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Following are the 2003 News Postings
November 5, 2003 - Well, the Advance Auto Parts, Gerry's Service, Top Shop Collision, Fat Man Pizza number 71 Chevy Monte Carlo won an award at the Ransomville Speedway banquet Saturday night. We were given the Best Appearing ProStock of the Year award!!! It's pretty awesome getting recognized for all the hard work we put into the car every week. I can't accept the award without thanking all the people that made it happen: Papa G for all the support, Joe Notaro at Top Shop Collision in North Tonawanda, NY for laying down the paint and sponsoring the team, Tom Maxwell for all the scuffing and spraying and Matt Alix (Lancaster Modified driver) for the awesome job lettering the car. Yeah, I had a scuff pad and ideas, but those guys really made it happen.
Here's an update on the car: We've got the car over at Gerry's Service pulling the engine and giving it a freshen up. We also picked up a 26' enclosed trailer so we've got some more flexibility next year. We've got some big plans for next year. I'm feeling pretty good with the excellent end to the 2003 season and we're going to have a break out year in 2004!
September 16, 2003 - Sorry for the late update, and I gotta be quick. On top of an EXCELLENT run in the King of the Hill, we also moved out to Royalton over the weekend...We started 15th and finished 7th! It was an awesome race...even won $195!!! Okay, more moving to do...I'll get a good write up in the next few days.
September 11, 2003 - September 11, 2003 - Game on! We ARE racing the King of the Hill!!! For a while there we were gonna have to let it go to move into our new place . But, alas, closing dates moved and we're gonna be there, and be there strong! Just gave the engine a major tune-up, fresh tires on chrome rims and we're ready! Racing starts at 6:15 Saturday...hope to see you there!!!!
September 5, 2003 - First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMIE!!!! Second, WE WON THE HEAT RACE AGAIN! We've won two heat races in a row!!!! AND, a 5th place finish in the feature. A top 5 and 2 heat race wins in a row...what a way to end the regular season...man, what a night. Here we go...started 4th in the heat, was able to power by the car in front of me by the time we got to turn 1, blew by the pole sitter and lead every lap from there. It was great! Just drove that thing like it was meant to and took the checkers. Not much more to say other than the car was fast and I took what it would give me. Onto the feature, we started up front and stayed there. I was running third with the 6M and 9J (Williams brothers), right on Mike and running hard, the three of us took from the rest of the pack and had our own race going on. Then, the caution came out. I ran it in there for several laps, then the 6M got next to me and we raced hard for the last 4 laps. I mean I was working it for every inch I could get, but kept it clean. We were racing hard comin' off those turns, runnin' door-to-door at full speed. We raced it clean and I nipped him at the line for 5th. We had a great conversation with Butch afterwards...totally awesome race! I gotta thank Pete Stefanski for giving me some tips between the heat and the feature. Those Stefanski boys are good people! That was really the last race of the regular season. There is a tour race next Friday and the King of the Hill, 100 lapper for $1000, Saturday the 13th. We know we aren't going to the tour race, and we're holding out hope for the King of the Hill! We'll be moving out to 7 acres in Royalton next weekend! We were supposed to close Monday, looks like Friday instead...which makes for a bogus weekend....BUT, wow, I'm still pretty pumped about the progress we made this year. We really ended it on an awesome note and I know next year is gonna be the break out year for us...I'll be keeping this site updated, so don't go away yet...
August 29, 2003 - WE FINALLY WON something!!!! It was only a heat race (qualifier for starting position in the feature). But, we won, start to finish, every lap, first car to the finish line with the checkers waving! It was a fun night all in all, we gathered up an 8 of 20 in the feature and just had a blast! Special thanks to Leslie Wakeman and Peggy Miller from work for coming out to the race tonight, it was great to make some new race fans (I think we converted them, they loved it!). Heat race: The 10 car had the pole but decided to start tail which gave it to me. I led 'em down and didn't see another car until the caution with 2 to go. We got back to racing and the 6K pulled up along side me coming down for the green. I wasn't sure what that was all about, but knew I could run away from him if I went for it, so I did. I came down for the checkers and won it! Finally, we saw the checkers first. Onto the feature...we came down for the green and the 6K slid right down in front of the 66 inside of me. So, that left the top for me, just when I decided I'll go for it, he pushes like crazy up the track, I check up, wait to see what's gonna happen, take off behind the 66 and the caution comes out. Apparently that little hold up caused the back of the pack to really take a beating. Looked like Mike and Brett Martin both got nailed (father and son). 4 or 5 cars were spun out when we came back around. We raced hard the rest of the way, we were faster than the 6M, because I had to keep checking up in the corners to stay outta him. But, I kept a clean nose and brought her home in one piece with a solid 8th. It was the best racing of my life. I really drove it in there and held them off. Great night at the track...
August 22, 2003 - August 22, 2003 - Another flat, another 17th (of 20 this time). We've gotta figure out what's goin' on here, right front again. I'm kinda frustrated because I was running great! Lap 10, a caution comes out, I'm cruising around the track on the yellow laps and it just went down. Lost 3 laps getting it changed. The Wayne Close team came over and got it going while Fish was hauling back to the pits to get it changed. We always have fun getting out at the track, but dang it's hard when your running well and just some bad mojo comes along two weeks in a row. We didn't hit anybody or anything, it just went flat on us. We'll pick ourselves up and get back there next week and give 'em hell! Only one points race left, then a regular show and the King of the Hill 100 lapper for $1000. The season's winding down, so we need to get a good finish here and carry it into next year. We've got a lock on a top 10 points finish, so we're just gonna race the hell out of it and see what happens....
August 15, 2003 - Fn flat on lap 8 relegated us to a 17 of 19 finish. Very disappointing. We lost like 3-5 laps in the pits gettin' her changed and back out. Special thanks to the 549 crew, Dave Nichols, Jeff Martin, John Ortiz and Wayne Close for coming over to help get it done. We got back on the track on lap 13 and saw the checkers. There was nothing to do except run around the back and get some seat time. Not near as much fun stuff to report, so that's it tonight....
August 13, 2003 - The Corvette is sold! Papa G. and I just got done going over the car making sure we're ready for Friday. We're ready.
August 8, 2003 - 8th of 18. Man, I hope I can keep saying this every week, but that was the best race I've ever had! Started 10th, holding onto it, nobody's gettin' by and about lap 4 or 5 SLAM, the 15 car nails me in the rear end. It starts coming around on me, I'm crankin' right, brakin', just as I was thinking about kickin' it to make sure I get the 360 and not just 180 out of it the car catches, I crank 'er back right (straight!) and kept it. It was an excellent save! So, we keep cruising and diggin' every lap, holding a nice line and really having a ball. About lap 15 I catch up to the 22 car and start seeing how he's running. 3 to go and I know he's gonna push up top heading into 3, so I lift a little early, crank 'er down, he slides up and got underneath him and took the spot. It was an awesome, clean pass under competition. Well, I got the 22-car thank you tap heading into 1, gotta lift, just a little (especially knowing it was just 'cuz he was mad he lost the spot), keep it underneath me and drive away from him. Damn I love this racin' thing, we had a blast tonight!!! Wanna hear about the heat ? A'ight, keep going.....Started like 7th. Coming off of four heading for the green flag, the 6K's left rear slops in a mud puddle and slimes a wad of mud that covered 90% of my helmet shield. 99.9% of my vision: gone. It was like Alien , splat! Mind you, this is the start, slow cars up front, fast cars in the back, 2 wide, 0"- 6" from each other. As I am reaching for a tear off the 113 dies, the 99S is next to me. I don't know what happened (I couldn't see, remember?), I'm sure my hands stayed straight and I held my line, but somehow I ripped a piece of the 99s off with nerf bar. The 2S Stefanski boys came out and helped get me back on the track during the caution. Those dudes rule! We held onto a qualifying position for the feature so it was good race. Lotta fun tonight. A very special welcome to Papa G's fishing pal Jeff (the tarp dude) and his wife Tammy Moser (not sure on the spelling, but since Moser make excellent axles, we'll go with it for now) from Wabash, Indiana! They were in the area and decided to come to the track and had a great time. It's always nice to have friendly faces in the pits and talk racing (I know I say that a lot, but it's true! Especially tonight, they're nice people, loved the race...and are going to read this...hehehehehehe). Welp, I'm heading to the Glen tomorrow, so I should try to get some sleep...lots o' partying to do.
August 1, 2003 - 2nd in the heat, 12th in the feature. Not the best finish ever, but it was the best I've ever felt in the car. Smooth, confident, relaxed and just powering into the turns. It really felt good. It sure didn't feel like twelfth, that's for dang sure! We didn't hit anything or anybody, kept it on the track the whole race and had a really good time! A bunch o' the buddies came out tonight, it was great to have our friends at the track! A great confidence builder, something to bring with us Tuesday night. We're supporting the 358-modified tour race at the track. That'll make 3 races in 7 days, so we really needed to bring it home in one piece tonight. We're going to be able to build on this one and start climbing our way up. Dave from Gerry's Service was there too with his wife son and friends. It's always nice to see friendly faces in the crowd and spend some time talking racin'...and I'm glad Dave has a clue!!! He was checking out the attitude of the car and gave us some tips on the setup. So, we're gonna make a change, get her scaled and get our way to the front!
July 25, 2003 - July 25, 2003 - Thir-freakin'-teenth. A WHOLE bunch of our friends from ARC (Papa G's work: Atlantic Research Corporation; they make rockets...) came out tonight, had a box and everything...total VIP treatment! So, we were hoping for a better showing. The most relaxed I've ever been in the car, the car handled great, was having a ball, then we got some help and spun it around about lap 5 or 6. No caution, but I was 4th or so and then started up tail. Then I got by 3 of them near the end and put it around all by myself...no excuses, I just got too aggressive and looped it. If I could only have that one turn back (and of course, it was between 1 & 2). But, we had fun and finally didn't tear it up. We had a lot of fun after the race hanging out with the ARC crew after the races. It was fun to hang out and talk about racin' and kid around a little. So, just some washing and straightening out the panel that 15 car pushed in...idiot. I feel real good about the car, it was excellent! We made some changes to the setup this week and they worked. I'm looking forward to next week, shoot, I'm ready now! Thanks for stopping by, we love watching that hit counter climb. So, come on back!!!
July 18, 2003 - We got 11th. One of these days I'm gonna string 20 good laps together and break away here. Put together 17 of 'em, the last 17 too, but the 3rd one saw me spinout in two. The car was wicked loose and I picked up the throttle goin into 2 a little too early and then it just came around...and it came around quick. No caution, kept it running and grabbed tail, passed a couple of cars after the next caution and got it up to 11th. We went up one in points, we're now running in 8th. We're half way home in the season and I'd like to get a few good finishes and move up a spot or two. We're gonna make some more chassis changes this week. The car's had a big push for the last month and we worked it out, a little too far. So, a few cranks here and a few more there and we should be able to do something with it. Big week, the big blocks are in town and Papa G's work is coming to the track. We're pretty excited for a good finish!!! I'll let ya know how it goes.
July 11, 2003 - An unbelievable 7th of 21. Why you ask ? Lemme tell ya! I started in the second row, outside. Lap 1 turn 1, pushed it a little too hard and SLAM, passenger side into the guard rail...come off the rail, and SLAM, driver side into the 99S so hard he got airborne. Unbelievable because I just straightened the wheel and took off tail on the field once I got it back under control. Both front rims are so wasted I can't believe they held up for the rest of the 20 laps, but they did! How we got back to 7th is a mystery, I'm gonna have to buy the video just to figure it out. Once I get in there, you ain't getting me off the track no matter what happens. So, perserverence paid off tonight. I just tried to take some pictures to post but the flash wouldn't go. I'll try again tomorrow in the light. Oh yeah, I pounded that 99S so hard it ripped the drivers side nerf bar right off the car, I mean gone. So gone, we couldn't even find it at the track afterwards. Some fabrication work this week...I'm not even sure how bad it is yet; the sunlight will tell the story. Well, I think I can sleep now, adrenaline feels burned off and I am shot. Thanks again for stopping by!!!!!
July 4, 2003 - Happy Birthday America!!!!! 14th of 28. Started 14th and finished 14th. I held on, 2 got by and I passed another 2 breaking even for the night. It was a tour race tonight, so the best of the best showed up for the special 30 lap show. The track was slick and hard to hold onto, almost lost it twice, but we got through it and had a ball! Shoot, we even won $50, a HUGE payout for this division! We had a lot of fun tonight, something to build on and keep improving on.
June 27, 20003 - 17 of 21 for $15 purse. Roughest night I've ever had. So, that's what a pinball feels like. Gerry's Service, our premier sponsor, rented a box for the night so I was hoping for a much better showing. We had a lot of fun hanging out afterwards, but I'll have to get it over to their shop tomorrow morning to get it all fixed. Steering gear box mounting bolts broke, grade 8 bolt sheared...not cool. After about lap 3 it was a giant handful, the steering wheel was bouncing back and forth and the thing just would not turn! The only way to make it was go in slow and then punch it to make the rear end come around to get around. Rough night, scared Papa G to death...I just wanted to finish the race! And of course, I felt good going into the night, bounced off of pretty much everything out there, moving and not moving, just hit it. Lots of body work, I'm a little worried about how bad the underside is...gonna have to wait for light to see for sure. Thanks for stopping by, I'll let you know how it went....
June 22, 2003 - Dang, we actually finished 7th out of 20. I was feeling so crappy we left right after the race and didn't get the official finish. I just checked it out and we did even better than we thought! Having said 8th - 11th Friday night I wanted to let you know it was even better than that...
June 20, 2003 - I'm sick as a freakin' dog, coughing and nose and absolutely felling like crap! Funny though, how some 110 octane can clear those sinuses up and make you forget all about it....mmmmm, 110 octane...mmmm. Finished somewhere between 8th and 11th. New setup in the car, some EXCELLENT work from the guys at Gerry's Service and the car was awesome, I'm still working on turns 1 and 2 (f'n 1). Stefanski couldn't get by clean, so he hit me and hit and hit me until he loosened me up enough to get by...racin' I spose, but, we both know (and now all of you do too!) he couldn't make it by the clean way tonight. Then, money lap, last turn of the last lap, the 22 slipped up the track, I dove underneath him and got him. Unfortunately, we got together (he came down, I went up...it was mutual) and we got some pretty good damage on the right side. So, after the checkers the freakin' guy hit me about 6 times pulling off the track. Had some great clean side by side racing with Dave Williams in the 9J car. That was awesome, we held our lines and raced like crazy (it would've just been fun if he'da gotten by, it was awesome 'cuz I got the spot!) Alright, that's it for me...more later this weekend if I can free up some time....June 13, 2003 - Another freakin' rain out. It poured so hard they called it about 2:30 this afternoon. Matt Alix came by this morning and put some new graphics on it...as always, he did an excellent job! The debut will have to wait until next week.
June 6, 2003 - 9th of 19; even led the first 3 laps! Only a couple of mistakes from a top 5. We're learning more every week and trying stuff doing what we can to get there. While it ain't the best finish ever, it felt like the best drive I've ever put in. Twice it pushed up pretty hard between 1 and 2 (of course!), that let some of them get by. It was a special 30 lapper tonight so hanging on for those extra laps and getting the great feel inside that car was great. Jipp Ortiz stopped by with some words of encouragement before the feature and that really helped settle me down and get me into 1 from the pole...THANKS Jipp!
We had a great fan turnout tonight too! John Kostan, Al and Mary Lu Cohan and even my father in-law Len Rootes came out tonight. It's great to have some support and friendly faces in the pits...THANKS Guys!!! Papa G went Walleye fishing in Lake Erie to catch and tell some lies with his long-time friends from Indiana. We missed him tonight, but know he was having fun too! Last but not least, thanks to you for stopping by and checking us out, without the friends, family and support from people like you we couldn;t do what we do.
May 30, 2003 - Finished 2nd outta 7 in the heat race, and it was great. The car was handling like a champ and I was doing my part too. Got a VERY disappointing 12 of 16 in the feature. We had a solid 4th place going up until lap 16 (of 20). It was GREAT!!! Super run, I'm making great progress and powering the car around and really having some fun. Then the caution came out for some action behind me. We got bunched up again and off we went, it was pushing up between turns 1 & 2, a couple of them got by; as I'm trying to get the handle back and just start to pick up the throttle the T21 car went on the bottom, then just slammed right up into me and flattened my front left tire with 2 laps to go. I don't know what he was thinking. Ruined a career best finish for me. Looks like there is some damage underneath to boot. We'll see tomorrow when we have some more light and can get a good look at it. Some nights I might have gotten a little more than I really earned, tonight was the opposite. I earned a great finish with some hard work and good driving only to have it wrecked away. We'll pick up the pieces and get back in shape for next week. Thanks for stopping by!!!!!
May 23, 2003 - Two weeks in a row a wash out. This week we had to load up and get all the way to track just as everyone else was leaving. They called it somewhere around 6:30, so we're home, not too wet, unloaded and ready to hit the track! Next week is a special 30 lap Pro Stock championship race and we're looking for a good finish.
May 15, 2003 - The weather looks pretty grim for tomorrow night. Here's a link to Ransomville's weather.com site. We'll keep an eye on it. Ransomville Speedway will usually post on their web site if they cancel.
May 9, 2003 - Best finish ever, biggest pay check ever! 6th of 14; feelin' good and racin' good at the end and collected my $35 (have I mentioned it ain't about the money...in case not, there's the first clue!) It was kind of a Jekyll and Hyde night...I'm still pretty wired, so strap yourself in and start reading. Here we go...sucked in the heat (again, in case your new here, I'm pretty candid), couldn't get the thing to come around and ended up just riding around...f'n turn 1, man, it was killing me again. The feature was weird too: started out a little rough, the 67 car ended up getting into me pretty good between 1 and 2, my guys (okay, Fish and Papa G) said somebody might've gotten under him and helped that out a little, not sure. I ended up removing some bumper material with the front left tire, I think his door took a lick...all I saw was the front of his car pushing up the track like crazy while I was working the outside with no where for me to go. Then the fun really started...something happened up front on lap 14 (of 20), all I saw was the 12S and 113 against the wall between 1 and 2, another car or two clogging up the middle, so I went for the 60 mph Baja run through the infield. We got going again, I made some passes and was feeling really good in the car, it was handling great! A couple of laps later the 12S came underneath me off of 4, got jammed up on the 27 (or 27J) so, I lifted enough to let hiim slide up in front of me. In that split second I thought if I got him in front of me I could learn from him by following him around...I mean I've raced what, 20 or 25 races ever, Dave Schulz won the DIRT Tour Championship last year, a few track championships, a racing family and has been at it for years. Okay, okay...so I'm bird doggin' him, we're doing some great laps, inside, outside, feeling good, white flag lap coming off of 4 on our way to the checkers he moved up a little on the front straight, I stuck my nose down underneath, romped it and took the spot back!!! I got some great seat time seeing how to get around the track and didn't end up losing the spot to do it; pretty cool. Man, that was fun. Great confidence builder. Steve Lewis had a nice 4th in the 11S, looked like he could have had at least second, but got run into the wall.
May 2, 2003 - Mud, I'm talkin' ankle deep, boot grabbin', heavy stuff. It was truly dirt racin' tonight. We ended up with a flat in the heat and flat in the feature, that made for a hard night. We got some help from behind putting the rear quarter into the right rear in the heat race. I think we got somewhere around twelfthish in the feature. Had to shake off the rust, took a few laps, but once I found the right spot in the brake pedals to get the car to set going into 1, the car really started to come around for me and we were making some progress. Turns 2, 3, and especially comin off of 4 are a lot of fun, I just have to figure my way into 1 and then we're coming for 'em...it's the only place they could lose me. I'm not real happy about the performance, but, we have something to build on. They tell me it was better than it felt in there...rest assured, we're gonna find our way to victory lane this year.
Here's some pics from tonight to give you an idea of what it was like. I'll apologize again to anyone on a slower dial-up line, I haven't had the chance to make a lower res version...so, please be patient when hitting the picture pages.
A special THANKS goes out to Mike Fisher tonight. HE took care of the flat tires in that muck. Fish...man... you RULE!
April 17, 2003 - Practice is next Sunday, April 27th. We're pretty much ready, nothing but the cleanup left. The guys at Gerry's Service really helped us out over the last few weeks getting the rest of the car ready. Those dudes know their stuff! Papa G got a shot of Dave and Bruce at the the shop after we finished everything off. The car is gonna run great. We're looking forward to breakthrough year at the Big "R" in 2003!!!
April 7, 2003 - Man, we're almost there...the days are ticking off as fast as the snow is falling (yes, that picture was taken today). Rest assured, it'll melt away and we'll be ready. We just got back from the paint shop, the car looks really nice! Joe No. at Top Shop Collision in North Tonawanda, NY did another excellent job! Some final setup work at Gerry's Service tomorrow night and we're ready for practice.
March 3, 2003 - Gribben Racing would like to welcome back Advance Auto Parts for the 2003 season!!! We can't thank them enough for their support during the 2002 Rookie of the Year season and look forward to working with them again this year and many more to come! Thanks Guys!!!
February 26, 2003 - Gribben Racing is proud to announce the return of Top Shop Collision as 2003 sponsors. We really appreciate their help with last years awesome paint job and look forward to having another great year with the backing of Top Shop Collision in North Tonawanda, New York (743-1761). Look for more announcements in the coming weeks.
February 22, 2003 - We got a lot done this week, rear section of the body is put together and ready to go. We're gonna finish off the front and doors tomorrow and that'll be done. One of the other big projects we have is converting the car over to the 2003 rules: they're letting us run sliders for the leaf springs. Should help us hook up even better than last year! If we make some good progress, I'll get some pictures up and let you see how it turned out.
February 9, 2003 - We've been busy getting ready for the 2003 season, the engines pulled apart getting a good freshen up and I got the right side of the body ready to mount. Here's the before picture and here's the after. We're also starting to distribute the sponsorship proposals. We've already inked Gerry's Service and Fat Man Pizza. We're hoping to bring back everyone from last year and expand to include a few more key sponsors. If you or your company is interested in sponsoring a competetive, professional race team building on a Rookie of the Year season we'd love to hear from you! I also updated the picture page with some shots of the car. Lastly, Ransomville Speedway posted the tentative 2003 schedule. You'll also be able to get it throughout the year from the link on the left (over there <--). We'd love to see all of you at the races. Stop by and say Hi!
January 10, 2003 - Happy New Year!!! We're getting ours off to a bang, just picked up a brand new body. We're going to try and get it on in the next month and be ready plenty early.
