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Racer Blog: Mike DeNunzio - Team Canidae

BY: MIKE DENUNZIO – TEAM CANIDAE

It has been a very busy 2009 season for Team CANIDAE. We haven't updated you much on the season's standings but a lot has been going on at the shop and around the country keeping us busy! First off I would like to extend our deepest condolences to our extended racing families in the Boat and Sand Drag Community. We have lost a few Great People - legends in the sports they chose. All of us at Team CANIDAE are deeply saddened by the loss of so many of our friends this year. We know they are all in a better place now and GODSPEED to Don Ermshar, Dan Chittenden, Richard Montiel, and Barbi Erwin. All were very sudden and unexpected; again our sincerest regrets go out to all their families.

Racer Blog: Joey Weaver Yuma Mar '09

BY: JOEY WEAVER

Hey everyone, Well the second race of the 2009 season is in the books with a lot of different faces in the winner circle and some faces that are used to being there. First off, I would like to thank the NSDA for putting on a good race and for sticking it out in these tough times that the economy has brought to us racers. I had made some changes to my bike again for this race as I wasn’t really happy with the setup that I had tried the first race. So, I went back to the basics and man did it pay off a bunch. I left Hemet about three and showed up in Yuma about 7:30 where I was greeted by the ladies in the registration trailer. My weekend began with racing on Saturday morning with time trials. The bike ran the number that I expected, so I went into first round with some what of an idea of what to expect. I was totally wrong, though, as first round I got my butt handed to me. However, the bike had run faster then it had all day so I really couldn’t complain. So I was out early on Saturday for the first time in the 2009 season. But someone in our camp was going rounds, and that person was Scott Kinney. This guy has been pulling his hair out trying to get his bike to run right. He must have figured something out because he collected a runner-up finish. I would like to congratulate him on this, because he has worked his butt off to get his bike to run.

Racer Blog: Joey Weaver Yuma Feb '09

Hey everyone, well the 2009 season has started and man was it something worth waiting for. As I loaded up my quad and loaded my ice chest, I had a feeling that some thing good was going to happen. I got everything loaded and was off to the track in Yuma. It rained until about Palm Springs and then it was clear skies from there. I got to Yuma about 11 at night and everyone was still up burning that midnight fire like they always do.

Racer Blog: Tom Bray September '08

BY: TOM BRAY

The "Editor" last wrote about his racing exploits after the U.S. Sand Nationals at WMSD in July. The decision was made to take the month of August off to concentrate on the Labor Day weekend race at WMSD and the Ionia Sand Drags race in September. So, we fast forward to Labor Day Weekend at WMSD.

A good turnout showed up and put on a great show Labor Day weekend. This was sort of a double race weekend with the regular point race on Saturday and the annual special events (Top Gun, Big Bud Shootout, Buggy Brawl, and Junior Top Gun) on Sunday.

Racer Blog: Mike Erwin 2008 Update

BY: MIKE ERWIN

Well it has been a long year of racing so far for the Swag team, with up's and down's. 2008 started with a major down at the January NSDA opener at Yuma speedway. During the first qualifying pass our TE car's chassis was damaged from a major wheel stand! We then turned all our attention to the Jeeps, with mixed results. The down times continue with first round exits in Pro Index and Pro 1. Still, we see a small ray of good news as we qualify #1 and go runner up in Pro Mod.

Back at the shop we decide the TE car will never see sand again. Now we need to decide what to do. I say drop the blower motor in the slow Ole' Jeep, but the wife veto's that. The Swag team starts looking for a new TE chassis, and we get to work on the Jeep to make it more competitive. During this time I review the time slips from race one and can see the problem wasn't the Jeep as it was the driver! It was bad news as the driver lost the races with red lights, breakouts and poor reaction times; in baseball 3 strikes and you are out.

Racer Blog: Mike Erwin Dome Aug '08

BY: MIKE ERWIN At the SWAG camp we want to post a "Racer Blog" once in awhile here at NSDN, and Tom is great at letting us do so. Well that's his mistake! Just kidding. Also, we enjoy giving updates from the events at Dome Valley Raceway, so we will be doing both on this installment of the blog.
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Wies Racing Gravelrama 2008 Racer Blog

BY: DAN WIES

When the word "Gravelrama" comes to mind I have a buzz of excitement and joy comes to thought. Realizing that this is the 20^th year that I have attended this event makes it even more special. Wies Racing left the confines of the state of Missouri on Wednesday August 20^th bound for south-western Ohio. The seven hour drive took forever with the anticipation of greeting old friends, gravel, and hundreds of paddle tires. Before I knew it; we arrived, checked in, and set-up camp. With a few days of relaxation a little bit of "teching" along came Friday. For a little detail, I run a XD class car. It has a 304 cubic inch motor built by Patterson Racing in Augusta, KS. Todd and Alan Patterson build the best small-block Chevrolet motors in the world. For Gravelrama, with the total combined "power points" on my motor, my car has to weigh not a pound less than 2225 lbs. Being the cautious person that I am I tried to keep it around 2275 lbs. My Father runs the XC class in his car. This year my class had a pretty large turnout. I believe that there were 16 total cars in the class. It was going to be a tough weekend.

Racer Blog: Tom Bray WMSD July '08

BY: TOM BRAY

Being the Editor of NSDN, I have written race recaps, editorials, and news articles for this site; however this is my first venture into the “racer blog” realm of things. For those who don’t know, I race a CJ-7 Jeep with a mild Small Bock Chevy power in Michigan, where I live. 2007 was a great season for me, taking home the West Michigan Sand Dragway (WMSD) Sportsman point series championship for a record third time. Heading into 2008, I decided to cut back from a full-time racer at WMSD to a more part-time schedule. So, now that you have some background info, let’s head to the busy month of July activity at West Michigan Sand Dragway.

Racer Blog: Mike Erwin Dome May '08

BY: MIKE ERWIN

Everyone please bear with me if this doesn't sound very professional. We all know Tom's columns are first. rate, but this will be a SWAG attempt so who knows where we will go with it!

Ernesto Juarez from Dome Valley Raceway informed me before the Memorial Day weekend about all of the calls he has been getting from out of town racers. A larger than normal turnout is expected for the first summer night race in 2008 on May 30-31. The Dome Valley crew wanted to finish putting up guard rail in the newly cleared pits in the shutdown area. So, the SWAG team went on a mission, and ended up hooking up Ron Grissom with Ernie for guard rail. Dome Valley Raceway now has new rail in the shut down are, and we are glad we could help.

Racer Blog: Rod Trower Primm Apr '08

BY: ROD TROWER

Upon arrival at the Tulsa Oklahoma airport on April 16^th, 2008 the excitement started to build that my wife Dee and I were again making the trip to Primm Nevada, this time for the NSDA annual Spring race. Our race cars and equipment were already in Primm with the crew as they milled around the track awaiting our arrival. Once in the air we settled down for the easy two and a half hour flight over the continental divide and into Las Vegas. On the ground, we grabbed the rental car and headed out of Vegas on 15 for the thirty minute drive to Primm.

Racer Blog: Team Canidae Primm Apr ‘08

BY: MIKE DENUNZIO

Hello Everyone! We had another successful weekend of racing at the Spring Nationals in Primm. Hope those who drove home in the wind on Sunday night made it without incident. Thanks to all of our team and friends who helped make it an excellent weekend of racing. Thanks to our guys that were there early to set up our massive pit and Dave and Shorty with the Hospitality trailer, you guys are awesome! We all had a great time despite the wind, but hey, it’s Primm!

Racer Blog: Joey Weaver Primm Apr '08

BY: JOEY WEAVER

Hey everyone, I hope everyone made it home safe from Primm. I first want to thank the NSDA for putting on an awesome event, and also want to thank everyone that showed up to made the event possible. This trip to Primm was an interesting one, a trip that included me having 44 cases of Lucas Oil products in the cab of my truck and in the bed. I got a call from Chris Ketron the week before the race at Primm, and he had asked me if I would go to Corona to pick up the stuff from Lucas and bring it with me to Primm. The stuff that I went and picked up was 44 cases of Lucas Oil products, which weighted about 1200 pounds. So needless to say the ride home from Corona was a fun one with 1200 pounds of stuff in my truck.

Racer Blog: Joey Weaver Yuma 3/08

BY: JOEY WEAVER

Hey everyone, I hope everyone made it home safe from Yuma. I first want to thank the NSDA for putting on an awesome event, and also want to thank everyone that showed up to made the event possible. As I was loading up my bike Thursday morning, I was wondering what the drive to Yuma had in store for me. I filled up the truck; then made sure everything was strapped down and hit the road. I was on my way to Yuma and was cruising along the Ten freeway; let me tell you the drive through Whitewater was not a fun one. The wind blew me all over the road like I was a tumbleweed; it continued to blow through Palm Springs and stopped at about Indio. The drive after I got out of the wind was easy sailing. I made it to Yuma in about three and a half hours.

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