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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
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A VISIT TO PETALUMA by Norm Bogan |
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Several months ago, I was contacted by Dirt Late Model Magazine and asked to do an article about a long time driver, Larry Damitz, who was about to celebrate his eightieth birthday. The story came out in the June 2009 issue, which just happened to coincide with Larry’s birthday on May 23rd. Arrangements were made to have a large card available for fans to acknowledge the 54years of racing that Larry had provided for their pleasure. Longtime competitors also joined in the surprise celebration for “Uncle Larry”. During the afternoon and evening, the racers concerned themselves with the performance of their machines, not mentioning the upcoming festivities. Even Damitz was busy preparing his racer for the evening’s competition. The fans were invited into the pits after the races to pay their respects to Damitz. As the last feature began, there was a stealth movement occurring in the Late Model pits, as suddenly tables were lined up and adorned with servings of birthday cake. As Larry enjoyed a piece of cake, I arrived with an advance copy of Dirt Late Model and was introduced to Damitz. I explained that his “friends” were similar to CIA operatives, who clandestinely arranged for this article to be written unbeknownst to Larry. We then did the Photo Op with the magazine opened to “The Adventures of the Sundrop Kid” along with photos of his Hardtop days at Vallejo Speedway. Damitz appeared somewhat surprised by all the attention and the large Birthday Card, signed by most of the racers and fans, but I think he was genuinely impressed that many took time to recognize his efforts and longevity in auto racing. My trip to Petaluma this weekend allowed me meet new friends, while running into one I have known for about thirty-five years, Joy Paulson from Woodland, CA. Her grandson, Gary raced in the 360 sprints at Petaluma, but I had not noticed him earlier as I walked the pits. After a hug from my friend, who used to bring her young grandson to Ascot, she said that Gary was aboard a brand new chassis with an improved engine. What a thrill for me to see Joy’s elation as Gary Paulson made every move choreographed by Grandma from the grandstands and claimed his first feature win. This is a kid that I carried from the stands at Manzanita to the car, because he was too sleepy to walk. Now, he could carry me to the car! |
