More than 30 tracks are featured on the SCCA Track Night calendar for 2020, with more than 137 days of racing scheduled across the nation.

Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado and Nelson Ledges Road Course in Ohio join Track Night’s list of venues for 2020, which includes VIRginia International Raceway, Daytona International Speedway, Lime Rock Park and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta among the tracks in the east, stopping all across the country before reaching the Pacific Ocean at Portland International Raceway and Auto Club Speedway, among others.

Track Night in America is a non-competitive, inexpensive way for those who want to get on a real race course in their own vehicle during weeknights. The price to participate is usually around $160 per event. Participants must be at least 18 years old with a valid driver’s license and have access to an approved helmet and street car in good working condition.

Drivers may participate in the Advanced, Intermediate or KONI Novice Experience group, and each driver gets three 20-minute sessions on course as well as feedback from SCCA driver coaches on site.

Spectator admission is free. Registration to participate in most events opens March 3 on tracknightinamerica.com.

To view the complete 2020 calendar, visit the SCCA webpage here.

For more information, visit scca.com.

Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS) officials have announced personnel promotions among its Events, Guest Services and Operations teams.

Greg Walter, the speedway's executive vice president and general manager, announced that Doug Cremer has been named vice president of Guest Services and Operations, and Matt Greci was named vice president of Events.

In his new position, Cremer maintains his current senior leadership role with the CMS operations department while adding an additional focus on the event-day customer experience. Cremer, who will also play a pivotal role in the speedway's customer service efforts, has been a part of the facility’s Events and Guest Services departments since joining in 2001.

"Doug's wealth of experience with operational maintenance and development projects combined with his desire to put our 'Fans First' mantra into action every day make him the perfect fit for this restructured role with our company," Walter said. "As we move into a new decade of entertainment, Doug will make sure our facility as well as our Guest Services staff is creating a positive, memory-making experience for every visitor who comes through our gates."

Greci, previously the executive director of Events and a speedway employee since 2006, will assume the senior leadership role with the Events department where he will supervise the team charged with executing the event calendar.

In addition to executing signature track events such as the Coca-Cola 600, NGK NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Pennzoil AutoFair and World of Outlaws' Can-Am World Finals, Greci will be charged with recruiting showpiece attractions and serving as the primary liaison with various sanctioning bodies.

For more information, visit charlottemotorspeedway.com.

Photos courtesy of CMS

The 2020 Chinese Grand Prix, which had been scheduled for April 17-19, has been postponed as a result of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The Chinese Grand Prix Promoter, Juss Sports Group, officially requested the postponement after ongoing discussions with the Federation of Automobile and Motorcycle Sports of People's Republic of China (CAMF) and Shanghai Administration of Sports.

Amid continued health concerns and with the World Health Organization declaring the coronavirus as a global health emergency, Formula 1, together with governing body the FIA, jointly decided to accept the postponement request in order to ensure the health and safety of the traveling staff, championship participants and fans.

Formula 1 and the FIA will continue to work closely with the teams, race promoter, CAMF and the local authorities to monitor the situation as it develops, with all parties studying the viability of potential alternative dates for the Grand Prix later in the year should the situation improve.

"The Chinese Grand Prix has always been a very important part of the F1 calendar and the fans are always incredible," Formula 1 said in a statement. "We all look forward to racing in China as soon as possible and wish everyone in the country the best during this difficult time."

For more information, visit formula1.com.

Photo courtesy of F1

Battle Mountain Raceway, the dirt track in Battle Mountain, Nevada, has become the first track in the state to sanction IMCA stock car racing.

Five Friday and Saturday doubleheaders—April 3 and 4, May 8 and 9, June 26 and 27, July 24 and 25, and Aug. 28 and 29—are currently scheduled. The final IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing show of the season is also set for Sunday, Sept. 20.

“The fans really liked [the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars]. We’ve already got six area drivers who already have or are building or buying cars,” Battle Mountain Raceway Promoter Santiago Villanueva said. “We’re looking forward to making this happen.”

IMCA Modifieds have run at Battle Mountain since 2002.

“What I like about sanctioning with IMCA is the rules. They’re cut and dried, pretty straight forward and right there on the website,” said Villanueva. “We want to build the Stock Car class here and we want our drivers to be able to go to other IMCA tracks and not have to [change] anything to race.”

Stock Car points earned at Battle Mountain figure toward EQ Cylinder Heads Southern Region standings.

For more information, visit imca.com.

Image courtesy of IMCA

Series officials have announced the POWRi Lucas Oil Border Tour Non-Wing Sprint Series will branch out in 2020 with new venues and extra bonuses.

A total of 16 events are on the docket for the POWRi Lucas Oil Border Tour this year including trips to Vado, New Mexico; Aztec, New Mexico; Cocopah, Arizona; and Canyon, Arizona.

The season begins March 21 at Somerton, Arizona’s Cocopah Speedway, the first race in series history outside of New Mexico. A Halloween weekend event will also feature Cocopah with races on October 30-31.

Aztec Speedway in New Mexico will debut on the tour with a pair of shows on September 11-12.

The Vado Speedway Park will remain at the core of the POWRi Lucas Oil Border Tour schedule with seven shows at the new venue. Dates at Vado include April 4, May 9, June 13, July 18, August 8, and the season finale “Turkey Bowl” on November 27-28.

Canyon Speedway Park, the dirt track in Peoria, Arizona, will also host its inaugural 2020 POWRi event on April 11 at the “Easter Eggstravaganza.” The series will return May 30 and again on September 26 for the Night of Champions race.

For more information and the complete schedule, visit powri.com.

The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, home of the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, has announced its Class of 2020 inductees. The recipients of the Founder’s Award and the Patricia Garlits Memorial Award were also named.

The inductees for 2020 are, in alphabetical order, Robert “Bones” Balogh, Lee Beard, Don Enriquez, Roy Hill, Billy Meyer and Larry Minor.  

The Founder’s Award was also given to Don Prieto, while the Patricia Garlits Award was given to Etta Glidden.

The induction dinner and ceremony will take place on Thursday, March 12, in Gainesville, Florida, at the Wyndham Garden Hotel Gainesville. Tickets are priced at $110 each. Corporate-sponsored tables are also available.  

To purchase tickets, call the Museum at 877-271-3278. For short biographies on each of the inductees and award winners, visit here.

For more information, visit garlits.com.

Extreme E, the new electric off-road SUV racing series which begins its inaugural season in 2021, has announced the addition of Kester Wilkinson and Nina Dreier to its team.

Wilkinson will head up the events team as Events Manager, ahead of the championship’s inaugural race in Senegal, Africa, next January. He will work with the logistics and sporting teams, and his main responsibilities will be ensuring that key event infrastructure and resources are in place for a safe, competitive and sustainable event.

Wilkinson joins the company from D3 events, one of Red Bull UK’s sports event agencies.

“Kester has hit the ground running, having already completed invaluable research trips to Saudi Arabia and Senegal. I’ve been super impressed, and he is already proving himself as an integral member of the Extreme E team,” Extreme E Chief Marketing Officer Ali Russell said. “Kester’s past experience with running large-scale global events will hold him in good stead when it comes to being tasked with managing our Extreme E races in some of the most remote corners of the globe.”

Nina Dreier, the former Sports Marketing Specialist at Red Bull UK, has joined the team as the championship’s Marketing Manager.

“Since joining the team, Nina has been busy working on our global marketing campaign and managing various activities within the marketing department,” Russell said. “With just under a year to go until Extreme E gets underway, Nina will ensure that our marketing strategy is in line with the championship’s objectives while simultaneously creating a strong championship identity. Nina’s sunny disposition makes her a fantastic addition to our team.”

For more information, visit extreme-e.com.

Photo of Extreme E office in London courtesy of Extreme E, Facebook

Desoto Speedway, the asphalt track in Manatee County, Florida, has been purchased by Cleetus McFarland, well-known for his high-performance builds and YouTube fame. The track, which is near Bradenton Motorsports Park, has been renamed Freedom Factory.

The 60-plus acre facility first opened as a speedway in the 1970s. Its gates closed and the track was abandoned for the past two years, however.

“We’re hoping to put on a show for the people out here, you know, bring back the legacy of this American historic racing track,” McFarland said to WWSB.

While the track needs cleanup and maintenance work, McFarland is open to the idea of reviving the circle track to its former glory “if the right promoter comes along.”

As of today, there is one event on the schedule for 2020. The Cleetus and Cars Grand Championship, which is open to the public and created in conjunction with Bradenton Motorsports Park, is set for Nov. 20–21. Additional events may be announced at a later date.

Photo courtesy of Cleetus McFarland

The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) has launched a new official podcast named “WEC Talk.”

With exclusive interviews from WEC drivers, team members, management and legendary figures involved in the sport, the new podcast dedicated to endurance racing will release new episodes each month.

The first episode of the podcast, featuring Dutch racer Nyck de Vries, is available on major podcast platforms now.

For more information, visit fiawec.com.

The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) has announced the addition of Kristen Poole, who will be taking on the newly created role of Senior Manager of Marketing.

Poole has been an SCCA member since 2015, and served as Regional Executive for the award-winning Susquehanna Region for the past three years. As an independent contractor for SCCA in 2019, she brought value to both Track Night in America and Time Trials programs in various roles from coaching and event lead to logistics management for Time Trials Nationals, according to a company press release.

“Although I’ve only been a member for five years, I grew up going to races with my dad," Poole said. "I've always had a passion for motorsports—for the cars, yes, but more so for the people who are like family. I'm excited for the opportunity to work on a national level to maximize marketing efforts and foster stronger connections with our members.”

“In her role as Senior Manager of Marketing, Kristen will be tasked with the development and execution of a new, comprehensive and cohesive digital marketing strategy for the organization. We see it as a much-needed overhaul intended to enhance marketing and communications efforts across the organization,” SCCA Senior Director of Marketing & Experiential Programs Heyward Wagner said.
 
As a career marketer, Poole brings 15 years of experience to the SCCA marketing team with skills in writing, design and photography, and professional experience managing robust email marketing, marketing automation, complex projects and social media programs. Poole graduated from Penn State University in 2006 with Highest Distinction honors and a bachelor’s degree in communications.

For more information, visit scca.com.