HORDEMANN DEER PARK DRAG STRIP BOOK SALES BENEFIT HOSPICE OF SPOKANE
Cover of Stories My Brother Told Me by Gary Hordemann.
SPOKANE — Gary Hordemann has a win-win proposition for you.
The retired college professor of mechanical engineering, historian and publisher wants to provide fans of both the Deer Park Drag Strip, and local history in general is promoting sales of his four books with Hospice of Spokane the benefactor.
Hordemann has painstakingly chronicled a special time in area motorsports history with a trio of books on the venerable Deer Park track that was located on a portion of the former World War II air base north of Spokane.
He was inspired by a former volunteer at the Deer Park track — Dave Gurr — who began writing his own book but passed away before being able to complete the effort.
The first book in the Deer Park series was titled: “A History of the Deer Park Drag Strip and Its Racers As Reported in Press Clippings: 1944-1964.”
In describing the book, Hordemann writes, “It contains a collection of annotated images of several hundred clippings from newspapers, Drag News, NHRA National Dragster, Hot Rod Magazine, and other publications that reported on drag racing activities through 1964, primarily at the Deer Park Drag Strip.”
And he adds, “Clippings involving the activities of Spokane individuals at other drag strips and at the Bonneville Salt Flats are also included, as are images of memorabilia, such as pit passes, timing slips, etc.”
“These latter items, interesting in themselves are often useful in shedding light on events. All items are organized according to the years in which they appeared.”
This 328-page, 8.5 x 11 inch book is available only from Hordemann for $20 or $25 if mailed.
Hordemann’s second book, published in 2021, is a two-volume, 600-page, 8 x 10.5 inch history of Deer Park drag racing. Its title is: “Deer Park Sunny Summer Days.” It is the story of long ago sunny summer days of drag racing, Hordemann suggests.
The story opens in the latter years of World War II when the United States Army Air Force built what became the Deer Park Airport, and for thousands of youthful car enthusiasts, the Deer Park Drag Strip. The story ends with 1964, the year that has been called the sport’s “Golden Year.” An Epilogue summarizes the racing activities through 1974 when drag racing ended at Deer Park. The cost is $60 or $70 if mailed.
Hordemann’s third book takes the best of the first two, combines and refines them. The third Deer Park book, titled: “Deer Park Days: Memories of an American Sport,” is a rewrite of the two-volume book so that it is of interest to a broader audience than local drag racers.
In his book description, Hordemann explains, “A lot of the detail about who won what when has been removed, as has other information of no interest to the general reader, so that most of volume 2 has been deleted. The good stories, found mostly in the two-volume book’s notes, have been integrated into the main text.”
Hordemann adds, “A great many of the photos have been enlarged, necessitating an addition of roughly 100 pages and a number of new photos. Many of the best photos found in Volume 2 have been moved to the main text. All of the text has been updated. The resulting book is a large single volume of 440 pages, measuring 8 x 10.5 inches.”
A fourth book takes an abrupt turn from Hordemann’s passion for the story of the Deer Park Drag Strip.
In “Stories My Brother Told Me,” are 55 stories told by a funny, insightful, sarcastic, profane and compulsive storyteller, brother Jack Hordemann. Edited by Gary Hordemann, they are illuminated and accented by 91 illustrations, of which nearly half (41) are sketches by Jack’s daughter, artist Clair Hordemann Pimley.
The tales have been arranged to follow the chronology of Jack’s life, Gary Hordemann writes. They begin with an account of his baptism and end with stories about the last years of his life.
They tell of Jack’s early years growing up on an Idaho farm, continue through his childhood and adult years in Spokane. Also includes several stories about his service at a remote radar station in Alaska during the Korean War.
The book is available on Amazon (enter “books by Hordemann”) in soft and hard cover versions and as a Kindle eBook. The cost is $20 for pick up or add $5 for mailing.
All profits from orders through the end of the year will go to Hospice of Spokane.
For further information call Hordemann at 509-534-9491 or email him at garyhordemann@hotmail.com.
EMERIE SANCHEZ: RENEGADE RACEWAY ABSOLUTE AUTO JR. LIGHTING 2024 CHAMPION
Emerie Sanchez
WAPATO, Wash. — Emerie Sanchez knew what she needed to do in order to advance in her drag racing experience and it seems to have paid off?
The 14-year-old wanted to focus of the all-important effort of being as flawless as possible at the start of the race so the finish is a success.
“This year I have really been focusing on my reaction times,” Sanchez wrote in an email.
She races a half scale model junior dragster with a 7.90 motor.
“My car has been running really consistently thanks to my dad,” Sanchez said. “I think the combination of these two things and my grandpa helping me choose accurate dials really helped me to have a strong season.”
She races in the junior lightning class for junior dragsters. This class is made up of kids from the ages of 13- 18. In this class, you can’t run faster than 7.90 in the 1/8 mile.
Sanchez topped Koda Tobel 211 to 201 in the Absolute Auto Jr. Lightning fail standings.
“I won my first Wally in 2021,” Sanchez said. “I finished first in the Gamblers series last season. This season I finished first in the Summit and Gamblers series and I also won my second and third Wally.”
The Gamblers series is made up of both junior thunder and junior lightning classes so kids from ages 6-18. The Summit Series is just kids racing in the junior lightning class, Sanchez explained.
“My grandpa started racing at Renegade in 1996. It was inevitable that I would follow in his footsteps,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez has been watching him race ever since she was a baby and when she turned 8 she got her competition license and have been racing for 6 years.
“Now that I am 14, I also race a Dodge Charger in the Junior Street Class at Renegade.
Along with support from her family, Sanchez said she’s really thankful for the other junior racing families.
“They have really helped me grow in my racing career. They all jump in to help when we need it. I wouldn’t be this successful without the help they have given me. I think of them all as my family at the track,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez could not have had her success without sponsors. “My grandparents and parents sponsor most of my racing, but I am also sponsored by Snohomish Tint and Vinyl,” she said.
Emerie Sanchez posing with her half-scale junior dragster after winning the 2024 Jr. Lightning championship at Renegade Raceway.
PLYBON 16TH IN SNOWBALL DERBY
Pensacola, Florida (Dec. 8) — Spokane’s Haeden Plybon started fourth but ran into bad luck finishing 16th on the 57th Annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway.
“That was a tough one for sure,”Plybon’s father, Tom, wrote in a text massage on the tow home somewhere in Texas. Plybon finished one lap down in the 300-lap race.
Kaden Honeycutt held off a hard charge from Stephen Nasse to win the race that had a field of 36 cars.
Racing America reports that Honeycutt took the lead from Ty Majeski on lap 282 and pulled away from last year’s Derby winner. However, Stephen Nasse quickly closed the gap, drawing all the way to Honeycutt’s back bumper on the final lap.
Honeycutt held on for the victory, joining the historic list of Snowball Derby winners. Oregon’s Kole Ran was 13th and 2020 Idaho 200 winner, Jeremy Doss who was 25th.
Next up for Plybon is the “Chilly Willy,” January 17 at Tucson, Arizona Speedway.
