Fifth Third Bank in Charlotte, North Carolina, has a long history of working with motorsports manufacturers, distributors, teams, and tracks. “We understand their cashflow cycles that other banks might not,” said a company source.

From dedicated shop management software to affordable eCommerce solutions, PRI uncovers the products and services that are designed to benefit motorsports operations.

Coming to the close of what has been a challenging year, and with more uncertainty ahead, PRI thought it would be helpful to explore some of the areas where motorsports businesses could enhance operations and possibly boost profitability. In some cases, that might mean a review of current financing situations and insurance policies, while for others it means using software to streamline operations, or finally adding an eCommerce component to their business.

We looked for products and services that could be especially beneficial to small businesses, particularly choices that were more affordable and easier to implement than what some might have considered in the past. For example, offering and fulfilling online sales was once an extremely complex and expensive proposition for small businesses. And, without the ability to offer inexpensive two-day shipping, there was no way to compete with larger warehouse operations. But that’s changed. In the pages ahead we’ll show options for adding online sales, and also a relatively new warehouse and shipping system that lower what had been formidable barriers to joining eCommerce.

Let’s start right in the heart of the industry—performance installers.

PERFORMANCE SHOP MANAGEMENT MADE EASY: MY SHOP ASSIST

Management software geared for standard repair shops using a flat-rate billing model usually doesn’t work well for performance shops, where each job is unique and has its own challenges. And so, about eight years ago, Kevin Dubois, owner of Evolution Dynamics in Lewisville, Texas, a shop that specializes in upgrades and race builds for the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and friend Todd Earsley, developed My Shop Assist (MSA), a cloud-based solution, expressly for this segment.

MSA accurately tracks the time and parts for performance installations and builds. It’s also quite affordable at $99 per month (or $999 per year) with no contract or seat licenses to buy. And, there are no limits on users, number of jobs in the system, or photos uploaded. The program offers a free 30-day trial, and includes tech support and detailed tutorial videos.

My Shop Assist runs on any Internet-enabled device or computer (phone, tablet, PC, Mac, Chromebook, etc.). There is no additional software to buy or install. The program is easy to use yet sophisticated enough to document all time and parts expended for all jobs, including complex modifications and builds. My Shop Assist can export data directly to QuickBooks to automatically generate an invoice.

A calendar integrated into My Shop Assist enables the shop owner or manager to assign jobs to techs. When techs start work, the jobs will appear on a to-do list on their devices. Alongside each job will be a complete list of parts needed and the status of parts stock in the shop, or parts on order.

“It’s easy to see at a glance which cars are waiting for parts,” said Dubois. “Parts can be easily marked as ‘need to order.’ At one point during the day, you pull up a page showing all parts needed and order them for all cars in the shop.”

As work progresses, the tech can upload photos to document the work. Customers can log in to check on their own cars, reducing distracting phone calls to the shop. Clicking one button generates a status update email and sends it to the customer, using an email address already in the system.

Critical to performance shops, MSA maintains a database of every project. For example, an engine build can be reviewed or duplicated right down to specs like bearing clearances, piston weights, ring gaps, etc., and all with photos showing previous builds. If your business outsources some work to other shops that also use MSA, you can log in to check on the status of that stage of the project.

GETTING ONLINE: HPCOMMERCE ORION

At one time, selling online required businesses to pull together various systems and vendors, and the result might still not be something tailored to performance and racing. Enter hpCommerce Orion software, which is designed for performance and motorsports businesses and costs just $400 per year. That includes US-based tech support and regular software updates.

Orion can automatically take an order from a sales channel such as the business’s own website, eBay, or Amazon, and move it through a tightly integrated order fulfillment process that includes order management, picking, packing, and shipping. (Adding on a complete domestic UPS and FedEx shipping system is optional.) System integrations include pricing and product updates for Motor State Distributing, Engine Performance Warehouse, National Performance Warehouse, Atech Motorsports, and SEMA Data Co-Op.

“Orion is designed exclusively for the performance racing and motorsports verticals,” said Rhett Scott of hpCommerce, Muncie, Indiana. “These are the only businesses that we have been taking care of for 29 years.”

According to hpCommerce, nearly a quarter of Orion users are performance retailers, followed by machine shops and engine builders at about 12% each. Scott said the average gross sales per month for Orion users is less than $30,000. The system, however, is designed to accommodate businesses of all sizes, and it easily handles point-of-sale to make trackside sales possible, with barcode reading part of the package.

Orion also features integrated payment processing and validates credit cards, including flagging mismatched billing and mailing addresses. The system is PCI (payment card industry) compliant to store customer credit cards for easier repeat buying.

“Our company and products are designed to service 80% of the industry,” said Scott. “That 80% are small businesses, the soul of the industry.”

For manufacturers, the Orion system includes automated data pushes to Motor State Distributing, AAM, JEGS, Summit, or any other company that can accept an FTP feed. Integrations also include Yellow Hat Web eCommerce and Shopping Cart and, as options, Amazon and eBay.

“We integrate directly to three of the five largest volume gateways,” said Scott, who also noted that setup is easy, and, for “a small added charge,” hpCommerce can convert customer and vendor data, inventory, and part numbers that a business has stored in QuickBooks. Also, once connected to a business’s email system, Orion can easily send customer communications.

PAY-AS-YOU-GO LOGISTICS: WARE2GO

Getting your products online is only one piece of the eCommerce story. For small and even midsize businesses, the more challenging and expensive part can be providing quick, consistent, and reliable fulfillment to compete with large operations.

Today, the “quick” part means meeting consumer and B2B expectations for low-cost or free two-day ground delivery with an option for overnight shipping. Offering such service had usually required setting up warehousing in different regions or contracting for third-party logistics. Either option can be very expensive and risky.

A third choice, Ware2Go, introduced a “pay-per-piece” logistics model in 2018. The company, now 93% owned by UPS, connects clients to a cloud-based warehouse management network, which includes 40 warehouses around the country. Most businesses typically use a “3DC” model, which includes three warehouses, explained Steve Denton of Ware2Go, Atlanta, Georgia.

If a client has its own warehouse, Ware2Go augments it with two more in other areas of the country. The company will identify warehouse locations that can provide clients with 98% of US population coverage for two-day ground delivery, and about 50% population coverage for overnight delivery.

All warehouses in the network are equipped with Ware2Go’s inventory-scanning technology, merchant services and support, and automatic invoicing. This technology, Denton explained, is integrated with a business’s existing shopping cart system.

“For manufacturers, Ware2Go offers the flexibility to sell through dealers and direct, or enable your dealers or distributors to sell direct,” said Denton.

Ware2Go’s cost includes monthly warehouse storage (fixed cost) and the per-piece cost for pick, pack, and ship (variable cost).

“There’s no contract period,” confirmed Denton. Merchants that have an internal system for taking orders can be set up with Ware2Go in 30 days; most of that time is to get inventory to the warehouses. Ware2Go analyzes two years of shipping history and promotional strategy to forecast demand, then optimizes placement of each SKU in the warehouses.

“We’re connected to all the commercial order management systems, all the commercial shopping carts. It’s just getting a daily feed of the orders,” said Denton.

Critically, using Ware2Go enables merchants to use popular marketplaces by meeting their service-level-agreement thresholds for uptime, shipping times, billing, and other parameters.

“When you’re selling on marketplaces like Revzilla, for example, you have to be able to do third-party billing, and we offer that,” said Denton. “If it’s in our system by 3 p.m., and the inventory is in the warehouse, we’ll ship the same day and email the customer a tracking number.”

Another benefit of a multi-warehouse approach is meeting sudden business demands. In an emergency, such as weather that closes one warehouse, you could ship inventory from other parts of the country.

DIVERSIFICATION BOOSTS PROFITS: FIFTH THIRD BANK

The time-tested “diversify, diversify, diversify” mantra that investors tout can also work for motorsports businesses, especially in crisis times. That’s a key piece of advice from David Morton and Alan Sulek of Fifth Third Bank in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank has a long history of supporting motorsports manufacturers, distributors, teams, and tracks.

Morton said builders that expanded the types of racing they serve have done well this year, even through the COVID-19 slowdown. Fifth Third Bank helped businesses that diversified by going outside of racing, applying their skills and expertise to other industries.

“There’s a specialized skill set in the racing industry, building things to extremely high quality and tolerances, that other industries need,” Morton said. “Some suppliers have advanced technology that can be applied to other work. We saw some go into aeronautical. Some did government work, though that can be hard to get.”

For example, the bank helped a chassis manufacturer add a product outside the racing industry, which yielded some of its best months this year. A financing package tailored to adding a new manufacturing line included permanent working capital with a line of credit and flexible terms.

Morton and Sulek remain focused on motorsports and are optimistic for its future prospects, particularly grassroots racing. “There’s a lot of passion and momentum behind it,” said Morton. “We see it positioned well for continued growth.”

Both pointed to the new Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) set to launch in 2021 as a potential boost for the racing industry. A short-track drivers’ series started by Ray Evernham, Tony Stewart, and others, SRX adopts some aspects of the old IROC series, such as using identically prepared cars. Drivers will come from NASCAR, World of Outlaws, and IndyCar to compete in a six-race series scheduled to be televised by CBS next summer.

Morton and Sulek expect to attend SRX events, as they do for about 50 other races a year.

“We’re in the garages with the teams, the suppliers,” said Morton. “This gives us a unique knowledge and makes it easier when they’re looking to get capital. We understand their cashflow cycles that other banks might not. They don’t have to do a lot of explaining. We get it.”

CALIBRATING COVERAGE: ALLIANT / SPECIALTY EQUIPMENT INSURANCE ALLIANCE

Any time is the right time for a performance installer to assess whether it has the right insurance coverage, but that’s not always easy. According to Franco Ganino, senior vice president of Alliant/Specialty Equipment Insurance Alliance in San Marcos, California, this segment is underserved.

“If you’re a performance shop, in most cases you’re elevating horsepower, really driving your reputation on extreme alterations to a vehicle’s powertrain,” Ganino said. “In most cases, the garage insurance marketplace does not want those clients. In their minds, they feel that comes with high risk due to the high-hazard nature of when things fail in these cars.”

New shops buying a commercial insurance policy for the first time often overlook their true insurance needs, according to Ganino, especially if they’re working with a general business insurance agency. Also, general auto repair facilities that branch into performance work may not be aware of the insurance implications.

Alliant can help make that process easier with its Installers Edge product. Designed for car builders, jobbers, and retailers, this policy provides general liability coverage while simultaneously filling a number of other critical types of insurance needs. Ganino pointed out that the policy is the fastest-growing product he’s seen in the company’s partnership with SEMA over 30 years.

Especially with new performance installers, Ganino sometimes sees critical insurance mistakes from the beginning. He explained that some buy premise liability and garage liability, and leave many other areas exposed to risk. Missing might be garage keeper’s coverage to protect the vehicles left in their care, custody, and control. Without that, damage to a customer’s car is not covered, and the shop owner is left to tell the customer to file a claim with their own insurance company.

“The stakes are high when a customer’s car is damaged, especially a classic or specially built car,” said Ganino. “Cars fall off lifts more often than you think. Or, the parking brake is not set, and the car rolls down the street. And, in some states, hail damage is a big issue.”

Ganino said he has also encountered some shops that, while having garage keeper’s coverage, may have a type of policy that leaves too much exposure.

“We had someone who bought a garage keeper’s policy [from a competitor] that he later realized was on an excess basis, not direct primary,” he said. “You’ll get an instant negative reaction from the customer in the event of damage.”

Another often-overlooked type of coverage included in the Installer’s Edge product is non-owned auto liability, which covers taking customers’ vehicles on road tests. Regular garage liability insurance does not provide this coverage.

FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS FOR TRACK OPERATORS: SPORTS INSURANCE SPECIALISTS

For track owners and operators, the COVID-19 crisis shined a new light on insurance, and what kind of help track operators could get from their carriers. Fort Wayne, Indiana-based Sports Insurance Specialists (SIS), which insures roughly 200 speedways throughout the US, helped clients navigate restrictions and restart racing as regulations permitted. Lessons from that work can help tracks of all types going forward, and may predict new types of coverage options to consider later.

Jeff Ladd of SIS worked with Dr. Jack Faircloth and attorney Cary Agajanian of Agajanian & Anthony, PC to develop a 10-step guide for safely operating tracks. The plan was posted on the World of Outlaws and DIRTcar Racing websites to help tracks and teams address the concerns of participants and spectators.

“We jumped on that back in March to get ahead of the curve,” said Ladd. “We were trying to help race tracks operate. We helped tracks take a proactive approach. State to state, county to county, everything’s different. Our guidelines adhere to CDC guidelines to try making it a good, safe experience for all.”

Track owners wanted to know how implementing safety plans could affect liability. “That’s a bit of an unknown,” said Ladd. “Once it became a pandemic, insurance companies had exclusions for that. But, from lawyers on the carrier side, we hear it is incredibly hard to prove you got COVID at a track.”

He advised that changes that tracks should be looking at include offering more hand sanitizer stations and using facemasks for a while until an effective vaccine is released.

In terms of tracks looking for cost-cutting ideas, Ladd advised that the company has ways to help with the rating from a liability standpoint. With the question of liability, though, also comes the question of what other types of insurance could be needed or offered down the road.

“Looking to the future, it’s possible that such protection could become an option, but it’s not here now,” said Ladd. “There’s too much that’s unknown. If and when such protection becomes available, track owners would need to decide if they’d want to add it, just as they did with terrorism coverage that became available after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.”

SOURCES

–

Alliant / Specialty Equipment Insurance Alliance

seiainsurance.com

Fifth Third Bank

53.com

hpCommerce Software

hpcommercesoftware.com

International Precision Machining

ipminc.com

Mass Traction

masstraction.com

My Shop Assist

myshopassist.com

Performance Plus Global Logistics

pplusglobal.com

Sports Insurance Specialists

sportsinsurancespecialists.com

Ware2Go

ware2go.com

Lubrication Specialties Inc. (LSI), the manufacturer of Hot Shot’s Secret brand of performance additives and oils and custom lubricant solutions provider for industrial clients, has announced Steve deMoulpied has joined the company as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO).

With over 20 years of experience across multiple industries and functional areas, deMoulpied has expertise in organizations with complex technical products. According to LSI, his skills include corporate strategy, operations improvement, product quality, and revenue cycle management.

DeMoulpied comes to LSI from the private client services practice of Ernst & Young, where he managed strategy and operations improvement engagements for privately held client businesses. He is also the founder of PrestoFresh, a Cleveland based e-commerce food/grocery business.

DeMoulpied has a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Management from the United States Air Force Academy and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Dayton in Marketing and International Business. He served six years with the USAF overseeing the development of technology used on fighter aircraft and the E-3 Surveillance aircraft, finishing his career honorably as Captain.

“Steve’s success in developing operational strategies that improve the bottom line builds teamwork, reduces waste, and ensures quality product development and distribution checks many of the boxes of what we were looking for in a COO. This, coupled with his career in the Air Force working with highly technical systems and his in-depth understanding of Lean Six Sigma and Business Process Management sealed our offer,” LSI President Brett Tennar said.

For more information, visit lubricationspecialties.com.

A fortunate turn of events gave rise to this Midwest-based dirt late model powerhouse whose owner-driver bond is as notable as its on-track success.

“It’s a hard deal to be in this sport as a car owner,” said Bob Cullen. “If you take the house cars away and you try to come up with car owners, there’s not many of us.”

Cullen faces that reality every day now. Although a successful racer in his own right, it’s only in the last five years that he’s taken on the role of team owner with someone else behind the wheel—proven full-time dirt late model driver Brian Shirley.

Together they’ve had an outstanding run, consistently finishing in the top five, grabbing year after year of regional championships, and winning enough giant trophy checks to paper an entire wall of their shop. But it hasn’t come easy. With a grueling schedule, tough competition, and the rapidly escalating costs of running a competitive late model team, Cullen and Shirley know the sacrifices it takes to be as successful as they are.

They also know gratitude. Which is to say if they hadn’t met each other, they both might have left racing for good by now.

LUCKY PAIRING

After nearly 20 years of dirt-track racing in and around his native Wisconsin, by 2015 Cullen was approaching his late 40s. Between his businesses, his family, and his young son’s packed sports schedule, he had plenty of other priorities to occupy his time. But he wanted to stay involved in racing. So stepping out of the driver’s seat and becoming a team owner seemed like an ideal solution.

Cullen didn’t plan on that becoming a relatively large operation with a full-time driver so soon. But things took on a life of their own when he met successful late model driver Shirley, from Illinois. The fortunate pairing happened by sheer luck, after several other potential drivers fell through for a late-season 2015 race at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wisconsin. Cullen explained, “My crew guy at the time got to talking at Cedar Lake and he says, ‘You want to get into this stuff full-time? Just make sure you pay him, and he’ll come back.’ So I paid Brian pretty good to be at Cedar Lake, and we built a relationship.”

Cullen’s decision to step out of the driver’s seat couldn’t have come at a better time for Shirley, too. By this point he was in his mid 30s, and he’d had a strong dozen years piloting dirt late models throughout the Midwest. But things were changing in his life. “In about 2015, I decided I was going to throw in the towel because my wife was sick,” said Shirley. “I didn’t feel like having half-a-million, three-quarters-of-a-million-dollars’ worth of equipment and all that stuff wrapped up in this when my wife wasn’t sure what her future was. So I decided to get out of racing. And then the Good Lord blessed me with Bob coming into my life. I really didn’t miss too much of a beat.”

Cullen added, “Two years later, we had three cars in the shop, a semi hauler, four motors, and we’re racing full time. It just all happens.”

VEHICLES FOR SUCCESS

With 16 wins in 2019 alone, Shirley obviously has the talent to make it to victory lane. But even so, much of the team’s success comes from having quality equipment. For that, Cullen and Shirley draw lessons from the Rocket Chassis house team, based in Shinnston, West Virginia. “We don’t reinvent the wheel,” Cullen said. “Mark Richards does a great job. He’s really smart at what he does. He puts good people around him, and they win a lot of races. So we try to mimic that.”

Given that source of inspiration, it was only natural that Cullen would choose the Rocket XR1 chassis for his team’s cars. But he isn’t using these chassis just on blind example of the company’s house team; he cited additional reasons of his own for choosing Rocket: “The information. The availability. You call, something gets taken care of.”

Along with Cullen’s chassis choices, the Rocket team also provided the template for his choice of engine builder, Durham Racing Engines in High Point, North Carolina. According to Cullen, the Rocket team’s endorsement of Durham Engines proved to be well-founded, even as they tried different types of motors. “I like Andy Durham,” said Cullen. “He and I are great friends. I feel like he builds one of the best motors in the country. We started out with Andy, with the Chevy motors, and we tried the wide-bore motors. And then we found out that the Ford D3 was the best motor. Now that’s all we run.”

BACK AT THE SHOP

Although the pairing of Cullen and Shirley is a potent combination, it’s not without challenges. Foremost among them is the physical distance that separates the two. There’s about six hours of driving between Shirley’s shop in Chatham, Illinois, and Cullen’s operation in Chilton, Wisconsin.

Nonetheless, they’ve worked out an effective arrangement, with most of the racing operations run out of Shirley’s facility. “It’d be impossible for me to race out of Wisconsin,” he said. “For the most part, we’re centrally located. It’s pretty easy, because everything involved with the race team is out of my shop. So, really about the only thing I’ve got to do is every couple weeks on Monday morning I mail him the checks that we get from racing.”

That said, the two stay in close contact. Cullen goes to as many races as he can, and he maintains tight communication when he can’t be there in person. “We talk pretty much every day,” said Cullen. “And if I’m not there then I watch the video and then we talk about it.”

Along with the team’s three cars, Shirley’s 40-by-100-foot shop is also where they keep their semi hauler—a motorcoach and trailer—built by S&S Welding, in Greenwood, Nebraska. The bright-yellow rig has enough room to hold everything the team needs on the road. “Sometimes the crew has to live in it for months at a time,” said Cullen. “Like last year, we left for Vado, New Mexico, and we were gone for 60 days of straight racing. So it’s pretty nice inside. We haul two cars and spare motors and spare parts, spring smasher and a shock dyno. At the track, we’ve always got two cars and a spare motor. And we’ve got enough parts to probably build a third car.”

Although Shirley’s shop is where most of the action is, Cullen nonetheless still keeps a 70-by-40-foot shop of his own in Wisconsin. “My nephew has a Sport Mod in my race shop up here that he and I go race together when I’m home—if we don’t have baseball, wrestling, or football for my little guy.”

One thing you won’t find at either shop is elaborate fabrication equipment. Over time, they’ve found it’s simply not worth their effort to build parts or do large repairs. “We have a little bit of fabricating equipment,” said Cullen. “But now we buy everything right from Rocket. For the time it takes you to make it and what they sell it to you for, you’re better off just buying parts. They make everything in so much bulk. We buy our cars ready to go. We just drop a motor and a seat in them.”

LEAN STAFFING

With their relatively well-funded setup, you might expect to see a pretty big crew supporting Shirley. But, perhaps surprisingly, the head count accompanying him to races is kept to a minimum.

The team started 2020 with a new crew chief, Anthony Burroughs from Clint Bowyer Racing. With Burroughs’ help, Cullen and Shirley were planning an assault on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Unfortunately, the relationship didn’t prove as effective as they’d hoped. “Anthony is a hard worker,” said Cullen. “I just think that when it came to setups, him and Brian just had different mindsets. It just didn’t quite work out the way either one of us thought. We ended up breaking our ties and forgoing the Lucas Oil Series.

“So right now we’re down to one person,” continued Cullen, referring to Aaron Mitchell as “a real good kid, and he works hard. We’re looking for another crew person. We’re just probably going to finish out the season with him. I think Brian’s average finish was better than fifth place every time he unloaded. That’s pretty tough to do having one guy. I sent my maintenance guy Bob Flemming from my real estate company down there for one week to help. Then I had a buddy of mine’s kid, Will Garcea, who is 14, go down and work with them for a week. So, we piece it together.”

SUCCESS ON TRACK

At the time this piece was written, in late August, Shirley had just won the 2020 UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals championship, with a healthy 132-point margin and seven victories in the series. It’s Shirley’s fourth Summer Nationals championship and the third time in a row he’s won it with Cullen, making them one of just three teams to three-peat since this five-state Midwest series began in 1986.

Although they focus their efforts in the Midwest, the team also races extensively throughout the country. Nonetheless, they still question the merits of running a national tour. “I’d rather run a tour, but it’s so hard,” said Cullen. “People don’t realize how grueling running a tour is, like Lucas or World of Outlaws. It’s a lot of financial backing, and a lot of work; it’s a lot of traveling. And then you’ve got to give up some of the races you’re really good at locally. There’s $10,000 to win at Farmers City, which is 45 minutes from Brian’s shop, but we’ll be racing in Pennsylvania. It’s so hard to go do that. There’s so much racing in Illinois. It’s one of the greatest states to be in if you’re a dirt late model racer. I like to have him race a lot.”

So just how many races is “a lot?” Shirley laughed. “We’ve already run 65 this year,” he said. “By the time the year’s up, we normally run about 80. I’d say we’re on track to run 90 to 95 this year. We’ll race probably until the end of October. We choose not to race some races in November and December, because it’s just not feasible. At some point you have to stop and regroup.”

 

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

Of course, none of this would be possible without funding. To that end, Cullen’s businesses are an important ingredient. “I own a real estate company up here,” he said. “We own storage units, rentals, and duplexes. I also own an arcade route, with pool tables, jukeboxes, dart machines, and all that. I started in 1994 with two games, and I think we’ve got right around 3,000 now. We have 12 people full-time there. Brian and I also own a bar together down in Illinois, called Harry’s Adult Daycare. It does very well. It was named that when we bought it.”

In addition to Cullen’s sources of income, there are essential sponsorships that contribute to the team as well. “Thomason Express is a major one,” said Cullen. “That guy has given us a fuel card for as long as we race. He’s just a great guy. Along with them, J&J Gaming and Hoker Trucking are our big sponsors.”

PEOPLE POWER

On any great team, the linchpin of success depends on the chemistry of those involved. And that’s perhaps the greatest asset of Cullen and Shirley’s pairing. “Our relationship grew past friendship,” said Shirley. “His family is like my family. We’ve just grown on one another.”

Besides having compatible personalities, their relationship is built on mutual trust and respect. “To make longevity work, you have to have a guy like Brian,” said Cullen. “He doesn’t abuse the checkbook, doesn’t wreck the equipment. He consciously takes care of stuff like it’s his own. Even my semi hauler is immaculate and clean.”

Shirley offered equal praise for Cullen’s efforts. “Racing isn’t a bona fide moneymaking situation,” said Shirley. “A guy like Bob could do a lot of other things besides lose a couple-hundred-thousand dollars a year in racing. He does it for the pure enjoyment. So to be that lucky to have someone that cares enough to help, I feel like I have to do my best to reciprocate and show my appreciation.”

Behind the scenes are people like Chris VanAkkeren, Cullen’s neighbor who manages the team’s online presence, including their website and Facebook pages. “He’s always in contact with me, Brian, or our crew guy,” said Cullen. “He updates our website a lot. We sell a lot of T-shirts and hats and stuff off of it also. So he’s always taking care of the inventory.”

Then, of course, there are the families. Cullen’s wife, Lisa, is a racing fan, too, which is partly the reason he decided to become a team owner when he was done driving. It’s what they love. And it also allows Cullen a little more flexibility to be with his kids Alyssa, Nicole, and Carsin. “A week ago, me and the wife and my little guy, Carsin, we went down to four or five races in a row for the Summer Nationals,” Cullen said in August. “We love racing, and my wife does, too.

So we get there as much as we can.”

Shirley agreed on the role of family in pursuing the sport he loves, and he tries to plan his racing schedule around the needs of his wife, Shannon, and their three kids Brinley, Drue, and Briar. “I really don’t want to be out on the road for weeks at a time,” said Shirley. “I do it when I have to. I like to race Thursday through Saturday. That way I’m home with my wife and kids Sunday through Wednesday.”

So what does the team have planned for next year? “We’re going to keep doing with what we have, and get one more crew guy,” said Cullen. “At this point in time I would guess that we’re not going to follow a series. We never even think we’re going to follow Summer Nationals. It just falls good. We definitely wouldn’t do a 60-day swing again, like we did last year. Brian’s got a family, too. It’s just too much time gone. It ends up just not being fun.”

At the same time, they’ll keep pursuing the bucket list goal they both share. “We’ve never gotten that [Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series] Crown Jewel win together,” said Cullen. “We’ve got a few things we’re going to work on to try to get one.”

In the end, Cullen and Shirley are both deeply thankful for the opportunities they’ve been given. They enjoy their efforts, and they continue to make the most of their relationship every single day. “It just all came together,” said Cullen. “We just gelled. Brian is a really good guy.

“I think some days if I would have gotten a different driver,” he added, “I may have not stayed in the sport.”              

Officials have released the 2021 schedule for the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. With a confirmed 55 races at 33 tracks across 16 states and the potential of more coming, next year's schedule is the largest in the series's 20-year history.

Officials also announced an upgraded standard purse that pays $10,000-to-win, $2,000-for-tenth, and $1,000-to-start.

"This is without a doubt our biggest release in World of Outlaws Late Models history," Series Director Casey Shuman stated on the 2021 lineup. "We listened to our guys this year and tried to deliver what they wanted looking ahead to 2021. We've added more money than ever and picked up some pretty cool special events, which I think have a lot of potential. It's going to be an exciting year that's for sure. I'm ready to get the ball rolling and see what we can make happen."

Volusia Speedway Park opens the calendar in January with the Sunshine Nationals, a trio of shows set for January 14-16. Three weeks later, on February 10-13, the Outlaws are back at the Barberville, Florida-based half-mile for four consecutive nights to conclude the DIRTcar Nationals.

Highlighted by 10 special events paying $20,000-to-win or more, the 2021 schedule features four Crown Jewel events: the $20,000 Illini 100 at Farmer City (Illinois) Raceway on April 2-3; the $30,000 Firecracker 100 at Lernerville (Pennsylvania) Speedway on June 24-26; the $50,000 Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury (Illinois) Speedway on July 30-31; and the $50,000 USA Nationals at Cedar Lake (Wisconsin) Speedway on Aug. 5-7.

The season concludes in November at The Dirt Track at Charlotte (more information here). 

For more information and the complete schedule, visit worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/schedule.

^{Photo by Jim Denhamer courtesy of World of Outlaws}

Using its unique combination of media, retail, and fabrication services, this Texas-based shop’s mission is to build bridges that transition customers from street car enthusiasts to on-track competitors.

Tom Martin Jr. recalls an early exposure to racing at the famed Road America’s four-mile road course in his home state of Wisconsin.

“Seeing 20 494-aluminum-block Chevys coming up the main straight at Road America…yeah, it still gives you chills,” said Martin, now aged 65. “As a teenager you’re like, ‘Sports car racing is super cool.’ That thought stayed with me.”

Much of Martin’s life, in fact, has involved sports car racing, and it has culminated in one of the more unique businesses in the high-performance market: Winding Road Racing (WRR).

Martin employs about 20 people at Winding Road’s 22,000-square-foot headquarters in Austin, Texas, and across its retail locations in California, Georgia, and Kentucky.

Serving autocross and club racers, track day enthusiasts and professional racers, WRR is a combination media company, parts retailer, race car fabricator, and at-track supplier and coaching service.

Oh, and bridge builder, at least figuratively. Martin’s goal is to bring more street car enthusiasts over to racing, providing them with knowledge while using their passion to make it happen.

A FIRST BRIDGE

Perhaps the first bridge Martin saw built in racing was in the late 1960s, when the SCCA developed the Can-Am series. His father, then a vice president at Johnson Wax, was involved in connecting the company as the title sponsor, Martin said.

“SCCA saw an opportunity for sports car racing in America to be a little more like F1—more professional with famous drivers and state-of-the-art cars,” Martin said.

And it mostly worked. It certainly helped spawn an era of innovation with creations like the Shadow—“it’s like a go-kart with a 427!” and some of Jim Hall’s Chaparrals, Martin said. But there were still limitations in attracting new participants.

Some 50 years later, as Martin expanded his media company to include parts retailing and a multitude of racing services, he was addressing the same issue he believes has always impeded road racing: fragmentation.

“The track is owned by the track, but the event is run by the sanctioning body, but the tires are supplied by a tire supplier, but the cars are built by either the driver or a professional builder, but they’re operated by a race shop, and the safety gear comes from another entity,” Martin said. “Each of these requires expertise, which is part of the reason things are the way they are, but you wouldn’t as an objective observer call that an integrated experience designed for customer satisfaction and efficiency.”

Winding Road’s goal was to identify places where it could make it easier for a fan to transition to participant. “Who knows how much contribution we can make to solving the problems, but our original idea was let’s take a look at this and try to identify areas where we can bridge it a little bit, make the customer experience better and invite more people into the sport.”

And it’s not just about money, Martin said. It starts with information, a natural for Winding Road because of its foundation as a media company featuring car and equipment reviews. Today, it has over 694,000 YouTube subscribers.

Martin wants to meet the potential customer where he or she is—in a street car—and let them know what more is available.

“A very common model is you have a GT-R or Ferrari 488 or a BMW M5, or maybe a Camaro or Mustang, and then it occurs to you, maybe not completely in your consciousness, ‘This car is way faster than is usable on the streets. So now what do I do?’” Martin said.

That’s where Winding Road tells them about track days, high-performance driving events (HPDE), and organizations such as NASA (National Auto Sport Association). They tell them about taking their car to a track to drive, “almost for free,” Martin said.

“Yes, $350 isn’t really free, but you have a $90,000 car, dude; you can afford $350 to go drive your car,” he said.

Martin said there are many ways to entice these potential racers, “but I’ve got to start where they are, which is they’re interested in cars.”

BUILDING CONNECTIONS

Winding Road’s Performance Shop specializes in performance upgrade services that include suspension setups, brake services, and roll-cage, harness, data, and other installations. The Race Service Division provides preparation, tuning, and at-track support for SRO World Challenge, Spec MX-5 Challenge, NASA, SCCA, and SVRA (Sportscar Vintage Racing Association). Engine and fabrication work are also among the services offered, and Winding Road sources parts from the industry’s top manufacturers.

In Austin, about 15 complete cars were built in 2019, and the crew tries to complete five to 10 projects per week. Those, of course, vary.

“A project where the customer has essentially found the donor car and we’re turning it into a track-day car is a much longer project than putting a seat and six-point harness into a GT3 RS,” Martin said.

Not that a harness install is an afterthought, considering it might involve integrating an aftermarket harness with an OEM seat—possibly on the passenger seat, too, for a ride-along coach—through Winding Road’s custom sewing operation.

“It sounds minor,” Martin said, “but you’ve got a $250,000 GT3 where you spec’d the fabric and the stitching—you want what you want. As I say, the art of the cars is something that we love, and we respect the owners for doing what they’re doing.”

Integrating data systems into an OEM setting is another common project. The company has found that the AiM Solo 2 HD system works well because of its size. “A lot of guys want a data system, but they don’t want it to take over the entire dash panel,” Martin said.

As a racer, orthopedic surgeon Dr. William Tally of Athens, Georgia, has benefited from the data acquisition expertise of Winding Road Racing. But the IMSA and MX-5 Challenge Series driver said Martin provides much more than parts.

“He looks at it from a scientific perspective—he looks at it from a data perspective, from an algorithm perspective, but he also looks at it from the human interaction side,” Tally said. “It’s not just, ‘Here’s your data set on your throttle position for the lap—go learn that.’ It’s also, ‘OK, as a human, what are you afraid of, what intrigues you, what part of this mistake is from your personality, what part is from your lack of concentration?’ It’s identifying what makes you tick.”

From helmet sales to newsletters, Martin blending a number of vital elements in his one-of-a-kind business, Tally said. “He’s not just looking at it as a guy who’s trying to go fast or a guy who’s trying to make money. He’s trying to do something interesting,” he explained. “It’s a novel concept, and I think if there were more things like what Tom’s trying to do, racing would be on a stronger footing.”

RETAIL EXPERIENCE

Winding Road was selling online for years before opening its first retail location, in Austin, in 2012. Martin said he took a cue from fellow Austin-based company Whole Foods, which has a flagship store on the first floor of its headquarters.

“It’s just easier to experiment when you can walk downstairs and see how it’s going,” Martin said.

Four years after the Austin site opened, Winding Road Racing launched a retail location in Santa Ana, California, and it has since opened stores across the street from Road Atlanta in Georgia, and on the grounds of NCM Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Martin considers his retail business primarily an online function, but having the physical locations is important. “I can service customers in a retail operation pretty easily from something that’s like a warehouse,” he said. “What I get from that as a side benefit is that my sales staff has direct contact with customers at a level of depth that is just unlikely to happen in a pure online sale. It’s invaluable to have that interaction for us, to have a better sense for the kind of questions and concerns that people have at various stages of the journey.”

The Southern California location proved its worth to James Dyer when he was in search of a new driver uniform. The 27-year-old who races Miatas at Willow Springs Raceway heaps praise on the personal interaction. “The fact that I can go in there and physically touch things and try them on” is a benefit, Dyer said.

In fact, he was intent on a Sparco suit, but input from Peter Nelson, retail manager at the California store and Winding Road magazine editor, changed that. “Pete was like, ‘Hey, this Alpine Star suit fits you the best,” Dyer said. “I have no regrets.”

Dyer’s been back a number of times, and Nelson has helped him in “countless ways” with his racing career. “I haven’t had a better experience,” Dyer said. “Their customer service is fantastic, and the inventory is always stocked with a plethora of brands and styles and sizes.”

MORE BRIDGES TO BUILD

Martin has derived decades of enjoyment from road racing, in which he and others have helped grow the market through low-cost parts and events like track days.

But the challenge continues. Consider licensing. An anxious driver ready to pursue his passion in the heat of summer may find the next licensing opportunity is at a driving school in December.

“Can you imagine if at Best Buy there was just one weekend in December where you can buy a TV?” Martin said. “It’s not as easy as TVs and Best Buy because this is a super niche sport and there isn’t enough volume to have the store be open every day, but we’re trying to ask the question right now: How can we be open more months of the year?”

On a larger scale, Martin sees opportunity for other forms of motorsports to use spec cars as “huge cost reducers.” It’s happened with the Lemons and ChampCar programs—“really the greatest innovation since Spec Miata,” he said of the two series that started tongue-in-cheek as an off-shoot of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and ChumpCar, respectively.

“Taking licensing out of the picture and allowing people to share cars and providing a natural way for people to be their own crew is a great cost-reduction opportunity,” he said. “We have to support that part of the equation because it brings more drivers into the game.”

He believes a question all participants in the industry have to ask themselves is, “How do we support cost reduction in general?”

“Not in all possible ways,” Martin answered, “but by looking at every element of cost and trying to figure out where are the opportunities to reduce costs in a way that would lead to a bigger industry.”

And so there are more bridges to build, but Martin is confident he will get more enthusiasts to cross over if they’re provided the right experience. “I like what one of our drivers said: ‘This is a thing that really makes me feel alive. It’s a passion that’s life-changing,’” Martin said.

“You have something that powerful,” he added, “the question is how do you build bridges to help more people experience that?”                      

 

A TASTE OF PRO DRIVING

The team at Winding Road Racing in Austin, Texas, has great respect for the Spec Miata road racing community.

“We hold it in really high regard because it’s so successful,” said owner Tom Martin Jr.

Because of its history with that segment of the industry, Winding Road supported the start of the Global MX-5 Cup, where Martin said there is “incredible excitement in every corner.”

And yet there was the age-old racing problem: Affordability.

“What we found was 95 percent of the people who were interested in MX-5 Cup just couldn’t afford it,” he said. “What they wanted was something that had more of a professional feel—epic tracks and so on—but they wanted a budget more like Spec Miata.”

Mazda led the way to a solution: the Spec MX-5 Challenge Series, which debuted in 2018. The cars cost about half that of the MX-5 Cup level; the season is half as long; and the prize money is a little less than half.

“But the tracks are mostly the epic tracks that people want to run,” Martin said, including Circuit of The Americas in Austin, site of the $50,000-to-win championship.

Dr. William Tally, an orthopedic surgeon from Athens, Georgia, who finished second in the series in 2019, is a good representation of its drivers. No doubt everyone wants to win, but they also want a positive experience—and a race car that’s still intact when the event is over.

“(Martin) is trying to help people get better and bridge that gap for people like me who are getting serious about this,” Tally said. “How do you go from the model Porsche club amateur racing to, ‘I want to be a professional driver…how do I get there?’”

MX-5 Challenge has the right mix of elements, Tally said. “When you leave that event, you’re a better driver” through conversations and data study, he explained. “There’s a camaraderie to it that everyone wants to come back, and that’s unlike any other series.”

Fifty new cars were built for the 2020 season with a new engine and suspension package, and Martin anticipates 100 cars for 2021. “We are building what I’m pretty confident will be the next great road racing series for amateur drivers,” he concluded.                                               —Andy Heintzelman

Several race sanctioning organizations, eager to put their 2020 seasons in the rearview mirror, are looking ahead to new events in the coming year. 

To say that 2020 was an unforgettable year for the motorsports industry would be an understatement running on 15 lbs. of boost plus nitrous.

No corner of the racing world was untouched by the global pandemic and subsequent economic disruption. As with every other area of life, the racing community had to deal with federal, state, and local regulations aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus, regulations which varied widely across the nation. Races were run either without fans or with limited attendance. Sponsors, teams, and tracks were forced into financial belt-tightening that sent many to the unemployment line.

Even as we were putting this article to bed in early September, racing sanctioning bodies were still making last-minute changes to the 2020 racing calendar.

“We’ve all struggled, every one of us through 2020,” said Jack McNelly of the CARS Tour, Mooresville, North Carolina. Even so, hunger for racing hasn’t visibly diminished. “Our fans have been very loyal. I cannot complain about our grandstand.”

So it’s probably also an understatement to say that the industry is looking forward to 2021, and hopefully a return to normalcy. But even if next year’s racing scene looks more like what we’re used to, many of the new protocols rolled out to deal with the pandemic are likely to stick around. Those plexiglass sneeze guards aren’t going away anytime soon, and the social distancing stickers placed six feet apart on the floor are probably going to be with us for a while.

Some of the changes may even turn out to be for the better. “The pandemic has caused us to retool many of our policies and protocols for all our events in the interest of safety,” said Jeremy Croiset of NASA, Las Vegas, Nevada, which includes wearing a mouth and nose face covering, maintaining at least six-feet distance between non-cohabitating participants, outdoor meetings rather than indoor, practicing good hygiene by washing hands and/or using hand sanitizer, and canceling all dense gatherings such as barbecues and beer gardens. “Whether it is on track or in the paddock, NASA has long emphasized the safety of our members, and we structured our new protocols to minimize risk. After the initial shutdown, when we couldn’t put on any events, we saw an enthusiastic response to the events we were able to make happen, and we’re grateful to have such a dedicated membership base in our NASA family.”

To that end, we reached out to several of the nation’s racing sanctioning bodies to see what was on tap for 2021. Not surprisingly, many were still busy dealing with the challenges of 2020, and had not yet finalized changes for 2021. But there was some news for next season to report, with more to surely follow in the weeks and months ahead.

ARCA

For ARCA, based in Temperance, Michigan, the 2021 racing season will see continued fine-tuning following the sanction’s acquisition by NASCAR in 2018. The merging of the ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series was the big project for 2020. It happened, but the transition had a star-crossed launch, with postponed and canceled races thanks to the pandemic.

“We knew that merging rule books between the ARCA Menards Series and the former NASCAR K&N Pro Series—now known as ARCA Menards Series East and West—was going to be a challenge because all teams in all of those series had made investments based on their particular rules and procedures,” said ARCA’s Charles Krall. “We tried to compromise the very best we could in all areas, looking at both short-term and long-term cost impacts of any changes we made. That all happened before the pandemic, and we believe all the hard work our rules committee did with all of our team owners will pay off in the coming years as everyone works to overcome the current economic challenges.”

Among those economic challenges brought on by the pandemic is keeping costs in check, especially after the financial body blows the racing community absorbed in 2020. ARCA has its eyes fixed on that challenge as it enters 2021. “All race teams are continually challenged budget-wise and ARCA teams are no different, so it’s crucial to keep costs in check,” Krall said. “Through the ARCA Ilmor 396 program, and the NASCAR spec engine produced by Robert Yates Racing Engines, teams have the ability to acquire competitive engines at a fraction of the cost of leasing engines, which had been the ARCA model pre-2015. The flange-fit composite body program initiated by Five Star Race Car Bodies has reduced body fabrication and labor costs as well. The stability of those programs allows current and prospective teams to know well in advance what many of their costs will be, which is helpful when building your budget for the next season and perhaps more importantly, long-term.”

CARS Tour

At the CARS Tour, a series for Late Model stock cars and Super Late Models, McNelly is planning on maintaining a steady course for the 2021 season. He said he’s planning on holding 10 or 12 events next season, with a couple new wrinkles. “We always try to incorporate maybe two different venues from the previous year, and we think that will happen for 2021,” McNelly said. “We try to mix it up every year.”

The new venues will help expand the sanction’s footprint, but otherwise, the CARS Tour is seeking stability. “I don’t see much change in the rules whatsoever,” McNelly said. “We don’t change rules unless it’s absolutely necessary. Any time you change a rule, you cost competitors money. And that’s not a smart thing to do.”

McNelly thinks it will be a good year for short track racing due to the action, quality of racing, and the economics of the sport. McNelly said he was targeting early October to get the 2021 schedule finalized.

IMSA

In his State of the Sport presentation in September, IMSA President John Doonan announced the 2021 season schedule for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Michelin Pilot Challenge, and the Prototype Challenge. In addition, the WeatherTech Championship will expand to five classes next year, which consists of the Daytona Prototype international (DPi), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), GT Le Mans (GTLM), GT Daytona (GTD), and the new Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3), which will appear at selected events.

Additional changes to the series include a new championship points structure for each series as well as a new qualifying format for LMP2, LMP3 and GTD classes.

Must See Racing

After concluding a brief 2020 race season featuring only four events due to the pandemic, Must See Racing in Holly, Michigan, will switch from a regular schedule of winged sprint car racing to a special-events-only format in 2021.

“Moving forward into the future, we will no longer organize a traditional series or schedule, but will instead promote and manage several innovative special events featuring multiple racing series, race tracks and divisions from across America,” Jim Hanks said about the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series presented by Engine Pro. “This plan will showcase our marketing partners’ products and services both in multimedia and through national television distribution.

“Our new format will enhance our primary business focus: delivering exciting and compelling racing entertainment, news and content to the marketplace, and providing our marketing partners with expanded means and value to effectively reach and connect with mass audiences,” he added.

Additional details will be announced later.

NASA

The National Auto Sport Association introduced new event protocols in July, some of which may spill over into the new year. One of them was the way the High Performance Driving Event is conducted. In-car instruction has been suspended, with instructors switching to lead-follow during the driving school “until we get the all-clear,” said NASA’s Brett Becker.

In further NASA news, the sanction’s partnership with Toyota that provides a complimentary one-year NASA membership and complimentary track day at NASA’s High Performance Driving Event program for customers who purchase a new 2020 GR Supra has been extended to include the 2021 models.

“It was great to work with Toyota in putting this program together last year, and we’re thrilled to partner with Toyota again this year for the 2021 models,” said Croiset in a late summer press release. “The Supra is a legendary nameplate with a long history in street and track performance. This partnership will give GR Supra owners the ability to fully enjoy the car’s performance and handling in a controlled environment.”

NMRA/NMCA

With the 2020 season winding down, the NMRA/NMCA had begun assembling the early stages of the 2021 racing calendar. The NMCA Muscle Car Nationals season will begin at Bradenton Motorsports Park, with a date still to be determined. The series will then head to Atlanta Dragway for the NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals April 8–11. The next stop will then happen May 13–16, with the Nitto Tire Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to host the prestigious NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing, which fits in nicely with the other popular street-legal and hardcore racing events held at our facility,” said Chris Blair of World Wide Technology Raceway, in a press release announcing the event. “The two sanctioning bodies offer a highly organized and exciting program that the St. Louis area fans and racers will enjoy.”

The Holley NMRA Ford Nationals will kick off its 23rd season at Bradenton Motorsports Park with the Nitto Tire Spring Break Nationals on March 4–7.

In mid-September, the NMRA announced that ProMedia Events & Publishing had signed a five-year contract with the Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, to host the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals. The 2021 event will be held June 10–13. The NMCA had likewise inked a new five-year deal with Summit Motorsports Park to host events. Also on the calendar is a dual NMRA/NMCA event at US 131 Motorsports Park in July.

In additional news, NMCA announced some refining of the rules in the Chevrolet Performance Stock Class to address rev-limiter issues, and to help spur growth in the class.

Sport Compact Dirt Racing Association

At the Sport Compact Dirt Racing Association (SCDRA) in Woodruff, South Carolina, 2021 will see expansion to new regions, and a continuing focus on safety upgrades, according to Kelley Carlton.

“We started a new region in the Northeast, which is just getting off the ground. There was a big demand for that,” Carlton said. SCDRA announced in August a new partnership with Rob Williams and Bill Walker to form the SCDRA Northeast, which held its first race at Thunder Mountain Speedway in Pennsylvania on August 21, attracting 58 competitors. Look for a full calendar of racing action in the Northeast region for 2021.

Sport compact dirt-track racing may be the most economical rung of the circle track experience, but SCDRA is not cutting corners on the important things. “We have a real big push for safety,” Carlton said. He reported that up to 80% of SCDRA competitors have adopted containment seats and head restraints even though those are not yet mandated, just encouraged with a weight break. “In 2020 we introduced mandatory window nets. We’re stepping up one step at a time,” Carlton said. “The one we’re going to tackle next year is gloves.”

WISSOTA

The Speedway Motors WISSOTA 100 was canceled this year due to pandemic restrictions, but planning for the 2021 event at I-94 Sure Step Speedway in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, continues, with a few changes in store, according to Carson Gramm of WISSOTA, Augusta, Minnesota. “We are looking at more ways for drivers to qualify for the Saturday night feature event in the future. This would help us save time on race day to provide drivers, fans, and families with more time to explore and visit local attractions as well as relax and enjoy their ‘racecation,’” he stated in an August press release. The 2021 race is scheduled for September 15–18.

WISSOTA will hold its rules meeting in November, with the 2021 rule book expected to be released in December, Gramm said.

World of Outlaws

The World of Outlaws announced that the Morton Buildings Late Model Series will kick off the 2021 season with three straight nights at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park. The Sunshine Nationals runs from January 14–16, followed by the DIRTcar Nationals, February 10–13, also at Volusia Speedway Park, before the series shifts to races in Tennessee, South Carolina, and Illinois.

World of Outlaws also announced a new standard show purse that will debut at the Sunshine Nationals, with $10,000 to win, $2,000 for 10th, and $1,000 to start. A double-header at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, South Carolina, on Saturday, March 27, will see $20,000 up for grabs.

The Illini 100 was a victim of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, but returns to Farmer City Raceway in Farmer City, Illinois, April 1–3.

Looking Ahead

It’s worth noting that we reached out to other sanctioning bodies for 2021 news, but given the difficulties of just finishing out 2020, many were not yet ready to announce anything. Sources from the American Sprint Car Series, the IMCA, and the SCCA told us they had no 2021 news to report. While no major rules changes have been announced by NHRA, 2021 will bring a new title sponsor to its professional classes with the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series.

Even late in the season during a year of uncertainty, however, we heard voices of optimism about the coming year. “We’re growing and expanding,” SCDRA’s Carlton told us.

Others noted that, whatever else may have happened, the average racing fan is eager to get back to the track and leave all the restrictions in the rearview mirror. “I don’t think the average racing fan wants to be told what they can and cannot do, in the way of what we’ve for years considered our liberties,” said McNelly of the CARS Tour. “The racing fan being a blue-collar hard-working guy, or a mid-management fella, he doesn’t appreciate being told what he can stand for.”

When those green flags start waving to kick off the 2021 racing season, here’s hoping they’ll wave in front of packed grandstands.   

SOURCES

–

American Sprint Car Series

ascsracing.com

ARCA

arcaracing.com

CARS Tour

carsracingtour.com

IMCA

imca.com

IMSA

imsa.com

Must See Racing

msrxtreme.com

NASA

nasaproracing.com

NMCA/NMRA

nmcadigital.com / nmradigital.com

SCCA

scca.com

Sport Compact Dirt Racing Association

scdra.net

WISSOTA

wissota.org

World of Outlaws

worldofoutlaws.com

Lucas Oil Products Inc., the distributor of high-performance automotive additives and lubricants, has announced the promotion of Melissa Wonser to Vice President of Marketing. 

“Melissa brings a coveted level of professionalism and direction to the Marketing department through her wealth of experience in marketing, brand awareness, and advertising,” said Morgan Lucas, President, Lucas Oil Products. “To be a leader at Lucas Oil takes a considerable amount of hard work, passion, and critical thinking skills. Melissa checks all those boxes and provides a level of enthusiasm that motivates our entire company. She has certainly earned this promotion and I look forward to seeing all of the great things to come.”

Wonser first joined the company in 2011 and has served as the Digital Marketing Manager, Art Director, Marketing Manager and, in 2019, Director of Marketing. She also plays an instrumental role in the daily management of Lucas Oil’s Marketing and creative direction, leading the Graphics department, website development team, and media/public relations efforts, amongst other responsibilities.

In her new role, Wonser will be responsible for developing and implementing a marketing communications plan to increase Lucas Oil’s brand awareness through the extensive number of industries and sectors it serves.

Wonser received Bachelor of Science degrees in Business Administration, Marketing, Management, and Operations Management from California State University-Long Beach in 2004. Originally from Southern California, Wonser now resides in Indiana, where she works with the Lucas Oil Executive Team from the corporate offices in Indianapolis.

For more information, visit lucasoil.com.

NASCAR has announced the 13th annual NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards, which celebrates the sport’s diversity and inclusion trailblazers. A special virtual ceremony honored industry members whose pioneering efforts make a difference both on and off the race track.

NASCAR executives, drivers, pit crew members, partners, and other industry leaders gathered virtually to recognize the contributions of 10 deserving awardees setting an example by advocating for diversity and inclusion across the NASCAR industry.

The NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards is traditionally held in the spring and recognizes winners for their efforts and contributions the previous year. The 2020 event, postponed due to the impact of COVID-19, marked the first live stream of the awards.

The 2020 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards recipients are as follows:

Diverse Driver Award: Hailie Deegan, DGR-Crosley – Deegan became the first female to win a race in the former NASCAR West Series and the first female to earn Rookie of the Year (2018). Her third-place finish among 2019 championship standings was the highest for a female driver in series history. In the ARCA Menards Series this season, Deegan has already matched the highest finish in a race by a female (second, twice) and currently leads the series’ Bounty Rookie of the Year standings. Off the track, Deegan is continuously engaging with fans on social media to grow her following and overall brand.

Young Racer Award: Isabella Robusto, Rev Racing – Robusto is in her fourth season with Rev Racing and the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program. She competed as a youth driver in the Legends division during her first three seasons with the team. Robusto currently competes full-time in a Late Model Stock car. She uses her voice and position to support The NASCAR Foundation, most recently by participating in the #GivingTuesdayNow campaign to bring awareness for efforts to help children dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Crew Member Award: Brehanna Daniels, Independent Contractor – Daniels made history in 2019 when she became the first female African-American graduate of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Development Program to pit in the DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Daniels currently works with aspiring pit crew members as a mentor and coach, helping them to pursue their career dreams.  Daniels has been featured on national morning shows and The Titan Games on NBC.

Outstanding Intern Award: Monon Rahman, Rick Ware Racing – Rahman was a member of the 2019 NASCAR Diversity Internship Program class working at the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, N.C. Upon completing his internship, he was hired as lead engineer at Rick Ware Racing, working on the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and IMSA teams. Monon graduated from the University of Kentucky at age 19 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Partner Award: The Coca-Cola Company – In 2019, Coca-Cola brought together a collective of industry partners to establish Daniel’s Amigos, a fan-facing initiative to welcome new fans into NASCAR by connecting around shared cultural passion points of sports, racing, music, family, food, and togetherness. This initiative strives to create deep and meaningful at-track experiences to increase the sport’s connection and interest within the Hispanic community.

Institution Award: Urban Chamber of Commerce, Las Vegas – The Urban Chamber of Commerce in Las Vegas is being recognized for its efforts to help educate the local community about NASCAR and its diversity and inclusion initiatives. Urban Chamber members helped turn their memorable experience during a 2018 NASCAR Cup Series race – part of a NASCAR Opinion Leader Initiative activation at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – into a three-day outreach event surrounding the race weekend a year later.

Industry Ambassador Award: Jennifer Satterfield-Siegel, Rev Racing – Satterfield-Siegel is the first African-American female team owner and sponsor in the NASCAR Touring Series. She and her husband, Max Siegel, co-own and manage Rev Racing. An Indianapolis native, Satterfield-Siegel has made a national impact with her involvement in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program.

National Series Driver Award: Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports – On the track, Johnson is known as a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, tying NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. He has also spent his career pursuing excellence off the racetrack as a philanthropist, triathlete, businessman, and father. More than a decade ago, Jimmie and his wife established the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, which has impacted diverse youth and communities through $12 million in support to various organizations.

Track Award: World Wide Technology Raceway (WWT) – The raceway partnered on a youth outreach program with the Jackie Joyner Kersee Foundation (JJK), NASCAR Diversity & Inclusion, and NASCAR Acceleration Nation. During the summer of 2018, WWT Raceway personnel visited JJK’s center along with NASCAR drivers, and have also assisted with an iRacing program at JJK. More than 120 children and their families were treated to a day at the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race.

Team Award: Richard Childress Racing (RCR) – Richard Childress Racing is a team that engages drivers, manufacturers, and sponsors to effectively reach fans on and off the track in support of NASCAR’s diversity and inclusion goals. Several pit crew members who have trained with the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Development Program now pit for RCR. Additionally, the team recently named its first woman vice president and currently has a total of four women serving in director-level or higher roles within the marketing and communications departments.

For more information, visit nascar.com.

DIRTVision, the provider of dirt track racing live stream broadcasts, has announced Jim Chiappelli as the new DIRTVision General Manager. 

A veteran broadcast executive with extensive racing knowledge, Chiappelli joins DIRTVision after stints with SPEED and FOX Sports, where he held positions including coordinating producer, news director, and studio producer.

"I am absolutely thrilled to join the DIRTVision family," Chiappelli said. "This really brings my career full-circle as I grew up attending dirt track races in Pennsylvania and went on to cover every major motorsports series in the world. My family has been involved in racing for more than 40 years, so grasroots racing is part of my DNA." 

For more information, visit dirtvision.com.

Trackhouse Entertainment Group has announced the formation of a new NASCAR Cup Series team that will make its on-track debut at the 2021 Daytona 500.

Piloting the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will be the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and NASCAR Cup Series veteran Daniel Suarez.

The Trackhouse Racing Team has also entered into an “embedded operational alliance” with Richard Childress Racing, enabling Trackhouse to utilize the technology, intellectual property, human capital, and engineering. Trackhouse will be powered by ECR Engines, which recently announced a merged research and development partnership with Chevrolet powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports. 

“The formation of a top-level NASCAR Cup Series team has been a dream of mine for a long time,” said Justin Marks, founder, and owner of Trackhouse Entertainment Group. “A lot of hard work has transpired to get us to this point, and I don’t think we could’ve ended up with better partners in RCR and Chevrolet and with a more passionate and committed driver than Daniel Suarez... It’s my job now to put a car underneath him that will carry him to the highest echelon of the sport.”

NASCAR industry veteran Ty Norris will serve as president of racing operations. 

Central to the Trackhouse Racing Team is a commitment to impacting youth in America’s minority communities. Through a contribution from the Marks Family Foundation, as well as support from the team’s partners, Trackhouse will design and execute an immersive STEM education initiative aimed at exposing underrepresented youth to career opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. 

Using the spectacle of NASCAR racing as a curriculum platform, Trackhouse will work with school districts, community organizations, and youth groups to build the most impactful roadmap for those who are inspired to pursue STEM careers.

For more information, visit trackhouse.com.

^{Photo courtesy of Trackhouse Entertainment Group, NASCAR}