Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and Global Time Attack (GTA) have reached an agreement where SCCA, through its SCCA Pro Racing division, will become the official sanctioning body for 2019 Global Time Attack events throughout the US.

This agreement includes a licensing program that allows new drivers to gain experience and accreditation to earn their way into pro time attack ranks, a system utilized by GRIDLIFE. SCCA and GTA will also be working together to produce unique, cooperative events during several weekends this year. Additionally, top-performing SCCA Time Trials Nationals (TTN) drivers will earn their way into GTA events, and the top 2019 TTN finisher will receive an invite to the 2020 Super Lap Battle organized by GTA.

Heyward Wagner, SCCA's Senior Director of Marketing and Experiential Programs, said the concept of working together with GTA was piloted at the February Super Lap Battle conducted at Circuit of the Americas, an event sanctioned by SCCA.

"This latest partnership formalizes steps taken by the North American Time Attack Council to align GRIDLIFE, Global Time Attack and SCCA," Wagner said.

SCCA, GTA and GRIDLIFE are the founding members of the North American Time Attack Council (NATA) dedicated to the development, evolution and success of time-based, competitive motorsport events such as Time Attack and Time Trials.

Based in Torrance, California, GTA was established in 2010 to assemble some of the world's fastest dedicated time attack cars on a particular circuit. Through its events, live broadcasts and partnerships with independent media outlets, GTA presents this motorsport in an exciting, engaging and involving manner. 

For more information, visit the SCCA website or the GTA website.

(Photo courtesy of the SCCA).

The Formula 1 race planned for the streets of downtown Miami, which was pushed back last year until at least 2020, has been scrapped, according to Motorsport.com.

The race would have seen the formula cars racing around Biscayne Boulevard and Bayfront Park in the city’s downtown area. Now, however, plans for the race have moved to a site near the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, which features seating for up to 65,000 fans and is set to host the 2020 Super Bowl.

The scrapped downtown event, which would likely bring disruptions and traffic issues, had received opposition from local residents and businesses. Most recently, a vote for the proposed event was deferred in City Hall last month.

The plans first came about in May 2017 when Formula 1 owners Liberty Media met with local businessman Stephen Ross for a reported 10-year deal. Ross has now switched focus to the Miami Gardens site in hopes to create a world-class circuit in the land surrounding the stadium.

More information will be announced once it becomes available.

For more on Formula 1, visit the F1 website.

Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (SMI) has announced that its Board of Directors has received a non-binding proposal from Sonic Financial Corporation to acquire all outstanding shares of SMI’s common stock.

Sonic Financial Corporation is a company owned and operated by Bruton Smith and his family. Sonic Financial currently owns around 29 million shares in SMI, along with over 70 percent of voting power for SMI, according to Motorsport.com. This offer would give Smith more control of the company.

SMI operates eight tracks around the nation that host Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ (MENCS) races, including Texas Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Speedway and Sonoma Raceway. As of now, SMI will continue to operate as normal.

The proposal requires the approval of the majority shareholders and the approval of the transaction by a special committee, which consists of independent directors and will be advised by independent legal and financial advisors.

“The Company cautions stockholders and others considering trading in its securities that the Board has only received the non-binding proposal letter from Sonic Financial and no decisions have been made by the Special Committee with respect to the Company’s response to the proposal. There can be no assurance that any definitive offer will be made, that any agreement will be executed or that this or any other transaction will be approved or consummated,” a company release said.

The news is comparable to an announcement made last fall which saw NASCAR make a similar non-binding offer to acquire outstanding shares of the International Speedway Corp., the operator of several MENCS tracks. That offer has not yet been accepted and is being challenged by at least two lawsuits, according to Motorsport.com.

For more information, visit the SMI website.

US 13 Dragway, the 1/4-mile drag strip in Delmar, Delaware, has renewed its sanctioning agreement with the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA).

The historic facility, which opened in 1963, also features a 1/2-mile clay oval known as Delaware International Speedway. For track owner Charlie Cathell, being a part of the IHRA and the Summit SuperSeries makes sense, since the program with track champions qualifying for the IHRA Summit World Finals in Memphis is similar to a program ran decades ago at his dirt track.

“A bracket program was something we had initially in the 70s,” Cathell said. “We were also affiliated with a dirt organization where they had a program if you qualified at your local dirt track, you went to their version of the world finals at Syracuse. It was something good to offer the local racers.

“At the time, we were struggling along with everyone else. Class racing was starting to draw back and the tracks didn’t have the same standards. We were ready to fold the drag strip and I put bracket racing on the table as a solution that might help us all. Bracket racing has been the salvation of a lot for a lot of drag strips.”

Cathell is always looking to better the facility with several safety improvements unveiled before the 2019 season. A common refrain heard at many IHRA member tracks, Cathell said the key to success is the family atmosphere at US 13 Dragway.
 
“We’re blessed to have what you call Eastern Shore hospitality,” Cathell said. “When you come here to race, if it’s your first race, you’ll find someone over there talking to you and they will do something to help you. Now when you pull on the starting line, they’re going to try to whip your tail.
 
“But if you’re broke, you have needs; there are people there to help you get in the buy-back program. It’s not just us; it’s what I call our racer family. We’re in the third generation of ownership and third generation of racers.”

For more information, visit the IHRA website to the US 13 Dragway website.

Online registration has officially opened for the upcoming internationally-televised 51st SCORE Baja 500.

Round two of the four-race 2019 SCORE World Desert Championship will be held May 29-June 2 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. The race will be televised on a delayed basis as a one-hour special on the ABC Network World of X Games programming.

Online registration is set up by class for Pro and Sportsman cars, trucks, UTVs, motorcycles and quads. Information on all SCORE races can be found on the home page under the Race Info tab.

Official entries received after the drawing will be given the next available starting position within their respective classes. Online entries will be accepted until 8 p.m. (PDT) on Tuesday, May 21.

Following consultation with city and state government officials, SCORE International announced that it will move all the official pre-race festivities and the start/finish line area for this year’s SCORE Baja 500 to the Lucas Oil Off-Road Stadium on the grounds of the Estero Beach Hotel & Resort, 12.2 miles south of downtown Ensenada.

SCORE officials stated that the move is being made because of Baja California State elections that will be held on the same weekend as the race and moving the event for this year will reduce the serious strain on public resources and eliminate all of the road closures.   

SCORE has also announced that there will be no admission charge for spectators to view the start and finish of the race from several thousand grandstand seats at the Lucas Oil Off-Road Stadium at Estero Beach.

“Starting inside of the stadium, we will have the class winners from the recent SCORE San Felipe 250 start first by themselves and then the rest of the vehicles will leave the start line two vehicles at a time and cover the nearly one-mile off-road track both leaving the start line and then returning to the finish. This will be awesome for the fans to see this much racing at the start and finish,” SCORE President/Race Director Jose A. Grijalva said.

For more information, including to register and the complete schedule, visit the SCORE International website.

Promoter Len Sammons has announced the 2020 dates for the three annual events that make up the Indoor Auto Racing Series.

The series will again open in Allentown, Pennsylvania, at the PPL Center with two complete shows on January 3-4, 2020. Round three will be held for the 18th year inside Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on January 31-February 1.

For the second year, the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse will host the final two rounds on Friday and Saturday, March 13-14.

The three race weekends will comprise the five rounds of the 2020 Indoor Auto Racing Series Fueled By VP Race Fuels schedule with champions crowned in the TQ Midget, Champ Kart and Slingshot classes.

Also returning for its third season will be the non-point East Coast Indoor Dirt Nationals inside the Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton, New Jersey. This event, which features the wingless 600 Micro Sprints, will be moved from December to the weekend after the Daytona 500, February 21-22, 2020.

For more information, visit the Indoor Auto Racing website.

Babcox Media, Inc. has announced that Greg Jones has been appointed Editor of the Engine Builder brand.

Jones, a journalism graduate of the State University of New York at Albany, joined Babcox Media in 2014 as Engine Builder’s managing editor. He has spent the past several years immersed in the industry, preparing himself to oversee the day-to-day editorial management of the brand.

“In the past few years, I’ve learned more than I ever thought I would know about engines, shops and components. The engine building and rebuilding market continues to evolve and I’m excited to stay at the forefront of those changes, to continue being a voice for engine builders, machinists and all of the aftermarket companies driving the industry,” Jones said.

In related news, Babcox has promoted Engine Builder publisher and editor Doug Kaufman to a new role as the editorial director for Brake & Front End, ImportCar and Underhood Service.

Since 1964, Engine Builder has been an independent voice of professional engine builders and remanufacturers, as well as machine shop parts and equipment suppliers across America. With the ability to deliver a wide range of technical, business and marketing topics, the brand uses print, digital and video assets to engage and inform its audience.

For more information, visit the Babcox Media website.

Sales, marketing and consulting firm Bob Cook Sales has announced the addition of Brock White to its sales team.

White will represent the company’s Oklahoma, New Mexico and West and North Texas regions. He is currently based in Fort Worth, Texas and has a background in automotive including spending time with the Optima Street Car Challenge and the Hot Rod Power Tour.

“Brock has a unique combination of aftermarket, motorsport and creative experience that will provide added value to our manufacturer clients,” Bob Cook Sales Principal Les Rudd said, according to The Shop.

White also enjoys drifting with an LSx-powered Nissan capable of over 8,000 rpm.

For more information, visit the Bob Cook Sales website.

Weld Racing Wheels are now available through Turn 14 Distribution.

Weld Racing Wheels, with manufacturing facilities in the U.S., offers a large product line of wheels in a variety of widths and diameters and have fitments designed for a variety of applications.

Sprint car driver Greg Weld founded the company in Kansas in 1967 when he was unable to find the right combination of strength and performance in wheels, according to The Shop. Over 50 years later, Weld’s production facility sits less than a mile from Pappy Weld’s Speed Shop, which is where Greg Weld’s race cars were built during his racing career.

For more information, visit the Weld Racing Wheels website or the Turn 14 Distribution website.

Full factory backing for the Ford GT sports car racing program will be trimmed following the 2019 season, as confirmed by Autoweek.

Ford currently campaigns rides in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Earlier this year, Ford Motorsports Performance Global Director had noted the company was only committed to the end of the season for both series.

As of now, sponsors and privateer teams are being sought to continue the GT program, which will also be partially supported by Ford going forward, according to Autoweek.

Ganassi Racing—which fields the IMSA program for Ford—and Multimatic—which fields Ford’s WEC program—may continue the programs, but would likely need outside sponsorships. Without this, privateer teams could purchase and race the cars.

Currently, Ford is third in manufacturers points in the IMSA GT Le Mans class. In 2018, Ford won the manufacturer championship.

According to Autoweek, Rushbrook indicated the potential interest in other series including an all-electric rallycross, Formula E, and even Prototype classes in both IMSA and WEC.

For more information, visit the Ford Performance GT Racing webpage.