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  10 Things to Know for Thursday

  Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

• 

  Banks of the Wabash Festival is more than just yearly entertainment

  Pioneers think counterintuitively. Where others see widespread apathy, they focus on the possibility for progress. In a way, the 2013 Year of the River celebration began in the 1970s.

• 

  North baseball pulls away from South in sectional opener

  In high school baseball little things mean a lot, and the crack in the door doesn’t have to be open very wide.
  Terre Haute North burst through that crack in the bottom of the second inning Wednesday evening at Terre Haute South, scoring seven two-out runs and going on to a surprisingly easy 12-2 victory over the host Braves.

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July 15, 2008

Trackside: Sprint car heroes fade away when driving days are over

By Joe Buckles The Tribune Star Wed Dec 09, 2009, 02:43 AM EST

TERRE HAUTE — Nowhere in motorsports can fame and fortune be as fleeing as that for short track racers.

While stock cars will always have their Richard Petty, champ cars their A.J. Foyt, and drag racing their Don Garlits, those who compete on the nation’s short tracks just seem to fade away once their days behind the wheel come to an end.

Nowhere is that more prevalent than in sprint car racing. A case in point played out at the recent Action Track sprint car show.

Lost in the crowd at the Club All-Star sprint card were two of the most prolific winners in open wheel racing, legendary drivers Rick Ferkel and Jack Hewitt.

The pair went virtually unnoticed by most in attendance including many racers that owe the pair a big thanks for “paving” the way for the many opportunities they have in racing today.

When fans were asked if they knew the name Ferkel, few if any could identify the man who was a dominant force on the winged sprint car scene back in the 1970s and 1980s.

While Hewitt’s name was more familiar, like Ferkel, it was obvious neither driver was being recognized or accorded the status that goes with one with such lofty credentials.

Ferkel was there as a car owner, Hewitt as a driver consultant. Ferkel looked as if he could still manhandle a sprint car, Hewitt showing the visible signs of what a physical toll sprint car racing can take on a man.

The well-spoken Ferkel has always been a strong ambassador for the sport, both on and off the track. He took time before the local All-Star show to speak on a variety of subjects regarding his form of racing.

Like the never-ending battle to keep up with the rising cost to go racing, he says the drivers of his day faced the same economic woes that challenge today’s racers.

“In racing there are no silver bullets. Racing has never been cheap and never will be cheap,” voiced Ferkel.

“It’s all relative,” he said of the costs to go racing in the 1970s and 1980s compared to those of today. “We used to pay 50 to 60 cents for a gallon of gas and maybe ran for a $1,000-to-win. We complained back then that everything was too expensive. It’s the same today.”

He says there is no simple solution to cutting back costs.

“You look around here today. You’ve got $100,000 to $200,000 rigs. Racers live to race. How do you stop that? Do you pull out a tape measure and say your rig can’t be any bigger than this? You can’t do that. Racing is a rich man’s sport and a poor man’s game. That’s just the way it is.”

On how soon people seem to forget, the 69-year-old Ferkel added, “The thing we forget is we get older but we don’t realize other people get older. You’ll have a day when a fan will come and ask if you remember something that happened 20 years ago. When you’ve run several hundred races of course you forget. But you don’t tell them that. It’s neat that some still remember.”

As one of the original World of Outlaws drivers, Ferkel notched more than 20 feature wins. He still follows the circuit closely.

The talk that the series will fold once Steve Kinser hangs up his helmet draws a sharp response from Ferkel.

“I’ve heard statements before that when Steve Kinser is done the Outlaws are done. That’s not true. You learn late in life that there’s always someone out there to take your place,” he said.

Speaking on the current movement where many young drivers are landing lucrative contracts with established NASCAR Sprint Cup teams, he says that trend also sends out false hope for many who think are going to be the next super star in racing.

“They all think they are going to be the next Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart. That’s not going to happen,” warned Ferkel. “There’s a lot of diversity programs like that at Roush Racing. To get in one of those you have to be awful lucky.”

“You can promote your kid. Take him to all those programs but all the talent and money doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. You have to be in the right place at the right time. Like so many other things in life timing is so important.”

Although he never won a feature at the Action Track, Ferkel always enjoyed competing here. One of his fondest moments came in the early 1980s when he ran in a special four-lap match race.

“I remember winning the race. Bubby Jones ran second. It paid $300 to win. Nothing on back. I felt so bad that I split the money up with the other guys. I’m not sure if you find that happening today,” voiced the driver fondly remembered as the “Ohio Traveler”.

Joe Buckles can be reached at jbuckles4@verizon.net

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Sports Columns

• TRACKSIDE: Local drivers, owners looking to have strong night at Tony Hulman Classic

  In its rich 43-year history, the Tony Hulman Sprint Car Classic has long carried on a strong local racing tradition.
  From its early beginnings starting in 1971, the U.S. Auto Club-sanctioned event has been the annual centerpiece of the racing calendar at the Terre Haute Action Track as well as a key stop on the USAC sprint schedule and one of the most sought after wins in big league sprint-car racing.

  May 22, 2013  

• Shooters compete to fight cancer

  A team of employees at Taghleef, formally A.E.T, would like to give a personal invite for you to join in on a lot of fun while helping save lives.
  Cindy and Mark Wilguess are the inspiration behind the Taghleef Team. Cindy herself fought this battle with cancer and won. Last year she led her team to be the No. 1 fundraisers in the Relay for Life.

  May 19, 2013  

• TILL IT'S OVER: Terre Haute Triathlon's new race director seeks more events for his hometown

  Today is the day for the Thunder in the Valley, and the Terre Haute Triathlon is under new leadership in 2013, the 28th year for the event at Hawthorn Park.
  A former Terre Haute North track and cross country standout, Ethan Page is the race director as the race falls under the reign of Page’s new company, Crossroads Events.

  May 18, 2013 2 Photos  

• TODD GOLDEN: Don't give up on ISU baseball just yet

  If you had to pick one word that would describe the 2013 Indiana State baseball season, it would have to be frustration.

  May 16, 2013  

• TRACKSIDE: Terre Haute's Carmichael enjoying strong spring in modifieds, stocks

  It might have been cold and blustery at Charleston Speedway on Saturday night, but for Terre Haute driver Kenny Carmichael the evening couldn’t have been more pleasant.

  May 15, 2013  

• From Terre Haute to the major leagues: Phegley's play could earn him promotion to Chicago

  Josh Phegley's debut in the Major Leagues could be coming to a ballpark near you.

  May 12, 2013  

• There's an expert at Parker's Archery

  As I was driving the winding roadways of southern Indiana, a rustic building caught my attention and the sign on the front revealed it to be an archery shop called Parkers Archery.

  May 10, 2013  

• TRACKSIDE: Rain still a pain for Wabash Valley racing organizers

  Soggy weather conditions, which have rightfully drawn the ire of Wabash Valley race fans and crews in recent days, continue to plague promoters where it hurts the most — their pocketbooks.

  May 8, 2013  

• RAMBLIN’ RECK: Pacers having a ‘Garden Party’

  The Indiana Pacers are back in form and looking good.

  May 7, 2013  

• KENNY BAYLESS: Sponsors sought for 'Ladies Only' event at Terre Haute Sporting Clays

  Sponsors are being sought at the Ladies Only event at Terre Haute Sporting Clays on Saturday at 10 a.m. Sponsors should be willing to donate $1 or more for every broken bird. Each lady is allowed 25 shots. Flat donations are gladly accepted. Also, organizers are looking for more ladies to participate. Ammo, clay birds, and guns (if needed) will be furnished.

  May 5, 2013  

• College Report: Lively earned collegiate upgrade with strong play

  Hillary Lively signed to play Division II basketball at Maryville (Mo.) during her senior year at North Vermillion, but those plans changed and she would up at nearby Danville Area Community College — where she recently concluded an outstanding two-year career.
  Lively was impressive enough to earn a Division I scholarship to Southeast Missouri State of the Ohio Valley Conference, and both her future and past college coaches think she will continue to succeed there.
  “She fits what we need,” SEMO coach Ty Margenthaler said. “She has college experience, she is strong and physical and plays well around the basket and moves well.
  “Her strength, rebounding and touch around the basket will be a big help. On the defensive end, she’ll be able to guard a true center.”

  May 2, 2013  

• RAMBLIN' RECK: It’s May … a time for horses and horsepower

  It’s the first day of May, a great month for sports.

  It begins with the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. My Old Kentucky Home is played before the start of the race on which hundreds of bets will be placed by folks who ordinarily don’t bet on thoroughbred horse racing.

  A week later, practice begins for the Indianapolis 500.

  May 1, 2013  

• Terre Haute runner sets up race to help Boston

  Having competed in the Boston Marathon once before in 2003, 35-year-old Majel Wells of Terre Haute thought she should give it another try in 2013.
  “My goal was just to finish and enjoy Boston,” she reflected this week. “I had an injury [runner’s knee] beforehand, so I wasn’t too worried about beating my time from 2003 [4 hours, 10.20 seconds].
  “But nobody cares about what your time is at Boston anyway.”
  From what I’ve heard over the years, she’s right. Unless you’re a super-serious runner, the Boston Marathon has been more about taking in the atmosphere and having fun than placing in the top 50, although Wells was pleased that she beat her previous time by finishing in 3:55.19 on April 15.
  Obviously, her race time wasn’t the most vivid memory that Wells took away from her 2013 Boston experience.

  April 26, 2013  

• Amey Takes Aim: NHL playoffs to put TVs to good use

  If Jenny had known, she probably wouldn’t have bought that TV.
  But four or five years ago, my Fathers Day present — for those unfamiliar with Amey family traditions, the Fathers Day one is “let’s get something we all really want and pretend it’s a gift for Dad” — was a 42-inch Vizio. It’s been used even more than the cell phone I never would have bought for myself, or the TomTom that disappeared since Jenny’s smartphone arrived.
  And it came with high-def.
  I’m not going to insult you by telling you how great high-def is, because to do so would be to imply that you are even farther behind the technological curve than I am. I’m guessing, however, that not all of you have yet discovered what it does for hockey.

  April 25, 2013  

• Foot Notes: ISU track athletes looking to keep improving at Drake Relays

  Indiana State’s track schedule has helped its men’s and women’s teams escape the glacial Wabash Valley weather and enjoy warm days in Auburn, Ala., and Knoxville, Tenn.
  With the Sycamores’ track facility basically laid to rest for competition and construction on a new one planned near the Wabash River to begin in 2014, major kudos go to everyone involved for continuing to produce athletes that are NCAA contenders who race with some of the world’s best.
  Some of ISU’s current athletes are hoping for season-best performances this weekend against strong competition in the Drake Relays.
  Former Sycamore NCAA pole-vault champion Kylie Hutson, who competes professionally for Nike and trains in her hometown of Terre Haute, also has been in Des Moines, Iowa, to compete in the Pole Vault in the Mall on Wednesday night.

  April 25, 2013  

• REDNECK QUAKER: Variety of birds to search for in turkey hunting

  My father-in-law, Donnell Dunn of Jacksonville, Fla., is a retired engineer from J.I. Case and an avid reader and loves information on anything he takes interest in. He has five patents under his belt during his career.
  Donnell took great interest in the Turkey World Slam display at Gander Mountain and thought each bird needed some info to help people understand more about them.

  April 24, 2013  

• TRACKSIDE: USAC racing picking up, including Sunday's stop in Terre Haute

  With a break in the weather, U.S. Auto Club-sanctioned racing will kick into high gear on the area motorsports scene this weekend with events scheduled at three Indiana ovals.

  April 24, 2013  

• Ramblin’ Reck: Sato first Foyt winner since 2002

  Takuma Sato made Izod IndyCar Series history Sunday when he won the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

  April 23, 2013  

• Former South players to play in Saylor benefit game

  I had my first phone conversation with Mike Saylor since mid-February on Thursday and he sounded good.
  The former Terre Haute South High School boys basketball coach, who’s been battling cancer this year, has been traveling back and forth to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for chemotherapy treatments.

  April 19, 2013 1 Photo  

• COLLEGE REPORT: Valley prep athletes getting ready for next level

  The NCAA “regular” signing period begins Wednesday for all sports except football, field hockey, soccer, track and field, cross country and men’s water polo.

  April 16, 2013  

• RAMBLIN’ RECK: Pacers closing out a nice season

  In case you hadn’t noticed, the final games of the regular season will be played this week in the National Basketball Association.

  April 16, 2013  

• Amey Takes Aim: Can’t bottle the joy of Amey vacations

  The first bad sign was the Gatorade bottle.
  In the Bataan-Death-March drive to Orlando that got the Amey family spring break vacation off to a bad start, seeing it between lanes of I-24 — as we zipped along at a 100-miles-in-five-hours clip — filled with an ominous yellow liquid was a little bit scary. And although we didn't stop to check for sure, I'm fairly certain I knew about its contents.
  And the person stuck in the same traffic jam with us, the one with the existential license plate YMIHR4, couldn’t have asked a more pertinent question.
  But, after seeing a lot more of Oak Grove, Ky., than we’d planned, and after enduring more traffic slowdowns in Nashville, we were on our way. Even some rain in the dark in the Smokies didn’t slow us down much, so you would think our first-day troubles were over.
  You would be wrong.

  April 14, 2013  

• Redneck Quaker: Mascari gets thrills from turkey hunting

  Annie Mascari is a beautiful, vibrant, 26-year-old lady that loves the outdoors.
  She comes from a large family of four brothers and a sister and lives the teachings of good family values.
  Olivia Rightly let me know that I “should talk to my teacher at St. Pats School, Ms. Mascari, because she’s taken a turkey.”
  As I shook Annie’s hand, I could feel the energy she has for life. As proof, the first time she went up in an airplane, she jumped out of it!
  She’s also quite the hunter. Mascari picked up a used PSE bow for $30, one for a left-hander because her left eye is dominate for shooting. The Page Arrows are her choice for broadheads.

  April 14, 2013  

• RAMBLIN’ RECK: Louisville gets two shots at NCAA title

  Louisville met Michigan in the championship game of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Monday. Louisville faces Connecticut in the title tilt of the women’s tournament tonight.

  April 9, 2013  

• REDNECK QUAKER: Learning to shoot clays a great experience

  Tom Mitchell from Burnett is an all-around outdoor enthusiast. His passions are motorcycles, cars, and most of all, shooting sports. When he sights in on metal target shooting with a hand gun or rifle you will hear a lot of “clang” noises, he can shoot very quiet also, because he is licensed to own suppressers.

  April 7, 2013  

• TRACKSIDE: Racing season picking up speed

  With several tracks already open and others scheduled to get underway this weekend it’s a sure sign the area motorsports campaign has taken the green flag for the 2013 season.

  April 3, 2013  

• RAMBLIN’ RECK: Out with the hoops, in with the bats

  It’s a super week for sports fans — college basketball comes to a close and the first baseball games are played in the major leagues.

  April 2, 2013  

• COLLEGE REPORT: Conferences honor Valley softball players

  Several Wabash Valley area college softball players have been honored by their respective conferences for outstanding play this spring.

  April 2, 2013  

• FROM THE PRESSBOX: Content McKenna has enjoyed seeing ISU's progress

  It all happened so fast in June 2010.
  One minute, Kevin McKenna was head coach of the Indiana State men’s basketball program. Then — poof! — he was gone.
  McKenna resigned from his head coaching position at ISU on June 13, 2010 to take an assistant coach position on Dana Altman’s then-burgeoning University of Oregon staff.

  March 31, 2013  

• FROM THE PRESSBOX: NCAA got it right with Louisville in Indianapolis

  The worst decision and the best decisions made by the NCAA Tournament selection committee shared space on Lucas Oil Stadium’s hardwood Friday night.
  The Midwest Regional’s opener pitted Louisville and Oregon, two teams that were on the opposite sides of the NCAA’s coin on Selection Sunday.
  Oregon, winner of the Pac-12 Tournament and Pac-12 runner-up in the regular season, was shockingly seeded 12th in the Midwest Region.

  March 30, 2013  

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