The American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) has expanded its non-wing sprint car portfolio with the addition of the Colorado-based Elite Non-Wing Series for the 2020 season.

Similar to Arizona’s Desert Non-Wing Series and Texas’ Elite Non-Wing Series, Elite North will use its own set of rules and format with the ASCS or RaceSaver Hoosier Right Rear. ASCS will sanction the series with press and points management, and provide an additional point fund bringing the total to $7,500.

The series will primarily race out of Colorado, with two races set for Lubbock and Amarillo, Texas.

Questions regarding rules and schedules can be directed to Mike Hathaway at 719-232-4951 or hath27@live.com.

For more information, visit ascsracing.com.

2020 Elite Non-Wing North Schedule of Events
4/25/2020-El Paso County Raceway - Calhan, CO

5/23/2020-El Paso County Raceway - Calhan, CO

5/24/2020-I-76 Speedway - Fort Morgan, CO

6/13/2020-El Paso County Raceway - Calhan, CO

6/19/2020-Phillips County Raceway - Holyoke, CO

6/20/2020-I-76 Speedway - Fort Morgan, CO

7/24/2020-West Texas Raceway - Lubbock, TX

7/25/2020-Route 66 Motor Speedway - Amarillo, TX

7/31/2020-Phillips County Raceway - Holyoke, CO

8/1/2020-I-76 Speedway - Fort Morgan, CO

9/12/2020-El Paso County Raceway - Calhan, CO

10/10/2020-El Paso County Raceway - Calhan, CO

Photo courtesy of EPCR Social Media, ASCS

Track officials for WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the paved road racing track in central California, have announced its schedule and management team for the 2020 season.

It was previously announced in November that the Monterey County Board of Supervisors has selected former Monterey Plaza Hotel Manager John Narigi as the facility’s new manager.

On the heels of that announcement, track officials have formally announced Narigi as the complex’s president and general manager. Narigi comes to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca after 40-plus years in the hospitality sector.

The rest of the management team consists of individuals who are deeply versed in all areas of the facility and its major events, according to a release.

Returning to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca after seven months in San Diego is Barry Toepke, who becomes Director of Marketing and Communications and the event manager for the annual Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, which is one of the pillars of Monterey Classic Car Week held each August. Toepke spent 10 years internally at Laguna Seca managing communications and historic racing and was integral in growing the event’s popularity.

The team consists of (in alphabetical order):
 
Matt Brady, Track Manager
Brandy Falconer, Communications Manager
Steve Fields, Sr. VP of Sales
Rick Garcia, Director of Facilities
Mark Mathe, Director of Operations
Kathy Muller, Retail Manager
Lisa Saclayan, Ticket Manager
Jeanie Sumners, Marketing Manager
Aaron Tharpe, Director of Sales and Sponsorships
Barry Toepke, Director of Marketing and Communications
Judy Varley, Track Rental Coordinator

The 2020 season kicks off April 16-19 with the Sea Otter Classic; Trans Am SpeedFest returns May 1-3; MotoAmerica Superbike SpeedFest at Monterey July 10-12; Ferrari Challenge Series July 23-26; the Monterey Pre-Reunion August 8-9; Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion August 13-16; and Monterey SpeedWeek consisting of Monterey SportsCar Championship (IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship) September 11-13 and the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey (NTT IndyCar Series) September 18-20.

For more information, visit weathertechraceway.com.

As decided during the annual competition meetings held in December, USAC has announced rule changes and enforcements that will be implemented during the 2020 season for the USAC Silver Crown Champ Car, AMSOIL National Sprint Car, and NOS Energy Drink National Midget series.

In Silver Crown, National Sprint and National Midget competition, lapped cars will be sent to the tail of the field for all restarts during the feature event.

All radius rods must be one piece on cars for the Silver Crown, National Sprint and National Midget divisions in 2020. No spring rods or shock dampers will be allowed.

The weight rule for Silver Crown has been increased to a 1,675-pound minimum, with the driver. Rules regarding added weight for aluminum blocks will remain the same.

For the AMSOIL National Sprint Cars, split qualifying will be retained for 2020. In the event of more than 36 cars in attendance, qualifying will be split into two flights. Cars will only qualify against other cars in their flight and fill heats one and two or heats three and four. For lineup purposes, the fastest qualifier in the slower flight will be considered the second position seed. That will continue through the field and be used to grid feature lineups. Qualifying points will be awarded to the overall fastest six.

For the feature lineup, positions seven through 10 will be filled by the heat race winners in order of heat races. If a car in the Top Six feature invert wins a heat race, the available spots seven through 10 are filled by qualification order of cars qualified for the feature event.

If there are 30 cars or less, three heat race events will be conducted. If there are 31 or more cars in attendance, four heat races will be conducted.

The weight rule for sprints has been increased to a 1,375-pound minimum, with a driver.

In the National Midget division, no split qualifying will be held.

For the feature lineup, positions seven through 10 will be filled by the heat race winners in order of heat races. If a car in the top-6 feature invert wins a heat race, the available spots seven through 10 are filled by qualification order of cars qualified for the feature event.

If there are 30 cars or less, three heat race events will be conducted. If there are 31 or more cars in attendance, four heat races will be conducted.

For more information and 2020 schedules, visit usacracing.com.

Simpson Performance Products, the manufacturer of vehicle and driver safety components, has announced the acquisition of Clearwater Lights.

Clearwater, based in Rancho Cordova, California, designs, assembles and markets auxiliary LED light solutions for motorsports.

Its products, which are made to improve safety and lighting conditions, are available in a range of sizes, light intensity, and beam angles. Product categories include safety light systems, warning lights, car lighting, and more.

“We are excited about the addition of the Clearwater Lights brand to the Simpson portfolio and believe it to be a strong strategic fit with Simpson’s mission of providing best-in-class safety gear for the motorsport industry,” Simpson CEO Chuck Davies said in a press release. “Partnering up with Glenn will lead to more innovation over all our product ranges and together we can get more people safer with Glenn’s great lights.”

For more information, visit simpsonraceproducts.com or clearwaterlights.com.

The 2020 schedule for the Brodix American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) Frontier Region has been released by series officials. Featuring a slate of 17 events, the ASCS Frontier Region will visit Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming this year.

The series, which is in its eighth year of touring, opens its season on Friday, June 5, at Gallatin Speedway in Belgrade, Montana, followed by a visit to Big Sky Speedway in Billings, Montana, on June 6. The season ends at Gallatin Speedway on September 11.

Officials noted a goal for the 2020 schedule was to limit the number of single-race weekends to help travel costs for teams. The series will also be headed by Nick Whalen this season after Cary Smith stepped away in 2019.

For more information, including the complete schedule, visit ascsracing.com.

Photo courtesy of Brodix ASCS Frontier Region

Officials from the ARCA Menards Series have announced an adjustment to two dates on the 2020 schedule. The races at Charlotte Motor Speedway and World Wide Technology (WWT) Raceway at Gateway have been moved back by one day.

ARCA will now visit Charlotte on Friday, May 22, and WWT Raceway at Gateway on Sunday, August 2.

Although there has been an adjustment, the Charlotte race remains part of the qualifying day for the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600.

“We’re pleased to work with both Charlotte Motor Speedway and WWT Raceway at Gateway on these minor adjustments to the 2020 ARCA Menards Series schedule,” said ARCA President Ron Drager to ARCAracing.com. “Cooperation among our tracks, broadcast partners, teams, sponsors and fans is important and we will do all we can to work with our valued partners.”

For more information, including the updated schedule, visit arcaracing.com.

Officials from Deer Creek Speedway, the dirt track in Spring Valley, Minnesota, have announced the track has been posted for sale. The track has been owned by the Queensland family for the last 20 years.

The 62.3-acre facility—which includes the track that regularly runs events featuring street stocks, B-Modifieds, USRA B-Mods, USRA Modifieds—as well as the surrounding campgrounds, is up for sale.

Randy Queensland stated he and his family are committed to running the facility with a regular race schedule until a new owner can be found, according to the Post Bulletin.

“It’s just time,” he said to the Post Bulletin. “Things have worked out well, and it’s been great for the family and everyone involved.

“We’ll run the facility until it sells; it won’t probably be a very quick sale, it might take some time.”
The current asking price is $2.595 million. The sale is being handled by SVN North, a St. Louis Park-based commercial real estate business.

The 2020 season is still on track to open April 4 with a car show, followed by open practice on April 18 and a points race on April 25. The season is set for close in September, with the USMTS Labor Day Duel on September 5, the Stock Car Nationals on September 19, and the USMTS Fall Jamboree on September 23-26.

“We have a tremendous schedule lined up for this summer,” Queensland said to the Post Bulletin. “We’re excited about things and think it’ll be an excellent year. We’re committed to it and our involvement will be all there.

“We’ll offer the same quality entertainment we always have.”

For more information and the complete 2020 schedule, visit deercreekspeedway.com.

Photo courtesy of Deer Creek Speedway

The NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series will expand its playoff field from eight to 10 drivers in 2020, according to NASCAR officials.

The postseason schedule will again feature seven races but will have a new elimination format: three races in Round of 10, after which two drivers will be eliminated; three races in Round of 8, where four drivers will be eliminated; and the Championship 4 finale, which will crown the series champion at Phoenix Raceway on November 6.

According to the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Managing Director Brad Moran, the emergence of more top-level teams and better competition was part of the reason for the format change.

“The way the format was structured in the Gander Truck Series with the Round of 8, Round of 6, Round of 4, we were leaving some excitement on the table,” Moran said to NASCAR.com. “Maybe three or four years ago, not so much, but certainly the last couple of years with the series strengthening to the position it’s in right now, we really felt putting 10 teams into the playoffs for a Round of 10 is just going to make it that much more exciting and interesting, and will put a lot of emphasis on winning races, which is what we try to do.”

For more information, visit nascar.com.

Officials from Vado Speedway Park, the new track in Vado, New Mexico, have announced Chris Stepan as the new general manager and promoter.

The facility, near Interstate 10 nearly halfway between Las Cruces and El Paso, opened its doors in June 2019. The track ran upwards of 20 events, ending with the USRA Fall Nationals in October and the Turkey Bowl in late November. The track started 2020 with a visit from the World of Outlaws Late Model Series as part of the Battle at the Border.

The 3/8-mile clay oval track is owned by Royal Jones, who is also the longtime leaseholder of the Southern New Mexico Speedway and El Paso Speedway Park.

“Ten years ago I tried to hire Chris to move here and run El Paso Speedway Park, but he wasn’t ready to move across the country quite yet, so we just agreed that maybe we’d talk about it again in the future,” Jones said in a track release. “Well, the future is now. He has a vast knowledge of the sport, is well respected in the industry and is very good at what he does. Chris will be a great addition to the team and we are excited to have him on board.”

The 2020 schedule will be released soon. For more information, visit vadospeedwaypark.com.

American Endurance Racing (AER) has released its 2020 Summit Racing Endurance Championship Series schedule. The six-race season begins February 14-16, at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta near Atlanta, Georgia.

The Endurance Championship Series is tailor-made for amateur drivers who want to try their hand at endurance racing. Every race in the series has multiple classes with cars grouped based on their qualifying times for an even playing field. Racers helping other teams with parts or lending a hand wrenching is a standard operating procedure in AER.

Any production-based car built for road racing qualifies.

For more information, and the complete 2020 AER schedule, visit americanenduranceracing.com.

Photo courtesy of Rudy Archuleta, AER