Smart News: Sports

Stock-car champ Derek Thorn recalls growing up on Lakeport Speedway

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Stock-car racing champion Derek Thorn didn’t become a <a href="http://hometracks.nascar.com/series/KN-Pro-Series-West" rel="nofollow">NASCAR K&N Pro Series West</a> champ (2013) and the two-time defending <a href="http://www.srlsouthwesttour.com/" rel="nofollow">Spears SRL Southwest Tour</a> champion (2012, 2014) overnight. He used to be an 8-year-old kid racing go-karts on a dirt track at <a href="http://www.lakeportspeedway.com/" rel="nofollow">Lakeport Speedway </a> in
 Lakeport, California. Now a six-time champion on asphalt and dirt, 
Thorn looks back on his racing career and where it all started.<br />
Thorn grew up in Lakeport "from day one-and-a-half on,” he said. “My 
family’s been in Lakeport, I was raised in Lakeport, went to school in 
Lakeport, graduated from Lakeport. Everything I’ve done up until the 
time I was 20 was in Lakeport.”<br />
And it wasn’t long before he was racing at Lakeport, albeit on a 
little dirt track. “My dad got me into go-karts when I was 8 years old,”
 he said. “Inside of Lakeport Speedway there used to be a dirt track.” 
Today, Lakeport Speedway has a state-of-the-art indoor go-kart track.<br />
“We had winged dirt go-karts that I started off on. There were three 
or four different types of divisions as you get older, so I went through
 all of those divisions,” Thorn remembered. “Then when I was 13, my dad 
gave me a <a href="http://www.stockcarracing.com/featurestories/scrp_0711_street_stock_racing_guide/" rel="nofollow">street stock</a>,
 they called it, and my dad was a passenger in it. At 13 years old was 
the first time I got to race on Lakeport Speedway itself, the asphalt 
part of the race track.”<br />
As a devoted part of the Lake County racing community, Thorn worked 
in a race shop in Lakeport, which got him acclimated to race cars. Once 
he learned how to work on cars, he used his skills to not only become a 
driver, but also a driver coach and a car chief. “I even have 
my commercial license so I can drive a hauler to the racetrack,” he 
said.<br />
“It started off as something small,” he said. “As time progressed, my
 parents were able to continue my development in racing and it just kind
 of snowballed from there.”<br />
As the defending stock-car champion, Thorn comes back to Lakeport 
regularly. “I try to get back three to five times a year, depending on 
how the schedule works out,” he said. “We have four race cars in our 
shop, three of which use freight train <a href="http://www.thefreighttrain.com/" rel="nofollow">Peters Racing Engines</a>,
 and it happens to be right there in Lakeport. For the engines that we 
run, he’s probably one of the better engine-builders in the country. So 
it’s neat when we have to do engine work or have engine work done, I can
 come home, drop the engine off and see the family at the same time.”<br />
For Thorn, it’s the sense of family and camaraderie of growing up in 
Lakeport that keeps those memories alive—never forgetting where it all 
began for him. “Looking back on it, it’s the family environment. 
Racing’s a giant family—all the people I’ve met, people I’ve spent time 
with and have gotten to race with,” Thorn said. “Lakeport Speedway 
started my career that let me race all over the country, letting me see 
places I’d never get to see and do things I would have never gotten to 
do, meeting people I never would have met.”<br />
You might see the next generation’s Derek Thorn racing at Lakeport Speedway or its junior go-kart track. Check the <a href="http://www.lakeportspeedway.com/schedule.htm" rel="nofollow">Lakeport Speedway schedule</a> for flat track and go-kart racing, and enjoy one of the great small-town tracks where big names are sometimes made.</div>
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Stock-car champ Derek Thorn recalls growing up on Lakeport Speedway

Stock-car racing champion Derek Thorn didn’t become a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champ (2013) and the two-time defending Spears S...

The Golden Year: Super Bowl 50 Goes to the Bay

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It is with great pride that the San Francisco Bay Area prepares for a
 homecoming like no other — welcoming the Super Bowl’s golden 
anniversary game as it returns to The Golden State. Not since 1985 has 
The Bay hosted a Super Bowl, and after almost 30 years it’s time to show
 the NFL and football fans across the country what the Bay Area has to 
offer. Super Bowl 50 will be celebrated throughout the Bay Area during a
 weeklong series of public events preceding the game itself, which will 
be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Feb. 7, 2016. Some 
features of the Super Bowl celebration, including the NFL experience and
 Fan Village, will be held in San Francisco. The media center will also 
be located there.<br />
 
Seizing this opportunity, the <a href="http://www.sfbaysuperbowl.com/#71pEVugHQXqbRfz5.97" rel="nofollow">San Francisco Bay Area Host Committee</a>
 is dedicated to making the golden anniversary one for the record books.
 Through innovation, philanthropy and community culture, the Super Bowl 
50 Host Committee looks forward to groundbreaking event initiatives and 
to leaving a legacy expected to last for generations to come. Here’s a 
look at the Host Committee’s game book for 2016.<br />
 
<b>Into the action </b><br />
 
Fans looking to pack in all the Bay Area action should head to San 
Mateo/Silicon Valley for easy transportation, fresh local cuisine, 
world-class accommodations and scenic beauty unique to the Bay Area. 
Just a stone’s throw from downtown San Francisco, and less than an hour 
north of Levi’s Stadium, San Mateo/Silicon Valley will get you to game 
day and beyond. <a href="http://www.caltrain.com/main.html" rel="nofollow">Caltrain</a>
 offers travelers easy access in and out of dozens of station 
destinations including downtown San Francisco, San Francisco 
International Airport, Palo Alto, San Mateo, and Santa Clara. Jump on 
the <a href="http://www.bart.gov/" rel="nofollow">BART</a> for an 
exciting and convenient trip through San Francisco and surrounding areas
 like Millbrae and South San Francisco. And don’t miss the view from the
 <a href="http://sanfranciscobayferry.com/" rel="nofollow">San Francisco Bay Ferry</a> — another great way to get the most out of your trip to see Super Bowl 50. <br />
 
<b>Making a difference </b><br />
 
The San Francisco Bay Area Host Committee believes Super Bowl 50 is a
 golden opportunity to unite the region through philanthropy. The <a href="http://www.50fund.org/" rel="nofollow">50 Fund</a>
 is the committee’s signature initiative of Super Bowl 50 and the 
philanthropic arm of the organization. Through its programs, the 50 Fund
 will make grants to nonprofit organizations in three areas of focus: 
youth development, community investment and sustainable environments. 
Through its grant making, the Bay Area will create lasting solutions for
 local challenges while preparing for Super Bowl 50. The NFL Foundation 
has already made a one million dollar grant to 50 Fund as part of its 
annual Super Bowl Legacy Grant Program. The Host Committee is committed 
to contributing 25% of all funds it raises back to community nonprofits 
leading up to the most philanthropic and giving Super Bowl ever. <br />
 
<b>More to discover</b><br />
 
For many fans, the Super Bowl is the sports pilgrimage of a lifetime.
 Making the trip to the Bay Area in 2016 will offer visiting and 
hometown fans an unprecedented game day experience, as well as a host of
 uniquely Bay Area attractions. Food enthusiasts will love exploring the
 <a href="http://www.smccvb.com/index.php/dine_on_the_freshest" rel="nofollow">local flavors</a>
 and abundant agriculture showcased by world-famous chefs and industry 
leading restaurateurs. Craft beer connoisseurs will enjoy exploring <a href="http://www.smccvb.com/index.php/blog?hub=/hub/119/at/100003579.html" rel="nofollow">San Mateo’s microbreweries</a> with this handy <a href="http://www.smccvb.com/downloads/2015_Tap_Map.pdf" rel="nofollow">tap map</a>. Discover the outdoor beauty of state parks and beaches at the <a href="http://www.openspace.org/preserves/pr_purisima.asp" rel="nofollow">Purisima Creek Redwoods</a>
 located north east of Santa Clara in Redwood City. Or drive up the 
coast a bit more and catch some sun along nearly 60 miles of Pacific 
Ocean beaches. And don’t miss historical landmarks like <a href="http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=533" rel="nofollow">Pigeon Point Light House Station</a> in Pescadero and, of course, the <a href="http://goldengatebridge.org/visitors/" rel="nofollow">Golden Gate Bridge</a>. <br />
 
<i>The golden year approaches — <i>plan your own trip to </i><a href="http://www.smccvb.com/" rel="nofollow">San Mateo County/Silicon Valley</a> today!</i></div>

The Golden Year: Super Bowl 50 Goes to the Bay

It is with great pride that the San Francisco Bay Area prepares for a homecoming like no other — welcoming the Super Bowl’s golden an...

Denver Broncos deny Peyton Manning Texans trade try

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Before Benjamin Allbright of 94.1 FM in Denver reported that the Broncos had <a data-rapid_p="9" href="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/06/23/report-broncos-tried-to-trade-peyton-manning-to-texans/">tried to trade</a> quarterback <a data-rapid_p="10" href="http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/1493/peyton-manning">Peyton Manning</a> to the Texans, Allbright hadn’t heard from the Broncos. He now has.</div>
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“The speculation is false, and <a data-rapid_p="11" href="https://twitter.com/psmyth12/status/613499731155615744" id="yui_3_18_1_1_1435218170280_951">your report is inaccurate</a>,” Broncos spokesman Patrick Smyth said on Twitter, in response to a tweet from Allbright regarding the report.</div>
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Contacted by PFT, the Texans weren’t aware of the report. They have yet to comment on it.</div>
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Regardless, Manning added a <a data-rapid_p="12" href="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/14/peyton-mannings-new-deal-has-a-no-trade-clause/" id="yui_3_18_1_1_1435218170280_933">no-trade clause</a> to his contract for 2015. Unless he was simply being paranoid, there was a reason to request that commitment.</div>
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Denver Broncos deny Peyton Manning Texans trade try

Your browser does not support iframes. Before Benjamin Allbright of 94.1 FM in Denver reported that the Broncos had tried to tra...