Blah, Blah, Blah and then more Blah, Blah!

Oh my gosh, it seems like I just can’t make it into the studio.  The last couple of days have been crazy here.  Even though I wake up in the mornings with good intentions of making a card or two, something else pops up.

I’ve mentioned here before that we are a racing family.  Both my dad and my uncle drove stock cars, my dad actually driving in the NASCAR Sportsman Division on the old beach course at Daytona.  I’ve been working with a group here in the area, Kentucky Motor Sports Hall of Fame, to get both my dad and uncle inducted.  I got word some months back that my uncle was going to be and that they wanted to present him with his award early.  (A little background – my uncle has been diagnosed with Stage IV Cancer, has retired from his job, and moved in with my mother so we can better care for him.)  This past Sunday we were finally able to get together with the Committee from the Hall of Fame for the presentation to my uncle.

This is my uncle (right) receiving his plaque from Dave Huber (left) with the Hall of the Fame.

Here’s his bio on the Hall of Fame site:

                              Billy Howell
Hodgenville, KY
Billy Howell drove Chrysler Hemi powered Plymouths in the mid 60s, before eventually winding up in a Terry Elmore prepared Camaro in the early 70’s.  He teamed up with Bill Clary and Clary Customotive, one of the areas leading speed shops in 1975.  Together, Howell and Clary’s “Copper Cat” Howe chassised Camaro began a local revolution towards pre-fabricated, kit packaged race cars and radical chassis components.  During 1975 Howell and Clary traveled the country from the short tracks in Kentucky and Florida to Winchester, Salem, and Anderson in the ASA Circuit.  During this time, Howell and Clary had run at 27 different tracks and held 9 track records.  Howells track record at Highland Rim stood until it was broken by Bobby Allison.  Howell won the 1975 FMS New and Late Model Season Championship edging out LaMarr Marshall in the final event of the season.  Howell continued to drive part-time until 1988, when he had his final feature win at Whitesville.  Howell has been a funeral director all his life, retiring in 2009 from Billy Howell Funeral Chapel in Hodgenville, KY.

On August 15, 2010 both my uncle and dad will be officially inducted into the Kentucky Motor Sports Hall of Fame.  There is an exciting group being inducted this year and it is more poignant for us, as Harry Hyde, Sr. will be re-inducted this year.  Both my dad and uncle knew and worked with Harry Hyde at one time or another.

Here’s my dad’s bio from the Hall of Fame site:

                       J.M. “Milt” Hartlauf, Sr.

(1926-2004)

Hartlauf began his racing career in 1948, when he purchased his father’s 1936 Ford and took it to the Jeffersonville, IN Sportsdrome. He drove stock cars for only a decade, ending his career in the middle of a race in 1958. He was racing at Greater Salem (IN) Speedway, when he caught himself overdriving and pushing the equipment beyond its limits, as well as glancing back twice. Saying to himself, “Milt, you’re over the hill,” he pulled off the track and ended his career as a driver.
Even though Hartlauf drove for only 10 years, his accomplishments were many. In 1950 Hartlauf received what he considered to be his big break in racing stock cars. Pat O’Connor was racing a stock car at the Jeffersonville Sportsdrome when he was injured in an accident. Hartlauf was given a chance to drive O’Connor’s car. Ironically, one of the many races Hartlauf promoted later in his career was the Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial at the Greater Salem (IN) Speedway.
During his racing career, Hartlauf won the Kentuckiana Racing Association Championship and was 4 time Kentucky Dirt Track Champion. In 1954 and 1955 he drove the M-2 car for Fish Carburetor in the NASCAR Sportsman Division. In 1955 he broke the Daytona qualifying record with a run of 119.641 mph for the 100-mile beach and road race for sportsman cars. He returned to Daytona the following year averaging 123 mph in a 1939 Ford.  Even though he finished 5th in 1954 at Darlington and ran at Raleigh, NC, the beach and road race at Daytona was the highlight of his NASCAR career.
After his retirement as a driver in 1958, Hartlauf maintained a career in stock car racing. In 1961 he became the General Manager of the Jeffersonville, IN Sportsdrome until 1965 when he moved to the Fairgrounds Motor Speedway in Louisville, KY. He remained at Fairgrounds Motor Speedway until its closure in 1980. During these years he promoted races at the Greater Salem (IN) Speedway bringing in ARCA, USAC and ASA, was Race Director for ASA (1978-1979) and worked with ALLPRO in the southern states.

Yesterday I helped Kate pack up her kitchen and move it to her new home . . . she’s nothing but super excited, and today I went and bought my mother a new computer so she can get email and occasionally online.

I’ve also found out that I’ll be teaching more classes at Lavender Sentiments in New Albany, IN.  I’ve added a page to my blog, 2010 Class Schedule.  I’ll be adding more classes as time goes on and will also be adding some “On the Road” dates.

Geeze, this is a lot of nothing for such a wordy post!  That’s all I got though . . . BUT I’ll for sure have something for you on Thursday.  The Just For Fun Rubber Stamps Designers are gonna have a little blog hop!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you had an adventure filled day . . . I know I did!