NickHolt Posted June 1, 2003 Report Share Posted June 1, 2003 ChuckLicata correctly picked Bill LaBarge to win the 5/31/03 Texas Pro Sedan race at San Antonio Speedway. Congratulations Mr. Licata! So far the season standings are: ChuckLicata - 2 SASPEEDRACER24 - 1 TIM - 1 Nick Holt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FryarFan Posted June 3, 2003 Report Share Posted June 3, 2003 Nick, First off let me state that I haven't been keeping up with the TPS series real close the last few years...... But, in looking at SASPEEDRACER's pics from Sat night at SAS, I noticed the grey and black #78 VW that the results say Bruce was driving. Is this the same old bug that Mike Knotts(?) drove for years???? And if it is, wouldn't that make it one of(if not the one) the longest running continuously used race cars in So. Texas?? Unless it has been updated in last few years, I remember that thing was running in the 80's in the TIDA. Just curious. Billy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txtom Posted June 3, 2003 Report Share Posted June 3, 2003 Billy, I don't know if Mike posts here to answer your question, but it one of those same old cars he has had for years, and it may be older than we think. His shop is about 3 or 4 miles from me, and I've seen that car forever right outside his shop. At any one time, there may be a half-dozen or so TPS cars around his place. Nick can add to this about when that car was originally built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
97car Posted June 4, 2003 Report Share Posted June 4, 2003 The 78 bug is Mike Knotts old bug,but not the one from the eighties,He bought this back in the early nineties it is the old Donnie Moore tube frame bug,but I think it still qualifies as the oldest running TPS car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted June 4, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2003 Billy, Sorry for taking so long to answer your questions. I think Kevin Hallman (97car) has provided the information you were interested in. I rely heavily on the amazing store of knowledge that Mike Knotts has amassed over the years. Mike, as you know, has been racing with the TIDA Pro Sedans and the Texas Pro Sedans since it was formed as an organization by Neil Upchurch 28 years ago! I wish he would post here. Nick Holt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted June 4, 2003 Report Share Posted June 4, 2003 Call Mike, I'll betcha he still has that original bug back there behind the fences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SASPEEDRACER24 Posted June 4, 2003 Report Share Posted June 4, 2003 Just to let ya'll know and I dont know if you looked at the results at all but that was Bruce Mabrito behind the wheel of that car... He looked like he was having a great time as usual Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted June 4, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2003 Marc, While he only races for the fun of it these days, Bruce is actually a very experienced road circuit driver with some pretty impressive venues listed on his racing resume dating from the 60's. Bruce and I teamed up back in the mid '70's when he agreed to drive the #20 Chevy Vega Mini Stock that Johnny Ivy and I built and owned. By the time Bruce came on board I had already figured out that driving was not for me and Johnny was driving both at Paramount Speedway in Austin of Friday nights and at Pan American Speedway in San Antonio of Saturdays. Bruce jumped right in and won quite a few races with that Vega and impressed a lot of folks with his skill and willingness to trade paint if needed. He was behind the wheel the night that a VW Sedan suddenly stopped in front of the pack at Pan Am and Bruce went flying over the top of the VW and landed nose-first on the back straight. That's when I first learned the joys of putting on a front clip. We took the Vega to Highway 16 (now San Antonio Speedway) the year Ricci Ware, Sr. closed Pan Am, and Bruce was again behind the wheel when the right front hub broke going into turn one wide open (the car handled so well that he would flat-foot the thing the whole way around the track). The wall proved much stronger than the Vega, however. End of race car. Since then Bruce has not had a serious ride, but has dabbled with a wide variety of race cars including the #78 Mike Knotts VW Sedan. He does indeed have fun racing and would do really well in a Pro Sedan that was capable of running up front. Nick Holt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckLicata Posted June 4, 2003 Report Share Posted June 4, 2003 What's Mabrito's status? Is he in a car to run the next TPS race? Or was the last race a one-time thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted June 6, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2003 Chuck, Bruce drives in a few Texas Pro Sedan races each season using one of Mike Knott's "extra" race cars. Nick Holt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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