[Editor's Note: This news story has been updated. To read the latest on Thunder Road Raceway, visit here.]

Thunder Road Raceway in Gillam, Louisiana, has announced they are closing at the end of the month. Nelson and Marla Hoyos, who operate the facility and its 1/4-mile NHRA-sanctioned drag strip, say they’re leaving due to disputes with the property owners.

The pair claim the property owners refused to pay for any repairs or upgrades to the track and incorrectly disclosed everything was in working order at the time of purchase. After taking the owners to court for a breach of contract, the two sides decided to settle; the Hoyos were also told they may not renew the lease at the end of the racing season in November.

Because of the possibility of rain-outs or other unpredictable race-canceling events, the Hoyos had decided to cancel several races before the end of the racing season, with the last Test and Tune event set for Friday, July 28.

“Thank you for your support in this [challenging] time. We appreciate all the well wishes and the prayers... come joins us the last [two] Fridays! Gates open at 7 p.m.-12 a.m.,” stated a post from the track’s official Facebook page.

The Hoyos say they are working with the Shreveport Sports Commission and the parish to possibly build a new track somewhere in the local area. As of now, it is unsure whether the track will be reopened under new track operators. 

Universal Technical Institute campuses in Dallas/Fort Worth and Exton, Pennsylvania have been recognized as 2017 Schools of Excellence, the highest institutional achievement award given by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC).

The two campuses are among only 15 ACCSC-accredited schools to be recognized with ACCSC’s most prestigious institutional award. ACCSC accredits 650 institutions across the nation.

“We’re proud of our strong student outcomes, the quality of our programs and our team’s unwavering commitment to exceptional education and to preparing our students for success,” said Kim McWaters, Chairman and CEO of Universal Technical Institute. “It’s an honor to have that work recognized, and even more rewarding to watch students graduate from UTI and go on to build fulfilling careers.”

As noted by ACCSC’s Associate Executive Director, Christopher Lambert, “In selecting UTI-Dallas and UTI-Exton as winners of the 2017 School of Excellence Award, the Accrediting Commission took note of the schools’ consistent commitment to the expectations and rigors of the ACCSC accreditation process as well as a commitment to delivering high-quality educational programs and services to students and graduates.”

UTI-Dallas and UTI-Exton join six other UTI campuses recognized as Schools of Excellence by ACCSC since 2014 and will be formally recognized by ACCSC at the 2017 Professional Development Conference, September 25–27, 2017, in Reston, Virginia.

Mazda Motorsports has signed Joest Racing to take over its IMSA Daytona Prototype international (DPi) program.

With the move, the Reinhold Joest-owned, Ralf Juttner-led outfit will immediately replace the Florida-based SpeedSource Race Engineering group as Mazda's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship service provider. The new team will compete under the name "Mazda Team Joest."

In concert with the program's shift from SpeedSource to Joest, Mazda's current IMSA Prototype campaign will come to an immediate end, marking the July 9 race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park as its final outing of 2017.

To use the extra months made available by stepping away from IMSA's championship trail, Mazda's Riley/Multimatic-built, AER-powered RT24-P DPi models will move to Joest's European headquarters to begin an extensive testing and evaluation program.

Before the end of the year, Joest will return with the RT24-Ps to a new base that it will establish in Atlanta, Ga., where it will staff and run Mazda's DPi program. Once the redevelopment process is complete, a heavily optimized version of the RT24-P will resume competition in January at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

For more information, or to read the complete Mazda Motorsports press release announcement, visit here.

Livernois Motorsports & Engineering, a tuning shop that provides engine services, performance products and vehicle manufacturing, is offering a Customer Appreciation Track Day event at Milan Dragway on Friday, August 18 from 4–9 p.m.

Livernois Motorsports & Engineering customers (those whose cars have been upgraded or tuned by Livernois Motorsports) are invited to take part in the free event at the 1/4-mile drag strip in Michigan.

To RSVP for yourself and one other guest, or for more information, contact info@livernoismotorsports.com or 313/561-5500.

The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) has recently announced the driver and worker registration is now open for the 2017 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, set to take place Sept. 25–Oct. 1 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Accompanying the announcement were some “key items” to know going into the 54th annual National Championship Runoffs, some of which are detailed below. For the complete list of key items, visit the SCCA website.

Qualification Requirements
Drivers need NOT have yet fulfilled Runoffs eligibility requirements to register. However, the various qualification requirements must be met by Sept. 4 to compete at this year’s Runoffs. Registration will be handled online this year through MotorsportReg.com; it is strongly urged in advance of registration that drivers verify all information contained within their online account is correct and up to date. 

Test Days
Registration is open for SCCA sanctioned Test Days, September 21–24, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Competitors can register for ONE Test Day through MotorsportReg.com starting July 19. On July 26, drivers may register for additional Test Days depending upon availability. Test day schedule and supplemental regulations are available from the Runoffs event page menu.

Contingency Registration
There has been a slight change to the contingency registration process. This year, registration for contingencies will be conducted through MotorsportReg.com. Competitors can simply sign up online for the appropriate contingencies at time of the registration. Changes can also be made to contingencies through MotorsportReg.com up to September 10. More information on contingencies is available at the SCCA Contingency web page.

Television and new media expert Ed Desser has been elected to the NHRA Board of Directors, announced NHRA Chairman of the Board Dallas Gardner.  

Desser brings broad and deep experience in the business, presentation and technology of worldwide sports content delivery across all platforms to NHRA’s board at this key time as the sanctioning body increases its reach through the television and digital technology opportunities in today’s changing media landscape, according to the series.

Desser’s career started in local broadcasting in Los Angeles after which he served 23 years as the senior media executive with the National Basketball Association.  He spearheaded the exploration and development of many pioneering technologies for NBA, ranging from the early use of high definition TV and direct broadcast satellite, development of the NBA’s and all teams’ original websites, delivering real-time game statistics, and creating NBA TV, the first major league-owned TV network.

In 2002, Desser was named the NBA’s Executive Vice President, Strategic Planning and Business Development, Office of the Commissioner. He led the NBA’s business planning process and the NBA Board of Governors' Planning Committee.  

Desser now leads consulting firm Desser Sports Media, Inc. (DSM), where he has negotiated well over 50 sports and media rights deals on behalf of rights owners. In addition, DSM works on the rights buying and programming distribution side of the industry, helping major Fortune 500 entertainment, media and distribution companies.

Desser will join current board members Gardner, Michael Cohen, Ken Clapp, NHRA President Peter Clifford, and NHRA Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Graham Light, effective immediately.

The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, in conjunction with Golden Isles Speedway, has recently announced the dates for the 2018 Super Bowl of Racing.
 
The annual tradition to kick off the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series season will take place one-week earlier than it has in the past. The Super Bowl of Racing will begin with an open practice on Thursday, February 1, followed by two action-packed nights of racing on Friday and Saturday, February 2—3.
 
The weekend is sure to provide exciting, door-to-door racing action, lap after lap, as the stars of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series battle a strong contingent of local and regional standouts, according to the series.

The 2017 Super Bowl of Racing saw a talented field of 52 entries, with Brandon Overton and Josh Richards scoring early-season victories.
 
Golden Isles Speedway recently ended its 2017 season to begin scheduled improvements in anticipation of the 2018 season, including the 2018 Super Bowl of Racing. The 4/10-mile oval will undergo numerous improvements throughout the off-season, including a new clay track surface and raising the height of the front stretch wall.
 
Golden Isles Speedway is located off Highway 82 in Waynesville, GA, just 12 miles west of I-95 at Exit 29. For tickets or more information, visit www.gisdirt.com or call the track office at 916/386-0061.

Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus LLC (SCG) recently announced that it was granted low-volume manufacturer status by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

This means that SCG can now build up to 325 “turnkey cars a year” in the US that are exempt from some federal motor vehicle and emission regulations.

SCG submitted its application to NHTSA on April 19, 2017. As the required 90 days have passed since the submission date, the SCG’s registration is deemed approved, according to the company.

The first cars that SCG LLC will produce and offer for sale will be its SCG003S, SCG003CS and SCG003C models. While the first few models will be street legal, the latter is the “non-road legal race car that took the pole and finished First in Class at the 2017 24 Hours of Nurburgring and ran a 6:33 Nordschleife Lap,” according to a press release from the company.

SCG may also develop other models and is considering offers to raise additional capital to fund this development, as well as additional racing and the building of a second US Manufacturing Facility capable of producing 100 cars per year, according to the release. 

NASCAR recently announced that Brandon Igdalsky has joined the organization as Managing Director of Event Marketing and Promotion, Evan Parker has been appointed Managing Director of Content Strategy, Scott Warfield has been named Managing Director of Digital and Social Content and Jeff Wohlschlaeger has been appointed Managing Director of Series Marketing.
 
Igdalsky joins the organization after serving as president and CEO of Pocono Raceway (PA). He will report to Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell, overseeing the team dedicated to working with track partners on a number of event-related initiatives. Igdalsky will lead the NASCAR-Track Council and will be based out of NASCAR’s Daytona Beach offices.
 
“The work across the entire industry to help create the best live experience possible is extremely important to our industry’s initiatives,” O’Donnell said. “We’re delighted that Brandon’s experience as a track president will further solidify the strong working relationships we have with our track partners as we continue to innovate the fan experience at [the] track.”
 
Parker assumes responsibility and oversight for the strategic development and dissemination of content across each of NASCAR’s digital, social and entertainment platforms. Parker’s new role will allow NASCAR to better serve race fans’ dynamic needs with the content they want, where they want it. Parker will report to SVP & Chief Marketing Officer Jill Gregory.

As part of this larger content strategy, Warfield will oversee the development and execution of content and strategic partnerships across NASCAR’s digital and social platforms.
 
Wohlschlaeger, who will report to Gregory, transitions to his new role after leading the Event Marketing team the past five years. He will oversee the marketing partnerships with each NASCAR series entitlement partner across the national series.

“Jeff is a great asset for helping bring partnerships to life,” said Phelps. “He is very well respected among his peers and has quickly showcased his successful talents and work ethic that will bode very well for him in his new role.”

In related news, Pocono Raceway has decided to swap one Igdalsky for another. Nick Igdalsky, Brandon's younger brother, has been named the track's new CEO, while Ben May has been named the track's newest president. For more on this story, visit here.