NBC Sports Network will air four ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards races in August, giving the national stock car racing series an even greater television presence.

Officials from the Automobile Racing Club of America made the announcement during the recent Scott 160 race event weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

“We couldn’t be more excited than to have the opportunity to secure additional exposure of the ARCA Racing Series on NBC Sports Network,” said Mark Gundrum, ARCA Vice President for Business Development and Corporate Partnerships. “This opportunity is great for the teams, sponsors and fans of the series.”

Three of the four NBC Sports Network events are scheduled to air on Thursday nights, with one event slated for Friday night. NBC Sports Network’s ARCA racing coverage premieres Thursday, August 1, at 11 p.m. ET with the Winchester Speedway race. The race from Berlin Raceway will air on Thursday, August 15, at 11 p.m. ET, and the Madison International Speedway event will air on Thursday night, August 29, at 11 p.m. ET. The event from the one-mile dirt oval at the Illinois State Fairgrounds will air on Friday, August 23 at 11 p.m. ET.



“We look forward to presenting the excitement of the ARCA Racing Series to motorsports fans on NBC Sports Network for the first time,” said Mike Perman, Vice President, Programming, NBC Sports Group. 



ARCA races from Winchester Speedway (Herr’s Chase the Taste 200) on June 30; Berlin Raceway (Berlin ARCA 200) on August 10; The Illinois State Fairgrounds (Allen Crowe 100) on August 18, and Madison International Speedway (Herr’s Live Life With Flavor 200) on August 25, comprise the televised event package.

For more, visit www.arcaracing.com.

Nissan has unveiled the groundbreaking ZEOD RC—the world's fastest electric racing car that will reach speeds of more than 300km/h with electric technology at the Le Mans 24 Hours.

The ZEOD RC (Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car) will make its race debut at next year's Le Mans 24 Hour. Nissan will trial variants of new electric drivetrain technologies as part of its intended future return to LM P1 competition to challenge for overall victory at the world's most prestigious endurance race.

Nissan's invitation from the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) to compete in the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours was announced by Nissan Chairman and CEO, Carlos Ghosn in Japan in February. The car will compete under the ACO's ‘Garage 56' entry—an additional spot on the grid for vehicles that showcase new and innovative technology.

Run as a Nissan/Nismo full factory international program with input from Japan, Europe and the US, the Nissan ZEOD RC design team is headed by Ben Bowlby, who has been newly appointed as Nissan's Director of Motorsport Innovation and previously worked on the Nissan DeltaWing program in 2012.

While the car will not race until next year's Le Mans 24 Hours, Nissan has kicked off a unique aspect of the program—race fans getting the chance to unveil the car in the public area of the Circuit de la Sarthe. Nissan intends to draw back the curtain for fans across the globe to provide continued updates via its international partnership with YouTube and its Nismo.TV channel.

"Nissan has become a global leader in the development of zero emission automotive technology and the Nissan ZEOD RC will allow us to further develop those capabilities using the toughest endurance race in the world as a mobile test bed to test the potential of our planned LM P1 power train," said Andy Palmer, Executive Vice President and Executive Committee member at Nissan Motor Company Ltd.

"The Nissan ZEOD RC is a natural progression that follows on from the development of the Nissan Leaf road car and the Leaf RC race car prototype. The technologies developed through the ZEOD RC program will form part of future innovations for Nissan road cars.”

"The ZEOD RC program is designed to develop multiple technologies to evaluate how they could be used for a future LM P1 class return of Nissan at the Le Mans 24 Hour,” Palmer added. “There are multiple options we are investigating. A Zero Emission on Demand option where the driver can switch between electric and petrol-powered drive is a future direction for road cars, so that will be tested in addition to pure electric power and other new technologies that we still have under development.

"As no other manufacturer is using electric battery technology in endurance racing today, Nissan is innovating again, and this will provide us with significant amounts of data and information to evaluate potential powertrains for future sports car programs and allow us to continue as the leader in Zero Emissions technology on the road."

Launched in 2010, the Nissan Leaf has become the world's best-selling all-electric car. Nissan launched the Nissan Leaf RC in 2011—a race car prototype powered by the same 107-hp electric motor that is used in the road car.

While current battery technology does not provide the energy storage capacity to race a solely electric Le Mans prototype, Nissan ZEOD RC designer Ben Bowlby believes the development of the car will be an important step in the "electrification" of the race cars of the future.

Nissan will partner with tire manufacturer Michelin to produce tires for the new prototype. Nissan previously joined forces with Michelin on the Nissan DeltaWing program.

The Nissan ZEOD RC will make its testing debut later this summer.

Lucas Oil and the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series presented by GEICO have finalized a 5-year agreement with the Gila River Indian Community to continue bringing short course off road racing to Wild Horse Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona.

Formerly called Firebird International Raceway, Wild Horse Motorsports Park is under new management led by Paul Clayton and Darren Smith of Copper Train Development Partners. Most recently, Copper Train Development Partners hired longtime Daytona International Speedway track executive Dick Hahne to oversee operations.

The track has been a fixture on the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series schedule and was the site of this season's opening event March 15-17. It has been closed since March 30 while undergoing reorganization and repairs, and will reopen soon under its new management.

In related news, the National Hot Rod Association has entered into a multi-year agreement with Sun Valley Marina Corp., a corporation of the Gila River Indian Community, to bring an NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event to the facility beginning in 2014. The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series has visited the Valley of the Sun since 1985.

Beyond the national event, preserving the right to race for the local and regional racers is very important to the NHRA, and this agreement ensures that the track will remain open for business.

The track is scheduled to open in September and will begin running NHRA’s racing programs in October.

The NHRA will announce its 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule soon, but the Phoenix event should take place in its traditional spot at the beginning of the season. The facility also will continue to host an NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series divisional event.

The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors has elected to update the Foundation's rules and induction process to maintain the integrity for inductees. 
 


“Since 1990, when the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame began inducting individuals for their lifetime achievements in sprint car racing, the integrity of our induction process has always been the highest in the motorsports industry. And, our Board has been working for months to ensure that moving forward, only the best of the best will continue to be inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, upholding this tradition,” stated Bob Baker, executive director of the foundation.


“When the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame began enshrining inductees back in 1990, it was necessary to get the ball rolling and induct as many as 20 inductees per year. And for years afterwards, through 2013, we have inducted approximately 12 individuals per year to honor them for their accomplishments in sprint car racing,” he continued.

“Beginning in 2014, only eight inductees will be enshrined into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame each year, to maintain the integrity of their accomplishments,” Baker said. “Yes, this does make it harder for an individual to become inducted. But, it is a method to insure that only those at the upper echelon of sprint car racing are rewarded for their dedication to our sport, and guarantees that only the best are enshrined into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame family of inductees in the future.”
 


Board president Jeff Savage commended the Board for working over many months to review the process and implement the move from 12 to eight inductees per year for the 25th year of inductions.

“We haven’t changed the two-step process for elections, or the fact that we will have up to 72 National Induction Committee members voting on both nominations and final ballots,” Savage said. “What we voted on was to uphold the integrity of the induction process, and insure that only those who are ‘truly deserving’ become inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. The Board also weighed the many suggestions and ideas that they had received from within the sprint car racing fraternity and implemented as many of those suggestions and ideas as they thought were practical,” he said. 


In the past, the National Induction Committee voters nominated candidates in three categories—driver oriented, vehicle oriented, and event oriented—as well as three eras—modern, vintage, and pioneer.

Going forward, voters will elect three drivers, two vehicle oriented individuals, and two event oriented individuals from any time period. The final inductee will be from any category but must have been involved in the sport prior to 1945.

Additionally, all inductees must receive a minimum of 25 percent of the National Induction Committee members’ votes to become inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. 
 


“Our current Board of Directors reviewed our induction process for several meetings and developed the method above where eight individuals will be rewarded for their lifetime commitment to sprint car racing beginning at our 25th Annual National Sprint Car Hall of Fame induction banquet on Saturday, May 31, 2014, and moving forward,” Baker added.
 
For more information on the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame’s induction process or the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum, visit www.sprintcarhof.com or call 800/874-4488.

ProMedia has recently realigned its staff to better serve its print and online customers. 

Rob Kinnan rejoins the staff of Fastest Street Car serving as Editor-at-Large. Kinnan served as Editorial Director of both Fastest Street Car Magazine and its sister publication, Race Pages, from 1999-2005 before leaving to serve as Editor of Hot Rod Magazine.

Scott Sparrow, who has served as FSC’s Editor since 2002 and Editorial Director since 2008, will be heading up the company’s online division, as its first Digital Manager. 

Evan Perkins, who joined the staff of FSC last fall, has been promoted to Senior Editor of Fastest Street Car Magazine, and will take over the daily management of the publication with Kinnan. 

ProMedia Founder and CEO, Steve Wolcott said the changes position ProMedia to meet the demands of today’s media-savvy consumer.

“Eighteen months ago we launched our new websites and Social Media platforms with the intent to create new places for racers, sponsors and fans of NMRA, NMCA, NMCA WEST, and of heads-up drag racing in general to gather and read the latest news, rumors and technical stories about a sport they’re passionate about,” Wolcott said. “I’m looking forward to watching our publishing and digital divisions grow over the coming year.”

For more information on ProMedia, log on to www.promediapub.com or call 714/444-2426.

After discussions and intensive input from many drivers and promoters, the WISSOTA Promoters Association is making an additional adjustment to the new tire rule as applied to the Street Stocks, Midwest Modifieds, Super Stocks and Modifieds.

The 35R tire will still be mandatory on both rear tires of all Super Stock and Modified cars as of June 27, 2013. In addition, beginning on July 11, the 35R will be allowed on the front of the Super Stocks and Modifieds as a front option. The 35R is not allowed anywhere on these cars until June 27.

Midwest Modifieds and Street Stocks will be allowed to run the 35R tire as an option any place on the car, front or rear; however, the 35R cannot be used anyplace on the car until July 11.

There are no further adjustments to the tire rule anticipated.

For more information, visit wissota.org.

Oliver Racing Parts has announced that it will sponsor the 65th annual SpeedWeek at the world-famous Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, August 10-16, 2013.

The sponsorship will bring a notable Oliver presence to the land-speed racing event, including the company’s logo embroidered on 2500 hats that will be given to participants. Banners will also be placed at the inspection area, near the announcing tower and at the starting lines of all four courses.

“Our connecting rods are designed for high-performance applications and Bonneville SpeedWeek inspires hundreds of racers to push every bit of performance out of their engines,” said Joseph A. Moch, president and CEO of Oliver Racing Parts. “As we celebrate 30 years of business, it’s a natural fit for Oliver to be part of this history-making event.”

The event is hosted by the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) and the Bonneville Nationals Inc. (BNI), attracting more than 500 racers from around the world to the area. In 2012, more than 3000 vehicle runs were made attempting to break land-speed records, and more than 12,000 spectators came to view the event.

Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Oliver Racing Parts is celebrating its 30th anniversary of manufacturing high-performance connecting rods. Oliver-equipped vehicles participate in a variety of races, including circle track, Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League, drag racing and Baja off-road racing.

Information on the Bonneville SpeedWeek can be found at www.scta-bni.org. For more on Oliver’s line of connecting rods, visit www.oliverracingparts.com.

The International Hot Rod Association has announced that the Estevan Drag Racing Association, located in Estevan, Saskatchewan in Canada, will be joining the IHRA family of member tracks beginning in 2014 when the track is scheduled to open for business. 



Led by Greg Hoffart, the head of track development, along with president Dave Krahn, vice-president Shaun Johnson and project secretary Jim Forrest, the Estevan Drag Racing Association officially broke ground two months ago and is on track to open its doors to Canadian racers sometime in 2014.

The track will become the eighth Canadian track to join the IHRA member track family and the first in the province of Saskatchewan. The IHRA has member tracks in five Canadian provinces.

“With the size of the property and the current plans to expand, Estevan will one day be a nice option to host a Summit Team Finals or Summit Pro-Am in the future, giving Division 6 even more of a presence in western Canada," said Phil Gingerich, IHRA Director of Track Development. "Estevan is truly an exciting addition to our track family and will only help strengthen that division and our Canadian expansion program.”

Located on over 100 acres and in a motorsports-rich complex, with an oval track, go-kart track and more located just next door, Estevan’s dragstrip is expected to be a revenue generator for the region.

For more information on the Estevan Drag Racing Association or to learn more on the IHRA and its family of member tracks visit www.ihra.com.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (DRR), longtime IndyCar participant, and SH Racing, partner in the KV-SH 2013 Indy 500 winning car, are entering Global Rallycross to field the “Star Car” at the 2013 X Games Los Angeles in conjunction with GRC champions OMSE2.

Both DRR and SH Racing, who had separate entries in this year’s Indianapolis 500, see their unified expansion into Global Rallycross as a way to broaden their footprint within motorsports.

“GRC is an emerging sport which will bring our sponsor partners a whole new audience and serves as a great complement to our IndyCar efforts,” said Robbie Buhl, former Indy Lights champion, IZOD IndyCar Series winning driver and current co-owner of DRR.

For SH Racing, this event marks a return to Action Sports.

“This is a homecoming for us in that we’re expanding back into our roots in Action Sports with the entry into X Games,” said SH Racing Principal James “Sulli” Sullivan. “Coming straight off the Indy 500 victory, X Games will be another huge win for our sponsors and stakeholders.”

X Games Los Angeles Rallycross will take place at California’s Irwindale Speedway on August 4, 2013. The event will be broadcast live on ESPN.

Lucas Oil Products, Inc. and Lucas Oil Production Studios have announced that a new three-year agreement with CBS Broadcasting has been reached. 

This contract renewal will provide TV coverage through the 2016 race season.
 
As part of the CBS Sports Spectacular package, viewers will receive 12 hours of original Lucas Oil Motorsports programming annually, including the intense Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series.

"We are excited to be extending the relationship with CBS, which will provide continued high profile coverage of various Lucas Oil Racing properties. Fans and sponsors will be able to follow the racing action from the beginning of the season to the final championship points races," said Bob Patison, Executive Vice-President of Lucas Oil Products, Inc. 

"CBS will air the Lucas Oil race action during prime weekend time slots," he added, "giving our teams and sponsors prominent exposure before a national audience."

CBS is available nationwide to 115 million homes through broadcast, cable, and satellite transmissions. For more information, go to www.lucasoil.com or www.lucasoiloffroad.com.