A Southern Illinois racetrack will reopen in 2015 after signing a multi-year agreement with a race promoter.

The Belleville News-Democrat reported Belle-Clair Speedway reached an agreement with Performance Open Wheel Racing, Inc., to promote open wheel divisions at the dirt track. Allied will continue sanctioning the stock car divisions.

Officials said the full schedule will include events on weekends, in addition to Belle-Clair's traditional Friday night contests.

Kenny Brown of Performance Open Wheel Racing Inc. said the company's primary goal was to keep Belle-Clair Speedway open, after a previous promoter terminated its partnership with the track.

Brown said the company is now working on "bigger and better things" for the speedway and its fans.

Belle-Clair Speedway is located at the St. Clair County Fairgrounds.

The National Mustang Racers Association (NMRA), an all-Ford motorsport show, announces the addition of a new major sponsor for the 2015 season. VP Racing Fuels will be the Official Fuel of the NMRA Keystone Automotive Ford Nationals Series and the required Spec Fuel for all NMRA heads up classes. The agreement between ProMedia Events, home of NMRA, NMCA and NMCA WEST, and VP Racing Fuels begins with the 2015 season opener on March 5-8 at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Bradenton, Florida, and continues through the 2017 season.
 
“Expanding our partnership with the NMRA further illustrates VP’s longstanding and continuing commitment to Sportsman racers,” said Alan Cerwick, President of VP Racing Fuels. “We encourage racers to take advantage of VP’s full-time professional Tech Support staff which is conveniently available by phone or email and ready to assist racers with fuel selection and tuning.”

VP’s Tech Support staff can be reached at 812.878.2025 or dragtech@vpracingfuels.com. Additional information regarding VP and its products is available online at VPRacingFuels.com.

“NMRA events are first class and provide a great platform for promoting not only VP’s wide variety of race fuel blends but also our new product lines including VP Madditive performance chemicals, VP Small Engine Fuel and VP PowerWash,” Cerwick added.  “We look forward to a long and productive partnership with Steve Wolcott and his team.”

“It’s wonderful to have VP Racing Fuel on board with the NMRA as a major sponsor for the next 3 years,” said Steve Wolcott, President and CEO of ProMedia Events. “We greatly appreciate the VP Racing Fuel Team and we’re all looking forward to a successful and exciting 2015 season!”
 
For more information about NMRA rules, please contact Tech & Communications Director Dave Werremeyer at davew@promediapub.com or call 913-645-0477.

Lease papers have been signed and a team of new promoters is in place for the upcoming stock car racing season at Senoia Raceway in Senoia, Georgia.

The track will be operated by Bill Massey, Jr., his son Mayes Massey and Doug Stevens during the 2015 racing season. The trio brings a renewed enthusiasm along with big plans for the 3/8 mile clay speedway.

“We are going to bring this place back to the way it once was,” said Bill Massey, Jr. “I have great memories from this track.”

Douglasville’s Massey, Jr. brings along his racing heritage that began with his father racing at area tracks and continuing with his life-long love affair with motorsports. His experience in racing, as a crew member and track official will bring new life to the track that has been operated by Tim and Tony Moses for the past five seasons.

Massey, Jr. and his team saw an opportunity after hearing the Moses’ would not return after their lease of the facility would run out. He, son Mayes and Stevens began working on the deal soon after the completion of the 2014 racing season in September.

“I am looking forward to doing something I enjoy so much,” said Mayes Massey. “I love every bit of the sport and I am looking forward to this new chapter.”

Griffin’s Doug Stevens has a stellar resume in racing. Stevens has several national, regional and local titles behind the wheel of a legends car. He has competed with national touring series, stock cars, trucks and most recently has found success in dirt late model racing. He has also helped many drivers with his motorsports company. Stevens will oversee most of the race track operation including track prep and technical inspection.

“This will be a new challenge for me,” said Stevens. “I plan to be involved in all aspects of the track after I first complete the track reconfiguration.”

Stevens went to work minutes after the new lease agreement was signed as he began tearing down the interior concrete wall in the speedway turns. He plans to widen the corners to nearly 90 feet allowing more of a racing groove and to create an opportunity for drivers to race side by side.

“We want to create a racier track with better entrance points and exit points in the corners,” said Stevens. “We will put a dirt berm on the bottom of the track that will have additional grass space before new interior barriers protecting some of the race teams on the infield.”

Plans also include two hundred dump truck loads of new clay to be brought in prior to the season kick-off in March. Stevens will create a compound banking in the corners which should also equate into better racing for the local stock car drivers.

“I want the drivers racing down the straightaway trying to figure out where they are going to run through the corner,” added Stevens. “Where can I pass the man in front of me or where is my car going to run the fastest because all the options will be possible.”

Many veteran racers have said recently that one of the issues with Senoia Raceway’s return to dirt track racing was the interior walls in the corners were limiting the drivers choices for racing. The narrow corners made it difficult to race side by side or pass. The walls were put in place during the 80’s transition to asphalt. Those walls remained in place when the Moses re-opened the track in 2010 in the return to dirt racing.

“These changes should give us better racing action and drivers running in multiple grooves,” said Stevens. “Speaking with Shane Clanton, Ray Cook and Gary Winger a few weeks ago, they agreed that the wider turns should get this place back to a great place to race.”

The new promotion team has also received good response to their plans to add the Super Late Models to the weekly program. The high-powered, top level race cars have been absent from the program since reopening five seasons ago. The group will also run Crate Late Models weekly and have the Limited Late Models return giving fans the opportunity to see three divisions of late models every Saturday night this season.

“The Super Late Models have not competed at this track in almost thirty years,” said Bill Massey, Jr. “The excitement surrounding this has been unbelievable.”

Saturday night racing action will also include all of the divisions that competed last season with the B-Cadets, Hobby Stock, Mini Stock and Bombers returning to the weekly schedule. The Legends Cars will also compete three weekends every month in 2015.

“We will keep the rules pretty much the same with the divisions that competed here last year,” said Mayes Massey. “We are looking at some ways to incorporate some variances allowing drivers from other tracks to visit Senoia Raceway. But nobody needs to worry about having to change their cars around a bunch or building all new race cars.”

If all the track changes continue as planned, the trio will open for practice sessions in February. Currently, the weekly schedule will open on Saturday, March 7 and continue into the fall months.

“We have talked to a few series and will look at some special events,” said Mayes Massey. “Right now we just want to get the race track ready to go and get the facility ready for the fans.”

For more information, visit SenoiaRaceway.com.

Madison Heights, Michigan-based Motovicity Distribution has hired Torry Skurski as its in-house content developer.

Skurski is a lifelong performance enthusiast and accomplished forum admin, having spent more than 14 years with NICOclub, most recently as its national events coordinator. Skurski also brings several years of marketing and content developer experience from his time at The Bergquist Company, as well as distribution experience from Motorsports Authentics.

“Torry brings a tremendous amount of performance knowledge to the Motovicity team and has a keen ability to transform detailed technical articles into compelling, easy to read posts and stories. In our search for a content developer, that is exactly what we were looking for,” said Motovicity Marketing Manager Brett Kinsfather.

“I’m excited to work for a company that not only is part of an industry I am passionate about, but also not afraid to move forward in today’s marketing world,” said Skurski.

Skurski will work closely with manufacturers to develop original content that will be distributed through Motovicity’s media partners, as well as its own website, blog and social media channels. His responsibilities will also extend to Motovicity specific content and its brand positioning efforts.

A one-person company that bills itself as a specialist in upgrading grassroots racing facilities has reached a deal to operate Ace Speedway in 2015.

Short Track Management of Winston-Salem, headed by and comprised of Bill Catania, announced an agreement with Ace owner Abraham Woidislawsky to take charge of the speedway immediately, a pact that includes an exclusive option for Catania to buy the track by the end of next year.

Brad Allen, Ace’s general manager during the last five seasons, had been part of a group that leased operations of the speedway from Woidislawsky. Catania said he now holds those rights and his company has become the only entity that can execute an ownership purchase on Ace through the end of 2015.

“We desire to own it. We certainly would like to buy it,” Catania said. “Short Track Management’s goal is to align ownership and operations, because when those are out of line, that’s when tracks fall into disrepair.

“I just have to prove to myself the track can be financially feasible. And I know that if I can get in there for four or five or six months, that’ll give me the basis to be able to move forward with the purchase.”

He said Ace, located in Altamahaw and the only auto racing venue of its kind in Alamance County, will continue as a Friday night race track, with its 59th season scheduled to open April 3.

Catania is a 38-year-old from Westfield, New York, a town in the western part of the state that’s nestled beside Lake Erie. He describes himself as the son and grandson of a racer. He raced, too, some while in college at Cornell, and has since built a profitable background in software and internet business ventures.

His coming on board creates a changing of the guard that hardly registers as a Christmastime surprise at Ace, perpetually a lighting rod for uncertainty and speculation in these type of matters under Woidislawsky, the Philadelphia real estate developer who bought the speedway for $2.1 million in 2006.

Allen, the Burlington native and former champion driver in the Modifieds division at Ace, has feuded publically with Woidislawsky and recent offseasons have been marked by Allen’s threats to leave the general manager’s job or his walking away and then returning.

Catania and Allen both said that they plan to meet in the coming weeks. It sounds as if there’s a possibility that Allen, a popular figure among Ace’s tight-knit community, could remain at the track in some type of administrative capacity.

“My goal is to change as little as possible in terms of staff,” Catania said, referring to Ace’s workers and track personnel. “I have no interest in changing those things. The people that have made the track successful as an operation, I want to keep them going and keep the history there.

“The things I think I can put my hands on and make better are increasing the attendance, increasing the driver count, rebranding and marketing, finding different ways to leverage the facility for revenue and profit, cost containment. Those are things that I focus on.”

Catania said he envisions growing Ace as a “multipurpose venue” while improving and boosting the profile of the go-kart track and tractor pull and mud bog areas that are in place on the 51-acre property.

He formed Short Track Management in April and quickly has become a player on the local level of minor league racing.

Ace is the third track Catania has acquired, joining Stateline Speedway, a dirt racing surface in Busti, N.Y., near the New York/Pennsylvania border, and Eriez Speedway, another dirt track in Hammett, Penn.

Catania said he has poured more than $750,000 of renovations and improvements into Stateline Speedway, which is his home track.

“I dove in and bought that and kind of saw the business opportunity,” he said. “There’s a lot of race tracks out there that really could use an infusion of capital. They’re good tracks, but they need to be spruced up, if you will.

“The flip side of that are tracks like Ace. They’re beautiful. They already have a great infrastructure. They already have the amenities. They just need sort of a rewrite of their business model. They need more strategy behind how to use the track better year-round.”

Champion Oil, a developer and manufacturer of specialty racing and performance products, announced that RK Motors Charlotte is its newest Master Warehouse Distributor featuring Champion Classic and Muscle “Purpose-Built” Motor Oils as well as additional Champion Lubricants, Chemicals, Additives and Motor Oils.

RK Motors Charlotte is a premier restorer, re-seller and provider of classic, muscle and high-performance cars. The company was created in 2010 when Robert Kauffman, founder of RK Collection and co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, and Joseph M. Carroll, founder of Best of Show Automotive, leveraged their success and experience to create RK Motors Charlotte. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company has a showroom at 5527 Lakeview Road and a custom build and service facility located at 5523 Lakeview Road. To learn more about the company, visit http://www.RKMotorsCharlotte.com

“It is extremely important for Champion to identify a strategic partner that shares the same passion for automobiles and has the ability to provide customers with first class service, support and product knowledge,” said Karl Dedolph, Director of the Racing and Performance Division for Champion Oil. “RK Motors Charlotte clearly fits the stringent criteria we identified to distribute our motor oil, chemical, additive and lubricant line in key enthusiast demographics, applications, and strategic markets.”

Champion Classic & Muscle Motor Oils are purpose-built formulas with viscosities to specifically meet the demands of contemporary and retrospective performance gasoline engines, especially carbureted vehicles that have flat tappet, roller cams and/or high-pressure valve springs.

To meet these demands, Champion utilizes its premium ZDDP anti-wear protection package, which contains a unique balance of chemistry that includes high levels of premium zinc, moly, calcium, sodium and phosphorus. Champion Classic & Muscle Oils contain an exclusive TVS (Thermal Viscosity Stabilizer) technology. This proprietary technology delivers unmatched film strength at high temperature, better piston ring seal for maximum compression, and increases horsepower and torque in most engines.

A full day of topical and engaging sessions highlighted the third annual Race Track Business Conference appearance at the 27th annual Performance Racing Industry Trade Show at the Indiana Convention Center.

Speakers and attendees from across the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Hong Kong gathered to discuss issues facing industry professionals.

Expert panelists debated topics on track construction, performance research & development, safety, sponsorship, industry growth, operations management, venue utilization, sanctioning bodies, and media. Speakers included influential leaders such as Herb Fishel – Business of Speed, Michael Culver – Skip Barber Racing School, Jim Downing – Hans, Dr. Terry Trammell – Orthopaedics Indy, John Waraniak – SEMA, Andrew Craig – Craig Company, Robert Clark – SCCA Pro Racing, Jason Rittenberry – IRG, Tony Parella – SVRA, Karl Fredrickson – Speedway Illustrated, Tim Suddard – Grassroots Magazine, Ralph Sheheen – Turn 3 Media, Doug Auld – Sprint Car & Midget, and Bob Dillner – Speed51.com.

Luncheon insights were presented by Cary Agajanian – President – Motorsports Management Intl. The legendary attorney, agent and promoter highlighted the Agajanian’s family 70 years of involvement in racing from Ascot to Indy.  

“We are very excited about RTBC-2014. Presenting relevant topics, creating interactive dialogue with an informed community is the goal of this event.” said Tim Frost, publisher of National Speedway Directory. “Thanks to everyone who made this conference happen.”

“The competition for the entertainment dollar increases every year.  That requires race tracks to provide a great value for fans in a clean safe venue while also finding new ways to market our sport to the publicly, as well as increase safety for the heroes of our sport” said John Kilroy – Vice President - General Manager – of Performance Racing Industry. “The Race Track Business Conference is invaluable for the exchange of ideas throughout the industry.”

Lyn St. James presented to Women’s Sports Foundation Project Podium Leadership award to Lisa Noble – SCCA President. “Her character, charisma, and commitment to support cultural change without disrupting the core values of sports car racing is powerful,” said Lyn St. James.

The NCM Motorsports Park received the “Outstanding Facility of the Year” award presented by National Speedway Directory and Track Guide. The new facility located in Bowling Green, Kentucky adjacent to the National Corvette Museum and GM Corvette plant is expected to be unique in meeting the demands of manufacturers for performance research and development.  

Jason Rittenberry – IRG – CEO - received the “Innovator of the Year” award presented by Diamond Ticket Systems. Dave Hutton – DTS – VP – stated “IRG has been rapidly expanding their presence on and off the track and on multiple platforms, raising the bar in the industry.”     

A donation was made to the Austin Hatcher Foundation on behalf of the speakers and attendees to support their charitable efforts in regards to pediatric cancer.   

Support for RTBC – 2014 was provided by Daktronics, H3R Human Resources, Race Monitor, American Racer - Racing Tire, and Diamond Ticketing Systems – official ticketing partner.

There are preliminary plans for RTBC – 2015 to be held on Wednesday December 9, 2015.  This will be just prior and in conjunction with the 2015 PRI Show, which runs from Thursday, December 10, to Saturday, December 12, 2015, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Additional information can be found at www.racetrackbusinessconference.com or by contacting Tim Frost at twfrost@speedwaysonline.com or 847/853-0294.

Regarding track contracts for the coming season, all completed and correctly filed contracts submitted to the WISSOTA Board of Directors were approved at this month's board meeting on December 18.
 
The following tracks were allowed to change their primary race date for 2015:
 
* Granite City Speedway from Sunday to Friday with WISSOTA-sanctioned Modifieds, Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds, Street Stocks, Mod Fours and Hornets
* Miller Central Speedway from Friday to Sunday with WISSOTA-sanctioned Super Stocks, Midwest Modifieds and Street Stocks
 
The following tracks have added WISSOTA-sanctioned classes for 2015:
 
*  Brown County Speedway – Midwest Modifieds
* Casino Speedway – Super Stocks.
 
North Central Speedway and Princeton Speedway were approved to run WISSOTA-sanctioned Super Stocks, Street Stocks and Mod Fours.
 
For more information, visit www.wissota.org.

USAC’s preliminary 2015 National racing schedules were distributed at the annual Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Indianapolis, Indiana, and continue to be formulated for the 60th season of USAC competition.
 
The Silver Crown, AMSOIL National Sprint Car and Honda National Midget schedules are projected to include more than 75 total events in 15 states, beginning with six “Winter Dirt Games VI” Sprint races in Florida; USAC’s 2015 National calendar will conclude with the November 26 “Turkey Night Grand Prix” Midget race at Perris, Calif. The Honda Midget National Championship schedule will be forthcoming.
 
New on the Silver Crown calendar is the May 1 opener at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway and the June 20 appearance at Iowa Speedway in Newton.
 
Sprint car changes involve new venues at Gibsonton, Fla., Kansas City, Kans., New Richmond, Wisc. and Tucson, Ariz. East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton hosts rounds 4-5-6 of the “Winter Dirt Games VI” which debuts at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla. Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City follows a pair of events in Nebraska with a race on Sunday, April 26. Cedar Lake Speedway in Wisconsin is part of a three-race swing in the Badger State in early August. USA Raceway in Tucson closes out the Sprint car campaign with three nights of “Western World Championships” action in late November.
 
Defending National series champions are Kody Swanson (Silver Crown), Brady Bacon (AMSOIL Sprint) and Rico Abreu (Honda National Midget).
 
2015 USAC Silver Crown Schedule
 
May 1 Toledo, OH/Toledo Speedway
May 21 Indianapolis, IN/Indiana State Fairgrounds
May 23 @Brownsburg, IN/Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
June 20 Newton, IA/Iowa Speedway
July 2 Terre Haute, IN/Terre Haute Action Track
July 23 Brownsburg, IN/Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
July 31 Belleville, KS/Belleville High Banks (T)
August 22 Springfield, IL/Illinois State Fairgrounds
September 6 DuQuoin, IL/DuQuoin State Fairgrounds
September 26 Rossburg, OH/Eldora Speedway
October 10 Syracuse, NY/New York State Fairgrounds
@=1 pm start     
(T)=Tentative

 
 
2015 AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Schedule
 
February 19 Ocala, FL/Bubba Raceway Park
February 20 Ocala, FL/Bubba Raceway Park
February 21 Ocala, FL/Bubba Raceway Park
February 26 Gibsonton, FL/East Bay Raceway Park
February 27 Gibsonton, FL/East Bay Raceway Park
February 28 Gibsonton, FL/East Bay Raceway Park
April 4 Lawrenceburg, IN/Lawrenceburg Speedway
April 17 Bloomington, IN/Bloomington Speedway
April 18 Haubstadt, IN/Tri-State Speedway
April 24 Eagle, NE/Eagle Raceway
April 25 McCool Junction, NE/Junction Motor Speedway
April 26 Kansas City, KS/Lakeside Speedway
May 8 Rossburg, OH/Eldora Speedway
May 9 Rossburg, OH/Eldora Speedway
May 15 Gas City, IN/Gas City I-69 Speedway
May 20 Terre Haute, IN/Terre Haute Action Track
June 2 #Bechtelsville, PA/Grandview Speedway
June 3 #New Oxford, PA/Lincoln Speedway
June 4 #New Egypt, NJ/New Egypt Speedway
June 6 #Port Royal, PA/Port Royal Speedway
June 7 #Newberrytown, PA/Susquehanna Speedway Park
July 4 Putnamville, IN/Lincoln Park Speedway
July 10 @Gas City, IN/Gas City I-69 Speedway
July 11 @Kokomo, IN/Kokomo Speedway
July 12 @Lawrenceburg, IN/Lawrenceburg Speedway
July 15 @Terre Haute, IN/Terre Haute Action Track
July 16 @Putnamville, IN/Lincoln Park Speedway
July 17 @Bloomington, IN/Bloomington, IN
July 18 @Haubstadt, IN/Tri-State Speedway
August 7 Superior, WI/AMSOIL Speedway
August 8 New Richmond, WI/Cedar Lake Speedway
August 9 Sun Prairie, WI/Angell Park Speedway
August 27 Kokomo, IN/Kokomo Speedway
August 28 Kokomo, IN/Kokomo Speedway
**August 29 Kokomo, IN/Kokomo Speedway
**September 19 Haubstadt, IN/Tri-State Speedway
September 26 Rossburg, OH/Eldora Speedway
October 3 Lawrenceburg, IN/Lawrenceburg Speedway
November 12 Perris, CA/Perris Auto Speedway
November 13 Perris, CA/Perris Auto Speedway
**November 14 Perris, CA/Perris Auto Speedway
November 19 Tucson, AZ/USA Raceway
November 20 Tucson, AZ/USA Raceway
**November 21 Tucson, AZ/USA Raceway
#=Eastern Invasion
@=Indiana Sprint Week
**=Special events - Feature points only