The Irwindale Event Center management team has designated Thursdays as the new "test and tune" nights for stock car and open wheel teams that compete on the twin-ring third and half-mile Irwindale Speedway ovals.
 
This new service will begin this Thursday, August 16, and continue as long as there is demand for track use. Gates open at 2:30 p.m. with practice starting at 4:30 and running until 9 p.m.
 
All competition cars will need to pass a full sanctioning body-style safety check before being allowed on the Speedway, and driver's safety equipment must meet all sanctioning body requirements.
 
A maximum of ten (10) cars will be accepted for each Thursday night session and advance reservations are necessary. The fee is $200 per car, paid by credit card at the time the reservation is booked.
 
There will need to be a minimum of three (3) cars signed up in order for any Thursday evening practice sessions to be held.
 
To reserve a slot at an upcoming Thursday night practice session, contact Mike Atkinson, Tuesday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 626/407-8661.

The National Tractor Pullers Association (NTPA) pulls into the Wood County Fairgrounds for the 46th annual National Tractor Pulling Championships in Bowling Green, Ohio, later this week.

The National Tractor Pulling Championships is the largest outdoor truck and tractor pulling event in the country and showcases the top competitors in the sport of truck and tractor pulling.

Record crowds are anticipated for this spectacular display of motorsports power. Competitors are vying for the coveted Bowling Green Championship Ring and bragging rights after claiming a victory at this NTPA Super National Event.

The schedule is as follows:

* Friday, August 17, 1 p.m.: Two Wheel Drive Trucks, Super Stock Open Tractors, Super Farm Tractors and Light Super Stock Tractors
* Friday, August 17, 7:30 p.m.: Modified Tractors, Four Wheel Drive Trucks, Modified Mini Tractors, Super Stock Diesel Tractors and Semis
* Saturday, August 18, Noon: Modified Tractors, Four Wheel Drive Trucks, Super Farm Tractors and Super Stock Diesel Tractors
* Saturday, August 18, 6:30 p.m.: Pro Stock Tractors, Super Stock Open Tractors, Two Wheel Drive Trucks, Unlimited Modified Tractors and Region II 4x4 Super Stock Diesel Trucks
* Sunday, August 19, Noon: Unlimited Modified Tractors, Pro Stock Tractors, Semi Trucks, Modified Mini Tractors, Light Super Stock Tractors and Region II 4x4 Super Stock Diesel Trucks

For ticket information, visit the National Tractor Pulling Championships Web site at www.pulltown.com or call 888/385-7855. Tickets are available online or at the gate on the day of the event.

Advance tickets are $20 per session, $40 per two-session day (Friday or Saturday), or $100 for a three-day pass. On the day of the event, tickets are $22 per session or $44 per two-session day (Friday or Saturday) or $110 for a three-day pass. For all sessions, children ages 10 and younger are admitted free.

Race fans, families, cancer survivors, and cyclists return this coming weekend to Road America's four miles of sweeping turns, hills and natural scenic beauty for the 9th annual SUBARU Tour de Road America "Bike Ride to Fight Cancer" on August 17 at 6:30 p.m. CT.



They will be joined on the track by professional racing drivers, teams and their families from the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón, Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Championship, USF2000 Championship and other racing series. Together, they aim to raise $25,000 for three organizations that support cancer survivorship: the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer, the official charity of the American Le Mans Series, as well as LIVESTRONG and the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

The Road America course challenges cyclists with its hills, but is still family-friendly. Entire families will come out and enjoy four miles of smooth racing surface, with no cars and no traffic. The fundraising ride follows Friday's auto racing activities and is open to cyclists of all abilities, and all kinds of bikes.

For many cyclists and race fans, it's the highlight of the summer—the chance to turn laps on the smooth track alongside their racing heroes as the sun sets over the scenic Kettle Moraine countryside of Elkhart Lake.



Guy Cosmo, driver of the No. 02 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari F458 Italia in the ALMS GT class took to a bike for the 2011 event and is now a serious cyclist. Other drivers from the American Le Mans Series scheduled to appear include Cosmo's ESM teammates Ed Brown and Johannes Van Overbeek, Bruno Junquiera, Colin Braun, Martin Plowman, actor/driver Patrick Dempsey and his teammate Joe Foster, Duncan Ende, Jeremy Dale, and Henri Richard. 



A silent auction of one-of-a-kind motorsports memorabilia, cycling gear, and local items will take place on Friday and Saturday, culminating just before the start of the American Le Mans Series feature race on Saturday afternoon.



For more information and to register for the ride, visit www.pelotonride.org.

Longtime GRAND-AM competitor Team Sahlen recently announced their entry into the 2013 GRAND-AM Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Class.

The race car of choice will be the BMW – Riley, the precise package that has carried the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing to back-to-back Daytona Prototype Championships. Within this transition, Team Sahlen will be entering two BMW – Riley entries. 



Team Sahlen’s #42 Daytona Prototype will be driven by Wayne Nonnamaker & Dane Cameron. The “Wayne & Dane Show” moves from the GT field to the Daytona Prototype class. Lead Driver Dane Cameron is no stranger to prototype racing. Having cut his teeth in Open Wheel racing, Dane made his transition into Sports Car racing driving for several teams, including Chip Ganassi Racing.



The #43 BMW – Riley will be chauffeured by the trio of Joe Sahlen, Joe Nonnamaker and Will Nonnamaker. The three drivers will all be entered as Sportsman Drivers for the Rolex Daytona Prototype Jim Trueman Award. Currently, this will be the only entry in Daytona Prototype with the driver lineup being exclusively Sportsman Drivers.

The Dale Jr. Foundation has rejuvenated its Camaro giveaway program by incentivizing the raffle and offering ticket buyers the chance to win more prizes.

Now with the purchase of a $25 ticket, entrants not only become eligible to win Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s personal 2011 Chevrolet Camaro convertible but also VIP race weekend experiences and monthly prizes such as autographed sheet metal and merchandise.

The Dale Jr. Foundation will draw among each month’s ticket buyers and award prizes from now until the promotion’s end on October 1.

This is the second year Earnhardt Jr. has given away a Camaro from his own collection. Like he did last year, NASCAR’s nine-time Most Popular Driver will personally hand over the keys to one lucky winner.

This year, the inferno orange 2011 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS Convertible is equipped with a 6.2L V8 engine and 6-speed automatic transmission with tap shifter. It features a black interior with inferno orange accents on the front and rear seats, and 20-inch aluminum wheels finished in midnight silver.

Winner of the runner-up drawing will win a VIP race experience that includes round-trip airfare for two, pit/garage access, and seats atop the JR Motorsports No. 88 team pit box for any NASCAR Nationwide Series event of their choosing.

The third-place winner will receive a race-weekend package to the Nationwide Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2013. This package includes pit and garage access, round-trip airfare for two and $200 spending money in the JR Nation store.

Monthly prizes include race-used sheet metal, autographed diecast cars and official crew shirts.

Fans can log on to www.WinDaleJrsRide.com to enter. The raffle ends October 1, 2012. No more than 8,888 tickets will be sold.

The Dale Jr. Foundation is a charity dedicated to giving underprivileged individuals with a focus on youth, the resources to improve their confidence and education, and the opportunity to achieve extraordinary goals. For more information, visit www.thedalejrfoundation.org.

Circuit of The Americas has begun an intensive paving process that is required to prepare the racing circuit and entire facility for the inaugural 2012 Formula One United States Grand Prix, scheduled for November 16-18.

The massive paving project will involve final paving of the 3.4-mile racing surface, venue access and service roads, and walkways around the property. A paving project this large and complex requires acute attention to detail to ensure the finished surface can accommodate varying weather conditions, as well as high performance vehicles racing at extremely high speeds throughout the year.

Defined as “echelon paving,” the process involves three to four paving machines moving in unison along the racetrack surface to ensure a uniform, seamless top layer of asphalt.

The process and equipment are considered to be highly specialized. One particular instance in which this paving machine is being used is in Central Texas to pave the State Highway 130 extension.

The pavement material itself has a unique composition compared to that used for public roadways. It is required to be highly skid-resistant for the type of vehicles driving on the track, as well as the high speeds being reached. The composition ensures consistency of texture, smoothness of ride, and the conformance to the specifications outlined by motorsports governing body, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).

Approximately 10,500 tons of hot mix asphalt is used to pave the track itself.

The paving process will limit access to on-site visits and interviews. The Circuit of The Americas communications team will work to accommodate media interviews or meetings at its downtown offices during this time.

Drag racing's first quarter-mile showman “TV Tommy” Ivo, who is one of NHRA's Top 50 Drivers, has been named grand marshal of the 21st annual California Hot Rod Reunion presented by Automobile Club of Southern California, scheduled for October 19-21 at the Auto Club Famoso Raceway near Bakersfield.
 
Ivo's first drag race was 60 years ago in a 66 mph ’52 Buick at Saugus Drag Strip. His last race was 30 years ago on his farewell tour in his Showboat four-engine Buick station wagon.
        
In between there were 36 different cars in 12 different classes. His Model T street roadster earned countless drag race and car show trophies, as well as magazine features and movie appearances.

Ivo will be joined by Honorees the Brissette Brothers, Bob and Jim; the Mallicoat Brothers, Gary and Jerry; Jim Nicoll, Marv Ripes, and Ed Sigmon. Ivo and the Honorees will be recognized at the free Honoree Reception held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Bakersfield on Friday, October 19, at 7 p.m.

Three-day credentials are $65 per person. Advance ticket sales include a goody bag with program, dash plaque, hard card and other great goodies. Kids 15 and under are free accompanied by a paid adult.

Tickets are available online at www.nhratix.com, or call 800/884-NHRA (6472).

All proceeds raised at the California Hot Rod Reunion benefit the programs and exhibits at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum located in Pomona, California.

Approximately 80 racing industry members joined the Performance Racing Industry team for a special Manufacturers Luncheon on Friday, August 10, co-hosted by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum in Knoxville, Iowa.

Local car builders, race teams, engine builders and more, as well as those in town for the Knoxville Nationals, enjoyed the camaraderie of old friends and new ones alike at this popular event, which also featured lunch catered by the Rib Shack.

Those in attendance included representatives from World Racing Group, Superflow, Allstar Performance, Donovan Engineering, Rod End Supply, Speedway Motors, Supershox, Jtec, Champion Brands, Maxim Chassis, among many others.

PRI gift bags were distributed to all attendees and Sprint Car Hall of Fame volunteers. And providing some nostalgic fun, a race broadcast from the 1991 Knoxville Nationals was shown.

“We’d like to give big thanks and credit to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and their hardworking staff," said Jeff Swoboda, PRI sales and marketing manager, who added that plans were already under way for PRI and the Sprint Car Hall of Fame to co-host the event again in 2013.

Dover International Speedway officials have announced the 2013 NASCAR race dates. Two tripleheaders of racing action will return to the Monster Mile on May 31-June 2 and September 27-29, 2013.



New next season, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying will return to its traditional Friday afternoon time on the schedule as it precedes that afternoon’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in the spring and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race in the fall.



Both race weekends will again feature three days of action, including the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in the spring; and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in the fall.



In addition, the Monster Mile’s three-tier pricing program will return, rewarding fans with the lowest prices from the track and encouraging fans to buy early and save.



Tickets for the May 31-June 2, 2013, race weekend are currently on sale. Fans can begin placing deposits on tickets for the September 27-29, 2013, race weekend during Dover’s September 28-30, 2012, race weekend. Returning fans have the opportunity to renew their same seats for the 2013 race weekends.

For tickets or to place a deposit, call 800/441-RACE. For additional information, visit DoverSpeedway.com.

Beginning August 13, cars from the Shelby American Collection and from the Miller Motorsport family of companies will begin a journey to California and back to celebrate Carroll Shelby’s life’s work—the Cobra, one of the most important automobiles ever made.

“The Shelby American Collection…showcases the accomplishments of Carroll Shelby and the Shelby American team and the incredible history made with those cars. The dedication and passion of the people behind the museum to preserve that history really comes through,” said Allen Grant, the 1965 World Manufacturers Champion Driver for the Shelby American Team.

The trip will include stops at:

•    The Ford’s Cobra Heritage Display at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway (August 17-19)
•    The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance (August 19)
•    The 16th Annual Shelby American Collection Party at the Shelby American Collection in Boulder, Colorado (September 8)

The Shelby American Collection is the most extensive collection of Shelby manufactured cars, including two of the most important cars in Shelby racing history: the iconic CSX2345 289 FIA roadster, the fifth of the original five Cobra roadsters responsible for the first American-made car victory at the FIA World Manufacturer’s Championship in 1965; and the “Ken Miles” car, the CSX2341 Cobra roadster that was used as a development car for the 1964-1965 Cobra team cars and which was tested, modified, and almost exclusively driven by racing icon Ken Miles.

The September 8 event will include an outdoor show featuring a variety of vintage cars, various members of the Shelby American Team, a silent auction of unique Shelby memorabilia, and much more, in addition to the museum’s collection of Cobras, GT 40s, and Shelby Mustangs.

The legendary Carroll Shelby passed away on May 10, 2012, at the age of 89.