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Tuesday, November 03, 2015

8 Years and still counting.....

Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul to waste

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game

Heard this song last night at work and it made me do some thinking, which from time to time can get me into trouble, but makes for some great writing don't you think?

After hearing this tonight I got to thinking about the site and how long I have actually been doing this. Some of you might know me from doing the Central PA 358 Point Series presented by Capitol Renegade; but I have actually been writing on here for just as long. I started this site back on November 4th 2007, that's 8 years of hard work and being told by countless people that I was nothing more then a blow hard who knows absolutely nothing about this sport in which this site is dedicated to and still is today. I started it to get away from message boards which were becoming way to PC for my liking and I was looking for a place were I could share my feelings without people getting all up and arms; but to this day still continues to happen I might add. I loved talking racing with with people and started to interview different personalities in our great sport and my first ever interview was with Ross Fronk who had started the NSCBBA HERE. I then had the pleasure of talking with people ranging from Mike Root the man who started the original Beer Hill Gang HERE  to drivers ranging from a young Gerard McIntyre HERE, to Chad Criswell HERE, and even guys like Nathen Burwager and Kyle Pruitt.

I got a call from the website I was helping out PAPosseracing.com and was asked to start writing for them as they liked what I was doing. After writing for them for a bit we decided to start up Central PA Live which was the prototype to what so many people are doing now, including shows like Winged Nation and Penn Live podcast hosted by Jeremy Elliot. We would invite drivers down to Pancho's Racing Products near Hanover and just sit around and shoot the bull about racing. It was nothing to serious, as my original idea for the show was for myself, my co host Todd Zinn and Jason Bly to just shoot the shit with drivers like we did at the race track or at a race shop on a Tuesday night over a few beers. Over the course of 3 years we hosted drivers like Doug Esh, Jeff Rohrbaugh, Todd Shaffer, Greg Hodnett, and Tyler Walker. And what made the show special for me was we didn't just interview the top names like certain shows do now, we had drivers from all over Central PA on the show. We hosted drivers like Teddy Thomas and Adam Wilt but also gave drivers like Logan Schuchart, and a young 358 driver named Danny Dietrich, and a rookie 410 driver named Brent Marks their first national exposure. Long before shows like Winged Nation would ask who Lucas Shofield was (yeah I'm still waiting for him to make his triumphant return to central PA btw), we were hosting drivers and letting the fans see exactly who these young drivers were in an informal atmosphere where they could just be themselves.

Around this same time I got the idea to start up the 358 point series, taking a cue from guys like Mike Root, Ross Fronk, the Butcher, and a gentleman by the name of Ron Judd, 4 guys who I looked up to in the area who gave a lot back to our heroes in different ways. Without those 4 guys there would have never been a 358 point series, as I was just taking their ideas and looking for another way to help a group of drivers and race teams out any way I could. Now you guys might be asking yourselves, who the hell are these guys....Well I already introduced you two of them to you all several paragraphs ago so go back and look, but The Butcher was a fan in the area who sponsored some sprint car teams and drivers just because he liked them and he could. Guys like Alan Cole and Donnie Krietz Jr had the famous The Butcher stickers on their front wings. Butcher along with Ron Judd would also start something called the NOCO. The National Open Chili Cookoff and with their leadership would raise a shit load of money for our race teams. So much so that race tracks started putting a limit on how much they could give to the non qualifiers of the Natty Open. Those guys showed me that anyone could find a way to help out our race teams in the area and I just took what I had learned watching them and transferred it to the 358 division. Now some 8 years later with the help of all my awesome sponsors over the years we are closing in on $100,000 given out to the 358 race teams, all without taking away from the people who actually matter, the race teams (unlike some others in the area who try and help out the sport but like to be the center of attention). 

After all of that was running I decided two years ago to restart this site and actually put some blood and sweat into making this a place where I could voice my opinions and share them with you. While my grammar is not good and my spelling is atrocious, I tend to think I spark conversations in the area between race fans. Good or bad; I try to keep people talking and give you all a different view of the sport we all love.

Now that brings me back to the present and 2015. This year I hooked up with Kristina Chambers and a little radio show called Slicks N Sticks which can be heard every Thursday night HERE....Since starting to work with her we have been able to do exactly what I started with Central PA Live back in 2009, and that's bring you new and interesting interviews with all the drivers in Central PA. We were both tired of the same four drivers from our area being shared by every other podcast or radio show devoted to sprint car racing and we made the decision to not only interview the "Big Names" like Dietrich,Hodnett and Dewease, but also guys who we think deserve just as much credit for all their hard work and sacrifices they make week to entertain us fans. We have been fortunate to interview 410 drivers like Dylan Cisney, Steve Buckwalter, and Brock Zearfoss, but also guys like Mike Bittinger, Robbie Kendell in the 410 division, but also we have brought you the drivers who make up the 358 division who deserve just as much recognition as the 410 guys. We brought you the first national interview of Doug Hammaker, 2015 Trail Way Speedway Track Champion Isaac Sneeringer, and every driver in between. The show has also hosted 360 driver and 2015 Selinsgrove Speedway Track Champion TJ Stutts just as he was getting hot in the area. We also looked for new and interesting people in our sport like Darren Kauffman (a micro driver who is in a wheel chair), and you fans have been pouring out of the norm to support the show. Since I became the executive producer of the show, we have more then tripled our audience and that is simply amazing. A major and heartfelt Thank You to each and every person who has taken the time out of their busy schedules and listened in to the show. We truly do this for all of you. All the hard work and headaches are worth it trust me.

All in all it has been a great and fun ride. Between Central PA Live, the 358 point series, Slicks N Sticks radio show, and this site Central PA Racing Scene I hope you all enjoy what we bring to you the fans. Not everything I say will be popular with everyone, trust me I know that first hand. You have no idea how many times I have had a guy or gal stop me or message me telling me how I know absolutely nothing about racing and all I am is just a blow hard, to those exact people messaging me three months later thanking me for something I said on here. But without all of you none of this is possible, so here is to another 8 years of random musings on Central PA Racing Scene, another boat load of cash flow for the 358 race teams, and more awesome interviews on Slicks N Sticks radio show.

Trust me folks we are all just getting warmed up.

© 2015 William A McIntyre & Central PA Racing Scene.com

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