American Racing News Vol 1, Issue 2 Issue 2 | Page 4

Bench Racer “We Want More, We Want More” I remember a television commercial from a few years back that had some cute little kids saying “We want more, we want more! Wanting more is human nature. Most of us want more money, racers want more speed and American Racing News readers want more too. Starting in this issue, I will answer your calls for more by bringing you a new section; Hometown Racing News. This will be a showcase of local racing from around the country. Tracks, teams and regional race series promoters are welcome to send in photos and short articles so that ARN readers can get a glimpse of how racing looks around the United States. I was impressed with the quality of the race machinery, and the familiar look of the people in this first installment. It’s almost like looking at a family album. I guess in a way, we are all one big family of racers. Dale Jr. being on the cover will get more attention than just about anything else we could have featured, but for me it is the local racers and fans that I do this for. While the top stars of NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA and other top tier series may be worthy of our admiration, it is the local heroes that I really relate to. Most of these racers struggle to pay for their racing efforts. Most work 40+ hours a week at a regular job and then another 40 or so in the race shop. No luxury motor coaches or half million dollar haulers. No endorsement deals or TV commercial shoots. The weekly racer typically sacrifices greatly just for the thrill of racing. In reality, the weekend warriors don’t even need us, the fans. Sure, our attendance is what it takes to support the tracks they battle in, but these racers would race out in fields, streets or wherever they could find a place to race. That is what makes the local racers my heroes. Pure love of the sport! I hope that Hometown Racing News honors them and that we can be here to help the local racers in any way we can. New Column This month, we will also present a new column - “Straight Line” by 4 | American Racing News | Bench Racer By Dennis Keeley Jim Jack. Jim Jack spent nearly three decades with Racers for Christ and has been in the middle of the action that whole time. Jim will be bringing us his column, which has been running since the mid nineties. Jim mixes in references to song lyrics and his racing adventures with a spiritual message. I hope you enjoy this very unique column. Still More to Come Starting next month we will bring you more. More what? More NASCAR More IndyCar More Drag Racing More Bikes More Dirt More ARCA More Everything! American Racing News will be adding more pages and setting aside space for each of the above racing types. This will ensure that you will not go a single issue without seeing your favorite type of racing.