NickHolt

They are on VCR cassettes - Are there more than one size? These cassettes are about 6" x 4" X 1" inch. The same size that fits into a standard VCR player. Nick

Saturday I was digging through some old stuff looking for my binoculars when I stumbled accross 20 or 20 videos by "Videos by Donna." These were of the years I was Chief Steward - mid 90's - and I had forgotten all about them. How do I get them into digital format? I'd love to share some of these with folks who might be interested. Nick

Well, if you watched me, you learned what NOT to do for sure! Nick

Another time Neil upchurch asked me to flag a TIDA Late Model race for him. In those days there were a bunch of LMs that showed up to do battle Unless I'm totally mixed up, I believe this one was a 125-lap event. I had never done any flagging (except in practice, but anyone can do that) so I was really psyched up - I guess nervous would be a better way to put it. I don't remember a whole lot about the race but as far as I know, I didn't screw anything up too badly. But just like driving a race car, it's a lot easier to do sitting in the grandstands sipping a cold one than actually doing it. Nick

I bet Joe Horne doesn't even remember this, but way back when, he asked me to announce a race or two very early in the season until he could get someone hired. Don't recall what year it was, but the old scoring tower was still there. The plexiglass windows on the South end of the booth - where the announcer was - were entirely missing. Instant air conditioning! LOL As I recall, there weren't a whole lot of folks in the stands, but I had a good time. No driver bios, not even a drivers list. All by memory. But I do remember hanging out the window to chat with folks or to see if the National Anthem was loud enough on the PA.. Does anyone else remember anything about that? Nick

I wonder exactly how many cars ended up bent beyond repair after an encounter with the infamous SAS boiler plate... I know of one for sure. The Johnny Ivy / Nick Holt / Bruce Mabrito Vega broke a RF hub going into turn one in 1978 with Bruce behind the wheel. "Hello wall, goodbye car." Too bad, too. That car was mighty quick on the half-mile. Nick

That would be a young Don Bierschwale standing behind Labonte's ride. Nick

I don't even know where to start.. I was racing at Pan American Speedway in late 1976 when we started hearing rumors about a new half-mile track being built south of town on the Poteet Highway. We all knew that Ricci Ware and certain group of drivers had had a huge disagreement about the way that the drivers' share of the front gate was being handled. And we all knew that many of the drivers had stopped racing at Pan Am and at Paramount Speedway in Austin, Ricci's other track. But what we didn't know is that a group of disgruntled drivers had been working behind the scenes to build a "professional" track that was designed to compete directly with Pan American Speedway. That group of drivers formed a 33-member partnership with various members contributing money, labor, expertise, materials and moral support, but the main force behind the effort was being provided by Don Bierschwale who owned a prosperous funeral home on Military Drive on San Antonio's deep south side. Bierschwale, in fact, was elected President of the group's board. Construction on the new "Highway 16 Raceway" began in March, 1977, and the first race was held on August 22, 1977. The track's motto was, "When the green flag drops, the bullshit stops," an obvious reference to their disagreement with Ricci Ware. Many of the Pan American and Paramount drivers abandoned Ricci's ship and Ricci only ran head-to-head with the new track for a year before pulling the plug. Former NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Champion Terry Labonte from Corpus Christi won the first Late Model Sportsman Championship in 1977 in an abbreviated opening season. Well, I started... I've got tons more, but I'll hold off for now. Nick

Well, once we figure out what's wrong with the upload function in the forum software .. Nick I think we have all systems go again Nick -Randy

$575 Complete with Warranty! Did it include crash damage? LOL Nick

I think this is awesome, Randy! And I truly appreciate all the hard work Randy puts into the very popular history section. Every day I get email and registration requests from people who have Googled some name from the past or a long-forgotten track and found this site. And Tom Taylor (txtom on here) is one of those guys you really can't say enough positive stuff about... Without a doubt he's one of the most well-respected members of our Texas racing community and a trusted friend of mine. Thanks for making this happen, Tom. Nick

Without a doubt, the history sections here on TXSZ are incredibly valuable. I have learned so much reading what everyone has to offer and looking at the pics. Some of those pics are worth their weight in gold if you ask me. I'm happy to help make this section more readable, but I also appreciate everyone's efforts to resize before posting and helping me keep the place orderly. Midget85, please contact me. I have a huge favor to ask... Nick

This stuff is priceless. Don't feel at all bad about the bandwidth. This is an important piece of Texas racing history and deserves all the space it takes to get the history recorded. Nick

This stuff is incredible! What a legacy we are handing down to the racers yet to come! Nick

Darn good question. I really don't have a good solution either.. Maybe someone can chime in with a suggestion. Nick

Great pics! What a treasure trove.. BUT ... since this multi-megabite thread is crashing a few machines (mostly our loyal dial up users), I am going to try to break out each pic and then post them a few at a time sometime soon (depends on when I find the time to get this done). SO ... if you want to download these pics as they are posted now, please do so in the next day or two. Thanks Nick

Kenny, If you are using any version of Windows, there is a program in the accessories called "Paint." It's old, but it works. 1) Open the pic in Paint. 2) Click on Image 3) Click on Stretch/Skew 4) In the Stretch section, type in the percentage of stretch you want in both the Horizontal and Vertical boxes. Make sure the percentages are the same for both the horizontal and vertical or the pic will distort. To make the pic smaller, type in a number less than 100. To make the pic larger, type in a number more than 100. I usually try 50% and if it looks about like the size I want to post, I save it and post it. You can play with the numbers to make it any size you want. Nick

At the end of every file, there is an extension. Example: Picture1.jpg The file name is Picture1 and the extension is JPG file. A JPG or a JPEG or a PNG file extension indicates that the file is in a particular format that the Lone Star Speedzone software uses to post pics.. Hope this helps. Nick

The file size of the file should not be larger than 1000 KB (1 Megabyte) and should be a JPG, JPEG or PNG file. To add a pic to a new post in an existing thread: 1) Click on "More Reply Options" near the bottom of the page. 2) At the bottom of the text box click on "Choose File" which will take you to your computer's file system. 3) Find the file name of the pic you want to post and double click the file name. The file name will then appear to the right of the "Choose File" box. 4) Click "Attach This File" which is just below the "Choose File" box. 5) Post your post like you always do. Your picture will appear at the bottom of the post. Or if you want your pic to appear at someplace other that at the bottom of the post, position your cursor where you want the pic to appear, then click "Add to Post." The file name of the pic will appear where you placed it. Then post your post like you always do. To add a pic to the 1st post in a new thread you are starting: 1) At the bottom of the text box click on "Choose File" which will take you to your computer's file system. 2) Find the file name of the pic you want to post and double click the file name. The file name will then appear to the right of the "Choose File" box. 3) Click "Attach This File" which is just below the "Choose File" box. 4) Post your post like you always do. Your picture will appear at the bottom of the post. Or if you want your pic to appear at someplace other that at the bottom of the post, position your cursor where you want the pic to appear, then click "Add to Post." The file name of the pic will appear where you placed it. Then post your post like you always do. Have fun! Nick

TO POST A PHOTO IN THE LSSZ FORUMS To post a pic in your post, select "chose files" at the bottom of the text box and double click on the file(s) you want to post. Doing that will upload the file to the software and a thumbnail of the pic will appear below the text box. To place the pic where you want it to appear in your post, click your cursor where you want the pic to actually show up in the text box and then click on the thumbnail of the pic you have uploaded. You will see the pic has now been placed where you selected. Otherwise the pic will appear at the end of the post.

Matt Howell of Action Rentals and Sales has once again stepped up to sponsor the Texas Speed Zone "Who Will Win" contests starting with the races scheduled for May 6, 2006. Like last year, the TXSZ staff will keep track of who wins the "Who Will Win" contests for the five Texas-based racing series – USRA SLM, USRA Modifieds, USRA Trucks, TSRS and TPS - and Action Rentals and Sales will be awarding cash prizes to those with the most correct selections. At the end of the racing season, the person who has accumulated the most wins for each of the five series will collect a $50 cash prize courtesy of Matt Howell of Action Rentals. If there is a tie for first, or if there are several people are tied for first place at the end of the season, the cash will be divided up evenly among the winners for that particular series. Matt is actively involved in stock car racing and currently competes in the very competitive United States Racing Association Truck Series. Please check the Who Will Win rules (above) for complete details and contest rules. Nick Holt

Please follow the Lone Star Speedzone Classified Section rules: (1) No bashing of any kind. (2) All items posted for sale must be racing-related and directly related to motorsports. (3) No Soliciting. (4) Do not post advertisements for a business. If you have a business and would like to promote your business here (a very good idea), please contact the site administrator, Nick Holt (nick.lssz@gmail.com). (5) Posts containing offensive, abusive, aggressive, defamatory, disruptive or otherwise inappropriate language will be edited or removed. (6) Impersonating another member is not allowed and responding to your own ad with another screen name is not permitted. (7) Ads older than 60 days old are subject to removal. (8) If you have a legitimate question about the item(s) for sale in the LSSZ Classifieds, please feel free to inquire in the thread where the item(s) appear. But if you are simply starting a conversation or having fun with a particular Classified, please start a thread in the discussion forums. Thanks for your understanding. We hope you enjoy the LSSZ Classified Section!

General Guidelines First and foremost, Lone Star Speedzone (LSSZ) is not a bash site. There are plenty of bash sites out there, but LSSZ is not one of them. The goal of this site is to be a positive influence within the Texas racing community. To that end, we ask that you abide by the guidelines listed below and the spirit of those guidelines. LSSZ membership is a privilege, not a right. We value every member and want you to be here, but we reserve the right to suspend or ban members, to limit posting privileges and to edit or delete any posts/threads for any reason. (1) LSSZ is designed to be a safe, moderated discussion board where topics of interest to the Texas racing community can be discussed in a calm, civil manner. Please say what you need to say in a polite, non-aggressive way. We are not here to provide a soapbox for troublemakers or disgruntled individuals. If anyone has an issue with another member, a track or series official, sponsors, etc., please take the issue up with that individual in private. (2) LSSZ does not permit the bashing of others - especially Texas-based (local track) drivers, legitimate Texas-based racing tracks, Texas-based racing series and other legitimate Texas-based racing organizations. Do not post abusive, disruptive, defaming, hostile, aggressive, rude, crude, offensive or vulgar comments in the forums. (3) LSSZ is viewed under the Communications Decency Act as a "distributor" and therefore protected under from legal action claims for "defamation" or "libel." However, LSSZ members who post things that may be considered to be defamation of character or libel can have legal action taken against them by the individual or company involved. Likewise, it is not LSSZ's responsibility to defend our members (or anyone else using this site) against defamation/libel charges lodged against them. (4) No Soliciting. (5) Do not post advertisements unless you have an advertising agreement with LSSZ or are posting a personal, racing-related item for sale in the classifieds. We will be happy to talk to you about becoming an advertising partner on LSSZ . Just drop us an email at nick.lssz@gmail.com. For further information about becoming a LSSZ advertiser, see the advertising section below. (6) LSSZ Administrators and Moderators do not discuss the reason why posts are deleted (or not deleted), edited (or not edited) in the public forums unless they decide to do so for educational purposes. If you have an issue with a deletion or edit, discuss it with the Administrator directly via a PM, email, text message, phone call or in person. (7) All members must have a current, valid email address on file or their membership will be subject to termination. (8) Impersonating another member or the use of multiple screen names is not permitted. (9) "Flooding" the forum with multiple posts with the same or similar content is not permitted. Choose the most appropriate forum area to post your content rather than posting in several different forum sections with the same basic message. (10) LSSZ does not delete user accounts upon request. If someone gets banned or no longer wishes to be a LSSZ member, their posts will remain public in public view. On the other hand, LSSZ does reserve the right to delete any account and any/all posts at our discretion. (11) Private Messages or emails are private. Posting the contents of someone's PM or email without expressed permission is a serious "no-no." Likewise, posting another member's personal information without express permission is not permitted. (12) LSSZ reserves the right to terminate any member, restrict posting privileges, edit or remove posts/threads at any time and for any reason. Advertising policy 1. Do not post ads for a business in the LSSZ forums, including the Classifieds, signature blocks and personal information sections, unless that business has an advertising agreement with LSSZ. If in doubt, contact the Administrator, Nick Holt. 2. Do not post links or URLs to websites unless that site is: a business that already has an advertising agreement with LSSZ; a race track, a recognized racing series, or a driver’s personal website; a photo site such as Flickr, PhotoBucket or U-Tube; a site featuring news stories of general interest to LSSZ members. 3. Blatant advertisements for businesses included in the body of press releases and/or forum posts will be edited out unless that business has an advertising agreement with LSSZ. 4. Signature blocks, personal profiles, posts and/or classified posts may not contain links to sponsors’ sites or advertisements for that sponsor unless that business has an advertising agreement with LSSZ. 5. Screen names cannot be the name of a business unless that business has an advertising agreement with LSSZ. 6. However, referring to a race event or race car by the sponsor’s name in posts is acceptable. Examples might be: “The Sunoco Season Opener” “Lone Star Speedzone Late Model” “Simpson Racing Products Modified” 7. Signature blocks and personal profiles may include the names of (but not a link to or advertisements for) the race team’s sponsors. All fonts used in these two areas must be small and non-obtrusive. Some examples might be: Your Name, driver of the Lone Star Speedzone ASCS Sprint Car” “Your Name, owner of the Nick Holt Suspension Seminars Pro Truck” “Your Name, crew chief on the Maui Tan Monte Carlo” We recognize that teams need to promote their sponsors and we also know that Lone Star Speedzone is an effective way for a business to get their name, products and services out there. Contact Nick if you would like to advertise with us or if you have any questions regarding these guidelines. We really appreciate your cooperation. Nick Holt, Admin - Lone Star Speedzone (nick.lssz@gmail.com) A word about Security on Lone Star Speedzone No digital communications are 100% secure. Anyone with the right equipment and software can access just about any form of communications out there. So keep in mind that your registration data is "private" only in the sense that other Lone Star Speedzone members cannot access or view them. In addition, if I receive a legal subpoena for a member's personal information (IP address, email address, content of PMs, etc) I am legally obligated to provide such data (but only after I put up a huge stink about it with whoever will listen). The bottom line is that any internet communication is not secure and you should communicate accordingly. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation. Nick Holt, Admin, Lone Star Speedzone nick.lssz@gmail.com

Please read and honor the Lone Star Speedzone forum guidelines: http://www.lonestarspeedzone.com/topic/10797-lssz-general-guidelines-posted-here/ Thanks. Nick Holt Administrator