|
Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
|
Interrogation
by Gary "Hammerdown" Costa |
|
|
|
Gold
Cuppin' Oh man, Sprint
Cars, Sprint Cars, Sprint Cars! I made the trek to California's biggest Winged
race, and race fans,
those of you that have never been to a Gold
Cup; YOU'VE GOTTA GO! I've always been known to wear my emotions on
my sleeve, and I love sharing things with you guys and girls. It
was a very rough week to say the least,
I was actually very weary on even going. My girl
and I lost a baby the
week before The Cup.
Man, talk about tough. We were really looking forward to bringing
a new life into this world, but it just wasn't meant to be I
suppose. So with a heavy heart, and leaving my better half at home
was especially hard. My buddy took this pic, and I had some major
thoughts in this pic man..... If
it weren't for such an understanding employer such as Weldway Inc. and Weldway
Construction and an awesome boss, that being my mentor Mike Sala, the trip would never have been a reality. It's in deals
like this when you really see who your friends are, when the chips
are down. I'm
a hardcore Sprint Car fan from
the word go, and knew once I got up in Chico
I would feel better. I ain't going to b.s.
you, it was a VERY
long 3 hour drive, as
the the mind was jumping from thought to thought. The
intensity was second to none. First off, I really need to
thank the hospitality of John Padjen Motorsports, the
beer girls, The Outlaws
for coming to Cali,
and of course our very own gassers from the
Golden State. The
travelin' photographer and funny guy Mike
Nelligan was there with some real beauties. He was really
cracking this dude up with his no-nonsense way of joking. He's
gotta a xxx mouth, so of course we were having a heckuva conversation. He
called my son Devin aka,
Lil' Hammer, and wished
him a happy birthday and told him, that if the teacher gives him
problems to call him. Now that's a scene I would love to see
played out! While
we're on the topic of photogs. I really got the chance to see
ace photographer John from John's Racing
Photos in action. As the cars swarm to staging, John is risking life and limb to bring us, the race fans, some incredible shots. I will never look at a "head
shot" the same again. With cars being pushed off, or idling
past him to get back to their pit, there's
John looking for the best shot. Yep, I think they look
"tough" with all those tear-offs on. Modern day
warriors.....No doubt! Yes John
has helped me along the way, but
race fans, I don't say something that I don't feel in the
heart. This isn't a plug for John, it's so you, my fellow race
fans don't miss out on some great photos. The dude is plain bad.
Check him out at www.JohnsRacingPhotos.com The
Civil War show in my opinion was great. Joey
Magaruh pulled off a fantastic win. As we all know, the
Flachman car is super fast. That team knows how to get the
ponies to the ground, and they can walk-the-walk with any shoe in
the car. I
would like to take my hat off to
ALL the teams for a great night of racing. You guys are
awesome! Our 360 drivers are badass, and I'm ecstatic that we can see them just about any weekend. Thursday
was
another fun packed night. I saw a lot of old friends before the
races, and watched the haulers work their way in. My personal
favorite was Dollansky's. That baby is sick! Before even heading to the speed
plant, I picked Tim Shaffer
and Jason Solwold as
The Outlaws to watch. Man they didn't disappoint either. I witnessed
Tim in the Main
hammerin' her down the backstretch, two wheels off the track,
passed two cars, flew back on the track banged her off the cush
to pass two more cars! I was yelling "That's why I like that
son of a bi&*!!!!!!" Oh baby, the adrenaline was at full
tilt!!! Again, great show. So
we head to the motel, and my two bunk mates
Lance Jennings from SCRAFAN.com
and 360 shoe Richard Brace, Jr. decide to pull an all nighter. Me being the nice
guy I am, I just let them be them. No sleep for me, but karma was to visit one of my cohorts that morning. I think he was
mentioning "ralph"
or something like that. Speaking
of the next day, I had the privilege of a few different people
coming up to me, and asking me if I was Hammerdown.
That's what it's about, all you race fans. I ain't in this deal
for prestige. I am me, what you see is what you get. Like the song
goes "I would rather be hated for who I am, then to be loved
for who I'm not." In this pic, I'm in my element.
Like a kid in a candy store. Starting to forget all the
b.s. that has plagued the past week. Steve
Kinser,
what can I say that hasn't already been said. Him and Kraig
do need to find a barber though, and quick! That's
it for now. I can go on and on, so I will end it here. But if you
see my ugly ass at the
track, don't be shy, or
feel free to email me anytime. It's all about you guys. Thanks
again to all who made this Gold
Cup a most memorable one. Take care! This
article is dedicated to my little boy or girl. I will never forget
you, as Daddy will forever love you..... sprint_cars_forever2001@yahoo.com |
