas is poised for great things in Formula One. He has the talent, he has the drive, and he has had a lot of success in racing. Next week, I’m going to discuss a pair of pants worn by the most successful driver in the history of Formula One.