Mark Niver

Discussion in 'Pit Buzz' started by underby6, Jul 11, 2010.

  1. cooter@nsr

    cooter@nsr New Member

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    missed results sorry

    Chris Demke a class act too dont know you but high five
     
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  2. hemi honey bunny

    hemi honey bunny New Member

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    Another Good One Gone................

    God Bless us all!.....Why another Good One?......Condolences to all of Mark's friends and family ...... I came close to leaving this world in which we live but God gave me a job to do and I can't thank him enough .... Mark will be missed, RIP .... So Sad.......
     
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  3. JP

    JP Member

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    I never met Mark in any way or form BUT from just reading all here I feel that IT was my loss not to met him....

    Truly great people make great marks on all people by their actions and this guy IS A GREAT MAN...

    May He rest in peace

    JP
     
    #43
  4. ArtWorkPhx

    ArtWorkPhx New Member

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    Miss Mark

    Being relatively new to TAD myself and living in Phoenix I found myself at Marks shop or calling him on the phone for help and advise with my car many times. He would always have time to talk or machine a part that you had to have. The Saturday before the race he was working at his business so he could go to Seattle, stopped what he was doing and machined some parts for us, that's the kind of guy he was. I am very lucky to have known him and will miss him greatly.

    Art Trautman
     
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  5. TR Chassis

    TR Chassis New Member

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    R.I.P. Mark, you be remembered always.

    Rick
     
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  6. Alky_lover_and_drinker

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    Ya Todd its funny you mention that about the PSI. I remember my father was one of the first guys running one and I believe my old man blew his blower up into pieces (dont remember the exact story so apologies if that part is wrong) but I remember him + Niver were buddies even back then and Niver took his blower off his car and UPS-ed it to my dad at the race he was at. I dont remember what race it was (i was like 11 yrs old) but I remember for certain that Niver took his PSI off and shipped it to my dad to run. I remember asking my dad "Man thats a pretty nice thing to do, arent there only a few of these things?"

    and my dads response was just "Thats the kind of guy Niver is, he'd just do anything he could to help you"

    Its stories like this that make it so hard when something like this happens. Especially when im sure everyone has a good Niver story to tell. Everyone seems they will always remember that permasmile he always had


    P.S. - No disrespect meant at all how I keep referring to him just as "Niver." Thats just what I knew him as, what my father always called him, and what I'll always remember him as. Dont know if I ever heard my father call him "Mark", it was always "NiveR" OR "KNiver" :)

    RIP to a great man
     
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    Last edited: Jul 13, 2010
  7. PROCOMP1

    PROCOMP1 New Member

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    Mark was the textbook definition of "Ingenuity in Action". But as many have previously stated, he was also a Gentleman in the purest sense of the word.

    I first got to know him in the Blown Alcohol Days in the late 80's. I remember him throwing the PSI on his car, racing at LACR and "THE OLD VEGAS TRACK" and wondering what that big thing on top of his car was. I cautiously approached his trailer and kinda peeked at the car. He looked at me and said, "Hey kid..don't be shy...come on over." He took the time to talk to a 16-year old Super Comp Dragster crew member and a friendship took hold from there.

    No matter what race I was at, if I walked by his pit and I didn't instantly stop by to say hello, he'd give me an earful....but, he'd smack me on the butt and with that big ol' grin say, "It's great to see ya Little Timmy". He was also loyal to the core. He had his opinions on things, (as Bob Meyer stated perfectly) and he drank "COORS ORIGINAL"...my kinda guy!

    Mark also motivated me to follow my goals and often said to me, "You have a gift...use it or lose it." Thank you Mark for your words of wisdom, your life lessons, and most importantly, your friendship for over 20 years.

    God Speed "Billet Bullet"

    Tim Charlet
     
    #47
  8. Joseph Satterfield

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    Rip

    RIP Mark.

    Mark's car should of won best engineered at every event he entered.
     
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  9. Bob Kraemer

    Bob Kraemer New Member

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    I never got to meet Mark & sorry I didn't.
    God Bless & Rest In Peace
    My condolences to all his family & friends.
     
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  10. Will Hanna

    Will Hanna We put the 'inside' in Top Alcohol
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    Coors Original

    So many great things have been said about Mark and they are all true. He was a great guy, always had a smile, and a true gentlemen. He had the ingenuity and machinging skills most of us only dream about. He will sorely be missed and will never be replaced. Like someone said, God must have needed a good fabricator.

    I'll share a short story from earlier in the year at the Phoenix divisional.

    After they had called the race, naturally the 'alcohol' was out in the alcohol pits. I'm pretty sure Gordon was there with us drinking with Mark. Somehow the topic of his Coors Originals came up and he was telling us how he drank real beer. I told him how us big guys had to drink light beer, kind of like diet coke. He busted my balls by saying it's always funny how you see the fat guys drinking the light beer...Next time I saw him during 'beer time' after the day in Topeka, he ribbed me saying "I see you're still drinking the fat guy beer."

    Great man. Mark you'll sorely be missed, but never forgotten. Godspeed my friend.
     
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  11. DOUG GORDON

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    Great guy

    Sunday was a very sad day. We lost a great friend and racer. We have known him for a long time and have gotten real close over the last few years. We have a lot of great memories of times with Mark.
    Sunday night a lot of us hung around Marks pit and drank some of his "skinny guy beers"(Coors Original). I am greatful for the time that we got to spend with him and am going to miss him.
    Rest In Peace
    Doug Gordon and The Gordon Family
     
    #51
  12. The Zone

    The Zone Member

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    #52
  13. Woodchip

    Woodchip Top Alcohol Dragster

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    Ii agree Dean that the flaw in the catch net system is that it is really not designed to absorb the energy for a vast array of cars, It is designed as a last resort to stop them. This flaw goes all the way back to the incident involving Doug Kerhulas who sustained severe head injuries by being clotheslined at Columbus by a catch cable system. Maybe instead of spring anchors or nylastic, Perhaps something like a net anchor that's designed like a shock absorber. An impeller in a tubular hydraulic reservoir that folds up in a high speed impact and hits the springs. But in a low speed impact the impeller absorbs energy as its drawn through the fluid???


    Al Smith
     
    #53

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