It was somewhere between the time that Lee Petty won the first Daytona 500 and his son won the first of his seven championships that a couple West Coast motorcycle enthusiasts found a secret to more power.

Back in the 1960s Ken Johnson and Norm MacDonald were selling motorcycle parts from a shop in Riverside, California, and sponsoring a “factory” race team to promote their business.

In the never-ending search to improve performance, the businessmen designed a unique air filter that used treated cotton that could be washed, dried, re-treated and used over and over again.

It was called the K&N filter, named for the partners and their business.

Today the familiar script logo appears on every car that races in the East and West divisions of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, considered the premier training ground for drivers and crews looking to make it to one of NASCAR's three national series. Last year, Dylan Kwasniewski became the youngest NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion at 17, while counterpart Kyle Larson won the East at 20.

Larson will take over the No. 42 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next year, and joins national series drivers like Austin and Ty Dillon, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Corey LaJoie, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Ryan Blaney who have all recorded their first NASCAR wins in the K&N Pro Series.

The growth of NASCAR and K&N have similar story lines. Both are family-owned enterprises that began with an entrepreneur’s vision, which they nurtured to international prominence.

NASCAR is the nation’s best-known auto racing sanctioning body, which extends to Mexico and Europe. K&N grew to become the industry leader in manufacturing and marketing of its filters, and today—from a huge factory complex in Riverside and additional factories in England and the Netherlands—turns out a product line of more than 5000 items.

The two companies signed a seven-year contract for entitlement sponsorship of NASCAR’s top developmental series four years ago.

“It’s been a great experience for us,” said Tony Yorkman, head of sports marketing for K&N. “Between the drivers and our association with NASCAR, it has been about a perfect fit.”

The company has been involved in a number of racing series, but said the NASCAR effort has paid dividends far beyond their expectations.

“It is the one series where everyone, the organization, the teams and the drivers, have become enthusiastic supporters of the brand.”

K&N joined NASCAR about the same time that Jeff Nuckles added the K&N Pro Series East to the racing calendar at Columbus Motor Speedway.

Nuckles knows a bit about how to promote racing. The Ohio speedway’s office wall is decorated with plaques honoring the family as regional promoter of the year, along with one recognizing him as the nation’s top racing promoter in 2010. He is a third-generation operator at the family-owned track, begun in 1946 by his grandfather. A fourth generation is already involved at the oval, helping out at the bigger race events.

“The K&N name has been a great addition to the series,” Nuckles said. “We get signs, banners, merchandise and tickets to local vendors.”

The Ohio race promoter said having a national brand gives the series something special that helps attract race fans who may not show up for the local show.

“If you look at the pure racing events we hold, the K&N race is among the top,” he said.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series had two very different beginnings. The West originated in 1954 as the Pacific Coast Late Model Series and later became the NASCAR Winston West Series. They were the same cars that ran in the Cup at the time and participated in Cup events when the series went west to tracks like Riverside in California and Phoenix. The East began in 1987 as the NASCAR Busch North Series and was simarly paired with the NASCAR Nationwide (then Busch Series) when it went north.

As the series evolved, the first major step came in 2003 when the two series were unified under one rulebook. This was a step in a broader strategic plan that included an emphasis on become a developing ground for new talent through a lower age limit for drivers and crews, common cost-effective rules, and cost-saving innovations such as the SPEC engine and composite bodies.

Camping World came aboard in 2008 and sponsored both of the series. When Camping World moved to the NASCAR Truck Series, K&N was a natural fit.

"One major goal was to create the premier developmental series as a stepping stone to our national series," said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president for touring & weekly series. "The series provides an ability for racers on both east and west coasts an opportunity to compete, provides consistent and national branding, and a platform to showcase NASCAR's stars of tomorrow.

"From the entitlement sponsor standpoint as well as the broadcast standpoint, having an east and west coast series under one umbrella gives entitlement sponsor a true national footprint."

K&N's commitment provided NASCAR with a long-term partner, and K&N has built a strong short-track program. They've developed product programs for both tracks and teams, supported the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series with billboard and signage; signed on as one of the first current NASCAR partners to be part of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series contingency programs; and K&N's production air filters are reusable, supporting NASCAR's Green initiatives.

In addition to their entitlement sponsorship, K&N is an official status partner and contingency sponsor.

"While NASCAR is K&N's largest commitment, they have shown strong support to motorsports as a whole, demonstrating their true passion for the industry," said Bob Duvall, NASCAR senior director of business development.

K&N’s role with the series is one that extends beyond that of many sponsors.

“They want to be sure everyone has everything they need,” said Bill McAnally, a team owner who also promotes races in the series. “I don’t think they’ve ever not been receptive to a request for something if it meant what I want to do also promotes their products.”

Gene Price, whose drivers have won the past two K&N West championships, said the company makes a great partner.

“They give us everything we’ve ever needed,” said Price, referring to products for the teams’ trucks and other rigs. “We’ve never asked them for something that they have not delivered.”

K&N’s Yorkman said the company’s involvement with teams has allowed the manufacturer to develop and then field test new products before they hit the market.

“These guys all run big rigs down the road, and the teams really take great care of their equipment, so we provide them filters and then get them back after they have been used, in order to see how they have performed,” he said. “It’s been a great test lab for us.”

Price said the agreement has been good for both his racing operation and K&N.

“While they have been very supportive of us, we’ve also worked with them,” Price said. “We’ve turned over our shop to them for photo shoots and I’ve hauled our cars to be on display for them at shows and other racetracks. The relationship has become more than sponsorship. It has become a friendship.”

Rick Gdovic, who fields a team in the K&N Pro Series East feels much the same as Price about how teams and sponsors can work together.

“K&N helps us, and we need to help them,” he said. “We need to show them why they should come back year after year. It is the kind of effort that self feeds.”

“They are an important part of what we are trying to do. Given the cost of fielding a car for the entire season, having a high profile national sponsor is just so important to what we are doing.”

The filter company doesn’t limit its involvement in the series to just drivers and race teams.
John Dodson remembers exactly how K&N became part of his operation.

Dodson is NASCAR Team Relations Director for the NASCAR Technical Institute, a part of Universal Technical Institute.

The school helps train young mechanics and engineers for careers in NASCAR.

“One of the things we do is build engines for teams in the K&N East series,” he explained. The students have had an impressive record of success.

Thirty percent of the races in the series are won with student built engines, Dodson said. The winning engines last year powered Kyle Larson to the NASCAR K&N Pro-Series East Championship.

“The K&N guys were at the track and we began talking about our program,” Dodson said. “We invited them to come by the school and take a look at what we do.

“Once they got a good look at the program, they decided they wanted to become part of it,” he said.

Beginning this year, K&N will be providing filters for all the student-built engines and all the other vehicles used in the program.

“Probably the biggest contribution will be their technical expertise,” Dodson said. “The company is constantly working on improving airflow and fuel management for better mileage. They will be working with our instructional staff and what they learn will be passed on to our students. It’s a great addition to our program.”

Developing new talent—either holding a wrench or holding a steering wheel—is an essential part of the K&N series.

Harry Scott, co-owner of Turner Scott Motorsports, said his team looks at the K&N series as the ideal finishing school for young drivers and team members.

The Charlotte-based racing operation already fielded successful teams in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series when it decided last year to also compete in the K&N East program.

“We really saw the need to be able to help develop that rich pool of young talent that we weren’t getting exposed to in the other series,” he said. “We knew there was a lot of really good drivers out there, and we wanted to become part of their success.”

So far, they’ve been pleased with the results. The partners signed 2012 K&N Pro West champion Kwasniewski to lead the Turner Scott assault on an East coast title, and Kwasniewski has responded by leading the championship battle.

“The K&N brand helps us market the teams to sponsors,” Scott said. “What we would like to be able to do is sign up those sponsors for young drivers, and then have them build up a family relationship and follow them as the drivers move up to the bigger series.”

Yorkman said K&N became involved in the NASCAR Pro Series because it was looking for a vehicle to expose its products to fans of stock car racing, and said the success of K&N’s involvement has led the company to consider expanding its involvement into other NASCAR venues.

He said it is hard to quantify the return on the company’s investment.

“We look at things like website traffic, random feedback and the simple ‘feel good’ response K&N gets from its exposure.

“One of the things we’ve noticed is the number of contacts we get from people who think it’s a K&N series rather than a NASCAR series. We’ll get emails complaining about drivers or incidents on the track. Obviously, they recognize our brand as being very involved in the sport," Yorkman said. “People are very passionate about the racing. For us, that’s a great feeling to be part of.”

One of the best known promoters in motorsports history, H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler, has introduced a new program that is aimed at helping race tracks throughout the United States.

Speedway Benefits is designed to be an alliance of short tracks that will benefit the tracks, vendors and corporate marketers.

There are approximately 1200 grassroots race tracks in the United States that host 50 million fans annually. This represents over $1 trillion in consumer spending equal to 6.5 percent of U.S. GDP. This demographic consists primarily of working class people located in suburban and rural America. Grassroots race tracks employ nearly 2000 full time and up to 30,000 part time.

Speedway Benefits is organized to pool these tracks together allowing an opportunity for vendors to provide high-volume discounts on a national level for products and services that race tracks commonly purchase. The cost savings go directly to the race tracks’ bottom line.

Corporate sponsors and marketers will be given an opportunity to directly market to 50 million primarily middle-class Americans through a brand new national sports property.

Tracks will still be able to maintain and secure local and regional sponsorships and vendor partnerships by category. Race track owners/promoters can opt in or out of any aspect of the program allowing them to customize a program that meets their specific needs. Speedway Benefits membership comes at no cost to founding member tracks.

“As the motorsports scene changes, grassroots racing is seeing significant success because of its tremendous appeal to the working people of this nation,” said Wheeler. “However, they are doing it alone and our new alliance will bring them more fans, higher revenues and less expense.

“We are going to stick strictly to these grassroots tracks and not the big tracks of NASCAR, Indy car and NHRA. This collectivism of all the short tracks will change the face of racing,” Wheeler continued. “Short-track racing, including ovals, drag strips and road courses are the backbone of our sport and yet they have been shorted on television, advertising and media coverage. It is our intention to help fire the rockets to change this. There is more excitement in racing at such tracks as Carolina Speedway, Lebanon Valley, Skagit, Bowman Gray, Eldora and Thunder Road in Vermont than most superspeedways.

“We just need to help these operators let the world know this. These grassroots tracks just never got the investment that fueled NASCAR’s growth in the last 25 years,” Wheeler said. “Imagine what can be done to bring a newly united sport with 50 million avid race fans in the next decade.

“Big-time racing has never been healthier than its grassroots base so what we are doing is going to help the big tracks by growing new fans in places like Tulsa, Susquehanna, Traverse City, Ukiah and other heartland cities, and at the same time bring to these tracks what they have been missing for so long.”

Speedway Benefits is expected to grow to 50 employees and create 1000 new jobs across the country.

“We have put together a very capable team of people and are investing significantly to make this happen,” said Wheeler. “And some of the premier grassroots race tracks around the country—from Steve Beitler’s Skagit Speedway in Washington to Howard Commander’s Lebanon Valley and Albany Saratoga Speedways in upstate N.Y.—have come on board to realize the benefits that this particular team of people will be able to provide. In fact, the response has been so overwhelming we’ve had to limit the initial membership.

“And for corporate America, there is no other opportunity out there that allows access to middle class Americans—50 million of them—in every corner of our country with this kind of spending power. The reach is almost unfathomable and the opportunities are endless.”
“This is a great idea to get us sponsorship and cost savings,” said Beitler, the first Speedway Benefits member. “You are the guys to pull this off. I’m all in.”

Commander was another one of the first to sign on as a Speedway Benefits member.

“Anybody who understands business, understands that this is a no-brainer and something we should have done a long time ago,” said Commander. “50 million people not only represent more than $1 trillion in spending power, they have the power to elect the next president of the United States.

“The opportunity this presents to corporate America and to the grassroots race tracks across the country is tremendous.”

Drivers from 12 countries across the Americas are set to take part in their regional selection event for the 2013/14 Young Driver Excellence Academy.

This year’s Academy involves a series of five qualifying events in regions across the world to give as many drivers as possible the opportunity to participate.

This fourth event will be hosted by Organizacion Mexicana Del Deporte Automovilistico Internacional Oct. 14–17 at the Autódromo Miguel E. Abed in Puebla.

Each FIA National Sporting Authority in the region was asked to put forward their nomination, which was then assessed by the FIA Institute. To qualify, drivers had to meet a set of minimum criteria, as well as having demonstrated strong performance in competition so far.

On the final shortlist for this event are some of the top young drivers in motor racing and rallying across the Americas, including competitors from the US Pro Mazda Championship, European F3 Open and Protyre Formula Renault.

OMDAI president Jose Abed said, “We look forward to welcoming the 12 talented drivers that are coming from all over the American continent. OMDAI, with the help of its Young Driver School, has brought together the best trainers and specialists, so each driver will benefit from the highest standard of assessment and training.”

The event will produce one guaranteed winner to go forward to the 2013/14 Young Driver Excellence Academy. A further three drivers will be selected using a wildcard system, making a total of eight participants in the final Academy group.

Over three days the drivers will undergo exercises designed to evaluate fitness, driving performance, media techniques, teamwork and psychology. The winner will receive a place on the Academy’s fully-funded training program, which aims to help drivers develop their motor sport careers, whilst increasing safety skills and actively promoting the principles of safety, fairness and responsibility on and off the track.

THE DRIVERS:

BRAZIL
Edson Martins Coelho Junior, 18
Current championship: Mercedes-Benz Grand Challenge

CHILE
Rodrigo Caballero Alcayaga, 22
Current championship: Cross Country Rally Chile

COLOMBIA
Juan Diego Piedrahita, 21
Current championship: Pro Mazda Championship

COSTA RICA
Mauricio Hernandez, 18
Current championship: Costa Rican Karting Championship

CUBA
Orlando Valderrama, 18
Current Championship: Cuban National Karting Championship

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Michael Tejeda, 18
Current Championship: Dominican Republic ROTAX MAX Sr. Championship

GUATEMALA
Andres Saravia Minondo, 22
Current Championship: European F3 Open

HONDURAS
Tito Alfonso Leoni, 22
Current Championship: Honduras National Auto Cross Championship

JAMAICA
Samantha Summerbell, 17
Current Championship: Jamaican Modified Production Championship

MEXICO
Jorge Cevallos, 19
Current Championship: Protyre Formula Renault UK

UNITED STATES
Skylar Robinson, 17
Current Championship: BRSCC Avon Tyres FF1600 Triple Crown

VENEZUELA
Diego Ferreira, 19
Current Championship: Pro Mazda Championship

The Short Track Nationals. Just the mere mention of it perks up the ears of sprint car drivers and fans throughout the nation.

And the nation’s crown jewel of winged 360 sprint car racing is just weeks away, as the 26th annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires is set for October 23–26 at the quarter-mile I-30 Speedway.

While the winner of the 26th rendition of the Short Track Nationals will once again capture the hefty $15,000 winner’s share in the Saturday night championship finale that offers up $2500 just to start, the overall take could soar to over $20,000 with the addition of the Wednesday night Short Track Nationals Open.

This year’s edition of the STN will once again consist of two full nights of qualifying action on Thursday and Friday (Oct. 24-25) to set the field for the Saturday night STN Championship slate of events with more than $100,000 in cash doled out on those three nights alone.

And the on-track action gets going one night earlier this year with the Inaugural Short Track Nationals Open on Wednesday, October 23. The Wednesday event offers up $2500 to win and $200 to start, with the highest finisher among the top four finishers that doesn’t race his/her way into the STN championship feature field offered a provisional. If the Wednesday night winner also tops Saturday’s finale, an extra $2500 bonus courtesy of Dixon Road U-Pull-It will push the overall winner’s take to $20,000.

Last October, Paul McMahan became just the fifth multi-time STN winner by besting a field of 94 competitors for his first Short Track Nationals championship since 2002, denying upstart Christopher Bell the lucrative payday in the process.

Others that have claimed multiple STN honors include four-time champion Gary Wright (1995, 1999, 2003, 2004), Steve Kinser (1988, 1989, 1991), Sammy Swindell (1990, 2011) and Tony Bruce, Jr. (2008, 2009).

Other past Short Track Nationals winners include Brad Sweet (2010), Jason Meyers (2007), Jason Johnson (2006), Tim Montgomery (2005), Jason Sides (2001), Mike Ward (2000), Tim Crawley (1998), Wayne Johnson (1997), Pete Butler (1996), Terry Gray (1994) and John Gerloff (1993). The 1992 edition fell victim to rain.

With the SCCA Solo National Championships in the books, it may seem like the National Solo season has come to an end. However, there are still two remaining SCCA Tire Rack Match Tour events scheduled to take place in 2013, and they will feature a couple new twists.
 


For these final two events, some tweaks have been made to the Match Tour rules in order to promote a better experience for the competitor. First, $250 has been added to the prize fund. That means that the top qualifier after Saturday's runs will earn $150, with the second-quickest qualifier getting a $100 award.
 


The way in which drivers qualify for Sunday's Super Shootout has been adjusted, as well. Instead of using the fastest 32 indexed times, to determine who qualifies for the knockout competition, the top indexed times from each heat will be used. For example, if there are two heats the quickest 16 driver from each heat will be automatically qualified for the shootout. The same procedure will apply to the ladies classes.
 


A big change has been made to the Sunday bracket-style competition. Instead of the top 16 drivers facing each other in single bracket and positions 17-32 facing off in their own bracket, the match-ups will be decided by a random draw of the top 32. The only known is that the top qualifier will be in Bracket A with the second-quickest qualifier starting in Bracket B.
 


Aside from the changes themselves, winning a Match Tour event is one of three legs needed to win the 2013 Solo Triad Award. Currently, seven drivers have claimed the prestigious award, while there are 21 drivers still that need only a Match Tour win to complete the requirements for the award.
 


Participants will also receive an additional financial benefit, a $15 discount on entry to a 2014 National Solo event. The updated and rules for SCCA Tire Rack Match Tour competition can viewed here: http://scca.cdn.racersites.com/prod/assets/2013%20Match%20Tour%20Rules%209-30.pdf.
 


These changes, along with other potential ideas, will be reviewed by the SCCA Solo National event staff in order to better serve the needs of each competitor.
 


The two remaining SCCA Tire Rack Solo Match Tour events of the season are scheduled for Oct. 19-20, at the Arkansas Aeroplex in Blytheville, Ark., and Oct. 26 – 27, at the Ridge Top Airport in St. George, Ut.


Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, is recognized as one of the premier drag racing facilities in the country. It’s been in operation since 1963, and since 1974 has been owned and operated by the Bader family. Bill Bader III is the owner and president of Summit Motorsports Park, and its continued growth and success going into 50 years of operation is a testament to his ability to adapt to changes and trends in the marketplace. Following are excerpts from a recent interview with Bader, conducted by Chris Vopat of the Emerging Trends & Technology Network (ETTN) Select Committee at SEMA, PRI's parent company.  

Part 1: Advanced Marketing

Looking at how a successful facility like Summit Motorsports Park markets to spectators and racing participants, it is interesting to see how changes in technology and other factors have caused them to change their strategy to ensure continued growth. Bader explains that 10 years ago, the track focused on a 60-mile area of dominant influence. This radius included Cleveland and Toledo as their major market cities. The typical program to market an upcoming event was to send brochures to the track’s mailing list, and to advertise on the leading rock stations a week ahead of the event.

While that strategy worked well, changing technology has presented new opportunities to market to potential event spectators and participants. Also, learning more about the people who attend events at Summit Motorsports Park helps to focus their marketing. Bader explained that capturing information from participant surveys is key to learning about their audience, and how to reach them. Participants are asked to complete surveys at track events, and after events in an online survey. The information gained from surveys has shown that in recent years, the spectator audience has become more educated and more affluent.

Such a sophisticated audience can be reached through online marketing, and Bader takes full advantage to promote events at Summit Motorsports Park. The track frequently sends out e-newsletters, and has built its social media audience substantially. These resources show exciting photos and videos from track events, which draw people to the facility’s website, www.summitmotorsportspark.com. On the website, people can learn more about upcoming events, and purchase tickets for individual events, or purchase tickets for multiple events at a discount.

By producing quality events, they have been able to grow their social media following, their website traffic, and the overall number of people they can touch with their marketing efforts.

Part 2: Racer Participation

Bader explained that in addition to their spectator audience, they have also seen a shift in their racing participant market over the years. Racers once participated in drag racing events very frequently, and were able to race on a tight budget, often pulling their race car to the track on an open trailer. As the spectator audience has become more affluent and more sophisticated, the racer base has as well. This means that while they may have more income, they also have more racing expenses, such as more elaborate tow rigs and fuel costs. The cost of building and campaigning a race car has also increased, and racers also have more commitments to their work and family.  

As such, Bader explained that while there still are several racers who can compete at an event at Summit Motorsports Park (up to 8000 racers compete at the facility at least once per year), it becomes more of a challenge for the racers to participate in the sport. Along with the strategy the track uses to reach spectators, social media, e-newsletters and website marketing also work to inform and attract racing participants.

An important factor that Bader pointed out in the effort to keep racers participating is the changing landscape of how events themselves are produced. While several drag race sanctioning bodies host events at Summit Motorsports Park each year, economic forces have caused many of these racing organizations to leave the marketplace in recent years. Racers who are dedicated to a series follow its events from track to track, so the reduction in the number of racing organizations has had an impact on the number of events that Summit Motorsports Park hosts each year.

To bolster their event schedule and keep racers participating and spectators coming through the turnstiles, Summit Motorsports Park now produces 15 stand-alone events throughout the year, in addition to weekly test-and-tune sessions. Bader explained that while producing an event on the scale of a national sanctioning body represents a risk, it also produces more reward, as his facility is in full control of the event and how it is produced.

CBS Sports Network will air six major events from the World of Outlaws and Super DIRT Week, as well as a special countdown show, beginning on Sunday, Nov. 3 and continuing each Sunday at 9:00 PM, ET through Dec. 22.

Coverage on CBS Sports Network kicks off with a one-hour special program entitled World of Outlaws WOW!, documenting the “Top 10 reasons why they call it ‘The Greatest Show on Dirt!’” The show features wild flips, great championship battles and much more.

The first race premieres Sunday, Nov. 10, with a two-hour telecast from Williams Grove Speedway.

“This is big news for our sport. CBS Sports Network is available to a wide audience and will consistently deliver an enhanced, high-quality production,” said World of Outlaws/DIRTcar CMO Ben Geisler. “It was important for us to get back to a consistent time slot, and we are excited to make that happen for our fans.”
 
The coverage includes World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series events this fall from Williams Grove Speedway and Rolling Wheels Raceway Park, in addition to the crown jewel 42nd Annual NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds, and the World of Outlaws World Finals from The Dirt Track at Charlotte featuring the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars, World of Outlaws Late Models and Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds.

Nationally acclaimed drag racing announcer Dave Rieff will anchor the broadcasts, returning to his dirt track roots. Prior to a long career broadcasting NHRA events, Rieff got his start at short tracks in Iowa, eventually becoming the lead announcer at Knoxville Raceway. The broadcast team will also include sprint car hall-of-famer Brad Doty providing analysis in the booth and Bobby Gerould interacting with drivers in the pits, with cameos from other experts along the way.

CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

2013 World of Outlaws TV Schedule (All Times Eastern):

Nov. 3 (Sun.), 9 p.m.-10 p.m., World of Outlaws WOW! Top 10 Countdown Show

Nov. 10 (Sun.), 9 p.m.-11 p.m., World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars from Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, Pa., National Open Night #1 on Oct. 4

Nov. 17 (Sun.), 9 p.m.-11 p.m., World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars from Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, Pa., National Open Night #2 on Oct. 5

Dec. 1 (Sun.), 9 p.m.-11 p.m., World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars at Rolling Wheels Raceway, Elbridge, N.Y., on Oct. 12

Dec. 8 (Sun.), 9 p.m.-11 p.m., Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds from N.Y. State Fairgrounds, Syracuse, N.Y., Super DIRT Week on Oct. 13

Dec. 15 (Sun.), 9 p.m.-Midnight, World of Outlaws World Finals Night #1 featuring World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars, World of Outlaws Late Models, Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds from The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C., on Nov. 8

Dec. 22 (Sun.), 9 p.m.-Midnight, World of Outlaws World Finals Night #2 featuring World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars, World of Outlaws Late Models, Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds from The Dirt Track at Charlotte in Concord, N.C., on Nov. 9

Phoenix Racing today named Jimmy Elledge as its interim crew chief for the remainder of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. The move reunites Elledge with Justin Allgaier who will be in the No. 51 Chevrolet 2 out of the last 6 races.
 
"I am looking forward to having Jimmy on the box making the calls the rest of the year. He's a familiar voice and we've had success working together, "said Allgaier.
 
Elledge was Allgaier's crew chief for the 2011 and 2012 NNS season in the No. 31 BRANDT Chevrolet for Tuner Scott Motorsports. The duo won 2 races and racked up 12 Top 5s and 36 Top 10s in 67 races.
 
"I'm excited about working with Justin again. He is a great talent who keeps getting better with every lap he turns," said Elledge.
 
Crew chief Nick Harrison has already accepted a position with another team.
 
"I want to thank Nick for all his hard work at Phoenix Racing," said team owner Harry Scott, Jr. "Nick has a great opportunity and I know that he will be very successful."

FIA president Jean Todt has confirmed a major format change for the 2014 World Rally Championship is under consideration, but has promised to "be careful."

The WRC promoter has put forward plans to make the final day of events into a single-stage shootout, where the top-10 positions would be decided. The drivers in 10th and ninth would battle for ninth place, the same for eighth and seventh all the way down to the driver in second place against the rally leader. The fastest time on the single stage would secure the position and rally victory.

Todt remains skeptical about the plans.

"At the moment, I would be very careful," he said. "When you make a decision, you must make sure it is a good decision. I have asked to investigate [this change] more.

"I think we must listen to the opinion of the supporters and there are a lot of new media, which can be helpful to be able to finalize some decisions as important as this one. All of that is in progress and we will see what is the outcome."

Volkswagen's Jost Capito admitted he had seen and heard the criticisms of the potential change, but he remained in favor.

"People say this is not the traditional way for rallying, but for me it is more traditional than what we have now—as drivers would have to complete every stage to win the rally and make the final classification," he said. "And the fight between the drivers can make the entertainment. If a driver wants to win his place, he has to be fast and make no mistakes on all stages, including the last one.

"We are very much in favor of this plan from the promoter—it was some of our plan as well."

Aeromotive Inc. is proud to announce the appointment of Vic Wood as its new Vice President and General Manager. Wood will oversee operations, sales and marketing personnel in addition to an acting National Sales Manager role.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Vic to our team,” said Aeromotive Founder and President, Steve Matusek. “Both Jack and I have known Vic for quite some time and have a great deal of respect for him. We are looking for him to have a positive impact on our business and help us continue to mature in the vital areas where we may have been falling short.”

Wood brings a solid number of years of experience to the table. Not just from his previous role with a high profile performance aftermarket manufacturer, but also as a highly active member of SEMA. Vic is the current Chairman of the SEMA Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council and also serves on numerous other Committees and Task Forces.

"I am thrilled to be joining the Aeromotive team. I have known both Steve and Jack for many years and have also worked with Steve on the SEMA Motorsports Part Manufacturers Council. I look forward to meeting all of the Aeromotive Inc. customers during the upcoming SEMA and PRI shows. My wife (Arlene) and I are excited to get settled into our new home in Kansas City," said Wood.

In addition to his many years of experience in the performance aftermarket in his native Australia, Vic has worked across the pacific rim including responsibilities in Japan, China, New Zealand and South East Asia. He is also an accomplished racer and huge enthusiast. He drives a killer small block blown ’64 Chevy pick-up and spends as much time at the track as he can. You can find him at NHRA National events, sprint car and dirt track races and many of the nostalgia/heritage events.

Wood has also built numerous winning engines for the Bonneville Salt Flats, Street Rods and Drag Racing and is an accomplished crew chief of the BDS sponsored Nostalgia Nitro Funny Car of Lil Nate Racing.

“It’s this level of passion, commitment and experience that we hope to take advantage of,” said Jack Hylton, Aeromotive CEO. “As many of us know and have learned, this is a passion based industry and without it, it’s a tough hill to climb. None of us are doubting Vic’s passion.”

Wood’s first publicly active role as Aeromotive VP and GM will be at the 2013 SEMA Show where he will have the opportunity to sit down with many of the Aeromotive customers, dealers and acquaintances.

Aeromotive Inc. is a true high performance aftermarket manufacturer specializing in fuel delivery and fuel delivery components. Utilizing aerospace tolerances and procedures, 3 generations of track experience and a meticulous approach to engineering, Aeromotive Fuel Systems have become the absolute pinnacle of performance fuel delivery.