the Tony Stewart Smoke Show, an all-day driving camp for fans and fundraiser for the Speedway Children’s Charities, which has received more than $1 million from proceeds from the camp.

The "Smoke Show," a driving school extravaganza hosted by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, raises funds and remains the highest-grossing, single-day event for the Speedway Children's Charities Texas chapter, which was founded in 1982 to care for children in educational, financial, social, and medical need in an effort to help them live productive lives.

Held at Texas Motor Speedway, raised more than $1 million since 2008 to benefit the Speedway Children's Charities-Texas Chapter. Participants pay around 6 to 8 thou for the day, get driving instruction from Stewart, are fitted for their own personalized firesuit and receive two 10-lap competitive sessions in a stock car and a thrilling three-lap, two-seater ride with Stewart manning the wheel, with the top-tier packages including a limited edition "Smoke Show" helmet and racing shoes.

The "Smoke Show" was boosted by its annual auction for the fantasy campers with the highest-selling item a pair of custom "Smoke Show" revolvers designed and manufactured by Turnbull Mfg., which were secured with a winning bid of $35,000.

 Other auction items were taking the parade lap with Stewart during the pre-race ceremonies at the AAA Texas 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. Two 2013 Brickyard 400 NASCAR packages, with tickets in Stewart's private suite at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the entire race weekend, went for $17,000 each.

"The success of the 'Smoke Show' is testimony that our approach of combining people's love of motorsports and their philanthropic spirit bent on helping children works," SCC-Texas Chapter Executive Director Jaime Carlin said. "When you add Tony's popularity and his gracious gift of his time, the real winners are the children of North Texas."

This year the 8th annual event will be on Oct 12th, and is limited to 30 participants. To purchase a spot for the "Smoke Show" or for additional information, please call the Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas office at (817) 215-8421.

https://www.facebook.com/scctx/
https://www.facebook.com/texasmotorspeedway/
http://texas.speedwaycharities.org/news/532420.html
http://texas.speedwaycharities.org/news/tony-stewart-smoke-show-raises-over-200-000-for-speedway-childrens-charities-texas-chapter.html
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nascar-auto-racing/texas-motor-speedway/article30193809.html
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/08/prweb4358194.htm 

When he was a young "wild and crazy guy" before he quit comedy for banjos, Steve Martin played a sadistic biker dentist, in the musical movie Little Shop of Horrors

found on https://themarquisblogger.wordpress.com/2014/11/22/a-sadic-dentist-riding-an-harley/

when they were young

https://www.facebook.com/bigislandchopper?fref=nf

Zona-rapida blogspot nailed it! They posted a terrific gallery of Bernard Cahier (the photobombing photographer)

With Kirk Douglas at Monaco, 1970

the move that really made him famous, passing cold drinks to drivers

http://zona-rapida.blogspot.com/2016/04/fotografia-bernard-cahier.html
http://www.f1-photo.com/

I posted about him 2 years ago, when learning about his silly antics from Denise McCluggage  http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-grand-prix-photobomber.html

when a baseball legend step on the seats with his cleats on, he's probably trying to tell you something

Ted Williams and a Nash Healey  https://www.facebook.com/groups/321577158048111/

In the summer of 1951, S.C. Johnson and Son of Racine, Wisconsin, bought one of the new 1951 Nash-Healey roadsters with the idea of featuring it in a contest as part of a promotion in the United States and Canada for two of its car waxes. Ted Williams, star outfielder for the Boston Red Sox, was signed to appear in national advertising and would receive the car as a gift when the promotion ended.

To make the car even more appealing, Johnson Wax commissioned William Flajole of Detroit to design and build a one-of-a-kind roadster body for it. A year earlier, he had devised the small NXI experimental that evolved into the British-built Metropolitan, and he later became involved in the body design for several early Rambler models.

"As a postscript to this reminiscence, I wrote to Ted Williams in early 1985 to find out what happened to the car after it was given to him," says Conde. "His response: 'All I remember is that I sold [it] to someone in Detroit. I wasn't interested in the car. In fact, I never drove it.'"

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1951-1955-nash-healey6.htm

thanks Steve!

the Keystone Kops

https://www.facebook.com/groups/321577158048111/

1973 Fire Bird Trans Am was the car in a John Wayne movie you might not have seen, McQ. Inspired by Bullitt, a role Wayne turned down, and regretted after seeing the box office truckloads of dollars that movie made

Just like the Mustang in Bullitt, it's the same color, and stripped of decals and badges

the movie even copied the car chase scene for the hills jumped, engine noises made, and alleys raced through



http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_1097-Pontiac-Firebird-Trans-Am-1973.html

Norman Reedus is getting his own biking show June 12th on AMC, cool! Does this mean they killed off his character on Walking Dead?

Six one-hour episodes will follow actor and biker-enthusiast Norman Reedus as he takes viewers on a ride on the open road to explore local motorcycle culture and history.

Each episode of Ride will begin in a different city where Reedus and his riding companion – a fellow actor, musician, friend or local chopper fanatic who shares his passion for motorcycles – will journey to a new destination. Along the way, they will stop at various locales such as custom bike shops, tattoo parlors, collector’s warehouses, or a roadside smokehouse…with plenty of time for unplanned detours and tire changes. The series will also showcase different types of motorcycles each week including vintage, minis and cruisers.



http://www.amc.com/shows/ride-with-norman-reedus/talk

Thunderbird Jr was featured in Pee Wee's Big Holiday, that kind of promotional exposure is a great boost to a small company like Jr Central Promotional Cars

https://www.facebook.com/Jrcentraldotcom/?fref=nf

Howard Hughes had this Duesenberg body chopped in half to tow and support his gliders at his El Mirage Soaring School

1947, El Mirage. chassis number 2456 and engine number J-444

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/65803-howard-hughes-duesenberg-at-el-mirage-1947-not-what-you-think/

The Tourster body style were built exclusively by the Derham Body Company in Rosemont, Pennsylvania. A total of eight were originally produced, of which this car is the third.

The original owner of this car was comedian and actor Joe E. Brown. Brown retained the car for seven years. It then passed through a Cadillac dealer, who turned it over to Clement Hirsch. Several months later, when World War II began, Hirsch traded the car to his brother-in-law, Mark Jelmeland, who traded it into yet another dealership, Kal Kam Ford. The Ford dealer sold the car to William Hunter, from whom it was purchased by Hughes Aircraft.

The company of aviator Howard Hughes elected to remove the rear body section, in order to use the Model J to tow gliders aloft. The car's torque allowed it to launch even the largest aircraft, and it continued to serve as a test vehicle for Briegleb Aircraft after it was sold to them in 1945.

McGowan sold the finished car to Otis Chandler who would kept the car for 10 years. Chandler showed the car on a few occasions and displayed for the rest of the time in his private museum in Oxnard, California. During Chandler's ownership, the car was awarded a CCCA National First Prize, followed by its Senior Award in October 1989.

In March of 1996, Chandler sold the car to John McMullen, of Michigan. In Mr. McMullen's care, it earned Best in Show at the Gilmore Car Museum's Grand Experience in 2001 and numerous Best in Class and class awards, including, notably, Best in Class at the 1995 Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance and the Gordon Buehrig Memorial Award for Best ACD Car at the same event the following year.

The car joined the John O'Quinn collection in 2007. In 2013, it came to auction at RM Auction's Amelia Island Sale where it was sold for $825,000 including buyer's premium.

http://www.conceptcarz.com/events/eventVehicle.aspx?carID=14238&eventID=1434&catID=3587

even at work, he's never far from motorbikes... Ewan McGregor

http://republic-of-awesome.tumblr.com/page/52

unleash the cats, another superstar commercial for Jag

lawsuit news: A judge has tossed a wrongful death lawsuit against Porsche, the Carrera GT was alleged to have faulty suspension

Kristine Rodas had alleged in her May 2014 lawsuit against Porsche that her husband lost control of the car due to shoddy suspension and side impact protection, and that the vehicle had exploded on impact because it lacked a proper crash cage and fuel cell.

U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez ruled in papers : "Plaintiff has provided no competent evidence that Rodas’ death occurred as a result of any wrongdoing"

The judge also pointed out the force that killed Rodas was from front impact with the utility pole, not side impact.

If you aren't aware of this Rodas vs Porsche case, it was the stupid showing off behavior in a 20015 Porsche Carrera GT that killed Paul Walker, and the driver, his friend Roger Rodas who was driving.

The crash occurred Nov. 30, 2013, when Rodas lost control of the vehicle, crashing it into trees and a utility pole.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/judge-dismisses-suit-rodas-widow-paul-walker-crash-article-1.2589197

Carroll Shelby and the #98 Maserati

possibly it's the John Edgar  Maserati 450S, in August, at the VIR

strange but the #98 was previously on Edgar's Ferrari, and Maserati 300S,

here is the #98 410S Ferrari, and notice the kidney belt Shelby was wearing over the shirt, that in the 300S Maserati. So, cars with #98, same race series, same Carroll Shelby.

Mokuleia, Oahu, April 21st, 1957. John Edgar's wife, Geraldine, in Hawaiian Easter bonnet, with Olympic swimming champion Duke Kahanamoku, among other prominent islanders, at Dillingham Field races.

By June, Shelby was racing in the 450S Maserati that Fangio and Moss had used at the ’57 Nürburgring 1000-km, and Moss had raced in the Mille Miglia

Here he is in the coveralls like the first photo, with the 450S, in August at the Virginia International Raceway (VIR)

Carroll Shelby, John Edgar, Race Queen Jan Harrison, incredibly beautiful, and the future Mrs Shelby. She was race queen at Riverside on the 17th of Sept, and Nov in 1957

http://www.sportscardigest.com/carroll-shelby-the-john-edgar-ferrari-and-maserati-years/3/