Published: May 31, 2016
The great debate: Is the color green bad in racing?
SLINGER — Rob Braun hasn’t
had a new look on a race car in quite some time. So he decided to test
a long-standing debate: Is green bad luck in racing?
Some say yes. Others say it’s a myth.
But the sliver of curiosity of green being bad luck is intriguing
enough for drivers to give it a shot. Several drivers are doing just
that. Among them is Braun.
For years, Braun had leopard print on his car mixed with blue. This
year, he built a new car and painted it black and green. He also added
another wrinkle: He painted the chassis or body frame gold.
Why? Color of money.
“The race car soaks up so much cash, I figured I’d make it a gold chassis and a green car,” Braun said.
It also has a unique nickname, but it can’t be disclosed. Braun said
he had no idea why green is considered bad luck in racing.
It’s not like it’s nonexistent at race track.
After all, the flag used to start a race is green. NASCAR has an
initiative of “Going Green” to promote fuel efficiency, recycling and
waste diversion, emission reductions, and renewable energy.
But is it really bad luck?
Not according to Conrad Morgan.
“It’s a myth,” he said. “I know there’s a lot of people that feel that way.”
Alex Prunty, a rookie in the super late model division at Slinger,
went away from the red and black that was on his limited late model for
four seasons and painted the new car black and green. He had good
reason, though.
“Sponsorships, my friend,” he said with a smile. “It’s all it is. … I like the red and black.”
However, it’s coming around.
“The green’s kind of been growing on me,” Prunty said. “I think it looks pretty cool.”
Others with some kind of green on their car at Slinger include Paul
Wagner (area sportsman), Joe Shelby (area sportsman), Kevin Bush (area
sportsman), Nick Schmidt (Slinger Bees), Paul Reagles (Slinger Bees)
and Tom Berens (Slinger Bees).
Is it bad luck?
“I don’t think so,” Prunty said. “We escaped the first race without a scratch.”
One former driver tested the green-car-is-bad-luck theory and another bad-luck theory.
Brittni Helmers, who competed in
the limited late model division from 2012 to 2015, decked out her car in
black and green. But to make it more interesting, she also used the
No. 13. Braun was willing to do the same thing.
“I was going to make (the car) No. 13 and eat peanuts every week,” he joked.
Having shelled peanuts around the track is another superstition in racing.
❑
Conrad Morgan took the checkered flag in the EH Wolf and Sons Memorial
Day 75 super late model feature Sunday at Slinger Super Speedway.
Morgan, who started the feature in eighth place, took the lead from
Ryan DeStefano on lap 36 of the 75-lap feature and led the rest of the
way.
Super late model
rookie Alex Prunty had his second straight runner-up finish after
starting the feature in 14th. Jeff Holtz was third, followed by Steve
Apel and Dennis Prunty to round out the top five.
Also picking up feature victories were Joe Shelby (area sportsman),
Jordan DeVoy (limited late model), Kyle Stark (Slinger Bees) and Willy Van Camp (Figure 8).
❑
Johnny Sauter won the late model feature in the Memorial 50 Armed
Forces Night on Saturday at Dells Raceway Park in Wisconsin Dells.
Alex Prunty, last season’s Rookie of the Year, was second, followed by Jeremy Miller, Tim Schendel and John DeAngelis Jr.
❑
Kurt Davis held off Kewaskum’s Shane Wenninger in the 360 sprint car
“A” main Saturday at Plymouth Dirt Track. Kewaskum’s Donny Goeden was
fourth.
Justin Schmidt
won the late model feature. Brad Mueller, who is trying to win a track
championship at Plymouth and at Slinger this season, was third.
At Plymouth, Mueller is seventh in points, 47 behind leader Taylor
Scheffler. At Slinger, Mueller is fourth in the super late model points,
65 behind leader Dennis Prunty.
Reach sports editor Nicholas Dettmann at ndettmann@conleynet.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment