With unprecedented car counts expected for the inaugural TUDOR United SportsCar Championship in 2014, International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) officials announced tentative car capacity guidelines for each of the TUDOR Championship’s four classes at each venue.
 
The maximum car capacity guidelines are based on space available at each venue. Series officials arrived at the car capacity for each class based on current projections, and the actual capacity per class may fluctuate as full-season entries are filed. IMSA will begin taking entry applications on Nov. 1.
 
“Based on the feedback we’ve received from our entrants, we expect full-season entries to put us at or near maximum capacity for every TUDOR Championship race next year,” said IMSA Vice President, Competition and Technical Regulations, Scot Elkins. “The issue of capacity has really come into focus since we announced our 2014 schedule last month and as our teams have begun to share their plans with us. Our projections have led us to make some additional adjustments.”
 
· The Prototype (P) class will have a tentative cap of 20 cars at five venues:  Sebring International Raceway, Long Beach, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Detroit’s Belle Isle and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The P class will be capped at 19 cars for all other venues on the 2014 schedule.
 
· The Prototype Challenge (PC) class will be tentatively capped at 10 entries for all TUDOR Championship events. PC competitors will race for the overall victory in a two-class race alongside the GT Daytona (GTD) class at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on May 4. A separate race will be held on the same day for the P and GT Le Mans (GTLM) classes, with FOX Sports set to televise both events.
 
· PC will also headline an event at Kansas Speedway – which hosted its first professional sports car events in August with the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge – on Saturday, June 7. PC will conduct doubleheader sprint races alongside IMSA’s Cooper Tires Prototype Lites powered by Mazda series at Kansas and at Virginia International Raceway (VIR). The class will have a total of 10 events in the 2014 TUDOR Championship, removing Detroit and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park from the previously announced schedule for PC.
 
· The GTLM class will have a tentative cap of 19 cars at VIR, 16 at Long Beach, 14 at Sebring and Indianapolis and 12 at all others. GTD will be tentatively capped at 19 cars for all events except for Detroit, where the class will have capacity for approximately 21 cars.
 
Official test sessions for the 2014 TUDOR Championship are scheduled for Nov. 16-17 at Sebring International Raceway and Nov. 19-20 at Daytona International Speedway. The inaugural TUDOR Championship opens with the 52nd Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 25-26, 2014.
 

The National Guard’s sponsorship of IndyCar racing appears on the move, with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing the winner of a multiteam pursuit.

Formal confirmation has not been made.

Panther Racing has had the funding that approaches $13 million annually since 2008, but several teams bid on the deal for next year.

Even if the funding is not that much for 2014, the financial infusion likely will allow Bobby Rahal’s team to hire a top driver to pair with Graham Rahal.

Top of the list figures to be Justin Wilson, who partnered with Rahal at Newman-Haas Racing in Champ Car. James Hinchcliffe (three wins this year) could be available along with Sébastien Bourdais (31 career wins, four Champ Car titles).

The loss of the National Guard sponsorship figures to be big blow for Panther Racing, which has had the contract since 2008. Panther is believed to have had an agreement with Ryan Briscoe for next year, but that could be tied to having sponsorship for the No. 4 car.

Panther has not won a race in the National Guard era, although it came within one corner of winning the 2011 Indianapolis 500 when JR Hildebrand crashed. That win went to the late Dan Wheldon, who had a pair of runner-up finishes in the 500 as a Panther driver.

Hinchcliffe is unsigned despite having an offer from KV Racing Technology to replace the Ganassi-bound Tony Kanaan. Andretti Autosport also is trying to re-sign Hinchcliffe.

The International Hot Rod Association announced its 2013 special award winners and unveiled its two Summit SuperSeries prize dragsters at the 2013 IHRA Awards Celebration Friday morning at the IHRA Summit World Finals at Memphis International Raceway.

Longtime Hot Rod racer Greg Fowler was named the 2013 recipient of the IHRA’s most prestigious award, Sportsman of the Year, given for excellence on and off the dragstrip.

Fellow Hot Rod racer Mark Mullen was named the 2013 IHRA Sportsman Driver of the Year at the celebration for his dominating run in Division 2.

The International Hot Rod Association’s Top Performers per division were Mark Payne (D1), Mark Mullen (D2), Jacob Elrod (D3), Kamron Wright (D4), Mark Faul (D6) and Marvin Dunahoo (D9). IHRA’s Top Pro-Am tracks by division were Richmond Dragway (D1), Carolina Dragway (D2), Grand Bend Motorplex (D3), State Capitol Raceway (D4), Eagle Motorplex (D6) and Farmington Dragway (D9).
 
Fowler was named the 2013 Sportsman of the Year for his good works in a number of different arenas. In addition to promoting several causes near to his heart, the West Virginia native also uses his 1980 Camaro as a tool to teach kids about the dangers of tobacco as he displays his blue and gold machine at schools throughout the state. Fowler has also donated his time and race trailer to deliver Christmas gifts to children in the Mountain State. For his work, Fowler has even been recognized by the governor of West Virginia.

On the track Fowler has had a successful career with a number of national event wins, a Summit Pro-Am Tour championship and spots in the Summit Tournament of Champions and Summit All-Star race.
 
Fellow Hot Rod racer Mark Mullen was named the 2013 Sportsman Driver of the Year for his achievements on the track. Mullen stormed onto the scene in 2013, reaching the finals in his first four races and going on to win three of them. Thanks to that incredible run, plus a consistent finish to the year, Mullen was able to run away with the Hot Rod championships in Division 2, racking up the most points of any driver on the Summit Pro-Am Tour this season with 504 points.
 
Finally, the IHRA closed the celebration by unveiling the 2013 IHRA Summit SuperSeries prize dragsters given to the winners of the Top ET and Junior Dragster classes during the Summit World Finals. The two dragsters, featuring a beautiful orange and blue design painted by Jerron Settles of Imagine That Customs and built by outstanding builders Maddox Race Cars and Vic Puglia Race Cars, brought the crowd to their feet.

Settles, Puglia and Dale and Kip Maddox were on hand to unveil the two dragsters, in addition to Jim Greenleaf and Don Lower from Summit Racing Equipment and Mike Downs from Trick Flow.
 
The 2013 IHRA racing season will conclude this weekend at the 2013 IHRA Summit Racing Equipment World Finals at Memphis International Raceway.

The International Hot Rod Association has announced that Summit Racing Equipment, a leading provider of high performance racing parts, has signed a multi-year agreement to return as sponsor of the hugely popular IHRA SuperSeries program.
 
From its beginnings in 2002, the Summit SuperSeries has grown into the preeminent program for grassroots drag racing. Designed to give racers an opportunity to compete for a world championship on the big stage at the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment World Finals through a multi-stage, yearlong competition, the SuperSeries has blossomed from a small, one class championship in 2002 to a three class competition in 2013 with well over 5,000 participants throughout the United States, Canada and beyond.
 
IHRA and Summit Racing Equipment are also thrilled to announce that Memphis International Raceway will return as the host track for IHRA’s championship races during the IHRA Summit World Finals. Summit will also be returning as sponsor the Summit Pro-Am Tour and Summit Tournament of Champions in 2014.
 
“The success of the Summit SuperSeries is a direct result of support from IHRA tracks across the country. They’ve been able to use the series to enhance their points programs,” said Jim Greenleaf, Summit Racing’s Motorsports and Events Manager. “We’ve gotten positive feedback from the racers about the SuperSeries, too, and the program has grown to include 16 car fields in Top ET and Mod ET. In 2012, we added a Junior Dragster Championship. Summit Racing is proud to continue this program in support of sportsman racing.”
 
The Summit SuperSeries program features competition in Top ET, Mod ET and Junior Dragster. Providing the base for the program are the more than 100 IHRA member tracks in seven divisions. Drivers compete year-round at their local track for an opportunity to represent their home track at the Summit Team Finals. Once at the Team Finals level, drivers then compete against track champions from other IHRA facilities for the right to go to the World Finals and compete for a World Championship in their respective class.
 
The Summit SuperSeries World Championship consists of the best 16 racers in each category competing in a winner takes all championship race. Over $200,000 in cash and prizes is awarded to Summit SuperSeries participants, including a cash prize awarded to all qualified participant tracks.
 
Over the years this prestigious program has attracted racers from all over the world including the island nation of Aruba and from as far away as Alaska and Hawaii to compete for a Summit SuperSeries championship.
 
“We are very fortunate to have a great partner in sportsman racing like Summit. Their commitment to all of IHRA sportsman racing is tremendous,” said Aaron Polburn, President of IHRA Motorsports. “Summit Racing supports those that support them – the hard working racers that put in all that time to be able to do what they love.
 
“Summit’s commitment and support for IHRA sportsman programs only helps to reaffirm that sportsman racing at IHRA will be around for a long time.”
 
The Summit SuperSeries program is made possible by the longtime support of Summit Racing Equipment. Headquartered in Tallmadge, Ohio, Summit Racing Equipment is the leading provider of high performance accessory and racing parts. The company has three retail store and distribution centers in Ohio, Nevada and Georgia.
 
Summit Racing Equipment is a major supporter of the IHRA and motorsports enthusiasts around the globe, sponsoring other major programs such as the IHRA’s Summit Pro-Am Tour, Summit Team Finals, Summit World Finals and contingency program.
 
For more information on Summit Racing Equipment visit their website at www.summitracing.com and for more information on the IHRA and the Summit SuperSeries program, visit www.ihra.com to learn more.
 

The big news at Super DIRT Week’s annual media luncheon revolved around Brewerton Speedway’s return to the World Racing Group’s DIRTcar family and the addition of Brewerton’s “sister” track, Fulton Speedway, to the 2014 Super DIRTcar Series schedule.

The traditional series opener had been lost when Fulton and Brewerton owner John Wight dropped his DIRTcar sanction. While Wight says that negotiations to bring Fulton back into the weekly DIRTcar schedule are ongoing, he will kick off the big block modified tour’s point season there April 26. Brewerton, on the other hand, does not have a series event scheduled but its weekly Friday events will be DIRTcar sanctioned in 2014, allowing its competitors to garner home track points towards the Mr. DIRT title.

Billy Decker and Larry Wight, who wheel Wight’s modifieds, will benefit most from the arrangement and will return to the tour, where they have been notably missing in recent seasons.

Other notable additions to the 2014 schedule include events at the independent Utica-Rome (June 25) and Big Diamond Speedways (July 15) and the newly sanctioned Glen Ridge Speedway in New York’s Capital District on July 16.

Returning venues include Volusia Speedway Park, New Egypt Speedway, Cornwall Motor Speedway, Rolling Wheels Raceway Park, Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Autodromes Granby and Drummondville in Quebec, Lebanon Valley Speedway, Mohawk Int’l Raceway, Brockville Speedway, Orange County Fair Speedway and the season closer at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

“At our last series race at Fulton, Billy Decker and Dale Planck had a terrific battle,” offered DIRTcar Joe Skotnicki, director of series and sanctioning. “I can’t wait to go back there. And a lot of people doubted that we would ever return to Utica-Rome but Gene Cole and his staff saw the value of a series race there. And we may add more dates yet before the season starts.”

Increased run-off areas in the Porsche Curves are among a raft of safety improvements planned at Le Mans ahead of next year's 24 Hours.

The Automobile Club de l'Ouest, which runs the Le Mans circuit and organizes the 24 Hours, has revealed that there will be changes all around the track as it steps up its safety drive in the wake of the death of Allan Simonsen in this year's race.



Club president Pierre Fillon explained that it was "important to learn the lessons" of Simonsen's accident while retaining the current track layout.



But he stressed that many of the changes planned for 2014 were already under consideration before this year's race.



These include the increase in run-off in the Porsche Curves, the only changes that the ACO have confirmed so far.

Run-off at the right-hand entry of the sequence will be increased in size, while gravel run-off will be added at the off-camber Chevrolet left-hander, formerly known as the Karting S.



The ACO would not be drawn on what measures might be taken to improve safety at Tertre Rouge, the scene of Aston Martin driver Simonsen's accident on lap three of this year's 24 Hours.

The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame inducted five new well deserving off-road legends October 4, 2013.

Reaching its highest attendance yet, the sold out show consisting of almost 300 guests filled the banquet room and helped in honoring the late Larry Bergquist, Bob Chandler, Frank DeAngelo, Jerry Herbst and Bob “the Weatherman” Steinberger as the Class of 2013.

Larry Bergquist was a prominent figure in the motorcycle racing arena dating back to the first Mexican 1000 and earning himself a reputation of dedication and success. His commitment to the sport sculpted him into a winning racer, a founder in the Buzzard’s MC and one who selflessly ran groups to help preserve the desert.

Bob Chandler is known to many as the creator of the monster truck industry. His most well-known creation: Bigfoot #1. His many years of innovating has led to safety technology and ultimately saving lives. Chandler’s team devotes many efforts to support important causes like Make-A-Wish Foundation, children’s hospitals and the like.

Frank DeAngelo is the first person to be inducted into ORMHOF under the Special Achievement category. DeAngelo’s efforts in desert and short course racing have lasted 33 years and counting. Beginning as a semi-truck driver for BFGoodrich and working his way up as the executive director of motorsports programs for Jackson Motorsports Group, Frank has left a positive mark on all individuals and organizations he has helped along the way. His work with the BFGoodrich pit program has set the standard for efficacy, organization and safety against remarkable adversity.

Jerry Herbst is the founder and backer of Herbst Motorsports. Beginning this program for his sons, Jerry also found himself a niche. Jerry and his team have been a key component to the development of the 37”, 39” and 42” BFGoodrich project tires. Herbst Motorsports has dominated the SCORE and Best in the Desert race tracks with many class, overall and season championship victories. Herbst helped in providing assistance for off-road organizations to help keep them safe and progressive.

Bob “the Weatherman” Steinberger found his passion within desert racing in 1972. This passion stemmed from his frustration from the silence between race vehicle and pit crew. Since then, the Weatherman has been driving to the top of the highest mountain for an entire race to ensure every racer has a connection with their pit crew. He is also the founder of P.C.I. Race Radios, a longtime member of C.O.R.V.A., a past president for F.A.I.R., a race team owner, pit crew member and race retrieval volunteer.

ChassisSim will be used in the group’s constructor department as well as the research and development division. One of the involved projects includes the design and building of the new REBELLION R-One LM P1.

“I’m delighted at the technical partnership between ChassisSim and ORECA. ORECA’s reputation speaks for itself and their sports cars have always been highly competitive. Stay tuned for the results of our collaboration. There are exciting times ahead! ” said Danny Nowlan, Director of ChassisSim Technologies

“ChassisSim allows us to simulate laptimes virtually and on all types of circuits ” explained Christophe Guibbal, design bureau director of ORECA. “That allows us to refine, to the slightest detail, our simulations of setting up the car, especially on a Le Mans prototype. We can change all the parameters that we want, such as aerodynamics, engine, gearbox, as well as shock absorbers. Firstly, we did a correlational study to evaluate the program by comparing the results of the simulation to concrete data taken from the ORECA 03 LM P2, both in 2012 and in 2013, on several tracks including Le Mans. We were quickly convinced and we have since requested a specific development for our work.”

ORECA Technology will use this technology for various projects, including the design, building and development of the new REBELLION R-One that will be entered by REBELLION Racing in next year’s World Endurance Championship.

“This technological solution is even more interesting taking into account the nature of the 2014 rules and regulations for the 24 Hours of Le Mans ” added Guibbal. “We can actually simulate fuel consumption and the precise factors that affect this point. With a rules package based on the quantity of energy, we need an adapted program. We believe this is the case with ChassisSim, with its specific development for ORECA.”

Dover International Speedway officials announced the track’s 2014 race dates, as two tripleheader NASCAR weekends will return to the track next year on May 30-June 1 and Sept. 26-28, 2014.

The spring weekend at the Monster Mile will include the Friday, May 30 “Lucas Oil 200” NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, the Saturday, May 31 NASCAR Nationwide Series race and the Sunday, June 1 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. When NASCAR returns in the fall, it will feature the Friday, Sept. 26 “Drive Sober 150” presented by the Delaware Office of Highway Safety NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race, the Saturday, Sept. 27 NASCAR Nationwide Series race and the Sunday, Sept. 28 “AAA 400” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the third event in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

For the third straight year, the track is offering fans discounted tickets for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races as a part of its three-tier pricing program, as long as the fans commit to the track early. New this year, however, the deadlines for the best savings have been extended to allow more time to take advantage of the best possible prices the track will offer for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.

For instance, fans that purchase their Sunday, June 1, 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series tickets by Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013 can save nearly 50% in some seating sections as part of the track’s Preferred Pricing Period.

“In the past two years, our three-tier pricing program has been met with favorable reviews from our great fans,” said Denis McGlynn, president and CEO of Dover Motorsports, Inc. “When we decided to redesign our deadline structure for 2014, we thought the best way to do that would be by giving our fans even more time to save money on their race tickets. If they are willing to commit to us early, we will provide them with the best possible prices available from the track.”

The Monster Mile is also introducing its all-new 2-Pack ticket package this year, allowing you to pair your Sunday race ticket with either a Friday or Saturday race ticket at a discounted price, giving you access to two great races at a reduced price.

Junior tickets for ages 14 and younger will again be available for just $10 on Sunday races, featuring seating in all four turns and including seven alcohol- and tobacco-free sections. Friday and Saturday junior tickets are just $8 in all available seating sections.

Tickets for the May 30-June 1, 2014 race weekend are now on sale, and fans can begin placing deposits for the Sept. 26-28, 2014 race weekend. Returning fans have the opportunity to reserve their same seats for 2014 race weekends.

Virginia International Raceway, one of America’s premier road courses, is moving forward with plans to improve its facilities, including repaving the 3.27 mile historic road course and widening it in several places, as well as paving in the north paddock this offseason.

In addition, the raceway will further memorialize its iconic oak tree, which fell this summer after serving as a prominent feature and welcome shade provider to the track’s south end for more than 200 years.

Honoring the fallen oak tree, VIR is working with the Virginia Tech University Institute for Advanced Learning and Research to actually clone the tree. The IALR is located in Danville and focuses on using research, education and conferencing to create economic development. Once its work is complete, the cloned saplings will be offered to VIR fans so they can replant them in their own communities and celebrate the iconic old oak tree for years to come. VIR will announce more on timing and purchase opportunities once details are confirmed.

“To be able to honor the grand old oak tree in such a historic and innovative way is really special for us,” said Connie Nyholm, owner and CEO of VIR. “We’re so grateful to the IALR for helping us with this and we’re excited to be able to share the cloned tree with VIR fans. Nothing will replace the old tree, but this will serve as a great tribute to it.”

The announcements came at the fourth day of racing at VIR, leading up to the track's appropriately named Oak Tree Grand Prix featuring the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron. Fans who bought advanced tickets to the race received a limited edition key chain featuring a token made from the original oak tree. Additional memorabilia made from the tree’s wood is planned and will be announced in the weeks and months to follow. As a final nod to the original, VIR will plant a new oak tree near the spot of the fallen one.

The VIR track improvements this off-season will include:

· Repaving the track’s full course, the first time the 3.27 miles have been repaved since 1999 in preparation for VIR’s 2000 reopening

· Widening the track by six feet at several locations to allow easier passing (map available with specific locations)

· Moving of the start and finish line to just after pit row, allowing better viewing for spectators as well as positioning the finish on a wider portion of the track

· Paving of the north paddock, including both previously paved and unpaved portions to ensure an even and smooth surface