On the Soapbox

I’ve been doing a whole lot of soul searching lately and the things I am finding as I dig deeper, are beginning to push me towards the consumption of larger amounts of PBR . This sort of thing generally happens as I approach my birthday, celebrate it, then come to the realization that I have chalked up another year of debt, missed goals, aches, pains, and irritations, (including those which bring forth the use of Anti-Monkey Butt Powder), only to find myself just as uncertain of my future as I was the year before.

This most recent head first dive into the depths of post birthday depression actually got into full swing on the day of my birth a few weeks back.  I was given the news that, effective immediately, my producer and program director would no longer be interested in continuing their involvement with Wailing with Wing Side Up.  There’s a lot of different reasons for this, some of which are justified on their part, some of which I believe were motivated by the desire for something more than I could give them at this time-namely cash.

Either way, what’s done is done, and even though it wasn’t a very nice way to celebrate, I attempted to do damage control the best way I know how-call Annamarie.  It certainly isn’t the first time we’ve been faced with this issue of having what I would call growing pains.  Several times now, (and many more times in the future I’m sure), there have been some pretty big roadblocks thrown up for which a long, tedious, and treacherous detour was required.  With all the road miles I rack up in a year chasing supermodifieds, I encounter many detours, but let me tell you, this latest one, (and I hate to admit it for fear of giving some people a chance to gloat over my distress), was one of the bumpiest, twisted, and longest yet.

I’ve always prided myself on digging in and getting to the task of ‘fixing’ things.  The more people tell me it can’t be done, or attempt to derail my plans and dreams, the more I set my sites on proving them wrong.  I’m not sure if that’s a  good cause for motivation or not, but at the very least, it moves me to action. Continue reading →

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I’m going to let you all in on a little secret: this website is a lot more than just a weekly internet radio show called Wailing with Wing Side Up.

If you read the about me section of the site or this blog, you will soon find out that the website all began as an extension of my weekly column called “Wing Side Up” that got it’s start in Dick Beebe’s award winning MARC Times Racing News back in 1989.

Wing Side Up, the website has become, (maybe more by chance than design), a sort of media clearing house for the entire supermodified division.  Sometimes it’s hard to define what purpose each part has, especially lately with all the stuff going on that is keeping the show from being live, but I’ve come to understand that the audio is probably just as important as the writing now and that it too,  has become an extension of the original column as well.

So, I started thinking that even though we may not have a “LIVE” audio webcast, maybe I could dig back into the whole podcasting thing and have some sort of audio up on site and people would still be interested enough to come hang out.   Trouble is, I’d pretty much forgotten how to podcast. Continue reading →

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Wing Side Up

by Bob Gangwer

Oswego, NY 11/16/09…In the waning days of this year, I’ve done a lot of thinking about the things that make this DIVISION great and what brings it fame. Now I’m not going to get into the definitions of the word ‘great’ or ‘fame’ because I think that even if I did, we’d all have our own way of describing what they mean.

What I’ve thought about while on the road or in the air, is the people that I have been exposed to this season.  Some I’ve known for a long time, but I never really ‘knew’ them. Some I’ve be introduced to for the first time, and I feel like I have known them forever.

I am one of the crowd that often says, “It’s the people of this sport that make it great.” And while that may be true, how do we really define what that means? It seems obvious enough, yet I think if you ask 10 different people they will give you ten different reasons why that statement is factual.

Continue reading →

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As usual Robin Miller has nailed it again.  I’m happy for the IRL and I certainly hope that this sponsorship doesn’t fall flat like all of the others have.

To me it’s also encouraging that, when everyone says that nobody is spending money on auto racing because of ‘the economy, I see that some people don’t just walk away, throw their hands in the air and give up.  Instead the buckle down and continue to pursue, pester, and otherwise bust their ass to bring in some sponsorship dollars.  Kudos to Terry Angstadt!

Read Robin’s SpeedTV column here-MILLER: A Ray Of Hope.

I think there’s a lesson to be learned here somewhere about what we can do better at in supermodified racing.  Continue reading →

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This isn’t so much racing related but in some aspects it is. I keep hearing how we need to get more youth involved in the supermodified DIVISION and that we are failing to do just that. That the youth of today aren’t interested in anything and are lost.

The Five Star program is something that my daughter Shelby is involved in and I have personally seen how it has helped at risk kids or even those that just aren’t sure where their future lies, to have hope, purpose, and a reason to strive to do their best as they work toward having life goals and being productive members of society. Many times all these kids need is a mentor to help guide them.

Five Star provides that and more and you can be a part of it. It’s easy to sit back and complain-will you take the challenge to make things better and inspire today’s kids to be the best they can?

Please click the graphic below to learn more about Five Star and consider taking America’s Giving Challenge.

Click it and make a difference!

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