Drag racing personality and WooooNation Commander in Chief Keith Berry is hosting a three-day drag racing block party called WooooStock on April 13-15, 2017 at Darlington Dragway. This is the first-ever WooooStock drag race event.

Berry is collaborating with Lance Stanford and Travis Harvey on the event to form what they call the “Wooooly Trinity.”


WooooStock will host a wide variety of races, including a radial tire race, a “no time” race, a grudge race and more. The classes are as follows:


• Radial vs World

• 28/275 No Time

• 29/315 No Time

• Small Block No Time

• Leaf Spring No Time

• TNT Cars & Bikes

• Grudge Racing


Fletcher Cox, race team owner and defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles, will be there signing autographs while gunning for a Radial vs World win.


Spectators will also have the opportunity to browse the WooooStock midway for the latest racing technology and purchase apparel from companies such as Mickey Thompson, Pro Line Racing and the PDRA.

For more information, visit here.

Turn 14 Distribution, a performance parts distributor, has added The Driveshaft Shop’s line of driveshafts, CV axles and other driveline products to its line card.

“For decades, The Driveshaft Shop has been the source where racers and enthusiasts turn to secure proven driveline products that perform under pressure,” said Kyle Shelley, Turn 14 Distribution’s Director of Sales. “Over the years they have developed a product line that has been proven on the street and at the track by thousands of racing fanatics, and our customers have been clamoring for us to add their products to our line card. We are proud to partner with The Driveshaft Shop.”

For the past 30 years, The Driveshaft Shop has designed driveshafts used in many record-setting race cars. They offer driveshafts in aluminum, steel, chromoly steel and now carbon fiber. With the ability to design and test custom driveshafts for challenging applications, they are said to be able to configure a solution to fit just about any need.

The company has invented a number of proprietary solutions to problems discovered during their research and development processes.

The Driveshaft Shop currently produces import and domestic CV axles in a variety of stages, import and domestic driveshafts produced from a variety of materials including aluminum and carbon fiber, differential conversions and parts, and axle conversion parts.

Each driveshaft produced by The Driveshaft Shop is dynamically balanced to more than 9000 rpm and is made in the US.  

Three of drag racing's well-known stars have joined the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) professional competition advisory board, the sanctioning body announced. They will work directly with IHRA president Mike Dunn.
 
The new board members, Larry Dixon, Melanie Troxel and Whit Bazemore, have a combined 91 national-event wins and decades of experience. The drivers will work with Dunn and various IHRA personnel to counsel the sanctioning body on competition-related issues. Among the areas in which they will work are class structure, formatting of the series and various racer-related plans and topics.
 
"There are a lot of race wins and championships involved with these three drivers," Dunn said. "They're a diverse group. Melanie can speak as one of the top female drivers in all of motorsports. Whit comes from a side of being outspoken which the sport needs. Larry is one of the most accomplished drivers in drag racing. Their input will be vital to the continued growth of the IHRA, and we appreciate them joining our team so we can take advantage of their experience."
 
Dixon, a second-generation racer, has three NHRA World Championships and 62 national-event wins, including four victories in the prestigious U.S. Nationals. Driving for the Rapisarda Automotive International team in IHRA Australia competition last June, he was both the No. 1 qualifier and winner at the City of Ipswich Winternationals. He will race in this weekend's NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida.
 
"It's an honor and an important responsibility to be part of this group," Dixon said. "Mike Dunn and the IHRA have a solid plan for moving forward and it's great to be a part of that."
 
Troxel, another second-generation racer, is the only driver in drag racing history to win races in the Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Mod divisions. Nominated for two ESPN ESPY awards for Best Driver and Best Female Athlete, she has nine national event wins and 25 final-round appearances.
 
Bazemore brings a varied background, which includes being a still photographer, road racing in cars and motorcycles, as well as drag racing. Driving a Funny Car for his own team and later for nine-time IHRA winner Don Schumacher, he compiled 20 national-event wins, including two victories in the U.S. Nationals.

For more information, visit www.IHRA.com.

The Penwell Knights Dragway at Caprock Motorplex in Penwell, Texas has entered into a multi-year sanctioning agreement with the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), the drag racing sanctioning body announced. The quarter-mile track, which has hosted IHRA Division team finals competitions, was an IHRA track for many years but was last sanctioned by the IHRA in 2015.

In May 2016, an electrical malfunction caused a serious fire that burned down the track’s scoring tower and other elements of the dragstrip. Despite having no tower, no lights and no tree, the track hosted two no-prep races in 2016 and raised enough money to purchase new timing and scoring equipment. Later, tower construction began, and today, the track boasts a new tower that sits above three hospitality suites at the starting line.

Originally established as Penwell Raceway in 1966, the track was reestablished as Caprock Motorplex in 2012. Penwell Knights Dragway is now one of the premier drag strips in West Texas. The 2017 racing season opened March 4 and runs through Nov. 18 with competition including both heads-up racing and bracket racing.

“The reason we chose to go with IHRA is because we are in a whole new world now, and we needed the IHRA structure,” track co-owner Barbara Hughes said. “After our tower burned down, we started over. Now our new tower and suites along with all our new equipment make our track pretty much state-of-the-art. We wanted to be with the big boys rather than just be an outlaw track. I liked the structure and the competition being an IHRA track gives us. It just seemed like the best way to go for our race track.”

“We are very happy to welcome Penwell Knights Dragway back into the IHRA family of tracks,” IHRA division director Frank Kohutek said. “They had a tough situation with the fire last year, but now that they’ve rebuilt everything, they have a great facility in the west Texas region. They have a strong group of drivers in that area, and we look forward to seeing some great racing there for many years to come.”

For the 2017 season, the CARS Touring Series will keep track of engine builder points with the Engine Builder of the Year awards. Sponsored by CV Products, the program will award points to builders based on the top five finishing positions in each race. Each engine builder was required before the season began to declare a division, either LMSC or SLM, for the tracking of points.

Engine builders from both groups will get six points for 1st, four points for 2nd, three points for 3rd, two points for 4th, and one point for 5th place based on where drivers running its engines finish in each race.

For further information on the program, contact the CARS Touring Series. Below is a table of the rankings after race #1. To follow along the season, visit here.

Rank	Builder	Div	Total	Behind	Wins
1	Hamner Racing Engines	SLM	14	0	1
2	Harrington's Machine Shop	LMSC	10	-4	1
3	Charlie's Automotive	LMSC	3	-11	0
4	John West Racing Empire	LMSC	3	-11	0
5	Robbie White Racing Engines	SLM	2	-12	0

The racing season at Coos Bay Speedway takes the green flag on 2017 on April 1, and for the first time, the track will race under the NASCAR banner. Track officials recently announced the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series' sanctioning at the 0.387-mile high-banked dirt track in western Oregon.

Located 2 ½ hours southwest of Eugene and less than 20 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the multi-purpose venue also features an eighth-mile NHRA drag strip and hosts yearly Mud Drag events.

“Coos Bay is a tremendous place to race and joining the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series is a great opportunity for fans and competitors,” said track owner and manager Drake Nelson. “We are looking forward to the 2017 season and are really excited about all the great racing Coos Bay has to offer.”

Drake and his wife Kimberly bought Coos Bay in November from long-time owner Chuck Prather. Drake Nelson is a third-generation promoter and has been involved in a number of race tracks in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. His brother Adam is part of the ownership group that operates Meridian Speedway in Idaho, which joined the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series last year.

“With Meridian being part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, we were really able to see up close the value of having a track be part of the program,” said Drake Nelson.

“Drake Nelson and his family bring a wealth of short-track experience to Coos Bay and NASCAR is pleased to welcome the track into the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series,” said Kevin Nevalainen, NASCAR director of weekly racing. “The opportunity is now there for drivers to compete for the track championship as well as bragging rights in Oregon with the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series state championship.”

U.S. state and province champions are determined by the best 18 finishes at tracks within the respective state or province. The national championship is determined by a driver’s best 18 finishes overall for Division I, and best 14 finishes for Division II-V.

The Super Late Models will be the track’s Division I under the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series banner. The Sportsman Late Models will be Division II, with Street Stocks as Division III and Hornets as Division IV.

The oval track runs on Friday nights through Sept. 9, with the Super Late Model Tidal Wave 50 highlighting the summer on July 29.

The practice of crowning U.S. state and Canadian provincial champions dates back to the earliest days of NASCAR. Bill Counts won the Oregon Sportsman title in 1967, while the Late Model Sportsman title was awarded for the state from 1978-80.

Established in 1982, the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series is NASCAR’s championship program for weekly short track auto racing with paved and dirt tracks throughout the United States and Canada.

Connecticut-based Whelen Engineering is the series’ title sponsor. Whelen Engineering is a manufacturer of automotive, aviation, industrial and emergency vehicle lighting. NASCAR tracks and pace cars across North American are among many showcases for Whelen products.

Although Badlands Motor Speedway continues the efforts to put a new ownership group together, BMS officials confirmed that 2018 will feature a full racing and concert schedule, regardless of who will own and operate the track.

As previously posted earlier this year, the 2017 racing season will feature a condensed schedule opening with the Folkens Brothers $100,000 Silver Shootout on Saturday, May 13. The World of Outlaws will also return for a two-day show on July 1-2 with fireworks in the sky, and on the track as Donny Schatz will try to capitalize on a potential $10k bonus if he sweeps both nights as part of the Badlands Bonus with the WoO. The season will also feature two Late Model Mayhem events on Sunday, June 4 and Sunday, August 6. Finally, the Huset’s Speedway Flashback Night will be on Sunday, Sept. 3 when the 2017 Hall of Fame class will be inducted.

“Although the amounts of rumors are entertaining at times, they are normally downright baffling,” said BMS Founder and CEO Chuck Brennan. “The track is here to stay and there will NOT be a housing development filling in our incredible 80-acre complex anytime soon, or an indoor waterpark for that matter.”

“We have a lot of interest in the facility and it will make an amazing opportunity for the right ownership group,” said BMS General Manager Tom Savage. “We were counting on one buyer who said they would be purchasing the track but could not come up with the money at the end of the day. This blew out our 2017 season scheduling plans, so we wanted to get in front of 2018 early and lock in our schedule so that race teams and fans can start to plan.”

The two-day, $250,000 Rock and Roll Gold Cup is slated for a triumphant return on July 27 and 28, 2018 and early conversations with the United States Auto Club (USAC) officials confirm their return to the Cup. Brennan has also been in contact directly with the All Star Circuit of Champions owner Tony Stewart. Although the All Star Circuit of Champions, who primarily race in Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania, don’t traditionally travel as far as South Dakota to race, Stewart has expressed interest in sanctioning the All Stars for their first appearance at BMS during the Gold Cup.

“We would like to express our sincere apologies for not having a full racing schedule this season as the facility has been accustomed to over the past 60 years. This was never our intention and although this season will only feature six events, they will be the biggest and best possible. We would like to throw a hearty thank you out to everyone from the World of Outlaws to our core staff, and especially Greg Rubin for coming out of retirement and helping us ensure the track itself is the best it can be. It is the incredible feedback that we have received from race fans, race teams, sponsors and simply everyone involved in dirt track racing that has prompted the early release of this schedule,” a statement said on the Badlands Speedway website.

“It is true that all of our properties and businesses are on the market in South Dakota after the passing of the Ballot Initiative Measure 21,” Brennan said. “This does not mean that our successful entities like Badlands Motor Speedway, KBAD 94.5 Radio, or our Badlands Gun Store & Gun Range will be closing, just that we are looking for new owners while they operate.”

One of the unique programs that the track will be offering its sponsors is the availability to purchase any of the VIP or Sponsorship levels for 2018 and receive its BIG 2017 events complimentary as part of their partnership for next year.

All scheduling and sanctions subject to change.

2018 Badlands Motor Speedway Schedule
Day	Date	Event	Class
Saturday	May 12	$100,000 Silver Shootout	410 Sprint Cars, LMSS
Sunday	May 20	Stock Car Sunday Night	LMSS, USRA Hobby, USRA B-Mod, USRA Stock Car
Saturday	May 26	Sprint Car Saturday Night	410, 360, 305 Sprint Cars
Sunday	May 27	Stock Car Sunday Night	LMSS, USRA Hobby, USRA B-Mod, USRA Stock Car
Sunday	June 3	Late Model Mayhem 1	Midwest Late Models, LMSS, Three USRA classes
Saturday	June 9	Sprint Car Saturday Night	410, 360, 305 Sprint Cars
Sunday	June 10	Stock Car Sunday Night	LMSS, USRA Hobby, USRA B-Mod, USRA Stock Car
Saturday	June 16	Sprint Car Saturday Night	410, 360, 305 Sprint Cars
Sunday	June 17	Stock Car Sunday Night	LMSS, USRA Hobby, USRA B-Mod, USRA Stock Car
Saturday	June 23	Sprint Car Saturday Night	410, 360, 305 Sprint Cars
Sunday	June 24	Stock Car Sunday Night	LMSS, USRA Hobby, USRA B-Mod, USRA Stock Car
Saturday	June 30	World of Outlaws	WoO, 360, 305 Sprint Cars – Fireworks show
Sunday	July 1	World of Outlaws	WoO, 360, 305 Sprint Cars – Fireworks show
Saturday	July 14	Sprint Car Saturday Night	410, 360, 305 Sprint Cars
Sunday	July 15	Stock Car Sunday Night	LMSS, USRA Hobby, USRA B-Mod, USRA Stock Car
Saturday	July 21	Jamison Const. $10,000 Celebrity Enduro Extravaganza	Enduro Cars
Friday	July 27	2nd Annual Gold Cup	410 Sprint Cars – USAC Midgets
Saturday	July 28	2nd Annual Gold Cup	410 Sprint Cars – USAC Midgets
Saturday	August 4	Late Model Mayhem 2	Midwest Late Models, LMSS, Three USRA classes
Saturday	August 25	Sprint Car Saturday Night	410, 360, 305 Sprint Cars
Sunday	August 26	Stock Car Sunday Night	LMSS, USRA Hobby, USRA B-Mod, USRA Stock Car
Sunday	Sept. 2	Huset’s Flashback Night/HoF induction	410, 360 Sprint Cars, LMSS
Saturday	Sept. 8	Sprint Car Championship	410, 360, 305 Sprint Cars
Sunday	Sept. 9	Body Car Championship	LMSS, USRA Hobby, USRA B-Mod, USRA Stock Car

A former Little 500 driver, former car owner and current official are slated for induction into the Little 500 Hall of Fame on May 27, part of Pay Less Little 500 presented by UAW-GM Week.

The class of 2017 will be formally inducted at a luncheon at Anderson Speedway the afternoon of the Little 500.

The class of 2017 includes Urbie Durnwald, Don Mack, and Kenny Wright.

Don Mack (East Grand Fork, Minnesota): As a driver, made four Little 500 starts from 1966-78, earning one win in 1978; two top-10 finishes; 93 laps led; 1,864 total laps completed.

Urbie Durnwald (New Washington, Ohio): Car owner and mechanic, fielded the 1980 race winning car for Bob Frey; four entries from 1980-83; cars led two races for 301 laps; cars completed 1,402 laps; also a mechanic on various entries through ‘80’s and ‘90’s.

Kenny Wright (Anderson, Indiana): Former Little 500 flagman who flagged his first Little 500 in 1989 until 2009; current Little 500 race director.

The 28th annual Little 500 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place at Anderson Speedway on Saturday afternoon May 27. Former Little 500 and Indy 500 competitor Tom Bigelow will serve as guest speaker.

Seating is limited at this year’s luncheon. Tickets are $12 each and can be purchased by sending a check or money order to Little 500 Hall of Fame, 5027 Pearl St., Anderson, IN 46013.

Tickets can also be purchased at the Anderson Speedway Box office. For more information please call (765) 642-0206 or (765) 278-8231.

Former racing champion, Monte Smith, passed away earlier this month.

The 1996 Super Street championship winner went from hardcore racer to nitrous-tuning guru, and most recently one of Holley Performance Products’ technical representatives, working and innovating the product lines in the company’s NOS and Holley EFI divisions.

He operated Monte Smith Performance—known mostly for its custom nitrous systems—and, he was also responsible for building engines and tuning race cars from Pro Modified down to ordinary street/strip warriors.

The Alabama-based racer/tuner rose to national prominence in the street legal drag racing divisions of the NMCA and HOT ROD Magazine’s Fastest Street Car Shootouts. He competed with a 1969 Plymouth GTX, painted in a bright yellow hue with purple headlights; the car became one of the most iconic vehicles in the 10.5-inch tire scene through the 1990s.

He was a hero in the Chrysler world as he relied on a nitrous-enhanced 440cid B1 engine to garner records, event wins, and eventually the championship. Smith was also one of the early supporters and racers in the Outlaw 10.5 ranks when it featured as-measured 10.5-inch slicks. He has driven everything from the wildest small-tire cars to a supercharged, alcohol-burning Funny Car and Pro Modifieds.

In the early 2000s, his skills at going fast parlayed itself into Monte Smith Performance and his most prolific customer is Chad Henderson. The team was an early adopter of Drag Radials and was also one of the most successful nitrous teams in that genre of drag racing. Together, they won several No Boost and Outlaw Drag Radial classes at the Lights Out/No Mercy brand of Radial racing, EZ Street in the NHRA Unleashed series, as well as many other independent events.

Henderson competes with a 1987 Buick Grand National, which sports a massive 738cid that Smith crafted at his performance shop. He was the crew chief and brain trust of the Henderson Racing program.

The Henderson/Smith juggernaut not only paved the way for nitrous-powered Radial race cars, they were instrumental in bringing EFI into several segments of drag racing. The relationship with NOS, and parent company Holley, made it all possible.

As an early adopter of the Holley EFI Dominator with Henderson’s combination, Smith worked with countless teams in both the boosted and nitrous arenas to further the cause of EFI in Outlaw and Pro Mod drag racing.

Others have known Smith from his time on HOT ROD Drag Week where he offered technical support for Holley products, nitrous tuning, and nitrous bottle filling services throughout the weeklong competition.

The passing of Monte Smith will change the Radial and Outlaw/Pro Mod style drag racing markets as it has lost an innovator, racer, and friend.

Photo courtesy Drag Illustrated.

4 Wide Promotions, a new promotion group, will be in charge of Hancock County Speedway’s Friday shows. The promotion group signed a multi-year deal with the track and will continue weekly racing featuring IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks, Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and Mach-1 Sport Compacts.

“We’re really excited. It’s a new venture for all of us,” said Josh Omans, who partners with Brian King, Kyle Roose and Doc Sande. “It’s going to be pretty sweet to be back at the race track every weekend.”

Roose will be the race director and Sande will work with sponsors and in the VIP booths, while King and Omans handle a myriad of chores on both sides of the track.

Omans drove for Sande during his own career, which included stints in both the sanctioned Modified and Late Model divisions. King and Roose are co-owners of the Midwest Dirt Kart Challenge series.

“This was something we had talked about for a while. This time the timing was right and we put a proposal together for the fair board,” Omans said. “Last fall we did a lot of painting, bleacher repair and dirt work. We want to get the track racy top to bottom, especially off turn two. We have done quite a lot of work on the banking.”

While returning to ‘traditional’ Friday night racing, Hancock County Speedway continues lengthy associations with IMCA as well.

IMCA Modifieds and Stock Cars both run at Britt for the 19th season in 2017 while IMCA Hobby Stocks return for the 16th season on the 4/10-mile oval. Hancock County has sanctioned the Northern SportMods since 2010 and the Sport Compacts since 2013.

Hancock County is part of IMCA’s Side Biter Chassis North Central Region for Modifieds, the EQ Cylinder Heads Northern Region for Stock Cars and the Big Daddy Race Cars Northern Region for Hobby Stocks.

“Keeping the IMCA classes was always in our plans,” said Omans. “It’s what the fans expect and what the drivers expect.”
 
The MaxYield Seed Northern SportMod Nationals are June 20 and the Arnold Motor Supply Hawkeye Dirt Tour comes to town for the June 27 Salute to Veterans event.

A trio of Modified specials at Britt wraps up a rich weekend of IMCA racing in northern Iowa in August. The Night of 1000 Stars is scheduled August 10, the Night of 10,000 Stars on August 11 and the All Star Race on August 12.