Road America's return to the IndyCar calendar will continue into 2017 after a huge crowd attended the track's first top-level American single-seater race in nine years last weekend.

The famous Elkhart Lake track, an icon of the CART schedule, had fallen off the schedule when Champ Car and the IndyCar Series merged in 2008.

Its return this year was sufficiently successful for a 2017 deal to be announced as the race finished, with the event again taking place on the last weekend of June.

Road America president and general manager George Bruggenthies would not give a crowd estimate but had privately told IndyCar CEO Mark Miles and team owner Bobby Rahal it was the biggest crowd in track history with 100,000 tickets sold for the three-day weekend.

"I know they probably exaggerated numbers in the early days, but I talked to a couple of my board of directors, and this is likely the largest event ever hosted by Road America, so that's really something," said Bruggenthies.

Race winner Will Power was one of four drivers in the field who had also competed in Champ Car's final race at the track, and had been one of the main supporters of a Road America return.

"It's just a cool, old-school track," Power said.

"There's not many of them around that we go to anymore, and any of the ones that we do go to [are successful] - you go to Mid-Ohio there's a big crowd.

"It was amazing just walking around here on Thursday, there were so many people.

"But even Friday night I went for a walk through the camping grounds and it was just awesome to see so many people having fun. On the parade lap, it was just such a big crowd, it was crazy.

"It's great for IndyCar.

"We should have been back here a long time ago."

On Friday, NASCAR unveiled a joint project with Microsoft that’s expected to revolutionize the sport.

The Race Management App will be rolled out this weekend Sonoma Raceway on Friday. The Microsoft-created program incorporates six different areas of competition from the inspection process to racing  and consolidating everything on one screen to simplify officiating and transfer the information to teams—and eventually the fans.

“We’re really excited about working with NASCAR because they really have complicated problems to solve in really three areas: operations and logistics, in competition and performance and in fan engagement,” said Microsoft’s Mike Downey.

“As we looked at, over the last year working with NASCAR, all the things we could do, our major focus was how can we use technologies to create efficiencies in how NASCAR runs its races?”

Through the partnership, Microsoft took what was a “paper-based process and turned it into digital” to streamline NASCAR’s inspection system. That data can be accessed entering into the race and as other additional officiating comes into play. NASCAR officials can track cars during a run and on pit road in an effort to assess line ups and penalties in real time and eventually enhance competition.

Steve O’Donnell, EVP and Chief Racing Development Officer for NASCAR was impressed by the app’s ability to integrate everything onto one screen. With the frenetic pace of a race, officials won’t be distracted reviewing a number of screens. The data will be at their fingertips.

“For us, it’s really about helping the scoring of the race as well,” said Steve O’Donnell, EVP and Chief Racing Development Officer for NASCAR. “I think you’ve seen we’ve had some challenges just from a timing standpoint. NASCAR is the only sport where every second of every race…we don’t have time to call a time out or a TV time out and let the officials sit on the side for 15 minutes. We need to make a quick call. And this allows us to do that.

“It allows us to be quick, see the replays, make calls and be confident in what we’re seeing.”
 
O’Donnell sees the potential for anticipating accidents and improving the dispatch of safety vehicles during the race. As for reviewing the event, O’Donnell is encouraged by the ability to “almost recreate” the entire race and critique not only the product on the track but how the teams were policed throughout the weekend.

“This is not only about being more efficient and transparent at the race track but improving each week when we go back and building our team off of this platform and kind of learning together,” O’Donnell added.

While NASCAR offers its fanbase more realtime stats than stick and ball sports, the sanctioning body must be sensitive to private information that teams might not want released. But that won’t stop the organization from using telemetry and analytics to increase fan engagement with the sport.

“We’ve talked often about our fans being in the 41st car and experiencing everything,” O’Donnell added. “Ultimately, we still have work to do in terms of getting data out from the race track to the fans. But the great news for us is no other sport has more data to be able to compile and get out and especially with the younger generation and racing technology.

“For us, it’s about getting as much data out to the fans knowing that there are some things that the teams need to be proprietary. Those are the discussions we’re having right now with Microsoft and the race teams. What can we get out to the fans and what should we keep proprietary that would effect competition?”

The two-car Mazda Prototype team will carry special liveries at this weekend's Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen. The No. 55 Mazda will feature a vivid green and orange color scheme in honor of the 25th anniversary of Mazda's rotary powered victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991. The No. 70 car will carry a similar design, but in the Soul Red, Silver and Machine Grey colors which represent the present and future look of the Mazda brand and Mazda Motorsports.

Mazda's win with the iconic 787B race car was the culmination of 17 attempts at Le Mans, and represented Mazda's 'Never Stop Challenging' ethos that remains with the Hiroshima-based automaker to this day. The unique pattern of the paint scheme was inspired by the primary sponsor of the 1991 winner, Renown, a clothing company which made argyle socks. Acknowledging our respect of the tremendous effort and heartbreak at Le Mans for our friends at Toyota last week, Mazda remains the only Asian manufacturer to win overall at the 24 Hours with the only car to win the famous French classic with an engine not driven by traditional reciprocating pistons.

For the 1991 race, the cars entered by Mazdaspeed Co. Ltd. were powered by 2.6-liter, four-rotor Mazda R26B rotary engines. The winning drivers in the No. 55 car were Johnny Herbert, Volker Weidler and Bertrand Gachot, who traversed 362 laps in the race. They defeated factory efforts from Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Peugeot and more. A second Mazda 787B finished sixth, while a third factory entry in a year-old 787 finished eighth.

The Mazda Prototype team has matched or improved their best-ever finishes in each of the last four races, including the first-ever podium finish in the Prototype category at Detroit, where the team finished third and fourth in class.

"I may not have been born when they won Le Mans, but being an age where technology is key, there are a lot of videos on the internet of that car!" said team driver Tristan Nunez. "I've been watching the 787B for years, even before I got picked up by Mazda. It's one of those cars that really captures your eye – and the sound that rotary motor made! It's going to be an honor to run that paint scheme. I won't see the car until it rolls off the trailers at the Glen, but I assure you it's going to be an emotional moment for a lot of people, myself included."

Nunez is also looking forward to racing on the newly repaved Watkins Glen, after testing there with the team.

"The new surface is unbelievable. I've never driven a smoother track in my life," he declared. "It sounds weird, but it's so smooth you have to relearn the track. You don't feel any bumps, which was really surprising. It has so much grip the car just hooks up around the corners so well. The Mazda Prototype really likes the track because we can run it really low, which is the secret to the aerodynamics of this car. I'm interested to see how we compare to the competition, but I think we have a good finish in the crosshairs for sure.

"There are a lot of high speed corners at this track, plus some long-duration corners. It really puts a toll on your body with the amount of G-forces you're pulling for a long length of time. Keeping up physically is very important, because it's a six-hour race. Depending on the strategy, we'll likely do two hours at a time, so I've been really working at the gym. You can't have your body fail under those conditions."

The Mazda Prototype team will feature an expanded driver lineup for the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen. British racer Ben Devlin has been the go-to driver for the endurance races with the No. 70 team since 2014, and has driven Mazda-powered prototypes for many years. IndyCar driver Spencer Pigot will join the team in the No. 55 Mazda.

"Watkins Glen is going to be new for me. I've heard great things about it, but I've never been there. I'm really looking forward to that," said Pigot. "With the Mazda Prototype team, I've got great teammates that have been there many times, so it's good for me to learn from them and also it's good preparation for when I go back there with IndyCar in September.

"This situation is a new challenge, and I have to get used to the car and track very quickly. The team have been fantastic. The other drivers are all good friends of mine and we really work well together. It worked out that we're all of similar size so there isn't much that has to change inside the car, which is important. You don't want to be the third driver who comes in to disrupt the team, disrupt the flow of what they've built throughout the season. I've been able to come in and fit right in. It goes back to all of the crew guys, the engineers and everyone at Mazda are very welcoming and friendly. And the drivers are very open to having me there. I think they see it as a positive. It gives them a chance to learn some things from me as I learn from them."

A monumental week for the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is on tap, highlighted by Wednesday night’s 28th annual MSHFA Induction Ceremony Presented by Bridgestone at The Shores Resort & Spa.

Wednesday will mark the first induction ceremony in Daytona Beach for the MSHFA, which has relocated to Daytona International Speedway from Novi, Michigan. The new hall facility, located in the speedway’s expansive Ticket and Tours Building, will host the annual “Heroes of Horsepower Reception” on Tuesday night; this year’s seven new inductees will be honored with the unveiling of their respective bronze busts to be displayed perpetually in the hall.

Also on Wednesday, the Inductee Lunch Hosted By Toyota will be held in the Toyota Injector area in the speedway’s new motorsports stadium design resulting from the $400 million “DAYTONA Rising” renovation project completed prior to this racing season.

All three events have been sold out.

On Sunday, the MSHFA will open to the public for the first time, with hall visits included as part of all Daytona Int’l Speedway fan tours.

The events are all part of the annual Independence Day weekend celebration in the community and at the speedway that includes Saturday night’s tradition-rich NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the 58th annual Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola.

The 230-person MSHFA inductee role honors all forms of motorsports: motorcycles, stock cars, sports cars, open-wheel, drag racing, land speed records, powerboating, off-road and aviation racing. This year’s class reflects that philosophy. The lineup:

Everett Brashear – One of the top AMA dirt-track motorcycle racers of all-time, Brashear won a total of 15 AMA nationals between1952-1960. … After exiting from competition, Brashear immersed himself in other areas of the motorcycle industry, working for Harley-Davidson, Triumph, Yamaha and Kawasaki. … In all, he spent 47 years in the industry. … Brashear was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1988.

Richard Childress – Childress’ remarkable career evolved from being a struggling stock car racer to becoming one of the premier owners in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, winning six championships with 2002 MSHFA inductee Dale Earnhardt (1986, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93, ’94). … Has 14 championships in NASCAR national series competition, second-best all time. … His drivers have won the DAYTONA 500 twice and the Brickyard 400 three times.

Gary Gabelich – Gabelich chased speed records on both land and water during a brief but mercurial competitive career for the former Apollo test astronaut. … In 1969, Gabelich established a quarter-mile Drag Boat record of 200.44 mph (323 km/h). … A year later, driving the “Blue Flame” he set FIA Land Speed Records of 622.407 mph (1,001.667 km/h) over a flying mile and 630.388 mph (1,014.511 km/h) over a flying kilometer at the Bonneville Salt Flats. … His competitive career ended after a 1972 accident in an experimental Funny Car. … He died in 1984 due to injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.

Chip Ganassi – Ganassi is the only car owner to have won the DAYTONA 500, the Indianapolis 500, the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the Brickyard 400. Between February 2010 and January 2011, his drivers swept those four events, giving him an unprecedented “Grand Slam” in America’s major auto races. … Overall, his teams have won 18 championships and more than 170 races. His open-wheel teams have amassed 11 championships and more than 100 victories – including five in the Indianapolis 500. His NASCAR teams have 17 victories including a DAYTONA 500 victory, and have twice qualified for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. His sports car teams have a record six Rolex 24 At Daytona victories to complement their seven Rolex Sports Car Series championships. … Earlier this month, he added a LMGTE Pro class championship at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. … Before becoming one of the most successful team owners in American racing history, Ganassi raced himself, competing in the Indianapolis 500 five times with a best finish of eighth in 1983.

Dave McClelland – Known as “The Voice of the NHRA,” McClelland is one of the most legendary voices in all of motorsports and certainly the most legendary in the history of drag racing. But his face is very recognizable, too, thanks to his years of NHRA-related work on ESPN, SPEED and The Nashville Network. … His background also includes a stint as a race track executive followed by a successful run as NHRA publicity and public relations director. … He has been recognized with a number of awards during his career including the 2013 Robert E. Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award, which is presented annually to pioneers in the hot rod and restoration industry.

Sam Posey – Posey has excelled both on the race track and in the broadcast booth, in the process becoming one of this country’s most recognizable and respected motorsports personalities. … Posey raced in Can-Am, Trans-Am, Indy Car, sports cars, Formula One and NASCAR competition. … He raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 10 times, finishing in the top 10 five times, with a best finish of third in 1971. … After leaving competition he became an ABC commentator in 1974 and now works for NBC Sports Network on Formula One coverage and has written numerous well-regarded books and magazine articles on motorsports subjects.

Bob Sweikert – Los Angeles native Sweikert had a season for the ages in 1955, winning the Indianapolis 500, the AAA “Big Car” National Championship and the Midwest Sprint Car Championship, becoming the first driver to sweep all three honors in a single season. … Sweikert was the first driver to exceed 100 mph on a one-mile oval track. … His career was halted at the age of 30, his full potential unrealized, when he died in June 1956 after a Sprint Car accident at Salem (Indiana) Speedway. … He was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1994 and the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1995.

Michael Staruch has joined MAHLE Aftermarket Inc. as business development manager. A major responsibility for Staruch will be leading the aftermarket sales strategy development efforts for the MAHLE Aftermarket gasket offering—soon to be under the MAHLE Original brand for the first time—into targeted markets.

Staruch previously was with NGK Spark Plugs (U.S.A), where he was national manager - program distribution. He will report to Jon Douglas, general manager of MAHLE Aftermarket North America.

“Michael’s background is a perfect fit for helping grow sales of MAHLE Aftermarket gaskets to key segments of the aftermarket,” said Douglas. “MAHLE Aftermarket has a legacy of providing a full line of OE quality gaskets with superior coverage to the independent aftermarket. This legacy approaches new heights now that these gaskets will soon be available under the MAHLE Original gasket brand.”

For more information about MAHLE Aftermarket and its brands, visit www.mahle-aftermarket.com or contact your local sales representative.

Charlotte Motor Speedway withdrew its bid to host the ESPN X Games in 2017 and 2018, speedway officials confirmed.

Discussions with ESPN have been positive, officials said.

“We appreciate ESPN’s continued interest in the speedway as a potential host venue, and we look forward to engaging in the process again in the future,” Scott Cooper, vice president of communications, said.

A spokesperson would not say why the speedway withdrew its bid, or whether the state's controversial House Bill Two played a role in it.

In March, ESPN said it embraces diversity and inclusion and would evaluate all of its options as it seeks a new city for the X Games.

Hosting the games beyond those years is still a possibility, Cooper said.

“I was very disappointed to hear that,” Cabarrus County Commissioner Chairman Steve Morris said. “I think it would be a wonderful opportunity to bring a lot of folks in to Cabarrus County.”

He said the games would have brought millions to the area.

Austin saw $102 million economic boost from the X Games, according to ESPN.

“We are looking forward to having (ESPN officials) back again and I'm sure we will be successful,” Morris said.

There are multiple cities that have requested to remain anonymous in the bidding process, ESPN told Channel 9, but cities that have confirmed publicly they're bidding to host an X Games summer event in 2017-18 include: Minneapolis, Ft. Lauderdale/Miami, Providence and Nassau/Long Island.  

ESPN statement: "We thank Charlotte Motor Speedway for its interest in hosting the X Games, and look forward to continuing discussions when searching for the next two-year host city in 2019 and 2020."

Part of the area’s automobile racing landscape since after World War II, Illiana Motor Speedway has apparently hosted its last racing event as the property has been sold to the town of Schererville.

Northwest Indiana’s The Times newspaper reported Thursday that Illiana owner Mike Mikuly sold the 50-plus acre site to the Town of Schererville for a reported $1.67 million with the closing of the sale coming on or before June 30. A special Town Council meeting was held Wednesday evening to complete the deal. The story said that Mikuly would have access to the property for 60 days after the sale.

The speedway property is adjacent to the town’s 41-acre Rohrman Park with additional green space to be added from the Illiana purchase.

A former racer himself at the speedway, Mikuly purchased the raceway from founder/owner Harry Molenaar in the spring of 1999. Elderly and in failing health, Molenaar passed away in October of 1999.

A Harley Davidson motorcycle dealer in Hammond, Molenaar acquired the then wooded property in 1943. After a lot of work by Molenaar and volunteers, which included numerous friends and customers from his motorcycle business, Molenaar presented the first motorcycles races at his speedway in 1945 with the first stock car race held in 1948.

The original oval was a big half-mile dirt track with a number of other sized tracks being in use at one time or another. The half-mile was paved before the 1962 racing season began. Weekly late model stock car racing became the prime attraction there in 1963.

Under Mikuly’s ownership, the speedway went through a major rebuilding phase during the winter of 1999 and 2000. The half-mile track was repaved with a smaller quarter-mile paved track laid out. New retaining walls and safety fencing were also added with a state-of-the-art lightning system also part of the renovation. New grandstands came about in 2008.

A freshened-up Illiana seemed to enjoy a number of good years with a variety of racing events, both stock car and open-wheel racing, being held. Recent years seemed stagnant at Illiana with crowds and cars counts down for one reason or another.

In May of this year, Mikuly announced through the speedway’s website that Illiana would not be opening in 2016, citing poor weather, decreasing attendance and car counts, along with poor social media reviews as the culprits. Various rumors and stories swirled around about the speedway’s future, including stock car racer Boris Jurkovic buying it. Wednesday’s Town Council meeting and the imminent sale of the speed plant seem to have become the final chapter of Illiana Motor Speedway.

Ninety-seven Pirelli World Challenge drivers across the series' seven classes are set to race June 23-26 at Road America, one of the fastest permanent road racing tracks in the world. GT and GTA drivers will race Rounds 12 and 13, while GT Cup and GTS pilots race in Rounds 11 and 12. TC, TCA and TCB drivers will race Rounds 7 and 8. The Pirelli World Challenge Road America Grand Prix presented by Cadillac marks the 16th appearance for the series at the 14-turn, 4.048-mile road course.

GT: Parente Leads Long, O'Connell and Cooper heading to Elkhart Lake

With back-to-back wins at Lime Rock Park, Alvaro Parente moved into the lead in the GT driver's championship standings with 995 points in the No. 9 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S. K-PAX Racing also brings two McLaren 650S GT3s or McLaren GT Academy driver and 2015 GT Cup driver's champion Colin Thompson, and young up-and-comer Austin Cindric. Thompson dominated in GT Cup last year, winning 13 of 18 class races, and will pilot the No. 13 K-PAX Racing machine. Cindric has raced in a number of series previously, including Mazda's Road to Indy's USF2000 series and the Global Rally Cross Championship, and will pilot the No. 6 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S.

After an up-and-down start to the 2016 season, Porsche Factory driver Patrick Long, the former PWC 2011 GT driver's champion, comes into the Road America weekend second in GT driver's points with 931. Long finished in second place in Round 11 at Lime Rock Park and scored back-to-back victories back in May at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Long will pilot the No. 58 Porsche 911 GT3 R for Wright Motorsports. He also looks to help Porsche repeat as GT manufacturer's champions in 2016. Porsche comes into the weekend leading McLaren 87-80.

Four-time and defending 2015 GT driver's champion Johnny O'Connell sits third in the championship heading into the weekend with 887 points. The Cadillac factory driver will pilot the No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R GT3. O'Connell's teammate Michael Cooper, the 2015 GTS Driver's Champion, comes into the weekend fourth overall with 867 points. Cooper will drive the Cadillac Racing No. 8 ATS-V.R GT3.

Michael Lewis, in the No. 98 Calvert Dynamics/Curb-Agajanian/Phoenix
Performance/Brett King Designs/Boys Republic Porsche 911 GT3R. returns to the series with a new team after his previous team, EFFORT Racing, announced a hiatus from competition in 2016.

GTA: Fuentes continues to lead class championship; Schein, Montecalvo look to close gap

Martin Fuentes set a series record to open the season with seven straight wins, and he scored his eighth win of the season in Round 11 at Lime Rock Park. He comes into Road America leading the GTA driver's championship with 1174 points and will pilot the No. 07 Hublot, Under Armour Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia.

Despite a tough start to the season, the 2015 GTA driver's champion Frankie Montecalvo sits second with 798 points and will pilot the No. 66 DIME Racing Mercedes AMG SLS GT3. Montecalvo put together a dominating second half of 2015,winning seven of the final nine races, including back-to-back wins last year at Road America, and has shown signs in the last couple of race weekends that he could start to challenge Fuentes throughout the remainder of the year.

Michael Schein, in the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, has been on a charge to close the gap to both Fuentes and Montecalvo. He scored his third win of the season at Lime Rock and sits third overall with 774 points.

Rounding out the six-car GTA field is Drew Regitz in the No. 19 iRACERCOACHING.com Stephen Cameron Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3, Walt Bowlin, in the No. 23 M1 GT Racing Audi R8 GT3, and Andy Wilzoch, in the No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R.

 GT Cup: Udell and Urry deadlocked

Alec Udell, piloting the No. 19 GMG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup continued to pad his growing list of positive series statistics, winning Round 10 at Lime Rock, while finishing second in Round 9. He sits in a tie for the lead in the GT Cup driver's championship with 1054 points with another young emerging driver, Sloan Urry, who won Round 9 in the No. 20 Security National Mortgage/Avasis TruSpeed Autosport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Corey Fergus, the 2015 TC Driver's Champion, has moved up into the class and will pilot the No. 00 Byers Porsche, US LED, Motul Motorsports Promotions machine. Fergus had an impressive 2015 campaign, scoring three TC wins and 13 top 5 finishes. He sits fourth in class driver's championship points. Preston Calvert returns in the No. 77 Calvert Dynamics Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Calvert sits third in the GT Cup standings.

Alex Welch, in the No. 08 GMG/Red Beard Racing/Morgan Adams Foundation/Torque Branding Porsche 911 GT3 Cup rounds out the GT Cup field entered for Road America.

GTS: Aschenbach amassing wins

The GTS class has featured some of the best wheel-to-wheel competition seen in racing in recent years. And 2016 has been no different,with five different drivers piloting machinery from four different manufacturers scoring GTS race wins thus far this season.

With defending GTS driver's champion Cooper moving up to GT, four-time series and two-time GTS champion Lawson Aschenbach has returned to pilot the No. 10 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Z28. Aschenbach started off the season with a win at Circut of The Americas in Round 1, and has since been victorious in Round 7 at CTMP and Round 9 at Lime Rock Park. He leads the class championship heading into the weekend with 884 points.

Fifteen-year-old Rookie Parker Chase pilots the team's No. 19 Ginetta GT4 and has had an impressive season thus far – he sits third overall in the championship, 54 points behind Aschenbach. Parker equaled his best PWC finish in Round 6 at Barber with a second in Round 8 at CTMP. He will look to score his first PWC career series win this coming weekend.

Jack Roush Jr. in the No. 60 ROUSH Road Racing Ford Mustang Boss 302, and 16-year-old phenom Nate Stacy in the No. 14 Rehagen Racing/Stacy Racing machine team up to lead the Ford charge. Roush won back-to-back races at St. Petersburg and comes into the weekend fifth. Stacy has had a good start to the 2016 season finishing second in Round 1, fourth in Round 2 and third in Round 8 at CTMP and comes into the weekend fourth with 738 points. Roush and Stacy as well look to help Ford win its second consecutive GTS manufacturer's championship in 2016 – coming into the weekend Ford sits five points behind Chevrolet.

TC: Grahovec leads class heading to Road America

With 2015 class champion Fergus moving up to GT Cup, a new champion will be crowned in 2016 from a very talented field of racers entered in TC this season.

Toby Grahovec in the No. 26 Classic BMW Motorsports BMW M235iR comes into the weekend first in the driver's championship with 584 points after scoring wins in Round 2 at COTA, and Round 4 at CTMP. Grahovec has yet to finish outside of the top five in six races this year.

Montreal's Nick Wittmer will drive the No. 91 Honda Ste-Rose Racing Honda Accord. Wittmer won Round 3 at CTMP and Round 5 at Lime Rock Park and sits second in the championship with 495 points.

Anthony Geraci, in the No. 69 S.A.C. Racing/European Granite & Marble Group, Inc. Mazda MX-5 recorded his first career Pirelli World Challenge win at Lime Rock in Round 6 and sits third with 448 points.

TCA: Goulart leads talented TCA field

Elivan Goulart, in the No. 70 S.A.C. Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup, has had a dominating 2016 season thus far winning five of six TCA races and he leads the TCA driver's championship heading into the weekend with 669 points.

Eric Powell, in the No. 23 Tech Sport Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup, enters the weekend second in the driver's championship with 467 points after scoring two seconds at Lime Rock. Powell teams with Kevin Anderson, in the No. 22 Tech Sport Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup, who comes into the weekend fourth with 381 points.

Matthew Fassnacht will pilot the No. 74 S.A.C. Racing/Equity Residence Mazda MX-5 Cup and sits third with 451 points coming into the weekend.

The top-three finishing GTE Pro teams and the winning GTE Am team from the recent 24 Hours of Le Mans return to IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen July 3 at Watkins Glen International.

IMSA released a 42-car entry list for the six-hour event, which serves as round six of the WeatherTech Championship.

Ford Chip Ganassi Racing headlines the GT Le Mans class entry with the Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller in the No. 66 Ford GT, the same car that won the GTE Pro class at Le Mans. They will be joined by teammates Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe, drivers of the No. 67 Ford GT, which finished third at Le Mans. The Fords sandwiched the Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE and drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Toni Villander on the Le Mans podium. The Ferrari will carry No. 62 at The Glen.

Scuderia Corsa captured the GTE Am class for Ferrari in the French classic. That team returns to Watkins Glen leading the GT Daytona standings with drivers Christina Nielsen and Alessandro Balzan, who hold an eight-point lead in the class co-driving the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3. They will be joined at The Glen by Le Mans class winner Jeff Segal.

The lead Prototype class has a 10-car entry. Tequila Patrón ESM will be looking to continue its mastery of 2016 WeatherTech Championship endurance races, with Scott Sharp, Johannes van Overbeek and Pipo Derani driving the No. 2 Tequila Patrón Honda Ligier JS P2 that opened the year by winning both the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida. They will be joined in the Honda camp by the No. 60 Curb Records/AERO Honda Ligier JS P2 of Ozz Negri, John Pew and Olivier Pla.

Visit Florida Racing is seeking its third consecutive Sahlen’s Six Hours victory with new drivers, with Ryan Dalziel and Marc Goossens now sharing the No. 90 Corvette DP.

“Le Mans week felt like a race season all on its own, so once it’s over, you for sure take a deep breath and a few days off,” said Dalziel, who drove for Tequila Patrón ESM in the French classic. “I spent a few days in Paris afterwards just to chill out a bit. Our race didn’t go as planned, but having both cars take the checkered flag was really a huge achievement. Now my focus shifts to Watkins Glen and getting Visit Florida its first victory of 2016.”

The prototype championship lead is currently shared by two teams, Jordan and Ricky Taylor in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP and two-time defending champions Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi in the No. 5 Mustang Sampling/Cider Tree Corvette DP. Completing the four-car Corvette entry is the No. 31 Whelen Engineering/Team Fox entry of Eric Curran and Dane Cameron, who are currently third in the standings, four points behind the co-leaders, 151-147.

Rounding out the Prototype entry are two Mazda Motorsports Prototypes, the No. 55 for Tristan Nunez, Jonathan Bomarito and Spencer Pigot, plus the No. 70 for Tom Long, Joel Miller and Ben Devlin; the No. 0 Panoz DeltaWing Coupe of Katherine Legge, Sean Rayhall and Gabby Chaves; and the No. 50 Highway to Help/Fifty Plus Racing BMW Riley of Jim Pace, Dorsey Schroeder and Byron DeFoor.

GTLM features a 10-car entry, two each from Ford, Ferrari, Corvette, Porsche and BMW. In addition to the Risi Competizione entry, Scuderia Corsa will field the No. 68 Ferrari 488 GTE for Alessandro Pier Guidi and Daniel Serra. Porsche will race the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR for defending GTLM champion Patrick Pilet and Nick Tandy, joined by the No. 912 for Earl Bamber and Frederic Makowiecki. Corvette Racing returns its two cars from Le Mans, the No. 3 Corvette C7.R for Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen, plus the No. 4 for class point leaders Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner. BMW Team RLL has a pair of IHG Rewards Club-sponsored BMW M6 GTLMs, the No. 25 for Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner, and the No. 100 for John Edwards and Lucas Luhr.

Starworks Motorsport defends its PC victory at The Glen with Renger van der Zande and Alex Popow returning in the No. 8 ORECA FLM09. The pair won at Detroit to take a three-point lead in the class. Mark Kvamme will share the second Starworks entry, the No. 88 Popcorn Sutton ORECA, with Sean Johnston and Maro Engel.

Robert Alon and Tom Kimber-Smith are second in the PC standings—three points back—and will be joined by Jose Gutierrez in the No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Prisma/Professional Security Consultants/Westfield ORECA. Two-time defending class champions Colin Braun and Jon Bennett return for CORE autosport, joined by entries from BAR 1 Motorsports, Performance Tech Motorsports and JDC-Miller Motorsports.

The GTD class has 15 entries—including the debut of Lamborghini in the Sahlen’s Six Hours. Former Rochester-area resident Paul Miller has one of the four Huracán GT3s, the No. 48 Castrol Edge/Universal Industrial Sales Huracán GT3 for Madison Snow and 2015 Sahlen’s Six Hour GTLM winner Bryan Sellers. Change Racing has entered a pair of Lamborghinis, with Dream Racing completing the Lamborghini entry.

Dodge Viper, the 2015 winner at The Glen, has the No. 33 ViperExchange.com/Gas Monkey Garage Dodge Viper GT3-R for Detroit winners Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen.

Porsche has a four-car GTD entry. Alex Job Racing fields the No. 22 WeatherTech Porsche GT3 R for Cooper MacNeil, Leh Keen and Gunnar Jeannette and the No. 23 Team Seattle/Heart of Racing Porsche for Mario Farnbacher, Alex Riberas and Ian James. Also fielding new Porsche GT3 Rs are Park Place Racing, with the No. 73 for Patrick Lindsey, Joerg Bergmeister and Matt McMurry; and Black Swan Racing with the No. 540 driven by Timothy Pappas and Nicky Catsburg.

Audi is set with three cars, including two for Stevenson Motorsports and one for Magnus Racing, while Turner Motorsport campaigns a pair of BMW M6 GT3s.

NASCAR released their weekly penalty report, as well as a change in the rule book for Xfinity and Truck teams.

First off, six Xfinity teams were all hit with P2 level penalties  due to the right side body panel being modified after race inspection.

The teams listed: No. 1 JR Motorsports, No. 7 JR Motorsports, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 22 Team Penske, and the No. 88 of JR Motorsports.
 
All six crew chiefs have been placed on probation for the remainder of the calendar year  (Kevin Meendering, 1; Chris Gabehart, 20; Jason Burdett, 7; Chris Gayle, 18; David Elenz, 88).
 
There were also written warnings issued to the No. 1, No. 13 and No. 19 cars for failing LIS inspection twice. The No. 16 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford of Ryan Reed failed three teams, so they will lose 15 minutes of practice time during their next race weekend.
 
On the Truck side, title contender John Hunter-Nemechek has been penalized for failing post-race inspection with the height measurements were outside NASCAR's allowed tolerance.
 
Crew chief Farris Kennon Jr. has been fined $6,000 and placed on probation through December 31st while both team and driver has been deducted 10 championship points.
 
Caleb Holman, driver of the No. 75 truck, was assessed a behavioral penalty for approaching the racing surface of a hot track after an accident to show his displeasure with another driver. He has been fined $5,000 and also placed on probation for the remainder of the calendar year.
 
The sanctioning body has issued a rule book bulletin as well. The change mandates that left-side track bar mounting brackets must be welded to the truck trailing arm. The change is similar to the one made in the Sprint Cup Series prior to Kansas in which series officials mandated the truck trailing arm mounts be welded. This is a proactive move to make sure teams don’t go down the path of trying to gain sideforce through rear skew, which took place at the Cup level.
 
This rule only affects the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.