Over the past two seasons, NASCAR has completely revamped the cars in its premier series in an effort to enhance the product on the race track. Next on the horizon appears to be a change to the engines.

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France said Tuesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that modifications to the engines—which would likely bring a reduction in horsepower—are the next step in further enhancing the sport's on-track product, although he was unsure if such changes would be in place for next season.

"We're going to make that happen, and that's part of the overall rules packages that we design that hopefully control costs, hopefully make the racing better," France said. "The engine is an integral part of that. We also have to be in step as much as possible with the car manufacturers and where they're going with technology and different things. It all has to come together, and that’s the next significant part of the rules package. … The engine will get a significant change. I'm not going to say (for) '15, but we are certainly sizing that up. It's very important for us to get that right."

According to representatives of NASCAR's three manufacturer partners, who took part in a conference call with reporters Tuesday, a potential reduction in engine horsepower is still in the very early stages.

"With some clear objectives in mind, NASCAR is talking to their stakeholders, not only us as manufacturers but all of the engine builders that are party to this process," said David Wilson, president and general manager of Toyota Racing Development. "So the process is correct, it's healthy. We're still talking along with NASCAR. We're talking between ourselves about the various options, and it's still in the consideration phase. I really don't think we have much to say beyond that."



Sprint Cup Series engines generate 850 horsepower, and are built by five manufacturer-specific companies—TRD and Triad Racing Technologies (Toyota), Roush-Yates Engines (Ford) and Earnhardt Childress Racing and Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet). Most of the changes made in recent years have focused on the cars, beginning with the rollout of the more brand-identifiable Generation-6 vehicle for the 2013 season, and an aerodynamic package that was further refined before this year.



All of those changes were made with manufacturers in step with NASCAR. Any engines changes would take the same approach, said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president for Chevrolet performance vehicles and motorsports.



"The approach that we took on the development of the Gen‑6, we're using a very collaborative approach between the manufacturers and NASCAR from the sanctioning body's perspective on really discussing what are the options, what are the ideas, and in the end depending on where that ends up, it will impact how much work happens at the manufacturer versus the teams," Campbell said. "The key is we keep the racing exciting, and then we make every resource we apply to the engines and the engine builds go as far possible. That's really the key."



Toward that end, NASCAR's manufacturer partners certainly like what they see so far. Tweaks to the aerodynamic package accompanied changes to qualifying and the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, all of which have combined to stoke action on the track. The result has been six different winners in the first six events of this season—the longest such opening stretch without a repeat winner since 2003—and all three manufacturers having visited Victory Lane at least once.



"I'll tell you, here in the first six races, it's been some of the most fantastic and spectacular racing that we have seen," said Jamie Allison, director of Ford Racing.



It was a push from the manufacturers that ultimately led to the Gen-6 car, which more closely resembles its brethren in the showroom. "Each of us continues to reap the benefits" of that movement, Wilson said. So not surprisingly, the refinements made to the vehicle prior to this season once again started with manufacturer representatives, who met with NASCAR last year.



"We sat down with NASCAR and their technical group, and we agreed on the base objective, and that is how do we improve the quality of racing that we're seeing on the race track? And from there, set about the very systematic process of testing," Wilson said. "We worked with the race track twice. We were across the wind tunnel a couple times. And what came from that was a defined set of changes that we've been racing this year. As my two colleagues have already pointed out, we're seeing some of the most exciting racing each and every weekend. So again, a great example of how we can achieve more by working together."



An emphasis in that effort was enhancing competition at the 1.5-mile tracks that comprise the bulk of the Sprint Cup schedule. Toward that end, Sunday's event at Texas Motor Speedway—the second 1.5-mile venue visited this season, after Las Vegas in March—offers another potential litmus test.



"I think actually we're heading in the right area, and the racing has been quite good," Campbell said. "But with only one race at that kind of category of a track, I think Texas will be another one to look at here and see how the racing is. … So far, so good, but we only have one under our belt, and Texas will be the next."



On SiriusXM, France said the Sprint Cup intermediate package is "probably 40 percent of where we want to be. We've made some gains. Part of it is making the car easier to drive, better to drive. That’s part of it. But we're not, candidly, where we're going to be in a year or two."



France said he is pleased with the sport's direction, and says the goal of all the recent changes within the sport—from the car, to the qualifying and championship formats, and now likely the engine—are to build in long-term stability.



"The direction that we're going allows us not to have to make any significant chances in the future," France said on SiriusXM. "We know exactly what we're trying to do with the rules package. We think the (Chase) format is something we can build on for the next 10 or 15 years, or longer. We don't want to change things just because we feel like it. It’s always difficult …. So I love the general direction we're at. We're past the majority of the changes, and now we can build on where we're at."

A number of prominent drivers from European open-wheel racing lower formulas are eyeing drives in the new A1GP-inspired Formula Acceleration 1 series.

GP2 race winner Tom Dillmann, European Formula 3 runner-up Felix Rosenqvist and Formula Renault 3.5 podium regular Nigel Melker were all among a group of drivers who tested FA1's ex-A1GP Lola-Zyteks at Valencia last week.

Dillmann is expected to race for Team France this season, starting from the opening round at the Algarve circuit at the end of April.

Dutchman Melker is chasing options to remain in FR3.5, but has told his local media that he is open to an FA1 drive. Melker tested the Team Belgium car, while the Team Netherlands machine was driven by sometime Marussia Formula 1 driver Rodolfo Gonzalez, who could be a contender for Team Venezuela.

Rosenqvist, who tested the Team Sweden car, will focus on the European F3 title this season, but it is believed to be not out of the question that he could add an FA1 program.

"Felix was flying at Valencia, absolutely flying," said Bobby Issazadhe, boss of the Performance Racing team that will run Team Sweden this season and who entered Rosenqvist in German F3 in 2010.

"It's a Swedish national team, which is good, because we have quite a bunch of young single-seater guys and it would be great for them to get experience of a big car with a lot of horsepower. We have Jimmy Eriksson in GP3, Gustav Malja [a Formula Renault 2.0 racer] is looking at FR3.5 in the future, so something like this could give drivers at their level a bit of a head start."

Sports Car Club of America’s board of directors has selected Lisa Noble as president and chief executive officer. Noble has served as interim president and CEO since October 2013.
 
“We had a number of outstanding candidates for the position, and in the end, we unequivocally concluded that Lisa was the ideal selection,” said John Walsh, chairman of the SCCA board of directors. “She has the right mix of vision, leadership, understanding and passion to drive our organization forward.”

“As I look back on my decades of membership and service to the SCCA, and the joy this has brought me, I’m humbled at the opportunity to lead the best amateur motorsports organization in the country,” said Noble. “I’m proud to have had the opportunity over the last few months to work with a great staff and base of volunteers to develop dynamic programs that will grow our organization.”
 
Noble’s SCCA career started as a teenager, spanning several decades as a volunteer and driver. Voted to serve SCCA’s board of directors in 2008, she held a variety of positions, including chairman of the board in 2013. As a road racing driver, Noble has been a fixture in the Formula Vee community for years. She received the prestigious Kimberly Cup award for the most improved SCCA Club Racing driver in 1999 and was voted into the Road Racing Drivers Club in 2013. Noble has achieved professional success as owner and CEO in a variety of entrepreneurial ventures including retail jewelry, commercial real estate and motorsports.
 
Under Noble’s leadership stint as chairman and interim president, the club has launched new initiatives including the SCCA U.S. Majors Tour and MSX – North American MotorSports Expo. Additionally, SCCA experienced a level of membership growth not seen in more than 10 years.  
 
“I see three primary keys to building on our current momentum: member engagement, participation and leadership,” Noble said. “First, we must continue to work on providing the right mix of programs to engage our membership. Second is redefining how we invite enthusiasts into our sport. This includes being more welcoming, with easier entry points for participation that embrace technology. Finally, we need to continue to find the right support for our members. They make the SCCA the great club that it is and we need to leverage that spirit and passion to improve SCCA.”
 
Noble begins her post with the Topeka, Kansas- based, national organization immediately.
 

NBC Sports Group’s extensive coverage of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series will feature 13 races, double-headers in Houston and Toronto, the season finale from Fontana, and two new members of its broadcast team, including former Indy car driver Paul Tracy. Coverage begins with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 13 at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Tracy joins NBC Sports Group’s Verizon IndyCar Series coverage as an analyst for six races over the course of this season, beginning with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, where Tracy won four times, including the first of his 31 career victories in 1993. Tracy brings more than 20 years of experience to the broadcast booth.

NBC Sports Group’s lead motorsports play-by-play commentator Leigh Diffey returns for his second consecutive season calling the IndyCar on NBCSN. IndyCar driver Townsend Bell,who has raced seven times in the Indianapolis 500, and won the GT class at this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona,returns for his second season as an analyst. Wally Dallenbach Jr. returns as an analyst for select races during 2014. Dallenbach Jr. is cutting back his workload in order to focus on the start of his daughter Kate’s stock car racing career.

In addition, Kelli Stavast joins NBC Sports Group’s Verizon IndyCar Series broadcast team this season as a pit reporter, and will be on-site for all race telecasts this season. Stavast has previously handled reporting duties for numerous NBC Sports Group motorsports events and shows, including NASCAR AMERICA, NBCSN’s new 30-minute daily show. Stavast will work alongside pit reporters Marty Snider, Jon Beekhuis and Kevin Lee, as well as Verizon IndyCar Series reporter Robin Miller, who all return for the 2014 season.

NBC Sports Group motorsports analysts David Hobbs and Steve Matchett, and play-by-play voices Bob Varsha and Brian Till,will also work select races during the course of the 2014 IndyCar season.

In addition, NBCSN will air coverage of qualifying for all Verizon IndyCar Series races airing on NBCSN and CNBC this season

VP Racing Fuels, Inc. announced that Tri-Lakes Petroleum Company, LLC, has signed on with VP’s national retail branding program. A wholesale fuel distributor based in Branson, Missouri, Tri-Lakes services 75 retail and wholesale sites across Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
 
“Because we’ve distributed racing fuel for VP for the last four years, we were aware of the brand’s great reputation for quality and performance,” said Marvin Roderman, President of Tri-Lakes. “But on the retail side, we operate in an area with a lot of major brands and super independents so we need every advantage to be competitive. That made VP’s low credit card rate a very big deal to us. Together with the option to buy unbranded fuel, that represents significant savings to us. The sharp-looking image and opportunity to sell other VP-branded products are a bonus.”
 
“Tri-Lakes has a great reputation for doing what is right for their dealers,” said Alan Cerwick, President of VP Racing Fuels. “With years of experience dealing with major oil companies, it speaks volumes that Tri-Lakes saw major advantages with VP’s Branding Program. The in-depth savings, additional revenue and resulting profit from our brand program will put Tri-Lakes in a great position to pick up additional customers and add to its dealer base.”
 
Tri-Lakes Petroleum has served the Tri-Lakes area since 1978, while currently distributing wholesale oil and fuel products through Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Tri-Lakes was purchased in 2012 by Steve Plaster and Evergreen Investments.
 
VP is the Official Racing Fuel of NHRA Championship Drag Racing, Tudor United SportsCar Championship, World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and Rally America, among more than 60 VP-sponsored racing organizations.

 
In addition to racing fuels, VP’s product line includes VP Small Engine Fuels, formulated for 2-cycle and 4-cycle portable gas-powered equipment; VP “Madditive” performance chemicals; and PowerMaster hobby fuels for R/C Racing. More information is available online at VPRacingFuels.com, VP-SEF.com or PowermasterFuels.com.

Bahrain based Mrk1 Consulting is delighted to announce that it has signed an exclusive agreement with Buriram International Circuit (BRIC).

“Mrk1 Consulting is a respected and renowned operator of circuits at all levels and, more importantly in new and emerging markets. We are delighted that Mrk1 Consulting will be placing an experienced Circuit Manager with us for the foreseeable future and that the MD of Mrk1 Consulting will be on hand to steer us through the next 12 months of operation,” said Newin Chidchob, BRIC President and Owner.

Buriram International Circuit (BRIC) will be the first FIA Grade 1 and FIM Grade A circuit in Thailand and will take motorsport professionalism to a new high in the country. Located in Buriram, approximately 400km north of Bangkok, the track is part of the larger sports and entertainment development that already includes a 32,600 capacity soccer stadium, boutique hotel, community sporting facilities and a newly opened shooting range. As well as the circuit, the venue will also have a motocross track, drag strip, dynamic and wet handling track.

Mark Hughes, Mrk1 Consulting founder and managing director said, “I’m extremely excited about this partnership. As anyone in Thailand knows, Mr Chidchob has taken soccer to new highs in the country and I see no reason why he won’t do the same with motorsport. Buriram is an incredible brand and has a passionate following across the country and globally. I am looking forward to working with Mr Chidchob and his team to help them achieve their goals.

“As well as placing an experienced circuit manager within the Buriram team we will also be guiding them on track and event management, commercialization and operational efficiencies. One of our key strengths at Mrk1 Consulting is knowledge transfer and it is something we excel at in markets that don’t necessarily have the international experience required at this time.”

Mrk1 Consulting is a motorsport consultancy based in the Kingdom of Bahrain but with clients across the globe.

For further information please go contact Mark Hughes on mark@mrk1consulting.com.

GoPro Motorplex has announced the addition of the Little 600 kart race to our event calendar on May 20. The Little 600 featuring a full field of NASCAR drivers will be part of the 600 Festival Association’s May event lineup.

The 600 Festival Association is the nonprofit association that has been commemorating the May races at Charlotte Motor Speedway with spectacular, family-oriented events, including Speed Street presented by Coca-Cola, the well-known festival in downtown Charlotte with a 20-year running.

However, in May 2014, the 600 Festival Association will return to its roots to celebrate its 30th Anniversary by adding three more new, free events to the 600 Festival, reaching outside the Charlotte city limits. One of those additional new events will be the Little 600 at GoPro Motorplex as the Mooresville segment of the festival.

The Little 600, May 20

A full-field of NASCAR drivers, including Kyle Larson, Michael McDowell, Justin Allgaier and many more will take to the 0.7-mile, asphalt sprint karting track in GoPro Motorplex’s fleet of Arrive-and-Drive Rental Karts to battle not for $1 million or a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series trophy, but for bragging rights and bragging rights alone.

The Little 600 will include a fan-friendly race format, giving fans the opportunity to watch several heat races that will set the starting grid for the final 15-lap event under the lights.
The event night will also include the Lady 600, a 10-lap rental kart race among some of the most well-known females in the racing industry, including NASCAR drivers’ wives and girlfriends.

The entire GoPro Motorplex facility is family-friendly offering unprecedented access to driver garages, up-close areas to view karting firsthand, delicious food, driver autograph opportunities and much more.

The event is free for all ages, with just a $10 parking fee per car, so bring your friends and ride together.

Effectively immediately, the NMCA Flowmaster Muscle Car Nationals is adding a new category, Radial Wars, which will be sponsored by Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels. It will be contested in the eighth-mile distance and will compete in the five remaining national events on the NMCA schedule. Class winners compete for an increased purse of $4000 to win, plus pro level contingencies, and the ultimate prize: NHRA Wally trophies at NHRA-sanctioned tracks under the Aerospace Components NHRA Unleashed program.  
 
The Radial Wars class debuts April 10-13, 2014, at Atlanta Dragway (Commerce, GA) with the Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals, presented by Miller Welders.

"I think it's a big step forward for NMCA and it's great to see them listening to the racers," said Tom Kundrik, Motorsport Manager at Mickey Thompson. He continued, "It's awesome for Radial racing to have a sanctioning body where they can run for a championship and the NMCA is a great place for them to compete."
 
The 2014 Radial Wars champion will be recognized on stage at the prestigious NMCA Awards Ceremony, held each year at the Performance Racing Industry trade show in December, and will receive a champion's jacket as well as a Nitto Tire Diamond Tree Championship Ring, which is exclusive to all NMCA class winners. All top-10 class competitors will receive custom embroidered leather jackets.
 
"We are thrilled to unleash this new class in the NMCA, which will incorporate our current Super Street 10.5W competitors," said Rollie Miller, NMCA National Event Director. "The NMCA is long known for its extremely well organized events with a full-time technical staff to ensure the rules are enforced, offering continuity across the board. The response to this move has been overwhelming as many of our current racers support it as well as the biggest names in Radial racing. Miller continued, "The Radial Wars rules package is very similar to Radial vs. The World, which is contested all across the country. This allows an incredible group of racers to easily step into the NMCA brand of drag racing."
 
Radial Wars rules: http://www.nmcadigital.com/cat/rules_purses/docs/nmca/2014/2014-nmca-radial-wars.pdf
 
Purse: http://www.nmcadigital.com/cat/rules_purses/docs/nmca/2014/2014-nmca-payouts.pdf
 
For more information on Radial Wars, please contact NMCA Technical Director, Dave Werremeyer at davew@promediapub.com.

For the third consecutive year, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway has been named “My Favorite Track” by readers of National Speed Sport News and SPEED SPORT Magazine.

Nearly five times more fans than last year responded to the My Favorite Track survey, which was conducted online. The responses were bolstered not only by the rapid growth of nationalspeedsportnews.com, but by the successful use of social media by many tracks across the United States and Canada.

The half-mile dirt track owned by Tony Stewart received 19.4 percent of the vote, outdistancing Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway, which garnered 10.6 percent. A total of 274 tracks were named on My Favorite Track ballots.

“Whenever someone visits Eldora for the first time, their first comments are about the number of campers and the size of the crowd—and they still have yet to see cars on the track,” said Eldora Speedway General Manager Roger Slack. “Our dedicated and loyal fans are as much a part of the Eldora experience as the breathtaking action on the high banks and that is why this award carries such significance to everyone here—because it is the fans who continue to vote Eldora Speedway as their favorite track in the country.”

The Top 10

1. Eldora Speedway, Rossburg, Ohio

2. Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville, Iowa

3. Oswego Speedway, Oswego, N.Y.

4. Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis.

5. Salina Highbanks Speedway, Salina, Okla.

6. Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis, Ind.

7. Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, Pa.

8. Kokomo Speedway, Kokomo, Ind.

9. Tri-State Speedway, Haubstadt, Ind.

10. Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Bowmanville, Ontario

Eldora Speedway and statistics from SPEED SPORT’s My Favorite Tracks survey will be featured in the April issue of SPEED SPORT Magazine. A SPEED SPORT My Favorite Track presented by National Speedway Directory plaque will be presented to Eldora Speedway officials later this year.