Chevrolet is more than a cornerstone of popular culture, it's a brand that has captured the nostalgia of the South Shore for 100 years, a symbol for the American Midwest. From Lansing to Valparaiso and Hammond to Lowell, Chevrolet has become synonymous with ingenuity, grace, speed and power. The vehicles produced under the Chevrolet name go far beyond their craftsmanship and connection to the world famous ‘bowtie.'
Like the industry and culture that stands the test of time and economic strain across our landscape, the Chevrolet brand has endured for a century. Many models of Chevrolet have become brands unto themselves, their names evoking nostalgic trips through yesteryear and a look ahead to tomorrow.
The classic sexy lines of the Corvette glimmering under the streetlights of a Lake County "Cruise Night," the brightly colored muscle of the Camaro rumbling across U.S. 30, the flashing lights of a racing Crown Point P.D. Impala, the comforting hum of the economy-slaying Volt pulling into a student parking lot at I.U.N., are all exquisite examples of automotive artistry across our Region.
Only love has been immortalized in popular song more the Chevrolet. It's said that Chevy pops up in the lyrics of more than 500 tunes recorded by performers as diverse as Dinah Shore ("See the USA in your Chevrolet"), The Beach Boys ("She's real fine, my 4-0-9"), Don McLean ("Drove my Chevy to the levy . . .") and - now that he once again goes by the name Prince - the artist formerly known as "the artist formerly known as Prince" ("Little red Corvette, baby, you're much too fast").
Inspired by such a cultural catalog, we decided to sing Chevy's praises ourselves, focusing on what the brand really is all about - great cars. Here are our nominees for the dozen greatest Chevy cars of all time.
1912 CHEVY SERIES C CLASSIC SIX: This is the car that started it all. And it arrived with a flourish. At the time, Henry Ford's Model T was chugging along with a 177 cubic-inch four-cylinder that made 20 hp, taking Henry's T to a top speed of 45 mph or so. Chevrolet arrived on the scene with its Classic Six boasting a 299 cubic-inch six-cylinder. Making 40 hp and reaching speeds as high as 65 mph - pretty heady stuff at the dawn of the last century - the Series C Classic Six was a force to be reckoned with. Known by the public simply as "the Chevrolet," the Classic Six got the bowtie brand off to a great start - even if the bowtie logo itself would not debut for another two years.
1932 CHEVY DELUXE SPORT ROADSTER: This is the car that identified Chevrolet as a styling leader. With its chrome accents, rakish twin spare tires (one conspicuously mounted on each front fender) and a sassy rumble seat out back, the Deluxe Sport Roadster must have cheered Depression-era car buffs who caught its handsome form motoring by. The Deluxe also was affordable, a fact that help Chevrolet retain its No. 1 sales position in the depths of the Great Depression. Ford's Model A coupe may be 1932's best-remembered car today, thanks mainly to the Beach Boys' tune "Little Deuce Coupe" ("deuce" standing for the "2" in " ‘32"), but - quoting Brian Wilson - we'd have say to those who've forgotten the '32 Chevy Deluxe Sport Roadster, "You don't know what I got."
1953 CHEVY CORVETTE: The GM Motorama opened on Saturday, Jan. 17, 1953, at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria, and the world has never been the same. That event saw the first Corvette unveiled as a "dream car," but it quickly went into production after the wildly enthusiastic response from the public. Its inaugural model year of 1953 saw only 300 of these fiberglass beauties built, each painted Polo White and boasted a red interior, a black canvas top and removable plastic side curtains in lieu of roll-up windows. From a performance standpoint, the '53 may have been an under-achiever, with its docile straight-six and two-speed automatic transmission, but it was soooo good-looking. Performance would improve in the future. GM's official history of Corvette states: "Since only 300 were produced in 1953, the Chevrolet Central Office in Detroit had to control their distribution. Among the first lucky owners? John Wayne." We would argue that, with the birth of Corvette, all car enthusiasts got lucky.
1955 CHEVY NOMAD: Even in pre-rock ‘n’ roll America, making a station wagon cool was a Herculean task. Chevy rose to the challenge with the 1955 Nomad, a two-door wagon that had its styling roots – particularly its roof and rear-end treatment – in the Corvette-based Nomad “Dream Car” concept, which wowed ‘em during the 1954 General Motors Motorama. In production form, Nomad shared the underpinnings of the all-new ’55 Chevy sedan, but aft of the A pillar went its own styling way. The forward-leaning roof pillars, wrap-around D-pillar glass and utterly unique tailgate treatment, complete with chrome ribs, made this the most head-turning wagon in suburbia. Marketed as a high-trim “halo” vehicle for Chevrolet, its 1955-57 versions remain passionately sought after by collectors.
1957 CHEVY BEL-AIR: With its grinning grille, sassy fins and overall styling audacity, the 1957 Chevy Bel-Air took what the ’55 had started and then elevated it to the next level. Sure, it was the ’55 – longer, lower and wider than its predecessor – that brought Chevrolet styling into the modern era. And it was the ’55 that introduced the “Turbo-Fire V-8” (gotta love that name), the first of the now-legendary Chevy small-block V-8s. But the ’57 took all those ingredients and added panache, not to mention a bigger small block. With its marvelous power-to-weight ratio in V-8 trim and its hey-look-at-me styling, the 1957 Chevy Bel-Air seemed to encapsulate in chrome, steel and rubber all the giddy optimism of Eisenhower-era America. More than half a century later, the ‘50s are still identified primarily by three American icons: Ike, Elvis and the ’57 Chevy.
1963 CHEVY CORVETTE STING RAY SPLIT-WINDOW COUPE: This knockout heralded the second generation of America’s Sports Car. Forty-eight years after its debut, the ‘63 Sting Ray split-window coupe remains one of the most visceral and beautiful automobiles ever to ride four tires. With styling inspired by the 1959 Stingray race car and 1961 Mako Shark show car, the all-new 1963 Corvette coupe marked the beginning of the glory years for Corvette. That, however, is not to say it didn’t cause controversy. The split-window rear styling was a subject of debate even within the GM styling studios. Though primary designer Larry Shinoda wanted the rear-window bar, luminaries as lofty as Zora Arkus-Duntov, “the father of the Corvette,” opposed it. In the end, it made the production cut, but lasted only one year. Automotive critics and Corvette buyers objected to the feature’s restriction of rear visibility. By 1964, a more conventional rear window was installed. Today, however, the split-window coupe of 1963 is among the most coveted Corvettes.
1964 CHEVROLET IMPALA SS CONVERTIBLE: This one’s a sentimental favorite of your humble correspondent. Back in the late ‘60s, when I attended McBride High School on North Kingshighway in St. Louis, there were two guys I knew who had awesome cars. (I can tell you, my ’59 VW was never in the running for the title “Awesome.”) One was a fellow McBride Mick, who owned a ’67 Pontiac GTO. The other was a neighborhood guy who attended Southwest High School. He had a canary-yellow ’64 Chevy Impala SS convertible. Most of my gang gave the nod to the GTO, but I always loved that Impala SS. The boxy body was marvelously clean, exhibiting no gratuitous doo-dads to imply power (its big block 409 cubic-inch V-8 was evidence enough of its power), and its retina-searing yellow paint job was just too cool for school. The blue car pictured here just doesn’t do it justice.
1965 CHEVY CORVAIR MONZA: To heck with Ralph Nader. We like the audacity behind the Corvair. With the first few imports trickling in as the 1950s wore on, Detroit realized there might be a market for small cars. While other domestic compacts were, essentially, slightly smaller versions of big cars, GM thought outside the box. The result in 1959 was revolutionary Detroit iron with a rear-mounted, air-cooled six-cylinder, a fully independent suspension, unibody construction and styling that just kept getting better every year. Alas, Nader’s 1965 book “Unsafe At Any Speed” doomed Corvair – and, it seemed, only Corvair, even though the Chevy was the subject of just the book’s first chapter! (We’re guessing nobody read beyond that.) The last Corvair model year was ‘69. Our favorite of the nameplate’s decade-long run is the ‘65 Corvair Monza pictured here. The grille-less face spoke of its unique drivetrain while its forward-leaning front-end styling and uncluttered flanks gave it a look of motion even at rest.
1969 CHEVY CAMARO: As part of Chevrolet’s 100th birthday celebration, General Motors conducted an online poll to determine “The Best Chevy of all Time.” The winner, announced in September, was the 1969 Camaro. It’s hard to argue with that result. Sixty-nine was the final model year of the first-generation Camaro, which debuted in 1967 to battle Ford’s Mustang. It was a memorable year for Camaro, for Chevrolet and for car buffs everywhere. Not only was the beautiful styling of the original Camaro still largely in evidence, but the car’s performance was second to none. A dizzying array of engines were offered, from a 155-hp I-6 to a 375-hp 396 V-8 to a race-prepped 430-hp 427 V-8. The ‘69 Camaro was so impressive it was invited to be the Indy 500 pace car, as evidenced by the Camaro shown here. And now, to its other laurels, the ’69 Camaro can add “Best Chevy of all Time.” A great car.
1970 CHEVY CHEVELLE SS: Back in the day when GM divisions were pretty much autonomous and actually saw each other as competitors, the keepers of the Chevrolet flame were not about to be outdone by Pontiac. So, as Chevy’s response to the original Pontiac GTO, 1964 saw the debut of the Chevelle SS. With a 300-hp 327 V-8, it was outclassed by the 348 hp produced by the ’64 Goat’s 389 cu.-in. V-8, but that wouldn’t last. By 1970, the Chevelle SS boasted the most powerful V-8 in classic muscle car history – a 450-hp, 454 cubic-inch thriller. The SS454’s 0-60 mph sprint was a blink over 6 seconds with a top speed of 108 miles per hour. The 1970 Chevelle SS remains one of the truly great muscle cars ever to come out of Detroit – and that’s saying something. It was a marvelous performance statement by Chevrolet.
2008 CHEVY MALIBU: This mass-production midsize family sedan may seem an odd choice to include on a list of the coolest Chevrolet cars ever, but it marked a turning point for the Bowtie brand, which at the end of the last century seemed to be focused heavily on trucks and SUVs – to the detriment of its passenger cars. (It’s notable that no Chevy from the ‘80s or ‘90s makes our Coolest Chevys list.) The all-new 2008 Malibu proved that Chevy, after slogging through the ‘90s with the Lumina and greeting the new century with the “good enough” 1997-07 Malibu, was back in the CAR business. The new Malibu – good looking, affordable and very well built – loudly proclaimed that, when it came to Chevy passenger cars, “good enough” no longer was good enough. Yep, Chevy is serious about passenger cars again, and that announcement came through loud and clear thanks to the 2008 Malibu.
2011 CHEVY VOLT: Tired of seeing Toyota wear the “technology crown” with its Prius hybrid, GM set out to claim that title for itself with the revolutionary Chevrolet Volt. Here’s a car that can run 25-50 miles on pure electric power, meaning that commuters who live within, say, 20 miles of where they work, can drive it daily to the job and charge it nightly at home and never use a drop of gasoline. At the same time, Volt boasts a backup gasoline engine that allows this “extended range electric car,” as GM calls it (we call it a hybrid), to travel cross-country, if the owner desires, just like any other automobile. When it debuted, there had never been anything like it. Still isn’t. The Chevy Volt is a marvel of engineering and a forward-thinking way to use less fossil fuels. And, unlike a pure electric car, it never induces the dreaded “range anxiety.”
Monday, October 31, 2011
CHEVY CELEBRATES 100 YEARS AND THE DOZEN COOLEST CHEVROLET CARS OF ALL TIME
From NWI.com: CHEVY CELEBRATES 100 YEARS AND THE DOZEN COOLEST CHEVROLET CARS OF ALL TIME
Welwyn Garden City couple named Classic Motor Show finalists
From Welwyn Times (UK): Welwyn Garden City couple named Classic Motor Show finalists
HE’S been to Egypt and back on a shoestring budget, while raising thousands for charity in the process.
But it seems the adventures are far from over for “Morris”, the 1961 Mini Minor owned by WGC couple Nicky West and Rob Stacey.
The WHT reported back in June how Rob and Nicky had driven Morris 11,000km to the Great Pyramids of Giza in support of Old Hatfield-based charity the Willow Foundation, which organises special days out for seriously ill 16 to 40-year-olds.
And now, the couple have learned that their 50-year-old pride and joy had been named as a finalist in the 2011 Classic Car of the Year Awards, to be held next month during the illustrious Classic Motor Show.
Morris was chosen from hundreds of entries to be selected for the final 20 cars, before a public vote whittled the selection down to just five.
The red 850cc Mini will go on display at the Birmingham NEC from November 11 to 13, where an overall winner will be picked, and awarded with a trophy and a year’s free comprehensive car insurance.
On Morris’ success, proud owner Nicky said: “It’s absolutely breathtaking. To get to the final 20 was amazing but to get to the final – we’re ecstatic.
“I think he deserves it. He’s not shiny, he’s a bit pink and a bit rusty now, but he’s a noble steed and it shows that these classic cars don’t have to be ornaments.
“They’re strong, rugged, reliable cars.”
Meanwhile, Nicky and Rob’s charity efforts were given a boost when they were handed £251 from Waitrose in WGC.
The supermarket raised the cash through its Community Matters initiative, which sees shoppers receive a green disc after every transaction and place it in the charity box of their choice.
Waitrose operation partner Loraine Gwyther said: “It was a great opportunity to help the Willow Foundation, to help them continue sending the children on those special days.”
HE’S been to Egypt and back on a shoestring budget, while raising thousands for charity in the process.
But it seems the adventures are far from over for “Morris”, the 1961 Mini Minor owned by WGC couple Nicky West and Rob Stacey.
The WHT reported back in June how Rob and Nicky had driven Morris 11,000km to the Great Pyramids of Giza in support of Old Hatfield-based charity the Willow Foundation, which organises special days out for seriously ill 16 to 40-year-olds.
And now, the couple have learned that their 50-year-old pride and joy had been named as a finalist in the 2011 Classic Car of the Year Awards, to be held next month during the illustrious Classic Motor Show.
Morris was chosen from hundreds of entries to be selected for the final 20 cars, before a public vote whittled the selection down to just five.
The red 850cc Mini will go on display at the Birmingham NEC from November 11 to 13, where an overall winner will be picked, and awarded with a trophy and a year’s free comprehensive car insurance.
On Morris’ success, proud owner Nicky said: “It’s absolutely breathtaking. To get to the final 20 was amazing but to get to the final – we’re ecstatic.
“I think he deserves it. He’s not shiny, he’s a bit pink and a bit rusty now, but he’s a noble steed and it shows that these classic cars don’t have to be ornaments.
“They’re strong, rugged, reliable cars.”
Meanwhile, Nicky and Rob’s charity efforts were given a boost when they were handed £251 from Waitrose in WGC.
The supermarket raised the cash through its Community Matters initiative, which sees shoppers receive a green disc after every transaction and place it in the charity box of their choice.
Waitrose operation partner Loraine Gwyther said: “It was a great opportunity to help the Willow Foundation, to help them continue sending the children on those special days.”
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Nevada puts prisoners to work restoring classic cars
Another article on the same topic.
From Jalopnik: Nevada puts prisoners to work restoring classic cars
The Wall Street Journal published an article this past week showcasing one of the most innovative and interesting uses of prison labor we've ever heard about—restoring classic cars.
Outside Las Vegas at Nevada's Southern Desert Correctional Center, medium security inmates are given the option to work at a body shop at the prison restoring old cars. Currently the shop has 32 cars in various stages of restoration including Mustangs and Corvettes from the 1960s, a 1959 Thunderbird and two 1969 GTOs.
The prison body shop, known for their advertising motto "We Have the Time to Do It Right", made the Nevada Department of Corrections $130,000 last year while teaching inmates valuable job skills and bringing old cars such as the 1967 Mustang shown above back to life.
Nevada Prisoners are Bringing Classic Cars Back to Life
From Carbuzz.com: Nevada Prisoners are Bringing Classic Cars Back to Life
A Nevada prison is giving their inmates the chance to restore vintage cars. Don’t use this as an excuse to go out and get arrested.
This past week The Wall Street Journal reported on an innovative operation that is perhaps one of the most creative uses of captive labor in the correctional institution's history.Diversifying from the production of license plates, Nevada's Southern Desert Correctional Center has set up a body shop from where medium security inmates work restoring old cars, whose mantras include: "Built with Conviction" and "We Have the Time to Do it Right."
The auto job "is not like any old prison job," says inmate Mr. Michael Levi Fuller, five years into a 12-year stretch. From 1960s Corvettes through a 1959 Thunderbird to a 1935 Chevy pickup, there are 32 cars currently in the auto shop's inventory and those fortunate enough to be on the program, including murderers and lifers, are picking up some great skills and putting their time to good use."Just being involved in a program like this in prison, well it's amazing," said Mr. Fuller. We couldn't agree more.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Old capital hosts timeless ‘beauties’
From Times of Malta: Old capital hosts timeless ‘beauties’
The silent city was awakened by the roar of finely-tuned vintage engines yesterday (Oct 24, Sunday) on the final day of the third classic car grand prix.
A range of historic and classic cars, from Aston Martins to Mini Minors, purred around the streets outside Mdina, starting at Għajn Ħamiem Street and ending at Għarriqin Street.
The event is usually held in Valletta but was this year moved to the old capital due to road works in and around Valletta. It is the only street race of its kind in this part of the Mediterranean.
For the first time, this year’s event included a limited guest class of post-1976 cars.
The event began on Friday with the public admiring the glistening cars as they sat on display in St Paul Square, Mdina. The participating vehicles performed timed runs on Saturday when Steve Borg, driving a 1972 Morris Mini Minor, clocked the fastest time.
As the warm October sunshine slicked up drops of rainfall that had fallen earlier that morning, the cars yesterday cruised around the circuit in a series of demonstration runs.
The grand prix was organised by the Valletta Grand Prix Foundation with help from the Mdina, Rabat and Mtarfa local councils. The foundation is in the process of joining the Federation Internationale des Vehicules Anciens.
66-year-old Corning outsmarts Pro-Stock field at Cocopah Speedway Read more: http://www.yumasun.com/sports/yuma-73956-car-corning.html#ixzz1boCkqP4m
From the Yuma Sun: 66-year-old Corning outsmarts Pro-Stock field at Cocopah Speedway
arry Corning isn't a chip off the ‘ol block.
That's because he IS the ol' block.
The 66-year-old racing veteran from San Diego brought a new car to Cocopah Speedway to test for his son during Saturday night's Round 4 of the Cocopah Racing Series, put his experience to work, and drove off with the feature event win in the Pro-Stock Division.
“The car did most of it,” explained Corning afterward. “I haven't lost everything. This is my 45th year driving so you start using this after a while,” he said, pointing to his head.
“You don't use any natural talent, you just start using (your head) and saying, ‘Well, if I do this and do this, then they are going to have to try to beat me.'”
Corning started from the pole of the eight-car feature event and led every lap. It was the first night of racing on the new clay recently added to the racing surface, and Corning said the rough conditions partially contributed to his win.
“I would have hated to start farther back. The track was just way too rough. There was one smooth line around it and if you got out of that line, boy it was, ‘Hold on!'
“I stayed on the bottom and if anybody was going to beat me, they were going to have to go through them holes, and I didn't figure they were going to go through them.”
Corning said his trip to the track Saturday night was meant to put laps on a new car he finished building on Friday. He built the car for his son, Mike, who now lives in Iowa and is known for his own racing talent and success, to drive in the upcoming two-day Turkey Classic on Nov. 25 and 26 at Cocopah Speedway.
“That's the reason we wanted to run it tonight, to get a few laps on it, find out what the bad things are,” said Corning.
Judging by the results, the list of “bad things” is a short one.
Corning's trip to victory lane ended the two-race win streak put together by Yuma's Ryan Hancock, who settled for third place in Saturday's feature. Second place went to Brawley's Brent Ashurst, with Yuma's Brett Simala finishing fourth and Steve Jonas, from San Diego, rounding out the top five.
Corning and Simala won the two preliminary division heat races.
In other racing action Saturday night Imperial's Lance Mari notched his second IMCA Modified Division feature event win of the season; Yuma's Adolfo Noriega made it two Street Stock Division feature event wins in a row; and Yuma's Oscar Duarte won his first Factory Stock Division feature event of the season.
Mari, like Corning, said the track conditions played a role in his feature event win, but from a different perspective. Mari said he tried to run in the bottom line, like Corning, but it wasn't working out for him because, “I was about two clicks of an adjustment off on the bottom.”
That meant trying the top line, which he had tried earlier, “but it seemed a little choppy. I went up there a couple of times, and I didn't trust it.
“So I figured it was either going to go in the fence or go forward and luckily enough it went forward.”
The top line worked so well that he was able to get past Yuma's Kent Rosevear, who, in a new car, was running the bottom line and putting distance between himself and the field.
“I had to go to the top because it was the only thing I had,” said Mari. “The track wasn't easy on a whole lot of folks, so we just did what we could.”
His Imperial Valley neighbor, Duane Rogers, finished second, Rosevear settled for third, Holtville's Chris Toth was fourth and Yuma's Johnny Swenson finished fifth.
The heat race wins went to Swenson and Yuma's Jared Hall.
Noriega said his drive to victory lane in the Street Stock feature event “was a tough win,” also alluding to the track conditions.
“The car's setup was really good and when the track allowed us the car was fast and predictable,” said Noriega. “But when we got into those rough or loose dry patches, the car wanted to get away from me, so it was all I could do to keep it together.”
In what has become a Noriega trademark, the defending track champion started from inside the sixth row of the 15-car field and steadily made his way through traffic to get to the front.
Once there he found Yuma's Timmy Reese leading the pack and the two waged a bumper-to-bumper battle for a few laps, passing lapped cars in the process, before making contact while exiting Turn 2. After the contact Noriega was able to recover in time to take over the front position and never looked back while Reese, who appeared to suffer a flat tire, faded to eighth place.
Second place went to Yuma's Leonard Jones, Brawley's Sean Callens was third, Yuma's Scott Jeffery was fourth and Yuma's Joey Essary was fifth.
The heat race wins went to Brawley's Joey Teague and Reese.
Oddly enough, in the Factory Stock finale Duarte said he got signals from Mari, who was standing outside Turn 4, to move up and use the high line, which Mari said he was afraid to do initially in the Modified feature.
But the move worked out for Duarte who was able to take over the lead and pull away from the nine-car field to win by a sizable margin.
“After that yellow (flag) I moved up to the high side,” said Duarte. “Lance kept pointing for me go to up, so I went up and I just flat-footed it around the track.
“I was doing the best that I could, driving the heck out of that car. I just put it on the floor and didn't lift.”
Yuma's Steve Anthony finished second behind Duarte, Yuma's Jimmy Davy was third, Brawley's Amy Teague finished fourth and Yuma's Justin Jones was fifth.
The race also included a rollover between Turns 3 and 4 when defending champion Matthew Sharrar went for a wild ride, ending up on his roof, partially on top of the car driven by Jordan White. Neither driver was injured in the mishap, which also collected Rick Hibbard. None of the three was able to continue, however.
The heat race wins went to Duarte and Yuma's James Dupre
arry Corning isn't a chip off the ‘ol block.
That's because he IS the ol' block.
The 66-year-old racing veteran from San Diego brought a new car to Cocopah Speedway to test for his son during Saturday night's Round 4 of the Cocopah Racing Series, put his experience to work, and drove off with the feature event win in the Pro-Stock Division.
“The car did most of it,” explained Corning afterward. “I haven't lost everything. This is my 45th year driving so you start using this after a while,” he said, pointing to his head.
“You don't use any natural talent, you just start using (your head) and saying, ‘Well, if I do this and do this, then they are going to have to try to beat me.'”
Corning started from the pole of the eight-car feature event and led every lap. It was the first night of racing on the new clay recently added to the racing surface, and Corning said the rough conditions partially contributed to his win.
“I would have hated to start farther back. The track was just way too rough. There was one smooth line around it and if you got out of that line, boy it was, ‘Hold on!'
“I stayed on the bottom and if anybody was going to beat me, they were going to have to go through them holes, and I didn't figure they were going to go through them.”
Corning said his trip to the track Saturday night was meant to put laps on a new car he finished building on Friday. He built the car for his son, Mike, who now lives in Iowa and is known for his own racing talent and success, to drive in the upcoming two-day Turkey Classic on Nov. 25 and 26 at Cocopah Speedway.
“That's the reason we wanted to run it tonight, to get a few laps on it, find out what the bad things are,” said Corning.
Judging by the results, the list of “bad things” is a short one.
Corning's trip to victory lane ended the two-race win streak put together by Yuma's Ryan Hancock, who settled for third place in Saturday's feature. Second place went to Brawley's Brent Ashurst, with Yuma's Brett Simala finishing fourth and Steve Jonas, from San Diego, rounding out the top five.
Corning and Simala won the two preliminary division heat races.
In other racing action Saturday night Imperial's Lance Mari notched his second IMCA Modified Division feature event win of the season; Yuma's Adolfo Noriega made it two Street Stock Division feature event wins in a row; and Yuma's Oscar Duarte won his first Factory Stock Division feature event of the season.
Mari, like Corning, said the track conditions played a role in his feature event win, but from a different perspective. Mari said he tried to run in the bottom line, like Corning, but it wasn't working out for him because, “I was about two clicks of an adjustment off on the bottom.”
That meant trying the top line, which he had tried earlier, “but it seemed a little choppy. I went up there a couple of times, and I didn't trust it.
“So I figured it was either going to go in the fence or go forward and luckily enough it went forward.”
The top line worked so well that he was able to get past Yuma's Kent Rosevear, who, in a new car, was running the bottom line and putting distance between himself and the field.
“I had to go to the top because it was the only thing I had,” said Mari. “The track wasn't easy on a whole lot of folks, so we just did what we could.”
His Imperial Valley neighbor, Duane Rogers, finished second, Rosevear settled for third, Holtville's Chris Toth was fourth and Yuma's Johnny Swenson finished fifth.
The heat race wins went to Swenson and Yuma's Jared Hall.
Noriega said his drive to victory lane in the Street Stock feature event “was a tough win,” also alluding to the track conditions.
“The car's setup was really good and when the track allowed us the car was fast and predictable,” said Noriega. “But when we got into those rough or loose dry patches, the car wanted to get away from me, so it was all I could do to keep it together.”
In what has become a Noriega trademark, the defending track champion started from inside the sixth row of the 15-car field and steadily made his way through traffic to get to the front.
Once there he found Yuma's Timmy Reese leading the pack and the two waged a bumper-to-bumper battle for a few laps, passing lapped cars in the process, before making contact while exiting Turn 2. After the contact Noriega was able to recover in time to take over the front position and never looked back while Reese, who appeared to suffer a flat tire, faded to eighth place.
Second place went to Yuma's Leonard Jones, Brawley's Sean Callens was third, Yuma's Scott Jeffery was fourth and Yuma's Joey Essary was fifth.
The heat race wins went to Brawley's Joey Teague and Reese.
Oddly enough, in the Factory Stock finale Duarte said he got signals from Mari, who was standing outside Turn 4, to move up and use the high line, which Mari said he was afraid to do initially in the Modified feature.
But the move worked out for Duarte who was able to take over the lead and pull away from the nine-car field to win by a sizable margin.
“After that yellow (flag) I moved up to the high side,” said Duarte. “Lance kept pointing for me go to up, so I went up and I just flat-footed it around the track.
“I was doing the best that I could, driving the heck out of that car. I just put it on the floor and didn't lift.”
Yuma's Steve Anthony finished second behind Duarte, Yuma's Jimmy Davy was third, Brawley's Amy Teague finished fourth and Yuma's Justin Jones was fifth.
The race also included a rollover between Turns 3 and 4 when defending champion Matthew Sharrar went for a wild ride, ending up on his roof, partially on top of the car driven by Jordan White. Neither driver was injured in the mishap, which also collected Rick Hibbard. None of the three was able to continue, however.
The heat race wins went to Duarte and Yuma's James Dupre
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Cheapestcarinsurer.com makes obtaining classic car insurance quotes easy and quick
Press Release: Cheapestcarinsurer.com makes obtaining classic car insurance quotes easy and quick
Market Press Release – October 24, 2011 11:24 am – October 24, 2011 - If you possess a classic, a collector or an antique car, it is absolutely vital for you to get adequate car insurance as soon as possible. The values of these cars are higher than everyday cars. So, insurance is even more essential. However, not all insurance companies provide coverage for such special cars. Even if you find a company which does provide them, you should get quotes from more than one to ensure that you get the best rates. Do not think that just because far fewer companies provide antique car insurance, classic car insurance and cheap sports car insurance, you will have to accept the first offer.
Cheapestcarinsurer.com has made it possible to get classic car insurance quotes online. If you have an classic car from 1950s, 1960s and 1970s and it is in good condition, you can simply log on to this website and get more than one classic car insurance quotes online by filling up a simple form and a few clicks. Before that, the website will guide you in detail about the different norms of obtaining classic car insurance. You will learn valuable tips on how to save money on insurance premiums without putting your car at risk.
The information begins with the definition of an antique, classic or luxury car and you learn to clearly distinguish among these three categories. One of the most important things on which this website draws your attention is the Specialty insurance program such as no down payment auto insurance. You may be coming to know for the first time that there exist auto insurance companies which specialize in providing classic car insurance, antique car insurance and collector car insurance. The niche may be small, but no less competitive than the general auto insurance market. You will get the best of deals by getting antique car insurance online quote even from this small segment.
“It is difficult for people to search individually exactly which auto insurance companies offer classic car insurance, antique car insurance and cheap sports car insurance. You may probably find out the names of only a few and forced to accept the rates that the best one of them is offering. We feel that there is a gap here between the owners and these specialized insurance companies. The aim of this website is to get you the cheapest and the best suited quotes for your antique or classic car,” says site founder George Rider. “You should not have to pay exorbitant premiums where there are ways to avoid them and we aim to educate everyone
about these simple steps”.
Not only has cheapestcarinsurer.com made it simple to get antique car insurance online quote, but also it outlines the different ways to save on your premium. It has described in detail the importance of the appraisal of your antique car by the insurance company before a final premium amount is decided.
If you are thinking of get classic car insurance, you can now visit this website and get car insurance online quote to compare and find what suits you best.
website : http://cheapestcarinsurer.com
For more information, visit: http://cheapestcarinsurer.com
Market Press Release – October 24, 2011 11:24 am – October 24, 2011 - If you possess a classic, a collector or an antique car, it is absolutely vital for you to get adequate car insurance as soon as possible. The values of these cars are higher than everyday cars. So, insurance is even more essential. However, not all insurance companies provide coverage for such special cars. Even if you find a company which does provide them, you should get quotes from more than one to ensure that you get the best rates. Do not think that just because far fewer companies provide antique car insurance, classic car insurance and cheap sports car insurance, you will have to accept the first offer.
Cheapestcarinsurer.com has made it possible to get classic car insurance quotes online. If you have an classic car from 1950s, 1960s and 1970s and it is in good condition, you can simply log on to this website and get more than one classic car insurance quotes online by filling up a simple form and a few clicks. Before that, the website will guide you in detail about the different norms of obtaining classic car insurance. You will learn valuable tips on how to save money on insurance premiums without putting your car at risk.
The information begins with the definition of an antique, classic or luxury car and you learn to clearly distinguish among these three categories. One of the most important things on which this website draws your attention is the Specialty insurance program such as no down payment auto insurance. You may be coming to know for the first time that there exist auto insurance companies which specialize in providing classic car insurance, antique car insurance and collector car insurance. The niche may be small, but no less competitive than the general auto insurance market. You will get the best of deals by getting antique car insurance online quote even from this small segment.
“It is difficult for people to search individually exactly which auto insurance companies offer classic car insurance, antique car insurance and cheap sports car insurance. You may probably find out the names of only a few and forced to accept the rates that the best one of them is offering. We feel that there is a gap here between the owners and these specialized insurance companies. The aim of this website is to get you the cheapest and the best suited quotes for your antique or classic car,” says site founder George Rider. “You should not have to pay exorbitant premiums where there are ways to avoid them and we aim to educate everyone
about these simple steps”.
Not only has cheapestcarinsurer.com made it simple to get antique car insurance online quote, but also it outlines the different ways to save on your premium. It has described in detail the importance of the appraisal of your antique car by the insurance company before a final premium amount is decided.
If you are thinking of get classic car insurance, you can now visit this website and get car insurance online quote to compare and find what suits you best.
website : http://cheapestcarinsurer.com
For more information, visit: http://cheapestcarinsurer.com
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