BATAVIA, OH (October 7, 2021) – The traditional double-header weekend for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is now a triple-header with the addition of the previously postponed Smoky Mountain Speedway, to the familiar weekend of trips to The Red Clay at Woodstock – Historic Dixie Speedway and Rome International Speedway. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series returns to Smoky Mountain Speedway on Friday, October 8th for the $20,000-to-win Mountain Moonshine Classic that was postponed after heavy rains continued throughout the evening on Saturday, July 10th. A complete show of Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains will be topped off by a 60 lap A-Main paying $20,000 to win. The Red Clay 602 Late Models and 604 Late Models will also have full racing programs. General admission tickets and pit passes purchased for the July 10th event will be honored at Smoky Mountain Speedway. New racing entries will be accepted on the day of the event. General admission, pit admission, and tier parking ticket sales will be available online for advance purchase or on site the day of the event. Pit and General Admission gates open at 12:00 PM (noon) with on track action beginning at 7:30 PM. For more information visit: www.smokymountainspeedway.com Dixie Speedway is a 3/8-mile semi-banked, clay oval, located in Woodstock, Ga. The Lucas Oil Dixie Shootout on Saturday, October 9th will feature a complete program of: Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 50-lap, $15,000-to-win main event for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Pit gates open at 2:00 PM with General Admission gates opening at 5:00 PM. Hot laps are set to begin at 6:45 PM.  Recognized as the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile Oval,” Rome International Speedway is in Northwest Georgia at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains – just a short drive from Dixie Speedway. On Sunday night, October 10th the Lucas Oil Rome Showdown will include Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 50-lap, $10,000-to-win main event. Pit gates open at 1:00 PM with General Admission gates opening at 5:00 PM. There will be a Dirt Racing Outreach service at 5:15 in the grandstands closest to the pit area. Hot laps are set to begin at 6:45 PM. In addition to the pulse-pounding action of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, the competition at both venues each night will include: Econo Bombers, 602 Sportsman, 604 Crates, Steel Head/525, and Stinger cars. For tickets and more information on both events, visit: www.dixiespeedway.com or call (770) 926-5315. Track and Event Information:Smoky Mountain SpeedwayPhone Number: 865-856-8989Location: 809 Brickmill Road, Maryville, TN 37801Directions: 4.5 miles southwest of US 129 on US411, then 1.6 miles south on Brick Mill Road.Website: www.smokymountainspeedway.com Dixie SpeedwayPhone Number: 770-926-5315Location: 150 Dixie Drive, Woodstock, GA 30189GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 34.08914 – Longitude: -84.56119Directions: I-75 to exit 277, then 6 miles east on SR 92, then north (3/4 mile east of SR 205)Website: www.dixiespeedway.com Rome International SpeedwayPhone Number: 706-235-2541Location: 1900 Chulio Rd. SE, Rome, GA 30161GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 34.20123 – Longitude: -85.11039Directions: 4 miles east of Rome on US 411, then 1.5 miles south on Wilbanks Road, then 0.3 miles east on Chulio RoadWebsite: www.dixiespeedway.com Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rules:Mountain Moonshine Classic – Friday, October 8th:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1350Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) White Dot 1600 NRM, (29.0) 1600 NRMW*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 2 new tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Lucas Oil Dixie Shootout – Saturday, October 9th:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1350, (28.5) DRS 1350Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) White Dot 1600 NRM, (29.0) White Dot 1600 NRMW, (29.0) DRS 1600*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 2 new rear tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Lucas Oil Rome Showdown – Sunday, October 10th:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1350, (28.5) DRS 1350Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) White Dot 1600 NRM, (29.0) White Dot 1600 NRMW, (29.0) DRS 1600*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 2 new rear tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Event Purse:Mountain Moonshine Classic (60 Laps) – 1. $20,000, 2. $9,000, 3. $5,000, 4. $4,000, 5. $3,500, 6. $2,700, 7. $2,500, 8. $2,300, 9. $2,200, 10. $2,100, 11. $2,000, 12. $1,900, 13. $1,800, 14. $1,700, 15. $1,600, 16. $1,400, 17. $1,300, 18. $1,200, 19. $1,200, 20. $1,200, 21. $1,200, 22. $1,200, 23. $1,200, 24. $1,200. = $73,400 Lucas Oil Dixie Shootout Event Purse (50 Laps): 1. $15,000, 2. $6,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $3,000, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,400, 7. $2,300, 8. $2,200, 9. $2,100, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,300, 14. $1,200, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000. = $57,050 Lucas Oil Rome Showdown Event Purse (50 Laps): 1. $10,000, 2. $5,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,700, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,300, 7. $2,200, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,200, 14. $1,000, 15. $950, 16. $925, 17. $900, 18. $875, 19. $850, 20. $825, 21. $800, 22. $800, 23. $800, 24. $800 = $48,575

About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesFounded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2021, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 59 events across 18 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap.  The series receives national exposure through a television package filmed, produced and edited by Lucas Oil Production Studios. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events will broadcast on four networks including CBS, NBC Sports, CBS Sports Network and the MAVTV Motorsports Network.

Sprint Cars, Late Models & Big Blocks Conclude 2021 Seasons Together

CONCORD, NC – October 7, 2021 – After a one-year hiatus, the NGK/NTK World Finals will return to the hearts of race fans next month on November 4-6.

Established in 2007, this season-ending tripleheader at The Dirt Track at Charlotte has become one of dirt racing’s ultimate destination events. Tickets are available for PURCHASE HERE, or you can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

It’s the only time all year long you’ll find the three premier series – World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models, and Super DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds – competing at the same track on the same night.

The event was impacted by COVID-19 protocols last year, and thus replaced by “Last Call”. David Gravel and Logan Schuchart split victories at the 4/10-mile, but it was Brad Sweet and Kasey Kahne Racing celebrating as champions for the second straight year.

Next month, World Finals is back, the three-division, four-wide salute is back, the championship crowning is back, and the sold-out grandstands are back. Don’t miss out on the most epic season-ending event in dirt racing.

When it comes to The Greatest Show on Dirt, the Series has contested 56 events since the state-of-the-art Concord, NC facility was built in 2000.

No driver has ruled the Queen City quite like Donny Schatz, who owns a whopping 13 wins at The Dirt Track. Eight of those victories have come on a World Finals weekend where the Fargo, ND native clinched one of his ten World of Outlaws championships. With another seven races remaining, Schatz and the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15 currently sit fourth in the standings.

All eyes will be pointed towards the new ruler of the top spot in points, though, Brad Sweet.

The Big Cat currently leads David Gravel by 128 points in pursuit of his third consecutive World of Outlaws championship, something only Steve Kinser and Schatz have ever accomplished.

However, the California native has yet to win in 27 starts at The Dirt Track. Before worrying about the points, his focus is on winning every single race available. In fact, he’s still one win away from 75 on his career, which would give him 17 this year and make it his winningest season yet.

“For us specifically, World Finals is always a great time being close to the shop and sponsors,” Sweet said on racing 30 minutes from KKR’s Mooresville, NC garage. “It’s getting close, but we try not to think about any of the points stuff until everything is settled after that last race. We want wins and the rest will take care of itself.”

Outside of Schatz, David Gravel and Logan Schuchart are the only other full-timers with a victory at the 4/10-mile surface. The dominant duo has traded off wins over the last two years, controlling five straight races at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Gravel, a four-time winner at the track, scored the season finale in 2017 with CJB Motorsports, swept the 2019 World Finals with Jason Johnson Racing, and won again with JJR at Last Call in 2020. The Watertown, CT native is currently a career-best second in the championship standings with 10 wins in his first campaign with Tod Quiring’s Big Game Motorsports #2 team.

For Schuchart, the Hanover, PA native has quickly figured out the Charlotte oval with an incredible average finish of 3.75 in his last 16 starts. The Shark Racing superstar has topped two May appearances and last year earned a season finale victory at Last Call. He’ll go for his first official World Finals win next month aboard the Drydene Performance Products #1S.

The two hottest rising stars on tour, Carson Macedo and Sheldon Haudenschild have yet to win in Charlotte but did record their career-best finishes at the track during Last Call last year. Macedo’s Jason Johnson Racing #41 has reached 10 wins and still fights for second in the standings, meanwhile, Haudenschild has hit eight victories and battles for fifth in points aboard the Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17.

World Finals also marks the final weekend with yellow stripes for Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contenders James McFadden and Brock Zearfoss. The Australian and Pennsylvanian are both looking for their first breakthrough at The Dirt Track. They’ll be joined by Spencer Bayston in the CJB Motorsports #5, who is the first candidate to announce his full-time run at the Award in 2022.

Defeat at Fulton sets up thrilling first career Sportsman Series victory

WEEDSPORT, NY – Oct. 6, 2021 – Chris Mackey was staring down a single chance at redemption on a restart with seven laps to go. He knew he had to take it.

After leading 47 laps and ending up second last Saturday night at Fulton Speedway, Mackey sung a song of redemption atop Weedsport Speedway’s Victory Hill Wednesday night. The Rome, NY-driver made the final pass for the lead on Alan Fink with just five laps left to capture his first career DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series Feature win as part of NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week XLIX.

“I knew the restart was an opportunity I didn’t have up to that point in the race,” Mackey said. “Luckily, it worked out for us. Sometimes it doesn’t. Last week, it didn’t seem to work for us with everyone else on our tail at Fulton. But we’re standing up here tonight.”

Nothing worth having ever comes easy, and this one certainly wasn’t for Mackey. He moved past polesitter Will Shields for the lead on Lap 6, but Fink was cracking the whip right behind him.

Fink, of Central Square, NY, began his charge to the front from outside Row 5 and worked his way to sixth before the first caution on Lap 6. On the restart, Fink made a stellar move to go from sixth to third in one lap, and then got by Shields for second one lap later.

Now with only one car in front of him, Fink closed in quickly and began hounding Mackey’s rear bumper. He looked to Mackey’s outside several times before getting enough top-side momentum to make the pass at the halfway mark.

Fink ran into lapped traffic ahead with Mackey trailing not far behind and was maneuvering through well when the caution flag flew with seven laps remaining. This restacked the field and put Mackey right on his bumper for the restart.

“Going on the restart, I thought we gained a little on [Fink], but I didn’t know,” Mackey said. “We’d go in lapped traffic, and I’d close a little bit, then he’d pull back out.”

However, Mackey had paid attention when Fink passed him on the top earlier. So, he decided to go where Fink wasn’t to attempt the pass back.

“Alan showed me where the top was, and I knew I had to get him on the restart,” Mackey said. “Both racing hard, and we race week-in and week-out with Alan. We always race each other hard.”

One lap after the green dropped, Mackey got a big bite down low and pulled even with Fink going down the backstretch. As they drag raced into Turn 3, Mackey pulled ahead slightly and made the pass with a quick slide job out of Turn 4 to reclaim the lead.

“I felt like we were pulling away a little bit, and on that restart… I don’t know, maybe I should have chose the bottom on the start and then went back to the outside,” Fink said.

Mackey had found the faster lane on the bottom and zipped around the 3/8-mile to the checkers in front of Brian Calabrese, who came to life in the final circuits after running fourth the entire race. He moved to third on Lap 25 and got around Fink for second just two laps later, sealing his runner up finish at the stripe.

“[Mackey and Fink] were battling hard and I put my left-rear in the brown on the bottom, and just kept front-braking it, and I knew I might have something,” Calabrese said. “I missed the brown coming to the white, and that was my opportunity to win the race, but this has always been a dream to get up here on this hill. This is awesome.”

Fink was able to hold on for third while Zach Sobotka and AJay Potrezebowski Jr. crossed behind him to complete the top-five. Sportsman Central Region champion Matt Janczuk made a nice recovery after starting 20th, advancing 13 positions in 30 laps to finish seventh.

The Canadian driver won his second consecutive NAPA Super DIRT Week event with two different cars in two days WEEDSPORT, NY – Oct. 6, 2021 – Twice a dangerous path to glory opened for Mat Williamson, and twice he didn’t hesitate to take it.The first time was out of determination. The second was mixed with anger. There was no denying the Canadian of Wednesday night’s DIRTcar 358 Modified win at Weedsport Speedway for the NAPA Super DIRT Week Kickoff Party.However, some uncertainty hovered over his confidence before the start of the 75-lap Feature. He drew the pole in the redraw with a sunken face. To him, it would’ve looked better to start fourth and finish fourth, than to start from the pole and potentially finish anything less.Even though he won at Weedsport with the Super DIRTcar Series earlier in the season, the 3/8-mile D-shaped track has not always meshed well with Williamson. You wouldn’t have known it after 75 laps around the facility, though.“It’s one of the nicest facilities and I never ran good at it,” Williamson said. “Al and Jimmy have one of the best facilities in North America and I think I finally got it down pat where I can run decently when we come here.”Williamson launched ahead of the field on the initial start with Tim Sears, Jr. in tow, moving from third to second in the opening lap. And behind them, Larry Wight went from eighth to fourth.An early caution on Lap 1 gave little to tease of what was to come. Because what ensued after was a drama built for the silver screen.While Williamson held command out front with ease for the first 15 laps, Sears, Wight and Jordan McCreadie argued over who would be the first to try and chase down the #6M Small Block machine. Sears made a strong case early on but lost the argument when McCreadie snuck by him on a restart.As McCreadie pulled away in his attempt to hunt Williamson, Wight was an annoyance in Sears’s right ear. Lap after lap, he edged closer and closer along the right side of Sears’s car. Eventually, Sears decided to give the top lane a try himself. When he did, he passed McCreadie for second and closed to Williamson’s bumper while traffic blocked his lanes.Sears passed Williamson for the lead on Lap 34 but couldn’t run away quick enough. The 2021 DIRTcar 358 Modified Hoosier Tire Weekly Racing champion kept Sears within reach for the next five laps before seeing the first dangerous path open.With a lap car high and Sears low, Williamson used his run off Turn 2 to dive between them down the backstretch. The three cars drag raced into the third turn with only the slower giving way into the corner. That allowed Williamson enough breathing room to accelerate where he needed and rocket past Sears down the front stretch on Lap 40.He wasn’t done with lap cars, though, and Sears wasn’t done with him. Neither was Wight done with Sears. For the next 20 laps, Williamson played the obstacle course of slower cars, while Sears and Wight waged a war for second not far behind him. Switching lanes almost every lap, Sears and Wight were throwing every attack and defense they could at each other, while never making contact.On Lap 61, the lap cars continued to plague Williamson’s drive and benefit Sears. His #62X found its way around Williamson’s machine once again with the steam to potentially carry him to a victory. However, the calm Canadian had his fill of the way the slower cars were racing him and was not going to let them be the cause of a lost win.Enter dangerous path number two. Not so dissimilar from the first one.The slower car of Billy Dunn was high, and Sears was low. With another strong run off Turn 2, Williamson didn’t hesitate to fill the gap between them again. This time, when they got to Turn 3, he didn’t care if Dunn lifted or not, he was driving in with all the might and aggression he wanted and needed to make the pass.“The way the lap cars were got under my skin,” Williamson said. “There was a time I was going into Turn 3 where there was a lap car outside of me and I didn’t really care if they ended up in the wall or not because I got put in the front straightaway wall by multiple lap cars. I grew up in a different era and respected the cars that were having a good night. I have bad nights and have been in those situations many times. Obviously, I’m not perfect and done things like that but when I have an off night, I think I show the leader a little more respect.”Williamson officially reclaimed the lead for the final time on Lap 64 and held off Sears for the final 11 laps to claim his second NAPA Super DIRT Week win in two days in two different cars – he won the Super DIRTcar Series Demon 100 at Brewerton Speedway Tuesday night.“We had a hell of a race with Timmer (Sears, Jr.). Fans probably enjoyed it. We’ll take them when we can get them,” Williamson said.While Sears had to settle for second, the thrill of the battle wasn’t lost on him.“That was probably one of the most fun races we’ve had here all year,” Sears said. “Hats off to the track crew. It was really racy and put on a good show for the fans.“We were all kind of the same through lap traffic. It depended on who got the breaks and who didn’t. Matty ended up getting the better end of that stick. Second, we’ll take it. We put on a hell of a race. That was fun.”Wight, the defending winner of the race, rounded out the podium – his fourth straight top-five in the event.“Every time we seemed to get a run on those guys, we hit lap cars and the lap cars were never in my favor,” Wight said.Ronnie Davis III got by McCreadie for fourth in the final three laps, forcing McCreadie to settle for fifth.Momentum is now firmly on Williamson’s side as he looks to defend his 2019 Billy Whittaker Cars 200 championship and go after his first DIRTcar 358 Modified Salute to the Troops 150 victory. If he can win it, he’d accomplish a rare feat of winning in three different cars during NAPA Super DIRT Week as he runs for another 358 Modified team at Oswego.“The Small Block race is one of those that I haven’t won. It’s a prestigious event,” Williamson said. “It would be awesome to win. But we’ll also need some luck on our side at [Oswego Speedway] for the 150 race. You need a little bit more luck and skill. Hopefully, luck keeps riding with us.”UP NEXT: The DIRTcar 358 Modifieds will get their first laps around Oswego Speedway this year on Thursday, Oct. 7 with a morning Hot Lap session. Then, there will be Salute to the Troops Time Trials at 1:20 p.m. (ET) with the Top 6 fastest cars locking into the Feature.Following the events at Oswego Speedway is the Hurricane Harvey at Brewerton Speedway, featuring Round Two of the Fall Championship for the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds.For tickets to NAPA Super DIRT Week, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch the weeks’ worth of NAPA Super DIRT Week action live on DIRTVision – either online or with the DIRTVision App.RESULTS 1. 6M-Mat Williamson; 2. 62X-Tim Sears JR; 3. 99L-Larry Wight; 4. 32R-Ronnie Davis III; 5. 28M-Jordan McCreadie; 6. 15R-Todd Root; 7. 83J-Danny Johnson; 8. 98W-Rocky Warner; 9. 98H-Jimmy Phelps; 10. 21C-Taylor Caprara; 11. 49D-Billy Dunn; 12. 3B-Chad Brachmann; 13. 2A-Mike Gular; 14. 55W-Matt Woodruff; 15. 21H-Bob Henry; 16. 25R-Erick Rudolph; 17. 42W-Colton Wilson; 18. 02B-Roy Bresnahan; 19. 34S-Rusty Smith; 20. 12M-Ryan Macartney; 21. 42P-Pat Ward; 22. 31W-Lance Willix II; 23. 9R-Jonathan Reid; 24. 1M-Dave Marcuccilli; 25. 11S-Steve Lewis Jr.; 26. 66W-Derek Webb; 27. 11C-Justin Chrisanti; 28. 1S-Andrew Smith; 29. 14s-Brian Swarthout; 30. 9M-Tyler Meeks.

NAPA Super DIRT Week is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: NAPA Auto Parts, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Billy Whittaker Cars and Trux, Chevrolet Performance and SIS Insurance. Other Super DIRT Week sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), A-Verdi, Area Auto Racing News, ASI Race Wear, Bart Contracting Inc, Best Western Plus-Oswego, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products, City of Oswego, C&S Companies, Clarion Hotel – Oswego, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams,  Drydene, Fast Line Performance, Fast Shafts, FireAde, Fox Factory, Gypsum Express, Hoosier Racing Tire, Integra Racing Shocks, Intercomp, iRacing, K1 Race Gear, Low-E Insulation, MSD, Penske Shocks, PJC Spray Foam, Racing Electronics, SRI Performance, Tracey Road Equipment, VP Racing Fuels, and Wrisco Aluminum.  Special thanks to New York State. 

The Super DIRTcar Series is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

CHEVROLET AT DALLAS  What: Texas NHRA FallNationalsWhen: Friday, Oct. 8-Sunday, Oct. 10Where: Texas Motorplex in Ennis, TexasTV: FS1 will telecast eliminations live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Oct. 10
Chevrolet looking for Texas-size results in FallNationals
Title contenders in all three pro classes enter Round 4 of Countdown

DETROIT (Oct. 6, 2021) – Round 4 of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Countdown to the Championship at the Texas Motorplex starts off the second half of the playoff series for Chevrolet Pro Stock drivers.
The Texas NHRA FallNationals is also the fourth of seven nitro playoff events for Chevrolet title contenders Brittany Force in Top Fuel and John Force Racing teammates John Force and Robert Hight in Funny Car competition. 
Greg Anderson and Erica Enders – both four-time Pro Stock world champions – are separated by only 17 points following Enders’ fourth victory of the season at World Wide Technology Raceway two weeks ago. Anderson’s KB Racing teammate Kyle Koretsky is 97 points off the pace in third.
Anderson, a three-time winner and four-time runner-up in the HendrickCars.com Camaro SS through 14 races, has been the points leader from the outset of the season. His next victory will break a tie at 97 with Warren Johnson for the most in Pro Stock history.
“(Texas Motorplex) has been a good track for us all along and everything you want for Pro Stockers,” said Anderson, who has five career wins at the facility in Ennis, Texas. “We’ve been able to parlay that into a lot of wins in the past. I need to get the win and extend the points out.”
Matt Hartford, driver of the Total Seal Camaro SS, won the 2020 event, defeating Anderson in the final. Enders, a Texas native, has advanced to the final round in three of the past four races, winning twice.
“We put ourselves back within striking distance of Greg and we’ve just got to go to work,” said Enders, driver of the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Camaro SS.
On Oct. 5, Anderson was inducted into the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame. 
“To have my name alongside so many legends in the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame is something I never could have dreamed of,” he said.
Brittany Force, driving the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster, enters the event second in the Top Fuel standings. 
“We’re in a great place sitting No. 2 in points,” said Force, who set an NHRA Top Fuel single-season record with eight consecutive No. 1 qualifier honors. “I’ve struggled a little on my end but I’m looking to bounce back this weekend with a win at Dallas.”
John Force, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Camaro SS, is third and Hight, driver of the AAA Texas Camaro SS, is tied for seventh in the Funny Car standings. Hight has won twice (2018, 2017) in his last three appearances at Texas Motorplex.
Nitro categories and Pro Stock were allowed a test day Wednesday, Oct. 6, at the track, and a second round of night qualifying was added to the schedule for Friday, Oct. 8, for four total qualifying attempts. 
FS1 will telecast eliminations live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Oct. 10. 
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (Second in points; holds track elapsed time record, set in October 2019): “This Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac team is looking forward to this weekend’s FallNationals in Dallas. This event is going to be a big one. I’ve won here before and I’m looking forward to doing it again. We’re in a great place sitting No. 2 in points. I’ve struggled a little on my end but I’m looking to bounce back this weekend with a win at Dallas.”
FUNNY CAR:
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK ANTIFREEZE AND COOLANT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Third points; six-time winner at track): “We’ve had a great season. Danny Hood, Tim Fabrisi, they’ve worked hard on this PEAK Chevy and it’s paying off. We’re in the hunt, that’s all that I want, to be in the hunt, to have a chance at the championship. That’s all any of us want. It’s what we live for. I’ve just got to keep up, keep taking that PEAK Camaro from A to B and just do my job.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AAA TEXAS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Tie for seventh in points; four-time winner at track; holds track elapsed time and speed records, set in October 2017): “We’ve had some inconsistency. This AAA team has either been on or off. There’s been no in between. We need to be on this weekend. We have a lot of work to do. Is it still possible? Yes, and if any team can do it, it’s this one with Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham leading the way.”
PRO STOCK:
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Points leader; five-time winner at track; holds track elapsed time and speed records, set in 2015): “Everything that we’ve been doing is right and has been good. We just had a little hiccup Sunday (at St. Louis) and I came up with a bad reaction (time) and that was it. Up till then, we were getting all the points in qualifying, and the car was running great again. I can’t make a mistake like that again and I feel confident I won’t. I gave a few points away there. (Texas Motorplex) has been a good track for us all along and everything you want for Pro Stockers. We’ve been able to parlay that into a lot of wins in the past. I need to get the win and extend the points out.” (About being inducted into the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame) “When you race as much as we do, you don’t very often stop and think about what you’ve accomplished. I don’t know if I’m in the prime of my career, but I’m still digging as hard as ever, and somehow, we’re still winning races. All of these incredible things that have been happening — including tying Warren Johnson in wins and being inducted into the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame — these are things I never planned on or even set as a goal. This is beyond anything I ever thought would happen.”
ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE/ELITE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Second in points): “We’re halfway through the Countdown now. We put ourselves back within striking distance of Greg (Anderson) and we’ve just got to go to work. We still have a lot of work to compete for fifth championship, but I have the utmost confidence in my guys.”
DALLAS GLENN, KB RACING, RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CAMARO SS (Fourth in points): “Having a weekend off the recharge after our St. Louis runner-up was needed but the racer in me wanted to go racing again the next day in my RAD Torque, KB Racing and Summit Equipment Chevrolet Camaro. We lost by .002 in the finals and I wanted that win bad. I’m motivated to come out swinging this weekend in Dallas. This championship isn’t over yet.”
AARON STANFIELD, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JANAC BROTHERS RACING CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Fifth in points): “I want to show up and I want to win. I’m not sure what the championship scenarios are. I’ve got to get up on it behind the wheel and we have to start making some nice runs again and see if we can get that momentum rolling. (Regarding 2022) I would say the plan is for me to continue to drive a COPO Camaro and try to go after that third championship as well as compete in Pro Stock. I would like to put ourselves in the position to have the opportunity to win two championships at the same time. That would be over the top.”
TROY COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Sixth in points): “It would be a big honor to go there and win the race, get one of those cowboy hats, and ride outta there on top of the world. My teammate Erica (Enders) is in a very tight battle for the championship and we are looking for any way possible to put her over the top. Of course, with this incredible team, all technology is shared so we all benefit. It’s just awesome to see the work put in every day by this group. I expect us to have a big weekend. We continue to show, both individually and as a group, tremendous horsepower and we feel we can beat anyone in the world. It’s just super-close in Pro Stock, pretty much like it is every year.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL 400 CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT OCTOBER 6, 2021 WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript: THIS IS YOUR HOMETOWN TRACK THIS WEEKEND. DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL GUESTS OR FRIENDS THAT WILL BE JOINING YOU AT CHARLOTTE ON SUNDAY?“Yeah, my family always goes to this race. It’s always a good race to bring everyone out to. So yeah, they’ll be watching and I’m sure it’ll be a lot of fun to have them there. I’m looking forward to it. I always look forward to the Charlotte races and they are really important to me; not only because it’s my home track, but I grew up watching races there and racing myself at the summer shootout and stuff. It’s always fun.” WALK US THROUGH THE ROVAL AND TALK ABOUT THE PLACES WHERE YOU PUT THE POWER DOWN AND IT’S EASY TO SPIN THE TIRES AND THINGS. WHEN YOU THINK OF THE ROVAL, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE NUANCES OF IT THAT YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO BASICALLY HIT PERFECTLY?“Really the whole track. I think the front chicane is tough because you’ve got some bumps on your braking there, or one bump that kind of off-sets the car. So, you’ve got to be careful there. And then, just throughout the infield, it’s a challenge. You’ve got to get through the infield good to make passes and then get up onto the oval with speed. The whole track is really important. I don’t think there’s one place that I really focus on more than others. It’s a unique road course because there’s not really a lot of straight sections. It’s not like you’ve got a bunch of straight, heavy braking zones, you’ve got a lot of turning and braking and things like that. It makes it tough.” WHEN NASCAR ANNOUNCED THIS ROVAL ON THE SCHEDULE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION THEN? CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS IS THE FOURTH YEAR OF THIS?“Yeah, I didn’t know what to expect. Honestly, the first year I kind of felt like it was a little bit of a crazy idea and felt like we were kind of out there just for entertainment. But as I’ve gotten accustomed to it, I think we’ve worked on the track a little bit and gotten a little bit more realistic, I think it’s gotten better and better. We’re all used to it by now. I think it’s a great concept. I don’t know if it would work at other tracks. I think it’s good at Charlotte because of the layout there and the way the banking is and things like that. They do a really good job of designing and setting up the track so it’s a good race track for us.” CONSIDERING WHERE YOU ARE IN POINTS, IS IT A LITTLE LESS NERVE-RACKING PER SE, GOING INTO THIS RACE THAN BRISTOL, BECAUSE YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO WIN TO GET IN AND THERE IS NOT MUCH TALK ABOUT POINTS AND VARIOUS SITUATIONS?“Yeah, I think you said it best. I feel like there is really nothing to lose for us. We’re 44 points out. We’re not going to make it on points. We’ve got to go win. We know what we have to do to do that. Yeah, the last round I think, would have been really disappointing if we didn’t make it through to the next round. There was a lot kind of on the line for that. And we’d still be really disappointed if we didn’t make it through this round. But it hasn’t been a good round for us as far as luck goes, I guess. We’ve had a flat tire and gotten wrecked and so, it’s not been good. But I think we can make up for all of that on Sunday and we’re very capable of that. So yeah, we just go into it with nothing to lose. We either win or get out of the Playoffs.” DO YOU TAKE A RISK WITH SET-UP AND STRATEGY JUST BECAUSE OF THAT FACT?“Not setup. I don’t think there’s anything set-up wise that we could do differently besides maybe a couple of small decisions. But yeah, I think for us, strategy is definitely pretty simple for us. Just try to keep our track position and try to have an opportunity to win at the end. Whatever that strategy is, to get there at the end, is really all we’re worried about. We don’t have to think about points like we do every single week. And we can just really go out there and….how do we put ourselves in the top 4 to 5 with 30 laps to go in the race is all we’re really worried about.” HOW MUCH OF THIS IS MENTAL WHEN YOU SAY HEY, WE’RE GOING TO THE ROVAL AND I CAN DO THIS?“Yeah, it’s really just kind of proof in what you’ve learned and how you’ve gotten to this point. And I do feel like, there’s some tracks where if we were going into an elimination race, if it was Richmond, I’d say we have no opportunity to win. But with this track, we’ve continued to work on it. We’ve continued to get better and better. I’ve had a pole there in the past. I’ve led a bunch of laps there over the last two years. So, it’s not a track that I feel like we can’t win. We just have to continue to make those gains that we’ve been making on the road courses. So, I think we’re really capable this weekend of doing it. It’s a lot better than the alternative. It could be a track that we don’t feel like we could win.” WHAT PARTS OF THE ROVAL ARE YOU VERY CONFIDENT IN, AND WHAT PARTS ARE YOU STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT?“I think it’s just a really narrow track. So, getting through traffic is tough. I feel like Chase (Elliott) obviously does a great job through traffic and just does a really great job of getting through guys and not burning up his tires. That’s my biggest goal. Hopefully we don’t have to go through a lot of traffic in this race and maybe the start of the race might be the furthest back, hopefully, that we are. I think that we just have to see how it goes and see who is fast. But I feel like we’ll have the speed. We’ve just got to execute a good race.” WHAT SPOTS OR TURNS ON THE TRACK GIVE YOU THE MOST DIFFICULTY OR ANXIETY?“Like I said, I think all of them are tough. It’s a track that’s not really like other road courses. You’re always turning and braking, and that’s tough because you’re always setting yourself up for another braking zone and stuff like that. It’s difficult. I don’t know. I think that the corner maybe that’s giving me the most trouble is probably the back chicane and just trying to get through that to set-up a pass. So, that’s probably where I’m focused on for this time, and trying to get better. I mean, they’re all really important.” HOW DOES THE ROVAL COMPARE TO OTHER ROAD COURSES THIS SEASON IN TERMS OF WHERE IT SITS IN THE PLAYOFFS VERSUS ACTUAL DIFFICULTY?“I think it’s similar to the Indy Road Course and the fact that anything can happen. It’s unpredictable but I think it’s the least similar to Road America or Watkins Glen; some of those places that are really made for road course racing. Yeah, it’s kind of its own beast.”

October 6, 2021

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Duracell team enter this weekend’s Bank of America ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway on a road-course roll.

Sunday’s 253-mile race on the 2.28-mile, 17-turn track is the seventh and final road-course race of the 2021 Cup Series season. In the previous six, DiBenedetto and the No. 21 team got off to a slow start but have come on strong in the last three. 

That surge began with a 10^th-place finish at Road America, which was followed by an 11^th at Watkins Glen then a fifth on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

DiBenedetto said the turn-around over the course of the season have him optimistic heading into Charlotte, where races on the unique ROVAL, which is part road course and part oval track, have been unpredictable affairs.

“We have made big improvements at the road courses, but the ROVAL is its own animal that provides good excitement,” he said. “There’s no room for error there, and you’ve got to keep the car clean.”

He said he’s also encouraged by the team’s overall improvement since that 10^th-place finish at Road America back in July. That run was the first of five top-10 and eight top-12 finishes in the past 12 races.

“Our Menards/Duracell team has been really good everywhere the last few months, so if we keep it up we can have a shot to win before the season is over,” he said.
 
There will be no practice or qualifying prior to the start of Sunday’s race, which will consist of 109 laps, with Stage breaks at Laps 25 and 50. 

DiBenedetto will start 30^th, the line-up having been set based on results from Talladega. 

The green flag is set to fly just after 2 p.m. Eastern Time with TV coverage on NBC.
 

ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 06, 2021) – Sixteen-time NHRA Funny Car World Champion John Force and his PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS are looking for their 17th title. Sitting just 72 points out of the lead in third, the 2021 Camping World Championship is within reach and a win at the upcoming Texas NHRA FallNationals would keep Force as a favorite. With five final round appearances that included three wins first at the Charlotte Four-Wide, then New England Nationals and sharing the winners circle with daughter Brittany in Topeka at Heartland Motorsports Park and three No. 1 qualifying positions (Charlotte Four-Wide, U.S. Nationals and Carolina Nationals), Force will be trying to win four races in a season for the 14th time in his career while chasing that unprecedented 17th championship. “We’ve had a great season. Danny Hood, Tim Fabrisi, they’ve worked hard on this PEAK Chevy and it’s paying off. We’re in the hunt, that’s all that I want, to be in the hunt, to have a chance at the championship. That’s all any of us want. It’s what we live for,” Force said. “I’ve just got to keep up, keep taking that PEAK Camaro from A to B and just do my job.” Force suffered the most serious accident of his career at Dallas in 2007 when, after beating Kenny Bernstein in the second round, his car suffered a tire failure at speed and crashed heavily. Force was transported by air ambulance to Baylor hospital in Dallas for extensive surgery and then spent a month in rehab at the same facility before returning to California to continue his recovery. Doctors told him he wouldn’t race again but he was back in a race car for the start of the 2008 season.  Force has raced to victory at the FallNationals six times, most recently in 2005. One of his goals after recovery was to win again at the Texas Motorplex. Since the crash, he twice has been runner-up – in 2010 and in 2013, the last two years he won the championship.  “I love coming to race in Texas,” said Force who has won in the state 14 times, more than any state outside of California (24). “Billy Meyer, he’s a racer, so he gets it. The show they are putting on this year, well it’s exciting. Not only getting back that second qualifying run on Friday but the whole week, testing Wednesday, getting to interact with the fans on Thursday evening, they’ve had music and entertainment all week long. Then you get NHRA Camping World Drag Racing to cap it all off. Should be a good time.” The Texas Motorplex is playing host to the “Stampede of Speed” ahead of the Texas NHRA FallNationals. While festivities have been ongoing since Oct. 2nd, Force and his teammates will get the week started Wednesday with the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Open Test Session and then the Fan Fest in downtown Waxahachie on Thursday evening. Texas NHRA FallNationals racing activities at Texas Motorplex will kick off with two qualifying sessions Friday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Qualifying continues Saturday with two more tries at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Eliminations are set for Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage begins with Friday qualifying at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). A second qualifying show airs Sunday at 2 p.m. ET followed by eliminations coverage at 3 p.m. ET on FS1.

ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 06, 2021) – Stakes are high for Robert Hight and his AAA Texas Chevrolet Camaro SS team as they head to the Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, the fourth of seven events in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship. Tied for seventh in what’s been one of the toughest Funny Car fields of Hight’s career, a good showing this weekend will keep a fourth championship in sight. With two victories in 2021 at the SpringNationals in Houston and Sonoma Raceway’s NHRA Sonoma Nationals, two runner-up finishes at the season opening Gatornationals and the New England Nationals, and a No. 1 qualifier at the Las Vegas Four-Wide event, Hight and the AAA team need a late season surgency to pull off another championship run. Hight left the first two events in the Countdown, the first at Maple Grove Raceway and the second the NHRA Carolina Nationals, with No. 2 qualifying positions at each and a semifinal and first round exit, respectively. Most recently, Hight was the No. 7 qualifier and had a first round exit in St. Louis. “We’ve had some inconsistency. This AAA team has either been on or off. There’s been no in between,” Hight said. “We need to be on this weekend. We have a lot of work to do. Is it still possible? Yes, and if any team can do it, it’s this one with Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham leading the way.” Hight has won in two of his last three appearances at the Texas Motorplex, 2017 and 2018, and was a semifinalist in both 2016 and 2019. The AAA team are the track record holder for time and speed at 3.826-seconds and 338.60 mph, marks he set on Oct. 15, 2017. Overall, Hight has started from No. 1 six times at the Motorplex and has won the race four times. “I enjoy racing in Texas. This AAA team has had success there and with the show they’re putting on this season, all the events they have happening leading up to our race, the finale, it’s going to be exciting,” Hight said. “We’ll take advantage of the testing they’re allowing on Wednesday and getting that second qualifying session back on Friday. It should set up for a good show and allow us to get some momentum going.” The Texas Motorplex is playing host to the “Stampede of Speed” ahead of the Texas NHRA FallNationals. While festivities have been ongoing since Oct. 2nd, Hight and his teammates will get the week started Wednesday with the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Open Test Session and then the Fan Fest in downtown Waxahachie on Thursday evening. Hight will also be participating in a special media event put on by AAA Texas in their efforts to stop illegal street racing on Thursday morning in downtown Dallas.  Texas NHRA FallNationals racing activities at Texas Motorplex will kick off with two qualifying sessions Friday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Qualifying continues Saturday with two more tries at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Eliminations are set for Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage begins with Friday qualifying at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). A second qualifying show airs Sunday at 2 p.m. ET followed by eliminations coverage at 3 p.m. ET on FS1.

The Headingley, MB driver is raising money for cancer research

CONCORD, NC – October 6, 2021 – “There are 86,400 seconds in a day. It’s up to you to decide what you do with them.” That’s a quote from former North Carolina State Men’s Basketball Coach Jim Valvano during his infamous speech at the 1993 ESPY awards. 

 Valvano, who died of cancer, started the V Foundation for Cancer Research in 1993, and now World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models driver Ricky Weiss is doing his part to support the foundation. 

For the second consecutive season, Weiss is teaming up with the V Foundation to try and raise money to help find a cure for cancer. The Headingly, MB driver’s family has a history of ovarian and breast cancer, which motivated him to join the fight.  

“It just brings our spirits up and my grandma and everyone back at home when we can do something like this,” Weiss said. “There’s a lot of people that come through the pit area that thank us for doing what we do, and it’s pretty cool to know that we can give back to people that’s been through such hard times.” 

Weiss debuted a new paint scheme at Cherokee Speedway for the Mike Duvall Memorial. He traded his usual black and red colors for black with teal and pink—the two colors representing Breast and Ovarian cancer. October and November are the two awareness months for those forms of the disease. 

“We’re trying to raise money for the V Foundation, which focuses on those two cancers and raises a lot of money,” Weiss said. “Hopefully, we can raise a little bit to where we can help them and give them something that maybe they wouldn’t be able to if they didn’t raise that money.”

Weiss is raising money through the help of fans by selling bracelets and stickers. Fans can write their name on the stickers and put them on the deck of his race car. All that money is going directly to the V Foundation.

Once the season is over, fans will have other ways to donate.

“At the end of the year, we’re going to auction off these [door panels] like we did last year,” Weiss said. “Big thanks to Drydene for getting us a new fire suit; we’re probably going to auction that off at the end of the year. Bell and Drydene worked together on getting us a new helmet for the deal, so everything matches.”

Weiss uses his 86,400 seconds each day to give back to a cause that’s important to him and his family.  Sometimes, the checkered flag isn’t the only thing drivers race for. 

“We’re obviously open to donations and anything someone can help with,” Weiss said. “I think it’ll go a long way and mean a lot to some special people.”

Fans can see Weiss’s new paint scheme on Nov. 4-6 when the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models return to action at The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the NGK NTK World Finals.

ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 06, 2021) – Just 36 points back from the Top Fuel points lead with four races left in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team head to the Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex determined to make a jump to the top of the Top Fuel standings, hopefully for good. The Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team has a total of 10 No. 1s with one win at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kan., where Brittany went onto share a historic winners circle with legendary father John Force. It was the first time in NHRA history that a parent-child duo had won together in the pro categories. The Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team has set track records with both their stellar elapsed times and speeds, staying consistent through qualifying but falling on bad luck on race day. The David Grubnic and Mac Savage led team has been to the finals five times in the 2021 Camping World Drag Racing Series season, most recently finishing runner-up at the Carolina Nationals. “We’re in a great place sitting No. 2 in points. This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team is looking forward to putting the last couple weekends behind us and getting right into the race this weekend,” said Force referring to her dragster putting cylinders out and recent hole shot losses. “I’ve struggled a little on my end but I’m looking to bounce back this weekend with a win at Dallas.” Force has had success at Texas Motorplex. In the seven years she’s competed at the venue, Force has qualified within the top five for five consecutive years, most recently going No. 1 in 2019. In 2017, her championship season, Force raced to victory sharing the winners circle with teammate Robert Hight. The Texas Motorplex is one of the 13 tracks in the current Camping World Series at which Brittany is the track record holder for either time or speed. She lowered the ET record to 3.651 seconds in her last appearance in the FallNationals in 2019. “This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team is looking forward to this weekend’s FallNationals in Dallas. This event is going to be a big one,” Force said. “We have the opportunity to test beforehand, hang out with fans at the fan fest on Thursday and we get four qualifying runs before going into race day. I’ve won here before and I’m looking forward to doing it again.” The Texas Motorplex is playing host to the “Stampede of Speed” ahead of the Texas NHRA FallNationals. While festivities have been ongoing since Oct. 2nd, Force and her teammates will get the week started Wednesday with the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Open Test Session and then the Fan Fest in downtown Waxahachie, Texas on Thursday evening. Texas NHRA FallNationals racing activities at Texas Motorplex will kick off with two qualifying sessions Friday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Qualifying continues Saturday with two more tries at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Eliminations are set for Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage begins with Friday qualifying at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). A second qualifying show airs Sunday at 2 p.m. ET followed by eliminations coverage at 3 p.m. ET on FS1.

Honda engineers ready for adventure of a lifetime in all-women 2021 Rebelle Rally off-road navigation event
2021 Honda HPD Ridgeline will cover 1,500 miles of off-road terrain in Nevada and California

Santa Clarita, Calif. / Raymond, Ohio (October 6, 2021) – A team of Honda engineers will take the company’s product development efforts to the next level later this month as they tackle the 2021 Rebelle Rally, an all-women off-road navigation event through the unforgiving deserts of the American southwest. 
Driving a rugged 2021 Honda HPD Ridgeline, two engineers from Honda’s Ohio-based North American Auto Development Center, Liz Long and Tasha Krug, will compete in the in the grueling eight-day competition from October 7-16.
This is the third year Honda is participating in the longest off-road rally in the United States, which begins in the Nevada desert and finishes 1,500 miles later at the Imperial Sand Dunes in Southern California. It’s not a race for speed, but a unique and demanding event where the teams strategically navigate the rugged terrain without the assistance of GPS or cellular navigation. Instead, drivers will rely on traditional elements of headings, hidden checkpoints, time, and distance using maps, compasses, and roadbooks to reach the finish line.
Competing as Team Sand Mode #208 in the X-Cross class, Long and Krug will test the handling, capability, and durability of the Honda HPD Ridgeline over 10-12 hours of off-road driving per day. In the 2019 Rebelle Rally, the teammates placed 3rd in the X-Cross class driving a 2019 Honda Passport, taking home the Rookie of the Year award.
Long, a Honda chassis reliability test engineer, helps guarantee the reliability of Honda and Acura vehicles through subframe and suspension testing, which includes in-lab and on-car strength, durability, and marketability analyses. Krug, a Honda engine systems and drivability test engineer, calibrates engines and confirms drivability and marketability, ensuring the vehicle operates smoothly in real-world environments.
Honda engineers use the Rebelle Rally to further test the HPD Ridgeline in extreme environments. Like the Honda Passport TrailSport Rugged Roads Project, the team’s HPD Ridgeline features additional light modifications to further increase its off-road capability, including custom oil pan and fuel tank skid plates, custom front recovery points, a suspension lift kit, and all-terrain tires. Unique to the team’s Ridgeline is a sportier-sounding custom exhaust and an in-bed dual full-size spare tire carrier.
The Ridgeline also features parts from Honda Genuine Accessories including roof rails, crossbars, and basket; door visors; cargo net; in-bed trunk cargo dividers; and all-season floor mats. The Ridgeline’s HPD Package adds an even more rugged appearance with unique grille treatment, black fender flares, aggressive bronze-colored wheels, and special HPD graphics.
“We are excited for this year’s Rebelle Rally and look forward to competing in such a unique event,” said Krug. “Rebelle Rally is an excellent proving ground for the capabilities of the 2021 HPD Ridgeline, and we’re ready to do our best and see what new adventures this year’s rally brings.”
The special Rebelle Rally wrap applied to the 2021 HPD Ridgeline was designed by Honda exterior designer Lili Melikian and celebrates the ruggedness of the HPD Ridgeline. The wrap is an expression of performance and power, with orange, red, gold and black lines stretching across the body inspired by the shifting colors of the event’s desert landscape, while the orange lines also take inspiration directly from TrailSport, Honda’s new rugged halo for its light trucks that made its debut on the 2022 Honda Passport.

About Honda Performance Development
Honda Performance Development, Inc. (HPD), has a rich heritage creating, manufacturing, and supporting Honda Racing and Acura Motorsports customers since 1993.  From pinnacle racing in INDYCAR and IMSA Sports Cars to commercial racing programs, HPD powers the dreams of professional and amateur racers from age 4 to 40+. HPD is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and leads all of Honda and Acura’s high-performance racing programs in North America. HPD specializes in the design and development of powertrain, chassis, electronics, and performance parts, as well as technical and race support. HPD offers parts and race support to Honda and Acura amateur and professional motorsports racers and is continually expanding its palette of racing programs that make Honda racing products available to all racing styles, from karting and Quarter Midgets to the highest levels of pro racing.

Williamson out duels Jimmy Phelps and Peter Britten for the win, and the final NAPA Super DIRT Week guaranteed starting spot

BREWERTON, NY – Mat Williamson has had a demon on his back throughout the 2021 Super DIRTcar Series season, but on Tuesday night at Brewerton Speedway he crushed it.

Giving a needed boost to his season, Williamson outdueled race-long leader Larry Wight for the lead in the closing laps and held off 2021 Brewerton track champion Jimmy Phelps and Australian Peter Britten to claim the $10,000 top prize and the final guaranteed Billy Whittaker Cars 200 starting spot.

Coming off the huge win at Fulton Speedway – becoming the first Canadian to win the Outlaw 200 – Williamson has the mindset of a winner going into the biggest week in Northeast dirt racing: NAPA Super DIRT Week (Oct. 6-10). 

“Racing is mental,” said Williamson, who lives in St. Catharines, ON. “Anyone that says it isn’t is lying. You get to these races and if you start sixth and finish 12th it’s not a good feeling and it sticks with you. When you line up to go racing and you look around thinking you can’t beat these guys, you have a problem. I’ve got my head right and I feel like we are getting closer to the top. We just need to ride the wave as long as we can.”

The Buzz Chew Chevrolet #88 started fourth and never fell out of the top-five. Williamson raced hard with Phelps, Britten, Chris Hile, and Matt Sheppard throughout the race until Williamson moved into the second position and began to run down leader Larry Wight. 

The track conditions were ideal for putting the power down, however it still had some character.

“There were some pretty big holes and if you didn’t drive around them you were in for a treat,” Williamson said. “You just had to hit them right.

“It was fun to race. This is always a fun place to race at. With all the weather they had, this is a pretty damn good race track.”

Once Williamson made it up to second, the battle was on for the win with Larry Wight. Lighting Larry started on the outside pole and led the first lap, passing pole-sitter Roy Bresnahan for the lead. Late race restarts saw Wight and Williamson timing their drag race launches down the frontstretch.

“On some of the restarts Larry [Wight] would try to crowd me to the top and I would try to drive around them but then diamond the corner off too,” Williamson said. “We had a great race going and it’s unfortunate that he broke because we would have had a good battle to the end. But we’ll take it.”

Williamson knew how he had to make the pass happen and was pushing the envelope to stay side-by-side with the #99L. 

“I was just trying to stick with him at the flag stand,” he said. “The two restarts before that he got a car length on me. I thought that’s what it would take to get to the top side of Turns Three and Four because that’s where I needed to be. We had some fun head games going on the restart there but we race together a lot. He got the better of me.”

Not only did the big Brewerton win come at the right time in the season but it also came with some insurance for the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 on Sunday, Oct. 10: a guaranteed starting spot. But that was the last thing on Williamson’s mind when it came to the 200. 

“I feel like if we have to rely on a guaranteed start then we are in some trouble,” Williamson noted. “Our goal is to start that race upfront but it is nice to have the guarantee just in case.”

Phelps, from Baldwinsville, NY, took Brewerton Speedway’s 2021 track championship so the Demon 100 has been circled on the Baldwinsville Bandit’s calendar since the announcement. Phelps stayed in the hunt for the lead all race long, never letting the top two gap the field. 

“It seemed whenever anyone would start pulling away they’d hit a rut and you’d catch right up,” Phelps noted. “I thought I was a little too conservative really.”

Phelps won one Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship race at Brewerton this year and collected 12 top-fives. He’s used to a dry, slick surface at the D-Shaped Dirt Demon. But on Tuesday night, the Demon was hungry and wanted to eat. 

“The traction we got here tonight I think evened the playing field,” Phelps said. “Normally, on a Friday night we are inching around this place looking for grip every night. That’s what makes this place great. Tonight was a different animal. We actually ran the same setup we normally do. I just had to drive it different.”

The podium finish is a huge boost to the HBR team going into the rest of the busy NAPA Super DIRT Week. 

“Honestly we’ve been pretty drab on the tour so to start out Super DIRT Week with a nice finish is a good thing,” Phelps noted. 

For most of the 100-lap clash, Peter Britten, from Brisbane, AU, was side-by-side with another car in Top Five including seven-time Series champion Matt Sheppard. 

“You know what’s great, is that they drive you hard and if they can get a position on you they’ll take your line and you’ll have to yield,” Britten said. “But they won’t put you in the wall. That’s the thing I love the most about racing with the Series. If you are fast enough you can be at the front, have a dogfight, and not even touch.” 

And what a fight it was. Britten managed to come away with the podium finish after losing power steering on lap 20. He was visibly worn down after getting out of his #21A Big Block. 

“The track was kind of heavy,” Britten said. “There’s a lot of load on the car here. I think my brakes were even struggling too. You gotta get on them heavy in Turn One so you are really using them. I probably used the brakes more here than I have all year, apart from Lebanon Valley. I was kind of losing the pedal a little bit.”

Tim McCreadie made his first Super DIRTcar Series since 2019. He drove himself into the redraw in his Heat Race, drew the 12th starting position and managed to hang on for a 10th place finish. 

Erick Rudolph, from Ransomville, NY picked up 12 spots for the Hard Charger award. Rudolph started 17th and picked his way through the high-quality field to finish seventh. 

NEXT LAP: NAPA Super DIRT Week XLIX continues tomorrow when the Parade of Power takes to the streets of Oswego, NY at noon, followed by a special NAPA Super DIRT Week announcement at City Hall at 12:30 p.m. After that, attention shifts to Weedsport Speedway for the NAPA Super DIRT Week Kickoff party featuring the DIRTcar 358 and Sportsman Modified Series. 

Coonradt wins wild Pro Stock Feature at BrewertonThe West Milton, NY driver beat Jim Normoyle to the checkered flag by .094 secondsBREWERTON, NY- October 5, 2021- All Josh Coonradt needed was a chance. A moment. A quarter panel. And he got it Tuesday night at Brewerton Speedway. The West Milton, NY driver, raced into third, getting a front-row seat to Jim Normoyle and Luke Horning’s epic battle for the lead in the final 10 laps. As Coonradt lurked behind the lead duo, he was waiting, hoping for an opportunity.   That’s when Horning’s right-rear quarter panel came off, forcing officials to throw the yellow. The last-lap caution was the break Coonradt needed, as “Cousin Luke” was also sent to the pits with more tin hanging off his car. Horning’s loss turned into Coonradt’s gain, setting him up for a two-lap shootout with Normoyle.  As the green flag flew, Coonradt and Normoyle raced wheel-to-wheel around the track, neither willing to give an inch as they took the white flag. Both drivers stayed together through Brewerton’s tight Turns 1 and 2, and neither could pull ahead down the backstretch.  But when the two drivers hit Turns 3 and 4, Coonradt went into another gear. The defending NAPA Super DIRT Week Pro Stock champion turned on the jets through the final corner, gaining enough momentum to beat Normoyle to the finish line by .094 seconds.  A victory at the D-Shaped Dirt Demon was something Coonradt never expected to happen as the laps wound down.  “I didn’t think we had the car to win tonight,” Coonradt said. “I think we were off a little bit on the setup, but I kind of could counter what I think we were missing. It just took Jim [Normoyle] to slip up on that little bit of moisture down in the track, and it was just enough to give me the run that I needed.  “Without the restart or the yellow, I don’t think I had a chance against him.” The win is Coonradt’s seventh of 2021 and first at The D-Shaped Dirt Demon.Even though he stated he didn’t feel he had the car to win, Coonradt knew the high line was what suited him best in the last 10 laps.  “I’m not really a bottom feeder; I prefer the top,” Coonradt said. “I feel like if you can keep the momentum, you can gain speed little by little by little under green flag laps. That was just a hell of a race, and I can’t thank Jim Normoyle enough for racing me as clean as he did.” Normoyle settled for second as the taste of victory was ripped from his clutches in the final corner. The Little Falls, NY driver was happy with his performance despite coming up short.  “I’ll take it, we’re all around the clock, good guys, and we had a lot of fun out there,” Normoyle said. “To say the least, I’m very happy.” Chuck Dumblewski crossed the line third after starting 10th. The Amsterdam, NY driver still worked his way to a podium despite being plagued by overheating issues.  “We definitely had a good car; we started 10th, so you know I passed quite a few cars,” Dumblewski said. “We were easily a top-five car, and without overheating issues, I think I could’ve been right there in the mix with Coonradt and the [Normoyle].” Ivan Joslin finished fourth, and Eli Gilbert rounded out the top five.  A timely opportunity allowed Josh Coonradt to prevail, kicking off NAPA Super DIRT Week 49 with a victory at Brewerton. It also earned him a guaranteed starting spot in Sunday’s Pro Stock 50 Feature. It’s momentum he’ll use toward trying to climb the mountain at Oswego for a second time.   If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or through the DIRTVision App. UP NEXT: The DIRTcar Pro Stocks begin their quest toward NAPA Super DIRT Week glory at Oswego Speedway starting with Qualifying on Friday. Pro Stock Feature (30 Laps)- 1. 70x-Josh Coonradt; 2. 74n-Jim Normoyle; 3. 7d-Chuck Dumblewski; 4. 49-Ivan Joslin; 5-75-Eli Gilbert; 6. 1x-Justin White; 7. 6c-Brian Carter; 8. 28-Burton Ward; 9. 91-Ian Bressett; 10. 2h-Luke Horning; 11. 23t-Scott Towslee; 12. 56f-Jay Fitzgerald; 13. 6p-Shane Playford; 14. 33b-Timothy Bailey; 15. 57k-Kevin Fetterly; 16. 4c-Dean Charbonneau; 17. 8n- Nick Stone

NAPA Super DIRT Week is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: NAPA Auto Parts, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Billy Whittaker Cars and Trux, Chevrolet Performance and SIS Insurance. Other Super DIRT Week sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), A-Verdi, Area Auto Racing News, ASI Race Wear, Bart Contracting Inc, Best Western Plus-Oswego, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products, City of Oswego, C&S Companies, Clarion Hotel – Oswego, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams,  Drydene, Fast Line Performance, Fast Shafts, FireAde, Fox Factory, Gypsum Express, Hoosier Racing Tire, Integra Racing Shocks, Intercomp, iRacing, K1 Race Gear, Low-E Insulation, MSD, Penske Shocks, PJC Spray Foam, Racing Electronics, SRI Performance, Tracey Road Equipment, VP Racing Fuels, and Wrisco Aluminum.  Special thanks to New York State.

PA’s Port Royal Speedway is Last Posse vs. Outlaws Matchup of 2021PORT ROYAL, PA – October 5, 2021 – For the final time this year, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will square off against the Pennsylvania Posse, but this time at a new facility.Six races at Williams Grove and a weekday show at Lincoln preceded the Nittany Showdown, but now the 1/2-mile at Port Royal Speedway stands in the spotlight with a doubleheader this weekend.The likes of Sweet, Schatz, Gravel, Macedo, Schuchart & Haudenschild represent the Outlaws while the Posse bring in aces such as Dewease, Dietrich, Marks, Wagner, Macri & Rahmer.A $15,000-to-win main event caps the weekend on Saturday night with Every Lap LIVE on DIRTVision.PORT ROYAL TICKETSHere are some of the top storylines to follow:RULING THE PALACE: When you think of Port Royal Speedway in 2021, you think of Logan Wagner and Lance Dewease; two men who want to and could likely dethrone the Outlaws this weekend.Wagner, of Harrisonville, PA, is fresh off the biggest win of his life at September’s Tuscarora 50 against the All Star Circuit of Champions. He banked more than $56,000 at the event and also clinched his fourth consecutive track championship, tying a record set by Keith Kauffman 40 years ago. The Zemco #1Z pilot won three total races at the track this year but has two more opportunities left to beat The Greatest Show on Dirt this weekend.Dewease, of Fayetteville, PA, is always commended for his dominance at Williams Grove as the all-time winningest driver, but his records at Port Royal are equally impressive. The Kreitz #69K driver won four races at the 1/2-mile this year, bringing him to 119 career victories and leaving him 10 short of the all-time record by Kauffman at 129 wins. The 55-year-old legend won twice at the speedway in the World of Outlaws Gumout Series in the early 2000’s, but still chases his first at the track against the NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars.MONEY MAN: Within the last month, Carson Macedo has undoubtedly experienced the greatest stretch of his career. The Lemoore, CA 25-year-old has won thrice over 30 days with the World of Outlaws, and they all three mark the highest paydays of his life.He won the Skagit Nationals for $25,000 on September 5, then won the Tom Tarlton Classic for $21,000 on September 18, and last weekend scored a massive $75,000 check at the National Open on October 2.The Jason Johnson Racing driver, who owns 10 wins this season and still battles for second in the championship has a chance to become the leading money earner this weekend with winnings of $10,000 on Friday and $15,000 on Saturday available.CHAMPIONSHIP DRAMA: Williams Grove’s National Open had all the potential to create some chaos in the championship chase last weekend, and the Posse’s home porch lived up to that potential. Just when it looked as if David Gravel was set to take another huge chunk out of Brad Sweet’s advantage, the night and season drastically changed.After cutting down 36 points last weekend, Gravel was expected to eat away more on Friday night when Sweet was forced to take his first provisional of the year. However, while running inside the top-10, a power steering issue slowed the Big Game #2 and handed Gravel a 25th-place DNF while Sweet advanced to 15th and padded more points.Only seven races remain – Port Royal (10/8-9), Lakeside (10/22), Lawton (10/29), Devil’s Bowl (10/30), Charlotte (11/5-6) – and Sweet now holds a 128-point lead. Realistically, his third consecutive championship is nearly a lock, but anything can happen and mathematically it’s not over yet.POSSE AT PORT: We’ve been to Lincoln and Williams Grove, now we’re checking off one more Central Pennsylvania battle with the PA Posse this weekend at Port Royal Speedway. However, the Posse hasn’t won an Outlaws race at The Speed Palace since 2014 when Kunkletown’s Ryan Smith scored a popular first-career win. Interestingly enough, though, they’ve had six different drivers run second over the last six races; a streak they want to break this weekend.2016 – Spring Grove’s Greg Hodnett 2nd to Schuchart 2017 – Fayetteville’s Lance Dewease 2nd to Schatz 2018 – Salfordville’s Freddie Rahmer 2nd to Schatz 2019 – Dillsburg’s Anthony Macri 2nd to Schatz 2020 – Gettysburg’s Danny Dietrich 2nd to Larson 2020 – Myerstown’s Brent Marks 2nd to LarsonPOINTS BATTLE: Beyond the title fight, other positions in the championship standings are worth following as drivers battle for the lucrative points fund. Last weekend, Logan Schuchart (-292) used a pair of second-place finishes to overtake Sheldon Haudenschild (-320) for the fifth spot in points, which pays a record-setting $50,000 at season end.In front of them, Carson Macedo (-142) used his National Open title to catch Gravel (-128) in a battle for the runner-up position. The difference from second to third in points includes a massive swing of $100,000 for second and $60,000 for third. It would be a career-best finish for both in the World of Outlaws standings.THE THREE S’s: Sweet, Schuchart. Schatz. They were 1-2-3 in the championship last year, and they are the only three full-timers with a World of Outlaws win at Port Royal.Sweet conquered The Speed Palace in 2015 in a Kasey Kahne Racing 1-2 finish over then-teammate Daryn Pittman. It was the first win in Central Pennsylvania for the Grass Valley, CA native.Schuchart, who hails from less than two hours away in Hanover, won the 2016 show for his second-career World of Outlaws win. This weekend is his final chance of 2021 to match his grandfather Bobby Allen at 30 career wins while still in their home state of Pennsylvania.Schatz has won more Outlaw shows at Port Royal than anyone else with four wins to his credit. The 10-time Series champion won in 2004 aboard his own Schatz #15 and then earned a three-peat with Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanain Racing from 2017-19.THE JONESTOWN JET: His first-career World of Outlaws win came at Williams Grove, but Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contender is most closely associated with Port Royal Speedway. Growing up an hour away from the Juniata County 1/2-mile, Zearfoss owns seven 410 wins at the track and won the 2017 track championship. That same year, he nearly got his second-career Outlaws victory at Port Royal.He led 17 laps in a fierce battle with Schatz before ultimately running out of fuel with two-to-go while running second. Last year, he finished fifth and seventh at the 1/2-mile in World of Outlaws action. This weekend, he gets another chance at arguably his best track in pursuit of his first World of Outlaws top-five of the 2o21 season.This Week at a Glance – When and WhereFriday-Saturday, October 8-9 at Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, PAOn the Internet World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws Instagram – @WoOSprint Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthAround the Turn: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will enjoy a rare off-weekend after the trip to Port Royal with no racing planned for October 15-16. After that, the FVP Platinum Battery Showdown takes over Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, KS on Friday, October 22.NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (14 Drivers): 16 wins – Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb #49 10 wins – David Gravel, Big Game Motorsports #2 10 wins – Carson Macedo, Jason Johnson Racing #41 8 wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17 6 wins – Logan Schuchart, Shark Racing #1S 4 wins – Kyle Larson, Silva Motorsports #57 4 wins – Aaron Reutzel, Roth Motorsports #83 3 wins – Donny Schatz, Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15 2 wins – James McFadden, Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb #9 2 wins – Kerry Madsen, Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #14 2 wins – Brent Marks, Brent Marks Racing #19 1 win – Dave Blaney, Dave Blaney #10 1 win – Spencer Bayston, Sam McGhee Motorsports #11 1 win – Tyler Courtney, Clauson-Marshall Racing #7BCFEATURE LAPS LED (29 Drivers): 333 laps – Brad Sweet 293 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild 287 laps – Carson Macedo 254 laps – Logan Schuchart 242 laps – David Gravel 222 laps – Donny Schatz 188 laps – Aaron Reutzel 97 laps – Kyle Larson 66 laps – James McFadden 63 laps – Kerry Madsen 57 laps – Tyler Courtney 39 laps – Brent Marks 33 laps – Spencer Bayston 29 laps – Giovanni Scelzi 27 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 25 laps – Wayne Johnson 16 laps – Tanner Carrick 13 laps – Colby Copeland 11 laps – Sye Lynch 10 laps – Jacob Allen, Brock Zearfoss, Parker Price-Miller 9 laps – Kasey Kahne, Austin McCarl 3 laps – Ian Madsen 1 lap – Kraig Kinser, Brandon Spithaler, Dave Blaney, Brian BrownSLICK WOODY’S QUICKTIME AWARDS (22 Drivers): 16 QuickTimes – David Gravel 7 QuickTimes – Sheldon Haudenschild, Logan Schuchart 5 QuickTimes – Brad Sweet 4 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo, Kerry Madsen 3 QuickTimes – Aaron Reutzel 2 QuickTimes – James McFadden, Donny Schatz, Kasey Kahne, Cory Eliason, Giovanni Scelzi, Parker Price-Miller, Lance Dewease, Sam Hafertepe Jr. 1 QuickTime – Kraig Kinser, Jacob Allen, Danny Dietrich, Anthony Macri, Brian Brown, Brock Zearfoss, Rico Abreu, Sye LynchDRYDENE HEAT RACE WINNERS (42 Drivers) 30 Heat Wins – David Gravel 28 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo 23 Heat Wins – Donny Schatz 18 Heat Wins – Brad Sweet 17 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild 16 Heat Wins – Aaron Reutzel 15 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart 11 Heat Wins – James McFadden 7 Heat Wins – Brian Brown 5 Heat Wins – Kraig Kinser, Kerry Madsen 4 Heat Wins – Brock Zearfoss, Jason Sides, Wayne Johnson, Giovanni Scelzi, Tyler Courtney, Ian Madsen 3 Heat Wins – Kasey Kahne, Anthony Macri, Sam Hafertepe Jr. 2 Heat Wins – Jacob Allen, Kyle Larson, DJ Netto, Parker Price-Miller, Lance Dewease, Brent Marks 1 Heat Win –  Danny Dietrich, Hunter Schuerenberg, Brandon Spithaler, Tim Kaeding, Jack Dover, Scotty Thiel, Paul McMahan, Daryn Pittman, Justin Peck, Jac Haudenschild, Sye Lynch, Chad Trout, TJ Stutts, Ryan Robinson, Blake Carrick, Ayrton Gennetten, Dylan CisneyPODIUM FINISHES (28 Drivers): 34 Podiums – Brad Sweet 24 Podiums – Carson Macedo 23 Podiums – David Gravel 22 Podiums – Donny Schatz 21 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild 18 Podiums – Logan Schuchart 12 Podiums – James McFadden 10 Podiums – Aaron Reutzel 6 Podiums – Kerry Madsen, Brent Marks 5 Podiums – Giovanni Scelzi 4 Podiums – Kyle Larson 3 Podiums – Brian Brown, Lance Dewease 2 Podiums – Kraig Kinser, Cory Eliason, Anthony Macri, Danny Dietrich, Tyler Courtney 1 Podium – Jacob Allen, Justin Peck, Brian Brown, Anthony Macri, Dave Blaney, Spencer Bayston, Daryn Pittman, Paulie Colagiovanni, Austin McCarl, Colby Copeland, Sam Hafertepe Jr.2021 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Schedule & WinnersNo. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins) 1. Fri, Feb. 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brad Sweet (1) 2. Sun, Feb. 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Logan Schuchart (1) 3. Fri, March 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1) 4. Sat, March 6 / East Bay Raceway Park / Tampa, FL / Aaron Reutzel (1) 5. Fri, March 12 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / Sheldon Haudenschild (1) 6. Sat, March 13 / The Rev / Monroe, LA / David Gravel (1) 7. Fri, March 19 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Sheldon Haudenschild (2) 8. Sat, March 20 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Brad Sweet (2) 9. Sat, March 27 / Lake Ozark Speedway / Eldon, MO / Brad Sweet (3) 10. Fri, April 2 / I-55 Raceway / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (4) 11. Sat, April 3 / I-55 Raceway / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (5) 12. Fri, April 9 / Kokomo Speedway / Kokomo, IN / James McFadden (1) 13. Sat, April 10 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Carson Macedo (2) 14. Fri, April 22 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN / David Gravel (2) 15. Sun, April 24 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN / David Gravel (3) 16. Thur, April 29 / Jacksonville Speedway / Jacksonville, IL / Brad Sweet (6) 17. Fri, April 30 / I-70 Motorsports Park / Odessa, MO / Brad Sweet (7) 18. Sat, May 1 / I-70 Motorsports Park / Odessa, MO / Brad Sweet (8) 19. Sat, May 8 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Brent Marks (1) 20. Sat, May 8 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Sheldon Haudenschild (3) 21. Wed, May 12 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Brad Sweet (9) 22. Fri, May 14 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Carson Macedo (3) 23. Sat, May 15 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Aaron Reutzel (2) 24. Tues, May 18 / Bridgeport Speedway / Swedesboro, NJ / Logan Schuchart (2) 25. Fri, May 21 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / David Gravel (4) 26. Sat, May 22 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH / Dave Blaney (1) 27. Mon, May 31 / Lawrenceburg Speedway / Lawrenceburg, IN / Kyle Larson (1) 28. Sat, June 5 / Granite City Speedway /Sauk Rapids, MN / David Gravel (5) 29. Fri, June 11 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Carson Macedo (4) 30. Sat, June 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Carson Macedo (5) 31. Thur, June 17 / 34 Raceway / West Burlington, IA / Brad Sweet (10) 32. Fri, June 18 / Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway / Dubuque, IA / Donny Schatz (1) 33. Sat, June 19 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, WI / Sheldon Haudenschild (4) 34. Mon, June 21 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / David Gravel (6) 35. Tues, June 22 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Aaron Reutzel (3) 36. Thur, June 24 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / Kerry Madsen (1) 37. Fri, June 25 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / Kerry Madsen (2) 38. Sat, June 27 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / Logan Schuchart (3) 39. Fri, July 2 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / Brad Sweet (11) 40. Sat, July 3 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / Brad Sweet (12) 41. Sat, July 10 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI / Brad Sweet (13) 42. Tues, July 13 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Spencer Bayston (1) 43. Wed, July 14 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Carson Macedo (6) 44. Sat, July 17 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Tyler Courtney (1) 45. Sat, July 17 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Kyle Larson (2) 46. Sun, July 18 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Carson Macedo (7) 47. Tues, July 20 / Lernerville Speedway / Sarver, PA / Brad Sweet (14) 48. Fri, July 23 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Sheldon Haudenschild (5) 49. Sat, July 24 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Brent Marks (2) 50. Fri, July 30 / Ransomville Speedway / Ransomville, NY / Aaron Reutzel (4) 51. Sat, July 31 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY / David Gravel (7) 52. Fri, August 6 / I-55 Raceway / Pevely, MO / Sheldon Haudenschild (6) 53. Sat, August 7 / I-55 Raceway / Pevely, MO / Sheldon Haudenschild (7) 54. Wed, August 11 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / David Gravel (NP) 55. Thur, August 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Brian Brown (NP) 56. Fri, August 13 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Rico Abreu (NP) 57. Sat, August 14 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kyle Larson (3) 58. Sat, August 21 / Red River Valley Speedway / Fargo, ND / Donny Schatz (2) 59. Sun, August 22 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / David Gravel (8) 60. Wed, August 25 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Brad Sweet (15) 61. Fri, August 27 / I-80 Speedway / Greenwood, NE / Donny Schatz (3) 62. Sun, August 29 / Black Hills Speedway / Rapid City, SD / Sheldon Haudenschild (8) 63. Fri, September 3 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA / James McFadden (2) 64. Sat, September 4 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA / Brad Sweet (16) 65. Sun, September 5 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA / Carson Macedo (8) 66. Mon, September 6 / Grays Harbor Raceway / Elma, WA / Logan Schuchart (4) 67. Fri, September 10 / Silver Dollar Speedway / Chico, CA / David Gravel (9) 68. Sat, September 11 / Silver Dollar Speedway / Chico, CA / Logan Schuchart (5) 69. Sat, September 18 / Keller Auto Speedway / Hanford, CA / Carson Macedo (9) 70. Fri, September 24 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Logan Schuchart (6) 71. Sat, September 25 / Lernerville Speedway / Sarver, PA / David Gravel (10) 72. Fri, October 1 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Kyle Larson (4) 73. Sat, October 2 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Carson Macedo (10)Photo – Trent Gower

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

Inside Line Promotions – CHICO, Calif. (Oct. 5, 2021) – Dominic Scelzi recorded his 50^th top-10 run of the season last Friday during the opening round of the Fall Nationals hosted by Silver Dollar Speedway.

Scelzi timed in fifth quickest out of 30-plus drivers in his group before he ended fifth in a heat race, which earned a transfer into the main event.

“On Friday night the track was really, really wet all night long,” he said. “We qualified decent. The track was really greasy on the bottom and I wasn’t able to get moved up to get out of the grease on the start of the heat race. I fell to fifth immediately. For the most part it was around the bottom the whole feature and it was hard to pass. I ran the middle around guy’s right rears. If someone would miss the bottom we’d get by them. I felt we had a good race car all night long, but got behind the eight ball with starting in the grease in the heat race.”

Scelzi rallied from 17^th to ninth for the monumental top 10.

He continued to improve on Saturday when he set quick time in both his group and overall out of the more than 65 drivers. A heat race victory locked Scelzi into the dash and a rally from seventh to second place in the dash started him on the outside of the front row in the A Main.

“The track was really, really good in the dash,” he said. “It was slick and wide. I felt we had a good shot in the main event. They reworked the track. The inside row was better so I fell to third the first lap. I just hung out and saved my tires. Around Lap 8 I moved to the top and made a really good lap. I got back down into line, just trying to bide my time. A red came out on Lap 10. I noticed the second-place car’s shock was off. I felt we were in a good position. Unfortunately our left rear bleeder stuck so the tire went flat under yellow, which caused us to have to go to the work area. We went from last and got up to seventh with 15 laps to go. Then the drivers in fifth and sixth got into each other. I had nowhere to go, hit them and spun sideways. Then I got hit. At that point we pulled off. It was a bummer because our lap times showed we were one of the fastest cars all night long. Even coming from the back I felt we had a shot to at least podium.”

Scelzi was credited with a 14^th-place result.

The previous weekend Scelzi took one step closer to his first career King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series championship when he recorded a fourth-place finish at Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif., on Sept. 25. He qualified fourth quickest, placed third in a heat race and advanced from seventh to fourth in the A Main.

The efficient night leaves Scelzi with a lead of 63 points with only four races remaining in the series schedule, including one this weekend. It’s part of a busy weekend at Keller Auto Speedway, where Scelzi will compete in both 410ci and 360ci sprint car competition on Friday and Saturday.

QUICK RESULTS –

Sept. 25 – Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif. – Qualifying: 4; Heat race: 3 (3); Feature: 4 (7).

Oct. 1 – Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. – Qualifying: 5; Heat race: 5 (3); Feature: 9 (17).

Oct. 2 – Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 2 (7); Feature: 14 (2).

SEASON STATS –

59 races, 18 wins, 42 top fives, 50 top 10s, 55 top 15s, 56 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday and Saturday at Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif., with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour and King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.GaryScelziMotorsports.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DominicScelzi41

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Scelzi41

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Scelzi Enterprises

Scelzi Enterprises builds the finest utility truck bodies in the USA, including flatbed bodies, water truck bodies, custom truck bodies, service truck bodies and more. After nearly 40 years in business Scelzi Enterprises occupies 20 acres in South Fresno with additional pool and assembly locations in Oregon, Washington, and Southern California. For more information, visit http://www.SEInc.com.

“Scelzi Enterprises is a family business that has been around far before I was born,” Scelzi said. “Now I have a role there. It’s my daily job and something I really enjoy being a part of. It gives me a lot of pride to represent our family business on the side of our race cars.”

Scelzi would like to thank Red Rose Transportation, Inc., Whipple Superchargers, Fuel Delivery Services, Inc., Schoenfeld Headers, Roth Motorsports, Red Line Oil, NAPA Auto Parts, Todd Jorgensen, FK Rod Ends, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, K&N Filters, Sparco, Allstar Performance, Auto Meter, Meridian Steel, Kenny’s Components and Worldwide Bearings for their continued support.

NHRA^® Team Report

NHRA Nationals – Dallas

Pre-Race Report

After another trip to the semi-finals, Cruz Pedregon and the Snap-on^® Dodge^® Hellcat^® Funny Car are fourth in the Countdown rankings heading to Dallas…the scene of Cruz’s epic 1992 win and ultimately his first NHRA Funny Car World Championship.

“Dallas is always exciting to me, and we headed down early to participate in the Wednesday test session. It’s good to start qualifying rounds with solid data from the track with the warmer weather conditions we expect for the weekend,” says Cruz. “With a low ET qualifier bonus Friday night, you know JC (John Collins), Rip (Reynolds) and the team are going to get the Snap-on Dodge ready to go for it.”

Cruz and team are within striking distance of the top Countdown spot, so fans coming out to the Texas Motorplex and those watching NHRA on FOX can plan on seeing a competitive weekend in the Funny Car class.

Cruz’s car will be decked out in the Snap-on Tools Socket to Breast Cancer paint scheme through the Breast Cancer Awareness month of October in support of raising funds for The Pink Fund^® in the U.S. and Kelly Shires Foundation in Canada. Both organizations help breast cancer patients in their time of need, including providing valuable support for Cruz’s sister Dora who is a cancer survivor. For more information on these organizations, check out ThePinkFund.org and KellyShiresFoundation.org.

Posted By: Steve Baur October 3, 2021

The 23nd Annual Whipple Superchargers NMRA All-Ford World Finals presented by Competition Clutch & Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, wrapped up the 2021 racing season with a weather-shortened event that was not short on spectacular racing. Event winners drove to the NMRA Winner’s Circle and NMRA Champions collected their hard-earned Edelbrock Victor awards and Nitto Tire Diamond Tree rings.

This event marked the third year that Holley injected its infectious Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival into the event. Attendees were treated to asphalt-ripping drifting that included Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Chelsea DeNofa, auto-crossing, burnout mayhem, a Grand Champion competition, and new for 2021, an off-road course that featured Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Loren Healy and their Ultra 4 Ford Broncos tearing it up.

Earl Stanley

VP Racing Madditives Street Outlaw driver Alan Felts set the pace in qualifying with a 4.315 elapsed time, and was followed closely by John Urist with a 4.331 and Earl Stanley with a 4.353. Points leader Steve Halprin had a broke bye in round one, but went out in round two, leaving the door open for Urist to take a swing at the championship. Urist dispatched Felts in the third round en route to the final, where he ultimately lost to Stanley, 4.46 to 4.48.

Eric Bardekoff led defending Edelbrock Renegade champion Joel Greathouse final race of the season, but it was Haley James who targeted the event win after qualifying number one with a 4.554. James would bow out in round two, and Bardekoff and Greathouse met in round three, with Bardekoff taking the victory. In the final round, Chris Holbrook took the win over Bardekoff in an all-Whipple-supercharged final battle.

Samantha Moore set the pace in JDM Engineering Limited Street with an 8.15 elapsed time and cut through the field until she reached the final round. There, she met points leader and defending champion, Bill Putnam. Putnam took the starting line advantage, which earned him the win at the stripe after both drivers recorded identical 8.332 runs.

G-Force Transmissions Coyote Stock racer Shane Stymiest came out swinging, and took the number one qualifier spot with a 9.733. From there, he charged through the field until he met Charlie Booze Jr. in the final round. Both reactions times were close, but Stymiest raced ahead to the win with a 9.83 over Booze’s 11.84 run.

In another dominating performance, Mike Bowen topped the qualifying sheets in Richmond Gear Factory Stock with a 10.08 run. After taking a bye run and defeating Damien Stephens and Justin Fogelsonger, Bowen met Mark Anderson in the final round of competition. There, Anderson got a slight jump at the start, but slowed, allowing Bowen to take the victory with a 10.21 pass.

Brayden Creamer

The ARP Open Comp class is always full of tough competitors and anyone can win at any time. At Beech Bend Raceway, the final round came down to Brayden Creamer and Woody Pack. Both drivers did their jobs well off the line, but it was Creamer who was victorious, pushing Pack to break out at the finish.

Perhaps it was the fact that the Capri Swarm gathers here at Beech Bend Raceway Park for the event that brought good luck to 1973 Ford Capri owner and Exedy Racing Clutch Modular Muscle driver James Meredith. Not only did the Coyote-powered classic log a .002-second reaction time in the final round, but it also took Meredith to the winner’s circle, with Meredith going 9.675 on a 9.61 to Adam Cox’s 10.176 on a 10.11 (.042 RT).

In HP Tuners Super Stang action, 2020 champion Kevin McKenna took the top qualifying spot, but as eliminations kicked off, he bowed out in the first round. The final round of competition featured frequent True Street winner Rodney Ward, who was victorious over Mike Moistner.

A tough field of Ford trucks in Detroit Locker Truck & Lightning hauled the mail in qualifying and eliminations. Mike Roup was leading the points chase coming into the event and qualified number one to put everyone on notice. After taking a bye in round one, Roup fell to Robert Chuhran in the second. Chuhran, meanwhile drove to the final round where he fouled at the start against Amanda Saad, who as .002 on the tree and 10.209 on a 10.14 dial in.

Fastest Street Car Magazine Ford Muscle brings a wide variety of vehicles to the class, and it was an all-classic matchup in the final round of competition. Mark Schiffner in his 1970 Ford Torino fought hard to get there, but took the easy win when Matthew Keiser in his 1968 Mustang went -.102 red at the start.

Mickey Thompson Street Car Challenge was a new class at select 2021 events and the heads-up eliminator featured fast Fords that didn’t quite fit into a particular category. Leading the qualifying field was 2020 King of the Street Donato Sierchio who clocked a 7.51. He would drive to the final round of competition to face Dave Liechty. While Liechty’s 2006 Mustang was impressive in its own right, clocking an 8.42 elapsed time, it was Sierchio who drove to the NMRA Winner’s Circle with a 7.637 run.

Scott Barker

QA1 True Street at Beech Bend Raceway is always exciting, as some of the quickest street-legal cars turn out in droves at the NMRA finals. This year, 126 cars teched, 118 were able to take the requisite cruise around Bowling Green, and 99 cars survived for the back-to-back passes. Scott Barker took the overall win in his 1966 Mustang with an 8.78 average, followed by True Street veteran Troy Eaton in the runner up spot with an 8.801. Matthew Ballard grabbed the 9-second award with a perfect 9.000 average, Jason Wolf collected the 10-second prize at 10.029 and Kevin McCotter was the 11-second winner with an 11.118 average. The 12-second win had to be decided by MPH, as Both Wade Whicker and John Cole averaged 12.004. Whicker had the speed to secure the win. Rodney Ward averaged 13.007 for the 13-second award, Darleen Simmons was the 14-second winner with a 14.042 average, and Belinda Moore, one of the winningest True Street drivers, took home the 15-second plaque with a 15.095 average.

TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout pits the eight quickest manually shifted cars from True Street against each other in their own speed contest. In the final round, Bob Myers in his turbocharged, four-cylinder Mercury Capri was victorious over Andrew Lukanov in his 2003 Mustang Cobra.

The Capri Club of North America returned to the NMRA All-Ford World Finals. In the final round of competition, Chris Rolls grabbed the win after James Meredith broke out with a 9.609 on a 9.60 dial in at the top end.

The NMRA Finals played host to the RacePagesDigital.com Bracket Open. As the day came to a close, the final three racers, Bill Feckley, Stephen O’Neal, and Danny Scheele all opted to split the payout.

Check out the full eliminations results HERE.

Carrying on the tradition from the 2020 season, NMRA champions were honored for all of their accomplishments in the Winner’s Circle with a special photo session and video interview. Please visit www.NMRAdigital.com and www.racepagesdigital.com, and the series’ social channels, in the days to come for stories and videos that feature the champions.

The NMRA congratulates all of its 2021 winners and champions. We’ll see you back at it next year when the next great Holley NMRA Drag Racing season kicks off with the 28th Annual NMRA Spring Break Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida over the weekend of March 3-6, 2022! For more and information and advance tickets, visit www.NMRAdigital.com.

October 4, 2021 Jim Allen

NARC NEWSLINE – OCTOBER 4, 2021, By Jim Allen,  Okay race fans, we’re coming down the homestretch to our last four NARC King of the West Fujitsu Sprint Car Series races of the 2021 campaign.   While that is somewhat of depressing statement to make, I think a majority of us are extremely grateful that we were able to enjoy a full season of open wheel racing this year.  And even more grateful for that accomplishment in an almost post-Covid world where darn near everything seems to have negative overtones. With no intention of going political, or taking a stance on any specific issue, I appreciate sprint car racing (and motorsports in general) for what it is:  A healthy dose of old school Americana and I’m proud to be part of that family.  Better said, whenever I need a dose of sanity, it’s time to go to a dirt track for some open wheel chaos.  As mixed up as that sounds, it makes perfect sense to all of us diehards.  After all, it’s the little things in life that make it all worthwhile and enjoyable.  Little things like standing and taking off our hats while the national anthem is played or reflecting for a solemn moment when our fallen heroes are honored.  Also, witnessing the unique interaction and connection that our racing audience has with our competitors is among the best in sports.  Everybody is family here!  It’s not like you can walk up to LeBron James or Mike Trout after a game and get an autograph or a selfie, but you sure can with a Brad Sweet or a Dominic Scelzi.  It’s about entertainment and family values, with no hidden agenda, and a chance to get a breather from some of the negativity that surrounds us.  As always, we thank all of you for your support and hope you enjoyed playing in the dirt with us this season and much as we did.

Speaking of open wheel entertainment chaos, they say you should finish strong and that is exactly what we plan to do:

The highly anticipated Second Annual Morrie Williams Legends Tribute race takes place at Peter Murphy’s Keller Auto Speedway on Saturday, October 9^th.  This event represents a breath of fresh air as it conjures up something completely different; a racing event featuring Twin-20 main events.

For all of you at home taking notes, the first 20-lapper is lined up straight up by times and the second is completely inverted by the finish of the first race. (I know, I had you at “Twin-20.”)  Teams are not allowed to change any tires unless they want to go to the very back of the pack for the second event (including behind the lapped cars.)  It’s a unique format and if last season’s inaugural event was any preview, this type of show may represent the future of sprint car racing. On a worst-case scenario, it’s going to present infinite possibilities to build on.  For those of you who need a quick 2020 refresher, Kyle Hirst edged Mitchell Faccinto in a wall-hopping photo-finish to steal away the first 20, and 11^th starter Dominic Scelzi hopped in another “0” car that was towed in on an open trailer to win the second feature.  Tim Kaeding, who finished fourth and second in the two events, tallied the most points to win the Legends Tribute bonus.

Each feature will pay $3200 to win and Peter Murphy, Ashley Smith & Katie Williams are still working on some other perks and bonuses.  As of this moment in time, each 20-lap segment will pay $16,000 with the top five cashing out $3200, $1500, $1200, $1100, and $1000, respectively.  It will pay $300 to start. On top of that there is a fast time bonus of $500, a dash winner kicker of $500, and the heat race winners will pocket an additional $200.  On top of that, the overall champion will earn $2000 and the winning mechanic will also be pad his wallet to the tune of $400.  And just to make sure our calendars are synchronized, the Morrie Williams race is the second night of racing at Keller Auto Speedway as the Friday show features SCCT 360’s and KoT410’s.  Make a weekend out of it and catch ‘em both!

DID SOMEBODY SAY “ANTHONY SIMONE CLASSIC?”  While many NARC-King of the West teams were disappointed to find out that the $21,000 to win Tom Tarlton Classic was transformed into a World of Outlaw show, it did open the door for another opportunity. Our Friday, October 29^th show has evolved into the Anthony Simone Classic #1 and will feature a winged and non-winged NARC feature event. Yes, you read that correctly!  The winged show will pay $7,000 to win the feature honoring the original “Mr. Excitement.”  And it’s not a top-heavy adventure  as second and third pays $5000 and $3000, respectively.

Now here is where things get interesting.  The five-lap (yes, only five) six-car heat races will be lined up straight up by times and the top two finishers make the dash.  Better said, if a driver isn’t sitting high in the seat with his elbows up at the start, it’s going to be a long night.  There will be 10-cars in the dash (10 like in Anthony’s car number), and they will run 10-laps fully inverted by times. How they finish is how they start the 30-lap Fujitsu General USA headliner. No pill draw. Now if that doesn’t get you pumped up, you better check to see if you still have a pulse.

But as they say in the ShamWow infomercials … “but wait, there is more!”

Once that event is over, drivers will have the option to run a 20-lap non-wing NARC-sanctioned feature.  The top ten will be inverted based on the finish of the winged race.  Now this is NOT a mandatory race for NARC-King of the West teams, but many have already shown interest in going topless for this non-winged showcase.  It will pay $3000 to win and at least $300 to start.  So, if you do regular math like me – and not that common core stuff – that’s $10,000 to a driver who can win both.  That “10” once again represents Anthony’s car number.  (If you are doing common core math, you’ll come up with that same number in about 30 minutes.)  I can already see the likes of a Shane Golobic and Bud Kaeding stroking their chin pondering the possibilities. And Chase Johnson and Ryan Bernal also come up as hot commodities for this night of racing.

How is it going to work?  Teams will be given approximately 40-minutes to convert their cars from winged to non-winged in the infield work area in front of God and everyone while the USAC Midget feature is being run.  Tire changes are allowed, but axle changes are not. With all the twists and turns, this overall event is awarding a flat 100 “show up” points to all teams.  And it sure beats an event cancellation.  This is a concept that we’ve been talking about for several years and now it’s going to become a reality.  (I know Shawn Thomas is happy!)

Once the winged/non-winged extravaganza is in the books, we will have nailed down three consecutive races at Hanford and have only have two events remaining.  The Simone race is the front end of a two-day Central California roadshow that will take the NARC King of the West Fujitsu Sprint Car Series down to Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield on Saturday (October 30^th).

The following weekend, Saturday, November 6^th to be exact, the popular Tribute to Gary Patterson will close out the season at the Stockton Dirt Track.  This one will also feature the Sprint Car Challenge Tour.  Just in case that’s not enough entertainment for one night, the one-and-only-and-very-legendary Steve Kinser will be in the house signing autographs.

CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS CELEBRATION:  As has become a new NARC tradition, the NARC King of the West series will honor its champions and pay out the 2021-point fund at our Champions Celebration Brunch on Sunday, November 7^th – the morning after the Stockton race.  It will take place on at the Brookside Country Club in Stockton, a beautiful private club that provides an excellent venue.  Their food, drinks and service are all five-star worthy.  Tickets are $40 each and includes a gigantic breakfast buffet, a NARC Benevolent Fund auction, your favorite race teams, and a ton of Dean Mills-produced videos from the 2021 season.  Fans are welcome and encouraged to attend.  Contact me to get your tickets.

In the unlikely event the November 6^th show rains out and gets postponed or cancelled, the awards celebration will go off as planned.  A rescheduled show would award a flat 75 points (per our rulebook) so the standings would not change.  Unfortunately, when you book a venue like this, the date is set in concrete.  Sort of sounds like my first wedding.

NARC NOTES:  How cool was it to see 15-year-old Corey Day win his first NARC feature at the Jim Turner Memorial?  We all had a feeling it was coming; we just didn’t know when.  Day started sixth in the Meyers Construction 14 and battled to take the lead away from veteran Tim Kaeding on lap 13.  I’m not sure who had the biggest smile at the checkered, Corey or his dad Ronnie! … Day became the second first time winner this season, joining Billy Aton.  That’s the first time we have added two new names to the winners list since 2017. … Just in case you missed it, Rick Faeth recently announced that his contract to operate Petaluma Speedway has been extended through the 2023 season.  Wish we could say the same for Calistoga, or Santa Maria! … Random thought:  Have you ever noticed the boat load of enthusiastic kids at Monster Truck events?  We need to duplicate that attendance at sprint car shows! …  Here is a eye-opening list for you.  These drivers have not claimed a King of the West feature this season (yet):  Bud Kaeding, Shane Golobic, Willie Croft, and Austin McCarl. Also beating on the door for career win number one would be Joel Myers Jr., Tanner Carrick, Mitchel Moles, and Ryan Robinson. …  Who is going to win more NARC-King of the West features this season?  Justin Sanders (who has four), or Dominic Scelzi (who has five.) …

MIKE ANDREETA UPDATE:  As most of you know, our Director of Competition Mike Andreetta took an unplanned ambulance ride to the hospital after the Labor Day weekend.  He passed out at work and luckily the staff at Tognottis dialed 911.  The good news is he didn’t have a stroke.  The bad news was that he was admitted to Kaiser Hospital with bleeding on the brain from an apparent fall.  Nobody is exactly sure where or how that fall took place.  Luckily, no surgery was required but the healing process has been slow.  Mike was treated in the ICU for three weeks and was recently released to a rehabilitation facility where he will undergo extensive physical therapy.  We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him soon.

And finally, based on everything being accented in pink, it’s a reminder that October is officially Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  I’m always aware!  Are you?

Coming to you live from Auburn, CA.  See ya!

Anthony Simone Classic,Brookside Country Club,Championship Awards Banquet,Kern County Raceway Park,Morrie Williams Legends Tribute,NARC Newsline,Tribute to GP share

DALLAS (Oct. 5) — The Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex south of Dallas is a race Pro Stock sophomore driver Troy Coughlin Jr. has admired since he was a boy. Returning this weekend as the driver of the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, the third-generation drag racer has Texas-sized dreams he wishes to fulfill. “We all know everything’s bigger in Texas and it always seemed to me like Billy Meyer’s Texas Motorplex was a big deal ever since it was built,” Coughlin said. “It would be a big honors to go there and win the race, get one of those cowboy hats, and ride outta there on top of the world.” Meyer, a former Funny Car driver, awards custom-fit cowboy hats to each year’s winners. The hats have become a coveted piece of memorabilia among the quarter-mile crowd. Racers also get a brick with their names etched on them placed in the “Wall of Honor” near the starting line.

“Things like that really makes it special,” Coughlin said. “All the big names are on that wall, including my uncle Jeg, and there’s some real motivation to join him and the others. Plus, the hat. That would be so cool. I’m an Ohio guy all the way, but Texas is second. I love the fans and the people down there. They know how to live and they love drag racing.” With a weekend off since the last race in St. Louis, Coughlin’s Elite Motorsports team has had a chance to test some new concepts the engine developers discovered. Coughlin believes the extra effort may pay immediate dividends. “My teammate Erica (Enders) is in a very tight battle for the championship and we are looking for any way possible to put her over the top,” Coughlin said. “Of course, with this incredible team, all technology is shared so we all benefit. It’s just awesome to see the work put in every day by this group. “I expect us to have a big weekend. We continue to show, both individually and as a group, tremendous horsepower and we feel we can beat anyone in the world. It’s just super-close in Pro Stock, pretty much like it is every year.”

For this race and the penultimate event in Las Vegas at the end of the month, Coughlin and crew, as well as their racecar, will be completely clad in pink to help raise awareness for cancer research. It’s become a tradition with JEGS and many other teams on the NHRA circuit. “The JEGS Foundation for Cancer Research has raised and donated more than $20 million to the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute at Ohio State University, as well as Nationwide Children’s Hospital, since its’ inception,” Coughlin said. “We are so proud to be able to help those wonderful facilities and we thank everyone in the racing community, including our customers, who have donated time and money to the cause through the years. “As always, Mike Zick did a great job wrapping the car with the design from Associated Graphics to make us stand-out with those bright pink graphics. Anything we can do as a racing organization to help raise awareness for cancer research is big for all of us.”

Prior to the event, Coughlin will take part in the pre-race Stampede of Speed festivities by signing autographs and meeting with fans Thursday afternoon.