Racer Q & A

With the recent number of new racers who have experience in other forms of racing coming over to give Legends a try, we thought we would ask them a few questions and get a sense of their overall feelings on the cars, the racing and the overall experience that is Legends Racing.

Our first Q & A guest racer is James Vandomselaar, driver of the #17 Mac's Racing Legends Car in the Pro Division. James has raced dirt cars at Castrol Raceway (formerly Bud Park) and has been a regular on the CASCAR West Series for the last 7 seasons.

James will be racing at the Edmonton Indy in a couple of weeks in his familiar #14 CASCAR for those that are going to be at the event.

Make sure to cheer on one of our own!

Photo courtesy of Randi

Question: So James what do you think is the biggest difference between a CASCAR and a Legend racecar besides their size.
 

Answer: I find the Legends cars are a little easier to muscle around when you need to drive them that way, oh ya and no power steering…..

Question: Do you find you have to drive a Legend racecar different than a CASCAR.

Answer: Honestly, No, I do not feel there is much difference in the way you fundamentally drive either car.

Question: How would you compare the talent in Legends compared to CASCAR.

Answer: I think the talent level in both series is quite high, both series have front runners, middle of the pack guys, and rookies. The biggest difference I see so far is the reason for being at the track. All of the CASCAR teams mean business, its fun to race but at that level the business side is beginning to run the show. Legends, from what I have seen so far, is more about fun, I would say only a few guys are in Legends as a step on to something different, most guys are just out to run some laps, test their skills and race with there buddies.

Question: What do you think of the Legends Racing Series

Answer: Awesome racing for the dollars. Having spent more for one weekend of CASCAR racing that you can probably race the whole legends series for I think the series is built on a very solid foundation and lends itself to all types/levels of racers. I think 600 Racing should step up and mandate some more safety rules, the HANS should be mandatory along with a good solid head rest/seat combination. Safety First! I still disagree with the invert, it just causes accidents, It only takes 5 or 10 laps to catch the slower cars and then there is passing for the fans to enjoy.

Question: You have the talent to win a Legends race, and you have shown the quickness, when do you think we will see you in the Legends winners circle??

Answer: Well, I’m not to sure how to answer this one, maybe I need to buy my boss (Ira), Randy and Jarrod some coffee and doughnut or something…….Ira has put me in good equipment but the car has never been perfect and once we hit that nail on the head and my body work stops blowing off I think we will have a good shot and taking home the trophy. My next three races are in Wetaskiwin and with one pole and one outside pole so far this year I think we should have a good shot at winning one.

Question: In closing would you recommend our Series to other CASCAR racers.

Answer: Yes, it is an enjoyable series to run, it is a good way get your racing fix without blowing the mortgage payment.

2006 Chase for the Mac's Cup Update.

With Round 2 of the 2006 Chase for the Mac's Cup completed and no points rewarded for the Calgary round this is where the championship stands going into the final round in Saskatoon in August:

#01 Randy Thompson leads the Pro Division, with # 45 Jarrod Schaufert & #38 Ira Laughy with an outside shot at the Championship
 

#15 Dave Nehring leads the Semi Pro Division by the slimmest of margins over #89 Grant Mac Donald, #32 Trent Guest & Rookie of the Year candidate #9 Bill Busby
 

#78 Brian Mario leads the Masters Division with #12 Rick Blanchette, #99 Tom Hollinshead & Rookie of the Year candidate #62 Craig Houghton all in contention for the Title.

The August 19th Froster 50 race in Saskatoon will be a dandy !!!!!!!!!!!!

Unbelievable, is the only way to describe how the #16 looked after Grant Becks horrific accident at last years Fire Cracker 50. Anyone that was there was relieved to see Grant wave to the crowd as he was being put into the ambulance. It just goes to show how tough these race cars are and how well they hold up in a big accident.

WOW is how the #16 looks one year later as it Debuted May 27th with Randy Peppler behind the wheel.

Grant Beck as Crew Chief/Owner & Randy Peppler as Driver will race the #16 All Weather Windows/Torode Realty/Tempo Electric/Sierra Stone Legend racecar. Randy raced as a rookie last year in the Dent Clinic #34 car and is making his presence known in the Semi-Pro class again this year in the #16 car.

Grant tells us that he will also do at least on race in 2006. We think it will be on one of our shorter tracks that we visit, the big oval in Calgary seems to chew cars up now and again.

After Big Crash

June 2006 After Rebuild

Ernie will run in the Semi Pro division and his 1st race was June 18th in Medicine Hat.

Watch for a Graphics change on the #54 before the next race in Wetaskiwin July 8th.

GOOD Legend racecars don't last long.

Jamie has a new motor, new body and a ton of new parts. And for the 1st time in a long time the car will be white as Jamie will wait till fall to paint the racecar. So for now the # 27 will be jellcoat white. Jamie is a former Pro champion!

Update on Tom Overholt

Everyone at Legends Cars of Alberta and in the Legends Racing community is relieved to say that Tom is going to be OK. He won't be in a race car anytime soon, certainly not the same one he had but he will be alright, which is the main thing.

Get well soon Tom!