[TPR] Fw: STEVE WALDMAN POST TO SSCC BOARD

[cengles at cox.net]

Dear Dennis:  Well done and well said, sir.   I am sure that Steve would 
be proud.    Chuck Engles


On Tue, Feb 25, 2014 at 11:23 AM, Mad Dog Antenucci wrote:

> Guys
> I sent this little 'rememberence' to AJ to post on SSCC Message Board.
> I know it doesn't have all the flowery "he was wonderful' comments but 
> it was more about our personal relationship and how he convinced me to 
> convince myself that open road racing was and still is about the 
> coolest thing around.
>
>
>
>
> On Tuesday, February 25, 2014 8:32 AM, Mad Dog Antenucci 
> <teampantera at yahoo.com> wrote:
>  Buddy I need your help here....I can't get past our clients firewall 
> to post something on SSCC board in rememberance of Steve's passing.
>
> I wanted to write something a little out of the ordinary but at the 
> same time not write something disrespectful....as he was very good to 
> us.,....
>
> So if you can perhaps post this on Message Board as from our Fearless 
> Leader I would appreciate it.
> Say I am overseas....haha....
>
> SEE BELOW
> =================================
>
> 25 or so years ago I was in Vegas for a post race drunken brawl (aka 
> banquet) when this nice European quiet guy in a suit came up to me at 
> the Pantera Owners convention in Vegas. 
>
> I thought maybe he was a waiter at first as he was so damn 
> polite....so I asked him for another drink. And then when I realized I 
> should not judge a book by its cover I immediately apologized when I 
> realized he was someone important....and that is he was a racer. 
>
> At the time I was kicking concrete for a living and sadly I still am 
> and sadly I also thought I knew something about racing in circles at 
> the time and this Steve-guy says he started a little open road race in 
> Nevada on a real road and wanted to know if I would like to join his 
> group of racers. 
>
> He talked a little about his own Pantera but I was more interested in 
> talking about how fast I thought I was. (haha) All the time I am like 
> a kid listening to the story about how cattle on a hill can stand 
> upright. The more he talked the deeper I bought into this thing he 
> did.  He said he knew Junior Wilson, Charlie Puckett, and Pete 
> Beckham, all of them early Pantera open road racers. 
>
> So of course I am on the hook. And then when I got to Ely five or so 
> years later with my own Pantera I already knew all about the SSCC 
> events. Of course I knew I would be the fastest Pantera when I arrived 
> and I knew I would win when I came to run at that first Nevada Open 
> Road Challenge...and of course I was the fastest Pantera because 
> Junior's Pantera crashed, and Steve's Pantera was broken, and Charlie 
> and Pete had lame family or work excuses back in California....so yea 
> I was the fastest driver in a Pantera on that day! Yea,. slow and 
> steady wins the race every time. ;-)>
>
> And at that first Awards Banquet when I walked up on that stage to 
> receive my 1st place trophy Steve looked at me like my Godfather. He 
> said, "Dennis I am proud of you".  Well yea of course you are proud of 
> me Steve. But I quess now I know he  was proud of me but little did I 
> know that for the next 17 years I would argue about everything that 
> had to do with the SSCC events until he put Gail in charge of dealing 
> with me. But those early years were me trying to convince Steve about 
>  who should sit on the SSCC Board or who should be running the events 
> (again me)...... Steve always listened politly to me and never yelled 
> back at me. Like a paternal father-figure he would remind me he 
> understood what I was saying and that we would talk later when he had 
> more time....and not to worry about anything....As worrying was 
> Steve's job not mine and of course he was right.
>
> Yea, I believed him. And I know many of you will miss him. I had a 
> love-hate relationship with Steve. And I am sad now as my friend who I 
> loved to hate is no longer around to fight with.
> He truely was a pioneer in our sport...and now I will shut up.
>
> I never won an argument.
>
> Dennis Antenucci
> Team Pantera Racing
>
>      ------------------------------
>
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