Responding to further analysis of information and forecasts for the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with Mexican authorities, race teams and sponsors, SCORE International has announced new dates and a different venue for the 52nd BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 500, presented by 4 Wheel Parts.

The iconic race will be held in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico, from September 22-27. The event will include qualifying runs for SCORE Trophy Truck, SCORE TT Legend, Class 1, and the Trophy Truck Spec classes to be held midway through race week. 

Finishing positions from the 52nd SCORE Baja 500 will determine start positions for the 53rd BFGoodrich Tires SCORE Baja 1000, presented by 4 Wheel Parts. The results of both races will define the point titles for the 2020 SCORE World Desert Championship.

For more information, visit SCORE-International.com. For a running list of racing series and sanctioning organization updates, visit here.

A new series for racing all-stars has been launched by a group of industry leaders, including three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Ray Evernham. 

The Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) is set to debut with six races on CBS in 2021. Featuring head-to-head short track competition with elite drivers from various motorsports disciplines, SRX is similar to the defunct IROC Racing Series, in which Stewart won its final championship in 2006. 

As Evernham told The Associated Press, he has been in talks with at least one tire maker and is seeking manufacturer support for the full-body race car.

“We envision a hybrid of all different series — we don’t see it looking like a crazy [dunebuggy] type car,” Evernham told the AP. “To me, it’s got to be a really cool looking car that also puts it back in the drivers hands, mechanically-wise and allows it to be more affected by the pedals.”

Stewart, who also owns Eldora Speedway in Ohio, is expected to participate as one of the 12 drivers. Additional drivers have not been announced. 

The races are set to feature around 90 minutes of racing with no pit stops, but instead a halftime period where drivers, crew chiefs, and teams will be able to discuss race strategy and make adjustments. 

Stewart and Evernham have also teamed up with former NASCAR COO and former IMG Sports and Entertainment president George Pyne and Sandy Montag, CEO for talent representation firm The Montag Group. 
 

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Museum has announced a new exhibit dedicated to one of the most colorful and influential personalities in racing history: Andy Granatelli. The special exhibit is set to open on August 1.

“Granatelli: Larger Than Life presented by O’Donovan & McCardel Wealth Management of Raymond James” will chronicle the life and legacy of Granatelli, the marketing wizard who turned STP Oil Treatment into a household name.

Through much of the 1960s and ‘70s, Granatelli used the Indianapolis 500 to increase the popularity of STP by displaying the logo prominently on everything from team uniforms to billboards, and by handing out free STP decals by the thousands.

After years of near-victories, Granatelli finally achieved victory at the “500” in 1969 with driver Mario Andretti, and Granatelli created one of the race’s most endearing moments by planting a massive kiss on Andretti’s cheek in Victory Circle.

“Granatelli: Larger Than Life presented by O’Donovan & McCardel Wealth Management of Raymond James” will occupy the IMS Museum’s North Hall and Gallery through June 20, 2021. It will accompany the museum’s popular exhibit, “From the Vault presented by Bank of America,” which has been extended through March 21, 2021.

For more information, visit IndyRacingMuseum.org.

NASCAR has announced its schedule of events through August for all three national series and the ARCA Menards Series. The updated calendar includes two additional NASCAR Cup Series doubleheaders, and two separate stops—on two different courses—at Daytona International Speedway.

The NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, and ARCA Menards Series will visit Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 7-9, featuring a Cup Series doubleheader on Saturday, Aug. 8 and Sunday, Aug. 9. Meanwhile, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will visit Road America on Saturday, Aug. 8.

For the first time, the NASCAR Cup Series will race on the storied road course at Daytona International Speedway during the August 14-16 weekend. The road course-oval hybrid, most noted for the annual running of the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA, will feature races across all three national series and the ARCA Menards Series. The historic races will replace NASCAR’s annual visit to Watkins Glen International.

As part of the 2020 revised schedule, World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, which was originally slated to host the first race of the Gander Trucks playoffs, will now become race number 14 of the regular season on Sunday, Aug. 30.

NASCAR’s modified event procedures and protocols have been finalized in accordance with public health officials, medical experts and local, state, and federal officials. NASCAR will determine if fans are allowed entrance to NASCAR Cup Series races on a market-by-market basis, in accordance with local and state guidelines.

DATE                             TRACK                            SERIES

Fri, August 7                 Michigan                      Gander Trucks

Sat, August 8                Road America               Xfinity

Sat, August 8                Michigan                      Cup

Sun, August 9               Michigan                      ARCA Menards

Sun, August 9               Michigan                      Cup

Fri, August 14               Daytona Rd. Course        ARCA Menards

Sat, August 15              Daytona Rd. Course        Xfinity

Sun, August 16             Daytona Rd. Course        Gander Trucks

Sun, August 16             Daytona Rd. Course    Cup

Fri, August 21               Dover                           ARCA Menards East

Fri, August 21               Dover                           Gander Trucks

Sat, August 22              Dover                           Xfinity

Sat, August 22              Dover                           Cup

Sun, August 23             Dover                           Xfinity

Sun, August 23             Dover                           Cup

Fri, August 28               Daytona                       Xfinity

Sat, August 29              WWT Raceway             ARCA Menards

Sat, August 29              Daytona                        Cup

Sun, August 30             WWT Raceway             Gander Truck

Additional calendar changes include the following: The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race at Daytona (Aug. 16) has been realigned from Iowa Speedway; the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series races will not run at Eldora Speedway (originally July 30) and Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (originally Sept. 6) and have been realigned for dates and locations to be determined; the NASCAR Xfinity Series will not run at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (originally May 30) or Michigan (originally June 6) and has been realigned to a date and location to be determined.

For more information, visit NASCAR.com.

The iconic Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina will transition to new owners over a two-year period, according to track officials.

Current track owner and operator Steve Earwood has entered an agreement with Al Gennarelli and Dan VanHorn to take over the track, which opened in 1968 and was one of the first drag strips to feature amenities like permanent restrooms, concrete grandstands, and corporate suites.

The pair will take the next two years to observe and learn about the race facility before assuming full ownership in October 2022.

Earwood notes that it will be "business as usual" at the Rock during the interim, including a full slate of events, which can be found at rockinghamdragway.com/schedule/.

“All of our personnel will stay in place,” Earwood said, “and I don’t see any major changes other than we are adding more non-traditional events to our calendar, which has been one of our trademarks. In the past, we’ve hosted the Smoke Out Festival, Metallica concerts, and the more recent Epicenter concert and we’re looking right now for opportunities to bring similar non-racing events to Richmond County.”

Earwood will continue to oversee day-to-day operations and will remain a consultant to Gennarelli and VanHorn after the sale.

For more information, visit rockinghamdragway.com.

Photo courtesy of Rockingham Dragway

The U.S. Congress has passed a bill to extend the deadline for businesses to apply for the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans to August 8, 2020. The application deadline was June 30, 2020, but the program still has about $130 billion available for lending. President Trump is expected to sign the bill into law. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has a “Find Local Lenders” page to help locate the nearest PPP lending institutions.

Lawmakers recently enacted the PPP Flexibility Act to provide companies more options on how funds are used. Highlights include:

• Loan Amount: PPP loans equal the average of one month’s 2019 payroll multiplied by 2.5 (capped at $10 million).
• Amount Forgiven: The SBA will forgive that portion of the loan used to cover payroll, rent payments, mortgage interest, and the cost of utilities for a fixed period-of-time.  As a result of the PPP Flexibility Act, the employer may now choose the covered period, either: (a) 8 consecutive weeks from when the loan was received, or (b) up to 24 weeks from when the loan was received or on Dec. 31, 2020, whichever comes first.
• Use of Funds: PPP funds can be used to cover payroll, mortgage or rent payments, utilities, and other specified expenses. At least 60% of the amount to be forgiven must be spent on payroll, which includes employee benefit costs for vacation, sick/parental leave, insurance premiums, retirement benefits, and state and local taxes.
• Interest Rate and Repayment Terms: The loan interest rate is 1%. Repayments on any amount not forgiven are deferred at least 10 months after the end of the covered period, with a two-year term for loans secured before June 5 and five-year term for loans on or after that date.
• Rehiring Workers: Employers have until December 31, 2020, to rehire workers and have their salaries count towards forgiveness.
• Payroll Taxes: Businesses receiving a PPP loan may also defer payment of 2020 payroll taxes.
• Forgiveness Application: The SBA has created two applications for seeking loan forgiveness, a standard form and an EZ version which requires fewer calculations and less documentation.

For more information, visit the SBA Loan Info page here.

Sauber Motorsport, which operates the Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN entry in the Formula One world championship, has unveiled plans for a new driver development program.

In conjunction with the Sauber Karting Team, the new Sauber Academy offers young drivers a full development pathway, designed to lead bring them from grassroots racing to the pinnacle of motorsports, Formula One.

“Investing in young talent has always been a central part of Sauber Motorsport’s racing philosophy. Our Academy is just the latest project aimed at unearthing stars of the future and guiding them through their career, giving them the tools, the education, and the resources needed to succeed in the world of motorsport,” Sauber Motorsport AG CEO Frederic Vasseur said.

As the first four drivers with Sauber Academy, F4 Germany champion Theo Pourchaire, Sauber Karting Team graduate Dexter Patterson, Formula Renault Eurocup racer Petr Ptacek, and karter Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. will take part in a tailor-made development program to complement their 2020 racing activities.

Activities will include mental and physical training, technical work with the team’s engineers, media training and work on the simulator—both for F1 and for the drivers’ respective series.

Health regulations permitting, the Sauber Academy will also include training camps for the off-season.

For more information, visit Sauber-Group.com.

Edelbrock, the manufacturer and distributor of aftermarket performance parts, in conjunction with Pat Musi Racing Engines, has announced a new high-performance crate engine offering.

Featuring 555 cubic inches, 723 horsepower, and 652 ft-lbs of torque (with Pro-Flo 4 XT EFI), the engine is built by legendary engine builder Pat Musi. High-performance parts are also provided by Edelbrock, including CNC-ported cylinder heads manufactured at the new Edelbrock Race Center in North Carolina.

“We see our relationship with Pat Musi and our involvement in the new Race Center as key elements to our future growth,” Edelbrock CEO Don Barry said. “We can’t think of a better organization to ally ourselves with than Musi Racing. Their reputation for building high performance, reliable engines is legendary.”

The Edelbrock-Musi 555 comes in three configurations: AVS2 Carbureted, Pro-Flo 4 EFI, and Pro-Flo XT EFI.

“Edelbrock is known for their street performance and we are proud of the track record we’ve built with our racing engines,” Musi said. “I have the first prototype 555 engine installed in my personal ‘67 Camaro, the car I started racing with. It hauls ass down the track and has been trouble-free for over 10 years.”

With every 555 crate engine purchase, buyers also receive a one-on-one call with Musi to discuss the customer’s setup, a certificate of authenticity signed by Musi, and exclusive 555 owners club decals.

For more information, visit Edelbrock.com/Musi-Racing.

INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) have announced the “Race for Equality & Change,” a major effort to support diversity and inclusivity across the INDYCAR industry. A key pillar of “Race for Equality & Change” will be a $1 million fund to fuel internal and external programs and initiatives that will create fundamental change.

“As our country has grappled with systemic issues related to race, equality, and access to opportunity, we’ve been doing a lot of listening, learning and reflecting,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “‘Race for Equality & Change’ will create a more diverse and inclusive INDYCAR community that fundamentally transforms our sport.”

Key focuses of the “Race for Equality & Change” include:

• Recruiting and developing a diverse workforce throughout all levels of INDYCAR and IMS
• Diversifying the competitive driver field at the grassroots, Road to Indy and NTT INDYCAR SERIES levels
• Supporting impactful grassroots youth motorsports programs, including enhancing the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s longstanding partnership with Nexgeneracers, a 501c3 that introduces minority students to the world of motorsports
• Diversifying employment, leadership, and ownership within the SERIES and with INDYCAR promoters
• Investment in minority communities to encourage greater engagement with INDYCAR and IMS
• Establishing a procurement program to meaningfully increase the number of minority-owned businesses that contract with INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway each year

For more information, visit indycar.com.

Photo courtesy of INDYCAR

Pre-registration has opened for the 11th annual Holley LS Fest East event, scheduled to take place on September 11-13, 2020, at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

This year's all-LS event will again feature drag racing, autocross, the 3S Challenge, and a dyno challenge, Test-N-Tune, Show-N-Shine, car cruise, road course, time attack, Track X, and more.

Grand Champion and autocross reservations are already sold out (waiting lists are available for each), but pre-registration is still open for Drag, $10k N/T Shootout Drag, Car Show, and Road Course/Time Attack options.

Pre-register online at the LS Fest website here. For more information, visit LSFest.com.

Photo courtesy of LS Fest