|
|
| |
|
| How did Widget get started? Widget started when Dick Young met Denny Fosdick at Turn Nine of Riverside International Raceway. Both of them had just started out on the Spec Racer circuit and immediately hit it off. After finding many other racers who shared their love and passion, Widget was born. Who are the Widgets? The Widgets are a group of racing enthusiasts. They travel together to go to races across the country, they vacation together, and act as a family. The current Widgets include Dick Young, Kay Young, Denny Fosdick, Doug Stewart, Mark Ballangee, Tom Miserendino, and Mike Miserendino. How does one become a Widget? Well, first you submit an application and resume. Points are given based on several criterion, including number of races won, IQ, and cooking ability. After grueling preliminaries, you will be interviewed by no less than three (3) Widgets. After a secret initiation ceremony, you will be inducted into the Sacred Brotherhood of the Widgets and The Church of the Checkered Flag. That was just a joke, right? Yes. There is no way to "become a Widget". Just by hanging out with the Widgets and not causing any friction, you may just become a part of the team. We're a good bunch, really. Where did the name "Widget" come from? After Dick and Denny decided to form a racing team, they were struggling to come up with a name. They found the name "Widget" on an advertisement on an airplane. I thought Widget was a giant conglomerate cooperation? Sorry, you are just another victim of an elaborate Widget joke. After Dick and Denny came up with the name, they made Widget decals to put on their cars. People at the track naturally got curious and asked them about it. The Widgets, being the devious comic geniuses they are, quickly came up with "WIDGET INTERNATIONAL", a conglomerate from New York that bought out many smaller companies, including a furniture company and some oil wells. The Widget Racing Team, then, were funded by this conglomerate. Sadly, some people actually asked their broker about buying Widget stock. Wait, so there isn't Widget stock? Nope. Sorry. Who are Wilbur and Wilma Widget? In order to tie in the team name with the racers, a fake Chairman of the Board was created for Widget International: W. Wilbur Widget AKA Dick Young. They made him fake business cards. Wilma Widget, AKA Kay, was Wilbur's wife. What is the infamous "Widget-FARO Shootout"? In 1994, the rivalry between the Widgets and the Fat Ass Racing Organization (FARO) had reached its highpoint. FARO was another racing organization, comprised of Keith Clark, Dan Spaethe, Jim Stewart, Lee Fleming, Ed Raby, and Bob Swensen, that provided a little friendly competition. At a race weekend at Willow Springs, "The Shootout" began innocently enough. The Widgets handed out drink holders and hats emblazoned with the Widget name and logo to all spectators. They also rented limousines to carry the cornerworkers to their stations and each Widget to his car. At noon, the Rosemond High School Marching Band and Cheerleaders were brought in to play Widget songs and lead Widget cheers. The Widgets were smug at this point, thinking they had FARO beat, but FARO had an ace up their sleeves. A huge group of vintage planes flew over the track, to the awe and amazement of all. Murmurs rose from the spectators. Could Widget win The Shootout? The final event occurred when a single plane flew over the track. Skydivers rained down in formation, unfurling a Widget banner, thus clinching the Widget victory. The Widgets' one regret about the shootout is that they didn't get the Batmobile to show up. What is this I hear about Widget Nairobi Giraffe Racing? This is another example of an elaborate Widget joke. En route to a race in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Widgets stopped for breakfast. Upon hearing that they were going to a racetrack, their waitress asked what kind of animals they raced. The Widgets, egging each other on silently, spun a tale about racing giraffes. Imported from Nairobi, Africa, these giraffes were specially bred to have their left legs be shorter than the others in order to make it easier for them to race around a round track. The giraffes had to be trained to lower their heads when crossing the finish line to gain distance on the other racing giraffes. This also had the dual purpose on transport, as the giraffes needed to duck under overpasses on the freeways. Whenever the Widgets found themselves with a naive audience, they told the tale of Widget Nairobi Giraffe Racing. At one point, they convinces a baggage handler at the Denver Airport to watch ESPN for the giraffe racing event. |