ASHLEY FORCE HOOD - TWEETING TO THE MASSES

Twitter....Twitter...Tweet...Tweet....

Not the sounds you would expect coming from deep within the garage area at a NHRA drag racing event. Yet, that is exactly what Ashley Force Hood was doing prior to making the fourth fastest run Friday morning at Gainesville Dragway in Gainesville, Fla Friday morning.

Force spent a few minutes micro-blogging on @FordRacing on Twitter. Fans or even the casual observer, who might not otherwise have access to Force were able to ask questions ranging from her racing to her cat, Simba and her recent opportunity to return to her alma mater (Cal Fullerton) to meet and introduce Reba McIntyre.

QUESTION: Is it easier or harder on race weekends now that you are married?

ASHLEY: The same. My husband works with me. Home or at the race we are together.

QUESTION: What track to do you like best and why?

ASHLEY: Love Sonoma. Like our home track. Lots of friend and family are close. We always do well. We have won 3 straight so this year is my turn.

QUESTION: Do you have a favorite foreign food?

ASHLEY: Love English Tea and Americanized Chinese food.

QUESTION: Did Simba [your cat] make the trip cross country to Gainesville?

ASHLEY: No he is home with sister Courtney to protect the house.

QUESTION: Just saw you got to meet Reba McEntire?

ASHLEY: Just did a scholarship fundraiser at my alma mater Cal State Fullerton and I got to introduce her. It was really fun and she was nice.

Tweeting has taken off faster and stronger than a John Force Racing Funny Car. Twitter has become a very important tool for spreading the message for Ford, Ashley and the NHRA.

Two months ago, Force Hood couldn't have told you what a Twitter was. And, technically she doesn't twitter herself. She twitters through the team publicists Elon Werner and Dave Densmore. Typically Force sends a text message to Werner who then Twitters, sending out the 140 character tweet.

“I think its great for the whole sport,” Force Hood said. “We're not only attracting people that come to our events, but really reaching out to people who can watch us through the Internet, television, radio and different ways like that.

Force understands the demands of today's society when it comes to news and information. They don't want it tomorrow, or even tonight. People want it now. Twitter is now.

“It seems recently there is that world need, they want something right away. They want the latest news. They don't want what happened yesterday. Even the Internet isn't fast enough, anymore. They want texting and tweets. If you can keep up with all that stuff you can stay ahead of the game, if you have the right people working with you. I couldn't do it all on my own.”

When she has the time Force also maintains a My Space page for both herself and another page for her cat, Simba.

Even with Twitter, there are still small facts for an on site reporter to dig out. If she could, Force would love to do a guest appearance on her favorite show CSI (Las Vegas), as long as she isn't the victim in the story. She would also love to be a guest of the Regis and Kelly show. Given the opportunity to meet anyone in the world, she fell back on her love of CSI and expressed a desire to meet the actor who plays Gil Grissom, William Peterson. Peterson just left the show to return to the stage in Chicago, which means Force Hood may try to squeeze in one of his shows this summer when the tour visits Route 66 Dragway.

Oh, and if she could have sent out a tweet during the interview it would have read, “We qualified number four. Its really hot here and we're going to have a tan here this weekend, for sure.”

J.R. Fitzpatrick profiled on NASCAR.com

NASCAR.com has a nice feature on Canadian NASCAR Truck Series rookie J.R. Fitzpatrick. Click here to see it.

In other J.R. news, the 20-year-old is on the cover of the new issue of Inside Track Motorsport News. Inside, Fitzpatrick is the subject of the commentary and a lengthy feature, detailing his fourth-place finish at Daytona. Volume 13, Issue 1 is on its way to subscribers and newsstands now. Here is a first look at the cover.

JOEL MILLER RE-SIGNS WITH JDC MOTORSPORTS FOR 2009 STAR MAZDA CHAMPIONSHIP

Hesperia, California (March 13, 2009) -- After narrowly missing out on the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear title in his rookie season, Joel Miller has announced that he will return to the highly-competitive junior formula car series in 2009. As part of a talented driver line-up at JDC Motorsports, one that features fellow returning series standouts Alex Ardoin and Caio Lara, as well as Masters class race winner Gerry Kraut and Michael Guasch, the Californian will seek to add to his win total en route to providing the Minnesota-based squad its second championship crown in three years.

Miller enters his second season of Star Mazda not only as a series race winner and championship contender, but having also established himself as one the leading up-and-coming American drivers in the junior formula car ranks. First getting behind the wheel via local kart racing, Miller quickly became not only one of the leading karters on the Pacific Coast, but in all of North America. This culminated in 2006, when he captured the Stars of Karting Intercontinental A National Championship title.

At the same time as he was making mark in karting, Miller was also getting his feet wet in formula car competition, running selected races in the Skip Barber National series thanks to a scholarship he received at the 2006 shootout. Miller’s big break came as a result of his championship performances in the Stars of Karting, as the series awarded him a full-season Skip Barber Scholarship which gave him the opportunity to race full-time in 2007, and he promptly made the most of the opportunity, capturing the series title via a series-high five wins.

Almost immediate following his title-winning campaign, Miller traveled to Europe as a Team USA Scholarship winner, where he enjoyed a strong run in the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy. Last year, as member of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder program, Miller won once and finished on the podium seven times as a Star Mazda Championship rookie, only missing out on the series title at the season finale.

Miller and the entire JDC MotorSports crew are currently finishing preparations for the 2009 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear season, which commences on March 20 at Sebring International Raceway, as part of the historic 12 Hours of Sebring event.

Star Mazda Championship action at Sebring begins with test sessions starting Monday, March 16. Qualifying to set the starting grid takes place from 1:45 pm to 2:30 pm, Thursday, March 19. The 45-minute Round One of the 2009 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear season is set to take the green flag at 3:55 pm, Friday, March 20.

Follow Joel's progress at www.joelmillerracing.net or joelmillerracing@aol.com

Pro Challenge Series: Canada Region to include events at Sunset, Varney, Sauble and Flamboro

Pro Challenge Series Announces National Points Events in All Four Regions
National Championship Schematic Switched Up to Encourage Regional Participation

CONCORD, NC (Feburary 13, 2009) –  Officials from the Professional Association of Scale Car Auto Racing (PASCAR) announced today the 16 National Points events that will constitute the 2009 National Championship schematic for the Pro Challenge Series.  Four events in each of the four Pro Challenge regional series will lead up to one double-points event at the conclusion of the season.  The driver with the highest cumulative points in their four designated national events in their regions and the fifth double-points event will be declared the 2009 Pro Challenge National Champion.

“Our series has seen such growth over recent seasons that we’ve got more and more drivers wishing to compete for the National Championship,” said John Litzinger, President of PASCAR and Owner of Pro Challenge Race Cars, Inc.  “But, we realize that in the current state of our economy, having a full-touring schedule would put serious financial constraints on many of our teams.  Therefore, we have decided to put an emphasis on regional racing in 2009 and using four events in each region to make up the regular season national points.  Then, all the regional contenders will meet for a big double-points event that is sure to provide plenty of drama as we crown our new National Champion.”

The Pro Challenge North Region, which is made up of drivers primarily hailing from North Carolina, South Carolina and points North and West, will see its four national point’s events at historic and competitive tracks in the Carolinas.  The first North National Points event will come at North Carolina’s Tri-County Motor Speedway on April 10th.  Dillon Motor Speedway in South Carolina will host the second national event on May 30th, while North Carolina’s Hickory Motor Speedway (June 27th) and Orange County Speedway (August 8th) will round out the North National Points events.

Lanier National Speedway in Braselton, Georgia will be the home track for the Pro Challenge South Region in 2009.  The South Region will be made up of drivers primarily hailing from the state of Georgia.  The four South national events will all be held at Lanier on May 9th, June 20th, July 18th and August 15th.

Pro Challenge racers from the state of Florida make up the Sunshine Region, which will also hit some of the Sunshine State’s most prolific racing facilities in 2009.  Auburndale Speedway will kick off the Sunshine Region’s national events on March 21st.  Additional national races will follow at Citrus County Speedway on April 18th, Charlotte County Speedway on June 6th and Orlando SpeedWorld on October 2nd.

Last, but not least, the Pro Challenge Canada Region, based in Ontario, will see its first national event at Sunset Speedway on May 23rd.  The rest of the events in Canada will come on June 20th in the series’ first-ever visit to Varney Speedway, followed by a visit to Sauble Speedway on July 11th and an event at Flamboro Speedway on August 22nd.

The date and location of the final double-points event, which will determine the 2009 Pro Challenge National Champion, will be announced at a later date.

Pro Challenge regional champions will also be named for all four regions, with each region having full schedules, which include these four national events.  For detailed information on all four regions, visit www.prochallengeseries.com.

For more media information on the Pro Challenge oval track and road course series and racecars, contact Matt Kentfield at (704) 788-2134 x 5 and visit www.prochallengeseries.com.

2009 PRO CHALLENGE NATIONAL POINTS EVENTS

2009 PRO CHALLENGE NATIONAL POINTS EVENTS NORTH REGION
DATE	TRACK	LOCATION
April 10	Tri-County Motor Speedway	Hudson, NC
May 30	Dillon Motor Speedway	Dillon, SC
June 27	Hickory Motor Speedway	Hickory, NC
August 8	Orange County Speedway	Rougemont, NC
SOUTH REGION
DATE	TRACK	LOCATION
May 9	Lanier National Speedway	Braselton, GA
June 20	Lanier National Speedway	Braselton, GA
July 18	Lanier National Speedway	Braselton, GA
August 15	Lanier National Speedway	Braselton, GA
SUNSHINE REGION
DATE	TRACK	LOCATION
March 21	Auburndale Speedway	Winter Haven, FL
April 18	Citrus County Speedway	Inverness, FL
June 6	Charlotte County Speedway	Punta Gorda, FL
October 2	Orlando SpeedWorld	Orlando, FL
CANADA REGION
DATE	TRACK	LOCATION
May 23	Sunset Speedway	Innisfil, ON
June 20	Varney Speedway	Durham, ON
July 11	Sauble Speedway	Sauble Beach, ON
August 22	Flamboro Speedway	Flamborough, ON

From Matt Kentfield, 51 Sports

Merrittville Speedway: Niagara Motors powers new 'King of the Crates' Sportsman Series

For Release   - March 13, 2009 From Jim Irvine // Merrittville Speedway Public Relations

Thorold, Ontario (March 13) – With the recent Lucas Oil Shootout Press Conference announcing Merrittville Speedway’s 50 lap Event that will again have Original Pizza Logs Sportsman drivers trying to hold their points to a minimum - comes news of a second series within the season long points chase with the finalization of the Thorold track’s 2009 Lucas Oil Weekly Racing Series Schedule.

“When you combine the Shootout with the year end title,” reveals (Merrittville Speedway General Manager) Erica Bicknell, “the Super DIRTcar Series Event and our new King of the Crates Series … 2009 will be quite a year for our Sportsman Division.”

The Niagara Motors King of the Crates Sportsman Series is one of many new and exciting additions featured in the schedule recently unveiled that will help celebrate 58 consecutive seasons.

Three 40 lap Events will make up the Niagara Motors King of the Crates Series with the dates as follows – Saturday May 30th, Saturday August 1st and Saturday August 29th.

Southern Ontario and Western New York Sprint Car fans planning on attending the first two events for the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints and ASCS Lucas Oil Patriot Sprints specials – will surely want to return for the 40 lap King of the Crates Finale Saturday August 29th to witness who is crowned Champion of the new Miniseries.

Merrittville Speedway is looking for the ‘Niagara Motors King of the Crates’ as all drivers that compete in the Original Pizza Logs Division share one thing in common – the GM 602 Crate Engine.

Niagara Motors – an authorized performance parts dealer in the Niagara Peninsula is a Pontiac Buick and GMC Dealer and like any other GM Dealer across North America – can supply racers with the economical GM Crate Engine.

“We’re excited about our new series within a series,” adds Niagara Motors Parts Manager Dennis Willms, “we are happy to help out the Sportsman drivers at Merrittville.”

While other details are still being finalized, at the Awards Banquet – the inaugural Niagara Motors King of the Crates Champion will receive a $500 Gift Certificate redeemable at Niagara Motors towards the purchase of a GM 602 Crate Engine for 2010.

The 2009 Niagara Motors ‘King of the Crates’ Sportsman Series kicks off Saturday May 30th when the Meridian Credit Union presents the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints.

Round 2 goes Saturday August 1st when Cotton Inc. presents the Lucas Oil Patriot Sprints.

The finale takes to the track Saturday August 29th when Ball Hockey International hosts its annual Minor Sport Night assisted by the Niagara Ice Dogs.

“Since the inception of the mandatory engine,” furthers Bicknell, “it has helped a number of young up and coming drivers make the move into the division … and brought some veterans back … while it provides stability, reliability and cost effectiveness … it also delivers performance.”

The GM Crate engine is a bullet-proof 350-horsepower, 350-cubic-inch factory-sealed racing engine and is a tough combination of power and reliability, and it fits almost any racing budget.

Based on GM Performance Parts' popular 350 HO engine, including a brand-new, four-bolt-main block, 9:1 hypereutectic pistons, cast iron crankshaft and GM iron Vortec cylinder heads, the 350/350 Factory Stock version features a high-rise dual-plane intake manifold, 8-quart single kick-out circle track oil pan, valve cover kit with breather tube and breather, and special "kool nut" rocker arm nut design.

Niagara Motors has been providing award winning sales and service since 1946. Visit their dealership at 1537 Niagara Stone Road in Virgil or on line at www.niagaramotors.com. Niagara Motors offers an extensive inventory of genuine GM Performance parts and accessories. To place your order call 1-800-563-0196.

For more information on the Niagara Motors King of the Crates Sportsman Series or any other events for the 2009 season - visit www.merrittvillespeedway.com or contact the Winter Office at 905-685-7223.

Merrittville Speedway’s Track Office will open for the season April 1st. The 24 hour Raceline is 905-892-8266.

Star Mazda Round 1 Sebring - Preview

Fast Facts – Round One of the 2009 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at the 57th Annual 12 Hours of Sebring

Ø  A 30-car field of top drivers from around the world is expected to line up for the Star Mazda series' F1-style standing start; countries represented include the U.S., Canada, England, Ireland, Norway, Brazil, Venezuela, Chile and Japan.  Three of the top four and seven of the top ten drivers in the 2008 championship will return to battle in 2009.

Ø  Conor Daly, son of F1/Indy Car/Sports Car racing legend and two-time 12 Hours of Sebring winner Derek Daly (1990 – 1991) will be in the Star Mazda field and hoping to continue the family winning streak at Sebring alive with a victory in his series debut. 

Ø  Another racing legend, Eliseo Salazar (like Daly, a veteran of F1, Indy Cars and prototypes) will debut Eliseo THL Motorsports, a Star Mazda team focusing on helping South American drivers launch their North American motorsports careers.

Ø  The Star Mazda Championship is entering its 19th year as one of the premier open-wheel driver development series in North America.  Series graduates have gone on to race in F1, Indy Cars, NASCAR, American Le Mans and Grand-Am.

Ø  Changes for 2009 include faster Star Mazda race cars with upgraded aerodynamics, suspension and engine, several new teams and teams with new 'ladder programs' connecting from karting up to ALMS and the IRL; prize money remains $1.5 million, including a fully-sponsored drive for the series champion in the 2010 Atlantic Championship courtesy of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder.

***

With a 30-car field on tap for Round 1 of the 2009 season at the 57th annual 12 Hours of Sebring, the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear is set to dive into the deepest talent pool in recent years.  Three of the top four and seven of the top ten drivers in the 2008 championship will return to battle in 2009.  Thirty or more cars are expected to line up for the F1-style standing start, with drivers representing all areas of the U.S. as well as Canada, England, Ireland, Norway, Brazil, Venezuela, Chile and Japan.

High-profile names joining the Star Mazda Championship series this season include Indianapolis native Conor Daly, son of former F1/Indy Car/Prototype driver and noted auto racing TV commentator Derek Daly, a two-time winner (1990 – 1991) of the 12 Hours of Sebring.  The younger Daly won the 2008 Skip Barber Pro Series Championship and is driving the #22 Andersen Racing/Indeck/Cytomax/The College Network/ Merchant Services Mazda in the 2009 Star Mazda Championship.  With sponsorship from the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder, the unique and prestigious Mazda-sponsored program that provides funding for series champions all the way from karting to the top levels of auto racing, Daly will be looking to continue the family tradition of Sebring victories in his Star Mazda championship debut this weekend.

Another prominent name from the world of F1 and Indy Cars, Eliseo Salazar, will also be joining the series as team principal of Eliseo THL Motorsports, a new team formed to provide a stepping-stone for South American drivers to develop careers in North American motorsports.  Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA will field the Eliseo THL Motorsports Star Mazda car for rising 18 year-old Chilean racer Kevin Toledo.

The Freshman Class

Three of the top four and seven of the top ten drivers from the 2008 season are returning for a second year of high-speed education in the Star Mazda Championship, including American Joel Miller, who won this event from the pole in 2008.  Miller, the 2007 Skip Barber Pro Series champion, raced to a second-place finish in the 2008 Star Mazda Championship with sponsorship from the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder will return with the JDC Motorsports team.  Peter Dempsey, the 'Irish Steamroller' who won four races last year (three of them in a row) and started on the pole three times on his way to a 3rd-place finish in the championship will also return for a second year, driving for a different team, AIM Autosport (the team that won the 2008 championship with American John Edwards).

Alex Ardoin, the Lafayette, Louisiana racer who won the 2007 season-ending race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and finished fourth in the 2008 Star Mazda Championship battle will return for his third season (making him actually a 'Junior' rather than a freshman), driving this year for a different team, JDC Motorsports (the 2007 series champions with Dane Cameron).  Other returning drivers who finished in the top-10 last year include Californian Billy Goshen (Goshen Racing), Brazilian Ciao Lara (JDC Motorsports), Texan Kristy Kester (Kester Motorsports) and Vancouver's Taylor Hacquard (Kester Motorsports).

Rookie Contenders

Top contenders for the Star Mazda Championship 'Rookie of the Year' honors must certainly include Richard Kent, the 'stranger from nowhere' who showed up at the last race of the 2008 season, set a new track record in winning the pole and then won the race.  In the Star Mazda Championship, any driver who has competed in fewer than three events – even if he wins one – is considered a rookie. Kent, an Englishman, is a veteran of both European Formula Renault and Palmer Audi and will drive for Andersen Racing in 2009.  Other hot prospects include the afore-mentioned Conor Daly and Kevin Toledo, as well as Scandanavian racer Anders Krohn from Stavanger, Norway (Mundill); he was the 2008 US F2000 series champion and Rookie of the Year. 

AIM Autosport, the team that won the 2008 Star Mazda Championship with 17 year-old American John Edwards (now racing in the Atlantic Championship with sponsorship from the MAZDASPEED Ladder), continues their tradition of developing young talent by fielding cars for Canadian David Ostella and Venezuelan Jorge Goncalvez.  Both are 17 years old and competed last season in the Formula BMW Americas series.  Goncalvez has also raced Formula Renault in South America and Europe.

Thomas Asseo (JDC Motorsports) ran the Formula Russell Championship in 2008, winning 'Rookie of the Year' and finishing third in the championship with one win and six podium finishes; he was born in Paris and now lives in Los Angeles.  Running with Goshen Motorsports is 16 year-old Ryan Booth, the 2007 Formula TR Pro Series champion who ran the Formula Asia series in 2008, winning at the Bira Circuit in Pattaya, Thailand.

New team Juncos Racing has a duo of 'ROY' prospects, including Miami, Fl native Sean Burstyn, a graduate of the Juncos Racing School, the Skip Barber Racing School and the Formula Renault 1600 championship in 2006.  He ran the Star Mazda race at Sebring in 2007 and competed in the Formula Mazda-based FARA Championship in 2008.  Canadian Michael Furfari began in karts at age 12, graduated to Formula Renault 1600 in 2007 and spent 2008 testing in the Juncos Star Mazda car preparing for his full-time debut in the 2009 season.

Driving for Andersen Racing this season is Brazilian Denis Navaro; he started racing karts in 2004, graduated to open-wheel cars in 2006 and ran the South American Formula 3 series in 2007 – 2008, finishing third in last year's championship with four wins and six poles.

Experts and Masters

Chris Cumming, the Vancouver racer who won the 2008 Expert Series championship (for drivers 30 to 44 years old) with seven class wins (including Sebring), has changed teams to Kester Racing and will again be a top contender in 2009.  And the top returning racer in the Master Series (for drivers 45 and older) is Gerry Kraut (right), who finished second in the class last season with three class wins and five top-3 class finishes.  Kraut, from North Oaks, Minnesota, drives for (and is a co-owner of) JDC Motorsports and is the CEO of a private investment company.  His principal competition for the Master Series championship will come from Californian Mike Guasch, a veteran Star Mazda racer who ran only half the season in 2008, but still managed to finish third in the Master championship.

The Expert Series will see serious action this season with Cumming defending his title against five other drivers in the same age category.  Returning after a debut season in 2008 that saw him score three class wins and finish second in the championship is Texan J.W. Roberts (Team GDT).   Back for a more extensive 2009 schedule after running six of twelve races in 2008 is Oregon Racer Phil Fogg, Jr., who finished third in the Expert Series last year.  Also of note are two newcomers to both the Star Mazda Championship and the Expert Series, Walt Bowlin of Tarpon Springs, FL (Juncos Racing) and widely-experienced Japanese racer Toshihiro Deki (Goshen Motorsports) who has competed in Formula 3, Formula Toyota, and Formula Junior 1600, as well as Mazda RX-8 and RX-6 sports cars.  Joining the series in Round 2 at Virginia International Raceway April 25 will be 2008 West Coast Star Mazda Champion Patrick O'Neill, driving for the Mundill team.

Expert and Master Series drivers race the same kind of car as all the other Star Mazda racers, and compete in the same events for the same championship points and prize money, but they also have a race-within-a-race that sees the Star Mazda Championship with five drivers on the podium at the end of the race; the top-3 as well as the top-finishing Expert and Master.

Ladder Teams

While the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear is a part of the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development Ladder, a number of Star Mazda Championship teams also have their own internal ladder programs.  Pre-eminent among these is Andersen Racing, (www.andersenracingteam.com), which runs racing programs in karting, Formula BMW, Star Mazda and Indy Lights.  They also own a test track, Andersen Racepark, in Palmetto, Florida, where the team is based. 

Andersen is also the 'official driver development team' of Rahal Letterman Racing.  Another team with IRL connections is Kester Racing, which has expanded from the two-car brother/sister team of J.C. and Kristy Kester (right) that they campaigned in 2008, to a four-car team for 2009 that includes Expert Series champion Chris Cumming and rising Vancouver racer Taylor Hacquard.  The Kester team has also forged a 'driver development' deal with the IRL's Team 3G, making its series debut in 2009 with driver Stanton Barrett.

The Mundill team that will campaign Anders Krohn in the 2009 Star Mazda Championship has recently purchased a Pescarolo/Judd LMP1 car that they will campaign in the American Le Mans series beginning later this season.   JDC Motorsports, the 2007 Star Mazda series champions with Dane Cameron, also run a highly-competitive F2000 effort, and the new Juncos Racing team runs a driving school in addition to their new three-car Star Mazda effort.

Upgraded Star Mazda Race Car Debuts

In the first major upgrade of the Star Mazda 'Pro Car' since its introduction five years ago, Star Race Cars has produced a package of mechanical and software upgrades for the 2009 season.  More than 150 of these high-tech, carbon-fiber, rotary-powered single-seaters are utilized by competitors in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, as well as SCCA competition and regional Star Mazda series around the U.S., such as the Molecule Formula Mazda Challenge on the West Coast.

The upgrades, including new wings, shock absorbers and suspension rockers, are designed to increase the car's aerodynamic efficiency and top speed while improving engine cooling; in addition, it will be easier for drivers and their engineers to arrive at the best setup for each track.  The cumulative effect of the upgrades will be to increase both top speed and cornering speed, reduce maintenance costs and enhance the mechanical reliability of what is arguably already one of the most dependable, cost-effective open-wheel cars in competition today. 

Sebring Schedule: Star Mazda Championship action at Sebring begins with test sessions starting Monday, March 16.  Qualifying to set the starting grid takes place from 1:45 pm to 2:30 pm, Thursday, March 19.  The 45-minute Round One of the 2009 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear season is set to take the green flag at 3:55 pm, Friday, March 20.

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Anyone speak Dutch?

Joey Hanssen of The Netherlands will be driving a car in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series this season for DJK Racing. No clue what most of it says, but Hanssen is apparently excited about racing in Canada ("Joey Goes Canada").

Not sure what can be taken from the images on the page, but his car (a Monte Carlo???... out of DJK???!!!) appears to have sponsorship from a mushroom company.

You can see Joey's website here.

Varney Motor Speedway: 2009 Preview Update

Varney Motor Speedway: 2009 Season Just A Few Short Weeks Away

DURHAM, ONTARIO - With the 2009 season just a few short weeks away things are quickly coming to together for what should be one of the busiest seasons yet at Varney Motor Speedway.

The tentative schedule is now out and I say tentative as we still have a few things to add to an already jam packed season.  Things start to happen April 25th with the 2nd annual Swap Meet followed by our practice weekend May 2nd & 3rd.  The schedule itself is 24 races long this year kicking off May 9th and running to September 19th.  Each of the regular classes will have one night off this season.  The Stock 4’s are off June 13th, Street Stocks August 8th, Super Streets July 18th and the Varney Late Models August 22nd.  The All Pro Modifieds will run a 13 race schedule this season again and the Trains will run 15 times and back to back on every long weekend with a few new twists thrown in that you are just going to have to come out and see.

This year for our long weekend shows we will be having an infield autograph season each Saturday night.  For the Sunday invitational nights we are going to be holding a “King of The Hill” with a season champion being crowned on September 6th.  Also another new item we are adding to the Sundays is a “Women’s Challenge Series” 4 races open to any woman who is not a registered driver at any track and who can borrow a Stock 4 or Street Stock the season champion will be crowned Sept 6th.  We will also be hosting 2 bar-b-que’s, on June 27th it will be a half chicken meal put on by Maple Lodge Farms and on Aug 1st it will be a Fish Fry put on by Howell’s of Wiarton.

Mark June 20th on your calendar as we have the Pro Challenge Series making its first ever stop at the high banks.  In practice last season at our track these cars where turning lap times in the low 13 second range so you won’t want to miss this show.  Also make sure you are on hand on August 22nd  as we pay honour to our brave men and women with our 2nd annual “Support The Troops” night as we will again have on site display of military vehicles from base Borden along with the personal to explain to you how they work.

As always we have not forgotten the kids!  They have a chance to win a bike a night at Varney Speedway each race night plus we have all the other kids’ favourites, bike races kids’ rides, and the frisbee toss features a chance to get your picture taken with the race winner.

Then to cap our season off it will be our 2nd annual Fall Classic running September 26 and 27 with practice on the 25th.  All the best drivers in the Province running at the tightest track for a chance at over $ 15,000.00 in prize money!

For more information check out the web site at www.varneymotorspeedway.com. 

From Doug Townsend  // Promoter  // Varney Motor Speedway

Brockville Ontario Speedway Releases 2009 schedule

Brockville Ontario Speedway Gets Ready for 40th Anniversary Season

BROCKVILLE, ONTARIO - It was 40 years ago, in 1969 that Brockville Ontario Speedway embarked on its premier season.  Now in 2009, the track is putting forward one of its most ambitious schedules yet for fans of the Beast of the East.  This special year will run from mid-May right through until mid-October with visits from the Super DIRT Series tour for Big blocks, 358 Modifieds and Sportsman as well as the winged warriors of the Sprint Car ranks and for the first time in recent memory Late Models. 

The high banked quarter mile will feature the same four regular classes that have been thriving the past few seasons, the 358 DIRT Modifieds, DIRT Sportsman, Street Stocks and Rookies along with semi regular appearances from the Vintage car class.  Sportsman car counts are expected to be so high in 2009, that the track has introduced a special purse paying B main for that division to add to the excitement of the average Saturday night of racing.

The 40th anniversary campaign opens up on Saturday May 16th at 7 pm with a full show.  The Super DIRT tour events begin on July 4th with the Brockville Motors 40 lapper for the Sportsman then big block stars come a calling north of the border on July 9th for the Coca-Cola 100 lap showdown, with the 358 Modified tour stop, courtesy of Jack May Pontiac on September 12th. Both the Sportsman and 358 Modifieds will have Brockville events as part of the Lucas Oil tour in June and July respectively.  Sprint Cars will be on hand for three shows July 18th, August 22nd and October 17th.  The Ontario dirt Late Models will pay their first ever visit to the Beast of the East on August 15th.  A special advance sale ticket package with some savings for fans has been put together for the August 15 and 22nd events.

Brockville Ontario Speedway will also continue its successful Wednesday night Go Kart racing that continues to grow and expand.  The Go-Kart schedule will be released in the near future.  The track will host it's annual awards banquet on Saturday March 28th and will open up for a special practice on May 9th to allow drivers to shake down their cars for the opener the next week.  It promises to be a year to remember at the Best of the East 40 years after the gates opened for the first time.

From Steve Young / BOS

Red River Coop Speedway To Host ASCS 360 Sprint Car Invitational

Greg Cybulski, Winnipeg, MB (March 11, 2009) - Red River Coop Speedway is set to make history as Manitoba's premier dirt track hosts an ASCS 360 Sprint Car Invitational on Thursday, July 2nd.  A collaborative effort by Red River Coop Speedway, Winnipeg sprint car veteran Lou Kennedy Jr and Prairie Dirt website has resulted in Manitoba's first all-360 race.  The co-sanctioned $2,000-to-win invitational will include representation from ASCS Northern Plains, ASCS CanWest series (Alberta), the Minot/Estevan region, and Grand Forks, North Dakota.

The event will feature some of the best sprint car racers from the Upper Midwest and Western Canada in what is reported to be the largest payout since the return of the open wheel class to Winnipeg in 2005.

Open wheel enthusiast and motorsports writer Greg Cybulski explained the change in direction for the Winnipeg show. The American Sprint Car Series model has a proven track record for growth and expansion of the sprint car community across the United States and Canada.  This will not only benefit current and future racers but, our region's dirt tracks as well.  Creating a race atmosphere that is mutually beneficial to the majority of teams, not only in our region, but for surrounding territories will allow more teams to get involved. There is a potential for a lot of cars on the track come race night. The outpouring of support we have received for this race by all parties involved is quite humbling."

The timing of this race is perfect as teams from western Canada will be traveling eastward for the "Prairie Dirt Classic" at Speedy Creek Raceway in Swift Current, Saskatchewan and ASCS Northern Plains teams will be staging for the Kouba Memorial race at North Central Speedway in Brainerd, Minnesota, with both events taking place on Saturday, July 4th. 

Teams representing the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the states of Minnesota and North Dakota will be participating in this year's sprint car spectacular.  To date there are 17 confirmed entries, with more pending.

Fans will be treated to championship caliber competition as the winged 360's take to the track.  Among the confirmed teams for the co-sanctioned date are two-time ASCS Northern Plains points champion Lee Grosz of Harwood, North Dakota and 2008 Alberta Sprint Tour points champion, Gord Kynoch of Spruce Grove, Alberta.  The province of Saskatchewan will be represented with two entries by Fedyk Motorsports of Estevan.  Kyle Fedyk will return to Winnipeg with his brother Kohlan who will be making his rookie appearance at this year's race.   Manitoba's entries will include Winnipeg's first family of open wheel racing, Kennedy Racing which will field 3 cars driven by Lou Jr and sons TJ and Sean. 

For information, news and updates go to Red River Coop Speedway's website at http://www.redrivercoopspeedway.ca

DOMINICAN TOURING CAR CHAMPION JOINS COMPASS360 AT HOMESTEAD

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic -- Compass360 Racing today released details of their driver line-up for the upcoming KONI Sports Car Challenge race at Homestead/Miami raceway this weekend.

The team is proud to announce the addition to their roster of Dominican Touring Car Champion, Jose Leroux, who will drive the team's #75 Honda Civic Si with Bo Roach, from Tulsa, OK.
Leroux is a long-time competitor in the competitive DTS Dominican Touring Series, most recently taking the championship in 2008 in his #12 Mobil 1 Honda Civic. This marked Jose's second consecutive DTS crown, and his Honda experience should pay dividends at Homestead. "I'm excited to be driving for Compass360 in Miami," enthused Leroux. "I think of it as my 'home' track in the U.S.!"

Roach, who co-drove the #75 Civic to a tenth-place finish at the KONI season-opener at Daytona in January was equally excited. "We had a good run on the high-banks, and I'm looking forward to improving on that in Miami."

Leroux and Roach will join what is arguably the best driver line-up in the KONI Challenge. Canadians Matt Pritiko and Travis Walker will hope for another podium after finishing third at Daytona, while veteran road-racers Christian Miller and Randy Pobst look to build on the front-running pace they showed in that race.

The KONI Sports Car Challenge race at Homestead/Miami Speedway is the headline event at Grand-Am's Fan Appreciation Weekend. Infield tickets are available for free, courtesy of Grand-Am, and promises to be an action-packed, exciting weekend. For tickets, visit http://www.grand-am.com/konitickets

Compass360 Racing (C360R) is the motorsports division of Compass360 Marketing Communications, a firm offering branding expertise to clients in diverse industries across North America. For details visit http://www.C360R.com or http://www.compass360.com

Atlantic Racing Team – Formula BMW Pacific 2009

With pride Atlantic Racing Team (ART) of Halifax, Canada announced today the first of their two Formula BMW Pacific series drivers for the 2009 season.

Aditya Patel, the 20 year old Indian commerce student from Chennai now in his second year with FBMW, received much attention during the 2008 season while driving for Team Eurasia while showing lots of potential. Some misfortunes did not help his final standings in 2009. Instrumental in the decision to join Atlantic Racing Team were the facts that ART worked continuously with him and his financial advisors to receive the needed funding for 2009.

“ In regards to Aditya’s near future we are certain that we will improve Aditya’s racing experience and career in this highly regarded formula series. If not alone for the simple reason that he has now more experience, giving him advantages over most of the competition; hard physical pre-season training allows him now to overcome fatigue easier, especially during the brunt of the summer races. Our objectives are very clear and defined – Aditya will be a front runner and primed for winning as many races for us as he can,” says Ingo Strackerjan, Team Manager for ART, and continuous; “with most of the young drivers in a one-car-spec series, much comes down to driver/team attitudes. As we had shown last year with 14 year old Chaves, proper racing spirits can overcome many “hurdles”. We do not believe in a light hearted approach in racing. We do our job and the driver has to do his; both with the same goal – winning! For many yet unknown reasons this will be at times not possible but temporary results and set backs will not distract us from ultimate goals. Aditya is part of the team, not just a driver. We watched Adiya’s progress last year while in direct competition against him – this will now help Lucas Strackerjan, ART’s Race Engineer, to guide him in the right direction. We are tremendously proud having for the first time a driver from Asia in our team, after drivers from Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Columbia, Canada and the USA. ”

Atlantic Racing Team has one car available for the 2009 FBMW Pacific season. Two additional cars are arriving from Canada in Kuala Lumpur shortly in time for the first test and race weekend, forming part of the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix.
“It becomes vital for any team these days to have at least two drivers. Constant increases in shipping costs for cars and equipment in containers and travel expenses are becoming a real concerns for teams. We are trying to stay within the FBMW proposed budget but nobody in the series can control these costs. Therefore it is so instrumental for a young driver receiving proper funding, working with people who have a sound understanding of the real costs of motorsport, not for only one season.

Aditya Patel’s car has been partially funded and sponsored by JK Tyre,Amaron, Speed, MAS Holdings and AJ Worldwide….. and we thank these folks for believing in him becoming a world class driver” elaborates Ingo on the subject of finances; “I suggest to any young driver and parent that one-shot-deal-seasons is not practical if that is what they can afford, even with talent. It sounds cruel to say that, especially when the kid is progressing well in karting and his/her hopes are stirred up. But reality is cruel at times and racing is no exception!
Talented drivers are plenty out there – the ones making it to the top have a well thought out plan, surrounded by people with knowledge, willing to help and speculate on some ROI.

Not meaning youngsters should not try out if they have talent. The Formula BMW School, held every year, is one way. Not only will they receive excellent introduction in Motorsport but also instruction and coaching with the opportunity, if selected, to become a Formula BMW Junior driver with partial funding provided by BMW Motorsport. All information can be found on one of the BMW Motorsport websites – http://www.afos.com/ or http://www.formulabmwusa.com/ .”

Atlantic Racing Team has been involved in Formula BMW since it’s inception in 2004, running as many as a four car field. In 2008, after 4 years in the USA/Canada FBMW Series, it expanded to the FBMW Pacific Series. Today Atlantic Racing Team operates a total of four cars in Europe, USA/Canada and the Pacific. Atlantic Racing Team will also provide for qualified drivers One-Off’s in the Pacific and Americas Series as well as test days in Europe. For details please visit http://www.atlanticracingteam.com/

KONI CHALLENGE: Pritiko heads south for Round 2

TORONTO, ONTARIO - The 2009 Koni Challenge Series continues this weekend at Homestead Miami Speedway. One of the favorites coming into the weekend in the ST class has to be the #76 Compass360 Racing Honda Civic Si of Matt Pritiko and Travis Walker.

The duo is fresh off a podium performance at the season opener at Daytona. "I am looking forward to continuing the success that I had in Daytona," Pritiko said. "I was very pleased with the third place in round one - especially as it was my first podium in the Koni Challenge."

"Just stepping upon the podium was a great feeling and one that I hope to experience again this weekend - except this time we're aiming for a higher step."

For the first time this year, the Koni Challenge Series will run split classes, and Pritiko is up for the challenge. "It is very different when we have our own ST class race," Pritiko said. "It creates a whole new dynamic for the race, and I am sure we will have the Compass360 Racing Honda Civic Si at the front of the pack."

After returning from Daytona, Pritiko was in for more good news as he was nominated as one of Canada's ‘Up and Coming Road Racers' by the industry leading Canadian motorsport magazine, Inside Track Motorsport News.

"It is a huge honour to be recognized by Inside Track Motorsport News as one of Canada's Up and Coming Road Racers," Pritiko said of the nomination. "I thank Inside Track Motorsport News and hope that all race fans visit www.insidetracknews.com to cast their vote in all the racing categories."

Matt Pritiko Fast Facts: Matt Pritiko is one of Canada's up and coming stars of motorsport. He is from LondonOntario. In 2007, Pritiko completed his rookie season in Koni Challenge, finishing 15th in the standings, with a top five and four top tens. Pritiko was a member of Sunoco's Team Ultra 94 and collected 1 win, 2 poles and five podiums in the Bridgestone F2000 Series. In 2002, Pritiko is was 2nd in F125/80cc in the Point Pelee Championships and took home the 2002 Most Sportsmanlike award.

Pritiko is supported by Burwell Auto Body. (www.mattpritiko.com)

Compass360 Racing Fast Facts: Compass360 Racing (C360R) is the Motorsports division of Compass360, a marketing communications firm based in Toronto, Canada. Compass360 offers Brand Development and Deployment to clients in financial services, entertainment, advocacy and automotive sectors. Their work includes traditional advertising in television, radio and print, as well as corporate identity, logo creation, documentary film, website development and communications in non-traditional on-line media and event marketing. Compass360 Racing will field four Acuras in Grand Am's KONI Challenge in 2008, building on their third straight Manufacturer's Title and a strong second-place finish in the Driver and Team Championships in 2007. (www.compass360.com/racing)

Release prepared by Russ Bond Agency, Inc. (www.russbondagency.com). For more information contact Russ Bond r.bond@russbondagency.com or 416-312-2900

F1200: BGR-TLM sign Aryton Triolo

ARYTON TRIOLO SIGNS DEVELOPMENT DEAL WITH BGR-TLM

Canadian-based Brian Graham Racing/TLM Racing - Team Grote have announced the signing of Aryton Triolo to a driver development contract, as well, father Carlo Triolo to contest 2009 F1200 Championship Series.

As part of a planned long-term partnership, the 15 year-old Triolo has joined forces with Brian Graham Racing/TLM Racing, sponsored by Grote Manufacturing, via a driver development program. With the goal of advancing his driving skills, technical understanding of the car, and the overall dynamics of car racing, Triolo will take part in a full season of testing in the team’s F1200’s. Triolo had tested with TLM Racing in October of 2008 proving to be a very smooth, controlled, and fast driver.

In an interesting Father-Son team effort, Aryton’s father, Carlo, will contest the F1200 Series for 2009 while Aryton uses the practice days, pre-race events, to develop his skills. The Triolos are natives of Saskatoon, SK.

Aryton will continue his competitive Karting while testing with BGR-TLM. Through March 2009 Aryton will be contesting the The Gatorz Eyewear Golden State Karting Cup Premier Rotax Max Challenge in the US, as well as the upcoming Stars of Canada Karting Series beginning May 2009.

Although just 15, Aryton has posted some solid finishes in his young racing career:
2005 - 1st SKR Series - Junior 1 Honda - Undefeated
2005 - 3rd SKR Series - Rotax Junior
2006 - 6th SKR Series - Canada Junior - Honda
2006 - 4th SKR Series - Rotax Junior
2007 - 3rd RMC Sask. Series - Rotax Junior
2007 - 11th RMC Western Canada Series - Rotax Junior
2007 - 4th SKR Series - Rotax Junior
2008 - 35th (out of 75 entries) FWT (Florida Winter Tour) Rotax Junior

Father Carlo has many year of Karting under his belt and is no stranger to competitive racing, in fact, in his youth, Carlo shared the track racing against Paul Tracey and was very competitive into his mid-20’s. Carlo took time off to have a family, but re-joined the Senior Karting ranks in 2000 and over the years, in various Senior Karting series, found himself consistently finishing in the National top 10 or higher rankings. BGR-TLM are very pleased to have Carlo piloting of one of their F1200’s for 2009, and are confident that the senior of the two Triolo’s will be hungry for podium finishes on a consistent basis.

Aryton would like to thank his 2009 sponsors for their support: Trick Designs Fiberglass, HGC Hospital Contract Group, SGI Saskatchewan Government Insurance, Canada-Wide Reinforcing Steel Co., and  KRTS Kart Racing Team of Saskatchewan.

Any sponsorship inquiries can be sent to either ayrton@ayrtontriolo.com or ExclusiveManagement@shaw.ca

In effort to create Canada's premier formula car development team, Brian Graham Racing/TLM Racing with Grote was recently formed via partnership of two of the nation's leading junior race car teams. The new partnership features a three-tier program for its drivers via the Ontario F1200 Championship, Ontario Formula Ford Challenge and the F2000 Championship Series.

From Gerry Merz / BBR-TLM Racing

MINI GRID'S ANNUAL MARCH MADNESS SALE - March 9th - 15th

EVERYTHING Is On Sale!

Monday to Friday 20% Off Everything! Saturday/Sunday 30% Off Everything Left!!

Models, slot cars, books, art, dvd’s....all on sale

+ week long sales on selected items

at even GREATER discounts and savings!!!!

All stock, All week, All discounted!

Here's your Sneak Preview of what to expect:
All Scalextric slot cars 40% off!
All Ebbro, Norev & Brooklin Models 40% off!
All Autocourse, Motocourse & Rallycourse Yearbooks at 1/2 Price!
All BBR Exclusive Car Models 40% off!
Don’t miss it!

Store Hours: Monday to Friday, 11am - 6pm, Saturday 10am - 5pm; Sunday 12 - 4pm
Sale does not apply to special order or reserved items
All sales are final, no returns for refund or credit
Discounts do not apply to magazines

608 Mt.Pleasant Road Toronto, ON

416-488-7663

www.minigrid.com

Greg Cybulski's Prairie Dirt Has A New Home!!!

From this point forward, Prairie Dirt will be presented in Blog format
at: http://dirtfromthestands.blogspot.com/

The blog allows me to quickly present photos and news in a much nicer
looking presentation than with the old site. In this way, I have my
forum, homepage and photos all in one neat package.

Greg Cybulski

KARTING: Kawartha Durham Kart Club and Bridgestone Racing Academy news

Kawartha Durham Kart Club Confirms Bridgestone “Thrill of a Lifetime” for 2009

The Bridgestone Racing Academy has confirmed that they will once again be offering a “Thrill of a Lifetime” lapping day to 12 qualified KDKC members. This is usually only offered to senior drivers but this year two seats will be reserved for mechanics and/or associates of junior drivers so that more club members will have an opportunity to participate.

This amazing opportunity has been generously provided to members of the club for many years and will once again be an opportunity to experience the high speeds of the Bridgestone Academy’s Formula 2000 cars. Everything you need is provided free of charge (a retail value of almost $1,000.00). There can be no argument that this is the greatest perk available to any kart club in Ontario (Canada?) and to the largest number of members. Whether you want to move on to open wheel racing or just want to be able to say,”I ran a fully winged race car.” a day at the Bridgestone Racing Academy can’t be beat.

Following an introductory briefing, you will be issued your personal racing gear and you're off to pit lane and the outstanding fleet of NEW Van Diemen Formula cars. These purpose-built single seaters are very responsive with an incredible power-to-weight ratio. The warm-up lapping session becomes the exciting topic of conversation during breaks. Drivers then return to the track for three full 20-minute lapping sessions at even higher speeds.

The Bridgestone Racing Academy offers the thrill of driving an open wheel race car to just about everyone. Whether it's a 1/2 day lapping instruction for a complete novice, the required elements to obtain a racing license, mechanics training or a corporate fun day, a variety of programs are available.

With an enviable safety record, well maintained cars and expert instructors a day at the Bridgestone Racing Academy is unforgettable. Check out the full line-up of programs at http://www.race2000.com.

Watch our website throughout the year for more updates as they happen: www.kawarthadurhamkartclub.com.

From Steve Painter
Vice-president/Webmaster // Kawartha Durham Kart Club

Merrittville Speedway: Start building your Enduro now!

NIAGARA COLLEGE ACCELERATES MERRITTVILLE ENDURO IN A BIG WAY … AS DOES BLACK ROCK SPEEDWAY. NOW’S THE TIME TO START BUILDING YOUR CAR

For Release   - March 9, 2009 - From Jim Irvine - Merrittville Speedway Public Relations - 905-685-7223 – Winter Office

Thorold, Ontario (March 9) – Last season, 3 drivers had a chance at a $200 bonus should they have come home the winner of the 100 lap Enduro at Merrittville Speedway after winning a qualifying event.

Unfortunately after two attempts – rain was the only winner as it was for much of the 2008 season.

In 2009, the same deal is available for any of the three qualifiers. Any of the three qualifier winners will once again be in line for a bonus should one of them win the 100 that will close the 58th Season – Sunday September 13th.

“Niagara College continues to be # 1 in student satisfaction,” boasts (Merrittville Speedway GM) Erica Bicknell, adding, “and we are thrilled they are continuing to accelerate our Enduros.”

2008’s Enduro Winner Bonus was accelerated by Niagara College and in 2009 – one driver could stand a chance at an extra $500 should he or she win a qualifier and the main event.

“Our Enduros attract all kinds,” relates (GM) Erica Bicknell, “ drivers with no experience … some that have run this type of event before and even some of our regular Saturday Night Lucas Oil Weekly Racing Series competitors … but in the end it’s more survival than experience that counts.”

It all starts with some Monday Night Madness when Zavitz Financial Strategies and Employee Benefits presents the first qualifier Monday May 18th and continues on with Saturday June 27th’s $1.00 Piller’s Hot Dog Night served up by Boltworks. The final qualifier is set for CMH Leasing’s Help a Child Smile Night – Saturday August 8th.

Should none of the three drivers that win qualifiers win the big event – the $500 will still be given away via a draw of starting positions.

“Preregistering now takes on a whole new meaning,” reveals Bicknell, “anyone that enters by September 1st – will be eligible.”

Niagara College is in an unprecedented run of consecutive number-one rankings in overall student satisfaction among all Ontario colleges. 

Individuals considering re-training for a new career are encouraged to take a serious look at the many programs and opportunities available at Niagara College.

For further information on technology, apprenticeship and skills training visit niagaracollege.ca and accelerate your career.

Who ever is the last driver standing and in Victory Lane at the end of the 100 – Qualifier Winner or not – that driver will also earn a guaranteed starting spot for the November 7th National Parts Peddlar 100 $10,000 to win 4 Cylinder Enduro at the Black Rock Speedway in Dundee NY.

“Black Rock has an enduro series of their own,” adds Bicknell, “the first seven spots will go to their qualifier winners … our 100 lap Enduro Winner will start 8th!”

In 2009, Merrittville Speedway’s Enduro Champion could stand a chance at earning $11,500.00 so now is the time to start building your car!

“It’s pretty basic,” explains Bicknell, “ it’s a street car with safety modifications – everything else is stock as you found it … an Enduro car is not a race car – it’s a car that races.”

Depending on what happens in any of the qualifiers, a competitor could use the same car in more than one event.

Enduro Rules for the qualifiers and the season ending 100 lap event accelerated by Niagara College are available from the Winter Office located at Bicknell Racing Products in St. Catharines Ontario or on line from www.merrittvillespeedway.com.

Rules will also be available during the Seaway Mall Race Car Show the week of March 16th as well as at the Pen Centre the week of March 30th.

For information on Black Rock Speedway’s Enduro Rules – visit www.blackrockspeedway.com.

Stay tuned as Merrittville Speedway’s Enduro Qualifying Series and the 100 – all accelerated by Niagara could find even more speed in 2009!

Your local Dirt Track is where it’s at and it’s at Merrittville Speedway.

LE MANS: Aston Martin Racing debuts new LMP1 car at Paul Ricard Test

Aston Martin Racing debuts new LMP1 car at Paul Ricard Test

 

Paul Ricard, 9 March 2009. Following weeks of intense preparation Aston Martin Racing ran its new LMP1 cars for the first time at the Le Mans Series test held at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France on 8/9 March.

 

Car numbers 007 and 009 resplendent in their Gulf Oil International orange and blue livery took to the French circuit on Sunday morning. All six of the team's drivers, Jan Charouz (CZ), Tomas Enge (CZ), Stefan Mücke (DE), Harold Primat (CH), Miguel Ramos (PT) and Darren Turner (GB) got an opportunity to test the new cars.

Members of the public were granted access to the Paul Ricard Test Track for the first time in 10 years and 3,500 spectators arrived on Sunday to view the on-track action from the newly installed grandstands. In total 28 of the 50 cars that will compete in the Le Mans Series took part in the official test with the Aston Martins taking centre stage.

The team was encouraged by the performance and reliability over the course of the test and encountered no significant issues despite the cars having barely turned a wheel prior to the start of the test.

 

The team suffered a setback on the afternoon of day one when the 007 car suffered an accident with Czech driver Tomas Enge at the wheel. Although the car sustained heavy damage, Enge walked away uninjured from the accident.

 

Also taking part in the test was Official Partner Team of Aston Martin Racing - Drayson Racing with their No. 87 Aston Martin Vantage GT2. Drivers Paul Drayson and Jonny Cocker used the test to benchmark the off-season improvements the team has made to the V8-powered machine. The results were encouraging as the Vantage GT2 performed well on its new Michelin tyres.

The Le Mans Series consists of five 1,000km races, the first of which is the 1,000km of Catalunya which will take place on 5 April at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, Spain. The other races take place at Spa in Belgium, at the new Algarve circuit in Portugal and at the Nürburgring in Germany where Aston Martin has its Test Centre facility. The series finale takes place on the team's home turf of Silverstone in the UK.

In addition to the Le Mans Series, Aston Martin Racing will compete in the Le Mans 24 hour race which takes place on 13/14 June 2009.

Quotes

George Howard-Chappell Team Principal "It's a credit to the team that both of our cars have run so reliably after such an intense and tiring build period. For a first test with two brand new cars we have run very successfully. Obviously the accident has set us back to a degree but as always we will recover and we will be in Barcelona with two race-ready cars. I am pleased that the new drivers are getting to grips with the car and are integrating well with the team and the 'old hands' are also performing well."

 

Car 007

Jan Charouz "The first impression of the car is that it looks stunning. I didn't get to do many laps, just 10, but the car was very stable and quick and we didn't experience any technical difficulties which was great as it is a completely new car. I'm looking forward to the first race to see how we compare to the competition."

 

Tomas Enge "Considering how short a time the team had to build up the two cars we were running really well without any major problems. Unfortunately because of my error the test was compromised but prior to the accident the car was good and I believe that we will be even stronger than we were last year."

 

Stefan Mucke "It was the first time for me in the new LMP1 and the first time it has run on a race track. The aerodynamics have changed quite a lot and I was expecting less down-force with the smaller rear wing but actually the car felt really good and the feeling was very close to that of last year's entry so I felt at home after only a couple of laps. The team has changed the exhaust system from last season and the engine note from the V12 is fantastic, especially on the long straight here at Paul Ricard. I am looking forward to the first race; it will be interesting to see where we are against the diesel cars. We had a good result at Barcelona in 2008 so I hope we can repeat this and get another podium this year."

 

Car 009

Harold Primat: "My first test was ok, the car was good out of the box and it was impressive to see that it is running trouble free straight away. The team did a great job of preparing the car. I think the car has got great potential; we tried a few different set-ups finding a good solution for all of the drivers. The aim of the test was to get mileage under our belts, to understand the car and to find ways to improve it which is exactly what we did. My height can cause me trouble as I am pretty tall for a driver but I'm working with the team to improve the comfort."

 

Miguel Ramos: "The LMP1 feels great, the speed on corning is great, I'm not yet used to it as I normally drive a GT car but it is getting easier. I am taking everything step by step and I'm trying to understand the car and how it reacts rather than pushing too hard. I'm comparing my lap data with the more experienced drivers and making adjustments each time I drive which means I'm improving every lap. My last lap was my fastest of the two days. The Paul Ricard circuit is really challenging for someone who is just starting out in LMP1 and the g-force is really tough physically."

 

Darren Turner: "The test has been really good, the car has run like clockwork and it is fitting reward for the guys from Aston Martin Racing who have put so much effort in over the last few weeks that we have managed to complete lots of miles. The main focus right now is to put miles on the new car and to allow me and my team mates to get up to speed. For me it is a big step from the DBR9 to LMP1 but I'm happy that after two days of testing I am starting to feel comfortable and I'm really looking forward to the first race in Barcelona and the rest of the year."

 

For further information please contact:

 

Sarah Durose                                                 +44 (0) 7801 265 126            

Motorsport Communications Manager           e-mail: sdurose@astonmartin.com

Website:                                                         www.astonmartinracing.com

Viso a force to be reckoned with

Courtesy Indy Racing League

As a rookie in the IndyCar Series in 2008, E.J. Viso’s migration from the European formula ranks involved a steep learning curve, especially racing on ovals for the first time.

The challenge was daunting: new series, new country, new race car, new racetracks. But Viso’s aggressive style served him well and made others take notice. The 23-year-old Venezuelan earned a top-five finish in the season’s second race, on the streets of St. Petersburg, and also included a sixth on the road course at Infineon. He drew the most attention, though, on the ovals. Passing that many cars didn’t always lead to friendly waves from his competitors. In fact, Viso drew criticism for some of his aggressive moves.

“A lot of people had a few comments about him,” 2004 IndyCar Series champion Tony Kanaan said. “I particularly had no problem with him, so I can’t say whether he’s really aggressive or not, it’s just the way he races. It was his first year, and I think he learned a lot. He’s definitely going to be around the front more often this year.”

For his part, Viso makes no apologies for his drives through the field.

“This is my job,” he said. “This is the way I’ve raced all my life. Racing is a risky sport. Everyone knows that. I didn’t mean to make anybody angry, but I don’t think you need to give anything to anybody here. You need to respect and get to that line of respect and the limit, and that’s where I like to be.

“On occasion on the ovals, I was still learning and they made some comments, but for sure I wasn’t trying to make anybody angry. I love being here, and a year under my belt has brought me a lot of knowledge, and we’re starting in a much better position.”

In 2009, Viso returns with a much higher comfort level in his second season with HVM Racing.

“The expectations for the new season are much higher than last year because we have our first season under our belts and that means a lot,” Viso said. “Last year we started the season with no knowledge at all – of anything. All the tracks were new for us, especially the ovals. It’s something that’s very different to what I used to know to do.

“This year we’re positioned much better. Our expectations for this year – a realistic position for the end of the year is going to be to finish in the top eight. That would be a good achievement for us. Obviously some podiums are possible for us.”

Hinchcliffe to drive for Sam Schmidt Motorsports

Courtesy Indy Racing League

Canadian James Hinchcliffe will contest the full Firestone Indy Lights season in the coveted No. 7 machine fielded by series powerhouse Sam Schmidt Motorsports, team officials announced March 9. Hinchcliffe, 22, earned the ride after competing against a group of championship drivers in a multi-round shootout.

"I don't think the word 'excited' does justice to how I feel about joining Sam Schmidt Motorsports for 2009," Hinchcliffe said. "I really am honored to have such a successful team put their confidence in me. We have such a good group of people and I'm really looking forward to teaming up with Bia (Ana Beatriz) and Gustavo (Yacaman). I have never been looking forward to any racing season as much as I am this year."

The native of Toronto is no stranger to the formula car world having won races in the Atlantic Championship and competed for Team Canada in the A1GP Series. He's also recognized out of the cockpit having been a television personality for broadcast teams in A1GP as well as the former Champ Car World Series.

"The switch to Firestone Indy Lights for me was a no brainer," he said. "My whole career I have made my decisions to race based on where the competition is, and for 2009 there is no junior formula car series on earth that will be more competitive. Also, to support the IndyCar Series is an excellent chance to prove you can hack it in the big cars."

Though he has many years of experience in formula cars, the 2009 racing season will give Hinchcliffe his first taste of high-speed oval racing. He's received a preview of the atmosphere through limited testing he's done with Sam Schmidt Motorsports in the off-season.

"Ovals are obviously a new thing for me, but I have enjoyed them more than I thought I would. It is a completely different skill set, and I know I have a ton to learn, but with the experience of guys like (team owner) Sam Schmidt, (engineer) Tim Neff, and (team manager) Chris Griffis behind me, I know that my oval education is in great hands."

Hinchcliffe also gives Sam Schmidt Motorsports another quality driver in its quest to reclaim the Firestone Firehawk Cup after finishing second and third in the 2008 championship. The team is the winningest team in Firestone Indy Lights and claimed the drivers' championship in 2004, 2006, and 2007.

"We're really looking forward to taking back the championship this year," team owner Sam Schmidt said. "We've put together a great group of drivers with James, Bia, and Gustavo, who have a lot of talent, and I think all three have the potential to win races and be champions. We've got a lot of exciting things going on this year, and I can't wait to get down to St. Pete to get started."

The 2009 IndyCar Series season opens April 5 with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 2 p.m. (EDT) by VERSUS. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network. The radio broadcast also will be carried on www.indycar.com. The 2009 Firestone Indy Lights season begins with a doubleheader race weekend April 4-5 at St. Petersburg. The race will be telecast at 6 p.m. (EDT) on April 6 by VERSUS.

Canadian racer Hima Maher killed in BC avalanche

I first saw a note about this on Pierre Bourque's site a little while ago.

Calgary's Hima Maher was one of two skiers killed in an avalanche near Golden, BC yesterday. In addition to being an active road racer, Maher owned and operated a high-performance driving school, based out of Calgary.

Grand-Am (in a story by TRG team owner Kevin Buckler) has confirmed the bad news with a post on its own site. Hima is included in a TRG video on Youtube here.

Inside Track offiers our condolences to his family and friends.

In an email to Inside Track, Bourque said of Maher, "Hima was as passionate about his racing as he was about his skiing. He will be missed by the many who knew him." The two drove a TRG car at Daytona in the 2008 Rolex 24.

UPDATE: The Globe & Mail has a story on the tragic chain of events here.

The photo of Hima Maher is from the Grand-Am site.

IHRA Mardi Gras Nat'ls: Canadian Ray Commisso wins Pro Mod

BATON ROUGE, LA (MARCH 8, 2009) What started out as a bit of a gloomy morning turned into a marvelous day of racing as Bruce Litton, Ray Commisso and Jason Collins claimed Ironman trophies during Belle of Baton Rouge Championship Sunday at the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway in Baton Rouge.

Litton (Indianapolis, In) topped Bobby Lagana Jr. in one of the best races of the weekend in the Top Fuel championship as Litton lit the win light with a 4.875 second pass at 284.93 mph to best Lagana’s 4.964 second time at 249.53 mph.
“Anytime you race a track that you don’t have any data to you kind of tip-toe through it. Friday night we tried to rotate the earth and it got out of our realm a little bit and we came back and got back to where we thought we could get down the track and it went down every time,” Litton said. “That is a tribute to Richard Hartman and all the guys on the team. It’s not a one man deal; I am just the guy that gets to drive it.”

And what a weekend it was for Litton who qualified No. 2 on his way to his 14th Ironman.

“I feel like I have lived here for a month. We had absolutely no data about this place except that my crew chief Richard Hartman at the Cajun Nationals in 1990 drove a Nitro Funny Car and he was in the finals against John Force and he lost in a slight hole shot and this is a race he wanted to win,” Litton added. “This track owed him 19 years ago and you don’t forget losses like that. It was just a great weekend all around for the whole Lucas Oil team.”

Lagana reached the finals by knocking off No. 1 qualifier Del Cox Jr. (Downey, Ca) in the semi-finals in a pedal fest at the far end of the track. Both cars started smoking the tires at the 1,000 ft. mark, but it was Lagana that was able to stay in it for the win light on a 5.085 run at 233.92 mph. The run ended a nice weekend for the rookie who took the pole in his first ever weekend of IHRA Top Fuel racing.

Litton knocked off Paul Lee (Anaheim Hill, Ca) in the semi-finals in a great drag race. Lee pushed Litton the length of the track, but it was Litton that lit the bulb on a 4.820 time at 299.66 mph.

In the quarters it was Cox over Tim Boychuk, Lagana over Terry McMillen, Litton over Mitch King and Lee over Terry Haddock.

In Pro Modified Raymond Commisso (Toronto, Ont) continued his incredible weekend with an Ironman victory over Tommy Gray (Baltimore, Md) with a 5.955 second pass at 244.83 mph over Gray’s 6.105 at 237.42 mph run.

“Every round you are trying to do your best and we just kept getting better every time,” Commisso said. “We didn’t have any computer so it was a bit of a crapshoot, but we rolled the dice three times in a row and it worked out in our favor for once.”

In the first two days of qualifying Commisso not only managed to grab the top qualifying spot, but also set an IHRA World Speed Record in the process at 246.08 mph. Add in an Ironman trophy and the Mardi Gras Nationals made for one incredible weekend for the Toronto native.

“Any racers’ dream is to qualify No. 1 and win the race and we have qualified No. 1 at a lot of races and this time we were able to close the deal,” Commisso said. “We set the speed record, we backed it up and we won the race going even faster E.T. wise and the car just kept going faster and faster all weekend. The funny thing is the last two rounds we didn’t have any data, our computer decided to pack it in, so it was basically a crapshoot.

“The one person I have to commend is Al Billes. Al is the god of drag racing. He knows how to get the car down the track and we certainly did that this weekend.”

In the Pro Modified semi-finals Gray got the free pass to the final round while Commisso had put in a little extra work to advance. Commisso battled Ed Hoover (Gilbert, SC) in an excellent drag race with Commisso continuing his hot weekend with a time of 5.984 at 243.15 mph to edge Hoover (6.156, 207.05).

Commisso came into the semis already holding the new IHRA World Speed Record he used that momentum to carry him through the ladder.

In the quarters it was Commisso over Taylor Lastor, Hoover over Danny Rowe and Gray over hometown-favorite and Baton Rouge native Harold Laird.

Jason Collins wrapped up the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock Ironman with a similar weekend to Commisso, taking the pole on Friday en route to a clean run through the elimination ladder.

Collins claimed the victory with a pass of 6.354 at 221.16 mph in the finals against John Montecalvo who turned in a time of 6.365 at 221.84 mph.

“We had transmission trouble and we worked and worked on it and we thought we had it fixed for the third round and we just got really lucky,” Collins said. “The guy we ran had trouble and we were able to get by in that round. For the final we managed to get a transmission from Team Aruba and we put it in and things went well from there. I think we were a little too soft in the finals, but we were just trying to get down the racetrack.

“You can go from hero to zero in no time in this class. We are going to go to the next race and go out and try to win it and we will let the chips fall as they may.”

One of the most competitive classes of the weekend came in the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock ranks as nearly every run down the track went to the wire.

Collins reached the PS finals with a win over Mark Martino (Stoney Creek, Ont), one of the weekend’s big surprises.  But Martino’s nice weekend came to a close in the semis as he simply never got going and Collins cruised to the win on a 6.536 at 214.01 mph.

Montecalvo defeated Cary Goforth (Holdenville, Ok) in semi-finals when Goforth red-lighted. Montecalvo ran a 6.355 at 221.49 mph.

In the quarters it was Martino over Cale Aronson, Goforth over Frank Gugliotta and Montecalvo in an upset victory over defending Pro Stock world champion and No. 2 qualifier Pete Berner.

With so many cars on hand over the weekend trying to turn the win light, the IHRA needed to add an extra class to the already packed lineup and that class was Outlaw Pro Modified – and it didn’t disappoint.

Opelousas, Louisiana native Bill Doucet came away with the win in the Outlaw class, edging another Louisiana product in Joseph Palmisand (Abita Springs) in the final with a pass of 4.111 at 189.42 mph in the eighth mile.

Doucet reached the finals with a win over Shawn Davis (Lake Charles, La) with a pass of 4.822 at 128.24 mph and Palmisand defeated Danny Rowe (Laguna Hills, Ca) with a pass of 4.290 at 170.51 mph.

In Sportsmen action Gary Bingham (Kings Mountain, NC) claimed the Top Sportsman championship with a win over Chris Gulitti (Tomball, Tx), Chris Bermond (Bay St. Louis, Ms) won the Top Dragster championship with a win over Nick Folk (Durand, Il), Slate Cummings (Hammond, La) won the Super Stock championship with a win over Mark Faul (Tacoma, Wa), Slate Cummings won the Stock championship with a win over Jarrod Granier (Labadieville, La), Luke Bogacki (Woodville, Al) won the Quick Rod championship with a win over Robert Cool (Laplace, La), Ben Massey (Bedford, Tx) won the Super Rod championship with a win over Jimmy Lewis (Forney, Tx) and Jay Bunce (Oklahoma City, Ok) won the Hot Rod championship with a win over Ray Dew (League City, Tx).

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Sunday's final results from the Inaugural Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway.  The  race is the first of 10 in the  2009 Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel -- Bruce Litton, 4.875 seconds, 284.93 mph  def. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.964 seconds, 249.53 mph.
Pro Modified -- Raymond Commisso, Chevy Camaro, 5.955, 244.83  def. Tommy Gray, Camaro, 6.105, 237.42.
Pro Stock -- Jason Collins, Chevy Cobalt, 6.354, 221.16  def. John Montecalvo, Cobalt, 6.365, 221.85.
Outlaw Pro Modified -- Bill Doucet, Chevy Corvette, 4.111, 189.42  def. Joseph Palmisand, Corvette, 4.243, 173.87.
Top Dragster -- Chris Bermond, Dragster, 6.783, 198.82  def. Nick Folk, Dragster, 6.942, 184.98.
Top Sportsman -- Gary Bingham, Pontiac Grand Am, 7.090, 195.45  def. Chris Gulitti, Pontiac Firebird, 7.196, 193.43.
Quick Rod -- Luke Bogacki, Dragster, 8.831, 176.53  def. Robert Cool, Dragster, foul.
Super Rod -- Ben Massey, Chevy Camaro, 9.914, 143.84  def. Jimmy Lewis, Chevy Corvette, 9.948, 151.77.
Hot Rod -- Jay Bunce, Plymouth Belvedere, 10.904, 135.47  def. Ray Dew, Chevy Nova, foul.
Super Stock -- Slate Cummings, Chevy Cavalier, 9.021, 132.62  def. Mark Faul, Pontiac Grand Am, 10.161, 130.37.
Stock -- Slate Cummings, Pontiac Firebird, 10.298, 116.63  def. Jarrod Granier, Chevy Camaro, 11.143, 119.63.

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Final round-by-round results from the Inaugural Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway, the first of 10 events in the  2009 Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- Bobby Lagana Jr., 5.095, 227.69 def. Terry McMillen, 7.704, 115.17; Paul Lee, 4.981, 290.69 def. Terry Haddock, 5.072, 219.54; Bruce Litton, 4.771, 304.25 def. Mitch King, 4.923, 285.53; Del Cox Jr, 6.057, 61.96 def. Tim Boychuk, DQ; SEMIFINALS -- Lagana Jr., 5.085, 233.92 def. Cox Jr, 5.174, 265.48; Litton, 4.820, 299.66 def. Lee, 4.907, 300.86; FINAL -- Litton, 4.875, 284.93 def. Lagana Jr., 4.964, 249.53.

PRO MODIFIED:
ROUND ONE -- Raymond Commisso, Chevy Camaro, 10.884, 78.52 was unopposed; Taylor Lastor, Camaro, 6.171, 232.35 def. Roger Burgess, Camaro, 6.644, 168.75; Harold Laird, Chevy Corvette, 6.347, 221.89 def. Kenny Lang, Corvette, 6.175, 241.11; Danny Rowe, Camaro, 6.016, 240.51 def. Earl Folse, Camaro, 11.946, 78.67; Tommy Gray, Camaro, 6.163, 234.53 def. Harold Martin, Martin M 4, 8.721, 135.40; Ed Hoover, Camaro, 6.904, 212.63 def. Al Suggs Jr., Chevy S-10, DQ; QUARTERFINALS -- Commisso, 5.985, 243.19 def. Lastor, 12.032, 72.48; Gray, 6.095, 239.06 def. Laird, 9.042, 99.57; Hoover, 6.001, 242.02 def. Rowe, 6.069, 240.81; SEMIFINALS -- Commisso, 5.984, 243.15 def. Hoover, 6.156, 207.05; Gray, 9.524, 84.91 was unopposed; FINAL -- Commisso, 5.955, 244.83 def. Gray, 6.105, 237.42.

PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE -- John Montecalvo, Chevy Cobalt, 6.342, 220.33 def. Richard Freeman, Pontiac GXP, 9.622, 94.19; Cary Goforth, Cobalt, 6.726, 173.43 def. Dean Goforth, GXP, 9.902, 91.48; Cale Aronson, Ford Escort, 6.429, 218.90 def. JR Carr, GXP, 6.505, 216.10; Mark Martino, Cobalt, 6.335, 222.55 def. Bob Bertsch, Ford Mustang, 6.378, 218.69; Frank Gugliotta, GXP, 6.348, 221.27 def. Jerry Haas, Pontiac GTO, 6.362, 220.62; Pete Berner, GXP, 6.294, 221.20 def. Trevor Eman, Escort, 9.903, 92.98; Jason Collins, Cobalt, 6.318, 222.11 def. Scott Hintz, Mustang, 6.528, 216.72; QUARTERFINALS -- C. Goforth, 6.383, 220.12 def. Gugliotta, 6.363, 221.27; Martino, 6.356, 222.77 def. Aronson, foul; Collins, 7.368, 135.73 was unopposed; Montecalvo, 6.327, 222.22 def. Berner, 6.301, 222.33; SEMIFINALS -- Collins, 6.536, 214.01 def. Martino, 14.416, 101.70; Montecalvo, 6.355, 221.49 def. C. Goforth, foul; FINAL -- Collins, 6.354, 221.16 def. Montecalvo, 6.365, 221.85.


BATON ROUGE, La. -- Point standings (top 10) for IHRA professional categories following the Inaugural Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway, the first of 10 events in the  2009 Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series - Top Fuel 1.  Bruce Litton, 115; 2.  Bobby Lagana Jr., 77; 3.  Del Cox Jr, 76; 4.  Paul Lee, 71; 5.  Terry Haddock, 54; 6.  Terry McMillen, 53; 7.  Mitch King, 50; 8.  Tim Boychuk, 49; 9.  (tie) Fred Farndon, 10; Chris Karamesines, 10; Todd Simpson, 10.
Pro Modified
1.  Raymond Commisso, 121; 2.  Tommy Gray, 100; 3.  Ed Hoover, 74; 4.  Danny Rowe, 53; 5.  Taylor Lastor, 50; 6.  Harold Laird, 49; 7.  Kenny Lang, 32; 8.  Roger Burgess, 31; 9.  Earl Folse, 28; 10.  Al Suggs Jr., 27.
Pro Stock
1.  Jason Collins, 121; 2.  John Montecalvo, 90; 3.  Mark Martino, 73; 4.  Cary Goforth, 71; 5.  Pete Berner, 60; 6.  Frank Gugliotta, 54; 7.  Cale Aronson, 47; 8.  JR Carr, 32; 9.  Richard Freeman, 29; 10.  Dean Goforth, 28.

From Larry Crum / IHRA

Merrittville Speedway: Deadline for driver VIP passes and BRP driving school approaches

DEADLINE FOR DRIVER VIP PASSES AND BRP DRIVING SCHOOL APRIL 1 – MERRITTVILLE WINTER OFFICE OPEN MARCH 21

For Release - Saturday March 7, 2009 From Jim Irvine - Merrittville Speedway Public Relations - 905-685-7223 – Winter Office

Thorold, Ontario ( March 6) – With a successful Open House signaling the start of the DIRTcar season across the northeast, Bicknell Racing Products is now open Saturdays.

Merrittville Speedway’s Winter Office – located in the St. Catharines’ head quarters will be open from 9 AM to 12 PM Saturday March 21st to accommodate racers that may not be able to visit during business hours weekdays.

Drivers planning to compete in any of the Lucas Oil Weekly Racing Series Divisions are reminded that the deadline to take advantage of the special Driver VIP Pass of April 1 is quickly approaching.

While it is no April Fool’s joke – missing out on the savings would be.

Turn 4 Collision 4 Cylinder Driver VIP Passes are $150.00 while for the Hoosier Stocks, Modern Corporation Open Wheel Lites, Original Pizza Logs Sportsman and L. St. Amand Enterprises 358 Modifieds – the special rate is $200.00.

The Driver VIP Pass is good for all 2009 events from April 2nd to September 5th.

Pit Crew Members can also take advantage of pre-April 1st membership and season pass deals.

Early Bird Memberships are available until April 1st for $50.00 while Pit Season Passes sell for $350.00. Purchase of a Season Pass before the increase results in a potential savings of $195.00.

Memberships are still available after the deadline as are Season Passes. New Prices are $75.00 and $400.00 respectively.

Race teams can also visit the Seaway Mall the week of March 16th to 22nd during the Race Car Show to fill out their VIP and Membership Forms if the Mall Hours are more convenient.

The Seaway Mall Show Hours are Monday to Friday from 10 AM to 9 PM, Saturday from 9:30 to 5:30 and Sunday from 12 Noon to 5 PM.

The upcoming Bicknell Racing Products Chassis Seminar and Pete Bicknell Driving School is also coming up quickly and limited space is still available in any of the 2009 Dates – April 11th, 12th and 18th.

“Although our focus leans towards Sportsmen and Modified Teams.” reveals BRP’s Randy Williamson, “each year … our classes are made up of drivers from all divisions looking to boost their confidence and knowledge … the first day is sold out – however limited space is available in the other sessions.”

The day long sessions feature both classroom and on track sessions that will benefit any type of race car – from entry level Street Stocks and 4 Cylinders to Classic Dwarf Cars and Mod Lites to the Sportsmen and 358 or Big Block Modified type race cars.

Drivers and crew members alike will learn what it takes to stop the guess work when it comes to solving improper handling, how to adapt to changing track conditions, proper spring and shock selecting and how to interpret weight transfer, body roll and roll steer.

Each on track portion will provide drivers with proper driving techniques and will teach tire selection and overall car preparation.

Both the class room and on track portions will be held at Merrittville Speedway.

All Inclusive Registration Fee for Drivers is $300 while the Crew Member Fee is $75.

Interested race teams are asked to reserve their spots as soon as possible by contacting Erica Bicknell.

The Merrittville Speedway Winter Office is located in Bicknell Racing Products – 117 Cushman Road in St. Catharines Ontario. For further information – race teams can also visit www.bicknellracingproducts.com.

Merrittville Speedway’s Track Office will open for the season as of April 1st.

For further information on Merrittville Speedway’s 58th consecutive season – call the Winter Office until April 1st at 905-685-7223 or visit www.merrittvillespeedway.com.

Your local Dirt Track is where it’s at and it’s at Merrittville Speedway.

The star studded 358 Modified Super DIRTcar Series Stars are set to challenge our home town heroes in the Spring Sizzler 100 Super DIRTcar Series on April 25th.

April’s Event also includes a 25 lap Stars North Mod Lite Series Event for our own Modern Corporation Open Wheel Lites plus Hoosier Stocks.

The first of many Special Events puts Merrittville Speedway on the map as must see events and it’s just the start of 2009 – you won’t want to miss a single event all season!

Join us this season on a Saturday Night for A LUCAS OIL WEEKLY RACING SERIES EVENT featuring FIVE Weekly Racing Divisions featuring local heroes and up and coming new stars!

Make your plans … call your friends and maybe even get a car pool together and enjoy a staycation at the speedway with plenty of free parking and camping spots!

You’re among friends at Boston Pizza and Merrittville Speedway. Check your 2009 Merrittville Speedway Grandstand Ticket stubs for a special offer from the Niagara Street Welland Boston Pizza location.

Your Local Dirt Track is where it's at!! Merrittville Speedway "The Best Family Entertainment in Niagara"

MERRITTVILLE SPEEDWAY SPONSORS: The 2009 Lucas Oil Weekly Racing Series for Merrittville Speedway’s 5 Divisions is brought to fans by division sponsors – L. St. Amand Enterprises, Original Pizza Logs, Modern Corporation, Hoosier Tire Canada and Turn 4 Collision as well as contingency sponsors Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shock Absorbers, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Hoosier Tire, Lucas Oil Products, Inside Track Motorsport News, Intercomp, ISC Racer’s Tape, Jaz Products, Kirkey Racing Fabrication, Motorsports Safety Systems, Outerwears, Port City Racing, Ringers Gloves, R.J.S. Racing Equipment, Racing Optics, Schroeder Torsion Bars, Schoenfeld Headers, Ultra Shield Race Products, Wrisco Industries and XRP, Inc.

Lucas Oil Products is one of the fastest growing additive lines in the consumer automotive industry featuring a premium line of oils, greases and problem-solving additives. Through innovative product research and development, along with aggressive marketing programs, Lucas Oil Products has established itself as the top selling additive in the industry. Race fans can look for Lucas Oil Products at their favorite automotive retailer including Drummond Home Hardware in Niagara Falls and through RCM Racing Equipment.

NASCAR: Kyle Busch wins Truck Series race at Atlanta

HAMPTON, Ga. (March 7, 2009) – Kyle Busch lost third gear, was losing second gear and had fallen back in the field with just a handful laps to go, but he still managed to win Saturday’s American Commercial Lines 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

It was his fourth win in five truck races at Atlanta and his second win in three races this season.

“I stayed on the gas wide open,” Busch said. “I don’t think we out-trucked ‘em today, but I think we outran ‘em at the end.”

Busch outran a closing Kevin Harvick and third-place Todd Bodine by skipping a fuel stop during the final caution period with 14 laps left.

But without third gear, Busch quickly dropped back on the restart and had to claw his way back to the front. When Colin Braun hit the wall hard two laps later to bring out the final caution, Busch had made it back up to second but was faced with another restart.

This time, Busch’s truck seemed to fall back even faster, leaving him 8-10 cars deep with just eight laps remaining.

“On that last restart, I stepped on it to go and second (gear) broke as soon as I stepped on it,” Busch said. “I had to put it in fourth – and hope there was a fourth gear – and just lug it through. Fortunately we got going sooner than later and were able to make it back up through there.

“At least it was exciting for the fans; if we’d have had second and third gear we might have pulled away.”

Harvick, in his first Camping World Series truck race at Atlanta, was closing on Busch in the final laps but was fighting a tight truck and a competitor who was running his preferred line. He was also fighting a slow final pit stop, which clearly irked him more than anything else.

“I got tight when we took the white going in to turn two there … and lost a little too much ground going into three,” Harvick said. “Thing was fast, but it doesn’t matter if you can’t do a pit stop.”

Tucker native Shane Sieg finished 23rd in his Phoenix Construction Toyota.

From Marcy Scott / Atlanta Motor Speedway

NASCAR: Canadian J.R. Fitzpatrick finishes 22nd in the Mammoet/TRG Motorsports Chevy iin Atlanta

Fitzpatrick Finishes the Mammoet/TRG Motorsports Chevy 22nd in Atlanta Camping World Truck Race

Atlanta, Georgia (March 7, 2009) - John Ryan (J.R.) Fitzpatrick soldiered through a wheel problem to finish the No. 7 Mammoet/TRG Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado in 22nd place in today's running of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series American Commercial Lines 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Fitzpatrick was the furthest Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate up the grid at the start thanks to a strong seventh place qualifying effort this morning. At the start Fitzpatrick was able to hold onto the lead group until lap five when he started to report a tight truck. By lap 21 the tightness turned into a vibration and the team brought him to pit road on lap 24. The culprit was a left rear wheel coming loose.

"We had a great truck at the beginning," Fitzpatrick said. "We easily had a comfortable top ten truck. The truck started to vibrate after the fifth lap and we found out the left rear wheel was loose. On that pit stop we adjusted the truck, but it was too free. We ended up going a couple of laps down as a result of the green flag stop. The truck was fast I was running top ten times. If we can put it all together I think we will be alright."

J.R. was able to keep his head in the race, keep pushing and adjusting on the truck to learn and grab every available point.

"There were a couple of miserable moments, especially when you are sitting in a much better truck than where you are running. We just had to ride it out. There were a couple of times when it got really loose on me. I am getting more and more miles under my belt and learning the limits of this truck. We will come back stronger."

TRG Motorsports team principal Kevin Buckler likes how J.R. is responding to the challenges early in the season.

"We had a fast truck for J.R. today," Buckler said. "He showed that he knows what is going on with the handling when he felt the change to the truck when the wheel was coming loose. It was tough to pit under green like that, but we are thinking full season and we need to take every green flag and every checkered flag to come out toward the front at the end of the summer."

The next round of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be the Kroger 250 at Martinsville on March 28.

Mammoet (pronounced Mamoot) is a specialist in customer-driven and tailor-made heavy lifting and transport solutions at any onshore or offshore location. The company's core activities are turnkey lifting and transport operations, factory-to-foundation heavy lifting and multimodal transport projects, maintenance lifting services and plant stops, day-to-day rental of mobile cranes, salvage and wreck removal of ships and offshore installations, and trade in new and used equipment worldwide. Additional information can be found at www.mammoet.com.

TRG Motorsports is based in Mooresville, North Carolina. Currently the team fields a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry as well as a Camping World Truck Series effort and an ARCA RE/MAX Series team. The Racer's Group was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of sports car racing. TRG's Porsche sports car program is run out of the company's headquarters in Petaluma, California. The team has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 26, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona (three) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

For more information contact please contact Kyle Chura at (248) 821-0468 or chura@aol.com. Detailed team info can be viewed at www.trgmotorsports.com or www.theracersgroup.com.

IHRA Mardi Gras Nationals - Saturday results... Commisso sets IHRA speed record

IHRA hosts packed house for Saturday ‘Night of Fire’

Canadian Raymond Commisso sets IHRA World Speed Record, takes Pro Mod pole; Cox tops Top Fuel list, Collins No. 1 in PS

Welcome back to Louisiana.

After a nearly 20 year absence from the area, professional drag racing finally made its return to Louisiana and did so with tremendous results as fans packed the stands for one of the biggest shows in IHRA history during Saturday’s “Night of Fire” at the Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway.

Under a blue sky and with perfect temperatures, Saturday’s excitement got started early when Pro Mod ace Ray Commisso (Toronto, Ont) set a new IHRA World Speed Record with a run of 246.08 mph during the third round of pro qualifying during the afternoon session – and the action just continued to heat up from there.

“We have actually been faster than that and we are hoping we can just keep getting faster,” Commisso said. “This is a new car we have here and I think we still have some more in store for the speed record.”

LSU head football coach Les Miles brought the capacity crowd to its feet during the evening ceremonies and the rest of the schedule did not disappoint.

Top Fuel made the most noise – literally and figuratively – during Saturday’s festivities as rookie Del Cox Jr. (Downey, Ca) set the pole for Sunday’s final eliminations with a run of 4.712 at 314.83 mph. driving the car that won the Top Fuel championship last season with Spencer Massey at the helm.

“I can’t complain, No. 1 qualifier at our first race out. It started with Paul Smith tuning it and everything took off from there,” Cox said. “This is the championship car from last year and I am just happy to be able to drive it.”

Cox was followed by Bruce Litton (Indianapolis, In) who took the runner-up qualifying position with a pass of 4.723 at 306.88 mph, good enough to claim Saturday’s Top Fuel “Last Man Standing” award going to the fastest car during the “Night of Fire” qualifying session. Terry Haddock (Woodinville, Wa) qualified third for Sunday’s eliminations (4.768, 302.41 mph).

Commisso was the biggest story of the night, setting a new world record while also claiming the Pro Mod pole and “Last Man Standing” with a pass of 5.970 at 246.08 mph.

“Last night’s qualifier was a nice clean run for us in our second full run in this car,” Commisso said. “This afternoon we had some heat in the track and we were just able to do a bit more.”

Tommy Gray (Baltimore, Md) took second in Pro Modified during the evening session with a pass of 6.011 at 240.94 mph and Ed Hoover (Gilbert, S.C) will start third (6.015, 238.93 mph).

Pro Stock was headlined by Jason Collins (Rainbow City, Al) who took the pole with a pass of 6.294 at 222.03 mph during Friday’s opening rounds of qualifying. Pete Berner (Crete, Il) will start second for Sunday’s eliminations with a pass of 6.306 at 220.33 mph while also claiming the Pro Stock “Last Man Standing.” Frank Gugliotta (Mt. Airy, Md) qualified third (6.317, 221.31 mph).

Sunday’s action will get underway at 9 a.m. with final eliminations set to begin at 4 p.m.

BATON ROUGE, La. -- First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the Inaugural Summit Racing Equipment Mardi Gras Nationals at State Capitol Raceway, the first of 10 events in the 2009 Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.

Top Fuel -- 1. Del Cox Jr, 4.712 seconds, 314.83 mph vs. 8. Tim Boychuk, 5.040, 244.87; 2. Bruce Litton, 4.723, 306.88 vs. 7. Mitch King, 4.900, 283.91; 3. Terry Haddock, 4.768, 302.41 vs. 6. Paul Lee, 4.897, 291.45; 4. Terry McMillen, 4.863, 305.63 vs. 5. Bobby Lagana Jr., 4.875, 282.48.

Pro Modified -- 1. Raymond Commisso, Chevy Camaro, 5.970, 246.08 vs. Bye; 2. Tommy Gray, Camaro, 6.011, 240.94 vs. 11. Harold Martin, Martin M 4, 8.257, 120.89; 3. Ed Hoover, Camaro, 6.015, 238.93 vs. 10. Al Suggs Jr., Chevy S-10, 7.404, 195.56; 4. Danny Rowe, Camaro, 6.018, 240.12 vs. 9. Earl Folse, Camaro, 6.395, 220.19; 5. Kenny Lang, Chevy Corvette, 6.071, 242.28 vs. 8. Harold Laird, Corvette, 6.374, 222.69; 6. Roger Burgess, Camaro, 6.116, 237.25 vs. 7. Taylor Lastor, Camaro, 6.189, 232.79.

Pro Stock -- 1. Jason Collins, Chevy Cobalt, 6.294, 222.03 vs. 14. Scott Hintz, Ford Mustang, 6.644, 217.91; 2. Pete Berner, Pontiac GXP, 6.306, 221.49 vs. 13. Trevor Eman, Ford Escort, 6.396, 219.94; 3. Frank Gugliotta, GXP, 6.317, 221.67 vs. 12. Jerry Haas, Pontiac GTO, 6.395, 221.31; 4. Mark Martino, Cobalt, 6.338, 222.77 vs. 11. Bob Bertsch, Mustang, 6.395, 220.69; 5. JR Carr, GXP, 6.340, 221.05 vs. 10. Cale Aronson, Escort, 6.394, 218.76; 6. Cary Goforth, Cobalt, 6.351, 221.02 vs. 9. Dean Goforth, GXP, 6.366, 220.73; 7. John Montecalvo, Cobalt, 6.353, 221.13 vs. 8. Richard Freeman, GXP, 6.353, 219.29.

Providence (RI) Indoor Midget Race Results - March 7, 2009)

NASCAR Champion Ted Christopher Wins Providence Indoor TQ Midget Finale

PROVIDENCE, RI - Defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ted Christopher is proving he is one of the best indoor racers. Christopher, 50, of Plainville, Conn., captured Saturday night's 30-lap TQ Midget feature event at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. The race concluded the two-day event, which was the first held in the Ocean State in 50 years.

"I enjoy the opportunity of being part of history," Christopher said. "I think this race was a success especially with how full the stands were and the racing was incredible."

The win gives Christopher a pair of indoor TQ Midget events this year. In January, Christopher won the Gambler's Classic in Atlantic City, N.J.

Christopher had a busy 24 hours in Rhode Island. After Friday's race, which was won by New Jersey dirt Modified driver Mike Iles, Christopher had to take his TQ Midget to Seekonk, Mass., where it was repaired at Wayne Darling's race shop.

In his qualifying heat race on Saturday, Christopher barely qualified after a rear radius mount broke. The team went to work and made the respective repair just in time for the main event. For the second consecutive night, it appeared as if Iles had the victory in hand.

Iles jumped out into the lead at the start of the race, but his momentum was slowed on lap five after Bobby Santos III spun out his race car in turn three. Matt Janisch of Nazareth, Pa., moved into the runner-up spot on lap nine and started to challenge the race leader.

But a several car incident slowed the race and took out the front runners on lap 12 as Iles, Janisch and Mike Lichty were involved in a crash in turn two. Ryan Smith had the lead, but that was short lived as Christopher took over the top spot on the restart.

As expected, indoor master Lou Cicconi Jr., who was substituting for an ill Matt20Roselli, challenged Christopher for the lead spot, but a miscue (he hit the kill switch on a restart) hindered his chances of getting by the race leader.

"Lou raced me real clean and I appreciated it," Christopher said. "He's one of the best indoor racers ever." Cicconi of Aston, Pa., settled for second, while Timex Morgan of Rochester, N.Y., was third, Smith was fourth and Mike Tidaback of Little Falls, N.J. was fifth.

Heat races went to Iles, Janisch, Mike Stefanik and Licty. Tim Adams and Glenn Heverin won the consolation races. In the 20-lap Champ Kart main, Chris Daley of Pleasant Valley, N.Y., scored his second consecutive main at the Dunkin Donuts Center. Daley got the lead after a close race with John Hillman, who later crashed. Daley defeated Eric Zeh, George Bark, Justin Bonsignore and Ron Midford Jr. completed the top five.

TQ Midget Feature Finish, 30 Laps: 1. Ted Christopher; 2. Lou Cicconi Jr.; 3. Timex Morgan; 4. Ryan Smith; 5. Mike Tidaback; 6. Joey Payne; 7. Ian Cumens; 8. Matt Janisch; 9. Bobby Santos III; 10. Alex Bright; 11. Paul Lotier Jr.; 12. Mike Lichty; 13. Jeff Kot; 14. Don Zrinski; 15. Jonathan Reid; 16. Glenn Heverin; 17. James Michael Friesen; 18. Mike Iles; 19. Heath Hehnly; 20. Tim Adams; 21. Mike Stefanik; 22. Ryan Barlett.

Champ Kart Feature Finish, 20 Laps: 1. Chris Daley; 2. Eric Zeh; 3. George Bark; 4. Justin Bonsignore; 5. Ron Midford Jr.; 6. Jay Dimond; 7. Bryan Ray; 8. Evan Beaulieu; 9. Nick Hadden; 10. Ryan Arsenault; 11. Tammy Smith; 12. Mike Perry; 13. Clinton Mills; 14. Tyler Robertson; 15. Tim Buckwalter; 16. Adam Gage; 17. Andrew Swisher; 18. John Hillmann; 19. Andrew Hutchinson; 20. TJ Laro.

NASCAR: Atlanta Motor Speedway Pit Notes - Sunday, March 8 Page 1

TRUEX AND THE STONE: After suffering from sporadic bouts of intense pain during the final Sprint Cup practice session, Martin Truex Jr. was taken by ambulance to Spalding Regional Medical Center in Griffin Saturday afternoon and diagnosed with kidney stones. He passed the offending stone at about 10 p.m. and is ready to go racing today.

Truex was examined and administered fluids while at Spalding Regional, then released shortly after 5 p.m. He passed the stone a few hours later.

Driver spokesperson Amanda Jones said Truex was doing great Sunday morning and was eager to hit the track.

GROWING TRUCK CROWD: Even in a slumping economy, race fans came out in droves to watch Kyle Busch win Saturday’s American Commercial Lines 200 Camping World Truck race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The infield was sold out and total attendance for Saturday’s race was higher than last spring’s Nationwide event, thanks largely to an enormous walk-up crowd.

With another sunny, mid-70s day on tap, AMS President Ed Clark expects another incredible walk-up crowd today.

“It’s a beautiful spring weekend in Georgia, just about the perfect weather for coming out to watch a race,” Clark said. “And just like the drivers have been saying all weekend, that sun will make for an exciting, slip-sliding race to watch.”

HITCHING A RIDE WITH DAD: Chase Elliott might already be a racer in his own right, but he had never been around Atlanta Motor Speedway’s high banks in a full-size race car … until Saturday.

After filming a TV segment to promote Atlanta’s Labor Day night racing event, Bill Elliott had the opportunity to take son Chase, 13, on a ride around the 1.54-mile quad-oval.

The younger Elliott tried to play it cool as he exited the car, but his beaming grin – and his mother – belied his casual manner.

“He was trying to play it cool, but he was so excited,” Cindy Elliott said.

And being an Elliott, it should come as no surprise that Elliott’s first remarks about the ride centered on the driving line.

“You get back on the gas so fast,” Chase Elliott said. “It’s so big, and the corners are so sweeping.”

Chances are, those won’t be the last laps the younger Elliott turns at AMS.

From Atlanta Motor Speedway