The United Rebel Sprint Series (URSS) has announced a new sprint car driving seminar at WaKeeney Speedway in WaKeeney, Kansas, on Saturday, May 2.

The seminar, which was formed due to demand, is open to current and past race car drivers, as well as fans who would like to experience a drive in a sprint car.

The session will feature a morning class taught by “Kansas Tornado” Jon Johnson and veteran drivers with topics covering proper maintenance, setup tips, driving tips and more. After the classroom session, attendees will take their turn at 15 laps in a race-ready sprint car.

Participants must bring an approved helmet, fire suit, gloves and shoes. URSS will provide proper insurance and the race-ready sprint cars.

A rain date is set for Sunday, May 3.

For more information and to register, contact Rick Salem at rksalem@eaglecom.net.

Image courtesy of URSS

Extreme E, the new electric race series which kicks off in January 2021, has strengthened its team with two former IMG employees.

James Taylor will serve as the company’s new Head of Business Affairs and Chief Legal Officer, while Tiernay Oliver has joined as Extreme E’s Social Media Manager.

In addition to leading the delivery of commercial strategies and policies, Taylor also undertakes commercial negotiation and contracting.

As one of his first assignments, Oliver spent three weeks in the Saudi Arabian desert overseeing Extreme E’s social media activities as the championship’s E-SUV, ODYSSEY 21, took part in its first on-stage outing at the Dakar Rally.

Extreme E will see E-SUVs competing in formidable environments around the world that have already been damaged or affected by climate and environmental issues. The five-race global voyage highlights the impact of climate change and human influences on some of the world’s most remote locations and promotes the adoption of electric vehicles to help preserve the environment and protect the planet, as stated in an Extreme E press release.

For more information, visit extreme-e.com.
 
Photo courtesy of Extreme E

In partnership with SRO America, the Skip Barber Racing School has launched a new Skip Barber Race Series (SBRS), which will run alongside the SRO Motorsports America series at five upcoming 2020 events.

“The launch of the 2020 Skip Barber Race Series is the next chapter in the storied history of the Skip Barber Racing School,” Skip Barber CEO Anthony DeMonte said. “The Race Series is a vital component of motorsports in North America. The Series is a unique marriage of cutting-edge race cars, Skip Barber driver development and world-class race weekends with SRO America.”

“The addition of the Skip Barber Race Series to five of our SRO America race weekends this season brings an exciting new formula car racing dimension to our events,” SRO Motorsports America President and CEO Greg Gill said. “It also reinforces our partnership with Skip Barber as our Official Racing School, graduating drivers from their racing school and taking the first step into wheel-to-wheel racing.”

Race weekends will feature two 35-minute practice sessions, two 15-minute qualifiers, and two 25-minute competitions.

The SBRS 2020 schedule includes Lime Rock Park (May 8-9), VIRginia International Raceway (June 6-7), Road America (Aug. 28-30), Watkins Glen (Sept. 18-20), and Indianapolis (Oct. 1-3).

For more information, visit world-challenge.com and skipbarber.com.

Officials from Ohio Valley Speedway in Washington, West Virginia, have announced a group of new owners. The Ohio Valley Motorsports Group—led by current Tyler County Speedway management John Watson and family, along with longtime key staff member Randy Whaley—have completed the purchase of the speedway.

Known to locals as “The Valley,” the speedway was “rebooted” in the mid-2000s under the direction and ownership of the current owners, Everett and Donna Vincent, and Wayne and Amy McPeek.

“We thank the Vincent and McPeek Family for their hard work and efforts at the Ohio Valley Speedway over the last fifteen seasons,” John Watson said in a track press release. “Rebuilding a track is no easy feat, they should be commended on a job well done and the many things they've done for the area. It's our goal to stay within the framework that Wayne and family have built while continuing to build Ohio Valley Speedway into one of the state's best racing facilities for many years to come.”

The new owners announced plans to make upgrades to the track, beginning with a switch in race nights. Previously running Saturday night races, the track will run features on Friday nights for 2020 in an effort to work with its neighboring co-track, Tyler County Speedway.

Plans for new perimeter fencing, expanded pit area, handicap parking, increased lighting, concession upgrades, fresh paint and more have been announced, with bigger projects planned for the future. Reserved pit parking stalls will also be available soon.

Scheduling arrangements, series coordination, point funds, and discount offers will also be discussed as the tracks begin working in conjunction with one another.

The Watson Family, along with the Hometown Racing Association, has been involved with racing for nearly two decades, including the operation of the Tyler County Speedway since 2013. Additionally, the team is responsible for the creation and current management of the national Renegades of Dirt Modified Tour, which that features modified events throughout Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

For more information and the complete press release, visit here.

Brainerd Motorsports Park, the facility located near Chattanooga, Tennessee, has signed a multi-year sanctioning agreement with the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA).

The 1/8-mile drag strip located off Interstate 75 is a destination for many racers from Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama.

Track owners Ron Newman and the husband-wife team of Amy and Steve Farrow have a full schedule of events planned from March through the end of November.
 
“Brainerd Motorsports Park is a great facility in a terrific location,” IHRA Division Director Frank Kohutek said. “Amy and Steve Farrow and Ron Newman have done a tremendous job providing the racers in that area with a first-class facility and a great racing surface. Brainerd Motorsports Park is a great representative of an IHRA-member track.”

The staff has worked in conjunction with other IHRA-member tracks in the region not to schedule major events at the same time.
 
Brainerd Motorsports Park features strong participation in the IHRA Summit SuperSeries and was also well represented at the IHRA Summit (Heatwave) Division 2 Team Finals.

In addition, the track hosts its own special points program, the High 5K Bracket Series. For 2020, they have launched the Four-Forty Bad Boyz Series, a seven-race series for Doorslammers running a 4.40 index. It features two rounds of qualifying and a pro ladder with drivers from Michigan to Florida showing interest.

For more information, visit ihra.com and brainerdmotorsports.com.

Formula 1’s Bahrain Grand Prix, set for Sunday, March 22 at the Bahrain International Circuit, will be a participant-only event in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19). The announcement means that fans and spectators will not be in attendance. The race will still be aired on ESP2.

The following statement was distributed by F1 officials through its website:

The health and safety of the F1 fans, family and wider communities is always paramount. With the continuing spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), and its impact on global communities, F1 is in constant dialogue with promoters, governmental bodies and expert health authorities to ensure the safeguarding of everyone inside and around the sport.

F1 is taking a scientific approach to the outbreak in order to help assess and implement the appropriate steps needed to minimize risks and protect personnel.

Bahrain has taken the decision to hold this year’s Grand Prix as a participants-only event—part of a wider set of proactive measures implemented by the country to limit the virus’ spread. Bahrain will also implement screening procedures on entry and specialist medical facilities onsite, as well as enhanced sanitation at the circuit, additional handwashing stations and specific medical protocols to manage any suspected cases of COVID-19.

For the complete statement, and for more information, visit the F1 website here.

The FIA World Motor Sport Council has approved the sports’ first-ever common vehicle standards for drifting cars following a proposal from the FIA Drifting Commission. The standards represent a milestone in the growing professionalism of drifting motorsports.

The new standards, dubbed as DC1, relate to the professional classes of the sport and were created in cooperation with industry experts from the leading drift series around the world, according to an FIA press release.

Until now, no common standards have existed for drift cars, with each event, series or organization implementing their own regulations. These new standards will allow teams to build to a common set of regulations that can be adopted worldwide, making it much easier for competitors to use the same car across multiple events and enabling the sport to grow further.

“Up until now, competitors have had to pick a series and build a car for those regulations without knowing if it could be used anywhere else,” FIA Drifting Commission President Akira Iida said in an FIA press release.

“Our sport is still developing and most competitors simply don’t have the budget to build multiple different cars to run in different championships. These common standards should greatly simplify the process for both the competitors and the series that they run in and is just the first in a number of measures that the Drifting Commission plans to introduce to take the sport to expand the sport further.”

As the DC1 regulations are aimed towards the professional classes of the sport, the Drifting Commission and FIA Technical Department will continue to work together over the year on similar regulations for both the semi-professional and amateur classes.

The FIA Specific Regulations for DC1 Drift Vehicles can be found here.

Photo courtesy of FIA

Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, with headquarters in Appleton, Wisconsin, and wholly-owned by Illinois Tool Works, has announced the Miller Welders Chassis Builders program as part of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series 2020 season.

As an official partner of the series, Miller Welders will award points to each chassis builder at series events, based on their finishing positions. The Chassis Builder that earns the most points throughout the season will be awarded the Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Year Award and receive a new Miller Welder at the series championship awards banquet.

"Miller Welders has been a supporter of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for many years. We feel their sponsorship and alignment with the Chassis Builders Program is a great fit for their company. Honoring the chassis builders and their employees at the year-end awards banquet will be a special award for the Chassis Builder of the Year. We look forward to working with everyone at Miller Welders in 2020," Wayne Castleberry said, from Lucas Oil Motorsports Corporate Motorsports Sales and Marketing.

For more information, visit millerwelds.com and lucasdirt.com.

As Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway enters its 70th season of racing in 2020, track officials have announced a new addition for the Hampton, Virginia-based motorsports facility.

Vaughan Crittenden has been named the stock car racing track’s promoter and general manager, as announced by Track Owner Bill Mullis.

Crittenden, 28, is among the youngest to serve in this role in the NASCAR Roots Division and succeeds Chuck Hall, who will remain a part of the speedway team.

“Vaughan is like a racehorse,” Mullis said of Crittenden, who has served as the track’s Director of Media since 2013. “We just need to saddle him up and let him loose.”

With experience in digital video and media, Crittenden joined the Richmond Raceway team as its Manager of Communication. In that role, he worked closely with the marketing teams at the Daytona 500, Talladega Superspeedway and Martinsville Speedway, as well as consulted with professional athletes and their public relations teams on promoting upcoming events.

“We have a great opportunity here and now to grow Langley Speedway’s presence nationwide, while also developing stronger connections and partnerships throughout the community and state,” Crittenden said.

Langley Speedway’s racing season officially kicks off on March 28 and its annual Day of Destruction—a demolition derby event—will be held on March 7.

For more information, visit langley-speedway.com.

Image courtesy of Langley Speedway

Mahoning Valley Speedway has announced that a “Rookie Hobby Stock” class will be added to the weekly race lineup starting with the season opener on Saturday, April 4.

Track officials of the Lehighton, Pennsylvania facility have introduced the rookie class for young and aspiring drivers, such as those leaving the 1/4-midget and karting ranks.

To assist the rookies, Mahoning’s all-time wins leader and a multi-time track champion, Earl Paules, will oversee an orientation for the new class.

“I think this is a great idea. We have to start somewhere and this is the future of our sport,” said Paules, who previously served as the race director at the Blue Mountain Quarter Midget Club in Walnutport. “I feel that if you feed them to the wolves they’re going to get discouraged and may possibly quit. In this format, they’ll be racing against others who haven’t raced in a full-size stock car on a race track.”

The orientation will be held on Saturday, March 28. All rookies are also encouraged to take part in the Test and Tune sessions slated for March 14, 21, and 28 from noon to 4 p.m.

The Rookie Hobby Stock class will be comprised of a 12-race schedule, running each week from April 4 through June 20.

There will be a $500 purse sponsored by E. Schneider & Sons Inc., Scrap Metal of Allentown. The champ will be presented $250 with $150 for second and $100 to third in final points. All other challengers, along with the top three, will be presented with graduation medals during a special ceremony on the last race.

For more information and to register, visit mahoningvalley-speedway.com.