The Super DIRTcar Series is upping the ante at six of its scheduled events this season by awarding starting positions in the big-block modified finale of the NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week XLVII.

Any driver who wins a qualifier is guaranteed a starting spot in the "biggest big-block event in the country" at Oswego Speedway on Sunday, October 7.

All Super DIRT Car Series events with a purse of $7,500 or higher will serve as NAPA Super DIRT Week Qualifiers. As of today’s date, there are five of these on the schedule: three at Weedsport Speedway, one at Albany-Saratoga Speedway and another at Lebanon Valley Speedway.

In addition to these, and in order to further honor the career of big-block modified driver Jack Johnson, the Jack Johnson Tribute race at Fonda Speedway will also guarantee the winner a starting position at NAPA Super DIRT Week.

Tracks not currently participating in the NAPA Super DIRT Week Qualifier program will have the opportunity to raise their purse and be added to the schedule.

2018 Super DIRT Week Big-Block Qualifier Events
Weedsport Speedway
Monday, May 28—Memorial Day 100
Saturday, July 28—The Hall of Fame 100
Monday, Sept. 3—Labor Day Double Play 100

Albany-Saratoga Speedway
Tuesday, June 26—Brett Hearn’s The BIG Show 10

Lebanon Valley Speedway
Saturday, Sept. 1—$17,500-to-win Mr. DIRT Track USA

Fonda Speedway
Wednesday, Aug. 1—Jack Johnson Tribute race

Since its initial release just before Thanksgiving last year, the 2018 Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 schedule has undergone a number of changes.

All three previously scheduled events at Millstream Speedway in Findlay, Ohio, have been canceled. Two out of the three races have been replaced, however, including the Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Cometic Gasket finale.

Atomic Speedway (Chillicothe, Ohio)—which is already hosting the All Star Circuit of Champions twice in 2018, including the point-season opener on April 6—will host the Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Cometic Gasket finale on June 23. The event named The Rick Ferkel Classic will pay $10,000 to the champion.

Waynesfield Raceway Park (Waynesfield, Ohio) will get a second All Star Circuit of Champions date in 2018, replacing the canceled Millstream Speedway appearance scheduled for May 27. The added event will be known as the Bob Hampshire Classic.

The All Star visit to Millstream Speedway scheduled for Labor Day (September 3) will not be replaced. Instead, Wayne County Speedway will utilize that night as a rain date for the annual Pete Jacobs Memorial program set for September 2.

Attica Raceway Park (Attica, Ohio) added a visit by the All Stars on August 31 to its schedule. The Friday night program, awarding a $5,000 top prize, will act as the preamble for the highly anticipated Dirt Classic Ohio on September 1.

Lernerville Speedway (Sarver, Pennsylvania), will utilize a rain date of June 1 for the event scheduled for May 4.

Lastly, the visit to McKean County Raceway (East Smethport, Pennsylvania) scheduled for July 8, has also been removed from the schedule.

For an updated All Star Circuit Of Champions 2018 schedule, visit here.

The West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame, which announced its 2018 nominees back in November, has released the six-member class of 2018.

The Hall’s 15th class is comprised of President and General Manager of 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion Furniture Row Racing Joe Garone, Joe Gibbs Racing senior executive J.D. Gibbs, Southern California racing legend Oren Prosser, two-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion Greg Pursley and NASCAR and open-wheel car owner Richard “Dick” Woodland.

The late Larry Albedi, a five-decade-long public-address announcer, will be inducted as a member of the media.

Additionally, five Heritage inductees—outstanding figures from the pre-1971 era of competition—will be announced for enshrinement in the coming weeks.

The Class of 2018 will be enshrined June 21 at the Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa, California. The event, presented by Gateway Motorsports Park, again accompanies the annual Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR K&N Pro Series West weekend at nearby Sonoma Raceway.

“It is getting increasingly difficult to select the honorees because the West Coast, over 75 years, has produced so many eligible candidates – literally hundreds,” Ken Clapp, chairman of the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame, said. “I salute the tenacity of the voting board and the members of the nominating committee on making these difficult selections.”

For more information, including biographies for the inductees, visit here.

Mooresville Dragway has joined the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) as a Division 2 track in the Southeast Divison.

Mooresville Dragway, located in the heart of stock car country (Mooresville, North Carolina), hosts events March through November. A weekly points championship, the second annual Hot Rod Festival and the North Carolina Street Outlaws No Prep race highlight the 1/8-mile’s schedule.

Originally opened by the Leazer family in the early 1960s, the track had been purchased by Donnie Gibbs Jr. in early 2017.

“Mooresville Dragway is excited to enter a new chapter in its long history by joining with NHRA,” said Track Manager Tony Brown. “Track Owner Donnie Gibbs Jr. and I are ready for the 2018 season which includes hosting a National Open Series event as well as the SFG Promotions No Dragster Nationals, several Gibbs Race Cars 4.70 Outlaws and GWT Services Pro Tree Racers Association (PTRA) events. Our racers and fan base are in for a great variety of drag racing which of course, includes a strong bracket program which is the core of our diverse schedule.”

NHRA-sanctioned tracks are eligible to offer racers a variety of NHRA racing opportunities, including the NHRA Summit Racing Series, the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, NHRA Jr. Street and the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style presented by AAA. Additionally, the tracks have the opportunity to host NHRA’s specialty events where racers compete for the coveted Wally trophy.

Racers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, and Tennessee make up the NHRA Division 2 category. For more information, including schedules, point standings, and more, go to the Division 2 website, NHRADiv2.com.

Nick McCrady has taken over track promotion duties at Maquoketa Speedway, a ¼-mile dirt oval in Maquoketa, Iowa.

McCrady worked at Quad City Speedway, Davenport Speedway and Cedar County Raceway before taking the top job at Maquoketa.

The season opens April 14 with weekly Saturday night programs featuring five IMCA divisions scheduled through August 25.

“I see something here that has potential. I want to see how I can make this track even better for drivers and fans,” McCrady said. “We’re going to work very hard at building our weekly car counts and we’re very excited about having the Deery Brothers Summer Series here on May 5.”

IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Late Models, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks and Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods are back on regular race programs at Maquoketa while IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars are newly-sanctioned.

Twenty point races will be held during the upcoming IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing season.

A new track crew for 2018 includes Randy Massarolo, who has worked at area tracks for many years and who will be in charge of preparing the racing surface. Lisa Sanders is returning to the track and Randy Anderson, IMCA’s Late Model director, will help with tech on various race days. Kevin Feller will be scoring and Doug Haack will be throw­ing the flags weekly.

The Lil’ Racer Car Club, a promotional group dedicated to making a great race day experience for the young race fans, is also new to the track this year.

The field for United States Auto Club’s (USAC) Shamrock Classic is set with 48 midget teams ready to battle this Saturday, March 10, at the Southern Illinois Center, a 1/6-mile indoor dirt oval in DuQuoin, Illinois.

The state of Indiana leads the list with 11 driver representatives, while seven come from Oklahoma and six from Missouri. Five teams hail from California, and five from Illinois.  

Thirty-seven entries have also been submitted for the micro sprint classes.

The Shamrock Classic opens Friday, March 9, for participant parking from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday’s race day schedule begins at 8 a.m. when pits are opened. Spectator gates open at 10 a.m., followed by a “pit sweep” at 11 a.m.

Micro sprint hot laps are set for noon with heat races immediately following. A public drivers’ meeting will take place at 3 p.m. at turn one grandstand. Midget hot laps begin at 4 p.m., with racing for both micro and midgets immediately following. The night will conclude with the 50-lap midget feature event.

For more information, including the complete entry lists for both the midget and micro sprints, visit the USAC website here.

Mario Andretti will open Tuesday night’s Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) Induction Ceremony Presented by Bridgestone in Daytona Beach, Florida. With Jeff Gordon as the closer, the pair serves as extraordinary high-profile bookends to the 30th annual ceremony.

The event, set for 7 p.m. at The Shores Resort & Spa, will once again honor luminaries from a variety of motorsports disciplines. It will also increase the MSHFA inductee list to 244, encompassing motorcycles, stock cars, sports cars, open-wheel, drag racing, land speed records, powerboating, off-road and aviation racing.

In addition to Gordon, this year’s inductee class includes drag racing car builder John Buttera; Indianapolis Motor Speedway founder Carl G. Fisher; record-setting pilot – and renowned billionaire – Howard Hughes; motorcycle great Fred Merkel; three-time Indianapolis 500 champion owner U.E. “Pat” Patrick; and sports car legend Bob Tullius.

“…we are delighted with our new timing for the induction (a change from July). We are now part of a fabulous month for motorsports in Florida. That includes the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, IndyCars at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix and the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville,” MSHFA President Ron Watson said. “The energy is real and we’re proud to be part of that energy.”

For more information, including a detailed list of 2018 MSHFA inductees, visit here.

Tim Baughman, a member of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track safety crew since 1982 and a member of INDYCAR’s safety team since its inception in 1996, takes on a new role as INDYCAR’s manager of track safety in 2018.

In this role, Baughman manages the 30-person AMR INDYCAR Safety Team that travels to every Verizon IndyCar Series event to care for drivers, team personnel and fans at tracks.

Baughman’s at-track duties won’t change with his new role.

He’ll still be the crew leader of Safety 2, one of three on-track units utilized by INDYCAR around each racetrack. Baughman replaces the previous manager of track safety, Mike Yates, an original team member who retired following the 2017 season. Yates and Baughman were also members of Indiana Task Force One, which responded to the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11 terror attacks in 2001.

Baughman, who has nearly 25 years of leadership in the Indianapolis Fire Department and will remain there as a fire chief until retirement, says his goal in leading the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team is to develop the talent around him, make each member more well-rounded and the entire unit stronger.

“It used to be that the young guys would have to earn their way up from the pits,” Baughman said. “We don’t have that much turnover, so we’ve asked the whole team to do more rotation this year so that everyone gets more well-rounded in what they’re doing.

For more information on the appointment, visit here.

(Photo courtesy of TechnoCraft/TrailerCabinets.com)

Brian and Rebecca Hope, crew members of the Franklin, Tennessee-based Rat Trap Racing Team, have purchased TechnoCraft/TrailerCabinets.com of Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee.

The pair had been working with the previous owner, Jeff Seaman, for more than a year now.

“Eventually, it seemed only natural to purchase the company,” Brian Hope said.

Initially opened by Seaman in 1998, TechnoCraft/TrailerCabinets.com is a manufacturer of lightweight aluminum cabinets and storage systems for race trailers, shops, garages, and more. They are also the authorized distributors of Mac’s Tie Downs and Pit Pal Products.

All cabinets are built in the company's Tennessee facility using proprietary extruded aluminum frames with “radiused” posts. The cabinets also feature one-inch thick double-panel doors, hidden fasteners, and .125-inch 5052 aluminum counter tops with baked enamel finish available in a variety of colors. Optional upgrades include adjustable shelves, toe kicks, backsplashes and left-or right-hinged doors.

The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) announced the addition of a season-end award program for teams that compete in the Mazda Prototype Challenge (MPC) class of the IMSA Prototype Challenge Presented by Mazda series.

The MPC Season-End Championship Award will be given exclusively to the 2018 MPC team champion and features a full season LM P3 class Premium Entry credit for the 2019 IMSA Prototype Challenge Presented by Mazda season, as well as a $15,000 Michelin tire credit.

This new award complements the existing LM P3 class Season-Ending Driver Championship Award which grants an applied credit towards entry fees should the winning driver choose to move through the ladder system and participate in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

“The goal of this award is to recognize how important Mazda and these competitors have been to the success of this platform and to provide resources to enable a move to the LM P3 class in 2019,” IMSA President Scott Atherton said.

The IMSA Prototype Challenge Presented by Mazda returns to the track Friday, March 16, for Round 2 at Sebring International Raceway. The race can be streamed live on IMSA.com at 9:10 a.m. ET.