TORC: The Off-Road Championship has announced that VP Racing Fuels will be its Official Fuel for the 2014 season. All TORC competitors will be powered by the company's high-performance racing fuels beginning with the April 5-6 "Duel in the Desert" race in Primm, Nevada.

As part of its sponsorship, VP will establish a contingency program to reward racers based on performance parameters. In addition, VP will provide trackside fuel service at each event, which will include an online pre-order procedure to provide for convenient delivery of specific fuels to teams at the track.

"We believe in BJ Birtwells vision for off-road racing and are excited to partner with him and his team as the Official Fuel of TORC," said Steve Scheidker, VPs Director of Marketing. "Over the years, VP has become the fuel of choice for many TORC competitors, so the partnership is a natural fit. It also provides a unique opportunity to build awareness for VP Racing Fuels and our growing roster of consumer products, as well as the VP-branded gas stations that are part of our retail branding initiative."

As the Official Fuel of TORC, VP will gain extensive brand visibility through media exposure including television, radio, print, digital and social media as well as display space, track signage and fan activation at TORC events.

"We are very proud to have a partner with the stature of VP Racing Fuels join the TORC team as our Official Fuel," said TORC President BJ Birtwell. "VP has an extraordinary legacy in motorsports, and its exciting to be part of that family. Were also confident that our drivers will appreciate the performance benefits of VP Racing Fuels."

For more information on this fuel program, contact alison@torcseries.com.

TORC: The Off-Road Championship will hold seven events across the United States this year, with NBC Sports providing television coverage and a behind-the-scenes docu-reality series. The 2014 event schedule features races at the following venues:    
 
- April 5-6: Primm, NV (Primm Off Road Raceway)
- April 25-26: Charlotte, NC (Charlotte Motor Speedway)
- May 17-18: St. Louis, MO (Gateway Motorsports Park)
- June 28-29: Crandon, WI (Crandon Intl Off Road Raceway)
- July 19-20: Bark River, MI (Bark River Off Road Raceway)
- Aug 5-6: Sturgis, SD (Buffalo Chip Powersports Complex)
- Aug 30-31: Crandon, WI (Crandon Intl Off Road Raceway)

Following the first in-person meeting among the NASCAR Hall of Fame nominating committee in the hall’s history, NASCAR announced the 20 nominees for the 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame’s sixth induction class, as well as the five nominees for the inaugural Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.
 
Included among the list up for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame are an eclectic—and exemplary—group of individuals whose skillsets span all levels of racing and areas of expertise.
 
Among them are two-time NASCAR premier series champion Terry Labonte; 1988 NASCAR premier series champion and 16-time Most Popular Driver Bill Elliott; nine-time NASCAR champion Mike Stefanik, whose titles came in both the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East; Buddy Baker, a 19-time NASCAR premier series winner; and championship winning engine builder and team owner Robert Yates.
 
From the list of 20 NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees, five inductees will be elected by the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel, which includes a nationwide fan vote on NASCAR.com. Voting Day for the 2015 class will be Wednesday, May 21. Fans can attend the announcement at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.
 
As was announced last November during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week, potential Landmark Award recipients could include competitors or those working in the sport as a member of a racing organization, track facility, race team, sponsor, media partner or being a general ambassador for the sport through a professional or non-professional role. Award winners remain eligible for NHOF enshrinement.
 
The five nominees for the inaugural Landmark Award are H. Clay Earles, Anne B. France, Raymond Parks, Ralph Seagraves and Ken Squier (more on each below). Parks is the only individual who was included as both a NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee and a Landmark Award nominee.
 
This round of nominees was selected by a 22-person nominating committee consisting of representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and track owners from both major facilities and historic short tracks, as well as one at-large member. The committee’s votes were tabulated by accounting firm Ernst & Young.
 
Following are the 20 nominees for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, listed alphabetically:
 
Buddy Baker,won 19 times in NASCAR’s premier (now Sprint Cup) series, including the Daytona 500 and Southern 500
 
Red Byron, first NASCAR premier series champion, in 1949
 
Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series
 
Jerry Cook, six-time NASCAR Modified champion
 
Bill Elliott, 1988 premier series champion, two-time Daytona 500 winner and 16-time Most Popular Driver
 
Ray Fox,legendary engine builder and owner of cars driven by Buck Baker, Junior Johnson and others
 
Rick Hendrick, 14-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series
 
Bobby Isaac, 1970 NASCAR premier series champion
 
Terry Labonte, Two-time NASCAR premier series champion
 
Fred Lorenzen, 26 wins and winner of the Daytona 500 and World 600
 
Raymond Parks, NASCAR’s first champion car owner
 
Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR premier series champion
 
Larry Phillips, only five-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion
 
Wendell Scott,NASCAR trailblazer was the first African-American NASCAR premier series race winner, and first to be nominated for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
 
O. Bruton Smith, builder of Charlotte Motor Speedway and architect of Speedway Motorsports Inc.
 
Mike Stefanik, winner of record-tying nine NASCAR championships
 
Curtis Turner, early personality, called the "Babe Ruth of stock car racing"
 
Joe Weatherly, two-time NASCAR premier series champion
 
Rex White, 1960 NASCAR premier series champion
 
Robert Yates, won NASCAR premier series championship as both an engine builder and owner
 
The five nominees for the inaugural Landmark Award are as follows:
 
H. Clay Earles, founder of Martinsville Speedway
 
Anne Bledsoe France, helped build the sport with husband Bill France Sr. Affectionately known as "Annie B.," she is the first woman to be nominated for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
 
Raymond Parks, NASCAR’s first champion car owner
 
Ralph Seagraves, formed groundbreaking Winston-NASCAR partnership as executive with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
 
Ken Squier, legendary radio and television broadcaster; inaugural winner / namesake of Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence
 
The 22-person Nominating Committee follows:
 
NOMINATING COMMITTEE

NASCAR Hall of Fame: Executive Director Winston Kelley; Historian Buz McKim.
 
NASCAR Officials: Chairman/CEO Brian France; Vice Chairman Jim France; President Mike Helton; Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton; Executive Vice President of Racing Operations Steve O'Donnell; Executive Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer Steve Phelps; Competition Administrator Jerry Cook; former Vice President Ken Clapp. (Note: Due to Jerry Cook’s inclusion on the ballot for the 2014 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, he was recused from voting for the 2015 nominee class.)
 
Track Owners/Operators: International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa Kennedy; Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell; Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage; Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark; former Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Tony George; Dover Motorsports CEO Denis McGlynn; Pocono Raceway board of director member Looie McNally; Bowman Gray Stadium operator Dale Pinilis; Riverhead Raceway operators Jim and Barbara Cromarty (1 vote); Rockford Speedway owner Jody Deery; Kingsport Speedway Operator Robert Pressley.
 
At-Large: Mike Joy, lead announcer for NASCAR on FOX.

Long Beach will become the latest IndyCar event to switch to a standing start procedure, the series has confirmed.

Standing starts were utilized for the first time in IndyCar in the Sunday race in Toronto last year.

IndyCar president of competition and operations Derrick Walker said that Long Beach had been keen to switch to a standing start last year, but that at that time the series had felt that more research into the procedure was needed.

"Long Beach wanted to get on the schedule of standing starts last year," Walker said. "[They] actually went as far as cutting all the grooves for the sensors that go into the racetrack. We were all ready to do it.

"IndyCar made a decision it would try a few standing starts to begin with, and then make a decision. Long Beach wasn't entirely happy with that because it really wanted standing starts, and we put them on hold."

Walker admits that there are still risks associated with standing starts in IndyCar at many of its tracks, but believes that the nature of the Long Beach street course's layout will lend itself well to the system.

"From the competition side of things, the worst-case scenario is when the lights go, everybody ends up at turn one on top of each other, or two or three cars hit and block the race, [and] it's a fiasco," he said.

"Part of the problem with [a rolling start at] Long Beach is getting the field coming round, getting all the field on the front straight, letting it loose. It never works very well.

"If you do a standing start, I think it will be much better. We've spread out the field to give them enough gaps, stagger the lines."

Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, welcomed the news.

"This is fantastic news for our fans," he said. "They will love hearing the sounds of the IndyCar engines revving up and then the cars roaring down Shoreline Drive.

"Thanks to IndyCar and especially to Derrick Walker for granting our request."

The results of sound level testing at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana indicated that Blown Roots combinations with Zoomie Headers are over the track's decibel level limit for 2014.

Therefore, the Blown Roots combinations with their current exhaust configuration will not be able to run in NMCA WEST Pro Mod Competition at the three Fontana events.  They will be able to compete without any issues at both Pomona and Las Vegas.
 
"The Pro Mod Class will still be contested at the three Fontana events with Turbo, Naturally Aspirated, Nitrous, and Centrifugal Supercharger combinations," said Rollie Miller, National Event Director at NMCA WEST.
 
Miller added, "If Blown Roots Blower combinations can modify their exhaust and come in under the 85db limit, they may compete at Fontana in NMCA WEST Pro Mod.  John Scialpi is currently working on several header and exhaust baffle/muffler combinations with Flowmaster and will attempt a sound test in coming weeks to see if any of his combinations will adhere to the decibel limit."
 
If any Pro Mod competitors have questions regarding this situation, please contact Rollie Miller at ProMedia headquarters by calling 714.444.2426 or by email to rmiller@promediapub.com.

IndyCar is planning extensive technological improvements aimed at increasing the effectiveness of its race control.

Additional cameras, monitors, upgraded replay equipment and the ability to review car data are all scheduled to be introduced during the upcoming season, with a fully-contained mobile race control unit planned for 2015.

IndyCar's president of competition and operations Derrick Walker said that when he was appointed to the role mid-way through last year, he quickly identified the race control facilities as a priority for an overhaul.

"There were a couple of things that seemed pretty obvious," he said. "We couldn't always see what we needed to do for race control to be effective. "It looked pretty obvious we needed to upgrade our equipment and needed to have more eyes on the job.

"So for this year we've invested a tremendous amount in equipment so we have a lot more views and better-quality views, better replay, trying to capture all the views that are possible.

"A lot of times race control, and I see it in other series, make decisions based on a few views, but don't have them all. Sometimes the fan gets better views than we do in race control," he added. "There were limitations on how many screens we've got, how many inputs we actually tap into."

Walker said that the planned mobile unit, which will travel to all North American races, will be designed to address the logistical obstacles present in the current system.

"We have a lot of equipment," he said. "The space you have isn't always enough. We're going to put it in a trailer, give it enough room and stability, and have it at all of the races.

"That's a big undertaking and huge investment on the part of IndyCar."

Honda Performance Development announced a new, 3.5-liter racing application for the versatile, production-based Honda V6 engine found in a wide range of Honda/Acura passenger cars and light trucks and now raced in multiple categories worldwide.

The Honda HR35TT twin-turbocharged V6 is expected to make its TUDOR United SportsCar Championship debut at the 2014 Mobil1 12 Hours of Sebring, mounted in a Riley Gen3 prototype chassis campaigned by Starworks Motorsport.

Previously, Starworks partnered with HPD to win the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and World Endurance Championship in 2012, using HPD’s ARX-03b chassis and Honda HR28TT twin-turbocharged V6, which also is derived from Honda’s J35 series of engines.

Starworks becomes the second team to utilize Honda power for the new TUDOR championship. Extreme Speed Motorsports campaigns a pair of prototype class HPD ARX-03b Hondas, after a successful initial season with the same package in the 2013 American Le Mans Series.

“This is an exciting program for HPD and our customer teams in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship,” said Steve Eriksen, HPD Vice President and COO. “Adding Starworks, a team that achieved great success with us in 2012, in a prototype machine alongside the proven HPD-Honda combination run by Extreme Speed Motorsports provides HPD with a strong, balanced attack in the inaugural TUDOR Championship."

“It’s a fantastic feeling to be partnering with Honda once again,” said Starworks team owner Peter Baron. “No doubt we had amazing success with HPD in 2012, but unfortunately it was only a one-year program. We have had numerous conversations over the past two years about building a Daytona Prototype motor and we're thrilled to see it come to fruition. We absolutely love working with HPD and have been in collaboration to find a new opportunity to partner with them again. We will have our work cut out with the steep learning curve to get us to Victory Lane, but HPD brings determination and success to every program it touches. Although HPD already competes in the Prototype class, we feel this is huge step for the TUDOR series and Starworks is thrilled to be part of it."

Starworks Motorsport has compiled an enviable record in Daytona Prototype competition, with five race victories, including back-to-back wins at Indianapolis in 2012 and 2013; and a second-place finish in the Daytona Prototype team championship in 2012, with two victories and six podium finishes. That same year, Starworks became the first American-based prototype team to win an FIA World Championship since 1968, and HPD won its first world title in WEC competition.

The HPD-developed twin-turbocharged Honda engines to be used in the TUDOR championship are both derived from the Honda J35 series of production V6 engines, and include relevant twin-turbocharger technology, along with the efficiency provided by direct fuel injection.
 
The HR35TT is yet another competition application of the ubiquitous J35 engine. The first, the HR28TT, was designed for LMP2 competition and won in its American Le Mans Series debut in 2011. The engine has gone on to record 24 individual race victories and three series titles in the American Le Mans Series, World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series Competition.

Other variants of the engine have been raced in Japan’s Autobacs SuperGT Championship, the One Lap of America competitive rally and Pikes Peak International Hillclimb.


Honda HR35TT V6 Engine

• Engine Type: Aluminum alloy, twin-turbocharged, direct fuel-injected V6
• Displacement: 3.5 liters
• Valve Train: Single overhead camshaft, four valves per cylinder
• Crankshaft: Alloy steel
• Pistons: Forged aluminum, low-friction coatings
• Connecting Rods: Machined alloy steel
• Engine Management: HPD/McLaren
• Ignition System: Digital inductive
• Lubrication: Dry sump system
• Cooling: Single mechanical water pump
• Fuel: E10 100-101 octane gasoline, 10% ethanol.

The newly-formed Midwest Racing League has announced it will make its debut beginning with the 2015 racing season.

“We believe the fans, racers and promoters—in that order—are what racing is all about and not about the sanctioning body,” MRL president Chad Orr said. “That is even in our mission statement. We are out to lend a hand and prove racing can be back at that grassroots, economical level.”

The MRL will debut on dirt tracks in 2015 with Mod Lites and crate-engined modifieds, but the groundwork is already in the process of being laid. Marketing partners and sponsors are already being contacted and solidified.

“We knew to do this correctly work had to start right now,” Orr said. “Potential partners are relaxed knowing this project is a year away. It is great building those relationships now.”

MRL officials plan to sanction crate late models full-time by 2016. Series officials did say not to be surprised if select events are sprinkled in 2015.

“We are out to help the sport by offering another option,” Orr said. “The realization is MRL will be a supplement for race tracks and not a replacement at the start.”

MRL will sanction in a corridor north of Interstate 70 in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan to start. The goal is to provide a personal, hands on effort. Future expansion is not ruled out.

Mod Lites, born from the Dwarf Cars, are found at a handful of tracks in the region. The class will be a focus to increase car count and tracks. Orr is working with Mod Lites great Willie McFarland to stage the inaugural 2014 MRL Mod Lites Series at several tracks. Promoters can contact MRL for details.

The modified class will utilize the GM 604 crate engine and a spec right rear tire. The entire rules package will be released later this summer. Late models, again, will be added full time in 2016. Plans are to utilize a crate and/or steel block engine.

“Fans want to watch. Racers want to race. Tracks want to stay open. In many cases the sport has been priced right out of their hands. That’s where MRL hopes to help,” Orr said.

For more information, visit www.midwestracingleague.com.

Rottler’s 7th Annual Open House will be held Thursday and Friday, October 16–17, 2014.  

The Rottler Open House is an event for industry leaders to socialize, network and share knowledge. It will include two days of technical seminars, table top exhibitors, live machine demonstrations, entertainment and great meals.

For more information, visit Rottler's website. 

At an event yesterday at the Sprint Fan Zone at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR officially unveiled newly designed bodies for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race trucks—set to debut on Friday night in the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona (7:30 p.m. on FOX Sports 1, Motor Racing Network Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The newly redesigned bodies will now match the look of their respective showroom counterparts.

Today’s introduction of the new truck bodies follows launches of race vehicles in NASCAR’s other two national series, the Gen 6 car last year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the new models in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2010.

“Each manufacturer has designed distinctly different trucks that they can use to promote their showroom models through their involvement with NASCAR racing,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition and racing development. “We have worked closely with all three manufacturers for the past several years, and we’re excited to unveil a new truck body that will make one of NASCAR’s most exciting series even better.”

Extensive research and testing went into the development of the new bodies, with the goal of continued close competition while allowing specific features from each model. The new trucks have a unique design that will make it easier for fans to recognize their favorite model.

“The truck has a new look that fans can relate to with their own truck at home,” said Chad Little, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series managing director. “The competitors have been happy with the new trucks in testing in January and we expect to continue to have some of the best racing in NASCAR for our fans at Daytona.”

Williams Advanced Engineering, part of the Williams Group of companies that includes the Williams F1 Team, announced the appointment of Craig Wilson to the position of Managing Director.

In this role, Wilson will have overall operational and delivery responsibility for existing projects within Williams Advanced Engineering, oversee all business development activity, and take a strategic lead as the company continues to commercialize Williams’ Formula One derived technology and knowhow for the motorsport, automotive, transport and energy sectors. As a highly successful executive within the automotive industry, Craig will bring a wealth of experience to an exciting and rapidly growing business.

Before joining Williams, Wilson co-founded Oxford Applied Technologies, an engineering consultancy specializing in bringing sustainable transport projects to market. His previous roles include six years based in Melbourne as Chief Executive Officer of Walkinshaw Performance, running successful GM-Holden factory racing teams in the Australian V8 Supercar Championship and securing two Team and Drivers Championships and three Bathhurst wins. This coincided with a directorship with Holden Special Vehicles where he jointly led the engineering and strategic direction of the high-performance vehicle manufacturer. Wilson spent over a decade at TWR Group, six of those as Managing Director, and oversaw projects such as the Aston Martin DB7, Volvo C70, Renault Sport Clio V6 and concept designs of the Bugatti Veyron, Aston Martin Vanquish and Audi RS4. Wilson, who is originally from Melbourne, Australia, also served his motor mechanic's training with Australia’s leading high-performance engineering company—Perfectune / Yella Terra during the 1980s.

Speaking about his new role, Wilson said, “I’m delighted to be joining a company with Williams’ illustrious history and I look forward to helping its Advanced Engineering division continue to evolve to support the growing requirements of our customers and the market sectors in which we operate. As a business Williams Advanced Engineering stands out due to its origins in the very competitive world of Formula One with its rapid technology development requirements. The combination of accelerated development timescales, a collaborative approach to projects and strong expertise in energy efficient technologies makes for a powerful proposition.”

Mike O’Driscoll, Group CEO of Williams, added, “Craig has a great track record, with over 25 years’ experience in the automotive and motorsport industries and his knowledge of key markets and project delivery expertise will be invaluable. The Williams Group diversification beyond the racetrack is ambitious in its scope and has started to deliver strong growth. Craig’s leadership will help continue this momentum.”