Regular fans of Howard Stern knows how much he derides auto racing but FarmJohnPhotos.com has rare photos of Howard Stern at a race track driving a 1980 turbo Mustang at Waterford Hills back in 1980.
Stern, thanks to the millions he makes annually from Sirius-XM, is driven everywhere in an SUV piloted by Ronnie the Limo Driver, who is also a frequent guest on his morning show on satellite radio. Stern likes to belittle Ronnie’s interest in NASCAR and also spent a lot of time making fun of Robin Quivers when she was taking part in a celebrity racing event.
Yet thanks to the these Howard Stern photos from FarmJohnPhotos.com, there is proof that Stern at one point in his professional radio career strapped on a helmet and got behind the wheel on June 29, 1980 at Waterford Hills for a road racing event. It happened while Stern was briefly in Detroit as the morning drivetime guy at WWWW, a station he left in January 1981 when it went to a country format.
He was obviously there for a promotional event and little is known about his track time but at least he was behind the wheel of a fun car. It had a 2.3-liter turbo inline four-cylinder carbureted engine with 132 horsepower and 145 lb. ft. of torque that was probably considered fast then for its ability to break the 10-second barrier for 0-60 with a time of 9.1 seconds. (Thanks to Patrick Hespen from Ford for getting the exact stats.) Yes, the late 70s/early 80s was a dreadful time for engine performance.
The good news is Waterford Hills is still around. It’s located in Pontiac, Mich.
Curious about Robin Quivers’ racing hobby? Here’s a tidbit from one online bio: eventually competed in the 2007 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race '07 but was a failure finishing in last place of all drivers to cross the finish line. She took criticism on her radio show but contended she was a success because she didn't wreck, unlike George Lucas who in attempts to win the race wrecked trying to make a pass. Robin has since not talked about racing and her challenge against Bubba the Love Sponge was never brought up again.
Photo Used with Permission of FarmJohnPhotos.Com