The way Vinny would've wanted it....
The Stangbangerz own PINKS.
... and Vinny wouldn't have had it any other way.
I've been on my fair share of drag racing web communities before (okay, most ALL of them), but nothing rivals the camaraderie that Vinny & Holly Changet built on their Cincinnati, OH based STANGBANGERZ site. I lived in FL when I first found the site, and I would drive all the way to OH for some of their events... just because. They are a great group, but they lost their dedicated leader earlier this year when Vinny passed away far too early from a heart attack. It left the entire racing community paralyzed. Vinny was just the most friendly, fun-loving and sincere person you could meet. And Holly... his beautiful wife... her world was upside down as well. They were a perfect match.... and it broke my heart.
One of the saddest parts of his early departure was that he never was able to see the creation he worked so long and so hard for make is maiden voyage down the 1/4 mile. Years we saw him struggle and keep enthusiasm alive for his project... its bitter irony that just as he was about to see it to completion, he'd leave his work undone.
So, in grand Stangbangerz gesture, they finished a Vinny tribute ride for him and entered it in PINKS competition. The Stangbangerz have a saying.... it started off with "The Stangbangerz own this town..." and then it expanded to all other avenues of life.
But now, they'd attempt to take the TV show PINKS for total Stangbangerz domination. I haven't seen the show yet (it will air in Feb. or Mar.), but Holly sent me this article from the Kansas City Star about the event. You couldn't have told a better story. And I couldn't be more proud of the Stangbangerz and people in general than this.
God bless the Stangbangerz... they OWN PINKS!
Vinny had to have a smile on his face that day... his boys and his lovely wife carried on the tradition.
Posted by Erica Ortiz on Saturday, August 18, 2007 at 8:49 AM | Permalink 
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