TORCH TELLS LENO TO ‘PUT ‘ER THERE’

Fans of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno know of the comedian's extensive personal collection of automobiles and bikes. Leno loves to work on his various machines and consequently is prone to the same dangers of any backyard mechanic.

Paul "Torch" Le Sage, well known in the drag racing world after spending 25 years as the exclusive welder of the NHRA before he created Torch Wear safety equipment, met Leno when Gary Scelzi took his Funny Car to Jay’s garage in Burbank, CA.

"He's as nice a guy as you could ever meet and he really had an interest in every part of the racecar,” LeSage said. “We even put him in there and fired it up on nitro. He was in heaven.

"Afterwards, he gave us a tour of his collection and along the way I noticed he had a pretty nasty burn mark on his arm. I told him I could fix that problem for him with the gear we make and he was really interested.”

Le Sage coordinated with Leno's staff and packed a bag full of Torch Wear products for Leno to try. The staff was so intrigued with Le Sage's approach to safety that they filmed the entire segment, including Le Sage's famous television boast where he holds a 2,000-degree torch to his head with only a thin, protective headsock in place. The difference this time was that Leno himself held the flame to Le Sage's head.

We already have Torch’s video on DRO Video, and we’ll have a link to the Leno’s Garage video tomorrow. [3/24/2008]

GRACE HOWELL TO DRIVE GM RACING BACKED COBALT

Super Stock racer Grace Howell will join San Antonio-based Marty Ladwig Racing to pilot a Chevy Cobalt in the All Motor class for the 2008 NOPI/NHRA Xplod Sport Compact Series season.
“With GM Racing and Chevrolet stepping in to support our All Motor Ecotec program, I’m really glad that we are working with Grace,” Ladwig said. “She fits right in with our team. I think she’s one of the best young drivers around and has already raced against some tough competition.”
Howell, 21, has grown up around drag racing where both parents raced. A former NHRA Jr. Dragster National Champion, Grace started racing at 8 years old. The Aiken, SC, racer, who finished in 7th place in Division 2 Super Stock in 2007, will make her professional debut on March 28 at Atlanta Dragway in Atlanta in her K&N/Lucas Oil All Motor Cobalt.
“I’m really excited about the season,” Howell said. “I hope to one day race NHRA Pro Stock and I think this will be a great experience being on a factory supported team.” [3/24/2008]

‘BUBBA’ BARNES, DRAG RACING VIDEOGRAPHER, PASSES

Television producer and videographer Timothy Scott “Bubba” Barnes, whose career in motorsports spanned thirty years, passed away on Friday, March 21, 2008, after battling cancer since 2007. He was 48.

A longtime racing enthusiast, Barnes began his television career as a news cameraman with WCYB-TV in his hometown of Bristol, TN, and became a cameraman for ESPN’s drag racing coverage in 1985. He became one of the original employees of Masters Entertainment Group in Bristol and went on to produce and direct MEG television shows for a variety of networks including ESPN, ESPN2 and SPEED Channel.
Barnes was responsible for all facets of production for MEG’s weekly “Inside Drag Racing” series that covered hundreds of events from dozens of racing associations. He also produced the “Street Rodder” weekly series for ESPN and was the chief videographer for “NHRA Heat” and dozens of other shows. As chief videographer for MEG for the past decade, Barnes attended over one hundred events per season and covered a wide range of motorsports.
Barnes actively participated in sprint car racing and drag racing and was also a capable builder of street rods and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. His knowledge of all aspects of hot rodding was employed in his television productions and helped garner major attention for MEG television shows resulting in several industry awards.
Easily identifiable, “Bubba” Barnes enjoyed the friendship of many of racing’s biggest stars. “There was nobody who didn’t like Bubba,” said Masters Entertainment Group President Ted Jones, “and everybody respected his opinion. He was an integral member of our company and, like the fans and racers who knew him, we will miss him tremendously.”  (Bret Kepner photo) [3/24/2008]