WISSOTA has announced that due to its sponsors of the Blaine Brothers Challenge Series, the series point fund will be the largest in the history of the event.
 
“Our title sponsor, Blaine Brothers, has really stepped it up to the next level in their second year as the title sponsor of the series,” stated Terry Voeltz of WISSOTA, who will also be the series director for 2014. “Dean Dally of Blaine Brothers is a big fan of Late Model racing and has been a good sponsor of several Late Model drivers over the years. In visiting with Dean several times, he asked what he could do to make the series bigger and more successful. I told Dean, like everything else in today's world, it usually takes more dollars to make anything grow and improve; he agreed and here we are.”
 
Also coming on board as strong Associate Sponsors are OneMain Financial and Richmond Gear.
 
WISSOTA has also secured the following businesses as contingency sponsors for the Blaine Brothers Challenge Series in 2014: Allstar Performance, Performance Auto, Wehrs Machine, Howards Cams, Dirt Track Supply, Chubeck Racing Products, Lou Fegers Racing Equipment, Joe Provo Racewear, Sturdy Engines, QA1 Shocks, Out-Pace Racing Products and Corral Sales.
 
There are 14 series events scheduled this year, including a western swing. The year’s schedule of events for the Blaine Brothers Challenge Series is as follows:
 
• May 10 – Dakota State Fair Speedway
• May 11 – Casino Speedway
• June 6 – Brown County Speedway
• June 7 – Dakota State Fair Speedway
• June 8 – Casino Speedway
• July 25 – Dacotah Speedway
• July 26 – Dacotah Speedway
• July 28 – Estevan Motor Speedway
• July 31 – Electric City Speedway
• August 1 – Gallatin Speedway
• August 2 – BMP Speedway
• August 7 – Norman County Raceway
• August 8 – AMSOIL Speedway
• August 9 – Ogilvie Raceway
 
The point fund for this year’s series:
 
1. $10,000
2. $5,000
3. $4,000
4. $3,000
5. $2,000
6. $1,500
7. $1,400
8. $1,300
9. $1.200  
10. $1,000

Mobil 1 has been named the “Official Racing Oil of the World of Outlaws and DIRTcar” as a part of a new technology partnership. The partnership not only expands ExxonMobil’s presence and leadership in motorsports, but will enable a deeper technological connection between Mobil 1’s engineering team, dirt track teams, racers and engine builders.

Building upon its more than 35 years of experience working with premier racing series and teams, Mobil 1 Racing oils will be featured at all World of Outlaws events including the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series, Late Model Series, DIRTcar Summer Nationals and Super DIRTcar Series. To support the series’ teams and racers, Mobil 1 is introducing a traditional contingency program with a specific focus on rewarding engine builders who provide their customers with the performance benefits of Mobil 1.

“The Mobil 1 Racing team works hand-in-hand with motorsports teams around the world, not just to win races, but to develop industry-leading technologies through testing Mobil 1 lubricants in the most demanding environments possible,” said Artis Brown, global motorsports manager at ExxonMobil. “With dirt tracks making up more than 70 percent of all race tracks in the United States, this partnership with the World of Outlaws and DIRTcar will allow us to further build upon the race-proven technology of Mobil 1 Racing oils with the competitors at those tracks each weekend.”

Since 2011, Tony Stewart Racing has served as an important technology partner for Mobil 1 inside the World of Outlaws. The team fields a roster of the sport’s top champions including 5-time Sprint Car champion, Donny Schatz, and “The King of the Outlaws” 20-time Sprint Car champion, Steve Kinser.

“The World of Outlaws and DIRTcar Racing have a rich and storied past with many champion Mobil 1 drivers, so having Mobil 1 come on as an official technology partner with DIRTcar HP was a natural progression for us,” said Ben Geisler, chief marketing officer at the World of Outlaws and DIRTcar. “This partnership with the Mobil 1 Racing team will allow our engine builders, racers and teams to get the most performance out of their engines, which produce more than 850 horsepower and operate in one of the harshest, most demanding and competitive environments in all of motorsports.”

Mobil 1 Racing oils are available in 0W-30 and 0W-50 viscosities and include fully synthetic, race-proven technology which is engineered to deliver maximum performance and protection for a variety of race conditions, including circle track, drag, dirt and road racing. Both viscosities feature double the zinc vs. regular street oils, utilize low viscosity synthetic base oils and are not recommended for street use.

Mobil 1 provides a full line of products for use in racing including: motor oils, gear lubes, greases, hydraulic oils and oil filters. For more information about the Mobil 1 Racing line of products, including distributor availability, visit mobil1racing.com.

NASCAR announced it has reached a seven-year agreement with Camping World to remain the entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series through 2022. The new deal ensures that Camping World will own exclusive rights as title sponsor for a total of 14-consecutive years, equaling the longest entitlement sponsorship in the history of the national series, which is celebrating its 20th season.   
 
The renewed partnership aligns two brands in the midst of significant growth. Since originally becoming series entitlement sponsor in 2009, Camping World has expanded its number of stores by 35 percent, resulting in the company eclipsing $3 billion in annual revenue.
 
“The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has one of the most consistent and durable audiences in all of sports, averaging approximately 800,000 or more television viewers per event over the past six years,” said Steve Phelps, NASCAR chief marketing officer. “Camping World’s seven-year continued commitment to our sport demonstrates its confidence in our on-track product and strength of our brand loyal fan base.”     
 
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series features some of the toughest and most competitive racing in the sport. The series has helped catapult the careers of many of the sport’s most popular and successful drivers, such as Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski. Currently, the series houses a young crop of stars that are talented, dynamic and diverse including Ben Kennedy, German Quiroga Jr. and Darrell Wallace Jr.
 
“Camping World and NASCAR are mutually invested in the growth of a national series that is celebrated for its exciting brand of racing and the most loyal fan base in the country,” said Camping World and Good Sam Enterprises Chairman and CEO Marcus Lemonis. “Six years ago we felt strongly that the sponsorship would dramatically increase our customer base and it’s delivered. We expect to see continued success in the coming years.”
 
NASCAR fans are outdoors enthusiasts who enjoy a variety of activities. According to Experian Consumer Research, NASCAR fans are 40 percent more likely than non-fans to go camping. When it comes to camping gear, NASCAR fans are at least 50 percent more likely than non-fans to have tents, lanterns, and other camping equipment.
 
The new deal provides Camping World exclusive rights to market its Good Sam Roadside Assistance program as the Official Roadside Assistance of NASCAR. With a network that includes 40,000 tow and service providers in North America, Good Sam Roadside Assistance has provided roadside services to more than two million stranded motorists in the past 30 years.
 
Additionally, the new agreement provides official NASCAR status to two growing automobile companies; CarCash as the Official Auto Buying Service of NASCAR, and AutoMatch USA, as the Official Pre-owned Automobile Retailer of NASCAR. CarCash, featured on Season 1 of CNBC’s The Profit, purchases used cars from individuals in return for immediate cash. AutoMatch USA, featured on Season 2 of CNBC’s The Profit, specializes in the sale of foreign and domestic pre-owned cars of all makes and models.
 
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will make its return to Kansas Speedway with the running of the SFP 250 on May 9 and will air on FOX Sports 1.

INDYCAR announced it is exploring a prospective Verizon IndyCar Series race at NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, Louisiana.

The announcement of the potential event, which would be known as the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Louisiana and organized by Andretti Sports Marketing, was made jointly with Gov. Bobby Jindal and Laney Chouest, owner of NOLA Motorsports Park.

“We’re delighted by this broad show of support and encouraged by the prospect of a Verizon IndyCar Series race in New Orleans,” said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Company, the parent of INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “We greatly appreciate Laney Chouest, his associates at NOLA, and the state of Louisiana for their efforts to make enhancements to NOLA Motorsports Park. With these improvements we’re confident that NOLA can meet our standards for safety, fan experience and quality of racing.  We look forward to continuing this dialogue in hopes of making New Orleans a destination that may soon host a Verizon IndyCar Series event.”

The state of Louisiana, upon approval by its Legislature, will commit $4.5 million to make necessary enhancements to the racetrack in support of the potential event. This investment, combined with private funding from NOLA Motorsports Park, will help facilitate track and facility improvements as required by INDYCAR.

“I want to thank the Governor for his leadership in developing this public-private partnership that will leverage the significant private investment we made into this facility,” said Chouest, owner of NOLA Motorsports Park. “We believe that the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Louisiana would serve as a regional demand generator for the already strong hospitality industry that our state is well known for.”

The event would combine a three-day festival featuring Louisiana’s culture with the excitement of a Verizon IndyCar Series event. The festival would include live musical acts, entertainment and local food.

“This is great news for our entire state,” Gov. Jindal said. “A three-day event would allow us to show off the excitement of an IndyCar Series race right here in Louisiana, as well as our state’s culture, entertainment and food. This event would be a great economic driver for our state and a great weekend for the whole family. Verizon IndyCar Series events serve as the gathering point for automotive industry leaders and INDYCAR sponsors, most of which are Fortune 500 companies. As a result, NOLA Motorsports expects several businesses to locate to Louisiana once the race is scheduled, which will create more great jobs and economic momentum for Jefferson Parish and our state.”

“I’m really pleased to see INDYCAR preparing to bring a race to NOLA, said Michael Andretti, CEO of Andretti Sports Marketing. “New Orleans is a great market to grow the sport and I’m excited to have Andretti Sports Marketing involved with the operations and promotion of the inaugural INDYCAR Grand Prix of Louisiana. Governor Jindal, Laney (Chouest) and the entire New Orleans community are fully behind the project and have been very positive and instrumental in launching this event.”

Open wheel, single-seat, high-horsepower, all-out sprint car racing will return to Irwindale Speedway in a big way on Saturday night, November 22. 2014. That's when race two of the three-race western swing for the King of the Wing national sprint car series will swoop into the wide, fast half-mile Irwindale oval only a few miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
 
"These machines are going to get everyone's hearts started," said the King of the Wing's Davey Hamilton. "They're fast, they'll be glued to the track with those giant airfoils ... and every driver on the entry list will be planning on being the one who goes into the history books as the winner of Irwindale's first winged sprint car race."
 
"We expect to see some of the most competitive open wheel laps ever on one of the most competitive race track in the country," said Hamilton. "We have drivers coming to race at Irwindale from as far away as Florida. They've all seen this track on television and heard all about how cool it is to run from the NASCAR drivers. And, besides, we'll have three California races in three days for these pros, a full, flat-out racing weekend, just like they like it." the 11-time Indy 500 starter indicated.
 
Hamilton was referring to the compact 3-races in 3-days Western weekend swing for the King of the Wing competitors: Friday night, November 21 at Madera Speedway, Saturday night November 22 at Irwindale, and rare Sunday afternoon show on November 23 at the brand new Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield. "As I said, a real old fashioned sprint car racing weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday... bang, bang, bang ... what the heck ... we'll rest up on Monday!"
 
"This is a very exciting addition to the 2014 season for us," said Irwindale Speedway President/CEO Jim Cohan. "We've really missed the sights and sounds of great open wheel racing, and getting a King of the Wing event for our season finale is going to be a real treat for our fans."
 
Irwindale Speedway is located on the 605 freeway in the San Gabriel Valley only 15 miles East of downtown Los Angeles. Opened in 1999, the multi-use facility has hosted hundreds of NASCAR and USAC races along with being the site of many special events like the annual Formula Drift season finale, the Moon Eyes Holiday Party and four days of last year's Los Angeles X Games.
 

American racer Conor Daly has made a commitment to the Venezuela GP Lazarus team for the 2014 GP2 season.

Daly completed all winter testing with Lazarus in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain in March before competing in the first two rounds of the championship in Sakhir, Bahrain. He finished 12th in race one before being sidelined with a gearbox issue in race two.

“This has been a long winter of uncertainty for me, and we will still have some funding gaps to close, but I am committed on my path to Formula One,” commented Daly. “GP2 is where I want to be right now, and the Lazarus team really has a great group of people. We have learned a lot so far this year and have more work to do, but I will give everything to the team to help achieve a great result this season.”

Daly will be entering his fourth year competing in a Formula One support series having spent three seasons in GP3 where he won two races and stood on the podium eleven times and scored one pole position.

“Nothing is better than standing on the podium representing my country and my mission will be to dedicate my time to getting back there as often as possible,” said Daly.

Venezula GP Lazarus, headed by Tancredi Pagiaro, was formed in 2012 to compete in the GP2 series. They recently added engineer Luigi Mazzola, who spent 20 years in Formula One with Ferrari working with such greats as Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Kimi Raikkonen, and Felipe Massa.

“We were first impressed by Conor last year in Malaysia, and when he tested with us he was immediately able to provide valuable feedback that has helped us develop our cars more quickly,” said Tancredi Pagiaro, Lazarus team principal. “America needs a Formula One driver and why should not a good Italian team be able to develop one?”

Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Series official have named Don Lambert of Kokomo, Ind., as the new series competition director.

Lambert’s pavement sprint car resume discloses years of hands on experience as a car owner and crew chief, which includes a USAC championship with Dave Darland, a HOSS and AVSS championship and a second-place finish in the 2005 Pay Less Little 500 with long time driver Tim Cox.

Lambert’s business background, which includes NASA Lunar Rover designs and his experience and understanding of the business, organization and rule compliancy aspects of racing makes him unusually qualified to meet the important challenges as the series competition director.

“Don has been around the business a long time and fully understands all the different elements of racing from the bottom to the top,” said MSRXSS Founder and President Jim Hanks. “He knows our sport technically and emotionally. Don fully understands our series commitment to present a fair and level competitive playing field for our valued race teams and talented drivers.”

“Must See Racing has had phenomenal growth, has top shelf race teams with outstanding competition and they are professionally managed,” Lambert said. “I am very excited to be a part of the sport I love as the MSR Competition Director. I am very familiar with the tracks and the roster of race teams. My commitment is to direct the racing fairly with each competitor complying with the series rules and procedures.”

“Big Daddy” Don Garlits has always been an innovator, and has always liked going fast.

At 82, he is still involved in creating the next generation of high-powered race cars and is still gutsy enough to strap into a dragster and blast down a race track in pursuit of speed and time records.

Garlits on Wednesday was at the Bradenton Motorsports Park in eastern Manatee County testing his new SR-37 “Quest for 200 MPH on Batteries” dragster.

SR stands for “Swamp Rat,” the moniker given for years to each incarnation of Garlits' racers. The vehicle was designed to be the first battery-electric dragster to exceed 200 mph on a quarter-mile strip.

Donna Garlits, the youngest of Don's two daughters, and the general manager and chief financial officer of the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing Inc. south of Ocala, said that her father did set two new world records—184.01 mph for speed and 7.25 for elapsed time.

She said the former world records were 156 mph and 7.95 ET.

Everyone considered the day of testing a success. She said Garlits made four runs, but on two of them “the batteries shut off, which blew a fuse and activated a governor that powers it off.”

On the final run, the parachute did not deploy and Garlits ran off the end of the dragstrip.

“We were screaming, 'It didn't come out, it didn't come out!” she said. “I saw it run off the track and there was a puff of smoke. It went through a fence and wound up in a recently plowed field. I was crying. My son, who is part of the crew, was distraught because he's a father figure to him.”

When the crew got to the car, Garlits' first words were: “I guess I need a tow rope.”

“He was cool as a cucumber,” his daughter said.

The car's team hopes to set the 200-mph speed mark this year to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Garlits' historic first official 200-mph pass in 1964, in a top-fuel dragster.

Many things have changed in those 50 years. Garlits went on to set a long list of records and amassed a number of championship titles. The innovations he implemented after an explosion in a rear-engine dragster nearly killed him and claimed part of his right foot in the early 1970s led to a radical change in the way top fuel cars were configured, and in much-improved driver safety.

Garlits again is in the forefront of change.

Randy Cannon, the Las Vegas-based media manager for the project, said the team will still try for the 200-mph record as soon as possible.

“That will depend on Don's schedule. He's busier than everyone; at his age,” Cannon said.

Len Sammons Motorsports Productions has signed a multi-year contract with Hoosier Tires to be the exclusive tire provider for the three-quarter midgets during their Indoor Racing Series for the next three seasons.

“We are excited to partner with Hoosier Tires as the exclusive tire provider for our TQ Midgets,” stated series promoter Len Sammons. “I really feel this is a win, win deal for all our competitors. The rule will put everyone on a level playing field, eliminate supply issues and most importantly save the racers money.”

As part of the agreement, all three-quarter midget competitors will be required to run Hoosier tires on all four corners starting with the second running of the Battle Of Trenton Indoor Race to be held December 19-20, 2014, at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, New Jersey, and the 13th annual Atlantic City Indoor Race to be held January 30-31, 2015, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

“Our entire group at Hoosier and Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic (HTMA) are thrilled to be an even bigger part of the growing LSMP events in our region,” said HTMA’s Bob Wirts. ”We are excited to bring a competitive, durable, and affordable ten and thirteen inch tire to indoor racing market for the next several years.”

As part of a comprehensive program of incentives, the 2014-2015 Indoor Series champion will receive a minimum of $2000 for winning the title. Additional cash awards will be paid to other top performers in the overall point standings. Full details on the point fund will be released at a later date.

“One of the most exciting parts of our agreement with Hoosier Tire is that we were able to reduce the price of the tires from past years,” said Sammons. “Tire cost is one of the largest expenses for any race team and under this agreement our teams should save between $50 and $100 per set of tires.”

General Motors has begun construction of a state-of-the-art facility for race engine design and development, as well as an electric motor laboratory and gear center.

GM’s continued investment in motorsports comes from the time-tested belief that racing is the ultimate proving ground for much of the technology that applies to the vehicles GM sells.

“The GM Performance and Racing Center, or GMPRC, will continue to develop some of the world’s winningest race engines for Chevrolet and Cadillac,” said Steve Kiefer, vice president of GM Global Powertrain. “Connecting our race engineers with our global powertrain engineering teams will improve our customers’ powertrains in terms of efficiency, reliability and durability. The center will also provide exciting career opportunities for our engineering organization.”

Engineers and technicians from GM’s race engineering center in Wixom, Michigan, will move to the new facility in mid-2015. The relocation will centralize North American powertrain engineering expertise for production engines as well as advanced and racing propulsion programs. Condensing the engineering to one large space is an excellent way to develop race-bred engineers whether they work on production or performance vehicles.

This centralization of talent will provide more collaboration opportunities between racing and production engineers already at GM Powertrain Engineering headquarters and development lab, one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in the world.

The move will include about 100 employees who work on powertrain racing development, electric motors and in the gear center. The new building is expected to be opened and in use by mid-2015 and completed by early 2016.

“The GM Performance and Racing Center will serve as a resource to help our race teams and drivers continue to win races and championships,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “It will also help advance technical sharing between racing and production engine programs.”

The GMPRC is part of a $200 million investment GM announced last January to build a new 138,000 sq.-ft. test wing. At that time, the company announced work at four remote locations would consolidate on the Pontiac campus, helping to reduce development timing for GM’s next-generation advanced propulsion technologies. When the moves are complete, about 400 jobs will be added to the Pontiac campus.

Engineers at the GMPRC will work on powertrain-related projects for GM’s involvement in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Verizon IndyCar Series, TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, Pirelli World Challenge, NHRA (COPO Camaro Program) and Global Rally Cross.

The Chevrolet and Cadillac racing teams have seen much track success. Since its inception in 1999, Corvette Racing has won 10 manufacturer titles in GT competition and 92 global wins, including seven prestigious class wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Team Cadillac, since 2004, has amassed 24 wins, 82 podium finishes and 20 pole positions. The team won the World Challenge Manufacturer Championship in 2005, 2006, 2012 and 2013.

In NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition, Chevrolet has captured the Manufacturers’ Cup title an unprecedented 37 times, including the past 11 consecutive years. Chevrolet also leads all Manufacturers in the series with 722 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories.

Chevrolet returned to the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2012 as an engine manufacturer, and won 23 of the 37 races held since. Chevrolet also won the IndyCar Manufacturer Championship in 2012 and 2013. Chevrolet IndyCar V6 drivers on the pole for the Indianapolis 500 in both 2012 and 2013, and Tony Kanaan won the 2013 Indianapolis 500.

In addition to the performance and racing engineering, the new facility will house an electric motor lab and a gear center.

The electric motor lab produces prototype electric motors and validates manufacturing processes used in the production of electric and hybrid vehicle motors. Electric motor engineering, design and validation are core competencies for GM in the development, sourcing and manufacturing of electric vehicles and their major components.

The gear center supports design, manufacturing processes, inspection techniques and testing of gears used primarily in the next generation of GM transmissions.

The GM Powertrain World Headquarters is a 450,000-square-foot facility. Engineers at the facility design and develop engines, transmissions, hybrid and electric powertrains, and fuel cell technologies. Advanced tools within the campus provide engineers the ability to test all elements of these propulsion systems under extreme conditions, including cold ambient temperatures, high RPMs, and repetitive starting and stopping, to assure excellent durability, reliability and quality.