NASCAR MODELS by MR NASCAR

CHAOS AT THE VINTAGE STOCK CAR MEET!!!!
(or... Yet MORE fun with cotton batting!!!)

Hobby '00, Toronto, Ont - November 3rd - 5th...

"No Place To Go!!"

"Ready To Rumble!!

Our joy was unconfined when we were each assigned a car to drive around the track during the Parade Lap. There we were... Of particular note were Dave Evans, sittin' proud in the K&K car... Pat Redmond piloting the "NASCAR Rocks" Taurus... Alex Kung, somewhat bemused, but eager, in the Abiline Boots Lumina...

Mark Dorcas got hisself a seat in the ex-Ricky Rudd Piedmont Chevy, Doug Mawson was at home in Coo Coo's old Monte Carlo. Stuart Bedford was all a-tingle in the ex-Allison Charger Daytona, and Garry Dowling found himself in the ex-Jarrett Batman car, team mate to Steve Kelly in the Jokermobile, with Howard Cohen, overjoyed to be alongside him in the 3 Stooges machine... Yours truly, of course, chose Jeffie's #24 Superman Monte Carlo.

All of us in Group 25 were assigned a car first, except Peter MacDonald, who'd seemed to have disappeared.

Then other modelling dignitaries from all over North America got to choose their favourite steed. Notable among these were Bill Little, in the 1962 Hines Pontiac, Randy Ayers, pleased to be in an old Mark Martin Valvoline machine, and Michael Madlinger, in the MOBIL I Kentucky Derby Taurus. William and Ronnie were there representing their businesses, with William perched in the SPAM T-Bird, and Ronnie in the COORS Light John Wayne machine. Marc Cormier and Ed Roberts had accompanied the Group 25 contingent from Canada, and had landed the Tony Tiger and Chameleon rides.

To add a truly global air, Peter Lepold and Michael Herzig had flown in from Germany, and were ready to roll in The Purolator Cyclone and Crisco T-Bird! Sam Lopez even took time out to come up from Mexico, for a chance to chauffer the Charity Ride Pontiac...

Peter MacDonald finally turned up, and was the last person to get a car, because he'd got lost on the way to the Drivers' Meeting that morning. Peter had to take the last car left, a particularly ratty, yet-to-be-restored Family Channel T-Bird, once piloted by Ted Musgrave.

All was going swimmingly... the excited "nouveau NASCAR drivers" headed out of pit road, around Turns 1 and 2, then down the backstraight, gathering speed - this was gonna be a GOOD Parade Lap!!

I was just a couple cars back of Peter's FamChan T-bird. He began weaving back and forth in front of me...

"Ah!" I thought, "Warming his tires! Peter's serious!"

Peter Loses It!!

Suddenly, Peter was veering across the track, with his right front wheel bounding along ahead of him. He'd forgotten to check his lugnuts before leaving the pits!!! With no place to go, I plowed into him, spinning him, and sending him up onto the outside wall.

Fortunately, I was able to keep my SuperSteed under control, and scoot under the careening FamChan T-bird with only a couple scrapes in that expensive Steel Blue Prizm finish...

And All Hell Broke Out behind us, as most of the others climbed on the brakes, smokin' tires and bouncin' off each another...Garry Dowling rammed Howard's Stoogemobile, and the "Hyuck, Hnyucks" turned to screams of terror as Howard spun in the middle of the novice pack, finally getting T-boned by Pat in the Rock Machine...

"Heads Up, Pat!!!"

Once the smoke had cleared, and thankfully, no one was hurt, we all tried to get back into our cars.

But the organizers seemed reluctant... and we Group 25ers ended up spendin' the rest of the day watchin' from the sidelines... But it was fun while it lasted!

What it was, was we had the NASCAR track back at the Group 25 Display at the 2000 Toronto Hobby Show. And once again, Mr NASCAR joined other NASCAR modellers in the Club, including Pat Redmond, Garry Dowling, Kevin Kamminga, Paul Subject, and Steve Kelly, in staging another NASCAR extravaganza as part of the overall Club display.

Once again, lotsa fun, and the kids loved the crash scene! (Some of the kids were pushin' 50+...)

By the way, remember - it's not actually Cotton Batting, if ya wanna get technical, but Polyester Stuffing for pillows...