This Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of Richard Petty’s 200th victory as a Cup driver, at Daytona on July 4, 1984. With his historic team on the verge of extinction, Petty merged with Gillett Evernham Motorsports for 2009. It’s been a quite a ride since then.

NASCAR page 6.23.09

NASCAR centerpiece: Anytime, anywhere

This will be a slow weekend, relatively speaking, for Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch. The two drivers not only compete in the Sprint Cup series, but they are also battling each other for the championship in the second-tier Nationwide series.

If auto racing was like the stick-and-ball sports, we’d be gathering around the TV with friends every February to watch the AFL Championship game, pitting the Patriots against the Texans. In May, we’d be wondering if the Virginia Squires or San Diego Sails would be winning the ABA title. The established powers always seem to prevail, except in racing.

It’s been nearly two weeks since Michael Printup was named the next track president of Watkins Glen International, and he still has a difficult time describing the emotion.

NASCAR page 6.16.09

NASCAR centerpiece: Family business

More than most other major sports, NASCAR is a family business. So it’s no surprise that Father’s Day has special meaning in the Sprint Cup garage. We mark the occasion by recalling some memorable events involving genuine NASCAR dads.

Throughout the calendar year, there are many “seasons” that open in the outdoor world. Certain followings find people just chomping at the bit to see the calendar reflect their favorite “opening day.” Most season openers are posted in the fish or game regulations books. Some seasons are so subtle that many do not realize that they are upon us.

Grab your helmets, your racing gloves, and your love of speed and bring them to the Church Street hill in Hawley on Saturday, June 20 for the Third Annual Hawley 500 Soap Box Derby Car Race.

What’s the biggest problem in NASCAR right now? There are a bunch to choose from; just pick out the most significant one.

Looking for their tenth win in a row, the Hawley Post 311 Junior Legion Baseball Team took to the diamond in the second game of a double-header that saw the Senior Legion take down Delaware Valley in the first contest.

Tim Silsby took the hill for the Hawley Post 311 Senior Legion Game against Milford and overpowered the Warriors on seven solid, flawless innings of pitching, allowing only two hits in the 3-0 shut-out win and reaching 84 MPH on the radar gun.

This was an interesting week for me in the outdoor world of the Lake Region. A few weeks back I received a phone call from the Legislative Director to Senator Richard Alloway II, Chairman of the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee.

The red and white cars keep getting smaller and smaller at Watkins Glen International, so Andretti Green Racing spent Tuesday doing something about it.

Saturday night in Texas, Marco Andretti was ticked off at his teammate Danica Patrick for racing him too hard at the end of the Bombardier 500. Tuesday afternoon at Watkins Glen International, they were working together trying to figure out how to dethrone the Chip Ganassi and Roger Penske teams when the IndyCar Series returns for the July 3-5 Camping World Grand Prix.