Cody Dons Captures Championship

July 30, 2008 -- Cody Dons raced his way in to IKF karting royalty by capturing the International Karting Federation Junior I 2 cycle Light National (Duffy)Championship at Delaware Speedway in Iowa. Cody races locally at Harvey Caplin Speedway in karts and restricted mini sprints. Cosy also won a regional race at Delaware Speedway on Saturday night against 16 competitors. Way to go Cody, bring home another Duffy on Thursday when you race 2 cycle heavy.

George Carlin Dies

By Ed Payne CNN

June 23, 2008 Los Angeles, CA -- Comedian-actor George Carlin, known for his raunchy but insightful humor, died of heart failure Sunday in Los Angeles, his publicist said. He was 71.

Jeff Abraham says Carlin went into St. John's Health Center on Sunday afternoon, complaining of chest pain. Carlin died at 5:55 p.m. PDT, The Associated Press reported.

Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.

"He was a genius and I will miss him dearly," Jack Burns, who was the other half of a comedy duo with Carlin in the early 1960s, told the AP.

Carlin was best known for his routine "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television," which appeared in 1972's "Class Clown" album.

When Carlin uttered all seven at a show in Milwaukee in 1972, he was arrested for disturbing the peace, the AP reported. The comedy sketch prompted a landmark indecency case after WBAI-FM radio aired it in 1973.

The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court where the justices ruled on a 5-to-4 vote that the sketch was "indecent but not obscene," giving the FCC broad leeway to determine what constituted indecency on the airwaves.

"So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I'm perversely kind of proud of," Carlin said. "In the context of that era, it was daring."

"It just sounds like a very self-serving kind of word. I don't want to go around describing myself as a 'groundbreaker' or a 'difference-maker' because I'm not and I wasn't," he said. "But I contributed to people who were saying things that weren't supposed to be said."

Carlin, who was also an author, was slated to receive the 2008 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in November.

"In his length career as a comedian, writer, and actor, George Carlin has not only made us laugh, but he makes us think," Stephen Schwarzman, Kennedy Center chairman, said in a statement. "His influence on the next generation of comics has been far-reaching."

In a typical wry response, Carlin said: "Thank you Mr. Twain. Have your people call my people."

Carlin hosted the first broadcast of "Saturday Night Live" in October 1975.

He played the character of Mr. Conductor on the PBS series "Shining Time Station" and starred in more than a dozen HBO specials. Carlin was also a regular on The Tonight Show.

He produced 23 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, three books, a couple of TV shows and appeared in several movies, from his own comedy specials to "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" in 1989 -- a testament to his range from cerebral satire and cultural commentary to downright silliness (and sometimes hitting all points in one stroke), the AP reported.

"Why do they lock gas station bathrooms?" he once mused. "Are they afraid someone will clean them?"

He won four Grammy Awards, each for best spoken comedy album, and was nominated for five Emmy awards, according to AP.

Jennifer Greenberg Motorsports March/April Update

by Jennifer Greenberg

In March I began my stock car season. As you may recall, I was selected to the Ron Sutton Winner’s Circle Driver Development Program. This program led to an offer to  drive a NASCAR Late Model stock car for the Simi Valley, CA based High Point Racing Team (www.highpointteam.com). I will be running at least 12 races at Irwindale Speedway this year.

I have to say that the stock car is a completely different animal from the midgets and sprint cars that I have driven. Although the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers make it look easy, I can assure you that stock cars are extremely challenging to drive. Their size, weight and suspension dynamics make them much less responsive than the 1000 pound open wheel cars that I have driven. I am very thankful that I am working with an established team that has very good equipment!

Through the end of April, I have run 4 races. My best finish has been 13^th out of a 32 car starting field. Another major difference from the open wheel cars is that there is considerably more “contact” between the cars. Unfortunately that has led to some equipment damage, but I am really enjoying driving stock cars. I am currently 14^th in the season points championship (40 drivers have competed in the series) and 3^rd in the Rookie of the Year points standings (out of 8 drivers that are eligible).

The team and I have also been getting an amazing amount of press coverage. There were feature stories in at least 3 southern California newspapers and I had several interviews on KTLA (a major Los Angeles TV station). In addition I have done quite a few TV interviews for various other media outlets.

I am working hard to find additional marketing partners so that we can race for the full 2008 season. Currently we have the funding in place to do 12 races out of the 20 the team would like to run. I am very motivated to contact any leads that materialize so, if you have any business contacts in Southern California, please consider passing them on to me. I truly believe that I can provide valuable marketing exposure to many different types of businesses.

We have added a lot of content to my web site at www.jengreenberg.com, including a video clip of the KOAT TV-7 news feature announcing my association with High Point Racing and lots of pictures from the first few races at Irwindale (go to the “Photos/Videos” link).

Thanks for your support!

Boyd Coddington Dies

by Jeff Wilson AP Writer

February 27, 2008 LOS ANGELES - Car-building legend Boyd Coddington, whose testosterone-injected cable TV reality show "American Hot Rod" introduced the nation to the West Coast hot rod guru, has died. He was 63.

Coddington died at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in suburban Whittier at 6:20 a.m. Wednesday. His La Habra office spokeswoman Amanda Curry wouldn't disclose the cause of death.

Coddington, who started building cars when he was 13 and once operated a gas station in Utah, set a standard for his workmanship and creativity, with his popular "Cadzilla" creation considered a design masterpiece. The customized car based on a 1950s Cadillac was built for rocker Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.

"That was a groundbreaking car. Very cool," said Dick Messer, executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

"This was your modern era George Barris," Messer said. "He did things to hot rods and customs that weren't being done by anyone else. But the main thing is he designed cars that were drivable."

Coddington was a machinist by trade, working at Disneyland during the day and tinkering with cars in his home garage at night and on weekends. His rolling creations captured the imagination of car-crazy Southern Californians and soon he was building custom cars and making money.

Most often, he customized 1932 Ford "little deuce coupes." "It was one of those things when a hobby turned into business," Messer said, noting Coddington was also "one of the first guys to get into the custom wheel business."

Wheels by Boyd were fetching $2,000 apiece, which was unheard of two decades ago.

Coddington also surrounded himself with talent. Alumni from his shop include Jesse James and Chip Foose, who went on to open their own shops and star in reality TV shows.

Coddington twice won the Daimler-Chrysler Design Excellence Award and he was inducted into the Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame, the National Rod & Custom Museum Hall of Fame and the Route 66 Wall of Fame.

Always dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, Coddington said he loved his "American Hot Rod" Discovery Channel show, which featured ground-up construction of $500,000 hot rods.

"The viewers are ... people who lived in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s and loved these cars. Now, they have money," Coddington told The Associated Press in a 2004 interview.

High Point Racing's Newest Driver

February 27, 2008 Simi Valley, CA – Irwindale Speedway is over 750 miles from Albuquerque, NM.  However, that didn’t stop High Point Racing from finding their newest member to the already expanded team.  Jennifer Greenberg, the eighteen year old former midget driver from Albuquerqe, NM recently signed a development deal with High Point.
 

“I met Jennifer when I went to the Ron Sutton Winner’s Circle combine.  She demonstrated class and a great presence with the media.  Despite the fact that she hasn’t driven as long as some of the others, I could see a great deal of potential for development in Jennifer,” team owner Tim Huddleston said.

Jennifer decided to pursue racing as a career one year ago after being invited to the Lyn St. James driving program, a program designed for young female drivers entering the sport.

“I’ve raced for five years now but after I attended the LSJ program, I asked my dad what he would think if I pursued racing as a career and since then I’ve been selected for the Ron Sutton program and now with High Point the doors are opening towards a career in NASCAR,” Greenberg stated. “I’m really excited to start testing with High Point and getting up to speed to run for Rookie of the Year,” she added.
 

Between race dates Jennifer will also be hitting the books hard.  As a Business Marketing student at the University of New Mexico, Jennifer is learning how to best benefit her sponsors by learning their side of the business.  She has performed several internships with marketing firms and race teams, including Kellogs.

After racing quarter midgets for several years, Jennifer began racing midget cars. In 2006, she won the New Mexico Mini Sprint Association championship for combined asphalt and dirt racing series.  In 2007, Jennifer won the Rookie of The Year title in the Rocky Mountain Racing Association while finishing fourth in the points chase. 

High Point Racing competes in the Auto Club Late Model Series at Irwindale Speedway.  Primarily sponsored by Justice Brothers Car Care Products, the team fields Racecar Factory built late models powered by Liz-Zard Racing Engines.  For more information on High Point Racing, visit www.high-pointracing.com and look for the HPR “Blue Crew” at Irwindale Speedway’s next late model race.

Jennifer Greenberg Named RMMRA Rookie of the Year

November 24, 2007 ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Eighteen-year-old Jennifer Greenberg capped a very successful season by winning the Rookie of the Year title at the Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association (“RMMRA”) 2007 Awards banquet Saturday night in Denver. Greenberg competed in RMMRA events in Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico during the 2007 season, finishing 4^th in the season points championship. Her best main event finish was 2^nd at Colorado National Speedway in Denver and she won a preliminary heat race at I-25 Speedway in Pueblo.

“The beginning of the season was tough for my team as we struggled with mechanical difficulties”, said Greenberg. “Fortunately we kept plugging away and started to run ok by the middle of the year. We then ran very well at the end of the year. I have to thank my Dad, Lyle Greenberg, for his commitment to our racing program. There were a few times where the easiest route would have been to park the car, but we continued to push forward all year. In addition, I want to recognize Butch Blackberg, Scott Baron and my sister Rachel for their help all year. I can’t wait to start the 2008 season, though our plans are very uncertain. We have several different opportunities, including stock cars and sprint cars. Hopefully we will know what our 2008 program will be by the first of the year. In the meantime we are preparing our midget to run it when we can.”

Jennifer Greenberg represents marketing partners Amsoil, Cabinet Concepts, SunCo Equipment and Supply, Andrews Motorsports, M&J Signs, Synergy Coatings and TIS Fitness Systems.

 Jennifer Greenberg Returns to the Lyn St. James DDP as Graduate Team Leader

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – In December of last year, Jennifer Greenberg had the most meaningful experience of her young life when she was selected to the Lyn St. James Driver Development Program. This program motivated the Albuquerque teenager to seriously consider a career in Motorsports and was the beginning of a whirlwind 12 months that saw her racing cars, making personal appearances and working with race teams from Richmond, VA to Sacramento, CA and almost everywhere in between. Former Indy 500 Rookie of the Year Lyn St. James created the Driver Development Program to provide information and expertise to up-and-coming racers, in particular female racers, by pooling together experts in such fields as physical fitness, mental preparation, nutrition, media training and the business of racing. There is also technical instruction, as well as a variety of on-track activities, in an effort to provide the necessary tools to become successful in the professional ranks of the sport. Realizing that Jennifer has made excellent use of the training she received, she was invited back to this years Lyn St. James program in Phoenix as a graduate Team Leader. In this capacity, Greenberg assisted the staff with administrative details of the program, led the attendees in some of the program’s curriculum and spoke to the current drivers about how the Lyn St. James program has made such an incredible difference in her life.

“When I applied to the program in 2006, I was having fun racing and doing very well”, said Greenberg. “I won the points championship in the series we raced in but I hadn’t seriously considered a career in racing. Attending the Lyn St. James program gave me a fabulous insight into so many different aspects of the racing industry. While I would love to make it big as a race driver, it showed me that my talents could position me for a career in motorsports marketing. With the confidence that I gained and the contacts I have made, I was able to work with NASCAR teams at the Richmond and Indianapolis races along with open wheel teams during the month of May in Indy. I was on the road at race related events for almost 70 days this year. Thanks to the training I received from Lyn St. James, doors keep opening for me and I hope to have even more success in 2008.”

Jennifer Greenberg represents marketing partners Amsoil, Cabinet Concepts, SunCo Equipment and Supply, Andrews Motorsports, M&J Signs, Synergy Coatings and TIS Fitness Systems.

For additional information on the Jennifer Greenberg Motorsports team, visit their website at

www.jengreenberg.com

October 23, 2007

It is with a deep heart that I must offer my condolences to the Bard Family and Racing Team for their tragic loss they suffered this weekend at Abilene Speedways Southern Challenge. Ryan Bard, driver of the #1 Southern Sportmod suffered severe burns while racing in Texas Sunday afternoon. He was sent to a Dallas hospital and was unable to make it through the night.

On behalf of Aztec Speedway, its employees, drivers, families and friends, our prayers go out to the Bard family and racing team as they truely have suffered a tragic loss.

We will miss you Ryan, and we will always remember you for all that you truly represented in our lives.

Our Prayers are with you all,
Tre Brewbaker
Aztec Speedway Promoter

September 30, 2007

It's a wrap for the 2007 Sandia Motor Speedway and Hollywood Hills Speedway tracks!

For Sandia Motor Speedway, the following track champions were crowned:

Street Stocks: Roger Frakes

Slug Bugs: Kenneth Payne

Legends: Roland Trujillo

Modifieds: Lee Gonzales

Mini Stocks: Darrel Spradling

Super Trucks: (need verification)

For Hollywood Hills Speedway, the following track champions were crowned:

Hobby Stocks: Ronnie "Skimmer" Leathem

Cruisers: Perry Held

Modifieds: Curt Barnett

Street Stocks: Joe Smithberger

Late Models: (need verification)

Sprints: Bo Baker

Mini Sprints: Jordan Mattson

Great job and look forward to seeing everyone next year!

September 29, 2007

For more details on Rachel Greenberg's racing program, visit her web site at www.greenbergracing.com

September 18, 2007

September 18, 2007

Jennifer Greenberg Places 2nd at Colorado National Speedway, Clinches 4th in RMMRA Season points

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – The Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Assoc. (“RMMRA”) held their final event of the 2007 season at Colorado National Speedway in Denver on Saturday night. As the event began Jennifer Greenberg was in 4th place in the season points championship with a slim 4 point lead over 5th place. Greenberg was coming off a very successful 6th place performance at the previous race at Hollywood Hills Speedway in San Felipe, NM. A time of 16.69 seconds on the paved 3/8 mile oval qualified Greenberg 5th and she started the Feature event from the 4th position. After two aborted starts due to accidents, Greenberg quickly moved into 2nd place behind RMMRA points leader Chris Scheil. For the remainder of the 20 lap race Greenberg fought off intense pressure from both Todd Plemons and Billy Mentgen to finish a career high 2nd place. This finish clinched 4th place for Greenberg in the RMMRA points championship and makes her a leading contender for the Rookie-of-the-Year title.

“I got a great jump on the first aborted start so I was disappointed when we had the restarts,” Greenberg said. “I really took a chance on the start when I passed the second place car on the outside. It worked, but I held my breath a little. I knew Todd Plemons was right there for the entire race. He showed me a wheel a few times, but I was able to hold him off. It feels really great to end the season with a good result.”

A United States Auto Club (“USAC”) Midget is a sprint car style chassis with a 4 cylinder, 166 cubic inch engine. The 300+ horsepower engines power the 1000 pound cars to speeds in excess of 100 mph on ¼ to 3/8 mile oval tracks. Many of today’s NASCAR stars gained their first national attention in the USAC Midget class.

Jennifer Greenberg represents marketing partners Amsoil, Cabinet Concepts, SunCo Equipment and Supply, Andrews Motorsports, M&J Signs, Team Synergy coatings and TIS Fitness Systems.

For additional information on the Jennifer Greenberg Motorsports team, visit her website at http://www.jengreenbergracing.com