Gateway Motorsports Park

We arrived Thursday evening May 7th for our race weekend the 8th & 9th at the beautiful Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois.

The forecast for the weekend included spotty rain showers, but we were hopeful as the locals told us that many of the storms split as they get near the Mississippi River.
We were the first to arrive with Danny Mann coming in early Friday morning to show us where to pit. The rest of the group came in steadily after that. They included Bryan and June Huffman, Ken Kapper and Ralph Grote, Rob Rothwieler, Tom Cray, Bob Mitchel, Randy Tavoletti, Mark Cambell, Jim and Mary Predeau & Jeanette McDowell. Thanks to Doug Jent and his buddy for coming down to support us. We also welcomed new members Dave Walters & Rod Urish. Great to have them as part of the group. As the day went on, we were dampened with rain off and on, but the racers managed to get one test’n tune run in before the rain shut them down for the night. It later cleared and we had a nice evening to just sit and chat.

Saturday morning was cloudy but dry and the racers got 2 more test’n tunes, almost back to back, and were lined up for a third round. It was to be a flagman start with a photo shoot but the rain took over once again. Since the moisture came down just enough to stay ahead of the track dryers, we decided to set up our, always great, potluck. Tables were brought out, E-Z ups were in place and we ducked in and out of raindrops, enjoying each others company and had another very successful meal. Thanks goes out to all our talented cooks. When we can’t race, we eat. It’s a no brainer. The rain continued all afternoon and the forecast was for lots more to come so the track finally called the event off for the weekend. We were all sorry to see the cancel but, that’s racing folks.

A very special thanks goes out to Danny Mann for all he did to get us included in this event. He said the track officials were happy with our group and we would be invited again next year.

It was fun to see everyone.

Jess & Bertie James
The Gunslinger

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Welcome to our new members

Bob Brown with a 39 Willys Pick-up
Dean Markuson with a 56 Ford Customline
Steve Rice with a 48 Studebaker
Dale Letterly with a 57 Chevy
Rod Urish with a 48 Anglia
Dave Walters with a 53 Chevy
Bill Eveland with a 55 Pontiac Chiefton
Tom Harvey with a 52 Chevy in progress
Jack Kaylor with a 62 Rambler American
Glen McIntire with a 41 Willys Coupe

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Call to any new members

On January 17th we will be having our annual winter meeting in Springfield, Ill. We will be holding the meeting in the conference room at the Candlewood Suites,
2501 Sunrise Drive. We want to welcome any new prospective members to come and join us. Please feel free to join us at the meeting to meet us and to
get any questions that you would have, answered. The meeting will start at 2 pm. We will be having dinner together at Outback Steakhouse at 7 pm. Outback it
just across the street from the motel. So, any interested people, come join us for the meeting and dinner.

Bryan Huffman—Chairman—309-883-3113

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Season Greetings

Holiday Greetings and best wishes from the Nostalgia Gassers Racing Association. I hope that everyone is well and expecting some new racing parts from Ho! Ho! Ho!. Have a Great Holiday!

Bryan & June

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Havana

Central Illinois Dragway
Havana, Illinois
September 6, 2014

As our racing season draws to an end, once again, we enjoyed the Havana dragstrip. Bryan and June Huffman were the first to arrive on Friday followed by Ken Kapper & Ralph Grote, Roger Brown, Jesse & Bertie James, and Mike & Debbie Hoffman. Saturday brought the rest of our crew. Gary, Lavone, & Brian Blasey, Steve Bacon and Bill Wamboldt. We were all tucked into a great pit area right next to the strip. This spot not only afforded us comfort but also a great viewing area of all the racing action. Friday was splattered with patches of rain that put a damper on the evening plans of Test’n Tune.
Saturday morning brought bright sunshine, practically no humidity, and cooler weather. As we waited for our first run, we watched the track action and noticed many cars running under their ET’s. The cars loved the clear cool air!
When we were here in the Spring, we found our selves short two cars and invited a couple local racers to join us. Finding ourselves in the same position this time, we were fortunate enough to enjoy their company again. They both showed interest in joining, so maybe they will become regulars. The spectators were many. The stands were filled most of the day and people were dotted along the fenceline with chairs and EZ ups. Just a great day for racing.
Time trials started at 1:00 to determine bracket racing divisions. Within the first 20 cars, a large oil down, the full length of the track, put a halt to the action for close to an hour. We were supposed to get an early afternoon pass. That didn’t happen until after 3:00. By then, we were all anxious to make that first run to assure our cars were healthy for the evening show. None more apprehensive than Mike & Debbie Hoffman. Mike shucked his transmission at the Pacific Junction race two weeks ago. The blue Wee Haul truck was back together just in time for Havana. Test’n Tune would have been welcomed. As it was, the little blue Willys ran like a champ. On the flipside of the coin, Bill & Kathy Wamboldts beautiful Chevy dumped it’s differential and drive shaft on the starting line, the first time the lights came down. The rest of our group ran without issues although we did notice that Roger Brown could use a new set of shocks. Maybe Santa will help Bill and Roger out at Christmas.
The evening show started a little late due to track delays and we only had one run instead of the two scheduled. Heavy cool dampness set in and we were content to put our toys away to enjoy the rest of the evening socializing. The conversations included reminiscing the 2014 season and looking forward to a great 2015 summer with all of our racing family.

Jesse & Bertie James

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