Hello Race Fans!! I am
Pam Walker...a race
fan from way back!! It seems like I was born and raised at Lakeside
Speedway. Actually, I was born at Lakeside Hospital in Missouri. My
family went to the races as far back as I can remember. I had my favorite
driver for years. He was Thurman Lovejoy...63 was his car number and
he drove a Ford. I would cheer for Thurman every race night. I can even remember
he smoked big old cigars. Funny, the things you remember as a kid! I miss
those days. I always wanted to meet Thurman. The only thing was, I didn't
know where to start. One night at Lakeside, I asked one of the officials (Deb)
if she had ever seen him out at the track. I told her how I would love to
meet him. She told me she would let me know if he was ever out at Lakeside.
Well that most wonderful time came. Deb came down and said he was up in one
of the suites. She took me up to meet him and I thought I would shake to death.
I was going to meet my favorite driver after all these years. It was my 51st
birthday & I will never forget that night. He was such a nice guy! I felt
like a kid again. Thurman signed my program and also took a picture with me.
It was a happy time for me. My friend's Nascarla
and James were there and they
told Claudia and Terry
Bivins (James' mom and dad) that Thurman Lovejoy was at the track,
so they were also reunited and it was cool! I am looking forward to a great
year in 2007. See you there race fans!! Pam
I-70
AWARDS BANQUET - 2006
This year I-70 Speedway honored the 1970's Track Champions, along with the 2006
Drivers - and guess who's table I (NASCarla) got to sit at... That's right,
Terry Bivins!What
a wonderful and special night - Drivers rule! Great food - beautiful hotel,
wonderful company, and it's always such a pleasure just to sit and listen to
Terry's stories and memories of past races - just doesn't get any better for
a race fan. Or for drivers either, for that matter! Following is an excerpt
from Terry's "Blog" on the Racin' Boys website - check it out - it
will save me repeating myself, don't want anybody to miss out on the good stuff!:
I-70 Banquet and 76 Daytona Tale Posted by Terry Bivins
Wife and I were invited to the I-70 awards party, they were honoring the 70's
track Champions. We really had a very nice time and was so much fun seeing my
old racing friends and drivers. Sure brought back some great memories of our
early racing days. Was really a lot of fun meeting some of the drivers that
are racing there now too. Thanks to all who stopped by to visit , I'm sure the
other Champions are as proud as I am to be remembered at such a special event.
Thanks to the great folks at I-70 for such a nice evening. Sorry we left early,
but had a 90 mile drive home and the icy roads were a major concern. Brandon
Jordan asked for my views on [racing then and now] in another section at Racin
Boys. I'll try to address this in a later Blog. Thanks Brandon. Tom Faletti
asked for some help in finishing his scale models of my Monte Carlos. Tom if
you email me I'll send you some pics to try and help out. I'm sure my email
add is public here somewhere. Most of the folks I meet now-a days want to hear
stories about the old days. Is that a sign that racing was more about fun and
feuding back then, nothing like a good fuss between drivers to keep fans coming
out to see the latest goings on. Don't know why they want to hear them but I'm
glad they do because I love telling them. Maybe some of you readers can clue
me in a little about this. Now for the
Daytona tale. Claudia reminded
me of this on the way home last night. Arrived at Daytona and the first thing
we had to do was take a physical before we could get on the track. So I am in
the exam room with the Doc., he is checking my blood pressure, heart rate etc.
All is going great when he asked me to drop my pants and bend over the table.
I asked him what the hell that thing he was going to do with that plastic glove
had to do with me driving at Daytona. He told me it was part of the exam, now
I'm thinking this would be a good time to head back to Kansas and expressed
this thought to the Doc. He laughed and told me even the King Richard Petty
had to endure this part of the exam. I figured if the King could take it so
could I and dropped them and assumed the position. But to this day no one has
ever told me what the hell this had to do with driving at Daytona Second scary
moment, same Doc. was giving me the eye test.[ After a bad wreck at I-70 my
left eye has never been as good as my right]. Doc says can't pas me because
my left eye only has 20-60 vision and that it could be a problem at racing speeds.
I told him the 8 of us had been working for 6 weeks to get that ole car ready
for Daytona, Doc. says he is sorry but that is the way it is. A wild idea came
out of nowhere, I asked the Doc. if I only had one eye could I drive , after
thinking a few seconds he said well I guess you could. So I said give me a damned
eye patch and I'll cover the left one up for the race. He looked at me for a
second and stamped PASSED on my exam papers. Wheeew
EDIT I should
explain that the Doc. was worried I would get a piece of trash in my good eye
and not be to see well enough to get off the track. It did happen to me at Bristol
when I was driving Ballards car, but got off the track okay and went to infield
care center, they removed it and I got back in the car and finished the race.
Walter Ballard drove the car while I was out of it. I have a few more of these
old stories, let me know if you would like to hear some of these till season
starts and I have new capers to Blog about. Waiting for season to start. Terry
Bivins.
www.racinboys.com
weekend
this fall with a walk-a-thon at Savannah (MO) Middle School, where she raised
$4,500. The Center used the money to help local patients with RA treatment,
purchase materials for its library and send a victim of juvenile RA to a national
conference.
A
note from Kathy Beth: thanks to all of those who helped with these events,
without your help and support the resources wouldn't be there to give to such
a worthy cause! We are thinking of ways to improve the event this year, possibly
moving the main event to Old MacDonald's Farm or a similar location so we
can draw more public support. I am currently working on a Quilt, Afghan and
Bear project for the Petty's Victory Gang Camp, for use in their Juvenile
Rheumatoid Arthritis camp with my mother-
in-law and some of the lovely ladies that
live in the Senior Center with her. If
anyone is interested in
sharing their crochet or
sewing talents, just drop me
an email at
kbtracy@hotmail.com! I hope
to have a "sewing bee" day
this spring to get things really rolling!
Each year the News-Press
staff chooses community members who have made a positive impact in Northwest
Missouri and Northeast Kansas for our 20 Who Count feature. And each year
that we've taken nominations from readers, that decision has become harder
to make. This year we had 99 nominations.
For 2007, we decided to honor an eclectic mix of people who have helped children,
those who have come to the aid of others in both physical and financial emergencies,
and simply those who have made anothers day brighter on a regular basis. Please
join us in saying thank you to these kind individuals, as well as those who
make a difference in your life.
Kathy Tracy considers herself one of the lucky ones. Diagnosed in
1994, her rheumatoid arthritis is now under control with weekly treatments
at Heartland Health's Arthritis Community Services. Ms. Tracy, 50, of St.
Joseph, began to volunteer at Kansas City's Arthritis Foundation so she could
help others afflicted with the disease, which also had struck other family
members.
"But I wanted to do something where the money stayed here in St. Joseph."
she said.
So, she coordinated a charity week of food, trivia and football out of her
home in 2006 with husband, Joe Tracy. Families from across the nation came
to support the cause. After donating the $3000 in proceeds to Arthritis Community
Services, she decided to coordinate a similar
