Wichita Raceway Park has joined the NHRA Member Track Network in the South Central Division, NHRA’s Division 4, which features tracks in Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.  

Located in Wichita Falls, Texas, the raceway is owned by Darrell Reid.

The facility is home to a drag strip, a dirt oval track, a new mud drag racing facility and an outdoor concert venue.

As an NHRA-sanctioned track, the facility will be 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.

The track can also host NHRA’s specialty events including the NHRA All Access Challenge, NHRA Summit King of the Track, and NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League Challenge, where racers compete for the coveted Wally trophy.

The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has released the names of the nine manufacturers that have been granted homologation for the 2018/19 season of the all-electric FIA Formula E Championship.

This round of homologations means that the powertrains fall into line with the new cycle of homologation for the chassis and battery, which will remain standard over the course of three seasons, starting from Season 5. (2018/19—2020/21).

The manufacturers are:
    •    ABT Formel E
    •    BMW AG
    •    DS Automobiles
    •    Jaguar Land Rover
    •    Mahindra Racing
    •    NextEV NIO
    •    Penske Autosport
    •    Renault
    •    Venturi Automobiles

Alejandro Agag, Founder & CEO of Formula E, said: “The mission of the FIA Formula E Championship is to act as a platform to advance the development of electric vehicle technology and alternative energy solutions—this hinges on the participation of automotive and component manufacturers. When we launched the series in 2012, we had forecast to secure at least three manufacturers by Season 5. The news has highlighted the number and quality of manufacturers joining the championship and tripling our initial expectations.”



The 2018/19 season will see the debut of the new-look Formula E car, whose shape has been defined by the FIA with the aim of having a futuristic and appealing design, according to Formula E. It will be produced by Spark Racing Technology, who won the chassis tender.

There will also be a new standard battery produced by McLaren Applied Technologies. With the new battery, Formula E will no longer require two cars per driver and the potential of a mid-race car change.

The second Hot Rodders of Tomorrow (HROT) Engine Challenge event of the 2017 season was held at the Summit Piston Powered AutoRama in Cleveland, Ohio, where nine teams competed to qualify for the Dual National Championship held at the SEMA and PRI Show later this year.

To qualify for the Dual National Championship, a team must finish disassembling and reassembling a small-block Chevrolet engine in less than 33 minutes, including penalties.

Five different teams qualified at the Summit Piston Powered AutoRama.

Coming in at fourth and fifth place was Elkhart Area Career Center teams from Elkhart, Indiana. Teams Proform (26:38) and Thermotec (28:03) respectively.

In third place came Team Canton Racing from C D Hylton High School in Woodbridge, Virginia, with a time of 24:47.

“Hot Rodders has given me lots of opportunities to make scholarship money and given me the opportunity to go to a tech school of my choice,” Kevin Griese from Team Canton racing said.

In second place was Team Meziere from Burton Center for Arts & Tech in Salem, Virginia with a time of 20:27.

The first-place team, Howards Cams from Lakeshore High School in Stevensville, Michigan, had already qualified at the Race & Performance Expo, but was able to improve their time to 18:05, shaving over 2 minutes from their previous time of 20:06.

The next Hot Rodders of Tomorrow competition will be hosted at Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, Texas on March 25, where another group of teams will compete for a chance to qualify for the National Dual Championships held at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas and Performance Racing Industry show in Indianapolis. 

Visit HotRoddersOfTomorrow.com to see the complete results from this past weekend and for more information. For additional information on starting a team or sponsorship opportunities, contact Rodney Bingham at RBingham@hotroddersoftomorrow.com or call 815/722-5460.

Michael Bailey of the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA) recently passed away. Bailey was the MIA’s development director of the South East Region of the US.

“Michael helped many UK companies establish businesses in the USA using his exceptional contacts in motorsport. He was a true gentleman and will be missed by us all,” Chris Aylett, MIA CEO said in a statement online.

The Motorsport Industry Association is a worldwide network association to the motorsport business community.

Five legendary personalities and one couple from Grays Harbor Raceway’s (GHR) history were inducted into the 2017 Class of the Elma Auto Racing Hall of Fame—Dick Wilskey, Al Lytle, Dick Aduddell, Corinne and Bruce Williams, Arie Callaghan Sr. and Brian Sutherby.

The ceremony was also a fundraiser for the non-profit organization.

Gaylon and Carla Stewart, promoters of the Northwest Focus Midget Series, were guest speakers at the event. The couple played a video honoring the late GHR promoter Fred Brownfield, who is credited with helping start the regional series and updated the crowd on the series’ growth and popularity.

Below are brief biographies of the inductees.

Dick Wilskey:

Wilskey, a longtime Northwest auto racing driver, promoter and car owner who currently lives in Mount Vernon, was unable to attend the ceremony due to his health. Rick Leighty, of the EARHoF, along with others from the organization met up with Wilskey in late February to honor him and present him with an official hall of fame jacket.

He was also presented with the Fred Brownfield Exemplary Contributions Award for 2017. Wilskey was a mentor to Brownfield.

Wilskey helped run GHR after Brownfield’s death in 2006 and ran the Northwest Sprint Challenge Series in 2007. He was a successful driver in the 1970 through the 1980s, as well as a car owner. His influence over a generation of drivers, including Brownfield, has been felt in the Northwest for years.

“I want to thank Rick and the entire organization for bending over backward to make the ceremony happen for Dick; it was special and pretty important,” former GHR race official and Northwest promoter Rick Terry said to the crowd in Wilskey’s honor. “Wilskey said, ‘Ever since that night (at Spanaway Raceway), I’ve had 47 years of the most amazing marriage (to Jan) and 47 years of friendship with the most wonderful people called this racing family. It is made up of great competitors, officials, promoters and most of all, the fans. I’ve been very fortunate to have a wife and daughter who shared my love of the sport and a great group of friends who have kept my car running and going fast.

“‘This award is very special to me and all I can say is thank you,’” Terry read.

Al Lytle:

As a 17-year-old from Hoquiam, Washington, Lytle found his first car behind his mother-in-law’s house—a 1930 Chevy—and received help from a few friends (including EARHoF member George Wixon) to turn it into a racing jalopy to run on the half-mile Elma Speedway in the 1960s.

From there, Lytle met fellow hall of fame inductee Arie Callaghan in his first season racing and became a key member of the Elma Raceway community.

Lytle thanked the crowd, especially his family and Arie Callaghan’s family for being there, and told several stories of his time racing and having fun at Elma.

“For me, it was just about having fun,” he said. “Nowadays, it is pretty expensive to race. However, my level is the enjoyment of the race and that always stuck with me.”

Corinne and Bruce Williams:

The couple, whose son, Tom, was a 2013 EARHoF inductee, were instrumental in running, maintaining and expanding the old Evergreen Auto Racing Association in the 1980s. Bruce Williams was unable to attend the Hall of Fame event.

Bruce Williams ran in the jalopy division in the 1960s. Later, Williams was a well-respected car builder in the 1970-80s as well as a raceway official. Corinne helped out at EARA as a secretary/treasurer, and the duo was credited with keeping the organization going.

The couple’s work with the EARA also earned them the 2017 Larry Spoon Distinguished Service award.

“This was a surprise,” Corinne Williams said of the Spoon Award. “I wish Bruce was here to enjoy this. We were a team since the first time we met.”

Brian Sutherby:

The Elma driver was a popular hobby stock and sprint car driver at GHR and won several sprint car track championships in the 1980s, even with a childhood injury that impaired his left leg.

Sutherby was the GHR hobby stock champion in 1987 and won the sprint car track titles in 1990 and 1991. He was an influential figure at the track.

His father, Jim, was a past EARA president and was a 2009 EARHoF inductee. Brian thanked him and his family for their support.

His daughter, Alyssa, who is a standout Elma High School soccer player, spoke for her father and relayed several stories from his career.

Brian’s other daughter, Brooke, was a former quarter-midget driver at the Grays Harbor Mini-Raceway.

Arie Callaghan Sr.:

Callaghan’s racing career was short because of his death due to cancer in 1970. His influence was large and wide-spread at Elma, however.

The Hoquiam, Washington native, whose family helped create the Push Rods of Hoquiam, was a drag racer and jalopy racer who was tough to beat from 1965 to 1970. He was also known as a friend to many of his fellow drivers and brought a lot of fun to the track every weekend.

Al Lytle talked about Callaghan during his induction speech, mentioning how close the families were and how much of an influence he was on his racing career.

“I look at all of the names up here (in the hall of fame) and I think about what a great honor it is for my Dad to be a part of them,” Arie Callaghan Jr., who accepted the award, said. “All of them were great race car drivers. Some of my fondest memories of my Dad was working with him on the cars in the garage. This is just a great honor for him and for all of us.”

Dick Aduddell:

Aduddell was a well-known Northwest regional driver known for his engine-making magic—a distinct sound from a Buick straight 8 that turned heads—in the late 1960s-early 1970s.

Aduddell’s racing career was short, but he helped himself and many other drivers afterward by building parts for many cars throughout the Northwest. Aduddell won several races at the half-mile Elma Raceway and was a constant figure at several Western Washington tracks.

“I am glad to have all of my old friends here; we are all survivors,” Aduddell said. “It was a lot of fun and I wish we can do it all over again. I really miss it.”

Longtime World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series director Tim Christman has resigned his position after 11 years leading the nomadic late model tour.

“After an 11-year run it is time to start a new chapter in the journey of life,” Christman posted on his Facebook page Wednesday morning. “It has been a fantastic run and I look forward to what is behind curtain number two. Working out details on when I will be opening curtain number two, three or even six. Excited to spend more time with my family.”

Christman will continue in his role with the series until a replacement is found. The World of Outlaws Late Model Series, which races three events this upcoming weekend, has grown from 36 races in Christman’s first year in 2006 to 52 events in 2017.

Jeff Conley has been named as NHRA’s North Central Division Director (Division 3). The North Central Division includes tracks in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and is home to four NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events. Conley began working with the North Central division in 2007 as a member of the certification team.

“I’m excited to continue in this position and further my career with NHRA,” Conley said. “I look forward to meeting and working with our member tracks, competitors and sponsors. I am excited to have an opportunity to grow the sport of drag racing and enhance all programs.”

Conley joined the NHRA on a full-time basis in 2013 as the operations and track manager at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. Most recently, he served as the regional technical director. Prior to joining NHRA, Conley was the race director at Milan Dragway in Michigan. He was also the event coordinator and national tech director for NMCA and NMRA.

“We are excited to have Jeff join the team,” said Josh Peterson, vice president, racing administration. “He brings a wide range of relevant experience that will prove beneficial to manage and grow the division.  His familiarity with the North Central Division will provide for a smooth transition.”

Conley will be based in Indianapolis with his wife and two children.

Saturday, April 1 will kick off the POWRi Lucas Oil WAR East Sprints season with the inaugural race at Fayette County Speedway in Brownstown, Illinois.

The much-anticipated race will pay $2000 to win and $200 to start.

Twelve races make up the 2017 POWRi WAR East schedule which will award the top five in points at the end of the season with a point fund listed below.

WAR East Point Fund:

1. $1000

2. $750

3. $500

4. $400

5. $300

POWRi intends to increase exposure for non-wing sprint cars throughout the state of Illinois and beyond. This WAR East schedule and point fund is just a starting block, and the POWRi team will constantly look to build upon that, according to POWRi.

“Being a racer myself, I believe the point fund being posted before the season takes off is important for our members,” said League Director Casey Shuman. “We’re excited to bring a non-wing sprint car series to Illinois. POWRi and Lucas Oil jumping on board this year have made it possible, and we’re honored to represent them.”

The official POWRi WAR Rules & Race Procedure has been posted here. Revisions have been made since last year. WAR and WAR East will follow the same rules and race procedure.

Photo Credit: Redlined Photography.

For the past five weeks, John Piker has been reworking The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park. What was, essentially, a tri-oval is now an oval.

“We started in the entrance of turn one, just past the pit stands,” said Piker, who’s the Dirt Track Manager at KCRP. “MD Concrete Cutting cut the wall in 30 pieces and we took the wall out and made the track, at its widest point, 45 feet wider.

“It makes it one nice big round turn instead of before (when) the track was really three corners, like a tri-oval,” Piker continued.

Piker said the unique previous layout wasn’t so bad, as long as there were not large fields of cars.

“It was great for 10-12 cars to put on a great show. It was a fun track,” he said. “But our vision for the track has always been bigger shows, draw more cars to Kern County, hold bigger Modified shows, Sprint Cars, Late Models, and the way the track was we just couldn’t do that.

“On restarts and initial starts, if the guy up front made a mistake, it could wreck a guy coming out of four. That’s just not fair. Third or fourth would get together and it would just stack the field on the front straightaway.”

The reworked 1/3 mile clay oval was put to the test when the first race on the reconfigured track took place.

“It’s a fun layout; it’s really fast for these things,” said 2016 Mod Lite track champion Jerry Flippo after his heat race. “Turns one and two are a lot wider so you can get a better run down the back straightaway. Into the corner, it’s not as rough as it used to be. It’s nice and fun now.”

Zack Forster won the 25-lap Mod Lite feature, followed by Jeff Thompson and Flippo.

“The track is nice and smooth, just a few wrinkles, but it’s awesome for opening night,” Forster said.

Brad Pounds and Robby Sawyer both won A-Mod races at the track last year and said while there is more room exiting turn two, getting into turn one remained tricky.

“Driving on it, it definitely doesn’t feel too much different,” Pounds said after his heat race. “It definitely feels a lot wider, a lot smoother; the surface is a lot better. It still has that tight radius getting into turn one there, but it opens up tremendously.”

Sawyer found the track to his liking in the 30-lap feature, going low into turn one on the 25th lap and coming out of turn two with the lead over Rob Sanders.

Sawyer led the rest of the way for the win, while Sanders, who led the first 24 laps, was second and Pounds third.

“It was fun; it was our first win of the year,” Sawyer said. “I can’t thank Piker and the rest of the people at KCRP for their constant efforts to make the facility better. It means a lot to us.”

Michael Scruggs won the 25-lap Hobby Stock feature over Lloyd Wren Jr. and Don Mead. Eric Cimental led the first 22 laps before suddenly slowing as the field roared past.

James Bradburn won the 20-lap Bakersfield Hard Top feature. Justin Yadon was second and Tom Dugan third.

Applications are now open for the 2017 edition of the INFINITI Engineering Academy, INFINITI’s global search for engineering talent.
 
Now in its fourth successive year, the Academy will once again offer one engineering student in the US an unparalleled opportunity to join a 12-month placement working on both automotive and Formula One technologies, thanks to the technical partnership and strong collaboration between INFINITI Motor Company and the Renault Sport Formula One Team.
 
“We are very excited to offer seven engineering students from different regions the possibility to join this technically rich, multi-discipline and multi-cultural engineering placement once again,” said Tommaso Volpe, INFINITI Global Motorsport Director. “With Formula One more relevant to the automotive industry than ever, and with the enhanced scope for collaboration and real technology transfer that the Renault-Nissan Alliance and our Technical Partnership with the team bring, the INFINITI Engineering Academy will provide an unmatched range of experiences and opportunities to the 2017 winners.”
 
Engineering students can now apply at academy.infiniti.com. Applicants will have to complete an online engineering puzzle test, designed by puzzle and brainteaser experts Brilliant, as part of a multi-stage recruitment process. The best applicants will then be invited to participate in a final event that will take place this summer when ten finalists will compete to secure their place.
 
“The INFINITI Engineering Academy offers an unparalleled opportunity for young, fresh-thinking engineers to experience the best and latest technologies in automotive and motorsport engineering,” said Cyril Abiteboul, Managing Director of the Renault Sport Formula One Team. “The Academy Engineers that we have working with us at Enstone are a big asset to us as we continue to strengthen our technical resource, so we are looking forward to welcoming the 2017 class.”
 
The selected student from the U.S. will join another six young engineers, one from each of the other participating regions (Asia & Oceania, Canada, China, Europe, Mexico and the Middle East). The seven winners will move to the UK for the career opportunity of a lifetime, complete with travel, accommodation, access to an INFINITI company car, a salary and the possibility to work alongside world-leading engineers at the cutting edge of the automotive and motorsport industries.
 
“I anticipated this experience to be absolutely amazing, but I still found myself blown away,” said Caitlin Bunt, INFINITI Engineering Academy USA winner 2016, who is doing her six-month placement at the INFINITI Technical Centre in Cranfield and will begin the second part of her placement with the Renault Sport Formula One Team in Enstone soon. “I am participating in projects and gaining experience I never thought I would get to in my first six months. Being here, behind the scenes and contributing to these exciting projects is a dream come true.”
 
Former Academy Engineers William Priest and Daniel Sanham have both secured full-time jobs with INFINITI Motor Company and the Renault Sport Formula One Team respectively after completing their placements.
 
For more information on the INFINITI Engineering Academy, or to apply to be a part of the class of 2017, visit academy.infiniti.com.