Looking Ahead

We've had a very busy and eventful winter so far. In early December, I ended up in the hospital with a very bad bug that required more attention than we could give at home. Rebecca had surgery on December 17th for heel spurs, which has a very long recovery time. A couple of weeks ago, she returned to the hospital with a blood clot that had moved into her lungs, which could have been a grave condition if it had not been addressed.

In the midst of all this, some good things were happening on the racing side. Dave Spotton and I installed a new U.S. Legends Cars engine in my car over the holidays. Progress with the series has been good as well, thanks to help from Dave Spotton and Frank Williams. We have a series sponsor, TeleCommunity Credit Union. We also have a complete schedule now with races at Barberton, Midvale and Lake County Speedway. Yes, we are returning to Painesville - soon to be renamed Lake County Speedway - after a several-year absence. I spent the first four years of my racing career there, and I can't wait to turn laps there again.

Barberton Speedway has our series there for 15 events. I would like to thank Richard Lushes for his interest in our series. We draw very high car counts there, so it makes sense to have a good number of the series events at the place we draw the most cars.

We are also pleased to be back at Midvale. In my eyes, Midvale is laid out about as perfect as a track can be. The straights are a nice length, and the turns are a nice radius as well. It's very easy to get used to and a lot of fun.

Stay tuned for more updates. Hopefully, the hospital visits are behind us, because this is shaping up to be a nice season.

Happy New Year!

We wish you a Happy New Year, and hope to see you at the track in 2010!

Sad News: C. H. "Smitty" Schmidt and Robert Schmidt

My father, C. H. Schmidt passed away on October 30th after a long bout with Alzheimer's disease. And, in less than 72 hours, his brother, and my uncle, Robert Schmidt passed away while notifying relatives of my father's passing. In the last three years, Rebecca and I have lost all 4 parents, 2 aunts and 1 uncle. My father's and uncle's obituaries follow:

Cleburne H. "Smitty" Schmidt, age 87, passed away on October 30, 2009. Smitty was the owner of C.H. Schmidt Refrigeration Service for over 50 years. He was preceded in death by his wife, Gloria; step-father, Robert E.L. Sisico; brother, Hilmer Schmidt; half-brothers and sisters, William Schmidt, Mildred Hausman, and Joseph Schmidt. Smitty is survived by his son, Craig Schmidt (Rebecca); grandchildren, Hannah Rebecca Schmidt and Lauren Elizabeth Schmidt; brother, Robert Schmidt; Half-brothers and sisters, Viola Gotthardt, John Henry Schmidt, Franklin Schmidt, Audrey Ramchinsky, Christian Schmidt and John Kennedy Schmidt and by numerous nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at Mission Park Funeral Chapels North with the Funeral Service to begin at 9:00 AM on Thursday, November 5, 2009 also at the funeral home. Entombent will follow at Sunset Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the American Legion Post No. 2, 3518 Fredericksburg Rd., San Antonio TX 78201.

Robert Edward Schmidt, born February 11, 1923, went to be with the Lord on November 2, 2009 at the age of 86. He was a loving Husband, Father and Grandfather. He proudly served his country in the U. S. Navy during World War II and his passion was playing golf. He is survived by his loving wife of 68 years, Sarah; two daughters, Marie (Gerry) Narveson, Marsha Schmidt; one son, Glenn (Mary) Schmidt; grandchildren, Nicholas (Lisa) Narveson, Erica, Hurley, Molly Schmidt; great-grandchildren, Aaron & Zuri Narveson, Nathannial Schmidt & Joe Del la Victoria; brothers, John Henry, Franklin, Christian & John Kenney; sister, Viola Gothardt & Lou Audrey Ramchinsky; numerous nieces, nephews and his pet companion, Mitze. Bob was preceded in death by mother, Agnes Marie Sisco, Step-father, Robert Sisco, father, Christian Schmidt; brothers, Hilmer, Cleburne, William, Joe, David; sister, Mildred. He will be truly missed and forever in our hearts by all who loved him.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, November 8, 2009 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Sunset Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held on Monday, November 9, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. Sunset Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will follow at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association or the Charity of your choice.

Season Ends with 8th-Place Finish at Lorain

We ended our 2009 season on a high note with an 8th-place finish at Lorain County Speedway in September. With the impending tire change in Legends racing, we elected to finish the season on the same set of tires in which we began the season - 14 races in total.

The night was quite eventful, as the car was crazy-loose, particularly when entering the turns. At one point, I spun into the infield after friend Dave Spotton and I were avoiding a crash and tried to occupy the same portion of the track. The second trip into the infield was a result of being cut off by a car entering turn one, and I completely around turns one and two in the grass, and never lost a position in the process.

I was very pleased with our 9th place overall finish in the series point standings, and a 4th place finish in the Masters division standings. In 14 seasons of racing, this is our second-best points finish. Special thanks to my wife Rebecca, for supporting me, and friend and fellow racer Dave Spotton, who has been a huge help over the lase couple of seasons.

Best Feature Finish This Season After Wild Race at Barberton

After a wild Feature race, and an equally crazy week, we scored our best feature finish this season with a 7th place finish at Barberton Speedway Saturday night.

On Thursday, I was diagnosed with an eye issue that required some treatment. Then, while loading the car on Saturday, the winch died. These events were just the beginning.

When I exited I-76, a driver signaled to me that something was banging the back door of my trailer. Upon inspection, I discovered that the car had come untied. I actually drew the low pill (for the second week in a row) and started the heat on the pole. There were several faster cars in the race, I ended up 5th, with the leaders in sight, and was very happy with that finish. One year ago those cars would have been in my mirror and getting ready to lap me.

Things would change in the feature. In the first turn, the car in front of me slowed abruptly and I hammered him hard. One lap later, one car spun going into Turn 1 and Bob Copen Struck the car. I was literally inches behind Copen and couldn't stop, and I struck the back of Copen's car hard.

The car suffered both cosmetic and suspension damage, but was OK to continue. At that point, I did something that I have never done in 14 seasons of racing. I dropped to the rear, deliberately putting myself in 19th position, as I had a feeling things were going to get worse before they would get better. I was right. Several crashes eliminated a number of cars. Cars spun, struck others and one climbed onto another. I also passed some cars, and ended up in 7th place, our best feature finish of the season.

One race remains in the Northern Ohio Legends point race, and I have a chance to pick up the 9th place position. More on that later this week.

Up Next: Barberton Speedway

This Saturday, September 5th, we return to Barberton Speedway for our final appearance there this season. More than anything, I have needed seat time at Barberton, and the test session about 6 weeks ago did the trick. The car is picking up each week, and more importantly, I am getting more comfortable with the paper clip-shaped track. Hope to see you there!

Great Time at Mayfield Heights Parade

We had a great time participating in our local Mayfield Heights, OH "Community Unity Days" Parade this past weekend. Rebecca and the girls rode in the back of the Ridgeline, and I restored our open trailer and decorated it for the event.

It was great to hear Mayor Costabile announce "we love that race car" as we passed by City Hall.

Out next off-track event will be the United Way Car Show, at Mayfield High School in September.

Good Run at Barberton

We are picking up speed every time we visit Barberton Speedway, and this weeks' event was no exception. We started 16th finished 10th in a wild and crazy event, after being spun on the first lap. Our goal is to be in the hunt at this tough track, and we are finally getting there.

Look for in-car video soon.

Disappointing Night at Lorain

Three weeks ago, we had some great practice runs at Barberton Speedway. Since that time, rain-outs have kept us off the track. The car has been in and out of the trailer a couple of times, but that's it. You can imagine my surprise when the car had a huge vibration on the first lap of practice at Lorain County Speedway last Saturday, and it continued to get worse throughout the session. Dave Spotton and I looked at a number of places, and all we could find at the time was a broken fan mount.

After repairing the fan mount, I attempted to practice again, and the huge vibration was still there. We looked again, and with help from Dennis Knox, determined that we at least had a problem with a wheel bearing, and probably issues with the rear end gears as well. At that point, I decided to start and park in the Feature, finishing 15th. The car shook so bad on the pace lap that I was having trouble keeping up with the field.

I was able to tell, through all the shaking in the first set of hot laps, that we were on the right track with the new setup.

We have a big week ahead of us. Our next event will be at Barberton Speedway this Saturday night, and then we will participate in the Mayfield Heights "Community Unity Days" Parade on Sunday, August 23.

Sad News: Linda Cull

My Mother-in-Law, Linda Cull, passed away last Monday after battling pancreatic cancer this summer. She occasionally attended our races, and the photo at right shows her, Rebecca and the girls at Midvale Speedway several years ago. From her obituary:

LINDA A. CULL (nee Abbott). Beloved mother of David, (wife, Kathleen), Dana Langley (husband, Jim), and Rebecca Schmidt (husband, Craig). Loving grandmother of John (wife, Elizabeth), Thomas, Emily, Lauren, Jennifer, Hannah and Lauren. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Linda's memory to support the charitable programs of the Mayfield Woman's Club, 6820 Seneca Rd. Mayfield Village, OH 44143. Memorial Service Friday, August 14, 2009, at 3 p.m. at THE DEJOHN-FLYNN-MYLOTT FUNERAL HOME OF SOUTH EUCLID, 4600 MAYFIELD RD. (just east of Green Rd.) where family will receive friends to pay tribute to and celebrate the life of Linda from 1 - 3 P.M. Cremation by DeJohn Crematory.

She touched many lives during the time she lived in Mayfield Heights. Literally dozens of people packad the funeral home today.

Rain Again!

The Tim Boswell Memorial Race at Barberton Speedway was rained out again on SSaturday night. Our next race will be this Saturday, August 15th, at Lorain County Speedway. We hope to see you there!

Nice Time at Lorain County Speedway Stunt Show

We had a great time tonight at Lorain County Speedway's Imperial Stunt Drivers Stunt show. Every kid who stopped by received our autographed baseball card. I enjoyed speaking with the fans, too, and learned that the Northern Ohio Legends Series brings quite a few fans through the gates at Lorain. Thanks to Jim Foose, and the management at Lorain County Speedway, for inviting us to this event.

Our next race at Lorain County Speedway is August 15th. In the mean time, we have a few things to take care of to get the car ready for this weeks' Northern Ohio Legends event, which is the Tim Boswell Memorial Race at Barberton Speedway on Saturday, August 8th. Hope to see you there!