NASCAR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame announced legendary motorsports reporter Steve Waid as the eighth recipient of the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence.

A familiar face in the NASCAR garage for nearly 50 years, Waid began covering motorsports in 1972 for the Martinsville Bulletin before a 10-year stint at the Roanoke Times & World News.

In 1981, Waid moved to Grand National Scene, a weekly NASCAR publication – and the spot where Waid cemented his legacy as a NASCAR media giant. Waid would later become publisher of what became known as NASCAR Scene and the monthly magazine NASCAR Illustrated, remaining with the publications until his retirement from full-time reporting in 2010.

Waid, who served as president of the National Motorsports Press Association President (NMPA) for 12 years, has won several journalism awards, including the George Cunningham Award as NMPA Writer of the Year and the Henry T. McLemore Award for outstanding lifetime contributions to motorsports.
 
In addition to penning widely read stories for daily, weekly and monthly publications, Waid co-authored a biography on Junior Johnson with fellow Squier-Hall Award recipient Tom Higgins. He also appeared on several television and radio programs dedicated to NASCAR.
 
Waid will be honored during 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony festivities and featured in an exhibit in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.
 
Waid was among eight nominees voted upon by a panel comprised of NASCAR and NASCAR Hall of Fame executives, journalists, public relations representatives and former competitors. The Squier-Hall Award was created in 2012 to honor the contributions of media to the success of the sport.

Legendary broadcasters Ken Squier and Barney Hall, for whom the award is named, were its initial recipients. Chris Economaki, Tom Higgins, Steve Byrnes, Benny Phillips and Norma "Dusty" Brandel have since won the award.

Crosley Brands CEO and part-time racer Bo LeMastus has completed the purchase of Indiana’s Salem Speedway and the adjoining Salem Airport.

LeMastus purchased the historic racing facility from Owen and Beverly Thompson, who bought the track in 1995 and have operated it for more than 20 years.

While the entire property will take on the name Crosley Field, the race track will retain some form of the name Salem Speedway.

The 55-year-old businessman and co-owner with David Gilliland of the DGR-Crosley team that competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR K&N Pro Series, said discussions about purchasing the track started roughly six months ago.

After a conversation with the owners, LeMastus visited Salem Speedway alongside his accountant, R.K. Bruce, and his attorney, Jeff Parrish, and quickly decided to move ahead with the purchase.

As part of the acquisition, LeMastus says he is putting together a partnership with ARCA stalwarts Bill and Will Kimmel under the name BWB Entertainment. LeMastus says plans include much more than racing at the historic half-mile track that ran its first race in 1947.

Salem Speedway plays host to several touring series every year, including the ARCA Racing Series, USAC Silver Crown Series and Champion Racing Ass’n. The track also hosts local racing featuring the Lucas Oil Great American Stocks and a Front Wheel Drive Stock division.

The goal is to eventually bring the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to the venue.

Venturi Formula E Team has recently appointed former racing driver Susie Wolff as team principal and shareholder.

Effective immediately, Wolff will see the team through the doubleheader season-finale in New York City on July 14–15, and on to the first race of Season 5 on December 15, 2018, in Saudi Arabia and beyond.

After a successful career behind the wheel, joining Venturi marks the next step in Wolff's journey after she retired from driving in 2015 to set up the charity Dare to Be Different (D2BD).

"When I decided to stop as a professional driver in 2015, I knew that I wanted to continue with the challenge of competitive racing, just not behind the wheel," Wolff said. "You can’t just switch off your competitive instincts when you stop driving and that determination and desire to achieve still burn brightly inside me.”

Starting off in competing in karting championships from the age of eight, Wolff eventually made her way into single-seaters in 2001 with Formula Renault. Within just four years, she made the jump to the British Formula 3 Championship before getting her break into the German Touring Car (DTM) championship in 2006, just one year later.

Based in the Monaco headquarters, Wolff will work closely with Gildo Pastor, CEO of the Venturi Formula E Team.

A six-man list of racing pioneers, legends and modern-day champions joined “The First Lady of Motorsports” in a colorful and accomplished 2019 Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) inductee class announced today at Daytona International Speedway (DIS).

The Class of 2019 was unveiled in a press conference at DIS – site of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday night – by MSHFA President Ron Watson and DIS President Chip Wile.

The seven MSHFA Class of 2019 honorees, the top vote-earners from an impressive list of 43 nominees from all walks of motorsports, include automotive and racing pioneer Augie Duesenberg (Historic), three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti (Open Wheel), engineering genius Phil Remington (Sports Cars), motorcycle road racing World Champion Kevin Schwantz (Motorcycles), championship-winning driver/owner Don Schumacher (Drag Racing), Tony Stewart (Stock Cars) and popular motorsports ambassador and iconic race queen Linda Vaughn (At Large).

The Class of 2019 will be enshrined into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in its 31st annual induction ceremony next March, the traditional black-tie gala that will be the crowning event of a two-day, multifunction MSHFA induction celebration on March 11–12, in Daytona Beach.

With the host venue expected to be finalized in the coming weeks, the 2019 MSHFA Induction Ceremony will be preceded on March 11, by the traditional “Heroes of Horsepower” reception and strolling dinner at the MSHFA Museum, located in the Daytona International Speedway Ticket and Tours facility.

For more information, including a short biography of each new inductee, visit the MSHFA website here.

McLaren Racing announced leadership restructures to its racing operations effective immediately.

McLaren Racing Chief Executive Zak Brown accepted Eric Boullier’s resignation from his position as racing director. He also announced a simplified technical leadership team.

Simon Roberts, COO of McLaren Racing, will oversee production, engineering and logistics. Andrea Stella is appointed performance director, responsible for trackside operations. Gil de Ferran takes up the new role of sporting director, to maximize the effectiveness of the team’s racing package.

These changes are said to be the beginning of a comprehensive program of positive changes to the technical leadership of McLaren’s racing organization. The team will invest to retain and attract the best talent, internally and externally, to return McLaren Racing to the front of the grid, according to the race organization.

“The performance of the MCL33 in 2018 has not met the expectations of anyone at McLaren, especially our loyal fans. This is not the fault of the hundreds of committed and hard-working men and women at McLaren,” Brown said.

“The causes are systemic and structural, which require major change from within. With today’s announcement, we start to address those issues head on and take the first step on our road to recovery.

“I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the entire team to thank Eric for his service and contribution to McLaren and wish him well in his future endeavors.”

With Governor Henry McMaster’s signature, legislation aiding and incentivizing the construction of motorsports complexes became law in South Carolina recently.

By passing the bill, the legislature recognizes both the important economic and civic value that motorsports can provide to a region.

The new law will help pave the way for new racing facilities in the state. A motorsports tourism incentive fund will also be created to award grants or loans in order to attract and expand tourism and hospitality projects.

The new law exempts certain building materials from the sales tax and provides the process by which a qualified company building a complex may claim the exemption.

For more information on automotive legislation, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN).

Homestead-Miami Speedway has added two “Fast Lane Fridays” to its monthly calendar from now until the end of racing season.

Homestead-Miami Speedway originally created “Fast Lane Friday” as a safe alternative to combat illegal street racing in South Florida. The event is open to all car enthusiasts 18 and older with a valid driver’s license and proof of registration/insurance.

Drivers will be able to race their cars against other street-legal cars on the drag strip as many times as they would like throughout the night.

Tickets for Fast Lane Friday are now available to purchase online. Participant tickets cost $20 online ($25 at the gate) and spectator tickets cost $10 online ($15 at the gate).

Click here for more information, including directions to the gates day-of.

FAST LANE FRIDAY DATES
(Open from 6 p.m. to midnight. Dates subject to change.)
August 3 and August 17
September 7 and September 21
October 5 and  October 26

In related news, Homestead-Miami Speedway officials have announced South Floridians will get the opportunity to drive around the 1.5-mile oval in their street-legal vehicles on Saturday, August 11, and Sunday, September 16, during its “Give Back at the Track” event. Proceeds from the event will benefit Homestead-Miami Speedway’s charitable outreach program, “Driving for a Cause.”

I-70 Speedway and Kansas City International Raceway (KCIR) are set to reopen next year. The two tracks, originally built by the same group in the late 1960s, were both closed within the last decade.

Both tracks will be rebuilt on the property that originally housed I-70 Speedway in Odessa, Missouri. The new facility will be named I-70 Motorsports Park.

A 1/4-mile dragstrip will also be built on the Odessa property, along with a half-mile clay dirt oval. The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) will sanction the dragstrip and while the dirt track will hold sprint car features from several different sanctioning bodies.

The tracks' fresh starts are thanks to the help of multiple companies, including the same corporation that revamped Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas, and National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio.

Leading the project is Kansas City businessman and entertainment property owner Chris Payne.

"Our hopes are I-70 Motorsports Park becomes a staple in the community for all to enjoy for generations to come,” Payne said.

After the appropriate approvals and permits are received, construction will immediately take place at the property. Earth moving equipment will clear an area for the dragstrip to be laid, and the oval track will have fresh clay delivered to complete its racing surface.

Race fans can follow all of the progress at i70motorsportspark.com.

Highlands Motorsport Park will open the Castrol Toyota Racing Series’ five-round championship season. The schedule culminates with the 64th New Zealand Grand Prix at Circuit Chris Amon at Manfeild.

“We’ve wanted to take the series back to Highlands,” Toyota New Zealand’s Motorsport Manager Mark Whittaker said. “It’s appropriate our top motor racing series starts near the adventure capital of New Zealand–Queenstown.”

Each round of the championship will have three races, giving drivers 15 races over five consecutive weekends.

At Highlands Motorsport Park, the full 2.42-mile circuit will be used including the cross over bridge section.

Other rounds of the series will be held on following weekends before the Grand Prix meeting, one of only two outside Formula 1 to be allowed to use the title, at Manfeild.

This coming summer will be the 15th year the Toyota Racing Series has been held.

2019 Castrol Toyota Racing Series
January 10-13, Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell
January 17-20, Teretonga Park, Invercargill
January 24-27, Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, North Waikato
January 31–February 3, Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park, Taupo
February 7-10, Manfeild, Feilding