Atlanta Motorsports Park recently announced the launch of its next phase of development, which will include luxury kart and car garages, as well as a dedicated club house and spectator center for its unique kart track.

Designed by F1 architect Hermann Tilke, Atlanta Motorsports Park in Dawsonville, Georgia, offers 43 feet of elevation change and is one of the only pro kart circuits in America built to CIK Level A/F1. A karting mecca for racers and enthusiasts of all ages, AMP offers daily public rental karting for adrenaline seekers aged 12 and over, and the chance to drive at speeds of more than 60 mph.

The new building, due to open in August 2017, will include a state-of-the-art kart retail and service center, viewing deck, covered pit lane area, entertainment space and members’ lounge, as well as a café and dedicated meeting suites. The proposed addition of a track lighting system will extend the company’s operating hours into the evening.

AMP Karting is a membership club where guests can race their own karts from as young as five years of age. The track hosts its own kart races, as well as regular kart racing schools that are attended by guests from all over the US.

AMP Karting offers a one stop solution for the retail of karts and kart parts as well as a specialist kart service center. The creation of dedicated maintenance and retail areas provides a springboard to expand the company’s kart sales and service division to achieve its goal of becoming the country’s leading full service karting solution provider.

“The launch of the new building is the long awaited final piece of the puzzle” says Jeremy Porter, CEO of Atlanta Motorsports Park. “For the last three years, our incredible kart track has drawn crowds from all over the Southeast region. The addition of state-of-the-art entertainment and spectator facilities is a game changer. We’re excited to usher in this new era at Atlanta Motorsports Park.”

McLaren has hired Ben Priest as Vice President, Americas–Partnership Development, to spearhead a renewed focus on landing key business in the US.

Based in New York and reporting to CEO Ekrem Sami, Priest joins the Partner Development team at McLaren Marketing, the global sports and technology brand’s dedicated in-house activation agency.

Tasked with developing innovative partnerships for McLaren throughout his territory, with a particular focus on Silicon Valley as the spiritual heart of the US technology and innovation industry, Priest brings to McLaren considerable marketing agency expertise.

Most recently Vice President of Business Development at a leading New York agency that represents many athletes, Priest has spent the majority of his career in motorsports. After co-founding his own agency, he previously led the North America Partnership Development division for JMI, the largest global motorsport marketing agency, and was involved in consulting the entry to motor racing for several of the most prominent new brands in recent years.
 
His appointment forms a key part of an ambitious global marketing strategy aimed at utilizing the global reach and power of McLaren as an iconic sports and technology brand that now includes its fast-growing McLaren Applied Technologies business.
 
Zak Brown, executive director for McLaren, said: “I’d like to welcome Ben to McLaren as part of our ambitious global marketing strategy. He brings with him considerable expertise that will help us unlock new business in the US and, in particular Silicon Valley, where there are fantastic, untapped opportunities for our brand.”

Tom Fox will return to his home track, New London-Waterford Speedbowl, in 2017 as the track’s race director.

Fox, 53, returns to a role he previously held at the Waterford, Connecticut-based Speedbowl from 2009 to 2011. Fox, of Plainfied, will also continue in his role as director of racing operations at Stafford Motor Speedway, a position he has held since 2012.

Fox began racing at the Speedbowl in 1979 in a Street Stock and had success in multiple divisions over the years. He has 60 career feature victories at the Speedbdowl, with 44 of those coming in a Late Model and 14 in SK Modified.

He also has a pair of Late Model championships at the track, and competed in the SK Modified division through the 2007 season.

After hanging up his helmet as a driver, he took on a role with the track’s tech crew in 2008 before taking on the race director position for the first time in 2009.

In related news, it was also announced by track officials that former Speedbowl race director Bill Roberts will take on the role of overseeing the Wednesday night program at the track in 2017.

Five of NASCAR’s legendary competitors—three owners and two drivers—were enshrined into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, on January 20 during the Induction Ceremony held in the Crown Ball Room at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Mark Martin, Raymond Parks and Benny Parsons make up the eighth Class of The NASCAR Hall of Fame—a shrine of the sport’s history that now houses 40 inductees.

A man from humble beginnings, Richard Childress bought his first race car for $20 at the age of 17. He turned that purchase into a NASCAR dynasty, winning six premier series championships with NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt from 1984-2000. Overall, Childress ranks second all-time with 11 titles across NASCAR’s three national series. His Richard Childress Racing team has won 105 NASCAR premier series races.

“Only in America could a kid selling peanuts and popcorn at Bowman Gray Stadium have a dream of becoming a race driver someday,” Childress said. “And then he goes out and buys himself an old '47 Plymouth, pays $20 for it—that was the best investment I ever made—and have a dream of being a NASCAR driver someday, be standing up here tonight to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Only in America.”

After winning three championships as the owner of a drag-racing boat team, Rick Hendrick founded “All-Star Racing” in 1984—the team that would later become Hendrick Motorsports. The organization has won a record 12 premier series championships with drivers Jimmie Johnson (seven), Jeff Gordon (four) and Terry Labonte (1). Hendrick Motorsports has a total of 15 NASCAR national series titles, the most in NASCAR history. Overall, it boasts 245 premier series wins.
 
“I'm the luckiest guy in the world because of my family, because of the friends I've met in this sport,” Hendrick said. “I thank you, God bless you, and thank everyone who voted for me and all the fans because this is an honor that I will never, ever forget.”
 
Considered “the greatest driver to never win a championship,” Mark Martin finished runner-up in the premier series standings five times. During his 31-year Cup career, Martin totaled 40 wins (17th all-time), 61 runner-ups (sixth), 271 top fives (seventh) and 453 top 10s (third) in 882 starts (fifth). Successful at every NASCAR level, the Batesville, Arkansas, native visited Victory Lane 49 times in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and held its wins record for 14 years. He retired with 96 wins across NASCAR’s three national series – seventh on the all-time list.
 
“For every person that ever worked on any of our teams, I salute you,” Martin said. “This is your moment, our moment. The road was long, and sometimes the mountains seemed insurmountable. But in the end, here we stand in the grandest victory lane of all.  We made it to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.”

One of stock car racing’s earliest—and most successful—owners, Raymond Parks dominated the sport with his team in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He paired with mechanic Red Vogt to help Red Byron win the first NASCAR title (modified, 1948) and first premier series championship (1949). Known for always donning a suit and keeping his cars in pristine condition, Parks is credited for helping to transform NASCAR into a nationally recognized sport.

“But what really hit me, I think, was the first time I went to the Daytona International Speedway, I was sitting in the stands, and it hit me, because everything I had heard growing up, I could see all of them in the Streamline Motel (where Parks helped Bill France Sr. create NASCAR),” said Parks’ granddaughter Patricia DePottey, who accepted on his behalf. “I could see the cars racing around in the sand. I could just envision everything that he accomplished, and it was like all of the stories became real."
 
Benny Parsons drove a taxi for a living in Detroit before embarking on his storied racing career. He won the 1973 NASCAR premier series title and finished fifth or better in the premier series standings in nine consecutive seasons (1972-80). Parsons won 21 races in 526 career starts, and tallied 283 top-10 finishes—a 53 percent ratio. He took the checkered flag in the 1975 Daytona 500 and was the first driver to qualify a stock car at more than 200 mph (200.176 in 1982 at Talladega Superspeedway). Following his driving career, he made a seamless transition to the broadcast booth as a commentator for NBC and TNT until his passing in 2007, at the age of 65.
 
“The most important thing about tonight for him would be the people and especially the fans, understand how much they meant to him and how much he loved each and every one of you,” said Parsons’ wife Terri, who accepted on his behalf. “You all have such great stories, and tonight is really a celebration of his life.”

Each of the five inductees had an inductor who officially welcomed them into the Hall: Judy Childress, Austin Dillon and Ty Dillon (wife and grandsons) for Richard Childress; Linda Hendrick (wife) for Rick Hendrick; Jack Roush (team owner) for Mark Martin; Kyle Petty (family friend) for Raymond Parks; and Dale Jarrett (family friend) for Benny Parsons.
 
Active drivers introduced each inductee during the program: Austin Dillon and Ty Dillon for Richard Childress; Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon for Rick Hendrick; Matt Kenseth for Mark Martin; Kevin Harvick for Raymond Parks; and Brad Keselowski for Benny Parsons.
 
In addition to the five inductees enshrined, H. Clay Earles was honored as the third recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

Earles built and opened Martinsville Speedway in 1947. It remains the only short track to host a NASCAR premier series race every year since the series’ inception in 1949. Built as a dirt track, Earles grew the primitive venue into a multi-million-dollar facility covering over 340 acres. Shaped like a paperclip, the .526-mile asphalt track is a crown jewel of NASCAR and known as the sport’s “Wrigley Field.”
 
Prior to the Induction Ceremony, multi-faceted journalist Benny Phillips was posthumously granted the sixth Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence.
 
A versatile storyteller, Phillips spent 48 years with the High Point (N.C.) Enterprise as a reporter and sports editor. He also wrote for Stock Car Racing Magazine for 27 years and commentated for 12 years on TBS. Known for his ability to transform drivers into heroes with his words, Phillips penned four books, including Dale Earnhardt’s autobiography “Determined,” which he co-authored with fellow NASCAR reporter Ben Blake. Phillips died in 2012 at the age of 74 from polio, which he battled his entire life.

Performance Racing Industry (PRI) presented the Motorsport Industry Association’s (MIA) Export Achievement Award to Xtrac, a motorsports transmission designer and manufacturer, during the MIA’s annual Business Excellence Awards Dinner in conjunction with this month’s Autosport International Show in Birmingham, UK.

Xtrac, headquartered in Berkshire, UK, has two US locations—one in Indianapolis, Indiana, and another in Mooresville, North Carolina. According to the company, over 75 percent of Xtrac sales are exported, including a large portion throughout Europe and the US.

The award, presented by PRI’s Director of Global Sales and Marketing Francisque Savinien, was accepted by Xtrac Chairman Peter Digby and Managing Director Adrian Moore.

“I have known Peter Digby for more than 15 years and I was very pleased to see Xtrac win this award this year,” Savinien said. “They have won [this award] several times in the last decade alone, which is a testimony to what a great company Xtrac is, and how much business they do around the world. Congratulations to them; a very well deserved prize.”

First presented in 1995, the MIA Business Excellence Awards recognize excellence at all levels of the motorsports and high performance engineering industry. This year’s awards were emceed by Alan Gow, series director of the British Touring Car Championship, and chairman of the Motor Sports Association and President of the Federation International de l’Automobile (FIA) Touring Car Commission.

Award-winning companies included:

MIA Service to the Industry Award – Sponsored by Goodridge – presented by Jon Hourihan, Chief Executive EMEA
    •    Winner – Silverstone Circuits
MIA New Markets Award – Sponsored by 920Engineering – presented by Anthony Blackwell, Managing Director
    •    Winner – Wirth Research
MIA Export Achievement Award – Sponsored by Performance Racing Industry (PRI) – presented by Francisque Savinien, Director of Global Sales and Marketing
    •    Winner – Xtrac
MIA Technology & Innovation Award – Sponsored by Ricardo – presented by Iain Wight, Director Transmission Systems
    •    Winner – Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE)
MIA Teamwork Award – Sponsored by Grainger & Worrall – presented by Phil Ward, Director Performance Products
    •    Winner – West Surrey Racing (WSR)
MIA Business of the Year with annual sales under £5 million Award – Sponsored by Lestercast – presented by Chris Batty, Managing Director
    •    Winner – Delta Motorsport
MIA Business of the Year with annual sales over £5 million Award – Sponsored by Xtrac – presented by Adrian Moore, Managing Director
    •    Winner – M-Sport

The MIA Business Excellence Awards Dinner was attended by an audience of over 500 senior executives from the international motorsports business community. An auction in aid of the Motorsport Foundation raised £2,500 ($3,095), with the prize winners from BTB Exhausts, Lentus Composites and Scott Racing receiving an exclusive Bentley Continental for a weekend, passenger ride in an M-Sport prepared Rally Car and  tour of Dovenby Hall, and two tickets to the MIA Business Friday at the Silverstone British Grand Prix, respectively.

Autosport International is a four-day motorsports trade show for both auto industry professionals and fans; this year’s show took place January 12–15 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

At the FIA Americas Awards ceremony in Mexico City, OMDAI Vice President José Abed honored Stand 21 and its foundation, Racing Goes Safer.  Represented by their founder, Yves Morizot, Stand 21 received the award for their contribution to the safety of drivers in motor racing.

This award was presented in the presence of Jean Todt (FIA’s President), Emerson Fittipaldi, the mayor of Mexico City Miguel Ángel Mancera, former Mexican President Felipe Calderon, over 250 FIA representatives from various countries in South, Central and North America and award- winning racing drivers.

This ceremony took place on the Formula 1 circuit in Mexico City.

Stand 21 addresses the needs of all racers, from vintage to top-flight racing, in every auto-racing category, for the ones willing to seek the best protection there is against not only fire or impacts, but the intense heat-stress generated inside hot cockpits. Stand 21 works in tight collaboration with the knowledgeable medical doctors and safety experts through its “Racing Goes Safer” Foundation.

As a motorsports safety source, the Stand 21 Safety Foundation, "Racing Goes Safer" is a non-profit organization with a primary purpose of promoting enhanced motorsports safety. Achieving this goal in collaboration with medical and scientific bodies, as well as with major series' organizers (FIA, SFI, NHRA, SCTA, SCCA, SCORE...) in order to bring awareness of safety issues, and solutions to the forefront of motorsports world.

For more information, please visit www.racinggoessafer.org.  

Throughout the 2017 season NHRA national events will feature exhibition passes from the popular jet cars. Known for their exciting pre-run flame shows and after burner pops, jet cars are thrust driven vehicles propelled by jet engines and are a fan favorite attraction.

While jet cars have run exhibition passes at NHRA national events before, this season the wildly popular jet car program is expanding and will be featured at a record amount of races and will run Friday nights after the second Top Fuel session. Three of the familiar jet car teams will be returning to the NHRA circuit: Muy Caliente Racing sponsored by Lucas Oil, Hanna Motorsports founded by Al and Ellen Hanna and Larsen Motorsports sponsored by Florida Tech and Valspar Automotive.

“We are very excited to be expanding the jet car program for the 2017 season,” said Evan Jonat, NHRA director of national event marketing. “The jets are an exciting and unique spectacle for our racing fans. They really put on a thrilling show.”

Muy Caliente Racing consists of two jet cars, Terminal Velocity and MAV TV Missile, which are both sponsored by Lucas Oil Racing. Drivers for the jet dragsters are team owner Tony Franco, John “Sporty” Bandimere, Tony Franco Jr. and Tom Bogner, the director of motorsports for Lucas Oil Products Inc.

Hanna Motorsports was founded in 1978 and features three jet cars, the Eastern Raider 1998 Pontiac Firebird Jet Funny Car driven by Ken Hall, the First Strike 1999 Pontiac Firebird Jet Funny Car driven by Rich Hanna and the Queen of Diamonds Jet Dragster driven by Sarah Edwards. Hanna Motorsports also produces race car trailers and jet engine race track driers, services and builds jet cars for customers and creates and sells motorsports marketing packages.

Larsen Motorsports (LMS), founded by Chris and Elaine Larsen, fields four jet dragsters including the Florida Tech Jet Dragster and the Matrix System Jet Dragster. LMS partners with Florida Tech to give students hands on training and promotes STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) curriculum that can be put to use in the Larsen’s 30,000-square foot facility in Palm Bay, Fla.

2017 Jet Car Program Schedule
Feb 24	NHRA Arizona Nationals; Phoenix, AZ	Muy Caliente Racing
Mar 17	Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals; Gainesville, FL	Larson Motorsports
Mar 31	DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals; Las Vegas, NV	Muy Caliente Racing
Apr 21	NHRA SpringNationals; Houston, TX	Larson Motorsports
Apr 28	NHRA Four-Wide Nationals; Charlotte, NC	Muy Caliente Racing/ Hanna Motorsports
May 5	NHRA Southern Nationals; Atlanta, GA	Larson Motorsports
May 19	Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals; Topeka, KS	TBA
Jun 2	NHRA New England Nationals; Epping, NH	Hanna Motorsports
Jun 9	NHRA Summernationals; Englishtown, NJ	Larson Motorsports
Jun 16	NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals; Bristol, TN	TBA
Jun 23	Summit Racing Equipment Nationals; Norwalk, OH	TBA
Jul 7	Route 66 NHRA Nationals; Chicago, IL	TBA
Jul 21	Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals; Denver, CO	Muy Caliente Racing
Jul 28	Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals; Sonoma, CA	Muy Caliente Racing
Aug 18	Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals; Brainerd, MN	TBA
Sep 1	Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals; Indianapolis, IN	Larson Motorsports/ Muy Caliente Racing
Sep 15	NHRA Carolina Nationals; Charlotte, NC	Larson Motorsports
Sep 22	Dodge NHRA Nationals; Reading, PA	Hanna Motorsports
Sep 29	AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals; St. Louis, MO	Larson Motorsports
Oct 13	AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals; Dallas, TX	Larson Motorsports
Oct 27	NHRA Toyota Nationals; Las Vegas, NV	Muy Caliente Racing

WC Vision, producer of Pirelli World Challenge, has announced the addition of two former racers to its staff with the addition of Rob Morgan and Jack Baldwin. Morgan and Baldwin will be joining Jim Jordan as Class Managers.

Morgan, a longtime motorsports executive, will be the GT Class Manager for Pirelli World Challenge with Baldwin, a five-time sports car series champion, as the GTS Class Manager. They join Jordan, who was brought on board late last year as the TC Class Manager.

With the continued growth of the Pirelli World Challenge GT production-based road racing series, WC Vision President and CEO Greg Gill expressed the series’ desire to expand its organization to allow the three Class Managers to support the series’ teams, drivers, auto manufacturers and sponsors.

“After the additions to (PWC Vice President of Competition) Marcus Haselgrove’s Competition and Technical department, we felt the next step was to offer greater business and marketing support to our competitors,” said Gill. “We are pleased to have three very experienced motorsports executives. We looked for individuals who understood the business of racing, and who could in turn help our teams, drivers and partners achieve their goals within the Series.”

Morgan, a University of Arkansas graduate, began his motorsports career working for his father’s (Charles Morgan) IMSA, SCCA and Trans-Am teams in the 1980s. Rob began his own driving career in the IMSA Firehawk Series and went on to compete in IMSA GTO and GTS divisions as well the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He later transitioned into the team ownership role and created TruSpeed Autosport in 2001.

Morgan’s team also captured the 2011 PWC GT championship with Patrick Long at the wheel.

Baldwin, one of the legends of American sports car racing, has driven a variety of sports cars and won five professional titles and 39 major pro races in his illustrious career. In addition, Jack scored victories at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring. He also competed in the International Race of Champions (IROC) and the NASCAR Busch Series. Most recently, Baldwin competed in the PWC GTS division for GTSport Racing, winning eight races.

Jordan, a manufacturer motorsports executive for over 25 years, has served nearly every aspect of the racing industry during his career including driver, team owner, brand marketing, media relations and team strategist. In recent years, Jim worked with the Dempsey Racing operation in IMSA and WEC competition. In addition to his TC management role, Jordan also serves as manager of business development for the Pirelli World Challenge.

Dorsey Schroeder, a multi-time racing champion, returns to the Pirelli World Challenge in 2017 as Race Director, while Peter Roberts continues as Chief Steward and Brian Till as Driver Steward.

The Pirelli World Challenge season opens March 10-12 at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, as a doubleheader weekend for the GT/GTA/GT Cup and GTS classes. In addition, the Verizon IndyCar Series also begins its 2017 season at St. Petersburg.

After marking their 50th Anniversary in 2016, the Trans Am Series, presented by Pirelli Tire, and SCCA Pro Racing are set to celebrate their Diamond Anniversary after signing an unprecedented 25-year agreement with the Trans Am Race Company (TARC).

The deal is the continuation of TARC’s licensing and services agreement with SCCA Pro, securing the management, marketing and operational platform that has seen Trans Am grow since the creation of the original partnership in late 2011.  

The partnership announcement was made during a press conference held at the annual Sports Car Club of America National Convention in Las Vegas.

 “This unprecedented agreement gives both TARC and SCCA Pro the opportunity to focus on the future of the Trans Am Series,” said John Clagett, President of The Trans Am Race Company. “While these past few years have been a tremendous success, we are still working towards our final vision. This agreement allows both partners to concentrate on building and constantly improving the Series. We appreciate the trust and confidence that SCCA Pro has shown in us, and with the operation rights to the Trans Am name secure, we will be shifting our efforts towards building a market platform that emphasizes longevity.”

While the renewed partnership between SCCA Pro and TARC will allow both entities to continue building a top professional series, it will also vertically align the Trans Am Series with SCCA Inc., creating an easy crossover from amateur racing to professional sports car racing to more than 65,000 SCCA club members.

“SCCA Pro Racing is dedicated to running, managing and supporting programs that align with SCCA Club Racing,” SCCA Pro Racing President and CEO Mike Collins said. “Trans Am just celebrated its 50th year of competition, crowning champions who all belonged to the SCCA. SCCA Pro is proud that we will continue our relationship with the Trans Am Race Company for the next 25 years. By committing to a long- term relationship with mutual goals, our organizations can focus on making the series great by leveraging both of our resources together to offer a clear path from amateur motorsport to professional racing.”

SCCA Pro will continue providing services to Trans Am, including staffing, industry standard participant accident insurance and sanctioning. TARC will remain the marketing and management arm of the Series taking on promotion, the writing and interpretation of rules and staff selection in key roles.  

SCCA Pro and the Trans Am Series partnership commenced on March 25, 1966, with a field of 44 cars at Sebring International Raceway in Florida. Future Formula One World Champion Jochen Rindt took the overall victory and Bob Tullius won the Over 2-Liter class. Other first-year notables included A.J. Foyt, Richard Petty, Jerry Titus and Belgium's Jacky Ickx.

After five decades of racing, the series has grown, fielding nearly 80 cars during its 2016 debut race, according to a press release from SCCA.

“We know there is plenty of work ahead of us,” said Clagett, “but with our ownership, competitor base, partners and this long-term agreement in place, I’m confident in TARC’s ability to continue, and complete, our work: the restoration of Trans Am to the forefront of North American road racing.”

Trans Am will kick-off its 51st season with the Trans Am Championship March 4-5 at Sebring International Raceway. With the addition of Trans Am West Coast Championship, the TARC will host 17 individual events across the continental United States.

For scheduling and more information on transitioning from club racing to professional racing through Trans Am, visit GoTransAm.com.

A 10-round battle for the championship, two lucrative special events and four dates combining the West Coast's top touring divisions are the highlights of the 2017 schedule for the Lucas Oil Modified Series.

It begins February 11 with the third Winter Showdown on the ultra-fast half-mile oval at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, California, and ends with the traditional West Coast Short Track Championships at The Bullring at Las Vegas (Nevada) Motor Speedway November 18.

Those special events, two of the four in which the exciting open-wheel Modifieds will share headline status with the SRL Southwest Tour's Super Late Models, are the bookends for the 10 races that will determine the series' Hoosier Tire West points champion.

Those 10 races will take the series back to the eight tracks in four states that produced the closest points race in the series' 11-year history in 2016. A record eight different drivers had parked in the winner's circle and the points lead had changed hands a record four times before Lakeside, California's, Matthew Hicks emerged with a 4-point win over Taylor Miinch, with Scott Winters 10 points back in third.

The smallest winning margin previously had been the 12 points that separated champion Jim Mardis and runner-up Austin Barnes in 2011.

"We're looking forward to another extremely competitive season," series promoter Greg Scheidecker said. "We think the tracks in our series offer the most varied racing you'll find in any touring series and the results would seem to indicate it's also the best racing you'll find. That's ultimately a tribute to our drivers and teams, of course, but we've tried to help them as much as possible by maintaining continuity and familiarity.

"The dates of this year's races almost mirror last year's, but we have changed the track rotation a little. One reason for that was so we could say yes to the opportunity to headline the show at Kern County on the weekend before the Fourth of July, and we had to make a change at Orange Show Speedway. We've moved that race two weeks later, to September 23, because of a date conflict with the National Orange Show that would have impacted our race teams and fans.

"Changing the date there means we'll close the regular season with three events in five weeks. That's asking a lot of our teams, but they've shown over and over that they're the best around. It definitely will add some drama to those last three races."

The 2017 schedule for the Lucas Oil Modified Series:

February 11 - Kern County Raceway Park, 1/2-mile oval, Bakersfield, California*
March 11 - Havasu 95 Speedway, 1/4-mile oval, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
April 8 - Tucson Speedway, 3/8-mile oval, Tucson, Arizona
May 20 - The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 3/8-mile oval, Las Vegas
June 10 - Madera Speedway, 1/3-mile oval, Madera, California
July 1 - Kern County Raceway Park, 1/2-mile oval, Bakersfield, California
July 22 - Rocky Mountain Raceways, 3/8-mile oval, West Valley City, Utah
August 19 - Irwindale Speedway, 1/2 mile oval, Irwindale, California
September 23 - Orange Show Speedway, 1/4-mile oval, San Bernardino, California
October 7 - Madera Speedway, 1/3-mile oval, Madera, California
October 28 - Havasu 95 Speedway, 1/4-mile oval, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
November 18 - The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 3/8-mile oval, Las Vegas*

* - indicates non-points races

Race distances, purses and other details will be announced when they are finalized.