The second day of U.S. Majors Tour racing at NOLA Motorsports Park carried the torch from the first, delivering close racing and fast times.

Drivers in six classes posted new track records during the day’s races. The speed and clean racing were a great testament to the quality of drivers competing in the SCCA U.S. Majors Tour.

Sunday’s races kicked off with the highly popular Spec Miata class. Thirty-two cars started the race in the late morning. Within the first two laps, the pack settled into single file, only deviating when a driver chose to make a strategic move. Four drivers held the lead throughout the race.

Pole sitter Chris Haldeman held onto the position he earned in qualifying for the first three laps in his X-Factor Racing Mazda Miata. Blake Clements then claimed the position and held on for an additional four laps in his OPM Autosports/G-LOC Brakes Miata, despite growing pressure from Andrew Carbonell in his BSI Racing Miata.

Carbonell took the position on the eighth lap and held the lead despite the top four cars running in a tight string. On lap 13, Clements made an attempt to regain the lead, only to be denied and end up back in fourth. This move opened the door for Selin M. Rollan in his Apex Alignment/BSI Racing/Rossini Racing Miata. Rollan claimed the top spot on the second-to-last lap, but it was not over yet. Multiple racers attempted to make passes for the top spot on the last lap only to be denied. Rollan held on to take the first checkered flag of the day.

Just after lunch, the Spec Racer Fords gridded up for their 18-lap race. Denny Stripling started on pole in his Southeast Spec Racer/PlantingSeedsCC SCCA Enterprise Gen3 Spec Racer Ford, but wouldn’t hold that position. After one lap of racing, Stripling was shuffled back to third with Tray Ayres taking the lead in his Ayres Racing SRF3, and Brian Schofield taking second in his PM Racing SRF3.

Those two would break away from the remainder of the pack and battle between themselves for the remainder of the race. Ayres held the lead initially for six laps before Stripling took his first turn at the top spot. He held on for three laps before Ayres was back up front. In his shortest possession of the lead, Ayres was overtaken after just two laps by Schofield. That wouldn’t be the final pass for the lead as Ayres took back the top spot with two laps to go. He was unpassable from there on, despite the best attempts of Schofield. Stripling was able to finish out the podium after falling as low as sixth.

Father-son teammates Buz and Brad McCall swept the weekend in T1 and STU respectively. Buz McCall made a triumphant return to SCCA Club Racing with his Round 3 Racing Porsche Cayman S, winning both races this weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park. He said Saturday that these represent his first Club Racing wins in more than 30 years and credits his son with his return to the sport. Brad McCall also had a banner weekend in his Round 3 Racing Scion FR-S, winning both races.

* Fighting Back: An industry-wide firestorm erupted February in response to proposed regulations by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that threaten to ban the conversion of street-legal vehicles into race cars. As written, it would also outlaw the sale of certain products for use on such vehicles. The provision was inserted into a 629-page proposal, published back in July, called “Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles—Phase 2” that essentially covered fuel standards for commercial trucks. And while the Clean Air Act indeed prohibits certain modifications to street cars, it’s clear that race cars represent a completely different type of “motor vehicle.”

The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), which owns this company, has taken the lead in opposing these potentially devastating regulations through a multi-pronged approach that includes federal lobbying efforts and meetings with EPA officials, among other tacks. According to SEMA President/CEO Chris Kersting, “This proposed regulation represents overreaching by the agency, runs contrary to the law, and defies decades of racing activity where EPA has acknowledged and allowed conversion of vehicles. Congress did not intend the original Clean Air Act to extend to vehicles modified for racing and has re-enforced that intent on more than one occasion.”

SEMA will continue to mobilize opposition initiatives alongside other affected stakeholders, representing professional and grassroots racers, as well as their supply partners and fans. Those efforts are expected to include, but are not limited to, support from Congress and, if necessary, intervention by the courts. The EPA has said it expects to publish final regulations by July 2016.

Update: “Despite recent indications that the EPA is considering a new rule-making to request additional public comment on its proposed race car rule, it is now clear that an amendment to the Clean Air Act will effectively end any debate over the exemption of motor vehicles converted for competition use. SEMA views congressional action as a decisive step to settle this issue once and for all,” Kersting said. “The EPA is attempting to write a new interpretation into the regulations. The racing community and parts makers need the certainty that legislation will provide.”

A SEMA-initiated White House Petition opposing the EPA-proposed regulation currently contains more than 160,000 signatures, well past the 100,000 signature threshold necessary to elicit a response from the administration.
              
* Charter Club: Richard Petty is already calling it “the second most important thing that’s ever happened in NASCAR.” Indeed, last month’s announcement by the sanctioning body put some meat on the bones of its highly anticipated business model overhaul, which had been in the works for some 18 months and came just in time for the Sprint Cup season kickoff in Daytona.

In essence, the nine-year team owner charter agreement stamps 36 guaranteed entries for every Cup race in 2016, with four “open” spots in each race’s 40-car field decided via qualifying. A total of 19 teams were granted those three-dozen charters, with four going to Hendrick Motorsports, and three apiece going to Richard Childress Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing. Several others received two or fewer.

In addition to stability on the grid, NASCAR’s new setup establishes a Team Owner Council that will have “formal input” into the sanction’s decision-making, as well as short- and long-term economic benefits that include more predictable revenue streams and enhanced marketing platforms.            

* Campaign Season: Known for spectacular promotions, Madison Heights, Michigan-based Motovicity Distribution has announced its latest campaign, and it’s a humdinger. Featuring a grand prize LS3 engine custom built by Duttweiler Performance and presented by ARP Fasteners, Motovicity’s 2016 Engines of Change B2B promotion was officially launched last month and continues through April 29. It includes 12 weeks of discounted pricing on a host of performance parts from participating manufacturers AEM Electronics, ARP, DEI, Flowmaster, Kooks Headers & Exhaust, Royal Purple, Sparco and many others.

In fact, a special 26-page insert distributed with the February 2016 issue of this publication contains a breakdown of the savings schedule, along with fascinating detail on some of the most significant and sought-after engines in the performance aftermarket, including the Nissan RB26DETT, the Honda B16A and, of course, the GM LS1.

Motovicity customers earn a grand prize entry for every $100 spent on featured brands during their designated promotional periods. Existing customers can view full contest rules by accessing their accounts at www.motovicity.com. Prospective customers are encouraged to call 888/SPEED-16 (888/773-3316).

Former Skyline Raceway Park track champion Dean Catlin and his wife Donna have purchased the Cortland, New York-based facility from Frank and Audrey Payne, who had operated the 3/8-mile clay oval for 28 years.

For 2016, Xtreme Motor Sports IMCA Modifieds return to Saturday night programs beginning April 23. The IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season at Cortland runs through Turbo Blue championship night on Sept. 17.

The former Skyline Raceway has been IMCA sanctioned longer than any other track in New York, and will crown a Modified champion for the 20th consecutive season in 2016.

“This division is a lot different than most of the other cars around here,” Catlin noted. “They run on those narrow Hoosier tires and there’s a lot of talent needed to hook them up. The guys who can do that are doing a whale of a job.”

Catlin first raced at Skyline the third week after the Paynes began promoting. He was a weekly regular there for 15 years and won the local pure stock title in 1996.

“I’d always thought it would be cool to promote a race track. The crazy thing is,” he added with a laugh, “is that I was able to talk my wife into doing this.”

“I’m the fix-it guy and she’ll handle concessions and ticket sales, but we’re going to promote this track together,” Catlin said. “We’ve kept some of the staff, hired new employees and will also have volunteer help, most of them being people I met while I was racing here myself.”

After his auto racing career ended, Catlin started a lawnmower racing organization that held several events at Skyline.

“We were walking through the pits, talking lawnmower stuff when Frank asked if we’d be interested in buying the track. We talked again in November, financing fell into place and we bought it in late January,” he said. “We’ll finish widening out turn three, we’ll get the equipment ready to roll and we’ll open the gates.”

Lawnmower races will be on the schedule several times this season at Cortland, raising money for charities that include the Make-A-Wish Foundation, volunteer fire departments and local cancer societies.

An open practice follows a car parts flea market at Skyline on April 16. Rain date for the Turbo Blue show is Sept. 24.

The United States Auto Club (USAC) has announced that Tony Orlando, president of Firestone Farm Tires, has been appointed to the organization’s board of directors. Orlando will serve a three-year term that began in January. Firestone Farm Tires, a division of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, serves the agricultural tire solutions market.

Headquartered in Speedway, Indiana, USAC annually conducts more than 250 motorsports events nationwide in a variety of disciplines. Throughout the organization’s 60-year history, USAC has presented nearly 10,000 total motorsports events internationally, spanning the spectrum of the sport from quarter-midget racing to Indy Cars and Formula One.

“Bridgestone has a great tradition of racing that is ingrained in our company’s history and roots, and I am honored to have been appointed to the USAC board of directors,” said Tony Orlando, president, Firestone Farm Tires, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations. “An avid follower of motorsports for many years, I am looking forward to bringing my passion for the sport to the position.”

Orlando joins a board comprised of business executives representing several facets of the sport, including Chairman and Indianapolis businessman Jeff Stoops, Secretary Pete Morse of Barnes & Thornburg Attorneys, Brett Frood of Tony Stewart Racing, Sterling Pratz, founder of Autonet Mobile, Mark Kvamme, co-founder and partner for Drive Capital, Charlie Mancuso, President of Feld Motorsports, Colin Dyne, CEO of Global Rally Cross, and USAC President/CEO Kevin Miller.

For more information on USAC, visit www.USACRacing.com.

American Motor Racing Association officials have announced that County Line Raceway in Elm City, North Carolina, will officially become a member of the AMRA family of tracks in 2016.

The 3/8-mile track that first opened in 1988 will now feature AMRA sanctioned Modifieds throughout the 2016 racing season, as the track expects even greater growth in its Modified division. County Line Raceway will now join Fayetteville Motor Speedway as the first two North Carolina tracks to feature AMRA sanctioned Modified racing weekly in 2016.

With the AMRA sanctioning, drivers from County Line Raceway will have the opportunity to compete for the AMRA Modified National Championship and their part of the national points fund that totals in excess of $30,000, along with numerous prizes and contingency awards.

County Line Raceway plans to kick off its 2016 season of racing in early March. The track has numerous special AMRA Modified shows scheduled in 2016, including the track’s Modified Twin 20’s event in June, along with a $2,000-to-win Southeast Dirt Modified Series powered by the AMRA date in August.

The track’s most notable event each season is the three-day “Race for the Kids” event in November, which supports the Victory Junction Gang Camp and features Late Model and Modified racing.

The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) is supporting Capitol Hill allies on legislation that will clearly exempt from the Clean Air Act street vehicles converted to race cars for competition-only use. As previously reported, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a regulation to prohibit conversion of vehicles originally designed for on-road use into race cars. The regulation would also make the sale of certain products for use on such vehicles illegal.

“Despite recent indications that the EPA is considering a new rule-making to request additional public comment on its proposed race car rule, it is now clear that an amendment to the Clean Air Act will effectively end any debate over the exemption of motor vehicles converted for competition use. SEMA views congressional action as a decisive step to settle this issue once and for all,”  said SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting. “The EPA is attempting to write a new interpretation into the regulations. The racing community and parts makers need the certainty that legislation will provide.”

A SEMA-initiated White House Petition opposing the EPA-proposed regulation currently contains more than 158,000 signatures, well past the 100,000 signature threshold necessary to elicit a response from the administration.

INDYCAR announced it has strengthened its race control program by naming three race stewards with extensive motorsports experience to monitor on-track competition at all 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series events. Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk, former Indy car driver Max Papis and longtime motorsports executive Dan Davis will make up the three-steward panel at each race.

The stewards will report to Jay Frye, INDYCAR president of competition and operations, who said finalizing these positions has been a top priority since accepting his position in November 2015.

"As soon as we began the process of identifying our race stewards, we targeted Dan, Arie and Max and we’re thrilled they agreed to join this extremely important initiative," Frye said. "INDYCAR’s stewards have a great deal of experience across many different areas of motorsports and we are confident their varying perspectives will mesh well for consistent execution and enforcement of our rules."

Davis is the chief steward and will serve as the team leader, which includes overseeing the administration and organization of the group. Davis has 40 years of experience in the auto industry with General Motors and Ford Motor Co. He spent 14 years at Ford as director of Ford Racing Technology, in charge of the global company’s North American racing operations that included participation in Indy car racing, NASCAR, Formula One, NHRA, USAC and World Rallycross. After retiring from Ford in 2008, Davis spent a year as president and CEO of Miller Motorsports Park in Utah.

Luyendyk was an Indy car star for nearly two decades, earning CART and Indianapolis 500 rookie of the year honors in 1985. He won seven races, including the 1990 and 1997 Indianapolis 500s. The "Flying Dutchman" still holds the Indianapolis Motor Speedway one- and four-lap track speed records set in 1996 and was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2014. In recent years, Luyendyk has served as an INDYCAR pace car driver.

Papis has followed a career path from Formula One to Indy cars to sports cars to NASCAR. He drove for a decade in CART and the Verizon IndyCar Series, scoring three career wins. He holds the Indy car record for winning a road- or street-course race from the furthest starting spot—winning at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in 2001 after starting in 25th position—and is a two-time Indianapolis 500 starter. He excelled in sports car racing, winning the Grand Am Rolex Series championship (2004), and collected wins in the Rolex 24 At Daytona (2000, 2002) and 12 Hours of Sebring (2004, 2007) and raced seven times in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

"Our desire was to assemble a team with varied backgrounds that would work together to move INDYCAR forward in the area of monitoring on-track competition," Frye said. "Being a race steward requires thorough knowledge and consistent interpretation of the rules, as well as the ability to enact them with resolve. This is the right group to do that."

The three stewards will oversee on-track action from race control via video and audio monitors, electronic data and communication with teams and race officials. Any one of the stewards may call for review of an on-track incident, at which time they will review collectively to determine if an infraction occurred and whether to impose a penalty—which will be determined by a majority vote.

Brian Barnhart, INDYCAR vice president of competition, race director, will remain in his role as race director and oversee the management of the race, including decisions on track conditions (full-course or local caution, red flag, etc.), safety dispatch and communication of all decisions made by the stewards to the competitors.

Legendary engine builders, crew chiefs, owners, drivers and the most recognizable voice in motorsports. The talents, eras and levels may differ, but all share a common thread. They shaped NASCAR, and on Wednesday, they were recognized as nominees for the highest honor the sport bestows—enshrinement into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
 
NASCAR announced the 20 nominees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017, as well as the five nominees for the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR. Included among the list are five first-time nominees, all legends who made excellence a habit through their various contributions to the sport.
 
Among them are record-holding four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr.; the man with the most car owner wins in NASCAR national series history with 322, Jack Roush; former all-time consecutive starts leader Ricky Rudd; legendary motorsports broadcasting pioneer Ken Squier; and three-time premier series champion engine builder and three-time Daytona 500-winning crew chief Waddell Wilson. For a full list of nominees, please see below.
 
The nominees were selected by a nominating committee consisting of representatives from NASCAR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from both major facilities and historic short tracks and the media. The committee’s votes were tabulated by accounting firm Ernst & Young.
 
From the list of 20 NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees, five inductees will be elected by the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel, which includes a nationwide fan vote on NASCAR.com. Voting Day for the 2017 class will be Wednesday, May 25.
 
Added to this year’s list of Landmark Award nominees is Janet Guthrie—the first female driver to compete in a NASCAR premier series superspeedway race. The four returning nominees for the Landmark Award are H. Clay Earles, Raymond Parks, Ralph Seagraves and Squier (more on each below). Potential Landmark Award recipients include competitors or those working in the sport as a member of a racing organization, track facility, race team, sponsor, media partner or being a general ambassador for the sport through a professional or non-professional role. Award winners remain eligible for NHOF enshrinement.
 
Following are the 20 nominees for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, listed alphabetically:
 
Buddy Baker, won 19 times in NASCAR’s premier (now Sprint Cup) series, including the Daytona 500 and Southern 500
 
Red Byron, first NASCAR premier series champion, in 1949
 
Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series
 
Ray Evernham, three-time NASCAR premier series championship crew chief
 
Ray Fox,legendary engine builder, crew chief and car owner
 
Rick Hendrick, 14-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series
 
Ron Hornaday Jr., four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion
 
Harry Hyde, 1970 NASCAR premier series championship crew chief
 
Alan Kulwicki, 1992 NASCAR premier series champion
 
Mark Martin, 96-time race winner in NASCAR national series competition
 
Hershel McGriff, 1986 NASCAR west series champion
 
Raymond Parks, NASCAR’s first champion car owner
 
Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR premier series champion
 
Larry Phillips, only five-time NASCAR weekly series national champion
 
Jack Roush, five-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series
 
Ricky Rudd, won 23 times in NASCAR’s premier series, including the 1997 Brickyard 400
 
Ken Squier, legendary radio and television broadcaster; inaugural winner/namesake of Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence
 
Mike Stefanik, winner of record-tying nine NASCAR championships
 
Waddell Wilson, won three NASCAR premier series championships as an engine builder
 
Robert Yates, won NASCAR premier series championship as both an engine builder and owner
 
The five nominees for the Landmark Award, listed alphabetically, are as follows…
 
H. Clay Earles, founder of Martinsville Speedway
 
Janet Guthrie, the first female to compete in a NASCAR premier series superspeedway race
 
Raymond Parks, NASCAR’s first champion car owner
 
Ralph Seagraves, formed groundbreaking Winston-NASCAR partnership as executive with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
 
Ken Squier, legendary radio and television broadcaster; inaugural winner / namesake of Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence
 
NASCAR Hall of Fame Nomination Eligibility
 
- Drivers who have competed in NASCAR for at least 10 years and been retired for two years are eligible for nomination to the NHOF. Previously, eligible drivers must have been retired for three years.
 
- In addition, drivers who have competed for a minimum of 10 years and reached their 55th birthday on or before Dec. 31 of the year prior to the nominating year are immediately eligible for the NHOF.
 
- Any driver who has competed for 30 or more years in NASCAR competition by Dec. 31 of the year prior to the nominating year is automatically eligible, regardless of age.
 
- Drivers may continue to compete after reaching any of the aforementioned milestones without compromising eligibility for nomination or induction.
 
- For non-drivers, individuals must have worked at least 10 years in the NASCAR industry.
 
- Individuals may also be considered who made significant achievements in the sport, but left the sport early due to a variety of circumstances.
 

Federal-Mogul Motorparts, a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: FDML), unveiled the new name and logo of the performance track at M1 Concourse, the highly anticipated automotive enthusiast destination in Pontiac, Michigan. The new, state-of-the-art, 1.5 mile automotive performance track, which is scheduled to open in June, will be known as Champion Motor Speedway.

The new name and logo will be presented to the public for the first time at the M1 Concourse display at AutoRama Detroit, February 26–28 at Cobo Center.

“The Champion auto parts brand is synonymous with motorsports around the world,” said Brad Oleshansky, founder and CEO, M1 Concourse. “Adding the Champion name to the performance track at M1 Concourse is a significant milestone in the development of this exciting destination for automotive enthusiasts. We are thrilled to be moving forward in our partnership with Federal-Mogul Motorparts, and we’re grateful for their support.”

“We take pride in supporting our industry and our hometown of greater Detroit through Champion Motor Speedway,” said Laura Soave, senior vice president, chief marketing & communications officer, Federal-Mogul Motorparts. “We can’t wait to welcome people from around the country and the world to this must-see addition to Detroit’s automotive community, this summer.”

For more than 100 years, Champion has been one of the most trusted and recognizable aftermarket brands in the world. The iconic red-and-black bowtie logo is a familiar symbol of authenticity and quality for racing fans and millions of other auto enthusiasts and consumers. Champion is one of more than 20 brands offered by Federal-Mogul Motorparts, which provides parts and components for virtually every vehicle, both modern and vintage.

M1 Concourse is a $40 million-plus development being built on an 87-acre former General Motors plant site in Pontiac, Mich.  The development will include a private community of more than 250 private garages, a 1.5-mile performance track and a public experiential restaurant and retail destination. Champion Motor Speedway will be utilized for a variety of purposes. Most notably, it will available to the automotive industry for testing, training and marketing events. M1 Concourse will also offer a multitude of events open to the public, including driving schools, open track days, autocross and more.  Owners of the Private Garages at M1 Concourse will have track access through the M1 Motorsports Club.

For more information about M1 Concourse, please visit www.m1concourse.com.

Hoosier Tire and the Southeast Limited Late Model Series will increase their partnership this season.

The top five in season-ending points for both the Daytona1 Challenger division and the Pro Division will receive a jacket, and other items will be given away at the awards banquet as well.

“We are excited to work with Ed and Kelli Cox and Anthony Anders as they take their series to the next level,” said Hoosier Tire South representative Jeff Freeman. “We appreciate the opportunity to add a little bit more for the racers in both divisions and we hope everyone has a safe and successful season.”

Series owner Ed Cox is pleased with the increased partnership.

“We’re very thankful to Jeff and everybody at Hoosier for stepping up for our racers this year,” he said. “Everyone on our staff is working hard to make this our best year ever. We’re grateful to all the companies who support us. It makes all the efforts worthwhile and makes it much more enjoyable for the race teams.”

The next race for the Southeast Limited Late Model Series will be on March 25 at Anderson Motor Speedway in Williamston, S.C., featuring both the Pro and the Daytona1 Lubricants Challenger divisions.

Chase Purdy won the opening event at Greenville-Pickens Speedway on Feb. 6, which was a Pro division only race as part of the track’s Winter Meltdown race day.