Posts Tagged ‘MARC Times’

Oswego, NY 01.18.10…..It’s the first post of a new year and the first ‘column’ of 2010.  It’s taken me a while to get the bio rhythms back in sync after my extended Midwestern stay, and frankly, I’ve been enjoying the slacker mentality a little more than I probably should have.
I thought maybe I should pull [...]

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 [...]

Wing Side Up
By Bob Gangwer
“The Fan”

Oswego, NY 1/26/09…..The off season for a supermodified fan, for the most part, is one of great despair and save for a few days of indoor racing where you get to see your heroes, a time that is filled with impatience and longing that can only be met when you get that first whiff of methanol in the spring.

For some, they fill their idle time attending the many fund raising functions, Christmas, New Year’s, Superbowl, and whatever holiday party they can come up with. It gives most a chance to catch up and enjoy the company of each other after digging themselves out of the snow bank, or in the case of our left coast brethren, a reason to brave the balmy sub 70s weather.

In the last 10 years though there has been born a new type of fan. This fan finds bits and pieces of information along the way as he eavesdrops on a great conversation. This fan is frustrated with the state of supermodified racing, or has been wronged or knows someone on a team who has been wronged by a track or sanction or other team and stews on the issue allowing others who feel the same way to add fuel to the proverbial fire of discontent. Building a case this fan, or maybe even another crew member or car owner, takes the bits and pieces along with him so that it may be filed away for later use. He finds people that will listen to his cause and agree with his complaints. He stores it all in a mental file for only as long as it takes to get home and punch the button on the computer and log onto what has become the bane of short track auto racing, the internet message board.