Hey, Right Or Wrong We Did IT

[Dick Ralstin]

Years ago, 1967 or '68 I believe during the month of May, John Totten and I were in the pit area one morning at the Speedway idly discussing the latest rumor stirring the rumor mill.

Together we decided to try something just for laughs, each of us would start a rumor and see how long it took before "our" rumor got back to each of us, and how much it had changed during the trip.

We only tried this for a few days because it became to scary.
Never did it take more than half a day before someone told us our "secrets" and sometimes you had to use your imagination to recognize it.

I can remember as a kid someone told me the moon was made out of green cheese, and I believed it.

Since those few days at the Speedway I don't worry much about rumors

[cdkief]

What was the rumor that you spread?

[KnockOff]

Rumor has it that Dick Ralstin has built a high tech mountain bunker and lives with a pack of wild coyotes!

[Dick Ralstin]

Hey Cdkief & Knockoff.

Cdkief: The best (worst) one I ever started, being the Goodyear PR man, USAC had found Granatelli's turbine illegal. That one went wild, and scared **** out of me, even made a couple of newspapers.

KnockOff: My "high tech mountain bunker" is just a very small adobe hacienda, made out of wood and stucco, and the pack of "wild" coyotes are becoming so tame, and lazy, the place is going to be over run with rabbits ---- anyone care to contribute to the dog food fund??????

[jandj]

Seems to me I remember a "Kenny Brack , please report to the Foyt garage" page getting more than a few people stirred up the other year.....wonder who started that one...

[trevor83]

A friend of mine had the Michelin reps paged to report to the Penske garage one year at Indy. I'm too young to remember when this would have happened but I guess there were rumors about Michelin wanting to get into Indycars when he pulled the prank.

[rev-ed]

Hey Dick, what was the worst one you ever started about Firestone??

[Dick Ralstin]

Hey Rev-Ed,

So help me I never had to start a rumor about Big Red. You see Jim Cook and Humpy Wheeler, Big Red pr men, and I had an agreement --- we told nothing but the truth about the other guys tires.

They were both real nice guys, they sold me an almost new Edsel and I sold Jim a good used Studebaker and gave Humpy a real deal on a slightly used Hudson.

[trevor83]

duh, I should have asked you Dick. When was it that Michelin was rumored to want to get into Indycars. At least think it was Michelin, maybe it was Bridgestone. I want to say in the 70's or early 80's.

[cdkief]

Originally posted by Dick Ralstin
Hey Cdkief & Knockoff.

Cdkief: The best (worst) one I ever started, being the Goodyear PR man, USAC had found Granatelli's turbine illegal. That one went wild, and scared **** out of me, even made a couple of newspapers.

KnockOff: My "high tech mountain bunker" is just a very small adobe hacienda, made out of wood and stucco, and the pack of "wild" coyotes are becoming so tame, and lazy, the place is going to be over run with rabbits ---- anyone care to contribute to the dog food fund??????

Thanks. Good story.

[Tom Sherping]

Originally posted by KnockOff
Rumor has it that Dick Ralstin has built a high tech mountain bunker and lives with a pack of wild coyotes!

40 odd years ago I lived within a mile of where Dick is now. If hindsight were retroactive, I'd still be there.

[KevMcNJ]

Originally posted by rev-ed
Hey Dick, what was the worst one you ever started about Firestone??

that one about SUVs rolling cuz of disintigrating 'Stones...
oh thats right that was true

[STAND E]

Let's think of a new clever rumor that we can have someone try at an upcoming IRL race.

[debdrake]

I got you guys topped. MY rumor made it all the way to RPM2night, without my even trying...